20th Anniversary!  On September 22, 2006,  we arrived in Washington DC concluding our cross-country cycling trip from Seattle to DC with “Bike for Peace”! So many great memories! Such a great experience! 

Final Stats:

Miles Ridden: 3,476

Average Miles per day of Cycling: 81*

Days of Cycling: 43 

Hours of Pedaling: 282

Average Speed: 12.63

Money Saved on Gas: $825.67

Beginning Weight: 198

Ending: Weight: 185

Number of Convenience Stores or Gas Marts Frequented: 107

Would I do it again: Yes, most definitely

Would I do it a second time: Probably not (but I eventually did in 2017)

Top Ten Questions Asked

1. Where ya headed? Washington DC
2. When will you get there? September 22th
3. Where'd you come from? Seattle, WA
4. How long will it take you? 7 weeks
5. When did you start? August 1st
6. How many miles do you cycle a day? An average of 81
7. What’s your cause (or disease)? A: Peace (hence: bike4peace.org)
8. What do you do that you can take off so much time from work? I’m unemployed
9. Where are you from? New Jersey
10. Where do you sleep? Host Families, Churches, Camp Grounds

*There’s absolutely no way I could cycle an average of 81 miles per day over 43 days today! 

The End

Poland is Next!!

We made it!!! Washington, DC

Final Stats:
Miles Ridden: 3,476
Hours of Pedaling: 282
Average Speed: 12.63
Money Saved on Gas: 825.67
Beginning Weight: 198
Ending: Weight: 185
Number of Convenience Stores or Gas Marts Frequented: 107
Would I do it again: Yes, most definitely
Would I do it a second time: Probably not

Top Ten Questions Asked
1. Where ya headed? A: Washington DC
2. Where'd you come from? A: Seattle, WA
3. How long you been on the road? A: 7 weeks
4. When did you start? A: August 1st
5. When will you get there? A: September 20th
6. How many miles do you cycle a day? A: An average of 90
7. What’s your cause (or disease)? A: Peace (hence: bike4peace.org)
8. What do you do that you can take off so much time from work? A: Unemployed
9. Where are you from? A: New Jersey
10. Where do you sleep? A: Host Families, Churches, Camp Grounds

Finished!!!! - Washington DC

Great Allegheny Passage and C & O Canal Trail

The last three days we were scheduled to cycled on the Great Allegheny Passage, which is an abandon railroad tracks from West Newton PA (near Pittsburg) to Cumberland PA and then continued on the C & O Canal Trail that lead directly into Georgetown, DC. After the first night of camping, I decided to skip the "rest day" which was the following day, and continue cycling by myself to DC. I camped each night on the banks of the Potomac river. When I arrived in DC, I was in desperate need of a shower. Not having showered for three days. The Passage and Trail were really nice, surrounded by vegtation, no traffic, and level (no hills), albeit it was a bit bumpy. The surface was crushed limestone, not pavement. My butt and hands were sore. I saw my first leaves changing colors, and could smell fall in the air.

Convenience Stores or Gas Marts

Convenience Stores and Gas Marts became a frequent stop multiple-times a day…coffee, donuts, fruit (when available), bathroom, juice, water, etc.

Head Winds - Ohio

During the past two days in Ohio the head winds have been fierce. They slowed us down considerably. They generally tend to be worse than inclines or hills, one never can anticipate them, and they generally persist throughout the day, making for an exhausting day of cycling. Inclines and hills can be anticipated, don't last all day long, and are often followed by an compensating declines or down hills.

Random Street Photos - Chicago, IL

On our rest day in Wheaton IL, some of us journeyed into Chicago for the day.

Art Institute - Chicago, IL

I decided to spend most of my rest day in Chicago at the Art Institute. I've been craving the intellectual and creative stimulation. For me at least, the lack of intellectual and creative stimulation has been a significant downside of traveling by pedal power.

Horse Farm - Wheaton, IL

Our hosts Jenny and Matt in Wheaton, IL hooked us up with a amazing pot-luck BBQ at their horse farm on the first day and helped us navigate our way in to the city of Chicago on the subsequent rest day. Food, friendship, hospitality and support were once again overflowing.

Churches

Many churches along our route volunteered as hosts, and excellent hosts they have been. On arrival dinner in the church’s kitchen, and often they leave behind breakfast food in which we would prepare ourselves in the morning. There is also always ample space to sleep throughtout the church. And while most churches don’t have showers, we would usually make due with a “sink” bath. Or in some cases, in western states, the church has directed us to a city pool or city park with public shower facilities.

Kerry’s Birthday – Belvidere, IL

Kerry turned 26 today. We celebrated her 26 birthday with 26 candles in a Cliff Bar. (For those non-cyclists, Cliff Bars are energy/protein bars, popular amongst cyclists. Many in the group, including myself, have O.D.ed on them and wish to never eat another.)

