Day 60: Port Angeles, WA - Cape Flattery, WA - 92 miles

Evan Malinchock

Bike touring is probably the largest tenant of my life, there’s nothing I dream about, fantasize about, or desire more than embracing my inner dirtbag and hitting the road for a few months. Being able to live off the kindness of strangers that you don’t just get to know, but get to fall in love with, is beyond any gift anyone could give you. I’ve talked in previous blogs about how truly depressing and beautiful this trip is, entering and meeting such beautiful places and people to have to leave them before the sun fully rises the next day. Leaving memories in a barely awake state just to bike 80+ miles, to do it all again takes a toll on you. Despite the melancholy monotony I need to do it all again, and again, it’s my addiction. The saddest part of it all is that I know leading these experiences is what I’m best at and I may never get the chance to repeat it.

The ride on the last day was beautiful but unimportant to me, the sentiments that were felt though will remain forever. Having just graduated, I felt nothing walking across that stage in my cap and gown. Because I felt nothing during my graduation, I realized that finishing this trip would give me the same emotional response that most graduates felt when they moved the tassel across their cap in their schools auditorium. A lot of people claim that the best years of their lives are during college, and graduating was a coming of age moment, my own occurred on a uncomfortable leather saddle on a squeaky bike. This was my moment to move on and grow.

This summer I brought along people I hardly knew outside of some acquaintances from high school. But the end result hopefully created a brother/sisterhood that will last a lifetime. Having an unknown crew dynamic was worrying, but my God did things work out for us! Adam was the perfect combination of calculated and caring, always making the rational decision while incorporating enough room for all of us to thrive in his decision. Maya was tough as nails, always giving us encouragement to succeed in our times of need, despite any difficulties she may have been personally facing. Agustin’s mid trip addition saved the trip, he gave fresh perspectives and enthusiasm to revitalize us all, not to mention his unreal mechanical know-how. The crew was as well rounded as it could be, every day I counted my blessings to lead such amazing people on a trip I was sure would change their lives.

This escapist summer of mine has honestly been in the works for the past 4 years, even before my first bike trip in 2019. I routed a trip from the most eastern point in the United States to the most Western, with iconic stops in-between. The trips magnitude only grew as my bike packing experience did, I found the best towns to stay in, the best people to aid us, and the best experiences that my crew and I would take with us forever. This summer was built by design to be the best bike trip I’ve ever lead, and boy was I right in my scheming. 

Every day of the trip we had something monumental happen to our crew, instilling a memory that will last a lifetime. This being both good and bad memories, we for sure sought out the best situations for us and found the comedy in our failures, more often than not my own. The good times gave us all something to sentimentalize and the bad times gave us something to laugh about on a later day, and I believe we were successful in creating one of each at least once a day, no matter how benign the day may have seemed. 

My last 40 miles of the trip I peered out into my future, I had just graduated from App State and this trip was my last bastion of what felt like my childhood. I savored every pedal stroke, knowing that as soon as I made it to Cape Flattery I would instantly begin a new massive chapter of my life. 

From age 3-23 I have been in a constant cycle of working in school followed by living vicariously through my summers. Be it my first trip backpacking the Hundred Mile Wilderness in Maine, or my humanitarian efforts in Cuba, the last words have been written in this specific book. I now had to prepare for my professional life, and I had to assure myself that I needed to make an impact as great as my previous two decades in the next few to come. 

Though feeling massive existential dread as the miles wore down, it was impossible to not feel excited for what’s to come. It was a total unknown for me, losing my adolescence as I actively worked towards a goal I’ve been working towards for months. The trip gave me a guide stone for what my life should be like post bike trip phase. I’ll take the leadership, wonderment, spontaneity, and empathy that I learned these past four summers into the rest of my life. I’ll make sure nothing I learned is taken for granted, and I’ll ensure that it has lasting impact on my life. 

The ending of the ride could not have been more poetic. After a very gloomy few hours of riding through rainy Washington forests the sun began to peak out as we approached where we were going to dip tires. The sky opened up to beautiful orange and pink hues to make the moment even more cinematic. It was then that we began to make the 8 mile ascent to Cape Flattery. As we climbed I felt deeply connected to this part of my life that I have lived over two decades, and as the sun began to make the sky glow a bright orange, I began to feel peace in my new beginnings. 

