TransAmerica Bikepacking 2026

Follow Gary Eckstein & Alan Mukamal across the U.S.

More trip photos can be found here!

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August 25, 2026 – Day 74: Brooklyn, NY

What can I say?! I woke up in my own bed this morning. I made coffee in my Ninja Drip Coffee pot. I even went to Tai Chi (and remembered the whole form). I had lunch with Elizabeth in downtown Brooklyn. It felt like a regular day but with one thing yet unfinished. We needed to complete the ocean to ocean ride. Our plan was to do that at Brighton Beach in Brooklyn around 6 pm. Amy and Gary had the whole thing planned and all I needed to do was show up at Grand Army Plaza on my bike at 4:45. Jake (remember him? Yes! That Jake, my nephew whose apartment we crashed at our first two nights in SF) had just come to town and we rode together – he used my hybrid “city” bike. By the time we were ready to roll from G.A.P. at 5:15, we were half a million strong. Ok, not quite that many.

Ben, Amy and Gary’s son, leaves for China (for a HS semester abroad) tomorrow. So getting home yesterday and completing the Ocean jump today was really important. We rode through Prospect Park from there and that connects (by way of one of the shittiest bike paths) to the Ocean Parkway Bike Path, which is generally considered the oldest bike path in the US! What a meaningful way to end our journey.

At the beach, Gary and I stripped down to bathing suits, posed for the cameras and bolted into the ocean. It was joyous. The sea was calm and warmly refreshing. Of course some of the rest of the party who joined us in the water swam out a bit too far, so PEP (Parks Enforcement Police) came by and blew whistles at us. At least, they didn’t ask for IDs!

And the party that the Cohen-Ecksteins prepared was very yummy. IPAs and other drinks I need not name, make-your-own-tacos and array of snacks and deserts. Michael came all the way from Westchester to be part of the festivities and gave me and Elizabeth (and my bike) a ride home from the beach, because… It’s done!

A BIG THANK YOU to all the people that hosted us, met us on the trail, bought or made dinner for us, or came to see us end our ride. Also thanks to those that reached out to say hi or check in or just thought about us during these past 74 days. We truly appreciated the support.

August 24, 2026 – Day 73: Mahopac to Brooklyn, NY

Our penultimate day. The Budget Motor Inn in Mahopac was just how it sounds. There was one tiny shampoo bottle that was only 2/3 full for the two of us to use and though there was no bathmat, we each had a towel. At 6 am we were moving around and by 7, we were at the Olympic Diner next door having breakfast. As we were leaving, I knocked over the salt shaker when I reached for my phone. I was tempted to throw some salt over my shoulder, lest I jynx the last day, but I thought my damp hands would dissolve any salt I picked up. So I took a chance… We were on our way before 7:30. But right out of the gate, a yellow jacket flew into the space between my glasses and my face. I yanked off my glasses and luckily did not get stung. The rest of the ride I was praying that the bee was the only bad luck augured by the spilled salt. The route to NYC was mostly the (Westchester) North County Trail and the (Westchester) South County Trail, which was paved all the way. Much of it parallels the Saw Mill River Pkwy. Heading south, the path was more downhill than uphill through Westchester, so we made good time.

We had our first (and only!) obstruction on the Empire State Trail but were able to push our bikes over the tree.

We had a few water/snack breaks but before we knew it we were at the NYC border and heading into Van Cortland Park in The Bronx.

At 10:30 we were halfway home! And at 11 am we stopped in Manhattan for a sandwich at Jayden Deli on Dyckman St. We had one thing on our minds all day – Get Home! After the lunch break we were on the Hudson River Park which runs all the way down the West Side of Manhattan. We passed under the George Washington Bridge.

Chris and Ann are in town and they texted me to meet up at pier 40, but when we got there (near East Houston) we did not see them. As we proceeded, I saw Elizabeth riding towards me! I could see they were trying to accompany me home! But Gary was also in a rush to see his loved ones and so we decided to say goodbye at the Brooklyn Bridge, so I could backtrack to my clan.

I headed back to the west side bike path and met up with Chris, Ann and Elizabeth – a sweet reunion!

Here are a few interesting tidbits. My bike (loaded) when I got home weighed 81 lbs, which included water bottles and snacks/food. I weighed 137 lbs which is about 7 lbs less than when I left. We largely stuck to our schedule with 3 days “off”:

• Wapiti, WY: Chris drove us to Billings, MO to get my phone repaired – did not ride at all
• Buffalo, WY: In 105° temperature, we spent an extra day in Buffalo, WY, at the suggestion of our fantastic Warmshowers host, John – no riding
• Madison, WI: We explored the city while staying with cousin Lily & Noah – we rode 20 miles around the city

August 23, 2026 – Day 72: New Paltz to Mahopac, NY

When we woke at Alex’s the forecast showed rain until 9 am, so we opted to walk to breakfast at Little Loaf and take our time leaving. Great choice – it is a delicious vegan bakery. We said goodbye to Alex and then were on the road at 9 am.

Pretty soon we were crossing the pedestrian and cyclist bridge to Poughkeepsie. What a fantastic bridge. No cars, amazing views of the Hudson, and no hills to climb to get onto it.

The trail today is all paved and, being a rail trail, has railroad grades. Really perfect biking weather, too, despite the threatening clouds. We took a snack break at Hopewell Junction.

In Pawling, the rail trail passes Whaley Lake, where my Uncle Sass and Aunt Louise used to own a home. We spent many a nice summer weekend and also some Thanksgivings there.

As we rode from Pawling to Brewster, a cyclist named Dave chatted us up. He was interested in our journey and had a few tales to tell himself. A few weeks earlier, he encountered a black bear on the trail! And he said our timing was good because last week we would have had to detour due to downed trees from a storm!

Before we got to Brewster, it began to rain, fairly heavily, but when Gary stopped to put on his raincoat, the rain slowed and then stopped. It was pretty short-lived.

In Brewster, we stopped for lunch at El Sabor Latino. The food was excellent and when we left, we had just 12 miles to complete the day.

Ross and I have been texting about meeting up in or near Mahopac. Earlier today, Ross volunteered to pick us up in Mahopac and wine and dine us at his and Michelle’s home in Armonk, which was so generous as it required 2 hours of driving, not to mention making dinner! So when we got to the Budget Inn in Mahopac, we showered quickly and then like clockwork, Ross was there to whisk us away. After hellos and hugs with Michelle, Ross, Gary and I got into their giant outdoor Jacuzzi and had some beers. Michelle had choir practice but we had a terrible meal of grilled tuna, shrimp and salad. It felt very celebratory. Like Chip, I’ve known Ross for 53 years and that’s something!

August 22, 2026 – Day 71: Nassau to New Paltz, NY

The fog burned off pretty quickly today, compared to yesterday. But even so, our tents were still wet when we had to pack up. We were on the road at 7:50 after a big breakfast, including 3 eggs each and the remainder of the sourdough bread that Mike King had brought.

It was another beautiful day for riding and the views were lovely. Kinderhook stood out in my mind as a particularly beautiful town.

The ride was very hilly, though. In the morning alone, we had 1,713 ft in elevation gain over 40 miles. We had lunch at  Otto’s Market in Germantown with Tamar, Gary’s daughter, who is doing a potter’s workshop at Okidoki Studio.

After lunch we had another 40 miles to go. The ride took us through Tivoli, Tivoli Bays Wildlife Management Area, Bard College, before we had to cross the Hudson on the Kingston Rhinecliff Bridge.

The path (mostly a bike lane or shoulder on roads) through Kingston was not very bike friendly. The bridge in particular was awful. But once we got on the Wallkill Trail, it was very scenic all the way through Rosendale. There were more hills with an afternoon total gain of 1,433 ft for a total of 3,146 ft in elevation gain for the day over 80 miles.

An old friend that lives in New Paltz, Paul Steely White (Executive Director of Parks and Trails NY and former ED of Transportation Alternatives) met us on the trail near Rosendale and escorted us to New Paltz. Paul told us that the beautiful Wallkill Trail portion of the Empire State Trail is privately maintained, which is unique.

In New Paltz, we went straight to Alex, my nephew’s, apartment. Alex is an engineer and works at the regional DEC office in New Paltz. We washed our clothes, hung them up to dry and left to have dinner at The Parish for Cajun food.

All in all, it was an 80 mile day and I am bushed!

Two Days To Go!

August 21, 2026 – Day 70: Amsterdam to Nassau, NY

I slept ok in the Super 8. I think knowing that I cleaned and dried my clothes and that we only have one more night of camping contributed to making me calm. Maybe the beer helped, too. We were ready to go early, mostly because the motel breakfast was so ‘meh’. Just bagels and bad coffee, really.

So in Schenectady (a mere 20 miles away), we stopped at Arthur’s Market, where I had an egg sandwich and coffee cake (and Gary, quiche). This was a very nice cafe and there were lots of Union students.

Our next significant stop was in Troy, for multiple reasons, but mostly to see my good friend Chip. We also needed lunch and Gary wanted a mechanic to look at his derailleur. Since it was 11:30 when we got there, we went straight to Upstate Bicycle Works. What a good choice. The mechanic there had ridden across Africa, Europe and Asia, if I recall correctly. He also worked some magic on Gary’s drive train – it was not as simple as we thought.

By 12:30, we were at lunch with Chip at The Placid Baker. It is so good to see this old friend. We sat outside to enjoy the beautiful day. And we all enjoyed our sandwiches. We were there because the bike mechanic recommended it over Oh Corn! where we had intended to go. I think it would have been nice to have Arepas, actually. After lunch we met Chip back at his condo so I could see it (and pee, tbh).

We had another rendezvous planned this evening for dinner, but we stopped by the Price Chopper (in Watervliet, a town whose name I love to say) to get food for breakfast. We were done with the Erie Canal by this point and on the Mohawk-Hudson Electric Trail. The rest of the ride (about 25 miles) was increasingly hilly and with increasingly spectacular views.

Dingmans Family Campground was in such a remote area near Nassau that we rode on gravel and dirt roads for the last few miles. William, the proprietor, was very sweet and gave us the special site right on the Kinderhook Creek. It’s a beautiful and peaceful campground. He only charged us for one tent: $40.

Of course, we jumped in the creek first thing. There are not too many more opportunities I think to do that on this journey (or this summer). David Bolotsky showed up soon afterwards. Rendezvous deux! We had given him our ETA and timing was perfect. Before long, we were 5 miles up the road in downtown Nassau with cold IPAs and (courtesy of Dave) delicious burritos.

Nothing left but to shower and go to bed.

Three days to go!

August 20, 2026 – Day 69: Frankfort to Amsterdam, NY

There were bright lights on in the pavilion under which we slept, so the better eye mask I bought a while back came in handy. We had electricity in the pavilion, too, so that was convenient for charging. We outsmarted the dew by sleeping on the cement under the pavilion, except for my clothes that I washed the night before last and were still damp and became damper, because I hung them up. The clothes we washed last night were downright wet. So I put on damp clothes and we ate our camp breakfast, after which, we had a bagel at Waking Bagels, which is in the same building as the bathroom/showers.

We were on the road at 8am, but Gary immediately had a minor derailleur issue which he could not quite fix satisfactorily. So we decided we would stop in Canojaharie, where there’s a bike shop and lunch options.

The trail from Herkimer to Little Falls was heavenly! It is all paved and quiet as it separates from the Throughway. We had perfect morning weather and the views were spectacular. Gary even spotted a bald eagle in the canal.

At 9, we rolled into Little Falls and stopped at the Cafe at Stone Wall for a 2nd coffee. We originally planned for a 50 mile day to Tribes Hill, but that meant camping at E12 lock which is very primitive and seems to have only a portajohn. No showers / no electricity. So we changed our plan to bike another 8 miles to Amsterdam and stay in the Super 8 motel. That also makes tomorrow easier as it would have been 72 miles but will be 64 instead.

Little Falls is a quaint historic town with beautiful buildings and gardens. When we got to Canajoharie, we found out there is no bike shop there, so we ate a lunch of the 2 extra bagels we got at Waking Bagels with cheese and hummus and baba ganoush, which we had leftover from camping with Elizabeth. We ate in a small pocket park. Canajoharie is also charming and historic.

The rest of the ride was mostly paved, though bumpy at times. We got to Amsterdam at 2 pm and had to ride up a nasty hill to get to the Super 8 Motel, where we had a shower and did laundry.

During the day, Mike King texted and offered to meet us in Amsterdam for drinks and dinner. When they picked us up at the motel, Mike handed us each a Treehouse IPA. Treehouse just opened in Saratoga. So good!

Three years back, when I did the Empire State Trail with Joe, Mike and Melissa met us in St Johnsville, where we camped. They brought beer and Henry their dog. So it’s fitting they came down from Saratoga again to say hi.

We had a splendid time at Astoria Landing in Riverlink Park. Our waitress was very interested in our journey and though I forgot to get her name, I did get a picture!

Four days to go!

August 19, 2026 – Day 68: Manlius to Frankfort, NY

We agreed to get a later start today and didn’t wake till 6. It was luxurious to get dressed standing up and use the coleman stove Elizabeth had brought to make coffee and oatmeal. We were ready to roll at 8:20 and said our goodbyes to Elizabeth who planned to do another round of Disc golf, swim and then see Seneca Falls.

In Canastota, we took a break at Bread and Batter where Gary had a 2nd breakfast and I had an iced coffee.

In Rome, we were about 35 miles in and had lunch at the Dirty Fizz Cafe, after which we stopped at the Aldi’s for breakfast supplies (fruit, yogurt, etc…). Back on the trail, we were soon detoured due to trail maintenance and sent on streets through Whitesboro, Yorktown and all of Utica! Utica had many big beautiful homes that were falling apart due to neglect. We went by Matt’s (aka Saranac) Brewery (home of the Beer Ball!

Rain threatened but never materialized and by 3:45 we were rolling into Lock 19 where we intended to camp. The bathroom there has a combo lock, but the combo we had (courtesy of Joe Nocella / 718 Outdoors) didn’t work so we headed to the adjacent brewery, Heelpath, where someone was waving us over. Jeff the owner and brewer gave us the code and served us some beers. He explained that long before the canal and towpath were built, there was a heelpath along the (Mohawk) River. Gale, the man who waved us over earlier and is the self-proclaimed “mayor” of Frankfort was very chatty and insisted on paying for our beers!

For dinner, we ate gigantic double-size burritos at the Deli-Tacos in town, a few blocks away. They messed up our orders but we shoved them down anyway. While we ate, another customer came in complaining they messed up his order, too. Seems like a common occurrence.

We headed back to Heelpath for another beer and to use the WiFi. But when we tried to pay, Jeff just said Merry Christmas. All in all, I had three beers and did not pay for one! Lock 19 has a pavilion (to shield us from the rain) and a bathroom with showers! Unfortunately, there was no hot water! Brrr.

Five days to go!

August 18, 2026 – Day 67: Clyde to Manlius, NY

Despite the mosquitos that came on at twilight and the general itchiness due to not showering, I had one of my best sleeps of the entire trip! It got cool at night, which helped and I had to break out the sleeping bag to stay warm. When my watch woke me at 5:10, I was so out of it, I forgot how to stop the alarm. But no sense going back to sleep – I was too excited to get to Green Lakes State Park and see Elizabeth again and swim together in that beautiful lake. 3 years ago, when I did the Empire State Trail with Joe, we camped there and it’s a beautiful park/lake.

The dew was very heavy in the morning so our tents and tarps were sopping wet. So we took our time with breakfast and everything else to give the sun a chance to dry the tents, which is why we didn’t get on the road till about 8 am.

Shortly after Clyde, the canal trail was on Rte 31 (Bicycle 5) for 20 miles. There was an amazing ok le shoulder / bike lane for this stretch. But at one point there were three road work signs set up in the bike lane forcing us into the main car lane to go around them. Yes, you guessed it: there was no road work happening. Doesn’t DOT know this is a bike route?! Why would they block the entire bike lane with a sign?!

In Weedsport, we stopped for 2nd breakfast at Village Chef. It took me two guesses to find the exact place where Joe and I are lunch in 2023 when we did the Empire State Trail. Back then, another patron was so interested in our trek across NY, that he bought us lunch, paying the bill unbeknownst to us. I felt I had to go back. This time, though, nothing magical happened, though we did have a good meal.

Elizabeth, who camped at Green Lake State Park, was already cycling towards us. We eventually met up at the bridge over the southern part of Lake Onondaga near Syracuse. What an incredible view!

We cycled together after that back to Green Lakes State Park, with no mishaps, stopping for lunch at the original Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse. That was also notable because Joe and I dined there in 2023 when we did the trail.

The magic is back! We stopped for some groceries to supplement dinner and breakfast and they had Magic Bags! Not just an insulated bag but the Magic Bag in a larger size than the one I had.

After we got to the Green Lakes State Park Campground, we went for a swim and then played a round of Disc Golf. (Elizabeth had discs and has been playing all summer and got really good.) We were not keeping score, but Gary was under par on most holes.

Elizabeth made a great salad with tuna, chickpeas and tomatoes and collards from our garden in Brooklyn. We had cocktails and a campfire, too!!

What a perfect day!

Six days to go!

August 17, 2026 – Day 66: Holley to Clyde, NY

We got on the road around 7:45 after breaking down camp and having breakfast. The entertainment for the morning was watching a cat (presumably the pet of one of the RV campers near us) catch some small animal and eat it. The campground gets top rating from me, except for the active mosquito population, which were adequately repelled by Ben’s spray.

We stopped in Brockport, a college town and in my opinion the nicest one on the trail, for an ice coffee and then were rolling again.

Before long we were in Rochester, where the trail was (freshly) paved for a good while. We stopped in Genesee Park for some snacks and then kept going. Meanwhile, Elizabeth, who camped last night at Green Lakes State Park near Syracuse, bought us some supplies (sun screen, bug repellent and Dr Bronner’s) that we were running low on. And just as we learned that, coincidentally, we passed an REI on the trail. Gary needed a small propane canister so we popped in to get that. I am very proud of myself for not buying anything! My McGivered front rack seems to be holding ok.

For lunch we stopped in Fairport at Salvatore’s Pizza, about 40 miles into our ride and more than halfway to Clyde, our destination. Why do Italian restaurants always have pictures of Frank Sinatra and Sophia Loren?

Meanwhile, Elizabeth parked in Clyde at Lauraville Landing and was cycling west on the trail, towards us – we anticipated meeting up in Newark. But things are not always that simple. When Elizabeth was pumping up her rear tire with the pump on the Empire State (Erie Canal) Trail, the valve stem broke off! Without a spare tube and no bike shop in Lyons, she was stranded.

In Newark, we were about 7 miles from Elizabeth and stopped for a quick rest and hydration and then I realized I lost my magic bag and one of my two handkerchiefs. My magic bag had a Gatorade, an apple, a peach and several half and half creamers for my morning coffee. This was a big blow. The magic is gone! I must have left it in Rochester on an earlier break.

Nothing to do, but push on. The excitement of seeing Elizabeth pushed the magic bag out of my thoughts and I cruised to meet her. I had a spare tube and fixed the flat with some help from Gary and we were off! We got to Lauraville Landing in Clyde around 4, where Elizabeth had all kinds of supplies for us.

The village camping site is a grassy field along the canal with restrooms and electricity but no showers. So we are going to the local school which has a swimming pool and is open from 6-8pm. And in keeping with the ill-fated day, we found out the pool was closed due to a water issue and we could not even shower there. A woman named Donna at the school started calling people to see if there were other showering options for us. We told her where we were having dinner and where we are camping and said she’d let us know if she found anything. What a sweet person!  So we went to dinner at Papa’s pizza (picking up some 19 oz IPAs at the FastTrak convenience store) and after we finished our pizza, Bob shows up and says they could not find a shower for us. He was apologetic and wished us luck and even took our picture for their website!

After 66 days, this is only the 2nd day we missed showering or washing in a body of water. And tomorrow we are guaranteed both!

One week to go!

August 16, 2026 – Day 65: Tonawanda to Holley, NY

We slept in at the Royal Inn and didn’t get on the road till 7:50. We needed breakfast so we went to a Greek Diner (Athena’s) in North Tonawanda near the start of the Erie Canal Trail. So we weren’t really on the road until almost 9! Even though it meant backtracking a little, we started right at the beginning of the Erie Canal / Empire State Trail.

The trail is so beautiful and historic and there’s a lot of pride in the maritime history in each town. It’s not my first time traversing this trail. In 2023, I rode with Joe from Brooklyn to Buffalo. But this time I am doing the reverse direction.

At Lockport, we marvelled (it doesn’t get old) at the old lock (right side) and new lock. We saw a boat heading east move into the lock and the gates behind it close to prepare to lower the ship.

In Medina, we were more than halfway through our 63 mile day so we stopped for lunch at a burrito truck, but we didn’t like their drink selections so we looked for a convenience store, but had no luck! Medina is a cute town with some swanky restaurants and an Opera (!), but I have no idea where they shop!

The Walmart in Albion was just another 10 miles so we decided to aim for that and get food for dinner and breakfast as well. But even Walmart did not have any cold low sugar drinks! So we managed to find a McDonald’s that gave us water and a convenience store with zero sugar Gatorade.

When we were pulling out of the convenience store, I noticed my front right panier was wobbling and saw that the rack cracked at a welded point! Fortunately, Gary had one metal zip tie left and we used it to secure the rack. Later, at camp, I reinforced it with some plastic zip ties.

So in about another 10 miles, we reached out destination, Red Rock RV Campground. I had called earlier to tell them we were coming. They have a very good policy for tent bikepackers. They have an open area that allows them to accommodate walk-in bikepackers. When we were 5 miles away, they called to make sure we’d be there by 4, when they close their office. We made it with 20 minutes to spare, and immediately one of the people that run the place, gave Gary to Stella Artois us. It’s really a lovely Campground with a pond that we swam in, and clean restrooms and showers. We even have electricity and Wi-Fi.

We had a leisurely dinner – salad kit with canned fish (I did not want to cook), along with a cuke they had at the office which was free for the taking.

