LOOKING BACK
It will take a while for the trip to sink in but we already know that this has been a life defining trip. Now that the riding is over it’s time to think about what worked and what didn’t work.
THE ROUTE
I’m really pleased with the Transam Route. One of the biggest reasons I chose it is because it went to areas that I hadn’t seen or wanted to see again. All of these panned out. It was fun to visit family/friends in Salem Oregon, Jackson Wyoming, Godfrey Illinois, and Alexandria Virginia. We enjoyed following the paths of Lewis and Clark, and the Nez Perce. We learned about Abraham Lincoln, Stonewall Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington by visiting their homes. We gave identity to the places that were new to us: Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and Virginia. To steal from the author Beryl Markham, those states had just been different splotches of color on the US map. Now they have entire identities in our minds. If not for this trip I don’t think we’d ever have visited some of them. We may never go back but we won’t forget either.
I’m also convinced that riding from West to East was the correct decision. I couldn’t have relaxed enough to enjoy sightseeing if we had started in the East. The only thing on my mind would have been to start riding. The other thing it did was gradually take us from the known to unknown. Ocean Park has been a part of my life from my first memories. As we went west we gradually went further and further away from what we know. Even Colorado looked somewhat familiar but Kansas was new and places in the Appalachians felt like a different country.
THE LOGISTICS
Our gear has been superb. There are very few things that we haven’t used. The only thing I can think of is cold weather clothing and we may still get a chance for that.
The Eurovan has been the perfect vehicle. We’re able to be completely self-sufficient for several days at a time in a vehicle that’s been easy for Jani to drive and gets 20-22 miles per gallon. Lots of people have been curious about the van in campgrounds. I suppose it does look kind of unique (funny) with the roof extended but is surprisingly comfortable. It really has been home except for the days when it was too hot. Even though we enjoyed having air conditioned motel rooms it was always a relief when we could get back to camping in the van. We’ve worked out a really good system with the van. Everything has a place and everything’s in it’s place. It makes us (well maybe me more than Jani) look forward to future trips in the van.
The bike worked great. I’m glad to have replaced most of the parts before leaving. I’m also glad that I was lucky enough to not need most of the spare parts that I brought. The only thing I’d have done differently would be to use a lower gear. Obviously I was able to ride with the gearing I had but it did test me at times.
BEST THINGS ABOUT THE TRIP
FRIENDLY PEOPLE
I enjoyed people who’d say hi or wave to me from their front porch when I cycled past. We enjoyed people who would stop whatever they were doing just to talk with us. We enjoyed the fact that people would go out of their way to help like the man in Sonora, Kentucky who walked across a park to find out what the problem Jani was having, then helped give Kira her medicine.
WILDLIFE
We really enjoyed the birds. There were ones new to us: Scissor Tailed Flycatchers, Black Vultures, Saw Whet Owls, and Wild Turkeys. Others that we’ve seen before but still enjoy are: Cardinals, Mourning Doves, and Rufous Hummingbirds.
New animals included: badgers, woodchucks, turtles on the road, and armadillos. Old favorites were: Bison, Pronghorn, and Elk.
The insects were impressive for their noise (Cicadas), for glowing at night (Lightning Bugs), and for being larger and heavier than any flying bug has a right to be (huge flying beetles which constantly hit me in the face while riding).
FINDING THAT RURAL AMERICA STILL EXISTS
I think we all want to believe that there are still places untainted by the hustle and bustle of city life; places where the words road and rage exist but not in the same sentence; places where people don’t lock their doors then look at you like you’ve insulted them if you lock your car door; and places where the pace of life is slow enough to enjoy the little things like just sitting in front of the town courthouse. I loved stopping at General Stores with wood floors; you have the feeling that if they don’t have it you can probably do without. A large part of our route felt like we weren’t just traveling east but also back in time.
GREAT CYCLING
Every state had great cycling. They all offered different things. Kansas showed me that flat can be fun. Colorado showed me that I can ride my bike at elevations higher than all but two of the mountains in Washington. Missouri showed me that the Ozarks are worth visiting. The Appalachians helped teach me humility about small but steep mountains.
