Ran into him at the restaurant having breakfast this morning. If he's not over fifty, he's real close. Started from his home in Sacramento on April 1st, headed south to San Diego, and then crossed the US to Florida. Then he headed north to Maine where he hit the northeast corner at Madawaska. I met him headed south in Patten, Maine, him enroute for New Hampshire, on his way west to Washington state. Said he figures as long as he's west of the Cascades by mid October, he should be ok.

I mean, Wow! Just Wow! He's totally by himself, unassisted. He has a tent, and sleeps in churchyards, cemeteries, campgrounds, occasionally someone's couch. Usually does anywhere from 75 to 100 miles a day. I asked him what was the most grueling part, and he said west Texas. Very hot and dry, and he ran out of water several times, to the point where he was really getting desperate. Had some ticklish times going through cities, including getting caught up in all the hoop-la and traffic in Philly during the Democratic convention (his father insisted on a photo of him eating a cheese-steak from Gino's!). Said he usually locks his bike up if he's away from it, but isn't real worried about someone stealing it. Said if they jumped on, they'd probably fall off because its so front heavy with his packs. He spent last night in the cemetery in Patten, but said today was going to be a tough day since he didn't get much sleep. It was windy, and they have several memorial flagpoles honoring veterans, and the snaps on the ropes hitting the poles made noise all night.

I think you have to be just a little bit crazy to undertake a trip like that, but what an interesting guy to talk to. Someone asked him why he decided to do it, and he said he wanted to do something special for his birthday. The four corners ride was actually his second choice, his first being a cross-Antarctica trek. He decided against that because it would involve at least five people, and he'd rather just have himself to consider.

I wish him the best, and I wish (sort of) I had what it takes to do something like that!

That's insane. Good on him!

God bless him.

A couple years ago, I met a guy who you might call a "Bike Bum"; he was travelling from Chicago to NYC on a nicely maintained but fairly inexpensive classic Schwinn touring bike. He was sleeping 'incognito' in the shrubbery along the canal trail, and was breaking camp one morning while I was getting my morning ride.

All it takes is good health, time and money. You don't need a lot of money, but you do need some. It isn't as "crazy" as riding across Eurasia.

So this guy is doing the four corners.....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravenwing

Ran into him at the restaurant havingbreakfast this morning. If he's not over fifty, he's real close. Started from his home in Sacramento on April 1st, headed south to San Diego, and then crossed the US to Florida. Then he headed north to Maine where he hit the northeast corner at Madawaska. I met him headed south in Patten, Maine, en route for New Hampshire, on his way west to Washington state. Said he figures as long as he's west of the Cascades by mid October, he should be ok.

I mean, Wow! Just Wow! He's totally by himself, unassisted…

I think you have to be just a little bit crazy to undertake a trip like that,but what an interesting guy to talk to. Someone asked him why he decided to do it, and he said he wanted to do something special for his birthday. The fourcorners ride was actually his second choice, his first being a cross-Antarcticatrek. He decided against that because it would involve at least five people,and he'd rather just have himself to consider.

I wish him the best, and I wish (sort of) I had what it takes to do something like that!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironwood

All it takes is good health, time and money. You don't need a lot of money, but you do need some. It isn't as" crazy" as riding across Eurasia.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jppe

God bless him.

Last year I posted about a similar ride to this thread on the Fifty-Plus Forum, “Do you have a lifestyle fantasy?” [Particularly of note to jppe who is currently pursuing his own fantasy (bike ride).]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

…We toured also during those decades, including an eight-week cross country cycling honeymoon from Los Angeles to Washington DC. I'm doubtful she [my wife] would want to go back to touring,but might want to participate as follows. When I win the big lottery, I want to buy a luxury RV as my sag wagon and cycle the perimeter of the country, so I’ll need a driver.

I have daydreamed about it to the extent of defining the perimeter as riding within 50 miles of the border all around the country. The only other definition I know of is in the motorcycle community,where I have read the definition as traveling from the cornermost towns in the country. This would obviously be a shorter route since it would bypass the additional contours of Michigan, upstate New York, and Texas.

I'd like to try for a continuous ride: starting in Boston around September and down the east Coast to Florida in December; across the South through to March or April, the West Coast to June/July (though North to South is apparently the preferred direction), then across the North in the heat of the summer (or start in Boston in around June or July for the counterclockwise route).

In the course of my fantasizing, I have discovered The Perimeter Bicycling Association of America Inc.which maintains perimeter cycling records for various political and geographic entities. For the USA, the record is 12,092 miles in 180 days held by Richard DeBernardis (date not specified).

Thanks for posting. I have read various similar stories from time to time, and, if nothing else, they do encourage me to get out on the bike, which is what I am about to do right now.

I dream about doing something like this someday. As Ironwood already stated, "All it takes is good health, time and money."

I have the health (I think, anyway.) The time and money are the tricky parts. If you quit your job, you have the time but not the money. If you don't, you have the money but not the time.

I also notice most people who do things like this are single. I'm not, but if I left on a trek like this I would be when I got back.

So for now I'll just have to live vicariously through the stories from people like this.

You don't even need good health.

Fred Tipps (55y/o) 2,200 miles NM to FL on a $60 bike, camping the whole way.
Lost his colon to cancer.

Tundra, you hit my sentiments EXACTLY on all notes!! If I had time to do it, means I'm unemployed so money would be a problem. Now I have money to do it because I work, but time is an issue. The biggest Amen, is "..if I left on a trek like this I would be [single] when I got back..." AMEN!! The wife worries now when I'm out doing my normal weekly rides of roughly 25-40 miles by myself.


So yeah, I to live vicariously through the cycling touring stories of others. So much so that I was even following the cycling story of that guy across America.... LOL!!

There are a fair number of cyclists who make long self supported trips; take a look at the Touring Forum or the Adventure Cycling site. I did my long trips 30 years ago or so, but they were all in fairly safe , civilized places,such as North America and Europe.

I'm really impressed by cyclists who ride from Paris to Kirghizstan or Mongolia.

What bike was he riding?

Ha! Funny you should ask, I didn't. Didn't look like anything too special, flat bars, racks and packs, sort of knobby tires, no visible branding, looked to be 'ridden hard and put away wet'! Definitely made for the long haul and not speed.

All on a $100 girl's bike from Wal-Mart?

Just noticed ... apparently, he never got the memo about wearing hi-vis clothing.