So 63 miles today, including the detour to shop. Tomorrow, we have 73+, but I will be seeing my sweetheart, who is camping at Green Lakes and will bike towards us from Clyde tomorrow. I am so excited!

8 more days to go!

August 15, 2026 – Day 64: Haldimand, ON to Tonawanda, NY

I slept till almost 6 after a fitful night. I tried to get as much done before needing the bathroom as we had a bit of a walk to get there. Also the mosquitos were bad (as they were the night before, so we decided to pack up fully and look for a less buggy area to have our breakfast. We found that at the main side of the recreation area across the street, where there was a pavilion close to the shore. The birds seem to rule that roost so we felt like interlopers making breakfast.

When we got on the road just before 8, our route was very close to the shore of Lake Erie after a slight detour inland on what felt like a familiar road.

But soon we were back by the shore for about 16 miles. There were times where we had expansive views.

At first I noticed some road cyclists in small packs and as always, I waved or said hi. But the packs kept coming and in bigger groups, too. Eventually I saw what looked like an event rest stop and later learned that today was the Dunnville Grand Tour. The wind, which was blowing westward, was in their favor. Not ours. In fact I felt very sluggish all morning.

At around mile 24, we started heading northeast and away from Lake Erie. The first big town we hit was Dunnville and since we were both hungry we decided to have a meal even though we were only 30 miles into what would ultimately be a 90-mile day. The diner (Sunny Side Up!) offered poutine so I had to have that with my chicken Caesar wrap, since it was our last day in Canada.

At mile 55, we were inland in the city called Welland. We stopped for a while and set up our camp chairs and hung our clothes (which had not yet dried from yesterday’s washing) on a fence by the Welland Recreational Canal. There was a nice bike trail, a kayak and swimming launch pier and a gathering about human rights in the classroom which we could hear from across the canal. We ate some snacks and drank water to prepare for the final 35 miles across the border. We also booked a cheap hotel in Tonawanda, rather than the campsite in Wheatfield, which would have charged us $60 to pitch our tents for a night.

From there it was only 17 miles to the Rainbow Bridge where we would cross the Niagara River and re-enter the U.S. We got to see Niagara Falls from the Canadian side and then took the Rainbow Bridge riding between the two lanes of cars that were barely moving.

Reentry to US was easy and quick (I had my passport and Gary had an enhanced VT license.)

Most of the journey from there was along the Shoreline Trail, which is sometimes called the Great Lake Seaway Trail. But still the wind was blowing in our face. When do we get the west-to-east tailwinds we were promised?!

We were exhausted when we arrived at the Royal Inn, so the Thai restaurant, practically next door, was all we could muster after showering. At least they had cold Singhas!

9 more days to go!

August 14, 2026 – Day 63: Port Stanley to Haldimand, ON

Despite having comfortable queen size beds, we both slept poorly and got up before 6. Last night we discovered that the washer and dryer, which they use for sheets and towels in the hotel, is in an open room, so we took matters into our own hands and washed a load of our clothes which were getting mighty skanky, despite hand “washing”.  That worked out pretty well and I removed the evidence from (and returned their sheets to) the dryer before 6.

We were on the 2nd floor but our bikes were in the lobby. Since it was too early for breakfast in the main hotel across the street, we went to a cafe nearby for breakfast. By the time we were done it was almost 8 and we knew from asking the night before that the main hotel would be open and we could get at least a bagel, so we went back to the main hotel and grabbed a bagel with peanut butter and other available items. The woman putting out the breakfast was very nice and helped us get what we wanted.

Our destination for the evening was Haldimand Conservation Area, which would have been a 73 mile ride from the campground at which we intended to stay last night, but it was 80+ from Port Stanley.

There was a steep climb right out of chute, to get to the more residential neighborhood of Port Stanley, called Erie Heights. But there was a proper  bike lane on our route, not just a shoulder. There were also signs at times to “Share the Road”, with a picture of a bike and car side by side. (This is a sign I never understood, as the onus is on the driver to make sure they pass cyclists safely. Why don’t they just say that?!). Another sign, that made me smile was “Ride Single File” with a picture of a car behind a bike. This sign actually made sense to me when there’s a downhill, but I also saw it on a steep uphill, where I was slowed to 5 mph or less. What driver is going to go 4 mph to ride single file? And what cyclist wants a car crawling up his/her ass while their huffing and puffing up a hill?

Anyway, I digress. The Waterfront Trail began to have a somewhat more accurate name, as we could see glimpses of Lake Erie as we rode. Mostly though, trees or houses blocked our view. We took Petite Breaks in Port Bruce (to eat our Peanut Butter bagels) and Port Burrell.

40+ miles in (so more than 1/2 way) we stopped for lunch at the Country Fork in Port Rowen. The food was very good and we started feeling like we were moving into more wealthy areas. The homes also seemed to get more swanky as we rode east. There were nice homes our whole route along Lake Erie, but there was a noticeable uptick. In Port Rowen, we also shopped for dinner: rice, canned sardines and oysters and cut frozen vegetables, plus a salad. Yum!

Port Dover was just about 20 miles shy of Haldimand. It is a big resort town with a popular beach, so Gary suggested we swim, there. We did a quick dip and then were back on the road in 20 minutes. It was already 3:30. The beach was sandy, but again, very shallow.

One more water break and then we arrived at Haldimand Recreation Center, which is a beautiful wooded area right on the water. My problem with it is that short term campers are relegated to loops across the road, reserving the prime spots near the lake for “seasonal” campers. Also there’s a derth of bathrooms. It’s good enough though and we got a site with electricity.

We rode 85 miles, with 1,526 feet of elevation gain, today. But the big news is, we have 10 more days to go and tomorrow night we will sleep in NY!

10 more days to go!

August 13, 2026 – Day 62: Chatham-Kent to Port Stanley, ON

I woke early because some neighboring guests of the motel were sitting outside our room talking. Since we had changed our plan to stay at a hotel in Port Stanley, a resort town on Lake Erie, we weren’t in too much of a rush, although we had 65+ miles to get there. It turned out that the campground we originally planned to stay at was primitive and had no showers, Port Stanley seemed like a good alternative, so I booked the last room with two beds.

Our dive motel did not include breakfast, so we went to Eli’s Breakfast and Lunch, a diner on our way.

There were a few other patrons and the waitress was very attentive to all of us. One of the patrons was talking to his friend about how Trump could be impeached but “they’re not doing it”.  I made sure to let him know we hate him, too. Then he asked about our journey and we were all too happy to fill him in.

Our first two stops were at Blenheim and Morpeth. At the latter stop we laid out our clothes and tents to dry. My tent was still wet from camping in Michigan.

From Morpeth, we were on the “Waterfront Trail”, which was basically Route 30. It was neither on the water nor a trail, as it is just a road, mostly with no shoulder!

About 40 miles in, we stopped for lunch at Talbot Trails Restaurant. It was a yurt-like building and our waitress was very nice and interested in our journey. I had poutine and a wrap, but did not feel too stuffed.

Before and after lunch, I was feeling pretty strong and riding fast. We had a few route options that could take us away from the busier road with a small shoulder and we took one of those options. At first it was all loose gravel and we had to go  slowly. It was challenging to ride but eventually there were hard dirt tracks (from car tires) exposed so we could avoid the gravel. Who said there were no hills?

Not too far after, we arrived in Port Stanley, where we were booked in the Telegraph House across from the Inn at the Harbor. Port Stanley was hopping! We went for a swim at the “Little Beach”.

After a shower in our hotel, we had a beer (or was it two) at the Port Stanley Brewery and then Rivas Italian restaurant for a great dinner. We topped it off with ice cream! Finally!

August 12, 2026 – Day 61: Kenockee, MI to Chatham-Kent, ON

It was another wet morning due to dew, but no rain which was a relief. Still it was humid from the get go so our clothes and we were damp all day. First off, Gary swapped his rear tire with the one the LoRes picked up for him. Phew! We took our time getting ready hoping the sun might come out and dry our tents. It didn’t.

Right off the bat, we were on the Wadhams to Avoca Trail, which was very nice. On it we met Julie, a cyclist around our age, I am guessing, who had left the northwest (Oregon or Washington – I can’t recall exactly) in May and was making her way to Maine. She had a Bike Friday with a very heavy looking load! A couple on a short ride were stopped to talk with her when we caught up. She mentioned another solo female cyclist named Peggy that is also heading east on our route (Michigan to Ontario to NY’s Erie Canal).

We said goodbye and soon were heading down the St Clair River from Port Huron to Marysville and beyond. The route is called the Bridge to Bay Trail and it’s sometimes a bike path, sometimes a lane and sometimes just ride with car traffic. Some of the paths were so badly maintained with cracked asphalt, making it a very bumpy and annoying ride.

We got to the ferry at Agonac around 1 pm without having had lunch and since there was a ferry coming decided to take our chances finding lunch in Canada. It cost us $3 each for our bikes and persons to cross.

Walpole Island, where we disembarked, is a First Nation reserve governed by the first nation. We stopped at a breakfast / lunch spot not far from the ferry and had a bite. I called our campsite to ensure a vacancy and saw on their website that it is “off the grid”. I left a message to understand what that meant and when we stopped at a fruit stand for peaches and the man there said he didn’t think they had showers, we decided we might find an alternative. When we took a break in Wallaceburg, still with no response from Peace of Heaven, the campground, we called a motel in Chatham-Kent and reserved a room at the Kent Motel.

We had to alter our route and head south (rather than east) to Chatham-Kent and there were headwinds to battle much of the way. The Kent Motel is a complete dive, but we were exhausted after a long day (72 miles) and just took it. Fortunately, we could walk 2 km to Wood Fire Centro, a really excellent restaurant.

Tomorrow we continue south to Lake Erie and head east to Niagara.

August 11, 2026 – Day 60: Holly to Kenockee, MI

Last evening a local, Mike, who camps at Sandy Beach a lot, came over to chat. His wife Kim is also an active cyclist and they were curious about our route and invited us over for s’mores. Their grown daughter Mandy was there and her friend and their kids. Mandy’s friend is the one with the old (’63) camper next to us. So, finally we had an evening campfire and s’mores to boot.

Mike was very funny and entertaining. He told us about cranes that come to the end of the lake at night. He had a beautiful picture he showed us of them, so we walked a bit to the end of the small lake, but it must have been too dark to see them.

In the morning, there was heavy dew so we packed up quickly and wetly. We heard the cranes squawking (whooping?) as some of them flew overhead.

The ride through Holly was pleasant and we were on paths or side streets a lot of the morning. As we were crossing over I 75 into Independence from Clarkston, Gary’s rear tire sprung a vicious leak. We couldn’t find anything in the tire so he put in a new tube and we were off. This was his SECOND flat.

In Orion, we got on the Polly Ann Trail which took us to Oxford. When we got to Oxford, we rode through the Central Business District and bought sandwiches to go. It was only 32 miles (out of 73) into our day, and 11:20 so not quite ready for lunch.

Ten miles later in Leonard, we stopped on the trail and ate the lunch we purchased. Yummy! But as we were ready to roll, Gary saw his rear tire was almost flat again for his THIRD. The tube got pinched in that big slice in his tire that the previous blowout made, so he put in a tire patch to prevent that from happening again.

We were still on the Polly Ann Trail heading north. After a while though, the trail got to be more gravelly and we made the same mistake as yesterday! We got off the trail and rode 3.5 miles to a paved road (stroad, really) that would also take us to Imlay City. The riding became awful. Although there was a shoulder, the constant whizzing by gets under my skin. At one point, a blue pickup truck passed me only to make a sharp right into a gas station. It was going so fast, he had to slam on the brakes, which screeched in revolt. The truck leaned to the left and I thought it might roll. Then he ran over a curb as he tried to right it. What an ass, I thought. Just so he didn’t have to slow down and turn behind me.

After we got some supplies for breakfast in Imlay City, we headed west on Imlay City Rd, which became a dirt road for the last 13 miles. We were riding 12-15 mph the whole way so it was very tiring. When we got to Ruby Campground, we had done 80 miles for the day. Gary’s rear tire was down to 20 psi (max) when we pulled in.

The campground is very quiet and secluded. There’s a pond out front and it seems to be run by two eccentric women who love it. We set up and showered quickly because…

…meanwhile all day I was in communication with Alan, Lucy and Katie. They landed in Detroit from Casper via Denver (after visiting the Grand Tetons) around 2:30. So after a detour to Ann Arbor, where Katie is packing up to head to her NYC job (congratulations on passing the Bar and being employed, Katie!), they came up to Ruby / Kenockee. Since they asked if there’s anything they can bring, we requested a new rear tire for Gary and… Viola, like magic, it appeared with them, along with a bag of snacks and treats and inner tubes. So amazingly generous, we didn’t know what to say. What a life saver really!

On top of that, they took us to dinner in Port Huron, right on the river.  That was a special night. It was great to catch up with them and so much better than ramen and sardines.

Lucy pointed out that this is the 3rd bike tour I’ve been on which involved Al in some way. The first was my first bike tour which I did with him in 1982. We rode from LI (I started in Massapequa) to Marblehead, Massachusetts. The 2nd was just 2 years ago when Elizabeth and I rode the GAP-C&O from Pittsburgh to DC. Al and Lucy met us for dinner in DC. When we got back after dinner, we noticed the home baked cookies that Lucy and Katie brought

When we got back after dinner this night, we noticed the home baked cookies that Lucy and Katie brought us were gone. Which is a big shame because they looked out-of-this-world good. And now they are out of this world – an offering to the Raccoon Gods! I know it wasn’t a park worker this time because it’s a private campground. Tomorrow we cross the St Clair River into Ontario!

August 10, 2026 – Day 59: Victor to Holly

It rained in the early morning and when I heard a letting up around 4:50, I got up and started packing up, moving things under the awning by the bathroom to stay dry. My bike was already there. As a defense against raccoons, we left our food bags in the bathroom on one of the window ledges. But when I went into the bathroom around 5:10, the bags were gone! My staples (coffee, dried milk, oatmeal, pistachios, salt/pepper, condiments) and breakfast add ons (yogurt, eggs, bananas, apples) and my snacks (salmon and turkey jerky, bars, even my electrolytes) – all of it was gone including two stuff sacks and the Magic Bag! Gary lost some but not all of his food.

Well, all of it is replaceable. I was hoping some park workers took it but I had no way to find out at 5:30 in the morning. I asked a man using the bathroom if he saw it last night and the bags were there at 9pm. I checked with the camp host at 7:40, but she didn’t know. I started thinking someone did it maliciously, though I could not really buy that because the campground was 1/2 empty and the campers nearby all seemed nice and chill.

We packed up our stuff (clothing and tents were still wet) and got on the road at 8 after checking to see if anyone was at the office. We needed breakfast so we went to the closest town, Laingsburg, and luckily found an open diner/tavern. During breakfast, I called Sleepy Hollow Campground and Tyler checked and called me back. They had our food! I asked if they could bring it to us but they didn’t have staff to do it so we rode back the 7 miles to the campground, got our beloved food bags and turned around and went right back! The moral of the story, I think, is: if the raccoons don’t get you, the park workers will. But at least the park workers give it back if you ask nicely.

We were supposed to have an easy day (48 miles) but now we had at least 62, with the extra 14 miles round-trip to retrieve our food. Laingsburg was a bit off our route, but we wanted to avoid a dirt road so we got on East Grand River Road, which was truly beautiful. That turned into Pittsburgh Road and back to East Grand River until we got to Bancroft, where we had lunch at Woody’s Bancroft Tavern. Bancroft appeared to be a vibrant town at one point but is mostly dilapidated store fronts now. The homes nearby, though, were nice, some of them large and indicating wealth. We had gone 35 miles at this point and it was a little after noon. Our clothes dried on a fence next to the restaurant while we ate.

Then we made a fateful decision. Our planned route from there includes 7 miles on dirt roads
We tried two miles and Gary saw another route on Silver Lake Road that was a bit longer but would be paved. We switched to that route which started out ok, albeit with no shoulder, but eventually, the traffic was almost non-stop. But we were committed. Instead of having 26 miles more, we ended up doing 30 miles, most of them stressful! So I barely took pictures or videos.

At one point, Gary, who was in front of me, saw a turtle and as there was no one driving behind him, stopped to scoop it to safety. But of course a pickup came along and honked so loudly. That really set me off. Generally speaking the drivers were patient and gave us room when passing, but the steady hum wears on you.

We picked up Mexican food on the way to the campground, which is small and true to its name (Sandy Beach Campground at Seven Lakes State Park) has a sandy beach. We swam (of course). Calling it a day! Tomorrow my friends, Al and Lucy are flying into Detroit (from the Tetons!) and hope to meet us before we pass into Canada!

August 9, 2026 – Day 58: Ionia to Victor, MI

What a difference a day (and a good night’s sleep) makes! I slept till 6:30 and we ate a huge breakfast in the motel (and took boiled eggs, yogurt and fruit for tomorrow’s breakfast!) They were playing Fox local news and there was a spot on a new bike lane (replacing a traffic lane) in Kalamazoo. They had footage of someone who was cycling on the road where the bike lane will be and a driver who passed the cyclist and then made a right turn immediately in front of the cyclist! But the spot did not feature any opinions against the road diet and only interviewed people who spoke about how badly it’s needed.

As we were getting ready to leave, I realized I was missing a water bottle. I have two on my frame (metal) and two in the rear pockets of my rear panniers (plastic). The one on the right is a bottle I got when I saw Dead & Co at the Sphere in Las Vegas last year. So some sentimental value. It had an old sock around (to keep the water bottle contents cold if it’s wet) that John Egan gave me. That had sentimental value too! But alas, I must have left water bottle and sock on the side of the road yesterday when I used it to refill my metal bottle. Uncharacteristically, I did not dwell on this loss and stayed happy all day!

We hit the road at 8:30, knowing we had a short one and almost entirely on a bike path. It was the Fred Meijer trail again, which alternates between paved and unpaved sections, the former being near population centers.

We caught up to and passed a couple out for a day ride (25-30 miles). He had a speaker and was playing music. (I heard Telephone Wire by ELO and Higher Love by Steve Winwood.) At Fowler, we stopped for a water break and they did too, so we got to chatting about our trip. Their names are Larry and Carol (mid 70s) and they have a niece (60ish) that is cycling cross country with her husband right now. The niece is posting on Findpenguin, so Carol has been following them and had a lot of detailed information. The niece also went through Canada above Lake Erie (where we are heading) and was already on the Erie Canal Trail. Larry and Carol are flying to the Tetons in a week or two. They go often and also saw a moose at Moose Pond! As a side note, my friends Al and Lucy are in the Tetons and flying to Ann Arbor in a couple of days! Hopefully we’ll get to see them! Carol and Larry are very much into hiking, cycling, staying fit and getting outdoors. They recommended the Pere Marquette trail, which is a bit north of us, but good to know for future reference. Carol had worked at Amway (we passed the headquarters in Ada yesterday) and Larry worked at Ford and some for the Federal government. They are both retired and enjoying life! It was great meeting them.

My mood was so much better than yesterday. The Fred Meijer trail brought us to St Johns where we chanced upon a community Fair at the former train depot on the trail. There were tents and food trucks so we had delicious blackened salmon tacos.

We had just 13 miles to Sleepy Hollow Campground after lunch, so we went into town (St Johns) and got some salad bags, cut vegetables, rice and impossible sausages for dinner to make with the chana masala that we got from the nice biker in Minneapolis at Angry Catfish.

At Sleepy Hollow Campground, we easily got registered for a nice site, set up our tents and when down to Ovid Lake for a dip. Lots of families were enjoying the cool, but not cold, water. We could hear some thunder so we reluctantly headed back to our site to wash our clothes, shower and make dinner. We had two 16 oz Two Hearted Bells (brewed in MI) which were still cold because of our Magic Insulated Bag (TM) but one of the cans ruptured so basically we had only one beer to split.

As I write this, we are sitting under the bathroom awning, eating Michigan cherries in our camp chairs, while a steady rain falls. But it’s meant to let up a little after 7 pm, so we should have a pleasant evening and night. We are also being serenaded by a guitar player singing old standards and such. Very nice. There’s little cell service, so the photos for this post will have to wait till tomorrow.

August 8, 2026 – Day 57: Muskegon to Ionia, MI

My watch said I only slept for 2 hrs and 20 min last night and I am inclined to believe it! My watch alarm woke me at 5:45 so I was already late but we managed to get on the road at 7:45. Because we are at the western edge of the timezone, the sunrise was later than the past few days, when we were on the eastern edge of the timezone.

We are heading for a motel in Ionia today, because we could not find a campground with a guaranteed vacancy. Initially, we were on a lot of really nice paved bike paths. We had a 2 mile detour on the North Bank Trail but even the detour was mostly on a bike trail!  The bike network occasionally shows numbered routes. (We were on bike route 35 South.) We rode through Ferrysburg and Spring Lake. Eventually, we were on Cleveland Rd (little traffic) through Coopersville for a while and a long train of cyclists flew by me. I checked my speed at 16 mph, so I think they were doing at least 25. Each one gave me a thumbs up as they passed!

The Musketowa Trail and Fred Meijer Pioneer Trails led us into Grand Rapids. By 11:40 we stopped at Lucy’s for lunch.

The township of Ada was next and you could see the wealth in that community, not only by the houses but also the parks and bike paths. One of the bike paths was so beautiful, curving around professionally planted gardens and beautiful homes. But it was a bit creepy, too, in a Stepford Wives kind of way. Why do only rich people get nice bike paths?

