Walking America From Coast to Coast
Jun 13th, 2003, 04:38 AM
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Walking America From Coast to Coast
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TRAVEL/DESTI....ap/index.html
I've driven across America and wish that everyone could have the opportunity. But this couple is REALLy seeing America!
I've driven across America and wish that everyone could have the opportunity. But this couple is REALLy seeing America!
Jun 13th, 2003, 06:13 AM
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I've bicycled across the USA twice, but I'm very envious of anyone who could take the time to walk. As your mode of travel slows, you REALLY see, and experience America so much more than from the seat of an automobile.
Thanks for posting the link.
Thanks for posting the link.
Jun 13th, 2003, 07:18 AM
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rb! Can you tell more about your two trips? I would love to do something similar, although I'm not anywhere close to being prepared (working on it though).
Which routes did you take, how long, what time of year, what were the best and worst parts (probably saddle sores?), etc. Thanks!
Which routes did you take, how long, what time of year, what were the best and worst parts (probably saddle sores?), etc. Thanks!
Jun 13th, 2003, 09:09 AM
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OK - here's the scoop
I had signed up to do a Seattle (or was it Portland?) to Washington DC fund-raiser ride with the Lung Association. But since it wasn't actually coast to coast, figured I'd have to take another day or so to get to the Atlantic.
That problem was solved, as the ALA and the actual organizer, Tim Kneeland & Associates, apparently had a "parting of minds", and the trip was cancelled. So I immediatly called another organization of which I'm a member, the League of American Wheelmen (Now "Bicyclists" instead of Wheelmen) and signed up for their 47 day (with 5 days off) "Pedal for Power Across America" ride, from LA (Manhattan Beach) to Boston (Nahant Beach) I actually dipped my rear wheel into the Pacific, and my front wheel into the Atlantic, bicycling every bit of the way.
continued ..
I had signed up to do a Seattle (or was it Portland?) to Washington DC fund-raiser ride with the Lung Association. But since it wasn't actually coast to coast, figured I'd have to take another day or so to get to the Atlantic.
That problem was solved, as the ALA and the actual organizer, Tim Kneeland & Associates, apparently had a "parting of minds", and the trip was cancelled. So I immediatly called another organization of which I'm a member, the League of American Wheelmen (Now "Bicyclists" instead of Wheelmen) and signed up for their 47 day (with 5 days off) "Pedal for Power Across America" ride, from LA (Manhattan Beach) to Boston (Nahant Beach) I actually dipped my rear wheel into the Pacific, and my front wheel into the Atlantic, bicycling every bit of the way.
continued ..
Jun 13th, 2003, 09:22 AM
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The reason I'd chosen ALA over LAW's trip was that P4P started in May with a southern route, but ALA started in June, with a northern path. I sunburn easy, and with miserable NY winters, thought I'd best use the extra month for training. BTW, the best training you can have is just "saddle time". Don't worry about miles - they come automatically, but it's being REAL intimate with a good fitting saddle that's important. Anyway, since I had no other choices - I was NOT going to postpone this trip again - I signed up with "Pedal for Power"
With ALA, I would have had to pay $150 registration, raise $7000, and sleep mostly in tents, gyms, or churches. With P4P I only had to pay $50, sleeping was in cheap, but AAA rated motels, and the minimum fundraising was $5000, with net proceeds being split between LAW's "Bicyclists Education and Legal Fund", and the charity of the rider's choice. My charity was the Ronald McDonald House of Albany NY.
I chose RMH because they offer a place to stay for families of children in medical facilities away from home. Most families could not afford motels if their kid was in a hospital for an extended stay, plus a hotel/motel is kind of impersonal, whereas there's a sharing environment in a RMH. In 1985 I had been mowed down in rural Virginia by a hit-n-run pickup truck, putting me in a rural (Gloucester) hospital for over 2 months. If I, an adult, felt so isolated there, how would a kid feel. BTW, Bless the hearts of all the nice folks from around there, many who didn't know me, but came to see me and apologize for what had happened and asked me not to judge everyone in the area for what some jerk had done -- there had been no reason for be to have been hit -- it was a country road with no oncoming traffic, and my wheels were only 8" from the right edge of the pavement.
Continued ... (bored yet?)
With ALA, I would have had to pay $150 registration, raise $7000, and sleep mostly in tents, gyms, or churches. With P4P I only had to pay $50, sleeping was in cheap, but AAA rated motels, and the minimum fundraising was $5000, with net proceeds being split between LAW's "Bicyclists Education and Legal Fund", and the charity of the rider's choice. My charity was the Ronald McDonald House of Albany NY.
