Biketouring

Hard Choices

This year has been full of hard choices. Deciding to do this tour, deciding to quit my job, deciding to go to grad school, deciding between USC and UCLA, and now — after nearly two months on the road — deciding to stop riding. Let me explain.

Day 47: St. Paul, MN to…

FAQs

When did you start riding and when will you finish?

I started riding in Portland, Maine on May 11, 2016 with the intention of finishing by the end of July.

What route are you riding and why?

Days 40–44

Day 40: Elkader, IA to Lansing, IA, 61 miles

Iowa has mountains. Technically, they’re called “bluffs” but they are as steep as anything I faced in the White Mountains, though shorter. The day is boiling hot, and I am thoroughly drenched in sweat…

Days 34–39

Day 34: Chillicothe, IL to Cambridge, IL, 63 miles

Having gone off-route to stay in Chillicothe with the Myers, today I am relying on Google Maps to get me back on track. After a few miles, it directs me to Rock Island Trail, a lovely crushed gravel…

Days 28–33

Day 29: Fort Wayne, IN to Wabash, IN, 58 miles

After a tasty breakfast of Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, fruit, and coffee, Tyler and I set out from Beth’s house in Fort Wayne. The scenery today is the same as it has been for the past several days: flat land…

Week Four

Day 23: Erie, PA to Geneva-on-the-Lake, OH, 53 miles

It rained last night, and this morning when I wake up, my tent is soaked. Trying to pack up a wet tent on a wet beach isn’t easy, as I quickly learn. I probably pack about half a pound of sand into…

Week Three

Day 16: Rochester to Middleport

The Erie Canalway Trail is a flat packed gravel path that runs right alongside the canal. The sun is shining, and I’m grateful that the only traffic I have to contend with is an abundance of Canada geese. I try to give them space…

Notes from the Road

Day 12 : Raquette Lake, NY to West Leyden, NY (57 miles)

The route today takes me through lake country. This is vacation home land—where every house has a quaint name like “Sunset Cove” or “The Hide-a-way” or “Loon-a-tic Place.”…

Day 10

May 20, 2016—New Hudson, NY to Raquette Lake, NY

Days 6–7

Day 6: Fairlee, VT to Bethel, VT

So this is how it is. I am pushing my bike up a hill on the 132 outside of South Strafford, when something flutters past my sunglasses. Could that be? Yes, a snowflake. I stop for a moment and stare angrily at the flurries, as if…