25 days 11 states 3,000 miles 84,250' climbing
In September 2002, with about 40 other cyclists, I rode my bike across the country, averaging 120 miles a day for 25 days. I passed through eight states I've never been in before and saw many landmarks for the first time, including Route 66, the Appalachian Mountains, and the Mississippi River. Read the report...
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Ride Report
(Click on a day/date to view a report for that day.)
Summary
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DAY/DATE | FROM | TO | MILES/CLIMB (FT) |
0 - Sat, Sep 7 | Santa Cruz, CA | San Diego, CA | 500/? (drive) |
1 - Sun, Sep 8 | San Diego, CA | El Centro, CA | 129/7,500 |
2 - Mon, Sep 9 | El Centro, CA | Blythe, CA | 105/2,000 |
3 - Tue, Sep 10 | Blythe, CA | Wickenburg, AZ | 118/3,100 |
4 - Wed, Sep 11 | Wickenburg, AZ | Williams, AZ | 135/9,000 |
5 - Thu, Sep 12 | Williams, AZ | Winslow, AZ | 105/2,300 |
6 - Fri, Sep 13 | Winslow, AZ | Springerville, AZ | 128/3,500 |
7 - Sat, Sep 14 | Springerville, AZ | Socorro, NM | 157/4,000 |
8 - Sun, Sep 15 | Socorro, NM | Vaughn, NM | 135/6,700 |
9 - Mon, Sep 16 | Vaughn, NM | Tucumcari, NM | 101/3,000 |
10 - Tue, Sep 17 | Tucumcari, NM | Amarillo, TX | 125/1,600 |
11 - Wed, Sep 18 | Amarillo, TX | Erick, OK | 122/1,600 |
12 - Thu, Sep 19 | Erick, OK | Chickasha, OK | 138/4,000 |
13 - Fri, Sep 20 | Chickasha, OK | McAlester, OK | 143/3,600 |
14 - Sat, Sep 21 | McAlester, OK | Mena, AR | 110/4,000 |
15 - Sun, Sep 22 | Mena, AR | Arkadelphia, AR | 84/1,000 |
16 - Mon, Sep 23 | Arkadelphia, AR | Pine Bluff, AR | 85/1,000 |
17 - Tue, Sep 24 | Pine Bluff, AR | Lula, MS | 132/500 |
18 - Wed, Sep 25 | Lula, MS | Tupelo, MS | 139/3,200 |
19 - Thu, Sep 26 | Tupelo, MS | Lawrenceburg, TN | 129/3,600 |
20 - Fri, Sep 27 | Lawrenceburg, TN | Winchester, TN | 94/2,400 |
21 - Sat, Sep 28 | Winchester, TN | Calhoun, GA | 116/5,600 |
22 - Sun, Sep 29 | Calhoun, GA | Gainesville, GA | 91/4,800 |
23 - Mon, Sep 30 | Gainesville, GA | Greenwood, SC | 124/3,600 |
24 - Tue, Oct 1 | Greenwood, SC | Orangeburg, SC | 121/2,300 |
25 - Wed, Oct 2 | Orangeburg, SC | Charleston, SC | 108/350 |
PDF (553k) of all days
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Favorite Ride Photos
(Click on photos to see larger images.)
Acton Shot: Troy "Team Bad Boy" from Michigan searches the Gainesville, Georgia, phone book for "entertainment" for the evening. Unfortunately, it was a Sunday and all of the "gentlemen's clubs" were closed. Doing laundry in my sink every evening and hoping for a dial-up connection may not have been a very exciting way to spend my vacation, but at least it kept me off of the streets.
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Bisti enjoys a very thorough belly rub from Doreen.
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Good question. I thought the back side of the sign might have the answer, but all it said was, "Have you watched our Jesus videos?"
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A temporary "PAC Tour" tattoo on the back of Manfred's leg
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A Rare PAC Tour Commodity: As Lon calls them, "sit-down toilets"
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One of many trusty arrows painted on the street that helped guide us across the country.
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No reason to let a minor detail like a closed road stop us. Most PAC Tour roads were in better shape than this one.
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Favorite Ride Quote
Bob, from Davis, California, offers this ultracycling tip:
"You have to ask yourself three questions. One. Am I bleeding from my eye sockets? Two. Am I projectile vomiting? Three. Are organs that are meant to be on the inside of my body on the outside? If you can't answer 'yes' to any of those questions, get back on your bike and keep riding!"
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