Posted by Ryan | Filed under Route
Just in case anyone is still reading our site… Alex and I have a simple favor to ask. Push America, the non-profit organization Alex and I have been working with since the year 2000 is currently in the midst of a no holds barred Facebook shootout. If they get enough votes to win the Chase Community [...]
Posted by Ryan | Filed under Route
Alex and I made it back to Colorado on Monday afternoon. We had come to terms with our trip ending but still it was a bit surreal after cycling so many miles to hop back on a plane and to try to fit back into our old lives. But we’re here and we’re doing it.
I [...]
Posted by Ryan | Filed under California, Unexpected
Even before we bought our plane tickets to Alaska we knew that we may not be able to complete our trip in its entirety. Back in June we had read the most recent travel alert from the State Department; it was strife with warnings for travelers but still left us confident that a safe route could be [...]
Posted by Ryan | Filed under California
Cycling in Big Sur, CA. The going up mountains on this trip is slooooowwww. Check it out:
Santa Barbara gave us the nicest, most isolated bike path we’ve been on:
Then it gave us the nicest freeway we’ve had to ride:
Some irony in outside of LA, sorry about the poor audio quality:
Posted by Ryan | Filed under California, People
We arrived in San Francisco after a day of grueling hills and what seemed like a thousands turns. Crossing the Golden Gate bridge reminded us both of the time we had crossed it going the opposite away on the Journey of Hope (Ryan in ‘02, Alex in ‘06). The winds were stiff, the views magnificent, [...]
Posted by Ryan | Filed under California, People
The night we were leaving Eureka, CA Dustin made a joke about cycling through a town named Garberville. He said something to the effect – don’t go into the woods to pee, just go from the bike. He was referencing the Garberville’s reputation as the marijuana capital of Humboldt County. Along our way we’d heard [...]
Posted by Ryan | Filed under California, Route
Taken by Alex as we were traversing the Newton B. Drury Parkway just South of Eureka, CA. We had to climb a big hill that eventually led us to a 12 mile downhill. Here is a small taste of what we do every day:
Posted by Ryan | Filed under California, Oregon, People, Route
Leaving Portland we spent a day heading west just to get to the coast. Route 26 was likely the most frightening road we’ve been on and it taught us a valuable lesson: not all highways are created equal. Until Portland all highways with the label “US” had been two lanes and pretty simple to navigate. [...]
Posted by Ryan | Filed under Oregon, People
People in Seattle weren’t shy telling us that Portland was a better place. We had our doubts. But in the end Portland may have won our hearts. It was US 30 that brought us over the bridge from Washington into Oregon and ultimately into Portland. It was a bustling road but it’s 2 meter shoulder [...]
Posted by Ryan | Filed under People, Washington
The morning we left Seattle Alex was bringing our bikes outside, prepping them for departure when Rob and David’s neighbor Donna walked up. Their conversation went something like this:
Donna: My mechanic is going to be here at noon if you guys need anything done.
Alex: Mechanic? Like bike mechanic?
Donna: Yeah, he’s a mobile bike mechanic – [...]