I chose RMH because they offer a place to stay for families of children in medical facilities away from home. Most families could not afford motels if their kid was in a hospital for an extended stay, plus a hotel/motel is kind of impersonal, whereas there's a sharing environment in a RMH. In 1985 I had been mowed down in rural Virginia by a hit-n-run pickup truck, putting me in a rural (Gloucester) hospital for over 2 months. If I, an adult, felt so isolated there, how would a kid feel. BTW, Bless the hearts of all the nice folks from around there, many who didn't know me, but came to see me and apologize for what had happened and asked me not to judge everyone in the area for what some jerk had done -- there had been no reason for be to have been hit -- it was a country road with no oncoming traffic, and my wheels were only 8" from the right edge of the pavement.
Continued ... (bored yet?)
Jun 13th, 2003, 10:11 AM
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I didn't want anyone saying that they were paying for my vacation, so I put up $2000 of my own money but still raised quite a bit more than the remaining $3k
Off to LA, where I knew no one in the group. But that was good, since if I knew some people, I'd be more inclined to hang with them. So this way I met a LOT of people. I think there were 70 some people, average age around 40. About 3500 miles to go. Riders from all over the USA, and even one from England, with all sorts of charities being represented. Oldest rider was 72, youngest 19.
On Mothers' Day, whe rode from the Quality Inn Airport to Manhattan Beach, dipped our wheels, and headed east.
To give you an idea of our route, our overnights were in:
CA: Riverside, Indio, Blyth
AZ: Wickenburg, Prescott, Cottonwood, Flagstaff (+day off), Holbrook
NM: Gallup, Grant, Albuquerque, Santa Fe (+day off), Las Vegas (NM), and Tucumcari
TX: Dalhart
KS: Liberal, Dodge City, Great Bend, McPherson, Emporia(1990)/Abilene(1991), Topeka (+day off)
MO: St Joseph, Chillicothe, Kirksville
IL: Quincy, Springfield, Champaign (+day off)
IN: Crawfordsville, Indianapolis (bicycled the Brickyard!) and Richmond
OH: Marysville, Wooster, and Warren
PA: Erie (+ day off)
NY: Hamburg, Canandaigua, Syracuse, Little Falls, Albany (home area - family & friends hosted a party at my home)
MA: Greenfield (the day with the most climbing, even more than crossing the cont. divide), Lexington, to the Atlantic, then back to Cambridge(1990) or Boston(1991)
It was a great experience, it's left me with an "I can do ANYthing" attitude, I've met many new friends and seen a LOT that most others will never see, and I still get goose-bumps as I write this, re-living it again. I did the ride again in 1991 as an unpaid ride leader, rather than as a participant, which was fun too, but not like the first time. Like they say, "You can't go back home".
"Pedal for Power" - is no longer, a casualty of power struggles and management in League of American Bicyclists, but there are other choices.
If you ever get a chance to do something like this, GRAB IT.
P4P's late organizer's son, Doug Torosian, now runs a "for profit" company called "America By Bicycle" (www.abbike.com) that uses much of the same route as we did. One of my fellow ride-leaders from 1991, Judy Bowman, has a cross-country ride called Wheel Power Christian Cyclists ( http://www.wheelpower.org/ ) If you sign up for either of these, tell Doug or Judy I told you about this and get charged an extra $100 <g>.
There are some GREAT "Rider Pages" on the abbike link, some with many pictures and day-by-day diaries.
Thank you for your interest, Austin & JungleCat.
Off to LA, where I knew no one in the group. But that was good, since if I knew some people, I'd be more inclined to hang with them. So this way I met a LOT of people. I think there were 70 some people, average age around 40. About 3500 miles to go. Riders from all over the USA, and even one from England, with all sorts of charities being represented. Oldest rider was 72, youngest 19.
On Mothers' Day, whe rode from the Quality Inn Airport to Manhattan Beach, dipped our wheels, and headed east.
To give you an idea of our route, our overnights were in:
CA: Riverside, Indio, Blyth
AZ: Wickenburg, Prescott, Cottonwood, Flagstaff (+day off), Holbrook
NM: Gallup, Grant, Albuquerque, Santa Fe (+day off), Las Vegas (NM), and Tucumcari
TX: Dalhart
KS: Liberal, Dodge City, Great Bend, McPherson, Emporia(1990)/Abilene(1991), Topeka (+day off)
MO: St Joseph, Chillicothe, Kirksville
IL: Quincy, Springfield, Champaign (+day off)
IN: Crawfordsville, Indianapolis (bicycled the Brickyard!) and Richmond
OH: Marysville, Wooster, and Warren
PA: Erie (+ day off)
NY: Hamburg, Canandaigua, Syracuse, Little Falls, Albany (home area - family & friends hosted a party at my home)
MA: Greenfield (the day with the most climbing, even more than crossing the cont. divide), Lexington, to the Atlantic, then back to Cambridge(1990) or Boston(1991)
It was a great experience, it's left me with an "I can do ANYthing" attitude, I've met many new friends and seen a LOT that most others will never see, and I still get goose-bumps as I write this, re-living it again. I did the ride again in 1991 as an unpaid ride leader, rather than as a participant, which was fun too, but not like the first time. Like they say, "You can't go back home".