Honking at cyclists or pedestrians is an act of violence. Period. The bike paths sometimes cross the street and two times in the Ada vicinity, drivers felt the need to lean on their horns. These were not nice people. In the first I instance, I was crossing the street because the path crossed the street. I stopped on my side of the street, but the driver whom I yielded to (who apparently thinks it’s easier to lean on the horn than lift his foot off the accelerator) let me hear it. And then the driver crossing the street to make a left had to chime in. When I hear that, I think: “The streets are designed for you. And you can’t even show a spec of patience for someone who has every right to use these streets.” Later in the day, Gary and I were both turning left and a similar thing happened. Some entitled driver fel they were too inconvenienced to stop speeding and let us cross the street. So she had to let us know. I was stewing about both incidents for way too long. It’s violent because the person of power (in the motorized vehicle) is using a loud sound to let you know they can kill you. When will we require that people ride a bike as part of a driving test?!

We passed through Saranac as well. The bike path was unpaved but pretty flat and scenic. We were following the Grand River, which was beautiful when we were close enough to see it.

After checking in at our motel, we had a lovely time at Steele Street Brewery. I had two IPAs that were top notch and finished with a 5 oz of Peanut butter Stout. Amazing! Our hosts were also engaging!

Dinner was across the street at Olivera’s. Italian two nights in a row! All good. We did 77 miles today!

August 7, 2026 – Day 56: Waukesha, WI to Muskegon, MI

Michael made us coffee, an omelette and bagel for breakfast which was much appreciated. We said good by to him and Ellen and were on the Fox River path before 8 am. The ride to Milwaukee was all paths: Oak Leaf, New Berlin, Hank Aaron State Trails. 

We passed American Field (Brewers) stadium and the State Fair, but unfortunately didn’t stop for the drive through cream puffs.

We went straight downtown and did stop at a food court for we were already hungry again. We also picked up sandwiches for lunch on the ferry.

We still don’t know where we are staying tomorrow night. We tried to reserve a site at a Kent County campground called Wabasis, which was our plan, but they require 2 nights to reserve on weekends, which would cost us $75! So I called to try and reason with them since we could see there was a site available only for Sat night, but she said it would be given 1st come 1st serve. That is bullshit for a bikepacker or hiker. What if we get there and someone else got the site first? What do we do then? She was so unhelpful: “we have rules and they apply to everyone.”

That put me in a snit. We headed to the high speed  ferry and arrived over an hour early, which was good, because they have rules too! It’s a high speed ferry to Muskegon and takes 2.5 hrs, but we lose an hour as we will be in Eastern Time when we arrive.

Of course cars and motorcycles get to unload first. Bicycles are last, but I was in a good mood having sat on the top deck for a while with nothing to see but sea and nothing to hear but wind. The ferry takes 2.5 hours and covers 78 miles, so it’s traveling at just over 30 mph.

On the way to the campground (PJ Hoffmaster State Park), we stopped to pick up breakfast supplies at Walmart. It was a short ride to the campground which is very nice, with clean bathrooms and showers. All the sites were taken so it’s good we reserved it yesterday.

As soon as we arrived, we got out our swimsuits and headed to the lake. I don’t think I ever swam in one of the Great lakes. It was perfect. Sandy Beach, with gentle waves and cool fresh water. We could have stayed for hours but only could spare 15 minutes.

We still had to set up camp and bike 1.5 miles for dinner at Teddy Spaghetti by the adjacent golf course. Food was good and plentiful! Over dinner, we booked a hotel east of Grand Rapids for tomorrow night, since camping was not going to work out. The hotel (in Ionia) is almost as cheap as the 2 nights they wanted us to pay at that other campground and it’s more on our route anyway.

As of today, we completed 7 states (CA, NV, ID, WY, SD, MN, WI) and have 3 more (Michigan, Ontario and New York) to go. We’ve cycled about 2,900 miles, with about 1,100 to go. We’ve been on the road 56 days with 17 to go.

August 6, 2026 – Day 55: Madison to Waukesha, WI

We left Lily and Noah’s at 7ish and picked up some lunch to carry with us downtown. We rode on the Madison paths (Southwest Commuter and Capital City) out of town and at Cottage Grove, the first suburb to the northeast, we got on the Glacial Drumlin State Trail, which took us all the way to Waukesha, a 70 mile ride.

We stopped in Deerfield at a rest stop.

We passed some lakes and creeks. We ate the lunch we bought in Madsion at a picnic table in Sullivan

At Dousman, we went into town for a cold drink and as we got back on the trail, we came upon a mural in progress. Dmitriy chatted us up when we showed interest and when he learned that we were biking cross country, he invited us to take part of making the mural. So Gary and I both painted a black outline in the area where he was working. Then we got to talking about Lad Lake, the organization housed in the building. They help troubled youth with various issues. Bo, who took the picture below, worked there for 40 years. Bo also corrected my pronunciation of Waukesha. Thank you for that, Bo!

What can I say about Ellen and Mike? They have a lovely home and 3 grown children, the oldest named Miles, who is a musician, all living in various cities. They love the outdoors and having experiences. We talked about music, hiking, politics, and of course cycling. They bought us delicious Mexican food and had a killer beer selection. Ellen nailed it when she said (I paraphrase) that Warmshowers reaffirms one’s belief that good people are abundant and anywhere you look. I am glad we met them as our final taste of Wisconsin, for tomorrow we board a ferry from Milwaukee to Muskegon, MI.

August 5, 2026 – Day 54; Madison, WI

Today we gained no ground towards our destination, intentionally. A day off and probably the most stress-free day of our entire trip. We spent the day cycling around Madison without packs and the evening we got to make dinner for our gracious hosts, Lily and Noah. It was so much fun connecting with them and discovering so many shared interests. Lily hiked the Appalachian Trail and Noah became a birder and created Beak-Peak after playing the board game Wingspan!

So today I’ll just recap the places we saw. Madison is about the most bike-friendly town I’ve been in, certainly on this ride and that’s a big deal after Minneapolis. There’s the southwest commuter path running through the center of town and so many bike boulevards, bike lanes and other paths. And guess what? So many people riding to get where they’re going. The trails and people’s lawns were adorned with wonderful wildflowers everywhere we looked.

First stop was the UPS Store near College Hills, where I shipped home a box of items I haven’t used or don’t expect to use again, including those dreaded tires that I intend to return. In doing so, I lightened my load by about 7 lbs and will be able to find things in my pack more easily.

A block away, we visited the First Unitarian Society, whose original building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. So beautiful and spiritual. We caught part of a private tour. Wright had said that if he had not discovered Japanese architecture, he would not know what direction his work would have gone.

Because rain was in the afternoon forecast we went next to the UW Arboretum. We hiked a loop in the natural areas around Teal Pond and the Icke Boardwalk. Very peaceful.

From there we headed to the MMoCA (Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. We saw all the exhibits. The artist David R Harper was featured. His installations involved great nostalgia, laced with fetishisms. We enjoyed that a lot. We saw 3 digital films by Bill Bedford that were very beautiful and kinetic. ‘Ralph’ was about the 400 Train (the 400 State trail we were on yesterday is named for it) – a train that went 400 miles in 400 minutes. A piece by Gelsy Verna and a whole exhibit of mid century Bauhaus inspired American abstract artists connected to the Washington Color School rounded off the visit.

We stopped in the sports store across from MMoCA and the owner, John, told us stories of canoe trips in the northwest of Canada. He was on a 9 week trip with nowhere to replenish so they carried 1200 lbs of food! The Capitol was next. Classically ornate.

We ended the day at Trader Joe’s shopping for dinner which we made and enjoyed with Noah and Lily. Like I said: stress-free good times! Tomorrow we will bike to Waukesha, outside Milwaukee.

August 4, 2026 – Day 53: Baraboo to Madison, WI

Another raccoon fiasco last night. One got a hold of Gary’s food bag and ripped it but got nothing to show for its efforts as we scared it away. We had our food bags tethered to the picnic table but decided to move them to our respective tent porches and then we had no more trouble.

We got on the road at 8 after having breakfast. It was hilly leaving Devil’s Lake State Park, but I had a better than usual night’s sleep and was feeling strong. We expected only a 40 mile ride so we weren’t in a rush.

Madison is southeast from Baraboo and we had a route that included many bike trails. To get to the first one, The Great Sauk State Trail, we had to ride a hilly dirt road which was also bumpy with rocks and ruts. We had barely begun it when a bolt on Gary’s rack (the first one we replaced back in Idaho) broke, but this time the rack also had a crack in it. Fortunately, the crack was not a point of failure and Gary had one extra spare bolt, so we replaced the broken one and vowed to get a new rack in Madison.

The Great Sauk State Trail is beautiful, quiet and opens up to some very scenic vistas with wildflowers. It’s also paved and wide! A cyclist heading our way have us a tip on a bike shop to go to in Madison for a good rack selection.

We were then on the Highway 12 Path which was noisy with traffic but only for a short while till we had country roads through farmlands and hills. The corn is very tall now, in contrast to when we started our trip, reminding me how long our journey has been.

Then we were back on Highway 12 Path and some less busy streets into Middleton, right outside Madison. We were on so many paths welcoming us to Madison: Black Hawk Path, Howard Temin Lakeshore Path, Capital City State Trail. We headed right to the bike shop recommended to us on the east side, but they had only one rack rated for 55 lbs. Gary called another shop and we headed to Revolution Cycles. SUCCESS!

They installed a German made rack rated for 110 lbs! They also replaced my front brake pads (which were squeaking) and adjusted my rear derailleur while we had Thai food next door.

We finally made our way to Lily and Noah’s house on the West side and arrived at 3:15. Lily is my cousin Michael’s oldest daughter and she and Noah have a beautiful house and generously are giving us shelter for two nights, so we can have a day off to explore Madison tomorrow. We made friends with Gumbo and Peanut (dogs) and feel quite at home.

They took us to the Union between campus and Lake Mendota for a beer and to watch the sailboats and swimmers. After it was Little Tibet for dinner, which was amazing.

August 3, 2026 – Day 52: Wilton to Baraboo, WI

When we woke at Wilton Village Campground, everything was covered in a heavy dew. We moved all our wet stuff onto the paved camp road in the sun to dry while we made our usual breakfast. It wasn’t till 8:30 when we finally hit the road. We got back on the Elroy-Sparta State Trail and after 5 miles, just before 9, we passed the Tunnel Campground, which was our original place to camp.

Most of the trail was a slight incline up, except when we got through the last of the big tunnels. I stopped for a picture this time.

The 3rd (eastern most) tunnel is not even close to as long as that 1st one. The whole trail history and tunnel lengths is summed up pretty well in this sign at one of the depots.

In each town we passed through, there was a depot (where the train used to stop) that was converted to a cycling rest area. This is similar to other rail trails, like P’Tit Train du Nord, near Montreal and even the Hudson Rail Trail in NY.

We stopped in Kendall for a break and in Elroy, the trail becomes the 400 State Trail. Another stop in Union Center and in Wonewoc, there was a lovely outdoorsy feel. Some towns really seem to take advantage of their proximity to the rail trails.

In La Valle, we had a break and decided to wait till Reedsburg for lunch, where we found a modest but very good sandwich shop. Another patron overheard us talking about Frank Lloyd Wright and Madison and recommended the First Unitarian Society. From that point on we diverged from the Trail network and were back on pavement with cars and all the noxiousness that goes with them. As we left Reedsburg, we were on some country roads where there were some steep climbs but practically no traffic, so I could shoot a lot of video. I filled my 2nd 128 G SD card. Some of the grades were 10% I’m sure. And because I was going so slowly, the gnats were able to swarm me. But the climbing and gnats could not detract from the beautiful views.

Soon we were Baraboo and for a brief bit, enjoyed the river path.

There was another climb up to Devils Lake State Park and another up to our campsite, so after we set up camp, we walked down to the lake, which was extremely popular, even on a Monday. The lake has a nice sandy beach and is surrounded by rocky, yet green hills. It was very warm and shallow by the beach. I swam out till it got deep and there was lots of tall plants. Beautifully refreshing.

The young man that assigned us our site (#240) said it is one more than the number of beans (239) to make a perfect chili. Who knew? One bean to spare.

For dinner we went to Tumbled Rock Brewery, just outside the State Park. Great beer and food but lousy service. There was an Open Mic or something like it, which progressively got better!

August 2, 2026 – Day 51: Trempealeau to Wilton, WI

Wisconsin has been tough, but by no fault of it’s own. The flats depressed me immensely and the rain on the first day in WI has left me feeling pretty soggy. Last night we had some more visitors with masks stealing food. They got Gary’s food bag but we heard them instantly and Gary chased them down towards the river and retrieved his bag. No harm except for some raccoons going hungry. But even this thievery does not justify the carnage they are subjected to on roadways. I saw so many dead raccoons on the road today.

I’ve been thinking about Chipmunks. They seem to have this defensive behavior where they start running in one direction and then double back. That probably works pretty well on foxes and raptors that are trying to eat them. The trouble is, humans (with the exception of maybe Julian the Hospitator, or an irate gardener) are not trying to kill these cute critters. Deking a bike is not a good tactic for survival. So far I have not run over any.

The day started off nicely: Cool weather, the Great River Trail and a stop at Holmen’s Kwik Trip for second breakfast. I had a good feeling with two new tires and I adjusted my front fender so it doesn’t rub.

Our route detoured us from the river trail to 3rd Street and we saw why: The bridge was out, otherwise we could have stayed on that path till a town called Midway. No worries though, because we got on the Halfway Creek Trail, then the La Crosse River Trail and finally the Elroy-Sparta State Trail all the way to our destination. There is a $5 daily fee (honor system) to use the trails. I’ve done this rant already but NY should start charging Wisconsinites to use it’s trails.

The Halfway Creek trail through Holmen was gravelly and had steep sections. Not so great for riding, but it was pretty short. Onalaska and West Salem were nice small towns that seemed to benefit from being on the Great River and La Crosse River Trails.

About 40 miles in, where the La Crosse Trail turns into the Elroy-Sparta State Trail, we rode into town and had lunch at a Taco truck. We met many other cyclists and e-cyclists on the trails. Sparta claims to be the Bicycling Capital of America. If that’s the case we should be very worried.

There are two very long Tunnels on Elroy-Sparta State Trail west of Wilton and one east of Wilton. The first we encountered was the longest, maybe 2/3 of a mile. It was a rail tunnel but the rails are gone. It is so dark that you need a flashlight. Science advise cyclists to walk. Their bikes. Is also very cool and wet: water is dripping down all over the place. It reminds me of the the rail tunnel on the GAP Trail between Pittsburgh and Cumberland. Gary was ahead of me and later I found out that he rode slowly through it. I was chicken and walked my bike. When I caught up to him at the other end of the tunnel, he was at a rest area with other cyclists. We met Goo (aka Gary), Sean & Harlow. They had been riding parts of RAGBRAI and other local trails. Goo had a cooler strapped to his front bike rack that said Die Hard, so it looked like a battery. He gave us each a Coors Lights when he heard we are crossing the entire country. They have an annual tradition to tour by bike the first week in August. This year, they were camping at the Tunnel Campground which was our original choice to camp but we changed it to Wilton (5 miles earlier), so we could camp by the pool.

The next big tunnel, I decided to ride slowly which saved a lot of time. Pretty soon, where you were in Wilton. We went straight to the pool ($5), had a dip and then set up irritants at the campground. We washed our clothes, showered back at the pool and walked to the Hitching Post for beer and dinner. Goo and Sean were there. Also Amy and Mel from their merry band. Platter offered us the rest of the pizza they could not finish.

NO FLATS!!!

August 1, 2026 – Day 50: Stockholm to Trempealeau, WI

What? 50 days on the road?! Since we are expecting to be on the road for 75 days, today marks 2/3 of our trip.

TEN (front), ELEVEN (rear) and TWELVE (rear)! Enough is enough. I almost broke down and cried. The tires I bought before the trip are awful and I was determined to replace them asap.

We had breakfast in Pepin about 6 miles down the river on Hwy 35 from Stockholm. It’s a quaint town and Homemade Cafe was quite nice. I had noticed after breakfast that my front tire was low, but just pumped it up and we left.

Our route took us off Hwy 35 and into the hills on county roads, just before Nelson and returning before Alma. We saw the elevation gains and still opted to do it. It was beautiful! Gary said it reminded him of VT and I agree. Some of the grades approached 10% but it was worth it for the views and scarcity of cars.

Alma was very nice too but it was too early for lunch so we didn’t stop. At the next detour into the hills we skipped it so we got to lunch in Cochrane at the North End Pub and Grill around 11:30. As we pulled in, my front tire was flat again so that was TEN. We changed it before lunch. I expect that the glass that punctured this tire was picked up yesterday when I got the 2nd flat on my rear.

ELEVEN and TWELVE were related. We were on Hwy 35 and I heard it go flat. Another piece of glass punctured the tire and tube. I patched this tube and almost immediately (on a side road) it was flat as the hole in the tire pinched the patch I just installed. Just before that final fix (with my last fresh tube I had purchased from Bob yesterday), I called a bike shop about 12 miles away and they had better tires so we headed there. We didn’t expect to be heading back to Minnesota, but that’s what we did. Adventure Cycle and Ski had good tires (same as Gary has) and installed them for me.

We cycled through the Trempealeau Wildlife Reserve, which was beautiful, to reach the Perrot State Park Campground, about 5:30. By 6, we had set things up and were riding the 5 mile round trip to dinner at Sullivan’s, just outside the park. We ended up doing 70 miles and 2,640 ft in elevation gain.

Wishing my mother, Minna, a very

July 31, 2026 – Day 49: Apple Valley, MN to Stockholm, WI

A day of firsts. It was our first full day east of the Mississippi River, our first day in WI (goodbye Minnesota!), and our first day we rode all day in the rain. And we completed a full 7 weeks on the road. But… (Not a first!):

EIGHT and NINE! I got two unrelated flats on my back tire – one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

It started raining in the middle of the night (which we expected) and it was raining steadily, when we begrudgingly woke up around 5:15. No breakfast at camp and we had to pack up wet tents and clothes.

But we got an early start at 6:40 with a breakfast stop picked out about 25 miles in at Hastings. We were on the Mississippi River Greenway so despite the rain, it was quite nice until…. Pfft. Flat tire number EIGHT: It happened just at the “Archery Shelter” on the Greenway so I pulled in there for cover and changed the rear tube. Gary was way ahead so I just texted him I’d be delayed. I found the tiniest sliver of metal in my inner tube and could not find anything on the tire so I put in a new tube I bought in Minneapolis (aforementioned ACF) and prayed that I’d be fine.

Besides the rain, we had head winds and some serious hills, not to mention constant car and truck traffic once we got into Wisconsin. The whizzing noise can really get in your head after a while.

In Hastings, MN, when I caught up to Gary, we had breakfast at the Confluence Hotel. Things were looking up! But when we got outside the rain was coming down pretty hard. We rode over the Hastings Bridge and entered Wisconsin!

The first town in WI after we crossed the bridge was Preston. We bought subs at Subway to carry for lunch and biked up a very steep hill to Bob’s Bikes (Bob’s garage) and bought some extra inner tubes.

From there we were on Highway 35, aka The Great River Road. It was very hilly (3,018 feet in elevation today along with 70 miles!) and had lots of noisy cars and trucks. It parallels the Mississippi but also Pepin Lake. Gary pulled over at a farm stand / orchard that was closed but it had a covering and a table with chairs so we could eat our lunch. Not long after, I was passing the Purina factory when it happened again! Pfft! Almost instantly the rear tire was flat. This time Gary was not far ahead and doubled back. We found the culprit (a slice from a nail or other sharp shard in the shoulder) and I fixed it with a new tube I bought at Bob’s. The rear tire must be stretching out a bit after 5 flats because it is getting slightly easier to reseat.

When I finally rolled into Stockholm Campground (I didn’t mention it, but we tried two Warmshowers hosts but they didn’t work out), it was almost 5 pm. My hands and feet were numb from being wet and cold all day. The camp host was so nice. She texted me and told us we could use the pavilion to camp, so we could stay dry.

After hanging up all our clothes and tent gear to dry, we headed across the train tracks to Humble Moon Saloon. A band called Sleeping Jesus was playing. Very good! The saloon had great food and no prices (except alcohol), so customers are asked to pay what they feel the meal was worth to them.

May tomorrow have flat roads but no flat tires! Happy Birthday to Maureen and Mary Fitzgerald!

July 30, 2026 – Day 48: Minneapolis to Apple Valley, MN

We had a leisurely morning at Julia’s. She made us delicious coffee, eggs and sausage with peppers along with skyr yogurt and peach.

I say “relaxing” and “leisurely”, but I was a bit stressed. After my WordPress App that I use to edit this page updated yesterday, it no longer allows me to upload embedded images. I finally figured out a workaround but it’s klunky.

We said a bittersweet goodbye to Julia and managed to get on the road around 9:30 and headed north on the West River Parkway path to checkout Nicolette Island. First we stopped at a UPS store so Gary could ship a few things home that he no longer needs.

Nicolette Island is really small and quiet, so we were able to ride around it quickly and then crossed back to downtown where we decided we were already getting hungry and that we could go to Owamni, a restaurant Elizabeth told me about over a year ago when she visited for an APA conference. They opened at 11 so we hung out for a few minutes by a fountain. Owamni’s indigenous American cuisine (Sioux) and was so amazingly good! They moved to the Guthrie since Elizabeth went, but it was very close by. The owner (?) came up to us when he saw our bikes and was very interested in our journey.

We were full after lunch and started to head south along the Mississippi, occasionally crossing it. Before we knew it, we were passing Fort Snelling, used during the Dakota War (what a tragedy in US history – one of so many…)

We were on bike paths most of the way. At one point we had to push our bikes down a bike tire ramp and then back up to cross a bridge. Once we were in the burbs, we did some shopping for dinner and breakfast. At one point, we were in Eagan and on a path adjacent to a busy stroad. It wasn’t pleasant and we saw a path to the right. Gary stopped to check out his map while I was catching up, also checking out my map to see if the path could be an alternate route. I didn’t see he was stopped until too late and slammed into his rear left pannier! It caused the rack to become misaligned, but nothing broke and he was able to fix it pretty quickly. Close call!

It was a short day (just 35 miles) so we had time to relax at our campsite and shower before making dinner, which includes Chana Masala that we got from a patron (for free) of Angry Catfish Bicycles yesterday.

