Pre-trip comments

My bike trip from Spokane, WA, to home in Mercer, PA starts this Sunday, July 26.  I’ve wanted to do a cross-country tour for some years, and now that I am retired I can spare the time. Spokane, WA is my starting point because my brother Tom and his family live there. Laura and I will fly there tomorrow and do a little visiting before I set off on my new blue bike (I arranged for the REI store in Pittsburgh to ship it to the REI store in Spokane). My Waterford bike is a little over a year old. It’s designed for touring—it has a heavier, sturdier, stainless steel frame; wider wheels with more and thicker spokes; and slightly raised handlebars so that you don’t bend over quite as much while riding. The bike worked well for me on a trip from Minneapolis to Green Bay, WI last summer with my friend Tom MacDonald.

This trip is by far the most daunting I have attempted. I’ll be doing it alone, it’s long, and I’m getting on in years. The route goes about 2300 miles, as seen in the map below. I have done seventeen four- and five-day trips over the years with Tom, so I have touring experience, but those trips averaged about 300 miles in length. As in the past, I will be doing a “credit card” tour, which means I will be traveling light and staying in motels rather than carrying camping gear. I plan to average about 70 miles a day and will take an occasional day off for rest or if inclement weather threatens. I hope to get to Minneapolis around August 20. Time will tell if this schedule is feasible or overambitious. I’ll visit family and friends in the Twin Cities for a few days. If things are going well I‘ll hit the road and should reach Pennsylvania around September 10. The next dream trip on the horizon is Laura’s plan to visit all 30 major league baseball stadiums in one summer or maybe two. I guess you could say we are traveling fools.