WORST THINGS ABOUT THE TRIP
BAD DRIVERS
This has to be at the top of the list since at worst it is a matter of life or death, and at the least is an annoyance that threatened my enjoyment of the trip. The worst of the worst were oncoming cars that would pass in my lane even though they saw me. Because they didn’t want to wait a couple of seconds they had to endanger my life and scare the daylights out of me. Lower down on the list were drivers who wouldn’t move over even an inch when passing. The one consolation I have is that my life isn’t so crappy that the highlight of my day is harassing a cyclist.
ROAD KILL
It’s unfortunate to see how many animals are killed along the highways. It’s really bad when they’ve been in the hot sun for days and I had no choice but to smell it at a slow pace. It seemed like only half the road kill was visible and the rest out of sight but not out of smell. One of the biggest losers in the animal kingdom is the skunk. Spraying another animal may stop it from attacking but doesn’t do much to stop a car.
HOT HUMID WEATHER
I hesitate to put this on the list since we knew it was inevitable. No one was surprised that it was hot and humid on the East Coast in August. I feel okay about how I dealt with the heat on the bike, and on the other hand feel no remorse about hiding from it in motels at night. In retrospect I might have researched getting a small air conditioner for the van.
RIDE DATA
TIME
56 total days
14 nights in motels
42 nights camping
48 days riding
8 days off (includes days that I only rode 13 and 14 miles)
263.2 hours total riding
7.9 hours: longest day on bike
DISTANCE
4294 miles
77 miles: average per day
89 miles: average per day of riding
122 miles: longest day riding (Kansas)
675 miles: most in a week (Kansas)
383 miles: fewest in a week (Wyoming)
SPEED
16.3 mph: average for trip
14.7 mph: slowest average speed (Virginian Appalachians)
21.0 mph: fastest average speed (Kansas)
ELEVATION
163,890 feet: total gain for the trip
38 feet/mile: average gain per mile
80 feet mile: hilliest day (Virginian Appalachians)
2 feet/mile: flattest day (Western Kansas)
BICYCLE
Zero f#*!’s (sudden loss of tire pressure)
I’m too superstitious to use the “f”word
2 sets of tires
2 chains
1 broken spoke
THE ROUTE
I’m really pleased with the Transam Route. One of the biggest reasons I chose it is because it went to areas that I hadn’t seen or wanted to see again. All of these panned out. It was fun to visit family/friends in Salem Oregon, Jackson Wyoming, Godfrey Illinois, and Alexandria Virginia. We enjoyed following the paths of Lewis and Clark, and the Nez Perce. We learned about Abraham Lincoln, Stonewall Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington by visiting their homes. We gave identity to the places that were new to us: Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and Virginia. To steal from the author Beryl Markham, those states had just been different splotches of color on the US map. Now they have entire identities in our minds. If not for this trip I don’t think we’d ever have visited some of them. We may never go back but we won’t forget either.
I’m also convinced that riding from West to East was the correct decision. I couldn’t have relaxed enough to enjoy sightseeing if we had started in the East. The only thing on my mind would have been to start riding. The other thing it did was gradually take us from the known to unknown. Ocean Park has been a part of my life from my first memories. As we went west we gradually went further and further away from what we know. Even Colorado looked somewhat familiar but Kansas was new and places in the Appalachians felt like a different country.
THE LOGISTICS
Our gear has been superb. There are very few things that we haven’t used. The only thing I can think of is cold weather clothing and we may still get a chance for that.
The Eurovan has been the perfect vehicle. We’re able to be completely self-sufficient for several days at a time in a vehicle that’s been easy for Jani to drive and gets 20-22 miles per gallon. Lots of people have been curious about the van in campgrounds. I suppose it does look kind of unique (funny) with the roof extended but is surprisingly comfortable. It really has been home except for the days when it was too hot. Even though we enjoyed having air conditioned motel rooms it was always a relief when we could get back to camping in the van. We’ve worked out a really good system with the van. Everything has a place and everything’s in it’s place. It makes us (well maybe me more than Jani) look forward to future trips in the van.
The bike worked great. I’m glad to have replaced most of the parts before leaving. I’m also glad that I was lucky enough to not need most of the spare parts that I brought. The only thing I’d have done differently would be to use a lower gear. Obviously I was able to ride with the gearing I had but it did test me at times.
BEST THINGS ABOUT THE TRIP
FRIENDLY PEOPLE
I enjoyed people who’d say hi or wave to me from their front porch when I cycled past. We enjoyed people who would stop whatever they were doing just to talk with us. We enjoyed the fact that people would go out of their way to help like the man in Sonora, Kentucky who walked across a park to find out what the problem Jani was having, then helped give Kira her medicine.