The climb was steep and technical but I couldn’t be bothered as I was too overwhelmed with everything I was feeling. This wasn’t a loss of innocence, but a moment of growth into something entirely new. 

Before I sign off for the last time in a long time, I just want to give thanks to my amazing best friends Adam Lenox, Maya Sweeney, and Agustin Fiorito for making a dream of mine that started many years ago come true. I couldn’t have done a single mile without any of y’all. 

Though the party may be over now, I’m ready to get to work on what comes next for me. I still plan on doing extraordinary things with even more impressive people in my life, but this may be it for me on a bike until I retire. I just hope that one of the many people I shared an experience like this with can take up the mantle. Actually, never mind, I know someone can’t resist the draw of this kind of life. Do something impactful.

Maya’s Look Back:

Sitting here at my computer a few days removed from the finish, it is hard to believe that I am done and writing my last blog. Towards the beginning of our trip, I imagined myself writing my last entry, envisioning different versions in my head like a “choose your own adventure story.” I wondered what kind of person I would be at the end and how this journey would change me. 

The last day on this trip honestly felt like any other. It was equally as tough with high mileage, large amount of elevation gain, and another day of willing my tired body to go on. I quickly realized the reward for me wasn’t in the finish, it was in the journey as a whole and the moments we shared along the way. Part of what this trip has taught me is that if all we are endeavoring for is the finish or the big moments that feel grandiose we will often be disappointed. This trip was a culmination of the small moments- the mundane roads, the endless grasslands, and hours and hours of time in the saddle that made the bigger moments worth it and truly made this trip. 

I have been thinking alot about our journey. It has been a weird transition going from this trip immediately into starting classes and feeling like I am right back in my previous routine. In some ways it feels like the trip was a weird fever dream that never really happened and in others ways it feels like it is a core part of me that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. At times it is a bit of both, and I know it will take me a long time to truly process everything that was the last two months. 

There is something special about experiencing the country through bikepakcing.  You aren’t just observing the landscape, you are living it. You feel the terrain- every climb, every descent, the heat, the rain, the wind, the road conditions. You live the small town experience- getting to know locals and exploring what each town has to offer. I feel like I know the towns we passed through at a far deeper level than I ever would have had in a car or by other means of transportation. Each part of the country we passed through was incredibly unique.  The urban areas of Quebec city and Montreal, the shores of the great lakes in Michigan, the grasslands of North Dakota, the sacred beauty of Glendive, the charm of the small towns of eastern Montana, the magic of Glacier, the challenges of the passes in Washington, and the serenity of the Olympic Peninsula are some of my highlights from this trip and each of these places holds experiences I’ll never forget. 

A large part of me still can’t believe I did it, especially coming into this trip so soon after my surgery. At the beginning of this trip I doubted whether or not I would make it through the first few days, much less a week or even a month. It has been an incredible experience returning to activity and has healed parts of me mentally and physically in ways I never thought possible. I left for this trip emerging from months of depression and chronic pain, living a life that felt limited and stuck in horrible pain cycles that seemed to follow me anywhere. Two months later, I feel like a different person- no longer defined by my pain and my injury, with energy for life and a renewed sense of ability and healing. I guess biking across the county is the new prescription for recovering from a labral tear. 

As I tell people about this trip I’ve been telling them it is both the best and worst thing I have ever done. This trip had some of the highest highs and some of the lowest lows I’ve ever experienced. It is one of the greatest things I’ve ever done but by far the hardest. This trip has put me at my mental and physical limits more times than I can count, but has also wowed me in ways I never thought possible. This journey has taught me so much about myself, others, and the world around me and I hope to carry that with me for the rest of my life. Trips like this aren’t meant to be easy, and if I have learned anything it is that the best things in life are never the easiest.

Agustin’s Look Back:

When looking back at the trip I can say I’ve had my absolute best days riding and some quite terrible days. But without those terrible days, I wouldn’t be able to appreciate the great days. 

I am so thankful for everyone that helped us along the way. All the WarmShowers hosts, the restaurant servers, strangers, family, and friends. Without their support, we wouldn’t have finished the ride. Even though it was an “unsupported” trip we were well and truly supported. 

