Bike Across America
February 29, Bethesda
I’ve started this travel journal in order to document my travel along the One America Trail. Although the transcontinental won’t be fully completed until the summer, enough of it has already been connected and I want to get a peek at it before the cycling boom.
It’s still a bit chilly at my home, so I’ve made sure to pack my lucky cycling jacket and some hand warmers.
My family kissed me and wished me luck, but I shan’t need it. I’ve planned out my trip itinerary. If I travel on average six hours a day, at an average of 12 miles-per-hour, it should take me 43 days to reach the other end at San Diego. At that point I’ll hop on a train and travel the southern corridor until I get back.
The entrance to the trail is still undergoing polish. There’s a trail guide post, but no pamphlets or phone scanner. I don’t need it to know what to expect: three thousand miles of protected bike lanes that stretch across the continent.
March 3, Pittsburgh
After exerting myself a bit farther than I wanted, I managed to get lodging in the city of Pittsburgh.
It’s hard to overstate the beauty of travelling by bike when you don’t need to worry about cars. I passed by a family going for a Sunday bike ride this morning. I hope that once my children grow a bit more we will be able to do the same.
The Appalachians have been a bit challenging due to the grading of the trail. I talked to someone about it when I was in Rockwood. It seems like a better path will be part of the Phase 2 expansion in a couple years. Still, it wasn’t as bad as I thought.
March 5, Akron
Stopping in the city for the night. In a foul mood.
This state has been all too slow in putting up protective barriers. I was nearly in a collision earlier today while trying to bike through Randolph. Then the bus driver honked their horn at me, like it was my fault! Needless to say, I am looking forward to getting some rest.
March 10, Chicago
After passing by Toledo, I’ve been too occupied to write. There has been unseasonably warm weather these past few days and I’ve been enjoying every minute of it. These are the perfect days for biking, just warm enough that you can wear shorts while not drenched in sweat.
I’m writing from the park at Lake Michigan. It’s so serene right now that it’ll be hard to pick up my bag and return to my hotel. I’ve taken at least a dozen photos of this sunset. It’s going to be hard to forget.
Speaking of photos, I need to mention the path that was constructed through Fort Wayne. Embedded inside the concrete barriers were planted flowers. It was like passing through a garden. I couldn’t help but imagine myself as a bee, or a hummingbird, immersed in color and sweet scents.
March 16, Des Moines
Passed over something on one of the country roads. Front tire’s flat. The trail program is supposed to offer a free tune-up and tires, but that isn’t supposed to be until it opens and you scan your phone. Neither are true for me.
That didn’t stop Zeke when I brought my bike to Zeke’s Bike Repair. When I told him what I was doing, recording this journal, he said he’d do it free of charge. I don’t mind the subtle advertising, as he’s a good guy. I promised to buy him a drink if he’s ever in Bethesda someday.
He also told me how excited he is for the trail to pass through the city. Already he’s been getting a number of patrons asking him questions about cycling. For him, it is the goal he had been seeking for decades. He was among the first to achieve protected bike lanes after being hit by a car. He started the city’s Organization of Cyclist Commuters and has been the chair ever since.
I’m staying with his family tonight. I didn’t want to impose, but he was insistent. Needless to say I never would’ve met him without this trail program.
March 17, Dunlap
Bike repair finished around noon, and I set out immediately to catch the rest of the sunlight. I had decided to forego lunch in order to keep my pace.
Nature is an ironic beast though. I was not too far out of Des Moines when dark clouds began to form. While I could do with a bit of a drizzle, the torrential downpours by mid-afternoon had started flooding the trails. Unfortunately they didn’t do a good enough job of drainage.
The storm looks like it’ll be passing through slowly. This will add at least two more days to my schedule. I don’t know if I’ll be able to catch up. If I can’t buy more time before Utah, I’ll be a few days later.
Amy misses me of course. I didn’t want to give her the bad news. She’s already got a lot on her mind. The kids are fine as well. Apparently they don’t even notice I’m missing. But my dad is probably a good enough replacement.
March 24, Valentine
I’ve got no complaints about this section of the trail. The weather has been getting gradually warmer as I’ve continued west. No more heavy rain, just a few drizzles yesterday.
I got the chance to meet one of the trail engineering leads in Norfolk. Actually it happened by accident as I passed through the trail as they were performing some beautification.
