2006 Trip Highlights & Statistics

Key Dates:

• August 10 - Departed suburban Minneapolis
  
• September 9 - Reached Havre, MT & took a 1-week break in Glacier National Park & the Canadian Rockies
  
• September 24 - Crossed the Rocky Mountains & Continental Divide near Lincoln, MT
  
• October 7 - Crossed the Northern Cascades at Washington Pass, WA
  
• October 13 - Departed North Vancouver, BC & began heading south
  
• October 30 - Reached the Pacific Coast near Florence, OR
  
• November 4 - Entered California
  
• November 25 & 27 - Reached Hermosa Beach, CA (symbolic ending point) & Sunset Beach, CA (official ending point)
  

Basic Stats:

• Total Distance = 4,416 miles in 87 days (excl. 15 "rest" days & 1-week break)
  
• Total Riding Time = 442 hours, 51 minutes
  
• Avg. Distance = 50 miles per day
  
• Avg. Speed = 10 miles per hour
  
• States/Provinces Visited = 8 (MN, ND, MT, ID, WA, BC, OR, CA)
  
• Bicycle Tourists Encountered = 14 (2 in MN, 5 in ND, 1 in MT, 2 in WA, 2 in OR, 2 in CA)
  
• Flat Tires = 8 (1 in ND, 2 in MT, 5 in CA)
  
• Broken Spokes = 6 (2 in MN, 3 in ND, 1 in CA)
• Bee Stings = 2 (1 in MN, 1 in BC)
• Autographs Signed = 2

Official Records:

• Longest Day = 85 miles (October 9)
  
• Longest Back-to-Back Days = 141 miles (August 28-29)
  
• Longest Week = 420 miles (November 7-13)
  
• Shortest Day = 9.6 miles (October 28)
  
• Fastest Day = 13.1 miles/hour (September 8)
  
• Slowest Day = 6.5 miles/hour (October 15)
  
• Biggest Elevation Gain = 5,520' (October 7)
  
• Highest Altitude = 5,477' (October 7, Washington Pass, WA)
  
• Shortest Ride In A State = 101 miles (2 days) (September 29-October 1, Idaho)
  
• Longest Ride In A State = 1,088 miles (23 days) (November 4-27, California)
  
• Most Consecutive Days Riding = 13 (September 18-October 1)
  
• Most Consecutive Days Not Riding = 8 (September 9-16)

Best Of...

• Friendliest State - North Dakota
  
• Favorite "Big" Cities - Minneapolis, MN (pop. 373,000), Fargo, ND (pop. 91,000), Vancouver, BC (pop. 583,000), Portland, OR (pop. 533,000)
  
• Favorite "Mid-Size" Cities - Corvallis, OR (pop. 49,600), Arcata, CA (pop. 16,900), Petaluma, CA (pop. 54,800), Seal Beach, CA (pop. 24,300)
  
• Favorite "Small" Cities - Page, ND (pop. 206), Fort Benton, MT (pop. 1,475), Wallace, ID (pop. 907)
• Favorite Museums - Culbertson Museum (Culbertson, MT); Museum of the Northern Great Plains (Fort Benton, MT); Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center (Great Falls, MT); Mount St. Helens Silver Lake Visitor Center (Castle Rock, WA); Kinetic Sculpture Museum (Ferndale, CA); Hearst Castle (San Simeon, CA)
• Favorite Food & Drink - 25 wild wing sampler platter (Anoka, MN); wild rice hotdish (Lake Itasca State Park, MN); chicken tortellini soup (Havre, MT); draft pear cider (Port Townsend, WA); smoked salmon & gouda pizza (Corvallis, OR); homemade spaghetti & meatballs (Eugene, OR)
• Unfamiliar Food - drummies (Page, ND); coffee cake pizza (Cooperstown, ND); Indian tacos (Culbertson, MT); elk jerky (Lakeside, OR)
  
• Best Accomodation - Totten Trail Historic Inn (Fort Totten, ND)
• Best Laundromat - Leisure Laundry in Fargo, ND (pinball & video games, TV lounge, tanning beds)
  
• Best Road - Newton Drury Scenic Parkway (Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, CA)
  
• Wacky Weather - Severe thunder/lightning (Little Falls, MN), Tornado watch (Cooperstown, ND); 25 to 35 mph headwinds (Williston, ND), snow (Banff, AB), frost (Eel Lake, OR), gale advisory (Port Orford, OR)
  

Worst Of...

• Least Favorite Cities - Poplar, MT; Spokane, WA; Bridgeport, WA; Silverdale, WA; Wilmington, CA
  

Where Did I Sleep?

• Indoor/Motel (56 nights, $50/night avg.)
  
• Outdoor/Tent (28 nights, $10/night avg.)
  
• In Someone's Home (17 nights, free)

Odd Places I Slept:

• In a teepee (ND)
  
• In a church basement (MT)
  
• On a farm (MT)
  
• Somebody's backyard (MT)
  
• In a yurt (OR)
  

Witty Church Signs:

• "What's missing in Ch__ch?" (Fargo, ND)
  
• "Try my Sundays. They're better than Baskin-Robins. God" (Sun River, MT)
  
• "Tense about the future? God is always present" (Petaluma, CA)
  

Famous Rivers Crossed:

• Mississippi (MN)
• Red River (MN/ND)
  
• Missouri (MT)
• Columbia (WA)
• Willamette (OR)
• Los Angeles (CA)
  

Ferry Crossings (6):

• Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo (BC)
  
• Crofton to Vesuvius (BC)
• Fulford Harbour to Swartz Bay (BC)
• Sidney to Anacortes (BC/WA)
• Keystone to Port Townsend (WA)
• Willamette River near Willamette Mission State Park (OR)
  

Wild Animals Seen:

• Deer
  
• Snakes
• Roosevelt Elk
  
• Elephant Seals

Miles Ridden With Other People (883):

• Andre (483)
  
• Joe (373)
  
• A guy from Corvallis (19)
  
• Dean (9)
  

People I Saw In More Than One State (3):

• Joe (ND, MT)
  
• Andre (OR, CA)
  
• Dean (MT, CA)
  

Daily Riding Frequency:

• Less than 30 miles (9 times)
  
• 30-39 miles (10 times)
  
• 40-49 miles (21 times)
  
• 50-59 miles (23 times)
  
• 60-69 miles (18 times)
  
• 70-79 miles (4 times)
  
• 80-89 miles (2 times)
  

Additional Breakdown by State:

• Miles (4,416) - California 1,088, Montana 832, Washington 732, Oregon 525, Minnesota 518, North Dakota 497, British Columiba 122, Idaho 102
  
• Days (102) - California 23, Montana 19, Washington 15, Oregon 13, North Dakota 13, Minnesota 11½, British Columbia 5½, Idaho 2
  
• Paved Bike Trails/Sidewalks (361 miles) - Minnesota 166, Idaho 73, California 60, Oregon 32, British Columbia 13, Montana 8, Washington 7, North Dakota 2
  
• Unpaved Roads/Trails (24 miles) - Minnesota 14, Montana 5, Idaho 2, North Dakota 2, Oregon 1
  
• Interstate Highway Riding (52 miles) - Montana 48, Idaho 4