"Pedal for Power" - is no longer, a casualty of power struggles and management in League of American Bicyclists, but there are other choices.
If you ever get a chance to do something like this, GRAB IT.
P4P's late organizer's son, Doug Torosian, now runs a "for profit" company called "America By Bicycle" (www.abbike.com) that uses much of the same route as we did. One of my fellow ride-leaders from 1991, Judy Bowman, has a cross-country ride called Wheel Power Christian Cyclists ( http://www.wheelpower.org/ ) If you sign up for either of these, tell Doug or Judy I told you about this and get charged an extra $100 <g>.
There are some GREAT "Rider Pages" on the abbike link, some with many pictures and day-by-day diaries.
Thank you for your interest, Austin & JungleCat.
Jun 13th, 2003, 10:47 AM
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(I feel like I've hi-jacked this thread)
JungleCat - there was not a single day I regretted signing up for the ride. No, I never got sores. The worse part both times was saying good-bye. When you spend that much time with others, they become second family.
We obviously didn't ride all together as a group. Often at first, I'd ride alone, speeding up, then slowing down to talk to a small group, or individual I encountered, then speed up again for awhile. No drinking was allowed during the day, but a number of us knocked down some brews after we got in.
While I never regretted it, I can tell you that many days I sure as he77 anticipated a nice warm shower!
Saddlesores are really caused more by bacteria, abrasion opening things up to promote it. Get several GOOD cycling shorts (even if they DO look funny) and keep them clean. Between opportunities to use a washing machine, I would enter the shower in my clothes, soap down, then pull off my cloths, & soap myself, while continuing to "knead" the cloths with my feet. Getting everything rinsed was important, I'd roll my cloths with a towel, like a "jelly roll" then put it on the floor and stop on it to absorb all the moisture. Many of us would hang our cloths out especially on a chainlink fence (must have made the motel owners happy!) to dry. It wasn't the best washing job, but kept the suitcase from being declared an enviromental disaster! So stay clean to prevent problems. Oh- and no, you do NOT wear underwear with bicycling shorts. (That was a joke I made with the ambulance & E.R. when I got hit in Virginia ... Gramma always said make sure you're wearing clean underwear - in case you end up in a hospital. Not only was I not wearing clean underwear, I wasn't wearing undies at ALL!)
The trip started both years on Mothers' Day. A few years later, p4p split the long day from Dalhart to Liberal in two, with a stayover in Guymon (those wimps!), adding a day to the ride.
I read of a couple who were going to CANOE across the US a few years ago. Seems the longest portage they were going to have to do was only something like 12 miles! I don't recall any followup on it tho. I enjoy reading stories like this.
Well, surely you're bored now. Bye.
JungleCat - there was not a single day I regretted signing up for the ride. No, I never got sores. The worse part both times was saying good-bye. When you spend that much time with others, they become second family.
We obviously didn't ride all together as a group. Often at first, I'd ride alone, speeding up, then slowing down to talk to a small group, or individual I encountered, then speed up again for awhile. No drinking was allowed during the day, but a number of us knocked down some brews after we got in.
While I never regretted it, I can tell you that many days I sure as he77 anticipated a nice warm shower!
Saddlesores are really caused more by bacteria, abrasion opening things up to promote it. Get several GOOD cycling shorts (even if they DO look funny) and keep them clean. Between opportunities to use a washing machine, I would enter the shower in my clothes, soap down, then pull off my cloths, & soap myself, while continuing to "knead" the cloths with my feet. Getting everything rinsed was important, I'd roll my cloths with a towel, like a "jelly roll" then put it on the floor and stop on it to absorb all the moisture. Many of us would hang our cloths out especially on a chainlink fence (must have made the motel owners happy!) to dry. It wasn't the best washing job, but kept the suitcase from being declared an enviromental disaster! So stay clean to prevent problems. Oh- and no, you do NOT wear underwear with bicycling shorts. (That was a joke I made with the ambulance & E.R. when I got hit in Virginia ... Gramma always said make sure you're wearing clean underwear - in case you end up in a hospital. Not only was I not wearing clean underwear, I wasn't wearing undies at ALL!)
The trip started both years on Mothers' Day. A few years later, p4p split the long day from Dalhart to Liberal in two, with a stayover in Guymon (those wimps!), adding a day to the ride.
I read of a couple who were going to CANOE across the US a few years ago. Seems the longest portage they were going to have to do was only something like 12 miles! I don't recall any followup on it tho. I enjoy reading stories like this.
Well, surely you're bored now. Bye.
Sep 17th, 2006, 04:16 AM
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Walking/biking across the USA... it must have totally changed the way you saw the country rb! (I know taking the train across both Canada and the US did for me, but there were parts of both journeys I thought I would have loved to discover by bike (Glenwood Canyon, Jasper National Park, etc...). And here I thought I was planning something different thinking about doing a relatively minuscule bikeride from Halifax to Cape Breton Island 
.
Good stuff! DAN
. Good stuff! DAN
