Thank you, so much, for this excellent essay, Mike. I made the same trip (east->west), at the same age (23), in 1987, albeit via a slightly different route (Wrightsville Beach, NC, to Westport, WA, following the TransAmerica Trail from Berea, KY to Missoula, MT) and with only my girlfriend, fully-loaded panniers and the kindness of strangers for support. Though mostly dormant for nearly 35 years, your eloquent and earnest recollections reminded me of the indelible quality of those memories...8 weeks that "left a giant tattoo on my soul," indeed. Coach Seidel and his lovely family in Lyons, KS, who compelled us to take a day off, go waterskiing and stay over at their place for a cookout after hearing my girlfriend crying over breakfast at the prospect of another brutal day of those "wrong way" headwinds....Rounding a bend in Wyoming and, seeing the Tetons for the very first time, having to pull over for fear of going off the road, as my eyes insisted on devouring every aspect of that impossibly steep, large, otherworldly sight. So many memories from those life-changing 8 weeks on the open road, outside the bubble of a car windshield, rolling along wide-eyed at 15mph (more or less :). You're right - it's hard to tell the tale of such an experience without wanting to divulge the full details of every mile, every town, every person, every act of kindness and beauty (and, rarely, terror-inducing recklessness - hello, Kentucky Coal Trucks!). Anyway, you made my day....Thank you!
Thanks Brian. I'm always astounded at how many people I'll run into who have experience touring. A few months ago, I struck up a conversation with a friend's dad, who turned out to be one of the original TransAm cyclists from 1976! I couldn't believe it.
I did the TransAm in 2016 and it was a completely different experience from the Northern Tier. We lucked out and had tailwinds through much of Kansas. I can only imagine the difference in gear that I rode with versus what you had in the 80s.
Thank you, so much, for this excellent essay, Mike. I made the same trip (east->west), at the same age (23), in 1987, albeit via a slightly different route (Wrightsville Beach, NC, to Westport, WA, following the TransAmerica Trail from Berea, KY to Missoula, MT) and with only my girlfriend, fully-loaded panniers and the kindness of strangers for support. Though mostly dormant for nearly 35 years, your eloquent and earnest recollections reminded me of the indelible quality of those memories...8 weeks that "left a giant tattoo on my soul," indeed. Coach Seidel and his lovely family in Lyons, KS, who compelled us to take a day off, go waterskiing and stay over at their place for a cookout after hearing my girlfriend crying over breakfast at the prospect of another brutal day of those "wrong way" headwinds....Rounding a bend in Wyoming and, seeing the Tetons for the very first time, having to pull over for fear of going off the road, as my eyes insisted on devouring every aspect of that impossibly steep, large, otherworldly sight. So many memories from those life-changing 8 weeks on the open road, outside the bubble of a car windshield, rolling along wide-eyed at 15mph (more or less :). You're right - it's hard to tell the tale of such an experience without wanting to divulge the full details of every mile, every town, every person, every act of kindness and beauty (and, rarely, terror-inducing recklessness - hello, Kentucky Coal Trucks!). Anyway, you made my day....Thank you!
Thanks Brian. I'm always astounded at how many people I'll run into who have experience touring. A few months ago, I struck up a conversation with a friend's dad, who turned out to be one of the original TransAm cyclists from 1976! I couldn't believe it.
I did the TransAm in 2016 and it was a completely different experience from the Northern Tier. We lucked out and had tailwinds through much of Kansas. I can only imagine the difference in gear that I rode with versus what you had in the 80s.