Wallace is his name. He was surprised to see me, as they hadn’t announced their completion yet. It was only a few days before they finished laying the concrete. Perhaps that delay in Dunlap was advantageous.
He agreed that the trails shouldn’t be flooding and promised to follow-up with the manager of Iowa state at their next meeting. I got his phone number too. I’ll probably spam him with trail photos. I’m sure my family has seen them sync to the photo frames when I turn in for the night.
Wallace told me that protected bike lanes had been in Norfolk for a while and that a sizable part of the public used bikes for commuting. He had originally acted as a consultant for other cities in the state before the national effort began.
March 26, Crawford
I’ve been keeping at a faster pace, closer to 15 miles-per-hour, in an attempt to catch up. I was unsuccessful. By the time I got through the Nebraska National Forest my legs felt like they were about to collapse. I had to break early.
I guess it’s a lesson in tempting fate. I’m only human.
The forest was magnificent though. My family should be able to see once I upload the helmet cam video. Spring has arrived and there is a great deal of dew on the budding flowers. The entire landscape glittered in a brilliant light.
I ate dinner at a small diner. When I told them about my journal they were eager to talk to me about the trail. The diner had been suffering over the past few years due to less business. The trail passes through that street, which is how I saw the place. Needless to say, it should be a good way to promote customers.
March 28, Casper
A fun decline at the end into the city was a great way to take a break before retiring for the night.
It’s a nice day, and it didn’t cool down at night. I took the opportunity to go out to eat. The city center was entirely devoted to pedestrians, so I left my trusty bike in the hotel locker.
I ate at a table overlooking the park fountains, which sprayed colorful water in the air in time to music. Somehow I got roped into a game of bar trivia with people at the same table. We didn’t do well needless to say, as my friends know how bad I am at pop culture stuff.
But my tablemates were pretty interested in my journal project. One of them, Jamie, uses a wheelchair. Car collision when she was younger. The guy was intoxicated.
Anyway I don’t want this to be a sad story. She’s actually become an activist and city contributor to the safe pedestrian policies. It’s because of her that we have this pedestrian-friendly center.
I’m sure Amy would get along with Helena. Both are into mathematics. She managed to get a perfect score on the science round, the one in which I casually sipped at my IPA and kept my eyes low. I promised to return one day for a double date. Amy seemed receptive to the idea, but didn’t seem eager to do it this summer. I get it.
March 31, Farson
Writing at the reservoirs. I saw a few fisherman there. They seemed to be having a good time.
The air here is really crisp. I mentioned this to the receptionist when I checked into the hotel. She told me that fresh mountain air comes down from the Rockys. They have been taking care of their environmental impact, keeping this air and water clean. That’s what allowed fish to thrive in the reservoirs.
Apparently they are also growing algae in there, for use as a fuel source. There were large boats in the middle moving slowly throughout the day. I wanted to ask someone about it, but it had escaped my mind until right now. I don’t think I’d get it anyway. I’ll have to wait until Amy comes with me next time.
Other than that, there’s been nothing to report. The trails have been fine. Very low grade. Not many places to stop, but I imagine hotel chains will be buying up nearby land soon. Admittedly I’ve not been too happy with the quality of some of these places.
April 3, Salt Lake City
I had hoped that I’d be able to catch up to the few days lost in Dunlap. Fate dealt me with a different set of cards though. As I was crossing over some of the mountain paths my bike slipped and I took a bit of a fall.
Amy is more worried about it than she should be. It’s just a mild sprain. The doctor who took my EHR said that I should be fine in a few days, as I don’t have any prior history. In fact he said I was in good physical shape.
Since I had some time to kill, I headed over to the local city hall in a hospital-issued wheelchair. I complained about the bike trail. They were apologetic. Actually, I ended up feeling bad for complaining. But I’m glad they’ll be doing something about it.
Well, it wasn’t of my own volition but I managed to get to Salt Lake City.
April 9, West Wendover
I finally managed to get out of the city and cross into Nevada. My pace is off. I’m going even slower than before plus there are a bunch of days lost entirely. I’ve been kicking myself, metaphorically.
Needless to say Amy is not happy at all. She seemed hesitant when I talked to her, like there was something she wasn’t telling me. But no matter how hard I pushed, she seemed insistent that I finish out the journey.
The kids seem to be noticing my absence. My father, as it turns out, cannot replace me.
The grade was a bit tough in places. I really wasn’t fond of applying that much pressure, so it was a tough few bits. Thankfully the rest of the trip should be relatively flat.
