I was hesitant to commit to this trip afraid I might be disappointed compared to my previous bicycle tours, as almost all of my bicycle travel has been abroad – Patagonia, Scandinavia, Africa, The Balkans, Iceland, Oman, and clear across Asia. Part of the allure of those trips was the cultural experiences and cycling in my home country seemed less interesting. Lucky for me I was wrong.

I’ve traveled the USA extensively on road trips, visiting and peakbagging in all 50 states with much time spent in all western states. As I should have remembered, bicycle travel is a completely different experience. I traveled through and often stayed in tiny towns I never would have stopped in otherwise and met people from all over, sometimes sharing a meal (traveling by bike often invites curiosity and connection). Many of these people were from states I didn’t travel through, from Arkansas and renting cabins for hunting season for example. This combined with a challenging ride and everchanging top shelf scenery made for a richer experience than I expected.

I started at the Montana border, skipping the short Canadaian section to save some time since I started late season and reached the border in Douglas Arizona, an alternative to the traditional finish in Antelope Wells that’s becoming more popular. From Douglas I cycled through Bisby and Tombstone to Tucson where I met my girlfriend to travel a bit before heading home. I clocked over 2500 miles in 63 days, 11 of which were rest or weather days. Highlights inlcude amazing scenery from mountains to lakes to plains to deserts, the people I met along the way, interesting places to sleep including some offered free by gracious hosts, part of a cyclist support network – an 1800s jail in Ovando, the famous Llama Ranch, the Chaco Trade Center, etc. It was also special to see long-time friends at the beginning and end of my tour – Thomas Michael who gave me a ride to the Montana border and Jeremy Kennedy who met me in Douglas where we stayed the historic Gadsden Hotel. And of course my girlfriend who’s been supportive of my travels and picked me in Tucson. I highly recommend this trip to anyone considering it.