Thanks for following me on this trip across the Southern Tier of the United States. It truly has been a memorable adventure.
Here are some statistics:
Miles ridden - 2983.4
Flat Tires - 0 (I highly recommend Schwarbe tires)
Bee stings - 0 (Don’t know if the allergy shots reduced my susceptability to bee
stings, but glad I didn’t find out. I carried my epi pens everywhere.)
Weight lost/ gained: 0 (I burned alot of calories but ate lots of food)
Bike issues - 1 (Back wheel bearing siezed and had to be cleaned/ regreased.
I believe this was due to washing my bike multiple times and
flushing out the grease since the bearings are not “sealed”.
Lesson learned.
Blog: From March 1, 2026 to May 1, 2026
Visits - 1108 Unique Visitors - 738 Pageviews - 3913
Visits by State NY (359), PA (136), NJ (103), AZ (54), IL (39),
CA (29), DC (25), MD (23), TX (22), VI (17) FLA (12), SC (12)
The ride - The ride was amazing. I visited a part of the country I had never seen before. Seeing the border wall up close was eye opening. Visiting Uvalde and seeing the memorial to the slain children and teachers was very sad, along with being near Camp Mystic on the Guadalupe River where many campers died last July. The beauty of the Texas Hill Country was surprising and I came away with a better appreciation of Louisiana and Mississippi. Dauphin Island, Alabama is a really cool place. Texas is really big, as we pedaled for 19 days in that state. The Tuscon area of Arizona was beautiful. The wind storm we experienced in Marathon was crazy. Overall, this part of the US is beautiful in its own unique way. Going back over the pictures highlights the variety of the landscapes.
The riders & people I met - The group of riders I shared this trip with were also amazing. Coming from all across the country, no one in the group knew each other, except for Collette and Bill, who rode their tandem. For the amount of time we spent together, the group got along very well. We’re all quirky in our own ways, with different interests but one common goal - to get across the USA. We’ve become good friends and that is pretty special. I get asked if I will see some of the riders in the future. My answer is yes, not sure where or when but I’m positive our paths will cross again.
The company, Timberline Adventures - After looking at several different companies for this trip, I was happy with my choice to pick TA and would highly recommend them. Barb knows what bikers want and stresses the right things, like safety and comfort. I was impressed with the emphasis on safety. The amenities like a chef to cook great meals, tent setup, laundry 2x per week, SAG stops, the chill zone with snacks & drinks, having a bike mechanic available, and the “merch” (custom jersey, 3 shirts, water bottle, medals upon completion, tremendous daily Facebook posts, framed photos were outstanding). All of the staff were fun, hardworking people that helped make the tour special.
The Blog - I had fun creating my blog and adding to it just about daily. I especially enjoyed the comments and notes I received about the people and places I wrote about. Again, thanks to everyone who followed my trip. I’m glad you enjoyed coming along with me on this unforgettable adventure.
A special thank you to Ian, for visiting me on Dauphin Island, Alabama on Day 44, and Amy for seeing me arrive and get to the beach in St Augustine on Day 53.
Mike