I’ll leave off tonight with this question: why couldn’t this happen yesterday when we were at the game?

July 29, 2026 – Day 47: Medina to Minneapolis, MN

Neither of us slept too well with the heat, but we managed to breakdown, make breakfast and get on the road quicker than usual : before 7 am.

We were able to travel on bike trails (mainly the aforementioned Luce Line) almost the whole way to Minneapolis. It was getting warm but much of the ride was shaded and very pleasant.

The bike infrastructure in Minneapolis is excellent. It’s the first place we’ve been where I felt NYC needs to catch up. Also the city speed limit is 20 mph. Our first stop was an Amazon pick up box, where Gary had waiting new handlebar grips to help with his hand numbness and a clothesline to replace the one he lost in Yellowstone. Next stop was the Walker Art Center where we enjoyed the Sculpture Park as per Elizabeth’s recommendation.

After that, we rode down to George Perry Floyd Plaza, stopping on the way for a coffee and bite to eat. At the makeshift memorial for George Floyd, we met Marquise, a self-proclaimed “Tourist Interrupter.”

Next, we rode to Angry Catfish Bicycles. I had heard that ACF is the bike shop Alex Pretti shopped at before ICE killed him. They were too busy to redo his handlebar tape, but they verified that my brake pads are still in good shape.

From the bike shop, we rode to the Mississippi River path and headed to our Warmshowers host. Ginger’s real name is Julia and she made so much delicious food for us. Homegrown cukes, melons, bean salad, deviled eggs, fresh corn, and BLTs with sun tea. Julia is a retired healthcare professional and opens her home to people from all over. She was very involved in protests and helping community members during the ICE invasion

I did our laundry while Gary installed his new grips and handlebar tape. Later, Julia’s neighbor, (also) Gary, stopped by. He and Julia had biked from Manchester UK to Paris some years ago. Gary is a retired electrician and an artist and tours by motorcycle and by bicycle.

At 5ish, we said goodbye to Gary and piled into Julia’s car to head to Target Field to meet Stefan and Jeff and see the Twins play the Royals. At our seats there was a boy in front of us. When I asked him who he was rooting for, he said: “The Twins, unless they are playing the Mets.” Awesome kid!

The Twins lost 4-0, but we did see Salvador Perez hit a triple. Stefan and Jeff told us about the rest of their ride on the Mickleson Trail and notably how Stefan was almost bitten by a rattlesnake!

It was a really fun (but hot!) night and reminded me that the best part about crossing the country by bike is the people we have met along the way.

July 28, 2026 – Day 46: Hutchinson to Medina, MN

The Shamrock Inn was a good reset. I felt well rested and my watch concurred. I also felt less robotic, not having to setup and breakdown camp. We got a very early start after walking next door for breakfast at Caribou Coffee and we’re on the road before 7 am. The staff at Caribou was very friendly and gladly filled our water bottles with ice and water. There was a “get to know your staff” board and I noticed one of the worker’s name is Kale, which I liked. 

When I turned on my phone this morning, I a text from my friend Dave Bolotsky with this screen shot, which I assume is from Instagram or Facebook:

Here’s my reply to Kendra: This opinion belies a belief that bicycles are for kids and recreation, not for transportation. She is implying that these people should drive their bikes to a car free trail and ride there (30 miles round-trip!), where she need not see them (or hit them while she’s creating Instagram posts). Out of sight – out of mind. The fact that these cyclists may or may not have a car to carry their bikes to the trail is not her concern. Nor does she even entertain the thought that they are going somewhere where the trail doesn’t lead. Let me add, that cyclists pay taxes, too. Why are roads considered the sole domain of car drivers? Instead of railing against cyclists, why not ask why the county, state or federal government doesn’t do more to create equitable roadways? But my biggest criticism of her position is: “For fucks (sic) sake, these are human beings – can’t you slow down and pass safely like you would if a cop or road worker was in the lane?!”

Fortunately, I think Kendra is correct in saying that her opinion is unpopular. Most drivers on roads like this are happy to pass us by moving into the opposing lane. Many wave and some even slow down until they can pass safely.

What is sad to me is the end of her misinformed diatribe. “I just don’t understand. Never have, never will.” It’s one thing to have a windshield mentality and view of the world. It’s another thing to have such a closed mind that you are unwilling to hear something that might change it.

But I thank Kendra for getting my hyperactive mind off of Officer Tweethen from the Badlands and giving me a new target for my ire!  Now, back to today’s narrative… By 9 am, we were 20 miles into a 45 mile day.

Nearly our entire ride today was on the Luce Line State Trail (rail trail), which started out paved from Hutchinson and later became hard packed dirt which was easy riding and had easy grades. It was well shaded and beautiful, passing many lakes and creeks. But best of all, no Kendras to whiz by us. There were two trail detours. The first in Hutchinson was very short and very clearly marked where to go and where to return. The second detour, not so much, but Gary had incredible instincts and we turned to rejoin the trail precisely where it reopened.

We stopped for a rest in Winsted and since there was a convenience store we went in for a cold drink. It turns out it was a farmer’s co-op and there was a 30 lb bag of peanuts that Gary thought I should buy and carry on my bike. While we sat outside on the trail and ate some fruit, a woman pulled up, went into the store and came out with that same bag of peanuts. Who on earth can eat that many peanuts?!

At Watertown, we cut off the trail and stopped at The Farmer’s Plate and had a 2nd (delicious) breakfast with surprisingly good coffee! We listened while a group of 6 older men (maybe pushing 80) talk politics and having what seemed like a regular coffee clutch. Felt very Minnesotan, I must say.

Back on the Luce Line State Trail, we periodically crossed farm roads with names like Kale and Dill and Dairy. For a brief moment, I wondered if Kale was named after our server at Caribou Coffee.

The rest of the ride to Baker Reserve was so pleasant we almost didn’t want it to end, but when it did, we were welcomed so warmly at the Campground office. Baker Campground is probably the nicest place we camped the whole trip. The campground is clean, the staff is so friendly and helpful, the showers and bathrooms were immaculate and had lots of outlets to charge our devices. And then there is the lake!

What a beautiful lake. I swam a few laps in the roped off area and we spent the afternoon lounging by the beach. There are cabins too, if you don’t want to tent it and don’t have an RV.

We rounded off the evening by biking to Iron Exchange Brewery and Tavern. What a super cool brewery. Apart from excellent IPAs, they had delicious Detroit style pizza and a very friendly staff.

I met Jill, who sent one of her kids to SUNY Potsdam.

And I met Kyle who’s interested in bikepacking.

I’m very excited about tomorrow in Minneapolis. We will be staying with our 3rd Warmshowers host, Ginger, who lives right on the Mississippi River. We plan to go to the bike shop that Alex Pretti favored and maybe see his memorial and the George Perry Floyd Plaza. Hopefully, we can also squeeze in the sculpture garden at the Walker. I’m pooped. Shower and bed awaits me.

July 27, 2026 – Day 45: Redwood Falls to Hutchinson, MN

I feel like a robot sometimes, every morning, breaking down camp, making breakfast and every evening, setting up camp. I love the repetition! I hate the repetition! We have been camping every night since our last Warmshowers host (Eric) in Rapid City. Speaking of which, we lined up a Warmshowers host (Ginger) in Minneapolis. So we will have a short day into Minneapolis and a short day out of Minneapolis so we can spend a little time in the city. I miss cities…
Last night was very much a repeat of the previous night, regarding the heat, possibly worse. As soon as I had showered, I started sweating again and my t-shirt/pajama top was soaked. Somehow, I managed to get decent sleep, in fits and starts.

On our way out of town we stopped at Casey’s, a convenience store for a cold drink to take with us. We also saw an opportunity to get some ice on our water bottles. The man behind the counter was talking us up, interested in our trip. He said “Corporate wants us to charge for ice, but…”. He didn’t charge us. We also got some healthy snack bars (RX). A good stop! But it made me think of the South Dakota stop where they charged us for ice. In that case, the cashier she was just following the rules. Made me think (and it’s a small sample size granted) that people in Minnesota are more apt to think for themselves than people in South Dakota. (I’m sure that’s a blatant stereotype – so sorry if I offended anyone!)

We were heading northeast to Hutchinson, alternating north and eastbound roads. We avoided a dirt road by heading north on a road that wasn’t on our route, but otherwise followed our planned route. The roads, both north-south and east-west (it’s a grid) are evenly spaced a mile apart. Every 5 miles / 5 roads they seem to pave them. I’m so glad there are other OCD people out there! At one intersection, of two paved roads, there was a newly paved road that was closed. As I crossed the closer road, there was a bump at each side, as the new road was scraped and not at the same level.  I realized my camp chair fell off my rear rack and stopped to retrieve it.

A bit later we stopped to eat our packed lunch at Buffalo Lake. Gary found a nice community garden, with a pagoda and picnic tables, possibly run by the adjacent church. We ate there and then I realized that I lost my shoes. I had a pair of Berts shoes for camping and (if you recall from the July 12 post) a pair of Merrell barefoot shoes for hiking, that I bought in Buffalo Wyoming. Seems like the shoes have a thing for Buffalos. Too bad they couldn’t wait till Buffalo, NY to take off! I was very bummed to lose both pairs of shoes. I assume they fell off when my chair did and somehow I missed that. It was too far to go back. At lunch we also agreed it would be too hot to camp again, and we found a reasonably priced motel in Hutchinson that had a room with 2 beds: The Shamrock Inn.

We got going again and about 15 miles before Hutchinson, we passed Allie Lake. We both had the same idea. Do I have to spell it out? There was an RV campground and a really nice bathroom and shower building. We jumped off the pier and swam for a while, cooling off.

It was not too far then to Hutchinson and our route included the Luce State Trail. I wondered what the Masonic / West River Campground was like as the countryside in north Hutchinson by Otter Lake is quite scenic. But we found our way to the Shamrock Inn and met Mark, who was all too happy to see and talk with fellow cyclists. He is in his 70s and sports a full head of brown hair. He rides 15 miles every morning.

After checking in, we walked next door to Walmarts where I purchased a pair of slip-on shoes and some anti-friction Vaseline based cream to treat my cyclist nodules. (Thanks to Dr. Corey Eber for suggesting). Then, we walked to El Loro for more Mexican food (not as good as yesterday’s) and a Dos Equis.

It was a 60 mile day in 91° F, all told, and we are bound to sleep well in our air-conditioned room.

July 26, 2026 – Day 44: Lynd to Redwood Falls, MN

After showering last evening I was immediately sweating again. And after dinner, I could stand it no more! So I took another shower. The flies and mosquitoes drove me to my tent early (8 pm) and I lay there sweating some more on my sleeping bag liner. It took a couple of hours before I felt dryish. Then the freight trains started. They were nearby and loud! Around 11:30 it rained for a bit, also waking me, but overall I did get some decent sleep and at 5:10 when my watch vibrated, I went back to sleep for 15 minutes. We had agreed to have breakfast in Marshall, a 15 mile ride from Camden State Park Campground.

So we packed up quickly and were at Bagels and Brew (which also was part of a laundromat) in Marshall before 8 am. For those keeping score, Yes! There is a Marshall’s in Marshall, MN.

We rode fast, and by “we”, I mean Gary. I was lagging but still doing 14-15 mph. It was easy with no traffic in the morning and cloud cover gave us a break from the impending heat. Our planned route detoured a mile north to an unpaved road and avoid a busy paved road. We opted to stay on the paved road (Rte19/67) but the shoulder was terribly bumpy and there was a lot of traffic, so after a while we rode a mile north to find our planned route. The problem was that they recently dumped new sand and gravel and we were fishtailing all over the place. Pick your poison! We had lunch under a shady tree…

…. and decided to go back to the busy road with the broken shoulder. We had about 10 miles to go. The problem is, we were always having to pay attention to cars in both directions and jump onto the shoulder when there was traffic coming. Very stressful. But soon enough we were at Redwood Falls and Ramsey Park where we intended to camp for the night.

Somehow Gary beat me into the Redwood River, adjacent to our campsite. The water was cool, not cold and not very deep, but we could submerge ourselves and bring down our body temperature.

We set up camp after that and then headed to town for groceries (breakfast and lunch), where a friendly woman in a minivan stopped us to suggest we cool our heels at Ramsey Park. We told her: been there, done that!

Then it was dinner at Plaza Garibaldi, a Mexican (?!) restaurant where we had IPAs and really great Mexican seafood.

July 25, 2026 – Day 43: Brookings, SD to Lynd, MN

We got a reasonable start for a day that includes crossing the state border into Minnesota and about 18 miles more than yesterday (60 miles). I’m not really an RV enthusiast, though I realize not everyone can bike across country, but some of them are really so large. Or in this case, just plain scary looking. He was our neighbor at Sexauer Campground.

After a quick stop at Starbucks for iced coffee, on the way out of Brookings, we made really good time and covered 15 miles before 9 am. In general the riding was pretty easy. We had a slight tailwind or a wind off our right side all day, very easy rolling hills and smooth roads with light traffic. The only issue was the heat which got to about 90° and very humid by the time we were done.

Around 10:45, we were in Elkton, the last town in S. Dakota. We could see the windmills in the distance. More windmills than we’ve seen since Wyoming. Probably more than we’ve seen our entire trip!

Oh! And as a farewell from South Dakota, we almost got crop dusted.

We ate our lunch (18 inch turkey subs) under the shade of a copse adjacent to a soybean field. We were about 45 miles into our ride with about 15 to go, so we had a leisurely lunch. I was standing at the side of the road (eastbound) making sure my map was loaded and tunes were on, when a westbound driver  decided to pass a slower truck. He was in my lane, and barely missed me. What makes a person behave like that?!

It took a bit, but I shook that off and … Voila! We are at Camden State Park Campground. We reserved the site yesterday so we got through registration real quick and set up our tents in a flash. We hopped on our bikes (sans panniers) and took the grassy Prairie Walk to Brawner Lake, about a mile south in the park. Divine! It is a small lake so I swam across and back. You had to dive deep to get to the cool water, which was so refreshing.

We got rice beans, broccoli and cauliflower and fake meat for dinner tonight so we are living the life! We have cycled through 5 states now, to the time of about 2,300 miles! When will I stop sweating?!

July 24, 2026 – Day 42: Madison to Brookings, SD

We took our time this morning knowing that today’s destination in Brookings is only 42 miles. Brookings is another University town so we figured there would be good lunch and dinner options as well as groceries to stock up. We started rolling at 7:40 and with only a few short breaks along the way (no towns) we arrived in Brookings at 11:30.

The ride was pretty easy, no steep grades. It was cool and temps were mild in the low 70s. The wind from the south / southeast was manageable as we rode east, and a boon when we rode north, which we did alternating all the way. The roads we took were not heavily used and we could relax and enjoy the scenery. But naturally, nothing’s perfect: one road we were on for a while had cracks every 15 yards and so we were bumping all the way. My butt was so sore by the time we turned onto a less beat-up road.

We were definitely in Lake County. We saw more lakes and ponds than we had in a while. It’s quite nice that they organized the state this way and put most of the lakes in Lake County. In general, there were more trees and copses than we have seen in a while.

The roads we chose took us past many fields of crops. Mostly corn, but also squash and other crops I wasn’t able to identify. The homes were more upscale as we approached Brookings.

We had lunch at a nice sandwich/ bowl place in Brookings just before reaching the campground, which was another honor system for payment ($15). After setting up tents and showering and washing our clothes, we realized we didn’t have exact change and were about to leave just $13.75 when Duane showed up in his Harley and chatted us up. He was heading to Sturgis, but a week early to avoid the crowds. (Isn’t that the point?) He tried to help us but didn’t have enough change for himself and for us. So, we shorted and left just $12 (the coins we had wouldn’t fit in the slot!) we agreed we would get the remaining $3 in town when we went to shop and have dinner, which we did.

We had barely left the campground, when Gary realized his front tire was almost flat. So we stopped in a park and he changed it. I was so jealous how easily he could reseat his tire. That was his first. We went to the bike shop next so he could fully inflate the tire and I decided to get a new saddle. I’ve had a cyclist nodule for most of our journey and I thought better padding might help. Caleb at Bluestem Bicycles also fixed an issue with my seatpost.

Next was shopping for tomorrow’s breakfast, lunch and dinner as we expect we won’t see any towns on the way to Lynd, MN. We went to Walmarts so I could also get a spare SD card for my Go Pro and DJI Osmo video cameras. After that it was time for a beer at the Wooden Leg and then dinner at Flavor, an Indian/Japanese place. The waitress asked how spicy and told us the scale was 1-9. So I said 5, thinking that was a mid-level spiciness. Apparently, medium is a ‘2’. New math at work. The heat made me dizzy, but it was delicious.

Back at Sexauer Campground it’s time for bed. Tomorrow we will cross into Minnesota!

July 23, 2026 – Day 41: Wessington Springs to Madison, SD

The morning was a typical camp morning, with the added rush that we knew we had a big day (76+ miles). It didn’t help that the men’s bathroom was a one-user-at-a-time type and the women’s was out of order. What also didn’t help is that the reusable ziplock bag in which I keep my powdered milk leaked (again!), leaving a white dust on all my other food bag contents. In any case, we were on the road around 7:20 and enjoying the cool day, heading directly east for the majority of the day.

Our first stop was in Woonsocket, 15 miles from Wessington Springs. Woonsocket sounds like a town in Massachusetts and other similarities held as well. It was quite vibrant with a beautiful church sitting comfortably behind a pond. The people were amiable and as we exited the town a storefront proudly displayed a “No Kings” sign. So A little New England in South Dakota.

We took our normal 10 mile breaks for water, getting off the bikes and snacks. So that included a stop at Artesian (which sounds more interesting than it was) and Howard, which was more interesting than it sounds. Howard reminded me of Wessington Springs in that there was a small main Street with shops and a museum, though we couldn’t spare the time to explore the railroad museum there. But on the advice of the man at the convenience store, I was able to find and purchase a propane canister, as mine is about to call it quits. There were also two men at the convenience store (one in a pickup, the other on a Harley) who showed an interest in us. We exchanged stories about riding in the heat. The one on the Harley said he was riding 60 mph when a bee hit him on the forehead between his helmet and sunglasses. Scary!

We also passed a town called Fedora, whose town sign does not even indicate a population.

The 76 miles to Lake Herman was made more difficult by the wind from the south / southeast blowing on our right shoulders and faces. By the time we reached the state park, we were pretty cooked. Then we met Kirk in the state park check-in office. Suffice it to say he was (and is) a character. He had a Burl Ives look to him. We were in the office for a good 25 minutes “checking-in” and paying. First he had to create me as a “customer”, then reserve the spot, then take our payment. Each step had a glitch and all the while, he was making conversation and peppering us with questions. I was having fun chatting, but part of me just wanted to get to our site so we could jump in the lake. Of course S. Dakota State Parks charge a $10 surcharge for non-residents. I’m so relieved that S. Dakota residents are able to have lower taxes because of my non-resident surcharge.

Then the bombshell! There is a very bad algae bloom in the lake and swimming is not advised. So we found our site (with some difficulty), set up and then rode with our unburdened bikes the 4 miles each way to Madison. If you’re counting, that makes 84 for the day. We had pretty decent Mexican food (El Vaquero) and bought some breakfast items at a large and well-stocked grocery store (Sunshine Foods). Neither of those have we experienced in the last few days. When we got back it had gotten pretty cool, so I must admit, jumping in the lake did not sound like fun.

So shower, wash and hang clothes, write this and bed.

Lake Herman State Park, Madison campground

July 22, 2026 – Day 40: Fort Thompson to Wessington Springs, SD

It rained lightly during the night and we woke up a little later than usual but well rested. I was up in the middle of the night continuing what I thought was a persuasive argument with Officer Tweethen. But when I finally got out of the tent, around 5:35, the light rain resumed. We still managed to make breakfast, pack up our wet tents and be on the road around 7:30.

Our first stop in town was at Lynn’s DakotaMart for lunch as there is nothing between here and Wessington Springs.

As we pulled out, Gary’s bike went over the curb and the jolt snapped his rear rack supporting bolt … again! This time it was the other side and with a bolt that was replaced way back in Idaho. Fortunately, we had a spare this time and with a lot of finesse, freed the old bolt and replaced it with a spare.

By 9:05 we were rolling again! So great he had the spare bolt. It was still drizzling and overcast but better than the heat we had for so long. Our route was a straight shot (horizontally on a map) but not straight vertically! It was up and down and … Repeat!

It was a 47 mile ride and about a third of the way we were off the reservation.

Most of the way was freshly cut hay fields and cattle grazing, but as we got closer to our destination there were also fields of corn and sunflowers.

We got to the city campground around 2:30. Pretty much a “put some money in a slot” situation. But it was adjacent to the City Pool, so of course we dove right in!

After a swim and shower, we walked to town and stumbled onto the Museum. What a labor of love. They had many rooms of organized, neatly displayed relics from the last century. Music, Reaching, style, high school, kitchen and home, church. It was huge! All volunteer run, too.

Dinner afterward was dreadful. They had nothing on the menu that wasn’t a frozen food that they lovingly deep-fried. We’re planning a longer day for tomorrow (76 miles) to Madison, rather than Carthage, as originally planned, and which would have required riding on dirt roads. Madison is a small college town, I learned from the lifeguard at the Wessington Springs pool, so we have high hopes.

July 21, 2026 – Day 39: Presho to Fort Thompson, SD

Today we are camping on the Missouri River, which most people consider the halfway point across the US. We had a bit of a circuitous route so far so we used more than half of our expected days, but the rest of our trip is fairly direct.

We took our time leaving, knowing we had only 44 miles to our campsite, but still we were rolling at 7:15 after taking a peek at the Presho General Store adjacent to the campground. They didn’t have any good lunch items and since we had made breakfast at the campsite, we decided to see what the general store at Reliance had to offer in the way of lunch.

Our first 10 miles got us to Kennebec and we just paused for water. The wind seemed light coming from the north on our left shoulder and the ride was pleasant.

