Hi and welcome to my 2006 bicycle touring blog! I have just finished a four-month, 4,847-mile solo bicycle ride from Minneapolis to sunny California. I've taken the "scenic route" which means I've ridden thru Montana, northern Idaho and the Cascades in Washington state before turning south for the Oregon & California coasts. I reached Orange County (California) on November 27 so I have finally finished my around-the- country bike ride that began at Hermosa Beach, CA in March 2003. Here is a quick summary of the key stats:
- traveled 11,127 miles in 230 days
- visited 25 states & 2 provinces
- pedaled for 1,042 hours at an average speed of 11 mph
- crossed 19 bodies of water via ferry and one via rail
- endured 18 flat tires, 6 broken spokes, 3 blown tires, 2 bee stings & a new rear wheel
- rode with strangers for 1,856 miles & friends/family for 37 miles
- rode interstate highways for 115 miles, paved bike trails for 603 miles & unpaved bike trails for 200 miles
- signed 3 autographs!
Maps & pictures (with captions) are available for the entire trip. To see a month's worth of maps/pictures on one page, click on the "blog archive" section to the right. It may take a while to load them all.
24 comments:
John,
I'm curious about one thing on your trip. Are you camping, or moteling, or a little of both? I thought you were probably staying at hotels, but then when I read the weight of the gear you were carrying that sounded like camping gear to me.
Just curious. Enjoy your adventure!
Regards,
Jeffrey
It doesn't seem like you are riding very far each day. Clearly if Frank Setian were supervising you the total distance would have been covered the first day. He would never have let you into the pickup truck either.
Rich Atkinson
Hi Jeffrey,
I'm doing a bit of both (camping & moteling) depending on where I am and what the weather is like. Camping is a nice way to meet other travelers, but I tend to sleep better in an air-conditioned motel room, so I try to mix it up about 50/50.
- John
Good points Rich,
I'm sure I would have ridden several all-nighters by now. On the plus side, Frank would have let me order several expensive bottles of wine to go, as long as they didn't impede my speed or sense of direction.
- John
Hey John,
Love the pictures! Of course you put a picture of a dog on there so you have made the Benedict Family happy. It looks like you are seeing some beautiful scenes. I'm sorry to hear the weather hasn't cooperated with you as of late. Are you going to have to adopt the postman's creed (whether rain, or snow, or hail...)? I'm sure you won't be shocked to hear that the weather here has been pretty much the same. We are all holding out for Fall, which is officially less than a month away! There are even some trees on our street that are starting to turn colors already. We are hoping that there will still be a few with leaves when you get back.
Looking forward to hearing more,
The Benedict Family
Hey John,
You haven't updated your site since Friday. Where are you? Are you haveing anymore problems with the weather?
By the way, was your stray dog a boy or a girl, that makes a big difference when choosing a name. How about Molly if its a girl and George if its a boy. What do you think?
Have a wonderful time,
The Benedicts
P.S. We are really enjoying all of the pictures you have posted on you site, so keep snapping away.
The dog's name is Whistler. Doesn't matter if it's a boy or girl. It's darn cute. Keep on biking!
Tere
Hey John,
You call the 80's HOT! Ha. Sorry to hear about your second flat tire. That must have been hard. Did you have to walk very far? Good news though, you have completed 1/3 of your journey. How was Glacier Nation Park? I hope that you took lots of pictures.
Bye For Now,
The Benedicts
Hi John,
It's Joanne again. (Did you see my previous posts?)
Are you the person who mailed Kaitlin the smiley cup?? We both knew it right away.
So the theory that you can slap an address on almost anything (light weight) and mail it throught the U.S. Post Office is proven true...as long as you can attach proper postage!
We haven't tried mailing anything yet, but we started a list of possibilities: shoes, those floaty noodles you use in swimming pools, inflatable beach toys of all kinds...Can you imagine a four-foot green inflatable dragon arriving at your doorstep with a sticker on its nose? We'll have to give it a try, bravely.
Too bad you currently have no address.
Thanks for the smiles.
Enjoy the mountains!
Joanne and Kaitlin
Hi Joanne & Kaitlin,
Glad you got the smiley cup! Wasn't 100% sure it would work. I camped one night next to a garage sale in Chinook, MT so it was the perfect opportunity to find something fun to send. Other items I considered mailing included a stuffed animal and a salt & pepper shaker. But when I saw the smiley cup, I knew that would be perfect :)
Hi Benedicts,
I got my 2nd flat tire on a relatively busy road with no shoulder, so I ended up riding another 6 miles to the town of Zurich, MT before fixing the flat. How did I ride with a flat tire? Well...I pumped it up and rode about 2 miles before it got flat again, then repeated the process two more times until I got to a safer spot. Not fun, but better than changing a tire on the side of a busy road.
My 3rd flat tire was in the middle of nowhere. Fortunately, it was on a road with light traffic, the weather was nice and I was able to pull over onto a side (gravel) road to do the dirty work.
- John
Hi all,
For some reason, I am not able to update my blog from the Comfort Inn in Great Falls, MT. The only thing I can do is post comments! After arriving in Great Falls on Thursday, I took yesterday off due to cold, wet & windy conditions. The next several days are supposed to be much better weather-wise, although headwinds will continue to be a problem. Today will be my last full day on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains. My goal is to reach the town of Augusta (elev. 4,000') by the end of today, before heading over the continental divide (5,600') sometime tomorrow. I hope to reach Missoula, MT by Tuesday.
- John
Hey John,
Hope you get your blog spot working again. The weather here is cooling down. Were enjoying it a lot! It is supposed to be in the 60s all next week! ^__^
Have fun in the Rocky Mountains! Look forward to see some pictures.
The
Benedicts
Hi John,
Wow! your photographs are beautiful! I think the cool rock you found in the middle of nowhere looks like a buffalo. What do you think?
How are things going? Washington looks like it was the most pleasent to ride through. Was it?
The Benedicts
P.S. You didn't cross the susppension bridge did you?
Hey John!
Where are you? We want to see more pics! My favorite is still "exciting scenary" in WA. I hope you're getting lots of exciting scenary.
It is starting to get cool here. Are you feeling Fall yet? You looked a little cold in that picture next to the British Columbia sigh. But then what do we know? It's in the seventies here and we are already breaking out the jackets.
Hope to hear from you soon.
The Benedicts
P.S. Do you have any idea when you will be riding into Fresno?
John,
Hope you are much further south from Oregon. How are you planning to get from north to south around SFO? DO you plan to go over the Golden Gate Bridge? Stay safe and warm.
Went for 25 mile ride near home Nov. 9 and it was great. (longest since finishing in Bellingham Sept.22. Not much luck keeping my weight down. Gone from 195 to 205 since I have returned home.
Joe
John,
Goodness, it's hard to believe that you are now approaching the end of your circumnavigation of the US (with still 600 miles to go, of course). What an adventure! I have been enjoying following your progress.
Regards,
Jeffrey
John,
Great photos. So glad you are doing this journey so I won't have to. See in soon in SB.
Tere
Hey John!
Happy Thanksgiving from the Benedicts!
Hi John,
Enjoyed photos and commentary. Good to see that you have made it to S. Cal.
I am looking forward to trip next summer. Where? Don't know yet. Maybe Canadian Maritines.
Congratulations on the weight loss.
Joe
Hi,
Just wanted to say that I enjoyed reading your blog. Great pictures, great trip and great achievement!
Hello. And Bye.
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