Due to some scheduling, I was only able to ride the second half of the trip. While I was disappointed about not doing the whole ride, I think I was able to get a good understanding of what long distance bike touring is about. I’m not sure if I would ever attempt to bike across the US again. I would definitely plan multi-day rides in beautiful areas. The distance we could cover in a day was impressive and you could see so much it was wonderful. 

Now I’ll be returning to school for my final year (hopefully) to graduate with a degree in chemical engineering. So if you have a cool job for me near the mountains I’d love to hear about it. 

I will continue biking and running when I get back to school with a focus on endurance efforts because now 20 miles of riding will feel like I still stayed in bed all day. I told myself that I can only get a honey bun if I ride at least 75 miles. So there’s my motivation :). 

The ride today was long and tough but I’m sure you’ve read about it in the other blogs so I won’t state the same thing again. 

Thank you again to all the people who donated or supported us in any form. You made the trip worth it. 

Day 59: Port Townsend, WA - Port Angeles, WA - 54 miles

Agustin Fiorito

50 miles easy peasy right? No. There’s no easy days on the bike trip.  

We had two people joining us today, Eliza, Maya’s sister, and Dan, Adam’s friend. 

We had issues all day with bikes, I was able to help Eliza fix her skipping chain on Scottie (the name she gave to her road bike) and we had two punctures. 

We had to wait a while for breakfast but it was phenomenal. Everyone got an enormous amount of food that they could barely finish but it was so good it wasn’t for a lack of trying. 

After breakfast, we rode a bike path and up a great hill to a WarmShowers host, Tom. In anticipation of us arriving he built an outdoor shower which was great! And we all spread out on the lawn and garage to make ourselves comfortable. 

Tomorrow we have our last day! It will be a long 90 miles to the finish but we’ll get there!

Day 58: Marblemount, WA - Port Townsend, WA - 90 Miles

Maya Sweeney

Waking up this morning my body felt achy and tired. I’ve accepted at this point that this is my new normal as I am far overtrained and far under rested. It has been weeks since I have felt “good” on a ride and even longer since I have had any extra energy left in the tank. Fortunately, we are only 3 days away from the long awaited finish, and if this trip has taught me anything it’s that I can push my body much past its limits. 

The last few days have consisted of very high mileage, and today would be no exception. We would be riding another 90 something miles which, in my mind, I round up to a century. This is essentially our third century in four days and my body is definitely feeling it. Although we are so close to the finish, the riding today still felt like a bit of a slog. We were back on busier roads, riding our bikes tucked into the shoulders of the road as the cars whizzed by. Riding on the busy roads makes the time pass much slower as conversation is limited and it often feels like it's just me, my headphones, and the road in front of me. 

About halfway through the ride, we knew we were getting close to the end of our journey as the smell of saltwater started tickling our noses. We soon came upon the town of Anacortes where we got our first glimpse of the Pacific ocean. It was exciting to see the water, it was also tempting and I couldn’t help but think about dipping my tires that afternoon and simply calling it a day. Nevertheless, I pushed past those thoughts as I knew that finishing in Cape Flattery would be worth the extra miles.

Towards the end of the day, as we continued west, the roads followed the shoreline and the mountains of Olympic National Park rose into view. At about 90 miles or so, we took a break as we would be getting on a ferry that would take us to Port Townsend. The ferry was brief, and we soon arrived on the other side of the water. There we were met by Evan’s dad and brother and were soon after joined by Adam’s friend Dan and my mom and sister! The boys spent the night at a local Boy Scout camp, while I spent the night at an Air BnB too enticed by the thought of a bed and shower. We can’t believe how close we are to the finish with only 2 days to go! 

Day 57: Twisp, WA - Marblemount, WA -97 Miles

Evan Malinchock

Like most day-after-break days, today began with an early wake-up that only half of us got out of bed for. Once we finished dilly-dallying and were ready to get going, we set off for our breakfast stop in Mazama. Once at the Mazama general store, we had coffees and breakfast sandwiches on their patio. This was much smaller than our usual breakfasts, but it seemed to do the trick nonetheless.

From Mazama, we began our last pass of the trip—Washington Pass. This pass was about as average as a pass can be in terms of difficulty, but the views were spectacular, rivaling even Going-to-the-Sun Road. We’ve finally exited the desert and returned to lush green forests, which we are all very happy about.

