Week 10, June 23 - June 29

For the week
Distance ridden: 360
Time riding: 33:38:50
Ascent: 16,335 feet

For the tour
Distance ridden: 3793 miles
Time riding: 352:55:36
Ascent: 116,900 feet


This week saw the biggest milestone yet, the end of our journey. I'm writing this more than a week after we finished and I'm still processing it. The end seemed very abrupt. It was almost two years ago that we decided to make this journey, and throughout that time the preparation, both training and planning, consumed more and more of my life. To have that come to an end has left me a little lost.

I am not concerned about this. It will just take a bit to find my footing. I suppose the worrying part is that I watched a video yesterday from Lael Wilcox, the exceptional long-distance cyclist, about how she packed for the 2023 Tour Divide, and it had me itching to be back on the road.

This week was spent entirely in Oregon, and it completely validated our reasoning for travelling east to west. The vast majority of trans-American cyclists travel west to east because of the prevailing winds. It is true that we probably faced a lot more headwind than those cyclists, but I am so glad we did it this way. I am sure I am biased, but I think John agreed: Oregon was the most beautiful state we rode through. It was also the most difficult, with regard to climbing, and I cannot imagine starting here. I am so much more lean and fit than I was when we started. If we began by crossing the Coastal Range, and the Cascades, and the Blue Mountains, I am not sure we would have made it.

When we started, John thought we had about a 50/50 chance of finishing. I never really put a number on it, but I thought we had a better chance than that. Still, I would not have been surprised if we spent the first week getting to Pittsburgh, a significant enough accomplishment, and one or both of us decided that was enough. It was not at all clear we would be up to the full challenge of crossing a continent. I am glad we were, and I am glad John did it with me.




Comments

  1. SteveJuly 8, 2025 at 6:21 PM

    Congratulations on finishing. Adjusting to "regular life" after a tour is usually significant and sometimes depressing. Dealing with basic daily challenge of where and how far do we ride, what do we eat, and where do we sleep, plus a a bit of fellowship really is more basic and fulfilling than most realize, and cycle touring does that in spades. Glad you spent a night on my patio!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 5: Mistaken Identities

  On day 5, after we arrived at the Roundbottom Campground (Robert described why we arrived so early in the day in a different post), I knew I was going to get antsy with so many hours ahead of us.  As a result, I volunteered to see if there was a grocery store or convenience store in the area (well, within 3 miles) where I could buy some water and fun junk food. The guys who were working on the campsite recommended (already described by Robert) that I bike two miles further down the path, where I could cross the river on an old railroad bridge and enter the town of Layton, PA.  In the downtown area, I was told, I would find a small grocery story. I changed into shorts and a t-shirt, took the bags off my bike, and off I went. (Side observation: my goodness, I could just zoom without all the extra weight on the bike). Going across the one line railroad bridge, along with cars, was a bit scarier than I would have liked, but I successfully entered the “town” of Layton to dis...
Read more

Days 7 and 8: Recovery, and leaving Pittsburgh

Sunday, April 27, 66 miles Monday, April 28, Pittsburgh PA to Colliers, WV Sunday was a true day of rest. Nobody really slept in, but we tried not to exert ourselves. We spent the morning dealing with things that are hard to do on tour, like laundry and bicycle maintenance. Then we had a day in Pittsburgh. Sue and I went for a walk in Frick Park. Then we all went shopping for odds and ends at Goodwill and REI, then rode the Duquesne Incline for great views of the city.  In fact, we had a view directly to "The Point" where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers become the Ohio. That is where the Great Allegheny Passage officially ends, just a few miles from where we turned off to go to Sue's.  Also included in the day was a trip to East End Brewing, Sue's favorite brewery in the city. And then, of course, Sure made us another great meal. We could not have had a better recovery day. But we had to leave Monday. We thought of staying another day, but we have a long way to g...
Read more

Day 3, Wednesday, April 23: the day of moderately bad mistakes

North Mountain campsite to Irons Mountain campsite, C&O Canal Towpath, 67 miles As daunting as biking across the continent seems, it does not compare to the man we shared the campsite with last night. He started walking across the country a year and a half ago from Seattle, pushing a buggy. I noted he's almost done, being just 110 miles from DC, but when he gets there he's walking the East Coast Greenway to Florida to complete his corner-to-corner walk.  Godspeed, Darren.  This morning we packed up and took the time to have a cup of coffee before departing (Mt. Hagan instant, which is surprisingly good). We rode 14 miles to the town of Hancock, Maryland where we had another great breakfast. More importantly, we showered at C&O Bicycle. At ten dollars, a shower it is worth every penny. Don't let the doors fool you. It was a great shower. At Hancock we made an unfortunate decision: we decided to leave the C&O Canal Towpath and pedal the Western Maryland Rail Trail...
Read more