In the End

One thing I have learned on this trip is how generous the American people are! All throughout our trip we met people willing to go out of their way to give us a helping hand. Sometimes it is easy to fall into the viewpoint that Americans only care about themselves, and are unwilling to give a helping hand. However, during this journey I discovered the opposite! It is easy to fall upon that viewpoint when we do not put our trust in others. There s till are great people out there! They surround us all!

Now that the trip is over I would encourage anybody to try a trip like this. It doesn't matter who you are. With the right mindset, anybody can do it! I hope this blog will be useful to others interested in doing the same or may inspire them to seek an adventure of their own!

Here are some stats from our trip:

We covered two countries (United States and a little part in Canada)
We went through 16 States
Max speed 52-54mph
Steepest Grade was in Ohio
Highest pass was Hoosier Pass in Colorado
Rainiest Weather was in Missouri
Worst riding weather was from Walden, CO to Saratoga, WY
Out of 62 days we only spent 5 days in a motel
We only took five full days off for the entire trip
With days off we averaged 69.3 mi/day
Without the days off calculated in we averaged 75.4mi/day
Our lowest average speed was 8.1mph
Our highest average speed was 13.5mph
Our average total speed was 10.7mph
If we had biked nonstop with no rest or sleep we would have crossed America in 16.5 days
Our highest mileage day was 129mi
Finally, overall the trip was 4297.97mi

The Last Day! (Day 62)

We left the house by 9:00am to ride almost 100miles to the coast in Seaside, OR. I was excited that our trip would be over and that we were actually going to accomplish what we had set out to do. What amazed me the most as I rode was how fast the time flew by. It feels odd that I have actually ridden my bike so far.

While riding to the coast I kept thinking what our first day was like after leaving the Atlantic Ocean. I thought about how easily we got speed wobbles, and how tired we were after 35 miles of riding. It is amazing how far we have come from those early days. I was ecstatic as I rode my bike that we were about to accomplish such a huge goal, yet a little depressed. It made me a little down to think about what life would bring next. I kept thinking what I could do for another great adventure! I kept trying to search in my mind what the next exciting thing would be in life. As I thought my mind wandered toward medical school... I thought of how maybe medicine was my next adventure! The education I will be able to receive over the next five or six years will be amazing. It will be an adventure discovering the functions of the human body and the complications it brings. Like any adventure going to med school will have its ups and downs, but in the end, I know it will be worth it!

Arriving to the coast was no easy accomplishment today. In fact as we came closer and closer I felt like I did when I ran my first marathon. I kept wondering when the finish would be in sight. It was so mountainous at one point I felt as though I were in a wetter Montana. Eventually we rolled into Seaside next to the monument of Lewis and Clark. There we put on our sandals and walked out to the Pacific! We did it!

Old Highway 30 (Day 61)

Today was a very interesting day! Instead of being on highway 84 to Portland we were able to ride bike trails and the Old Highway 30. When I was in Walla Walla and I use to go to Portland we always went on 84. Being on 30 was a new experience. It was really cool because the highway was a narrow two lane road that would climb out of the gorge and then descend back down to the river again. The views up above the gorge were really cool! It was fun to get a different perspective of the gorge.

The bike paths that we also road were really cool too! They were green and moss covered! It made for a really unique riding experience. Riding on the mossy trails we road a lot more cautiously. It was really easy to skid out the rear tire on turns, and when we braked. It was almost like riding on ice. At one point in the trail we hit a staircase that had about four flight of stairs. This was a very interesting obstacle to get up. The staircase was equipped with a bike groove to roll the tires up. One at a time we pushed our bikes up the groove in the staircase. At one point I was fearful that I would drop my bike sending it crashing down to the bottom.

Eventually we made it to our destination in Happy Valley, OR. There we stayed with Paul and his wife. Paul was a good friend of my dad's when they went to college together. We ate a really great supper that night and then prepared for our last ride to the ocean.

Mt. Hood (Day 60)

The wind never let up once while we slept during the the night. The strong wind continued through the night and into the morning. After that much wind I started to realize why the Columbia River Gorge is one of the best places for windsurfing in the world... It just never stops! Not only did the wind wake us up that morning but others in the campground. Around 6:00am we heard kids yelling and riding their bikes right next to our tent. This camping spot was a new experience for us because normally we have been the only ones. In fact we were pretty lucky that we had found a place to set our tent up it was so crowded.

With getting up early we packed our gear and were off into the wind. The wind died a little throughout the day but not much. We rode on the Washington side of the river for the larger part of the day, crossing back into Oregon at Biggs. Once we crossed that spot we would never cross another state line again. When I was first planning the trip I didn't feel like it would be a good idea to ride on the Oregon side because we would have to ride a lot on 84 which is an interstate. However, after talking with a few people I found out that you only need to ride about ten miles on 84. The rest of the stretch contains back roads and bike paths to go on.

As we crossed into Oregon and came around a corner we were able to see Mt. Hood. That was pretty exciting for me to see! One thing I have always enjoyed about the northwest are the volcanic mountains. They appear so massive standing by themselves. Hood was the only one I have ever climbed, and the last time I climbed it I had brought my friend Nate along. Nate was a good friend of mine from Walla Walla. He was from Maine, and I think we both connected pretty good because of our roots in New England. I am glad the year he went to Walla Walla I was able to bring him climbing on Hood. The reason I remember that time so well is because two years later he died in a motorcycle accident. Climbing Hood with Nate is an experience I will always remember.

That night we rode till we found some house to ask somebody if we could camp in their yard. It wasn't long before we had a good camping spot for the night. It is amazing how trusting and generous people have been on this trip.

Oregon (Day 59)

This morning we ate a good breakfast at the Thomas's house and soon we were off. It was kinda hard to get back into the groove of biking. My legs felt heavy as we pedaled away from town. As we came out of the Walla Walla Valley the sun started to shine but a strong headwind came with it. We eventually rode about 86 miles to Crow Butte Park. During that time we entered into Oregon and then back into Washington. We have now ridden through all the states we have planned to ride through. Another reminder that the ride is coming to an end.

As we pulled into the campground it was very crowded. We had a hard time finding a place to stay. This whole trip it has been very easy to loose track of time. While biking it is so easy to forget what day of the week it is. As we tried looking for a camp spot it finally dawned on us that it was Memorial Day Weekend, one of the biggest weekends for people to camping. This night we wouldn't be the only ones in the campground.

Walla Walla (Days 56-58)

We stayed in Walla Walla for three days without biking. This by far has been our longest break! While we were at Walla Walla Abdiel and I rested and relaxed. We worked on on our bikes and lightened up for the last week of riding. During our stay at Walla Walla it was also great to see friends I hadn't seen for a long time. It was great knowing that I can call Walla Walla home.

During our stay in Walla Walla Abdiel and I stopped by the BMX track to take our bikes for a spin. That was kinda interesting since we were on road bikes. While we were biking back from the track Abdiels front tire exploded ripping a hole in his sidewall. After that we met up at the Tred Shred where Josh helped us true our wheels, and fix Abdiel's tire.

It was great to get some good rest at Walla Walla. I can tell that my body is very tired. The first day we had at Walla Walla I felt fine, but the second and third day I could start to feel how tired my body really was. I am excited to be finished and get some good rest yet I am also sad the trip is almost over.