WILDLIFE
We really enjoyed the birds. There were ones new to us: Scissor Tailed Flycatchers, Black Vultures, Saw Whet Owls, and Wild Turkeys. Others that we’ve seen before but still enjoy are: Cardinals, Mourning Doves, and Rufous Hummingbirds.
New animals included: badgers, woodchucks, turtles on the road, and armadillos. Old favorites were: Bison, Pronghorn, and Elk.
The insects were impressive for their noise (Cicadas), for glowing at night (Lightning Bugs), and for being larger and heavier than any flying bug has a right to be (huge flying beetles which constantly hit me in the face while riding).
FINDING THAT RURAL AMERICA STILL EXISTS
I think we all want to believe that there are still places untainted by the hustle and bustle of city life; places where the words road and rage exist but not in the same sentence; places where people don’t lock their doors then look at you like you’ve insulted them if you lock your car door; and places where the pace of life is slow enough to enjoy the little things like just sitting in front of the town courthouse. I loved stopping at General Stores with wood floors; you have the feeling that if they don’t have it you can probably do without. A large part of our route felt like we weren’t just traveling east but also back in time.
GREAT CYCLING
Every state had great cycling. They all offered different things. Kansas showed me that flat can be fun. Colorado showed me that I can ride my bike at elevations higher than all but two of the mountains in Washington. Missouri showed me that the Ozarks are worth visiting. The Appalachians helped teach me humility about small but steep mountains.
WORST THINGS ABOUT THE TRIP
BAD DRIVERS
This has to be at the top of the list since at worst it is a matter of life or death, and at the least is an annoyance that threatened my enjoyment of the trip. The worst of the worst were oncoming cars that would pass in my lane even though they saw me. Because they didn’t want to wait a couple of seconds they had to endanger my life and scare the daylights out of me. Lower down on the list were drivers who wouldn’t move over even an inch when passing. The one consolation I have is that my life isn’t so crappy that the highlight of my day is harassing a cyclist.
ROAD KILL
It’s unfortunate to see how many animals are killed along the highways. It’s really bad when they’ve been in the hot sun for days and I had no choice but to smell it at a slow pace. It seemed like only half the road kill was visible and the rest out of sight but not out of smell. One of the biggest losers in the animal kingdom is the skunk. Spraying another animal may stop it from attacking but doesn’t do much to stop a car.
HOT HUMID WEATHER
I hesitate to put this on the list since we knew it was inevitable. No one was surprised that it was hot and humid on the East Coast in August. I feel okay about how I dealt with the heat on the bike, and on the other hand feel no remorse about hiding from it in motels at night. In retrospect I might have researched getting a small air conditioner for the van.
RIDE DATA
TIME
56 total days
14 nights in motels
42 nights camping
48 days riding
8 days off (includes days that I only rode 13 and 14 miles)
263.2 hours total riding
7.9 hours: longest day on bike
DISTANCE
4294 miles
77 miles: average per day
89 miles: average per day of riding
122 miles: longest day riding (Kansas)
675 miles: most in a week (Kansas)
383 miles: fewest in a week (Wyoming)
SPEED
16.3 mph: average for trip
14.7 mph: slowest average speed (Virginian Appalachians)
21.0 mph: fastest average speed (Kansas)
ELEVATION
163,890 feet: total gain for the trip
38 feet/mile: average gain per mile
80 feet mile: hilliest day (Virginian Appalachians)
2 feet/mile: flattest day (Western Kansas)
BICYCLE
Zero f#*!’s (sudden loss of tire pressure)
I’m too superstitious to use the “f”word
2 sets of tires
2 chains
1 broken spoke
posted by Gary and Jani at 9:09 AM
2 Comments:
Gary,
If you exit Western SD near the Mt. Rushmore, just across the border in Wyoming are the Jewel Caves National Park. If you find caves and geology interesting then it's worth a stop.
GPW
Gary, I can't begin to tell you how much I have enjoyed your trip, if only vicariously. How wonderful it is that you were able to realize your long-awaited goal of this ride across America. I so delighted in your lucid, entertaining accounts and the fine photographs. I only hope that when you decide to embark on another adventure, that you will include a blog to keep us up to date with your endeavors.
Mike J's Mom in Austin, Texas
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