I’m not sure that these are even bike trails. Much of the area hadn’t been blocked off and there weren’t any trail posts. I think they just decided what they had was good enough and didn’t bother.
There’s nothing around. It feels pretty boring.
I was chatting with the folks in Salt Lake about their trails. I didn’t mention it before, my mind was otherwise occupied. A second offshoot trail is supposed to be developed that provides an alternate route, through Wichita, down to Dallas, and then west to San Diego. I may consider taking that next time, as it’ll evade the mountains, but then we’ll need to make different plans for Wyoming.
April 14, Goldfield
There are some light hills around here, but that’s it. The air is really dry. I keep stopping for water whenever I have the chance. I mentioned the problem to city hall. They talked a lot about the water stations between here and the California border, but that’s not what I want.
Phase 2 they kept telling me. I don’t know. If I hadn’t been better prepared it would’ve been impossible for me to complete this section of the trail. I really hope they can prioritize.
Apparently if I detoured to Crystal Springs I could talk to the state supervisor of the project. Amy told me not to do that. I would only be a day out of the way, I reasoned, but she clearly wants me home as soon as possible. No dilly-dallying. Besides, I’ve probably lost another day because of my pace.
Needless to say I’m going to try to do what I can to keep her happy.
April 17, Lone Pine
California has some pretty strange rules around the trails. Of course, they are exempt due to some legacy rules. These trails have been around for a while. Still, it’s been frustrating to see people pass by on their electric scooters.
You just can’t appreciate nature in the same. Passing through mountains on either side is a pretty amazing thing. You have to see for yourself, I’m just biking in a long canyon for days. I have to resist the urge to park and climb up to a peak. I’m losing enough time as it is.
California does have one thing going for it and that’s water. They seemed to have learned their lesson, and it’s readily available every mile. I find myself stopping and filling even though my bottles are mostly full.
Wallace and I chatted on the phone today. He seemed too enticed by the mountainous photos. He wants a copy of this journal once I return home. To be honest I hadn’t entirely planned on what to do with it once I finished. Keep it on my bookshelf, lost in a sea of paperbacks?
I’ll need to spend time proof-reading it. I’m always nervous about sharing my writing. Maybe I should consider just sending my photo collection. That way, bad photos are due to the light and not me.
One issue I have are the sunsets. The sun dips over the mountains and then is gone instantly. I expect that to improve soon.
April 20, San Bernardino
My ankle is feeling much better. I’ve picked up the pace as I travel out of that canyon. There’s a short pass through the desert. That took a day. Got a bit of sand in my eyes and hit the barrier. I’m grateful it was there, otherwise I would’ve veered into the highway.
There’s just a mild scrape on my hands from catching myself. Next Amy is going to make me wear gloves to keep them safe next time. She is really intent on keeping me around haha. Anyway let’s just keep this as a secret. I got bandaged up in the city. They have a health clinic in the hotel. It’s hard to imagine how healthcare was so bad.
The nurse said that he biked to work everyday. He lives in a nearby town. He remarked that it hadn’t always been so safe to bike, but I was not interested in seeing his scar.
Amy is feeling some relief that I am close to the end. Two more days by my measure. I’m about a week past my original schedule, and I admittedly am glad to be close to the end as well. Still, she’s holding something back. I worry about how much trouble I’m in. It distracts me from enjoying the city.
April 22, San Diego
I now realize why San Diego is the final destination in the trail. I biked through the mountains, which wasn’t that bad, and came out right along the ocean. Needless to say everything from Oceanside down was the best part of my whole trip. Biking right along the ocean is something everyone needs to experience.
Needless to say, I was quite surprised when Wallace greeted me at the trail’s end. He had been waiting a few days for me. After taking a selfie, he wanted to thank me for being the first person to bike the whole trail. I was taken back by even this meager celebration.
What was next for me? I had to think a lot about his question. I didn’t give him an answer. I was looking forward to getting home.
Still, I am also glad I started this journal and this trip. My journey was longer than expected, and not always pleasant, but I made new friends and got the chance to experience the beautiful nature the country has to offer.
I’m sure many of the places I passed through have eager cyclists ready to explore on their own, patronage small businesses, and go through the same range of emotions I did.
The trail had been in development for a long time. Many critics claimed it would never happen. Yet it was finally accomplished.
If you’re reading this, I hope you get the chance to experience this ride for yourself.
Robert Becker