Ten years ago, Mike Bush and I had the foolhardy idea to ride our bikes across the country. We didn’t really have any idea what we were getting ourselves into, but probably the most unexpected result was that i would get completely hooked on bike touring, to the point that it has almost become a lifestyle for me. I measure the years by the tours that i’ve done!
Well, here i am, still at it. This tour was originally supposed to start in New Mexico along with my buddy-for-life Megan Swoboda. Unfortunately, her knees did not cooperate with this idea. We were bummed out for a few days before realizing we could turn the bike trip into a road trip. And then i realize i could tack on a bike trip onto the end of the road trip!
So here’s the plan :
After a spectacular road trip through the southwest and new orleans, megan will drop me off in Rocky Mountain National Park. From there, I’ll pedal down the peak-to-peak highway, then veer west over Loveland pass. It’ll be one of the more difficult tour beginnings I’ve done, not having ridden a bike in over a month then diving strait into mountain terrain at over 8000 feet elevation, including a near 12000 foot pass. If i make it, it’s all downhill from there as i follow the Colorado River via a series of bike paths and side roads, through Glenwood Canyon, until i reach grand junction. There, I’ll be meeting up with Andrew, most likely pulling him out of the bell of his helicon.
Andrew and i will continue down the Colorado, making detours to the Colorado national Monument and arches national park. From there, we make our way north across Utah, leaving no hot springs unvisited, through salt Lake city and into Idaho. We’ll then meet up with the snake river until we reach twin falls. There, i will trade tuba players, saying goodbye to Andrew and hello to Pierre, who will have undoubtedly used his basque superpowers and arrived via magic beret.
Pierre and i will continue northwest through Idaho and into Oregon. We’ll briefly follow the route Mike and i did ten years ago as we make our way through the beautiful mountains and deserts of Central Oregon as we pedal our way up the the Columbia River Gorge. Then, we’ll break West and finally end our journey in Portland, we’ll I’ll be reunited with m-swob!
It should be a great trip! Stay tuned to find out how it goes!