Another 12 miles and we were shopping for lunch and dinner at the Reliance store. It was not quite 9 am.we got cold cuts and wraps for lunch and rice and beans in case we couldn’t find adequate dinner in Fort Thompson.After that we turned northbound (Hwy 47) and had the full force of the wind directly in our face, but it was only for about 5 miles until the road turned slightly to the northeast and the wind was less of a nuisance.

The rest of the ride was pretty much a straight line. We passed the Lewis and Clark Trail and what seemed like a bird sanctuary in the Lower Brule. Finally we created a hill and saw the Great Missouri River in the distance. It was an effortless coast to the Big Bend Dam, where the Left Tailrace Campsite is.

The campsite host was so nice and gave us each an ice cold water bottle and a discount for being seniors.Gary picked a nice shady spot with electricity to charge our devices.

Left Tailrace has a 9 hole Disc Golf course, so of course we availed ourselves. We are both rusty and tied, each shooting 9 above par. 🫤

Meanwhile, remember Greg from Day 10 in Nevada? He finished his ride . What a fascinating person.

After Disc Golf we went into the town of Fort Thompson, pausing briefly so I could wade in the Missouri. Just ’cause. Fort Thompson is on the Crow Creek reservation and everyone we saw appeared to be Native. There was a memorial for the displaced Dakota whose lives were taken in Fort Thompson in 1863. I learned that Medicine Butte which we passed earlier was named for Medicine Bull (Tatanka Wakan), a Sioux leader in the late 1800s.

We got some shrimp and a pepper to go with our rice and beans at Lynn’s Supermarket and split a beer staring into the vastness of the Missouri River by the memorial.

Tailrace is a very nice campground. Perfect for bikepackers.

July 20, 2026 – Day 38: Kadoka to Presho, SD

I got up at the normal time (5:10) and Gary reminded me that breakfast at the Motel is not till 6:30, but it was hard to get back to sleep. Gary used this time to rebalance his tires (swap front and back because the back had a lot of wear due to bearing more weight). I had only a little to pack up and we tried to eat as much as possible at the motel breakfast. We were rolling around 7:15.

In the morning we had strong headwinds, which made the riding slow. But I felt really good. There was plenty of cloud cover so it was not too hot and the headwinds cooled us off some. We were on the I 90 service road the entire day and it was far enough away from the interstate that we didn’t hear or even notice it much. It was not flat. Rolling hills all the way. In the beginning there was no chance of using the downhill momentum to power up the next hill, due to the wind. But later, when the wind abated somewhat, I found I could do that.

Early on, we both had it in our heads to push all the way to Presho, an 80 mile ride from Kadoka. By doing so, we would camp at one of our pre-selected campgrounds. Our fall back would be to find camping in Murdo, but that would be a very short day. We noted that there is a town every 10 miles or so along I 90 / railway, so we figured we could call it a day anytime, if needed.

Our original camping spot for last night was the KOA in Belvidere which is also the location of 1800 Town. We stopped to have a snack and drink. The convenience store charged me 48¢ for adding ice to my water bottle. What a random charge. Ice should be free for cyclists!.

The next town, Okaton was not much more than a sign, though I think it was a bit off the service road. We stopped to hydrate. There was not a lot of variation in scenery, so things like this really stood out!

Murdo, was the biggest town between Kadoka and Presho, which is not saying much. Since it was only 12:30, we decided to get a bite in the Star Restaurant (aptly named, since star is singular) and… what? It is 1:30? We crossed our 2nd time zone and are now in Central. We lost an hour but Presho still seemed doable. Since the other towns we would pass were suspect in terms of amenities, we decided to fortify in Murdo for dinner and breakfast. This was very fortuitous because they had very good brands, including my favorite trail mix (Power Up Omega), which I have not seen since leaving Brooklyn). We got the old standby: ramen, canned fish and veggies for dinner, along with bagged salad.

After that the winds started to gradually shift and less from the northeast and more from the northwest, which helped us. Draper was just some silos. Nothing beckoned us to get off our bikes but thirst.

Vivian was our last rest stop and I had to take a picture for Vivian Larkins.

At Presho, we went directly to the New Frontier Campground. Neil, the proprietor, was very sweet and gave us a cyclist discount. The campsite is very orderly and lots of trees for shade. The showers were also very welcome. There was even a little grocery next door that had single cans of IPAs (Space Dust), which made the day complete.The only problem was the mosquitos and biting flies. It’s bad, like in Sleepy Hollow.

July 19, 2026 – Day 37: Wall to Kadoka, SD

First, I need to set the record straight if you’re following me on Strava. I did not bike 1,552 miles today. Ride With GPS was more like Ride Without GPS (in the Badlands), so my tracking was all off.

At the Sleepy Hollow Campground last night, the mosquitos were pretty bad, but in the morning, they were completely intolerable. We packed up super quick and got breakfast at 6:15 at The Stomping Grounds, rather than lingering a second more in Mosquitoville.

We headed straight for the Badlands Loop and stopped at most of the viewing areas. The plan was to do some easy hikes and then head to Interior, a small town near the park. A 30+ mile day plus some hiking. That seemed ok for 102°!

At one of the viewing stops, I rode straight onto the 20 yard, wood-planked walkway that led to the viewing area. We got off our bikes and shortly afterwards a park police came by to inform us that bikes are not allowed. We said we didn’t know (there are no signs about bikes) and that we wouldn’t do it again. But that was not good enough for Officer Tweethead. He needed to see IDs and call us in to see what other kind of mischief we have wreaked on society. I got ornery because I cannot stand how cops treat cyclists.  A bike just seems to signal trouble to them. In the end, he let us go, but I was fuming for hours after that.

To get to the shorter hikes we wanted to do, we had to pass the road to Interior and head back north, so we stopped at Cedar Pass Lodge to get refreshments. We went to the info desk and whom should we see but our waitress from last night at the Salty Steer! I guess two jobs in these parts is pretty common. We had our 1st of two sandwiches we packed in the lodge but got chastised for bringing in “outside food”. So I bought two scoops of ice cream to celebrate my 63rd birthday!

As we went, we met up with two other groups of  cross country riders.

We did 3 hikes: a very easy .4 mile stroll called the Fossil hike. And then two more strenuous ones: a 0.8 mile hike with elevation and the Notches hike that was an out and back of 1.5 miles. By this time it was 102°! We had to climb this ladder to ascend the rocky steep terrain and on the way down the rungs burned our hands.

That last hike was quite tiring in the heat, but we had to make a choice: either ride back 6 or so miles to Interior (and then do that stretch again in the morning) or push on to the next town on our route, Kadoka. Gary noted that tomorrow we’d have headwinds if we rode back south, so we decided to push on to Kadoka, another 25 miles! When we got back to the I 90 service road there was a convenience store to get drinks. They charged Gary 25¢ for a cup of ice!

The thing that sold me on going all the way to Kadoka was that Brian and Mary Georgia said they have a City Pool for $1. That energized me (along with some good tunes) and we got there just before 4. We had time for a quick dip before they evacuated the pool due to lightning, which no one saw. It never did rain in Kadoka, but the sky was ominous.

Gary booked us a room in a cheap motel (we had heard from Brian and Mary Georgia that the Kadoka Kampground was pretty seedy) and then paid a visit to the Kadoka Distillery, where they were just closing up, but still served us a flight of whisky and two Sturgis IPAs to go.

July 18, 2026 – Day 36: Rapid City to Wall, SD

Gary pointed out to me that it’s day 36 of 72 days of planned riding, so in a way that’s half, but since we took off two days and only made up one, we are a day behind. But it’s something of a milestone anyway. Probably more importantly, I had a real feeling today that the end is in sight! That is probably because we could see a long expanse in front of us as we started the day – The Great Plains!

We are still very concerned about the heat so we got an early start and went to a nearby diner (Millstone Diner) for a big breakfast. We were making good time and feeling good with cloud cover as we made our exit from Rapid City.

Our ride was pretty easy with rolling hills – yes, the kind where the downhill momentum could carry you up most of the next uphill, if you pedal hard. We stopped at Box Elder to hydrate (we had ice water thanks to Eric!)

Next stop was New Underwear – I mean New Underwood. There wasn’t anything open as it was still early but we stopped at the Corner Bar and hydrated and had some protein snacks. I had some Salmon Jerky I picked up in Buffalo, WY that was delish!

Conditions were still good and we cruised into the intersection near Owanka next and took another break to hydrate before our route put us on the shoulder of I 90. I was enamored with this intersection.

After that we had to get on I 90, because the road we were on (Hwy 1416) becomes dirt and eventually dead-ends. This 7 mile portion of I 90 was mostly downhill and flew by. We were in Wasta before the 80 mph traffic on my left got on my nerves. We ate the crappy sandwiches, which we had picked up at a convenience store in New Underwood, at the Wasta Bar, where “you’re only a stranger once.” Joel, the owner, opened up to sell us $4 in drinks:  Busch N/A and and an unsweetened tea. Joel misplaced my credit card and the whole transaction took 10 minutes! But it was nice to have lunch at a shaded picnic table.

After Wasta we were on a dirt/gravel road for a few miles because I 90 crosses the Cheyenne River and has no shoulder when it does. John Egan from Buffalo, WY warned us of this. But the dirt road was beautiful and the landscape was hilly with a railroad track and bridge.

Then came the challenging part of the day. We had to get on I 90 again but this time it was uphill and the wind was in our face. Fortuitously, a section at the beginning was closed but we snuck through and had the whole eastbound side to ourselves. Eastbound auto traffic shared the westbound side, separated by a divider. But that soon ended and we were going uphill again with the wind in our face and 80 mph monster RVs whizzing by.

Finally, we got to Wall and pulled into our campsite, Sleepy Hollow. It’s right across the street from Wall Drug and that whole circus. But the campground is everything a bikepacker would want! Free showers, electricity at our site and Wi-Fi too! The guy who checked us in, Alan (!) was very pleasant and they had beers in the cooler so of course I had me one. We even got a site with a shelter over the picnic table. I think I took the longest shower I’ve ever taken.

We did some shopping at Wall Drug, had beers and dinner at the Salty Steer. Tomorrow will be a short 30 mile riding day, so we can explore some of the badloand

July 17, 2026 – Day 35: Keystone to Rapid City, SD

No more rain fell after our lovely evening with the Boyles. So we had a relatively dry morning to pack up and have our usual breakfasts. We were lucky to have potable water as a week before there was none. Up at 5:10 and riding by 7:10, as usual. It was a short ride to Mt Rushmore, though there were some hills to climb to get there. We were there before 8 am. This sign reminded me that one of my favorite Hitchcock Films was shot here. (Dances with Wolves, too).

The Black Hills continue to impress. The rock formations are spectacular. I love seeing trees growing out of the rock. This one is right in the National Memorial by Rushmore.

We avoided a lot of crowds by arriving early at Rushmore and then checked out the Sculptor’s Studio, where a model for the real thing resides. The studio was smartly built with a window onto the real thing.

I have ambivalent feelings about Rushmore. First, of course, is that it was a desecration of a sacred Native American site. But also, the deification of American presidents is wrong. I’m not particularly religious, but isn’t there a commandment that forbids idolatry ? (Yes, it’s the 2nd commandment.) I say ambivalent because seeing it can fill one with awe, despite thinking it’s just plain wrong!

We had a scenic route till the outskirts of Rapid City, but it was very hilly. Not the kind of hilly where the momentum of the downhill helps carry you up the next uphill. The grades were very steep. We stopped to hydrate here:

And again here, where I also bought a sewing kit, that I later used to repair my sleeping bag stuff sack.

From here, we had to ride on Hwy 16 (Mt Rushmore Stroad), which was pretty awful, being uphill, hot and humid and fast cars. I cranked some music to help me go. In town, we found the Rapid City Bike Path and that was way more pleasant.

We were heading to Eric’s house, our 2nd Warmshower’s host. Eric was meant to be out of town and had left us instructions on where to find a key, etc. He was so generous. When we arrived he was just about to leave for the airport, but shortly afterwards (while we were getting burritos at a truck in Founder’s Park), he messaged that his flight was so delayed that he cancelled his weekend plans.

So after doing some route planning for the coming days, we went downtown to the Firehouse Brewery, where Eric and his sister Ann met us for dinner and beers. What an interesting family! Eric is in the National Guard and has served in Central Europe, but his main gig is as a PA (Osteopathy). He bike commutes every day. The two of them grew up on a farm in eastern South Dakota. Their mother, who is still alive and living in Rapid City grew up in Minnesota. Ann and her partner lived in Hawaii (Big Island) for 7 years on what started out as a whim. They now live in Minneapolis. After dinner, they took us up the hills for views of the city. We are grateful to have such a wonderful host!

July 16, 2026 – Day 34: Spearfish to Keystone, SD

We decided to skip making breakfast at the campsite so we could leave earlier. I got up at 4:45 and at 6 am we had rolled into town for breakfast at Blackbird Espresso, which Taylor mentioned had great coffee. It did. They also had great breakfast food.

From there we hopped on the Rec Path heading south and made our way to Canyon Road which follows the Spearfish Creek in the Spearfish Canyon. This road was beautiful early in the morning, and mostly cool. It was a gradual climb but a fairly easy grade so we were averaging 8 mph. Like on the Rec Path, we saw many other cyclists.

We went by a place on the Spearfish Creek called Devil’s Bathtub. I think I’m seeing a pattern here.

Our first real stop, at mile 20, was Cheyenne Crossing. Gary had a 2nd breakfast but I was still full from my first one so I didn’t have anything.

From there, we got on Hanna Road, which was also a beautiful route. It was paved at the beginning and the end but unpaved in the middle. The day was absolutely gorgeous (gorges?). Just as I was creating the hill, trying to snap a picture, before my descent, a driver honked at me to move out of the way. Really? On a quiet road on a beautiful day? I told them it’s not a race.

And then we got on the George S. Mickleson Trail (rail trail). We had heard great things about it and they all were true. Nearly 2/3 of the day was on that trail. It was stone dust (like the Erie Canal path in NYS). After a short climb, we were coasting downhill for a while. There were signs to pay a fee, but no instructions on how to do that.

We hopped off the trail at Rochford to go to the Moonshine Gulch Saloon. We were ready for lunch, but as we packed said lunch, we didn’t see the point in ordering food. Instead, I had a NA beer and we ate our packed lunch on the porch. 3 other bikepackers arrived at the scene. Stefan, Brian and Jeff (?) are from Minneapolis and were biking the entire Mickleson Trail. I think they said for 4 or 5 days, camping along the way. They gave us some tips on what to do in Minneapolis and we exchanged contact info so we can look them up when we get there.

Unfortunately, I forgot to get a picture of the Minnesotans. But Stefan subsequently sent me one.

We got back on the Mickleson Trail, which now was more uphill but continued in it’s beauty. There were a number of tunnels as it was originally a railway.  We took it all the way to Hill City where we bought a few things for breakfast tomorrow. There’s a train museum and several antique and restored cars and engines.

From there we had about 9 miles to our campsite at Horsethief Lake Campground (NPS). Just a few miles in, though, it started to rain and then pour. We arrived at the campground completely drenched so we chatted with the host (Michael) for a while, waiting for the rain to stop. When it did, we rode to our site and eventually warmed up enough to hang up our clothes and set up our tents.

Ken and Anne Boyle flew into Rapid City today and came by our campsite. They took us to dinner in Keystone! So much fun to see them! They are on a mission to visit all 50 states and this sojourn includes both Dakotas.

July 15, 2026 – Day 33: Hulett, WY to Spearfish, SD

A very eventful day! I’ve lost track of our total mileage but one can easily add it up from Strava or RWGPS. It’s roughly 1,750 miles. More importantly we are in our 5th state: South Dakota!

We got done with breakfast at Belle Fourche campground and packed up and were on the road at 6:50, which by my calculations is 20 minutes earlier than a usual camping night. We naturally wanted to try to beat the oppressive heat as much as possible. Devil’s Tower still loomed as we left the National Monument and headed north towards Hulett.

We saw some cattle, Long Horns and Buffalo on the way out.

Within 10 miles we were in downtown Hulett, where we bought some lunch items: sandwiches and burritos. We had a fair amount of climbing in the 1st 30 miles so it was good to get that done early. In fact, we made great time. We had lunch (sandwiches we bought in Hulett) on the side of the road before 11 and not long after we saw a bikepacker heading the opposite direction. She stopped and we compared stories and exchanged contact info. We told her about John in Buffalo. I’m impressed that she was riding alone. She also seems to be covering way more ground per day than us old geezers. Here’s Two Tired Taylor’s blog

Ironically, I was listening to Taylor Swift’s The Man (my favorite of hers) yesterday in my What Kind of Man Are You? playlist. (I need to credit Snooze and Sue for some of the included songs.) The heat made us cautious and we stopped every 10 miles or less to hydrate and rest. Here was a pretty place we took a break.

We were getting close to the border, but the ride was tough, so when I saw Vore Buffalo Jump, I pulled in, mostly to get a cold drink. They only had one cold water left, so we split that, but the docent gave us the 50 cent tour and it was fascinating. The bison bones were discovered in the sink hole only when they were building I 90 and they moved the highway southward to preserve the unearthed sinkhole.

We had our 2nd lunch in Beulah, WY at the Trading Post, best known apparently for their bull testicles. The bartender was awesome. As soon as we walked in she gave us ice water and I felt obliged to buy a lemonade. But when we were ready to leave she dismissed my attempt to pay for it. We ate our burritos at the shaded picnic tables next to the bar.

We still had 11 miles to the campground and they were tough. But when we got to Spearfish, we felt at home. There were bike paths and bike lanes, though one was under repair, causing us to have to double back. Immediately, I sensed Spearfish was an oasis in MAGA country.

In Spearfish, we went straight to the City campground. Apparently, they charge by the “sleeping unit” so Gary and I each paid $29, while a family of four with two cars paid $29 total. I pointed out the unfairness to bikepackers, though I’m not sure it landed. 

Our site was right on a creek where we could see trout swimming upstream. We had to lie down as it was shallow, but we fully submerged ourselves. Brrrr… Cold plunge! Shower, wash clothes, set up tents and then cycle back to town to get sandwiches for tomorrow and dinner for the here and now. Naturally , we did that at the Spearfish Brewery, where the tattooed waitress had a Basquiat crown over a Campbell soup can. She was very interesting… We talked about Pittsburgh. Food and beer was 5 star!

On our way back to the City campground, we stopped in a beautiful park for a music festival. The first song we heard was The Weight (The Band), so all was right in the world. 

Jason, a local, bought us 4 beers, just cause we were bikepacking. Makes up for the double charge at the campground. 😉

July 14, 2026 – Day 32: Gillette to Hulett, WY

Happy Bastille Day! After yesterday’s heat exhaustion, we tried to get ready quickly, but we were only on the road at 7:10. Although we did not explore the downtown area of Gillete, it was hard to find any redeeming qualities. They proudly display that they are “America’s Energy Capital”, with their focus on coal and oil extraction. (Boo!) I prefer Idaho’s windmills. We stopped at mile 10 to hydrate and at mile 20, we were in Moorcraft.

We picked up some drinks and supplies for lunch and dinner and breakfast, expecting to find no other opportunities to get these things on our route, at Diehl’s Supermarket. We also went to the Tin Cup in Moorcraft for a 2nd breakfast. The counter woman was interested in our ride and (maybe I was projecting) had a wistful smile, as if she was imagining running away from eastern Wyoming. She gave us lots of ice for our water bottles.

The ride to Moorcraft was pretty dull. Lots of freight trains (to carry oil and coal) and industrial (presumably energy extraction) uses, but the landscape was pretty flat and uninteresting. After Moorcraft, the route got more interesting and more challenging, with more uphills, and the weather got more challenging too, with hotter temps.

We passed Keystone Reservoir, a destination for many of the vehicles. One, a pickup truck driver with a boat in tow, decided we needed black smoke in our face too, so he rolled us each some coal. Bravo pinhead!

Gary found a rare shady cross street and we stopped for lunch. The road looked like it went nowhere, but by the number of mail boxes lined up, it appeared it goes somewhere.

Eventually it was 100° and we were climbing some pretty steep hills. Someone passing us actually applauded as we neared the top. Just outside the national monument, Devil’s Tower, where our campsite Belle Fourche is located, we stopped at a cafe. The waitress was super nice and gave us tons of water and ice. She said “Sorry” when I told her we had ridden from Gillette this morning. We bought other drinks, too. I got a Fresca and we each got beers, which we hoped would stay cold till camp using the cozies Spencer gave us in Napa.

We had the still-cold beers we picked up from the cafe when we got to our site, which is first come first serve and surprisingly not full, as it’s a beautiful place. After we recovered from the heat and washed our clothes and wiped ourselves as clean as possible without a shower, we made some dinner and then went to the geology talk on the area, by a ranger, named Ethan. He was very good.

July 13, 2026 – Day 31: Buffalo to Gillette, WY

We woke early and were feeling well rested after a day off. John fed us toast and eggs and cheese and we had yogurt and a banana each, so when we set off at 6:45 am, before it was very hot, we were feeling really good. We said goodbye to John and headed out. He was not only a great host and great company and full of useful advice, but also so generous with his time.

Almost immediately, our route required us to carry our bikes up a dozen stairs to get across Clear Creek. Fully loaded, my bike is over 75 lbs, so that was no small feat – who says cycling only works out your lower body?! We were stopping about every 10 miles to rest our sit bones and hydrate. The wind was either for us or agin’ us as our road (14/ 16) curved to north and then the west and the wind had its own plans. Our 2nd stop was at the red barn Art Center – a peaceful and shady spot, John recommended. We had a snack.

The great thing about choosing the long way (14/16) rather than I90 was the very low traffic. All I could hear most of the morning was wind, my wheel on the asphalt and lots of birds! All kinds it seemed. There were birds everywhere.

Our next 10 mile stop was Clermont, or should I say Historic Clermont as it’s known to its 125 inhabitants. It was there Gary spoke what we were both thinking: In less than 10 miles at 10:30, we’d be in Leiter where there is a cafe/bar that allegedly allows people to camp, the last place before Gillette. It’s been easy so far, maybe we go all the way to Gillette?!