Once atop Washington Pass, we had a quick snack and descended about 3 miles before a quick climb again up to Rainy Pass. Since most of the climbing had already been done to reach Washington Pass, this climb really didn’t feel that bad.

As we descended further, we were eventually halted at a one-way road due to some construction. Unfortunately, we were told we had to load our bikes into the back of one of their trucks and be driven a mile or two down to where the road was once again two lanes. On the bright side, we did get to meet some friendly and funny construction workers. We’ll be sure to rate their travel services well on Yelp.

The rest of the day was mostly downhill, and despite a strong headwind at times, I was able to set a new personal top speed of 48 mph! (My mom won’t be happy about this)

Now, we’ve had dinner in town and are settling in at an RV park for the night. As beautiful as these passes have been, I must say I’m excited to have a relatively flat day of riding tomorrow.

Day 55: Republic, WA - Twisp, WA - 101 Miles

Agustin Fiorito

Today is one of our hardest days on paper. 102 miles, 2 passes, 1 desert section.

I woke up in great spirits, ready to tackle our first pass as early as possible to take advantage of the cooler weather on this side of the mountain.

Once we ascended to the top of the pass, we had an amazing 24 mile descent into a desert valley. We reached our gas station breakfast spot 40 miles into our ride, happy and excited. After a healthy breakfast of 2 corn dogs, Pringles, and salami, we set off.

This was the most challenging bit for our group today. A 30-mile stretch of sun-baked desert. (On the weather app, the image was of a sun with a cactus, just so you know how hot this place was.

With two people with heat sensitivities, we were very cautious on this section. And we were very lucky to have Mr. Malinchock stop and offer water and ice halfway through to cool us down.

We reach the base of the second climb and fuel up at a gas station. Evan made a smart call and rode in the car up the mountain as he wasn’t feeling well from the heat. Everyone else got a pass for the treat at the top. I got a glass bottle of coke.

Then we start climbing once again after riding for 70 miles through a desert. Adam killed the pass today and flew up it. But not without me and Maya close behind. All of us turned out to feel great and enjoyed the climb up.

At the top, I guess we must have looked very bad as one person turned around to ask if we were OK and needed help. But to his shock, we were fine just snacking before descending for the second time that day.

Evan was feeling better and joined us down on the descent. It was steep and straight, so naturally a lot of fun.

Once we got into town, we immediately went to get food from a grocery store and then went to shower. After getting cleaned up, we went to get whatever dinner we wanted from the grocery store. My ambition was high, so I got a whole take and bake pizza for myself and ate all but two slices.

With everyone’s full belly, we all passed out almost immediately from laying down.

Day 54: Chewelah, WA - Republic, WA - 74 Miles

Maya Sweeney

This morning was an early morning with alarms sounding off at 4:30 in order to beat the heat. I heard the first alarm, internally groaned, and rolled over only to fall back asleep. To my surprise, everyone else did too, and we didn’t end up getting up until a bit after 5:00. Our mornings seem to be getting slower with time rather than faster and we all find ways to stall putting on our jerseys and chamois each morning. 

We were all warned last night that today we would be doing Sherman Pass a tough 23-mile climb with about 4,000 feet of elevation gain. Evan had warned us that it is his least favorite pass and that it would be a brutal ascent. Before reaching Sherman, we had about a 30-mile warm-up that we took relatively slowly to keep our legs fresh. At the base of the climb was a gas station and we stopped for some final snacks and breakfast before beginning the climb. 

I had no idea what to expect with a 23-mile pass and that would be near doubling any climb I’d attempted in the past. We typically ride passes solo, starting in intervals so we can go at our own pace. Evan and Agustin headed up first, then I began my ascent, with Adam following behind. I decided my strategy would be to take the first third slow, see what I had in the middle, and use anything I had left for the final third. I plugged in my headphones and entered into a zone that I hoped would last me to the top of the climb. 

The climb was surprisingly enjoyable. I love this kind of riding and have a lot of fun biking passes. Though it was fun, it was a tough one with the last 4 miles being the steepest. Mr. Malinchock had stationed his truck with extra fluids at different increments throughout the climb which was super helpful for all of us. By the time I got to the last bit, I still had energy left. I had been concerned that I went too hard on the first half and would end up bonking before the top. We all reached the top successfully, enjoying the rewarding feeling that only comes with the completion of a hard climb. From there we descended into the town of Republic, WA, where we stopped for a quick lunch at the local gas station. 