Rain - Winona, MN

A low pressure system hovered overhead as we left Winona, MN and crossed into western WI on our way to Viroqua. It rained periodically throughout the day, and then again the next day on our way to Madison, WI. Thanks to waterproof panniers, a plastic garage bag covering my sleeping bag and tent, front pannier covers (yellow), an Arc'teryx rain suit and helmet rain bonnet, I stayed fairly dry, except for my cycling shoes. I brought waterproof rain covers for my cycling shoes, but they weren't very effective. My feet got wet regardless of whether I wore the rain covers or not. Ultimately, I chose just not to wear them, and to dry my shoes by directing a fan on them overnight.

Joe and Lily - Our hosts in New Ulm, MN

We arrived late in the evening at Joe and Lily’s home in New Ulm. It wasn’t a hard ride, comparative to some of our other daily rides in terms of distance and elevation, but it was a particularly hard ride for me. I think it was because of all the junk food that I ate the pervious day. Our host in De Smet, provided us with a huge box of Danish for breakfast, in which I ate four. No one else in the group was eating them, so I did. Later in the day we stopped at a bike shop that had an ice cream pallor affiliated with it and the ice cream parlor offered free ice cream. I didn’t say no. Continuing I also downed a bag a potato chips. I did, however, buy them at a health food store, but I really don't think it make a difference were you buy them. Typically, I limit my junk food, and try to snack on trail mix and fruit between meals, but not yesterday.

When we arrived in New U;m, Joe and Lily had a sweat lodge (pictured lower right corner) prepared for us. Joe is a Native-American and practices the Native-American rituals of sweats which include individual prayers, stories and song. The heat in the sweat, plus the grueling day, was a bit much for me. I only stayed for 3 out of 4 of the sweats. After dinner and a shower, I laid out in the hammock in the middle of the front yard staring at the stars. They seem particularly bright to me that evening, and then I went to bed early. The next day I also felt a lot better the next day.

Eating right and rest seems to makes a big difference in how I feel during riding the next day. I have been eating a lot of vegetarian meals on this trip and not paying attention to my protein intake. Reallizing this I started to eat more a little more meat, I feel a lot stronger now. I typically eat vegetarian meals at home, interspersed with meals with a little meat in them about three times per week. This seems to work best for me.

Our Lovely Hosts in Miller, SD

This lovely group of church ladies prepared a wonderful vegetarian meal for us during our first evening in Miller SD. A major perk of cycling cross-country in late summer is the bountiful fresh produce from our host's gardens. Yum and healthy!!

Sun Flowers - Miller, SD

I didn't get a picture of it, because it occured during the early morning hours. We arrived in Ft. Peirre SD and set-up camp in the local city park. Our host in the city was new to the area, but make sure that it was okay to camp in the city park, and it was, but not in the area we camped. About 3 AM in the morning the sprinklers started. I was glad that I choose to sleeping in my tent that night instead of under the stars.

Grain Dryers, Miller, SD

We encountered our first day of riding in the rain. We woke up and it was raining, but the rain didn't deter us. We garnished our rain gear and head eastwards. I must say, however, the rain didn't deter us, but most of us got wet while cycling and had to set our shoes and a few article of clothings in front of fans that evening in order for them to dry for the next day.

Road Kill

As we slowly meander eastwards on our bikes the landscape has been changing, but we haven't really seen much "live" wildlife a long the route. The only significant wildlife we have seen has been road kill. Sad, but its the reality of the road....(see October 2004 archives)

I started this series of pictures in South Dakota, so I missed a lot from Washington through Wyoming. I'll try to keep adding to the collection as we continue to head eastward - I'm still on the lookout for a fox.

Toilet - Kadoka, SD

Last year while traveling, as some of you know, I kept a toilet diary highlighting the different types and salient features of toilets around the world (I you haven't seen them, you can check them out on the November 2004 archives - right panel).

This year while traveling in the U.S, the toilets are very homogenous, and none of them would warrant a post, however, I did run across one except. The toilet also is unlike any of the other toilets previous featured on the toilet diary. The toilet is located in Kadoka SD's city park. Its unique feature is that the water from the sink drains directly into the reserve tank and then the same water is used to refill the toilet bowl after being flushed.

Badlands National Park, SD

The following expert is from national parks website "Established as Badlands National Monument in 1939, the area was redesignated as a National Park in 1978. Over 11,000 years of human history pales to the eons old paleontological resources. Badlands National Park contains the world's richest Oligocene epoch fossil beds, dating 23 to 35 million years old.

Located in southwestern South Dakota, Badlands National Park consists of nearly 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires blended with the largest, protected mixed grass prairie."

Check out link below for additional info and pictures about the park.