What a fateful decision. We’d not done a century yet, let alone in temps that ultimately reached 100° F! Leiter was awesome. When we arrived a woman and man opened the place and then a little girl (4?) filled them in. She let me use her yoyo and I was able to do Around the World and sleep it. She was very cute. Her mom had to do something regarding teeth for her brother who had just had a stroke. So the man made us a lunch.

After Leiter, instead of gradual downhills, we had gradual uphills. We passed into Sheridan county and Campbell county after Leiter, there were fewer lush areas and the terrain was more “Western”, with buttes, brush and cattle ranging, though we could sense the Great Plains coming.

We arrived at Spotted Horse (pop 2, no joke) around 1 and feeling pretty strong, still. We had fried cheese curds and ice tea. Technically, I had a beer, but it was a Miller Lite.

At this point we had under 40 miles to go. How hard could that be? Ugh… I can’t realistically blame the cheese curds, though I would love to. By mile 80 or 85 I was tanked. I was going so slowly up the hills, they seemed interminable. I lied down in some dry grass by the side of the road and within minutes a p/u truck pulled up to see if I was ok or needed water. I said I was ok and he pointed out the wildfire coming towards us (smoke). “Ride faster if you smell the smoke”. Great advice…

When we got to the outskirts of town, we rested in the shade for 20 minutes. Finally, we had enough energy to ride another 3 miles to the Dollar General, where we bought two hydrating drinks, a piece, and drank them in the air-conditioned store to partially revive ourselves. The campground was very close now, until… Street and sidewalk closure, so we had a mile detour, but not before we tried to get through the closure and Gary skidded and his bike tilted over. He was unhurt, but his speaker knocked off his bike and he did not realize until later and had to go back to fetch it.

When we got to the outskirts of town, we rested in the shade for 20 minutes. Finally, we had enough energy to ride another 3 miles to the Dollar General, where we bought two hydrating drinks, a piece, and drank them in the air-conditioned store to partially revive ourselves. The campground was very close now, until… Street and sidewalk closure, so we had a mile detour, but not before we tried to get through the closure and Gary skidded and his bike tilted over. He was unhurt, but his speaker knocked off his bike and he did not realize until later and had to go back to fetch it.

The outskirts of Gillette are weird. It was not possible to get a beer at the pizza place or supermarket so we went to the bowling alley. All  were along a stroad that had sidewalks that we could not imagine were ever used. We earned a beer today for sure. 100 miles ending in 100° F. WTF?!

July 12, 2026 – Day 30: Buffalo, WY (Day off)

As planned, we took today off from biking. As forecasted, temps hit 106° F. John made us coffee/tea and left us a simple breakfast, so at 9 am, I was able join my Aunt Leonie’s memorial service on zoom. It was very moving. Hank started and closed it with a song she loved. So many people spoke so lovingly about her. It was great to be part of that.

John, Gary and I went out for lunch after that at the Bozeman Steak house and afterwards I bought new lightweight trail shoes (Merrill “Barefoot”) so I could do a little more trail hiking. They came in very handy, as John took us to Clear Creek and Tie Hack Reservoir. It was about 105° at this point so this was a perfect spot to spend the afternoon.

When we got to the lake, it was the perfect temperature and Gary and I took a dip. What a beautiful spot!

After that excursion, we bought some food supplies for our next couple of days and some tofu and broccoli for dinner, which John made after returning to the house. All in all a memorable day, shared with a new friend. After dinner, John helped us replan our route for the next week. He has so much experience and knowledge of roads where we are heading. What invaluable help! We decided we would split the ride to Gillette (97 miles if we take the scenic route) in two and camp in Leiter at an unspecified campground at a bar/restaurant that John says is there (but Google has no indication). So tomorrow will be a high of 97° but we will ride under 50 miles.

July 11, 2026 – Day 29: Ten Sleep to Buffalo, WY

Today was a doozy. We both agree it was possibly our most challenging day. In addition to riding 63 miles and climbing 5,977 feet (most in one day), we rode to our highest absolute elevation (9,666 ft) and rode on gravel and rocks for 20 excruciating miles in extreme heat.

It all started at 4 am (3:45 for Gary) when we got up to get a super early start from the Ten Sleep Brewery Campground so we could beat the heat. Ten Sleep gets its name for being the midpoint between the Sioux Camps on the Platte River and one near Bridger, Montana, ten days travel to each. By 5:45, we were on the road, watching the sun rise over the hills.

After a mile or two, we started a 30 mile continuous ascent, with grades reaching 6% and up to 10% spikes. We were initially retracing our trip to Meadowlark Lake from yesterday, but this time by bike. We crossed the Ten Sleep Creek multiple times. The early morning sun made the landscape vibrant.

Because of the early start, it never seemed too hot: as we rose in elevation, the air was cooler despite the rising temps. The views were spectacular the whole way up. I do think Big Horn is an understatement, though. As we closed in on Meadowlark Lake, I could smell (and see) what I thought was wild lavender. But when we stopped after Meadowlark Lake, it was clear it was not lavender. I later learned they are Purple Lupins.

We crossed 3 counties: Big Horn, Washakie and Johnson. When we finally reached the summit, we had lunch (sandwiches we bought yesterday in Ten Sleep) and rested in our chairs.

I looked at Google Maps and it suggested we ride through Crazy Woman Canyon, allegedly to avoid more climbing on Hwy 16, so we decided to take a look at the bottom of the hill, where the canyon road begins. Just as we were pulling out of the turnout, who should appear, but Chris and Ann, on their way to Mt Rushmore. We wished each other luck and I took off down the hill. I maxed out at 43 mph. What a blast!

When we got to the start of Crazy Woman Canyon Rd, we saw that it was, indeed, downhill (except a small hill at the end) but was pitted dirt with rocky gravel, so we had to squeeze our brakes the whole way. There were many pickup trucks and other hearty vehicles traveling in both directions so it was less quiet than I expected. But the views were beyond incredible!

When we emerged from the canyon, Google Maps advised us to turn left on Klondike road, also unpaved and bumpy as heck, but this time the road was hilly with ups and downs. We should have stayed on the canyon road a bit further to Old 87 and we would have avoided the rocky gravel. Sometimes technology is a terrible thing to trust.

Riding off road at these lower altitudes, the sun began to get intense and we started thinking whether we had enough water. About 6 miles into Klondike we saw our one and only truck and the driver advised us that the road stays the same until the last bit, where it is paved. I was literally ready to get off my bike and kiss the pavement when I got there, but I did not have enough energy. We were completely fried when the road (in Buffalo) became paved and enjoyed coasting on the long down hill to town.

We had finally got a Warmshowers host, John Egan. He recommended we kill some time and cool off at the town pool, which we gladly did.

The pool was $3 to get in and Gary noticed that the woman who took our money was wearing a T-Shirt with the NYC subway map. She had lived in Fort Green for a while.

At John’s house, we were awed by his hospitality. He gave us each a room, washed our clothes and made us a salad dinner with tuna that was perfect. John is a seasoned host and bikepacker and he regaled us with many bike touring stories. He’s crossed the US on bike 8 times! What a joy to have this much comfort after such a physically taxing day.

After dinner, Gary and I took a walk into town to see the festival that was going on.

We also had a Ten Sleep Golden Ale at the Occidental Hotel, which was painstakingly restored by a couple from San from San Diego.

Due to the 100+ temps tomorrow and John’s offer to have us for a 2nd night, we will stay here in Buffalo tomorrow. We hope to decide on how we will get to Gillette tomorrow: either Hwy 16 (97 miles) or I 90 (69 miles). The pool will probably beckon as well and there’s a large camp store we want to check out. I’ll also have a chance to remotely attend my beloved aunt Leonie’s memorial service.

July 10, 2026 – Day 28: Basin to Ten Sleep, WY

We tried to get an early start – I got up at 4:50. Packing up took a while because I had emptied most of my panniers in the house. But it was much nicer to pack up and fold my tent in the house rather outside where the skeeters were pretty bad.

We had an uphill ride most of the day. I learned why Basin is called “Basin”. It was a short day, though, less than 50 miles. We started early to avoid the heat and we basically arrived in Ten Sleep before noon. During the ride we crossed the Nowood River at least six times. Each time I saw a beautiful shot, but I could not get my phone ready in time, so at the end of the day I stopped near our campsite.

When we got to Ten Sleep, Ann and Chris were already here for a full day. After dropping our bags off at our campsite, we went to meet them at their RV Park and we all drove to Meadowlark Lake. This was a preview of tomorrow’s ride. It’s about a 6% grade and about 20 miles. Tomorrow, to get to Buffalo, WY, we need to climb for 30 miles! The lake is beautiful.

We swam and washed our clothes and watched Chris fly fish.

There were a lot of fishers on the lake and also nature lovers.

After Meadowlark Lake, we got some food for lunch tomorrow. We have a lot of climbing tomorrow so we want to get a super early start. We said goodbye (again) to Ann and Chris and went back to the Ten Sleep Brewery. Some motorcycle packers were camped next to us – they are going in the opposite direction.

We had some unusual food from the food truck at the brewery and had some beer(s). Tomorrow night I arranged with someone on Wam Showers in Buffalo to spend the night and he actually offered that we spend two nights since Sunday will be record breaking heat, so we’ll take the day off on Sunday, which will allow me to attend the zoom memorial for my Aunt Leonie.

July 9th, 2026 – Day 27: Wapiti to Basin, WY

It’s a new day and we woke up early as usual and packed up our tents.  Ann made us coffee and tea and we said our goodbye to her and Chris.

On the road again! It was a very quick 18 miles to Cody, past the Buffalo Bill Reservoir and State Park and through 3 tunnels.

We went to the Rooster Cafe for breakfast (again).

And then … SEVEN! My rear tire was flat! I found (another) staple in the tire and that lined up with the hole I found in the inner tube. Fortunately, I had new tubes. Unfortunately, I nearly destroyed my thumb again trying to get the tire bead in the rim.

I’ve had so much practice lately, this fix did not take very long and we were rolling around 10. We were heading towards Burlington on 14/16 and Ann and Chris passed us on their way to Ten Sleep, which will be our destination tomorrow night.

We had pizza for lunch in Burlington (The Burlington Place) and found a shortcut to get there. Over lunch we realized it was just as far to get to Basin as it is to Greybull, so we switched our plans back and aimed for Where am I to go? campground in Basin. We stopped for a break in Otto (pop. 10).

It was getting extremely hot (93) so when we saw a public pool in Basin, we paid the $5 fee and dove in!

Finally we were at Where Am I to Go? Campground and Linda is amazing. She and her late husband travelled extensively and wanted to create a place that catered to low budget travellers like hikers and bikepackers. She lets campers use her house (ground floor), with shower, kitchen, laundry, and electricity to charge devices. We spent the afternoon and evening in the house and went to the market to get pasta, shrimp, broccoli and pesto for dinner. And beer!

It ended up being a 76 mile day and we are exhausted. It turned out that when I put my rear tire back on after fixing the flat this morning, it was off a tad and rubbed against the fender all day! I remarked to Gary that it was like riding in mud all day. At the campground I managed to correct it.

A heat wave is coming and we’re worried about the last leg of the next few days, from Buffalo to Gillette. Sunday will be over 100 F and it’s a 90+ mile ride! Gary is looking into breaking the ride in two.

July 7-8, 2026 – Days 25, 26: Yellowstone to Wapiti, WY

Until July 7th, we did not have any cell service or wifi since July 2. Hence these posts just surfaced today (the 8th).

But I’ll get right to the significant moment of these past two days. On the 7th (yesterday) at 7 am, we had just packed up our camp and had breakfast at Bridge Bay Campground on Yellowstone Lake. The plan was to ride to the Cody area and meet Ann and Chris in their airstream. Gary went to the bathroom to fill water bottles and I left my packed bike on the road leaning on a “clickstand”. I went back to the site to grab a water bottle and my bike fell over with most of the impact on my phone, attached to the handlebars.

The screen cracked on the bottom and went white. No amount of resetting techniques helped. So on the 1st day we expected to have service (as we got closer to Cody), my phone was useless. I was bummed for realistic reasons (navigation, emergencies, pictures), but also for emotional reasons that I need to understand better. Obviously it sucked thinking I could not communicate with Elizabeth and Miles and Joe as well as my friends and other family. But there was another neediness that I felt about which I’m not too proud.

It was actually one of the most beautiful rides we had all trip and I struggled to forget about losing connectivity to the rest of my world and just enjoy the beauty and joy of the day. We started out circling around Yellowstone Lake in the early morning. Traffic was lighter so we could actually look around and see it. We stopped to see wildlife that only was visible with high powered scopes.

After the lake the climbing really began. Up and up to Avalanche Pass. It was a long climb, but so worth it, as the downhill went on forever – at least to the East Entrance of the park. I was flying and forgot all my worries.

The ride to Wapiti was mostly downhill and we had a reasonable wind at our backs so we made great time. Wapiti is just west of Cody and home of the Yellowstone Valley Inn and RV Park where we were to meet Ann and Chris. Originally, we planned to stay at Buffalo Bill State Park Campground on the Buffalo Bill Reservoir, but they were full and could not take the 4 of us.

Ann and Chris made us a delicious dinner, including a rack of lamb cooked over a wood fire. We pitched our tents and went to sleep after trying in vain to find a phone solution in Cody.

Next morning over coffee, Chris suggested he drive me to Billings, Montana, where I could get a new phone. That was an amazing offer and we set about a plan and left quickly. Billings is 2.5 hrs from Wapiti and we only stopped once in Cody at the Rooster Cafe for breakfast.

First we went to a T-Mobile store, but they told me they are not allowed to sell new phones, unless the customer buys it online. But I could not log into the T-Mobile app without my phone as there is a OTP process. It was one of the most idiotic policies I’ve heard in a long time.

I started calling (with Gary’s and Chris’s phones) the phone fix places and the third one had a Google Pixel 10 Pro screen. About 3 hrs later, I had my phone working again and we were driving back to Wapiti. What a relief. In the time I had no phone usage, my Aunt Leonie passed away. I will miss her a great deal. And my niece had a baby, whom I look forward to meeting!

On top of that huge help, we were treated to cocktails and another delicious meal. So needless to say, today was a no mileage day. And we re-planned our route to Gillette, using Chris’s chatGPT prompt, so tomorrow will be Greybull, not Basin.

Sorry no pictures today. No camera!

July 6, 2026 – Day 24: Yellowstone (Madison to Bridge Bay)

It wasn’t as cold in the morning as the past few days and I got up with the dawn, just before 5. We had our regular breakfast, packed up and were on the road by 7:30. From Madison Campground, we traveled east and north, following the loop through Yellowstone. The main stop we planned was the south ridge of the Canyon, but we had a few breaks on the way, including Gibbon Falls.

We also stopped for wildlife, which is typically accompanied by a lineup of cars and campers on the side of the road. Early on I saw an adult female elk by the road, but it bolted into the woods as I and an SUV passed it.

We stopped when a crowd was looking at two bison, but ultimately, we saw many bison today.

The Canyon was amazing. Mike, our Welsh friend who’s biking the Continental Divide (south to north) caught up with us at Madison last night and advised us to visit the south ridge, so we did. First we visited the grocery there to get lunch and stock up for dinner and breakfast .

There are two falls and the canyon itself is very deep. There were so many people at the lookout points, you had to wait to get a photo. A couple of places we dismounted and hiked away on trails just to get a few moments of bliss.

When we got to Bridge Bay Campground, they gave us a spot in the hiker/biker tent loop. It is up a hill (thanks for that – I didn’t climb enough hills today). We went down to bathe and wash our clothes and sit by Yellowstone Lake. So serene… We saw a loon, too.

As we left the lake, a family told us about a bull elk sitting in a nearby field.

July 5, 2026 – Day 23: Yellowstone (Lewis Lake to Madison)

Another cold morning and dew on our tents. The night before I fell asleep counting the mosquitos between my tent and my fly. Scores of them. Smartly, we put tarps over our bikes, so they were dry. We made our first fire of the trip with wood we (legally) scavenged the night before. After breakfast and packing up, we got on the road at 7:45 and soon were saying goodbye to Lewis Lake

Our first stop was about 10 miles in at Grant Village. We were going to stock up for lunch and dinner there but learned that there is another grocery at Old Faithful, so we put it off and headed out. We stopped for an apple snack at the Shoshone Lake trailhead and admired the wildflowers.

We made another brief stop at Isa Lake and admired the lilypads and a rather large mallard (me thinks).

At Isa Lake, we posed at the Continental Divide signs, there. We crossed the Continental Divide multiple times.

We also stopped to see a magnificent waterfall, whose name I already forgot.

At Old Faithful, we were a little more than 1/2 done for the day, mileagewise. We must have just missed an eruption because we had to wait almost 50 minutes to see it spew. During that time I had a nice conversation with two boys from Oklahoma (Isaac and Zach) in 5th and 3rd grade respectively.

After getting lunch at the cafeteria and provisions at the General Store, we stayed on the main road all the way to Madison Campground. There is so much traffic in the park. A steady stream. It was not dangerous feeling, but it impeded my ability to look around and take photos and videos while riding. The noise was really getting to me by the time we arrived at Madison Campground, which is run by a 3rd party, but the people were quite helpful. We got a hiker/biker spot, replete with a bear box and then walked down to the Madison River where we bathed (no showers again) and washed our clothes and just hung out.

Expecting an uneventful evening. At the campground, they already said we can charge our devices in their office We have ramen and canned fish for dinner. So I’ll sign off for now. Hopefully, I’ll have cell service tomorrow so the last 3 posts can upload!

July 4, 2026 – Day 22: Jackson (Grand Tetons) to Teton County (Yellowstone)

It was cold (!) overnight and there was a lot of dew making our tents wet when we packed them up. We made our usual breakfasts, washed our cookware, packed up the bikes and hit the road. I saw another fox run through our campground just before we shoved off.

Our first stop was a grocery store about half way up Lake Jackson. We said goodbye to Jenny Lake and String Lake. Lake Jackson is much bigger so we rode alongside it for 20 miles. At the grocery we got sandwiches for lunch and some noodles and falafel and salad for dinner. Also some more propane.

We had two climbs today, one just after Jackson Lake and one just after we entered Yellowstone. We had our lunch at the top of the former on the side of the road. The latter was tougher, but only 4 miles and traffic was not terrible. There’s only a mile or two between the northern end of the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone on Highway 89. All in all, not a bad day. 50 miles with 2,850 feet of climbing. It’s a popular route for bikepackers and we saw several.

Lewis Lake Campground with all it’s cracked up to be. They did indeed have biker hiker sites reserved for walk-ins. And the rangers let us charge our devices in their office. They also gave us advice about where to stay tomorrow night. And we decided not to stay at the Goose Lake back country campground, but rather at Madison Campground. It’s a bit farther, but has showers, flush toilets and hiker/biker walk-ins.

We spent an hour or so down by the lake bathing and washing our clothes and just zoning out.

We had noodles, falafel and salad for dinner, collected some firewood for the morning, and went to bed early.

July 3, 2026 – Day 21: Grand Tetons Day to explore

At Gros Ventre yesterday, the staff was super friendly and called Jenny Lake Campground (also NPS) and verified that they have space reserved for hikers & bikers. We wanted to take an easy day so we decided to go, which put us back on our planned route and still a day ahead of schedule.

Since, it’s just an easy 15 miles to Jenny Lake, we slept in a bit. While breaking down camp, I met Carol & Ian, expats from the UK, living in Boulder. They had a modern airstream which they showed me. They were very interested in us and promised to make a donation to FSS. We were on our way at 9:45. We headed to Dornan Moose market, where we got sandwiches and supplies for dinner and breakfast. We had a gravel road and passed what seemed like a Mennonite village to get there.

On the way to Jenny Lake, we met a fellow bikepacker. Joel is from VT, originally from East Flatbush! He started in Oregon and was heading to Minneapolis, but travelling very light (not camping).

Jenny Lake Campground’s Hiker/Biker staff were very friendly. Bears were sighted there yesterday so they recommended putting all our bags in the bear boxes. Rena even said she’d call our next destination to see if they can squeeze us in tomorrow. We set up camp and met Jeffrey, a young Swiss bikepacker heading to SF from DC, following the Adventure Cycling route.

After eating our sandwiches, we stowed our packs in the bear box and headed up to String Lake which we heard is really nice and shallow, so warmer than Jenny Lake. If so, I would not want to go in Jenny Lake. String Lake was very cold, but I managed to swim out a bit and back. Very exhilarating!

After the 5 mile round trip to String Lake, we decided to go for a hike. We chose Moose Pond, because Moose! And as soon as we got to the pond we saw the eponymous creature.

We also saw a groundhog, a snake, a deer and a fox. There’s a camp store so we got a six pack of Gran Tetons Juicy IPA. Mmmmm… The walk-in bikepacking / backpacking area is pretty full now. One young bikepacker, Mike, from Wales, was doing the Continental Divide trail (AC) from Santa Fe to Calgary. Another from Germany was doing it heading south.

We saw the ranger talk about how Grand Tetons National Park was founded. Then we shot the shit with the other bikepackers, all with interesting stories. We learned from one of them that Lewis Lake Campground has biker / hiker walk-ins and is very beautiful. That was a relief. Tomorrow we will bike the 50 miles to get there.

July 2, 2026 – Day 20: Swan Valley to Jackson

Did I mention we did 82 miles yesterday?! After seeing the double rainbow, it started pouring. We were sheltering in the lodge But I realized I left the flap open on my fly so I had to run over to my tent and close it. Not too bad. Just a little damp inside. By 10:00 p.m. The rain had stopped and we made our way back to our tents to sleep. We left our bikes in the lodge.