Tonight we are staying at a campground. Tomorrow is another big day with 2 mountain passes and an equally daunting number of miles. Not only that but temperatures are predicted to be well over 100. Hopefully, we’ll carry the success of today into tomorrow’s ride! 

Day 53: Sandpoint, ID to Chewelah, WA - 77 miles

Adam Lenox

It’s hard to believe that we’ve just entered the final state of our coast-to-coast ride. I can’t say the cliché “it feels like just yesterday we were in Maine” because let’s be honest, it’s been a long ride to get to where we are now. That being said, every moment on this trip has been a memorable one, and for every tough ride we’ve had to endure, there are 50 joyful memories to go along with it.

Today, we faced our first pass of the Cascades. We started off with a pre-breakfast and pack up at our hotel before riding 30 miles to breakfast. The flat and windless ride to breakfast allowed us to cruise, maintaining a nice pace while loosening our legs for the climb to come. Breakfast in Newport was at a restaurant just before the state line leading into Washington. We chowed down on biscuits, gravy, eggs, and all our usual breakfast delicacies while enjoying a nice view of the Pend Oreille River.

We then made a quick pit stop at a gas station across the street and continued to the base of Flowery Trail Pass. As we started climbing, Agustin and Maya took off ahead (partially because Evan and I missed the turn). The climb overall wasn’t too bad, but there were certainly steep portions that would leave your legs feeling like jelly. For me, the best way to overcome these difficult climbs was to think of something that would make me smile. Luckily, the memory of Evan getting a new haircut often did the trick. As is apparent from the photo in yesterday’s blog, Evan rocks a mullet both with and without his tiger print shirt—it seriously looks even better in person—but him actually deciding to take the risk and embrace his new alter ego never fails to brighten our days.

Another funny encounter I used to get me through the climb happened at the gas station we stopped at after breakfast. As I was talking about our bike ride to the cashier, she asked how long it had taken us to get here from Maine. When I told her 53 days, she exclaimed, “That’s not bad!” To which another woman in the gas station responded, “The heck you mean that’s not bad?! How about you get yourself on a bike and ride it for 53 days and tell me it’s not bad!” We all had a good laugh at the misunderstanding, and that playful dispute between two strangers in a Newport gas station was more than enough to get me to the top of today’s pass.

Once we had all gathered at the top of the mountain and enjoyed our celebratory pass treats, the real fun began. The next 8 or so miles were a complete blur as we neared or topped 45 mph on our descent down the pass into Chewelah.

We then took a stop at Safeway for snacks and before we knew it, it was 4:00 and we were setting up camp. As a promise to Evan for him getting a mullet, I re-taped the handlebars on his bike with bright red cork tape. Naturally, I couldn’t resist an opportunity to add a bit of flair to my bike as well, so in UVA fashion, I now have one orange and one blue handlebar.

Overall, I would consider today a success. By the clock, we had a long ride today, but it didn’t really feel that way. There was enough variety that it all seemed to fly by. And it’s nice knowing we have one Cascades pass under our belts given we have three more in the next two days. So with that sense of accomplishment, we should be able to rest easy tonight. We’ll sure need all the sleep we can get in preparation for the climbs ahead.

Day 52: Sandpoint, ID Break Day

Evan Malinchock

Writing the blog on a break day feels like a chore. You exhaust yourself for 3-8 days in a row and all you want to do is lay down all day and not explore the environment that you’re so fortunate to be “stuck” in on your only day off. But, I planned today's break day in one of my favorite places on the face of the earth, Sandpoint, Idaho. 

You may laugh at me for loving a place in Idaho, a state famous for its potatoes, but the panhandle of this state is something special. Sandpoint is situated on a massive lake, Lake Pend Oreille, in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. With clear blue water and towering peaks, it’s hard not to describe this location without mentioning similarities to famous European alpine towns. The town of Sandpoint is comparable to North Carolina towns like Asheville or Carrboro, with vibrant art scenes and more breweries than people. This town feels like it was specifically designed for a hipster like me, so naturally, I decided to lean into the hipster vibe.

