How 2 people can ride their bicycles across the country on their own, raise money for a good cause, stay in the hotels they prefer, eat fabulous food, enjoy the local color, and actually visit the places they pass along the way.
All in 8 weeks!
Ok, so on the way to Reno, Diane informs me that she has been researching cycling across the country and that this was the only thing left on her bucket list. She asked if I would be interested in doing a state or two. Without pause, I told her I would do the entire trip with her. Little did I know what this would turn into.
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Day 1: San Francisco to Petaluma
5/19/13 -
Day 2: Petaluma to Timber Cove
5/20/13 -
Day 3: Timber Cove to Fort Bragg
5/21/13 -
Day 4: Fort Bragg to Myers Flat
5/22/13 -
Day 5: Leaving for Real
Garberville to Fortuna
5/30/13 -
Day 6: Fortuna to Crescent City
5/31/13 -
Day 7: Crescent City to Grants Pass
6/1/13 -
Day 8: Day Off in Grants Pass
Jet Boating!
6/2/13 -
Day 9: Grants Pass to Union Creek
Royal Gorge
6/3/13 -
Day 10: Union Creek to Crater Lake
6/4/13 -
Day 11: Crater Lake to Bend
6/5/13 -
Day 12: ReUnion in Bend with Bob’s Uncle Bill
6/6/13 -
Day 13: Bend to Dayville
6/7/13 -
Day 14: Dayville to Baker City
6/8/13 -
Day 15 – Having a beer in a bar in a robe. Why is this not weird? Classic!
6/9/13 -
Day 16 – Riding into Lowman Hotel/Store/Diner at 8:40 p.m!
6/10/13 -
Day 17 – Descending Galena Pass. Almost in Ketchum!
6/11/13 -
Day 18 and 19 – Meester Bob relaxing after dinner in Ketchum, Idaho.
6/12 – 13 -
Day 20 – Craters of the Moon
6/14/13 -
Day 21 – Arco to Victor, ID
6/15/13 -
Day 22 – Snake River Brewing in Jackson WY
6/16/13 -
Day 23 – Teton and Yellowstone in the same day
6/17/13 -
Day 24 – Upper Falls Yellowstone
6/18/13 -
Day 25 – 2000 miles!
6/19/13 -
Day 26 – Beartooth Highway from Red Lodge to Cody – Best Ride Ever!
6/20/13 -
Day 27 – Medicine Wheel – gnarliest climb ever
6/21/13 -
Day 28 – Fog and rain. It had to happen sometime.
6/22/13 -
Day 29 – Hmmm… dirt roads are relevant. Thanks Map My Ride!
6/23/13
We signed onto a tour group that would take us from Astoria, OR to Portsmouth, NH and started our training. While in Utah, visiting Diane’s mom, we came up with a tentative plan to leapfrog our journey across the country. Basically, one of us would start riding as the other drove the car 5-20 miles up the road, depending on the terrain. The driver would park the car and start riding their own leg without waiting for the 1st person to finish. The first cyclist then gets to the car and drives past the second cyclist, making sure they are OK, then drives another 5-20 miles, parks, and continues cycling. The second cyclist gets to the car, moves it forward, etc. We tried this out on our way back to Mammoth on HWY 50 and were able to ride 70 miles in just a 2 1/2 hours. Most importantly, we saw and spoke to each other more often than we are able to when we are riding at the same time single file. We felt safe knowing that we would be no more than a few miles apart should something happen.
After returning from Utah, we continued to train in the Mammoth area, but had still not totally decided to abandon the tour group idea without doing a multi-day test run of the “leapfrog” plan. So we left for San Francisco to visit our son Jake and do a test run. On 5/19, we dipped our rear wheels into the San Francisco Bay and proceeded northward with that intention. Yes, the first day was a cluster, but we realized that we were smart enough to make this work. By the end of fourth day, we had it figured out. We drove back to Mammoth, packed for real, then returned to where we left off.
This is an alternative way, assuming that you are ok with not being in the ELI club (every last inch), for couples to maintain their own support vehicle and have the experience of seeing the country by bicycle. To serious cyclists this may be a cop out, so we decided to go north and south as well as west to east. We will visit areas that cross country tour groups cannot take the time to do. And we will have the option of staying in the best hotels and eating at the best restaurants each area has to offer. Another advantage is that this plan gives us the freedom to alter our route and take our days off in the places we find the most interesting. If we want to spend an extra day in a cool area, we aren’t bound by a schedule that prohibits that possibility. If one of us is feeling poorly, we will be able to ride shorter legs that day. Over the course of the trip, we expect it to even out. We plan on cycling 6000 to 6500 miles together instead of 3700 individually and be done with the trip by July 27th just in time for Bluesapalooza!
As most of our friends know, Bob’s cousin Danny has a little girl with Rett Syndrome. We have chosen to team up with the Rett Syndrome Foundation to make this a fund raiser for this mysterious disease. Information is available on the bottom of the left sidebar. Please help if you are able.
We hope this website gives our friends and family a glimpse of our daily adventures, or misadventures, without having to break a sweat. We hope you enjoy…
Bob and Diane