I did not get up until 5:50. Gary was just about done breaking down his camp and ready to make breakfast so I scrambled to catch up. We were able to cook our breakfast in the lodge and make use of the nice bathroom. NO FLATS! Both my tires were firm and seemed to be holding air perfectly. The nightmare is over. Fingers crossed. We were on the road at 7:20 and immediately climbing! One cyclist flew by us and later on he was on the other side of the road going home.

Our first stop after 25 mi was in Victor. We went straight to the bike shop, Hops, where I bought two fresh inner tubes and we each bought metal water bottles. They keep the water cold. Butter cafe was recommended but they had a 20 minute wait so we found our way to Alpine Air Cafe where we had the best breakfast burrito and coffee for 2nd breakfast.

Immediately out of Victor we started our next ascent. This one was over 10 miles, ending with 2-3 miles of a 10+% grade. The beginning was on the Old Jackson highway which eventually became a really nice bike path adjacent to US 22, but when it started getting really steep, the bike lane ended and we were on a narrow shoulder and traffic was ridiculous. At a rest stop, I saw another cyclists, but wearing regular clothes and his bike was just strapped with bags. Hillbilly style! I asked if he was doing the climb alone and he said no, Jesus is with me, so that was a relief. It was lowest gear and going 3-4 mph for 3 miles. At the top people were cheering us from their cars. And what an awesome view!

Right at the top of Jackson Pass, a bike path started that was far enough from 22 that we could not hear the traffic. It was absolutely gorgeous and I recorded it all in time lapse. Nothing but birds and chipmunks and wildflowers and trees. We saw some other cyclists and hikers. Although it was smooth asphalt, it had hairpin switchbacks so we were squeezing our brakes for dear life. Again, my hands were numb at the end but so worth it!

At the bottom, we were in Wilson, WY and there was a bike path all the way to Jackson. In fact there were so many interconnected bike paths we once made a wrong turn. I remarked to Gary that it felt a bit like Europe. And if you build it, they will come. So many cyclists and ebikers – more than we’ve seen since Davis and possibly more than that.

In Jackson, we stopped at the Albertsons and got sushi for lunch and turkey heros for dinner. The sky was very ominous and the forecast was rain. We called the Gros Ventre campground again and this time we were told that they have emergency campsites they set aside and start releasing at 5pm.

So we set out at 3:30 and made it the 13 miles to the campsite before 5. The ride was beautiful, on a bike path, with lightning in the distance and some occasional drops.

At Gros Ventre, they set us up quickly and an ultimately short lasting shower scared us so we set up our tents quickly. The site has a bear box, and then the sun came out again, so all worries for the day evaporated. All in all, one of the toughest climbing days: 4,878 ft to be exact and a not too shabby 66.7 miles! Unfortunately, no showers and no lake or river to wash off in, for the first time!

July 1, 2026 – Day 19: Idaho Falls to Swan Valley

NUMBER SIX! We slept in a bit after last night’s feast and woke up just before 6. My first impulse was to check my tires. You guessed it: my rear was down to 20 psi. I figured the patch I did wasn’t holding. In the comfort of our motel room I removed the patch tube and verified that the leak was where the patch had failed. I used the tube I removed the prior day, patched it with 3 overlapping patches (to be sure!) and put the tire back on which is the absolute worst. My thumbs ache from doing this prior days as the need is so tight it is almost impossible to reseat. The skin on my right thumb cracked yesterday and is bleeding by the nail from reseating my tires. Hopefully, the 3rd time’s the charm. It was for my front tire.

We set off downtown and had a lox sandwich at City Bagel. Before long we were on the outskirts of Idaho Falls and climbing a multi-tiered hill. It was not bad, surrounded by windmills, but then we headed north and the road became gravel. This was unwelcome as Ride With GPS claimed the route was fully paved. Uphill was bad but going downhill on this rocky gravel was terrible. I almost lost control and fell on the sea of rocks beneath me, as my rear tire fishtailed.

After that climb and then the downhill, we were in Ririe where we had pretty poor Mexican food for lunch at Los Alberto’s. Then we were climbing again, this time on US 26. This climb went on for over 10 miles though it was more gradual. We were in the shoulder with RVs, trailers, cars and trucks whizzing by. At one point a super wide farm vehicle, going just a bit faster than we were pedaling, passed us. The traffic behind slowed and bunched up which gave us respite from the whizzing. Another time a truck carrying lumber that hung off to the right almost clocked me as it passed. It was apparently too much trouble for him to slow down and wait for the oncoming traffic to pass so he could move to the left. Easier just to honk at me and not even slow down! And some d!¢khead in a pickup rolled coal my way. So much for Idaho courtesy.

Gary and I both observed Barbie road kill. I saw two (one decapitated) and he saw three. We tried to imagine the car ride where the brother kept chucking out the sister’s dolls.

In any case, the views were spectacular and with a Philip Glass soundtrack, I kept cool.

In Swan Valley, we stopped at the general store for dinner and breakfast items. Our destination is The Park at Swan Valley and they have a lodge with a kitchen that tent campers can use. So we got pasta, seafood, pesto and broccoli plus a salad for dinner!

The dinner we (and by “we”, I mean Gary) was delicious paired with an IPA.  We showered, washed our clothes, and set up camp beforehand.

Woody and Erica from the campground gave us some great tips for tomorrow so we created a new route to a campground 9 miles North of Jackson. Hoping to see Ann and Chris there in 2 days!

It was a long day of riding. 82 miles in all! And the universe sent us a message:

June 30, 2026 – Day 18: American Falls to Idaho Falls, ID

I woke just before 6 when the sun poked up over the Snake River through my tent.

Our tents were wet with dew, so we left them near the boat launch to dry a bit as we packed up our other gear. I checked my tires and my back was almost flat. What’d I do to deserve this?! I decided to change it rather than inflate and see how far I could get. I took the tire totally off the rim and… Aha! I found a staple size metal shard poking through. FIFTH FLAT, but who’s counting?Gary supplied a tweezer so I could extract the metal shard and I put in one of the tubes I had patched the other day. It was like a heavy weight was lifted. This whole effort took a while so we got a rather late start after making coffee and oatmeal. We hit the road just before 9.

We had decided a couple of days ago to rethink our route to Wyoming (Jackson in particular). Our planned route had a lot of climbing (unavoidable) but on many miles of unpaved surface (avoidable). We’re ok with unpaved, but not combined with steep climbs. So we made a new route avoiding the unpaved roads and found we could reach Jackson in 2 days from Idaho Falls.

I’ve been thinking about (surpringly!) Idaho and Idahoans. Regarding the latter, they are consistently safe and courteous drivers when it comes to our cycling, giving us room and passing carefully. I’m impressed! Plus, as I noted, there’s the Idaho Stop law. But we have seen very few cyclists! Today we saw one on a bike path taking it easy and a weekday warrior pounding it out on backroads. Regarding the former, southern Idaho has many similarities to Vermont. Livestock/agriculture, mountains and rivers, co-ops, windmills, potatoes (well maybe not so much VT).

We’ve been following the Snake River Valley for the last 3 days and first we saw lots of cattle and horses. As we got closer to American Falls and after, we started seeing more of the produce storage and processing plants.

Originally, we planned to camp in Blackfoot, but we changed that plan a couple of days ago and extended for 20 miles to Idaho Falls. The idea was to shorten the next two days which had steep climbs. We road on Frontage roads (Hwy 15) and backroads and even some dirt/gravel roads.

Through Blackfoot, there was a really nice bike path adjacent to the Snake River. I was half- sorry we were not staying in the Rose Pond campground we planned on, because the area was so scenic.

But we pushed on! It was a very long day. And to top it off, I checked my rear tire pressure and it was down to 22 psi! We cycled 84 miles to get to the Yellowstone Idaho Falls Motel. The people there are so friendly and interested in our trip. We washed our clothes and they recommended the Snake Bite Restaurant downtown. Excellent choice! With that extra ride downtown, we hit 88 miles for the day!

Swan Valley next, then Jackson!

June 29, 2026 – Day 17: Mindoka to American Falls, ID

I want to start today’s update, by recounting events from last night. Gary first noticed the raccoon warnings in the bathroom, but ultimately when we went to bed, we just sealed up our panniers with any food and scented items in them. At around midnight, I heard them and peered out my tent and saw them going at our garbage. I scared them away and tried to go back to sleep but then they knocked over my bike! I got out of the tent again and picked up the garbage, scared them away again, and brought my 2 panniers with food stuff up to the shower room. I thought that I foiled them, but in the morning I found my water bottle’s tip gnawed off and a bite mark in my handlebar tape!

We had to scrap our intended route for the day, which involved some unpaved trails north of the Snake River, because the trail did not appear to exist! The new route meant a 60 mile day instead of 52, but it was just as well, as it was paved and very pleasant. First, we had to backtrack a bit, riding into the wind, westward, along the Snake River, but soon we crossed the river and followed it, eastward, with the wind at our back.

Eventually, we were on the I 86 Frontage road, which was basically car-free and I drowned out the traffic noise, listening to the best of Traffic.

There were lots of cattle, sometimes in the road. They begrudgingly made way, only when we got very close.

We passed a Rest Area and thought we’d stop and eat the sandwiches we purchased yesterday. But we couldn’t access the rest area from the frontage road. We decided to just eat by the side of the road which wasn’t so bad except that I thought I left my sandwich at the campground. Fortunately, the sandwiches were huge so Gary shared his with me. And then just as we finished, lo and behold, I found the sandwich stuffed underneath some clothes in a pannier. After lunch, we had to climb a packed dirt road, where the frontage road was closed.

We also passed through a huge windmill farm. Gary and I marvelled at their beauty. Please don’t tell Trump about these.

When we got to American Falls, we tried to find inner tubes for my bike. The rear is losing air slowly though the front wheel seems to be holding. But alas, no tubes to be found. So we got some supplies for tomorrow and had dinner at M&J Kitchen.

We are camping at a free, primitive campsite along the Snake River tonight.

There is a boat launch, so I was able to go in (a bit chilly) and wash off myself and my clothes.

June 28, 2026 – Day 16: Twin Falls to Mindoka, ID

We slept in a bit, but today will not be a tough day: tail winds and 54 miles with some but not heavy climbing. It’s cool (high 40s so we are wearing thermals. The biggest concern is that the State Park that is our destination is fully booked.

We ate breakfast at the hotel and we were off by 8. By 9, we covered 10 miles and also connected with Lake Walcott State Park and, like magic, we were able to reserve a site. Apparently the reservation system lied! We took our first break overlooking the gorge at mile 10.

All morning, we rode on the service road alongside I 84. Apart from the freeway noise, it was perfect. Rolling hills with the wind blowing hard at our backs and the sun warming us. Almost no car traffic and those that passed us went slow and gave us plenty of room.

Until… Flats number THREE and FOUR! First my front tire went flat, so we changed it to one I bought yesterday at Bull Moose Bikes in Twin Falls. This inner June was juiced with some kind of self-healing slime they recommended. My rear tire had also been slowly leaking air, so I tried to fill it and the tip of the valve came off when I unscrewed the cap. I did my best to repair that and filled the tire to 55 psi but as soon as my bags were back on it was flat again. So I used the 2nd tube I bought in the rear tire. With much help from Gary we were up and running again with about an hour lost.

But the wind and great conditions prevailed and we were having lunch in Burley at Wingers around 12:30. We detoured from our planned route to avoid a gravelly dirt road and in Rupert we picked up some food to cook at the campsite and a sandwich for tomorrow’s lunch.

The rest of the ride was pretty easy and the last 4 miles or so was so beautiful along the Snake River.

Walcott State Park is a gem. The first thing I did was go for a dip in the lake and wash off myself and my clothes (biodegradable Dr Bronner’s). Now time to set up camp.

Gary took a shower and then we shot a time lapse of setting up camp. When I have reliable wifi again, I will share it! All that’s left is dinner: rice, beans, impossible burgers and ramen.

June 27, 2026 – Day 15: Jackpot, NV to Twin Falls, ID

We hit the Jackpot! We escaped Nevada unscathed! 7 days in Nevada and as soon as we crossed the border to Idaho, the scenery and vibes changed.

We slept in! Got up at 6:30 and we were both well rested. We stayed till 8 am so we could take advantage of the “make your own damn waffles”. We were back on Hwy 93 but in 1/3 of a mile we were in Idaho! 

The road was better. The shoulder was wider and in better shape. We were enjoying the ride, rolling hills, but traffic eventually picked up and I was ready to get off Hwy 93. Our route had an alternative to Hwy 93, but some of it was dirt and with Gary’s rear rack still compromised, we opted to stay on 93 to Rogerson, where Helen’s cafe beckoned us. What a good choice! I haven’t had that good eggs and hash browns since Tom’s in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn (in the 90s!).

Not long after Rogerson, we made a left and found a paved route through the farmlands. This was idyllic. It was cool (low 50s) and windy and even some light rain but it was heaven. Beautiful cloudy skies and green farms and livestock and almost no traffic!

We headed straight to a bike shop and picked the closer independent one downtown, Bull Moose. On the way, we realized we were in Idaho and that means one thing to a cyclist: The Idaho Stop!!!! Cyclists can treat stop signs like yield signs and red lights as stop signs. More importantly, drivers in the Twin Falls area were so courteous and respectful. It was really a pleasure riding around town.

Bull Moose was fantastic. They were able to drill out the broken bolt in Gary’s frame (hanger) where the rack is supposed to attach. I was sent on a mission to the hardware store (twice) to get bolts to reattach the rack. It took a while but it was a chill place to hang, while they did the work. I also was able to fix the tension on my right pedal so I could clip in on both sides of the pedal and I got 2 new tubes, one of which they added sealant to in case I hit a burr, pretty common in these parts.

We still didn’t know where we were staying for the night. The campground we intended to stay Oregon Trail Campground had no vacancies. I had inquired in the warm showers app, but neither of the 2 listed hosts responded. We made the call to hotel it again with temps in the 40s overnight. Hampton Inn to the rescue! But first a late lunch at Koto Brewing. We debated the difference between West Coast and NE IPAs (no conclusion) and enjoyed their happy hour app (seared ahi tuna) and Korean BBQ broccoli tacos (me) and black bean burger (Gary).

After dumping our panniers at the Hampton Inn, we headed off with our remarkably light bikes to the Snake River. It was after 5 but still cool and dramatic skies.

We rode the path along the southern side of the river and saw the Perrine Memorial Bridge, the ramp that Evel Kneivel used in his ill-conceived attempt to jump the gorge and the remaining (half-)eponymous fall. Apparently one of the twin falls expired due to a damming experience.

On the way back to the motel, we dined at Redhawk’s on trout and (naturally, more IPA)

June 26, 2026 – Day 14: Wells to Jackpot, NV

We’re consistently getting up at 5:10 and today was no exception. We had packed up camp, bought sandwiches at the grocery next door and were rolling at 7:15.

We continued north on Hwy 93, knowing that there are no rest stops along the route until 3 miles before our destination. There was cloud cover all day. The wind, which mostly blew from the west, was neither friend nor foe for most of the day and then turned wicked evil at the end. Most of the day it was cooling us off, but also making it hard to ride in a straight line. By 11 am we were 40 miles into our 68 mile day.

All day, we were stuck in the narrow shoulder as traffic (there was a lot of that!) zoomed by closely at 70 mph, creating more wind! The shoulder, as yesterday was narrow and had a rumble strip. Sometimes we only had a one foot width to cycle on between the rumble strip and the edge of the road which often was sloped gravel. DOT NV is going to get a strongly worded letter from me when this is all over!

I noticed an uptick in road kill today. Maybe that’s because we were in a more hospital terrain for larger animals (lots more vegetation)? It’s not always easy to identify animals that are mauled as you pass them on bike, but I’d say it was mostly coyotes and deer. Interestingly, we passed two deer bridge crossings so deer could cross the road without getting mowed down.

As we approached Jackpot after lunch, we noticed two things: First, there were geological changes (large boulders) and then some white stone at the top of another hill

And secondly, we passed into Mountain Time!

The last 10 miles into Jackpot was dreadful. The wind got stronger and was blowing directly in our faces. Even on downhills, it was difficult to go 10 mph. And did I mention the trucks?! About 8 miles before Jackpot is the first rest area, Salmon Falls. Although we had just taken a break, we took another as the wind and traffic was zapping all the energy I could muster. I’m glad we did because it was somewhat scenic.

When we finally got to Jackpot and saw the dumpy RV site that we planned to stay in and felt drops of rains and saw that the temp was going to fall to 49, it was a no-brainer to decide to stay at the EconoLodge, which frankly was less “econo”, than I expected. Of course, it is situated up on a hill! And then guess what?! My front tire was soft – Flat number two! I’m blaming that for how slow I was going. It turns out that the puncture is identical to the one the night before in terms of placement, but we could not find anything stuck in the tire so I used my last tube and hope it gets me to Twin Falls tomorrow.

We had dinner at Cactus Pete’s. ‘Nuff said.

Tomorrow we say goodbye to Nevada! I don’t think I’ll be shedding tears.

June 25, 2026 – Day 13: Currie to Wells, NV

We both slept well, with our tents abutting an old cabin and we were up at 5:10, about an hour after the next door neighbor’s rooster started greeting the morning. The usual breakdown, breakfast making and cleanup ensued. We were so grateful to have a bathroom. Gary left a twenty for Steve as thanks. Steve popped out at 7 am to say goodbye as we hit the road.

We had more gentle inclines than downhills it seemed and I was consistently behind Gary all day. We both felt pretty tired and stopped every 10 miles or so to get off our bikes and eat or drink something. There was not even a rest stop the whole way and the shoulder was sometimes good, sometimes very thin and sometimes non-existent.

The wind shifted but was rarely behind us. Mostly, it blew from our left (West), but at the end of the 62 miles it felt like we were heading straight into it. Hwy 93 N is different than 50 W in that the latter went over several ranges, but 93 goes north in a valley between mountains. 93 seems as lonely as 50, so not sure why 50 gets all the credit as ” the loneliest highway”. Lots of truck traffic and traffic in general, which kind of sucked. There is a lot of monotony to the route and so I listened (when we finally had service) to my friend and ex-colleague, Alan Moore’s, ambient compositions on Spotify.

By 10 am we had covered over 40 miles and we got to Wells around 12:30 and went straight to the Municipal Pool, which is an indoor pool. We hung out outside and ate the lunch we had packed (sardines, hummus and cheese on ciabatta) and met a family driving from Sacramento to somewhere in Colorado. The mom was chatting us up as she has done some bike touring and really likes it. She gave us Trader Joe snacks.

We decided to head to the campground which is on the edge of town and has a laundry but, alas, no pool.

First Flat! When we were planning the trip, Gary noted on our RWGPS map that there is an Indian restaurant one mile from our campsite. So as we set off to fulfill this promise at 5:45, I immediately realized that my (fortunately) front tire was flat. We put in a new tube and used my Trek electric pump to inflate and voila! Indian here we come! Of course we ordered Bhindi (okra, also used in Iraqi cooking), in honor of Leonie Newman, my aunt and oldest living Mukamal relation, whose 92nd birthday is today!

June 24, 2026 – Day 12: Ely to Currie, NV

We basically woke up at the Jailhouse Motel when my watch alarm went off at 5:30. I had a weird violent nightmare that I kept returning to even after waking a few times to drink water and pee. It must have been the fried pickles from the Smash and Grab the night before.

We had the challenge of packing all our groceries and extra water so we both had a bit much strapped on our back racks.

We hit the road at 6:45 and quickly rode the 13 miles to McGill (our intended destination for yesterday). The Pony Express Fuel Stop supplied breakfast.

Around 8:00 we were on the road again, at a pretty good clip of 20ish mph. There was not much wind yet and the road was gently inclining down, flat or gently up. We agreed that 10 mile rest stops weren’t necessary, but maybe 15 miles. One break was at a proper rest area (only one), so we made the most of that.

We were still making great time and by 10 we had 45 miles done – more than we did yesterday! Rte 93 N seemed to have a lot more traffic than Hwy 50 and often the shoulder was very narrow with 1/2 of it being a rumble strip – great for tired and inattentive motorist safety, but a real drag for cyclists.

The wind picked up, and we had some slight inclines so we slowed at the end to 10-14 mph and arrived at Currie at 12:30. We made turkey and muenster sandwiches outside the now defunct Goshute Mercantile. Truckers seem to use the turn off for rests and to swap trailers, especially FedEx. So the idling has not stopped since we got here.

At one point NV DOT came by in a backhoe and dumped asphalt on some rust in the street. That was the main entertainment for the afternoon.

After relaxing in our camp chairs for a while, we pitched our tents next to one of the small cabins adjacent to the abandoned store. Our plan was to hang out in front of Goshute Mercantile at the picnic table and make dinner.

But storm-like winds started blowing and we had to huddle by the building. We were cutting carrots for our ramen feast, when Steve, a (the?) resident of Currie drove up and offered us water. We already had got some from the DOT maintenance yard next door so I said we are ok, but a few minutes later he came by and offered us the use of a bathroom with a shower that he just finished fixing up. It seems to be part of the RV site that is now defunct.

Steve told us all kinds of stories about the place. We learned that it is basically an extinct volcano and the stones and the nearby hills are volcanic.

We both took showers and then found the least windy place to make dinner: ramen with carrots & sardines and a second course of rice and chili beans with cheese.

So we went to bed clean, well fed and with good spirits knowing we have a similar day (a little more climbing but a little less mileage) tomorrow and enough water to get us there.

June 23, 2026 – Day 11: Illipah to Ely, NV

We were up at 5:10 and used the filtered water from the reservoir to make coffee/tea and oatmeal. With the water scarcity to think about, I had not washed my cookpot after last night’s Ramen. Standards are definitely sinking!

By 7:10 (yes, it takes time to pack up camp) we were ready to roll and did start rolling, downhill at first. Then there was a 6 mile climb to Robinson Pass, which ended at mile 20 and we took our 2nd break there, enjoying the apples that our friend Greg gave us the night before. With only 20 more miles to Ely (say “eely”), we knew we had enough water and then some…

We stopped in Ely to have lunch at Juanita’s and figure out what to do next. Schellraiser Campground (our intended destination) appears to be closed. But if we stay in Ely, we’ll have a 70+ ride tomorrow, albeit relatively flat.