After a wake-up that was of our own volition, we roused one at a time for a continental breakfast. Waffles and store-brand muffins were on the menu of course, but something about sleeping in a bed again made them all the better. 

After breakfast, we decided it was time to go into town and experience this place! We first hit up a bike shop for very much-needed repairs and tune-ups. After purchasing our tires we were told politely that we had overstayed our welcome, so we elected to leave for an early lunch. 

After struggling through the carnivorous depths of Montana, a vegan lunch was more than welcomed. Smoothies, açaí bowls, avocado toast, and quinoa bowls felt like just what we needed to cleanse the soul a bit. 

After the meal, we all wandered down Main Street on our way to Sandpoint’s town beach. On the way, a “light harkened” me. A barber shop boasting walk-in $25 haircuts, I naturally had to stop in and take a peek. After asking the important question “Do you do mullets?” and receiving an enthusiastic “YES!”, I had to sit down in their chair for a fresh cut.

My hair stylist, Darcy, was an absolute delight! She was one of the kindest and most talkative stylists I’ve ever had the pleasure of cutting my hair. The end result was a flawless mullet that any “Joe Dirt” would marvel at. I looked and truly felt like the country I was riding through.

The mullet has been a long-time promise to the crew, I wanted to loosen us all up and make more goofs and jokes where I was the butt end of the punchline. I think I was very successful with this extremely goofy haircut! 

After my cut, Adam and I made our way to the beach to strut our stuff and maybe take a dip. The beach was stunning, the water was crystal clear, and the weather couldn’t be any better! After lounging on the beach for a while and taking a swim Adam and I decided to hit a local brewery to sample the local wares. 

While in this bar we met a ton of local puppies and eclectic guests. Agustin, Maya, and my Dad passed us on their way back to the hotel. We all decided it was time to head back and do some bike maintenance.

During our drinks in the bar, Adam suggested that I needed an outfit to match my new mullet. This naturally led to our decision to go to a local thrift store so that I could really look the part. After some trial and error, we chose a tiger print collared shirt, and a pair of jeans to be cut off into jean shorts so I could really show the town what was up! After heading back to the hotel I changed into my outfit for the night and realized how ridiculous I looked. With some encouragement from the crew, we left for dinner with me in my new outfit!

We decided to eat at a pub downtown and just my luck it was packed with folks there for the live music. As I entered, looking like a clown in my new duds, I noticed that all eyes were on me. I played along with it all, having a good laugh at it, promising myself that this wasn’t a low point in my life. 

I feel validated today about my leadership skills. I volunteered to dress and look the way I did to make memories and raise the morale not just for the crew but also for myself. What’s the point of this trip if not to have as much fun as possible? Realizing that my being the butt of an elaborate joke would ready us for the difficult week we have ahead of us. It will be a taxing but immensely fun few days. I learned that relaxing, letting go of my inhibitions, and bringing everyone up with me was the best situation for us all, and I’d do it again!

Day 51: Libby, MT to Sandpoint, ID - 90 Miles

Agustin Fiorito

The challenges begin. Not only our personal challenges, but the ride today is over 90 miles. So, lots of time in the saddle.

We began the day by packing up camp and Maya and I started our challenges. I began to dig into my cake, the reality of the insane amount of icing settling in. Maya, with her 1200 calorie pre-breakfast, was not doing well already.

Then we set off to Kootenai Falls to eat the remainder of our breakfast. This was a short ride and hike from camp but it was beautiful. I was told happy birthday walking down the trail while holding my cake when it was most definitely not a happy day, nor my birthday.

On sitting down looking at the falls, everyone starts to dig in. I eat more of my cake; Maya continues to eat calorie bombs, and Adam gets one quart into his chocolate milk challenge.

Then we continued down the road to a back road that was stunning. And what was even better was that halfway through the road we got a tailwind. So we took off. Until we had to turn down a different road...

This road was also very nice but had a few more cars on it than the previous one. At this point, Adam’s chocolate milk was catching up to him and we had to find a bathroom stat.

Afterward, we hit the Idaho-Montana border. took our picture and moved on to Clark Fork, our first town of the day. Maya and I tapped out of the challenge because we weren’t feeling good while riding. But Adam bravely put down another quart of chocolate milk.