After checking around for alternate places to stay in McGill, we came up short and rather than try to camp on the side of the road, we’ll stay in Ely today and push on to Curie (a ghost town) tomorrow. It will be a 76 mile day, but without big climbs or direct headwinds.

We decided to stay at the Jail House Motel on Main St in Ely and while we waited for the room to be ready, we rode over to the Nevada Railroad Museum. Apparently there is a state and a city museum in the same building. We went to the state museum, which was free and more modest, but the guy there told us the real excitement is the machinist shop, which cost $8 and is part of the city museum. We wanted to get our food shopping done so we skipped it and headed to the Ridley’s.

We needed food for lunch and dinner tomorrow and breakfast and dinner the next day. Tomorrow’s destination is Curie (ghost town) and the next day is a proper town, Wells, where we can get dinner. At this point we have covered about 570 miles of our journey!

June 22, 2026 – Day 10: Eureka to Illipah Reservoir, NV

We were up at 5:40 to get packed for a day that our plan ends in a primitive campsite. Fortunately, the Eureka Depot opens at 6 am on Mondays so we can have breakfast burritos before shoving off at 7:25.

Our 1st 5 miles was a long climb and it felt way hotter than the 68 degrees that my phone claimed. It took us 50 minutes to do the first 5 miles and 12 minutes to do the next! What a fun long downhill, but once it got flat again, I could feel that headwind slowing me down.

At this point it started to feel like a slog but we were much better about taking breaks and drafting. Also, knowing that we only are planning 42 mi today is encouraging. We didn’t get lucky like yesterday regarding a rest stop shaded picnic tables. But we did take an nice break for lunch at a pull out.

Again towards the end we had a very steep 5 mile climb. This one took a lot out of me. As we closed in on the campsite, we saw some actual cowboys rustling cattle. They had ropes and everything. There was a two one and a half mile dirt path leading to Illipah reservoir.

The campsites are up on a hill above the reservoir. I hiked down to get a swim and wash my clothes. The reservoir was very low and there was evidence of a more expansive lake: dried sea grass with dried out crustaceans (crawdads, crabs) embedded in it and caked mud that indicated moister times. There was a family fishing. The dad, Travis, chatted me up a bit. They had caught quite a few rainbow trout, which they apparently stock in the reservoir. The shoreline was very mucky and/or rocky, so getting in and out was treacherous. My foot got stuck and I almost fell. Overall not a great bathing experience, though the water was very cool. My clothes seem dirtier than before I washed them.

When I got back up to the campsite, Gary had already made friends with our neighbor who is also cycling across the country! His name is Greg. He is Dutch. And he is riding an e-bike with a trailer.

He’s already made a documentary about his last cross-country trip in 2022. He’s got an SLR an osmo like I do and two drones. He’s even carrying a pair of wooden shoes! He is very friendly and we spent the afternoon talking and sharing stories. He’s a remarkable person. Looking forward to seeing his documentary!

We decided to have dinner together. Meanwhile Gary had much more luck filtering water with his straw filtration system, than I did with my Sawyer squeeze filter, which only let the water through in drops!

At dinner, Greg offered us fruit, nuts, mac and cheese, carrots and macaroons. He was very generous and on top of our ramen and tuna, I left very full.

It’s quite tranquil and beautiful here.

No cell service (or wifi) tonight so today’s post won’t reach anyone till tomorrow.

June 21, 2026 – Day 9: Austin to Eureka, NV

Today might have been the most difficult day yet. I only managed 2 hours and 15 minutes of sleep (which my watch corroborates), so that was a contributing factor, but there also was steady climbing and, when there wasn’t, there was a strong headwind making the downhills and flats more exhausting.

We got up before 5 and Johannes was already packed and almost ready to go! We had heard the sprinklers would go off in the morning, so we packed up quickly and made our usual breakfasts (coffee for me and oatmeal). At 6 sharp the sprinklers went off and we had to move our stoves.

We got on the road at 6:45 and it was a grueling climb. By mile 20, I was pretty wiped, with 50 more to go! We tried to take turns drafting off each other, which we weren’t that good at, but it helped. The horizon always seems so far away, but eventually we get there and there’s a new horizon to chase.

There were no water stops or food the entire way to Eureka so we had to ration. My soundtrack for the latter part of the day was Abdullah Ibrahim, who sadly passed last week. We ate the lunch we carried at the only rest stop the entire 70 miles from Austin to Eureka.

Close to Eureka there were some cool rock formations.

In Eureka, we opted to stay on the Sundown Lodge rather than camp. We rode back 2 miles to get dinner and lunch and dinner for tomorrow at the Raines Market. No restaurants in Eureka are open Sunday night.

We used the motel laundry to wash our clothes, for a change. I’m already feeling much better. Shorter day tomorrow too!

June 20, 2026 – Day 8: Middlegate Station to Austin, NV

As soon as we were in bed last night, the sky opened up and the rain came bucketing down. Again, so glad we weren’t camping! The room we had in Middlegate was very funky. The AC blew in sand so we had to turn it off and there was a funky smell (I thought maybe a dead rodent?). So at 5:10, we were up and packing to avoid some heat and traffic. On the road at 6:40. We ditched our original route to Austin inadvertently and stayed on 50. That ended up being less climbing and offered us a breakfast stop in Cold Springs, where we also ordered sandwiches for the long ride to Austin. We called a few motels for tonight, but all were apparently booked!

The road (50) to Austin was down, then up and down. Some big gradual climbs but also some long downhill. We ate our sandwiches at Airy Summit, the biggest peak of the day.

The last couple of miles into Austin was very steep and I was wiped out with 62 miles for the day.

We decided to recoup at the town pool at Bert T Gandolfo Park. Immediately, we saw another bikepacker. His name is Johannes and he’s Swiss. He left NYC in April and is heading to SF!

So after considering an afternoon ride to Bob Scott Campground, which is technically closed, we decided to hang with Johannes at the park. They gave us permission to camp there! We will go down to town to get food for lunch tomorrow and get some dinner.

At Grandma’s House for dinner, we met yet another cross country bike packer. This guy, Steve, is from Cheshire, England and apparently was at Middlegate Station last night too. He’s heading to Eureka (same as us) tomorrow. The pizza at Grandma’s House was remarkably good!

June 19, 2026 – Day 7: Lahontan to Middlegate Station, NV

We got up with the dawn and saw a beautiful sunrise over the reservoir. The evening before got pretty windy. My tent almost blew away (Gary saved it) and we had to put big rocks on the stakes to prevent it. There were thunderstorms east of us (Tahoe and Carson City) but we got no rain. We made coffee and oatmeal and hit the road at 7:30.

On Hwy 50 again the riding was pleasant except for when the wind from huge trucks would make us wobble. Our first real break was at Wild Horse Cafe outside Fallon where we debated staying in Fallon for a short day or pushing on to Middlegate (another 55 miles!).

In Fallon proper we decided to push on to Middlegate, tomorrow’s original destination. It would be an 80 mile day, but we’d avoid camping at the Grimes Archeology Site or staying in Fallon, which would have been a super short day. We did take a break at the Archeology site but didn’t hike to see anything, except some cute hungry chipmunks.

Shortly after, though, the bolt on Gary’s back rack decided to give up the ghost and he had to fix it with a metal zip tie (I didn’t even know that this existed). But then the hard part. Two biggish climbs and, amazingly, 82 miles! I had a lot of water anxiety, and though I had enough, it was very warm. 🫤 Allman Brothers and then Neil Young kept me going. When Everyone Knows this is Nowhere came on, I felt all was right in the world.

As we got closer to Middlegate, the wind kicked up. Fortunately, it was mostly at our back. Unfortunately, it brought an incredible dust storm and just as we pulled into Middlegate, it reached an unrideable peak.

We opted not to camp and got a room for $40! This day was epic for us, in terms of endurance. Burgers and beers at the Middlegate Restaurant topped off the day (after a salmon, kale and rice plate we got way back in Fallon).

June 18, 2026 – Day 6: South Lake Tahoe, CA to Lahontan, NV

We got up at 5:15 and made coffee and oatmeal (first time) and packed up camp.

We were on the road at 7:30 to beat some of the heat. By 8, we had crossed into Nevada and saying goodbye to the lake:

Then we were climbing again to Spooner Summit. It was not too bad on Hwy 50: mostly two lanes and a wide shoulder. At one point the right lane was closed (DOT fixing drainage) so we had a de facto protected bike lane!

The downhill from Spooner Summit into Carson City was electrifying! I barely touched my brakes and Garmin says my max speed was 36. I would have guessed 40. But it went on and on!

Carson City seemed to be strip mall after strip mall till we got to the old town which was very nice. Gary had his derailleur adjusted at The Bike Smith (no charge!) and we had a delicious lunch at Heidi’s Family Restaurant (turkey sandwich for me and shrimp chili relleno for Gary). I think I left one of my credit cards there. Oops!

After that we stopped at Dayton and Stagecoach on Hwy 50. It was hot, high 90’s so we were chugging Gatorades. In Stagecoach, we bought frozen burritos to have for dinner. The owner of the market asked if we were with that other group, heading to Savannah. He had a visitors log which he wanted me to write our story in. He also asked me to make it funny! We also stopped again at Lahontan Market, 2 miles from our campsite. Weird place. But I got a Coors Banquet tallboy in honor of Miles. It was barely cold.

As soon as we got to our campsite (lucky 13), we jumped in the lake. Fish were also jumping!

We re-planned the next couple of days to avoid camping on the side of the road and reduce our hydration fears. More on that later!

June 17, 2026 – Day 5: Kyburz to South Lake Tahoe

Slept till 6:15, but it wasn’t especially restful. Maybe I sleep best in a tent! We were on the road (Hwy 50) at 7:15 and it was all steady uphill for the first hour or so. Our first 5 miles took an hour! Before 9, we got to the Strawberry General Store, a great place to stop especially for campers. We had a proper coffee and breakfast there. They had some other cross country riders pass through yesterday, heading to Savannah.

I stuck with The Clash to motivate me, as we were back on Hwy 50 till the summit. If I had to sum up the ride it would be this:

At the summit, we got some respite from the whizzing cars and trucks, by getting on Johnson Pass Rd. We had a great view of Lake Tahoe from the top at Echo Summit Lodge.

Then we had some crazy steep downhills. My wrists hurt from breaking so hard. That led us into Meyers where we had very pleasant bike paths alternating with a bike lane on Hwy 50 all the way to Lake Tahoe. By 1pm we had set up camp at Campground by the Lake and then lunch at Sprouts Cafe (had a huge Cali Nicoise salad and a Deschuttes Pilsner). Next stop was Lake Tahoe itself where we lounged and swam.

Tonight, Curt, a rider we met 3 days back, invited us to join him and his wife for dinner. And we just got back from a lovely dinner with Curt and Nora. We all had salmon and quinoa. Such a fun night. 🙏 Just realized though that I forgot to take a picture…

June 16, 2026 – Day 4: Placerville to Kyburz

Despite sleeping in a bed, I did not feel well rested when I got up at 5:20. Best Western had a big breakfast buffet and I filled up on oatmeal and yogurt. The good news was by stopping early last night, we could avoid the detour we had to get to the campground that we had planned to sleep at last night, and instead take the El Dorado Trail all the way to Camino. What a great choice! It was paved and beautiful. A very serious runner gave us some good route instructions and we stayed on the El Dorado Trail till the end. That runner was booking because every time we stopped, he would pass us. Granted we were going steadily (and slowly) uphill the whole way but by the end of 10 miles on the path, when he turned around, he was ahead of us! In fact, we went a little bit too far on the last bit of the El Dorado Trail, which turned to gravel, and then dead ended at the freeway so we had to backtrack that part, but it wasn’t so bad.

We took some back roads that paralleled Highway 50 into Camino where we stopped for a second breakfast at a very sweet Cafe.

We decided to stick with our plan and spend the night in Kyburz, at the Sierra Inn. We called ahead and found out that there are not any food options nearby, so we’ll stock up for lunch and dinner in Pollock Pines at the Safeway. Carson Road, From Camino to Pollock Pines was so beautiful.

Leaving Pollock Pines, we had a back road for about 6 miles with some extreme grades! We stopped for our sandwich lunch on Peavine Ridge Rd, just off the 14 (!) miles on highway 50 to Kyburz. Give ‘Em Enough Rope (The Clash) was my soundtrack.

We were dreading the ride on Highway 50, but it turned out much of it in the beginning was downhill so we were able to move quickly through it. There was shade in some places. And even when we were climbing it wasn’t as bad as we had anticipated. Yeah obviously there was some jackoffs that buzzed us or honked, but most of them were respectful. Even so, a little scary. Sometimes when there’s a cliff to your right and cars moving at 55 mph to your left. The cliff to the right was above the American River and every so often we had gorgeous views of it.

At the Sierra Inn they gave us a first floor room where we could roll our bikes right in. And immediately, we walked down to the American River and cooled off there. What a gorgeous place.

June 15, 2026 – Day 3: West Sacramento to Placerville, CA

Got another early start today. On the road at 7. It was easy because the truck stop abutting the camp was very noisy starting at 5ish. By 7:50 we were having a very civilized breakfast at Steamers in Old Sacramento.

After breakfast we hopped on the American trail bike path, which stretches about 20 miles North towards Folsom. There are so many cyclists. Lots of recumbents, too. Two pretty serious cyclists stopped to say hi. One, Greg, is following me now on Strava. The other, Curt, offered us his house in South Tahoe! Very nice indeed.

We took a dip in Lake Natoma, just south of Folsom. At 12:30 it was 87° when we got back on the American River Bike Trail, crossed Lake Natoma and got on the Johnny Cash trail (fitting for Folsom).

After the Oak Parkway Trail ended, we got on a stroad (look it up) and it was culture shock. No more nice cyclists, hikers and runners, just a sea of SUVs in this mad heat. At a T-intersection, all sides had a red light so we went through. We violated no one’s right of way. Some clown in his Suburban started honking at us so I gave him the Red Hook middle finger (aka the bird). When he caught up to us he started lecturing us about how we are giving cyclists a bad name. What I should have said (and am saying now): “Ok, but you give humans a bad name.”

We were pretty wiped by the intense heat and stopped more often. Once, at a berry stand where the woman there offered us a shady seat behind the stand as we gobbled our berries.

We made the tough decision that we would not make it to Camp Nauvoo as planned and focused on a motel near Placerville instead. A shake at Jamba Juice helped perk us up and we set our sights on the BEST WESTERN in Placerville, where they have been very accommodating.

June 14, 2026 – Day 2: Napa to West Sacramento, CA

We woke up early (5:30) at Skyline Wilderness Park, both of us having slept pretty well in spite of (or because of) the prior night’s festivities. Not only Gary’s party at cousin Michael-Tori and my picnic with the Ernish-Loutitt-Handley + Krupa crowd, but there was a Quinceañera party at the Social Hall by our campsite!

We had breakfast burritos at the Monticello Deli and then started the long and winding climb up Monticello Rd. It was about 20 miles of climbing. Yes there were some downhills but the road was winding and steep. Music definitely helped on the long climbs: Grateful Dead in the morning and King Crimson in the afternoon.

Lots of trucks with boats passing us on the way to the lake. But, to be fair, they mostly slowed down and gave us a wide girth. Towards the end we got to Lake Berryessa and stopped to take a dip.

Our next stop was in Winters, where we had (you you guessed it) burritos! By now it was well over 90° and though the writing was pretty flat when we got to Davis we were so wiped out. That was mostly due to the fact that a bridge we were meant to take was closed and we had an 8 mile detour!

In Davis, we stopped to try and swim in one of the city pools (Arroyo), but it was due to open the next day. So on to our Campground in Sacramento West where the last stretch was on a bike path right adjacent to interstate 80. So unpleasant. But our Campground is very nice despite being next to the freeway and has a pool so we’re feeling pretty good, going to bed now, sans beer or dinner.

June 13, 2026 – Day 1: San Francisco to Napa, CA

It’s here! We both were up early and hit the road at 7:30. So foggy in SF and across the Golden Gate Bridge. So many other riders in packs were also heading north. Packs of cyclists of all ages. In Sausalito it was beautiful and we had a nice breakfast at the Sausalito Bakery. It brought me back to the late 80’s when I did day trips over the GG. Our route kept us close to the Bay and we were often on the scenic Bay Trail. Who knew Pinole was so beautiful?! In Hercules we had a great vegan treat at Dreambowlz for lunch.

The vine trail from Vallejo to Napa was also beautiful. Temps hit the 80s and I felt pretty done when we hit Napa around 2 pm. Gary went on to visit cousins in Napa and I headed straight to the campground to shower and set up tent  at Skyline Wilderness Campground. Lo and Behold, Kiera, Spencer, Biden, Theo, Ann and Chris brought me  a party! I’m very fortunate to have such great in-laws. What fun! And to top it off, Spencer fixed my handlebar bag so it can close with a tug.

June 12, 2026

Today we cycled to REI in SOMA. We needed propane and bear spray, but I was also able to get some fixes done on my bike (derailleur and brake cable) that was much needed after reassembly. The manager and mechanic, Brian, was meticulous! Both Gary and I did some last minute impulse buying too: I saw waterproof front panniers that are so superior to my old Kangaroos that I had to have them and Gary upgraded his air mattress.

Later we took a plunge in the Pacific to mark our official start at the west coast. And we ended the day with a delicious dinner with Mary and Bob FitzHoward – thanks so much for dinner! Psyched to start our journey in the morning.

Special thanks to Jake for putting us up these two nights!

June 11, 2026

After a terrible first half for the Knicks last night, I figured sleep was more important… That is, until the fireworks woke me up! Anyway, sorry to have missed the historic 2nd half of game 4. I was up at 3:40 am and Arecibo picked me and my bike up and then Gary and his bike and we were in the air by 8:20. In SFO, we assembled our bikes (very stressful) and then rode the 19 miles to Jake’s apartment in the Presidio. We passed the Pacific Ocean on the way!

Heading over to Zeitgeist now to meet up with some SF friends!

So great to see old friends, relatives, ex-colleagues. Thank you for coming out! And thanks to Maureen Fitzgerald for the very cool Rapha hat!

June 10, 2026

It’s getting real. Last night, so many friends came out to see Gary and me off at Strong Rope. Whether you were able to make it or not, we thank you all for your support.

Bike in box weighs in at 45 lbs and suitcase with panniers weigh in at 50.4 lbs. I think I can avoid the overweight fee at the airport. 🤔

I weighed in today at 143.4 lbs. Taking bets whether I gain or lose weight on this ride.

June 9, 2026

Gary got to Brooklyn yesterday. I got my bike boxed up at Bicycle Habitat today and we’re both looking forward to seeing people at our send off at Strong Rope this evening! In 48 hours we’ll be in SF.

June 5, 2026

It’s Elizabeth and my 27th anniversary. 3 cubed.

I loaded up my bike for the first time since last year’s Quebec (West) tour with 718 Cyclery. Then I took it for a spin out to Brooklyn Bridge Park. Everything seems ok! I weighed the bike with just racks and tool bag (36 lbs) and then fully loaded (74 lbs!). That seems like a lot… 🤷

June 2, 2026

Biked to Bethel Woods from Lake Huntington to play Disc Golf with good friends Deb and Kyle

June 1, 2026

Beautiful day for a ride to Callicoon from Lake Huntington with my bestie. 4 more days till our 27th anniversary

May 29, 2026

Great rally at City Hall this morning in support of Universal Daylighting, an idea whose time has come! Here are two fellow advocates, Janet and Hilda (also fellow swimmer)! Who’s Streets? Our Streets!

May 26, 2026

Another challenging training ride today. This time one I’ve done a lot. Lake Huntington to Livingston Manor up Shandalee Rd. One of my favorite spots to eat lunch: Main Street Cafe in Livingston Manor.

May 22, 2026

Very challenging ride to Cold Spring today! Thanks to Rich Miller for organizing and leading Adam White, Mark Burns and me on some amazing trails in Nyack and Haverstraw along the Hudson River.

May 17, 2026

Many people have asked me what I am bringing on this 80-day jaunt across the USA. OK that’s a lie – no one has asked, but if you are wondering I started an inventory of how I packed.

May 15, 2026

River Road training ride with Kurt Vandenberg. First real climbs of the year. Sierras are going to kick my butt!

May 7, 2026

Joining a few bikepackers in Prospect Park for breakfast outdoors, courtesy of 718 Outdoors.

May 4, 2026

After attending the Brooklyn Greenway ribbon cutting on 3rd Ave, rode with Jay Lonschein to Shirley Chisholm park. Check out this triumvirate of Greenway legends.

May 1, 2026

Went on a short ride to Kearney, NJ with Charlie Komanoff. Here’s an interesting view from the Lincoln Highway Bridge.

Apr 19, 2026

Took the day off from training but had a nice walk in Forest Park in Queens with Elizabeth. It’s sad that the Adams administration rescinded the ban on cars that had been in place for 5 years. When will we collectively decide that cars do not belong in our parks?!

Apr 17, 2026

Training ride to Shirley Chisholm State Park. Turning those ski legs back to bike legs.

Apr 11, 2026

Two months from today, Gary and I will fly to SF with our bikes in boxes and on June 13th, we will begin our epic journey. You can follow us here, or by following Gary or me on Strava or on Ride With GPS. We would love for you to show your support by making a donation to Families for Safe Streets, an organization that does so much good and means so much to us.

Feb 2, 2026

We finished mapping the route. All is subject to change but here’s the day-to-day and below is a < 2 min video that shows how we plan to traverse the US

Jan 11, 2026

Jan 2, 2026

We have begun planning the route from SF to Brooklyn. This RWGPS Map Collection shows the segments we have drafted as well as the full route we are aiming for:

Dec 31, 2025

On the eve of 2026, I write my first post as Gary Eckstein and I plan our bike trip from San Francisco to New York.