After this stop, we had an amazing tailwind all the way to Sandpoint. On the way, we were flagged down by a Warmshowers host. who offered us some camping spots for the night. Unfortunately, we already had a hotel room and real beds instead of camping beds.

We arrived at the hotel exhausted and everyone immediately did what they did for recovery. For dinner, Adam completed his challenge and finished his other two quarts of chocolate milk for a total of a gallon. The rest of us ate some delicious pizza.

Tomorrow is a rest day in Sandpoint as we start doing large passes over the next few days

Day 50: Eureka, MT to Libby, MT - 68 Miles

Maya Sweeney

Last night staying with our warm showers hosts was truly a pleasant experience. Though I slept on my sleeping pad, I had the luxury of a real pillow and blanket which was reflected in a quality night of sleep. 

We started our ride this morning on a gravel path until we reached the main road. The route for today paralleled a reservoir for most of the ride and the scenery was absolutely gorgeous. Enclosed on all sides by mountains, the reservoir was a deep green and blue and the sun reflected on the clear waters. 

The road was twisty and turns with speedy descents and a fair amount of climbing that was just enough to keep it interesting. We were passed by very few cars, which was quite refreshing after some of our recent encounters on Montana highways. The energy of the ride today was high as we all enjoyed the beautiful landscape and engaging terrain. We finished our ride around 2pm and spent the afternoon avoiding the heat by camping out at the dining area of a nearby grocery store in the town of Libby. 

Tomorrow, we finish our time in Montana and pass into the state of Idaho. We are only in Idaho for 3 days, but for those three days, we all have created personal challenges that may or may not be completed. Each person has their own unique challenge and all aspects of the challenge must be completed daily to “win the state.” Seems simple right? 

The challenges are as follows. Adam will be drinking a full gallon of chocolate milk a day. It must be whole milk or the highest percentage possible at our current location. This totals about 4,000 calories and contains almost an entire pound of sugar. He must drink a gallon each day. Agustin will be eating two full cakes a day. The cake’s size and quality will be judged by Adam, Evan, and myself, and we by no means will be going easy. One full sized cake is an almost ridiculous amount, and two may be seemingly impossible. Evan will be attempting to eat an entire box of saltines (4 sleeves) and will be washing that down with 4 containers of spray cheese. Will the vomit comet return? Only time will tell. I will be participating in the double entree challenge. This entails ordering 2 full meals sides and all for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I’m sure I will be eating nearly 6,000 calories at a minimum and am thinking if I’m lucky, I’ll be able to make it to dinner. 

We were all feeling pretty gung-ho about our challenges until the time came to get our food at the grocery store and the reality of the difficulty we had created for ourselves began to set in. Not only will we be battling our personal challenges, but tomorrow is a century day and will not be an easy one riding-wise. Please wish us luck as we begin the Idaho challenges, and stay tuned for tomorrow’s results!

Day 49: West Glacier, MT to Eureka, MT - 80 Miles

Adam Lenox 

Today’s wake-up, despite having a ride ahead of us this time, was very similar to yesterday’s. Again, we woke up to a bear outside our tents. This time, it was Agustin who warned us to remain still in our tents. As I lay there nervous but excited, I heard the footsteps and heavy breathing of a bear as it brushed by our tents. After a few minutes, we determined the coast was clear and exited our tents to begin packing up camp.

We quickly realized it was going to be a slower day when we hit our first hill just a few miles in. With legs feeling like jello here and lungs just not doing what they’re supposed to there, we pedaled our way slowly along the 25-mile, windy and narrow road to breakfast. It was funny to me to hear the angry honks of drivers flying by; how can you be so upset when you’re driving through one of the most beautiful places in the world? Just settle in and enjoy the view folks, and if you have a chance, take your eyes off us because the park is pretty too.

Once we had put down a yummy breakfast, we returned to our bikes and met up with a couple who was also bike-packing on an awesome tandem bike. We had a great conversation with them and appreciated their bright, neon, matching jerseys. They complemented ours as well.

As we set off for the next 50+ mile leg of the day, the winds became our enemy. It was no constant 20 mph headwind, but it was rather an annoying set of gusts in every direction except behind us. Despite this, the beautiful views of today’s ride kept us sane and able to reach our final destination with no problems… except naturally, when the heat was finally getting to us just a mile outside of town, Agustin got a flat.

But all was well once we reached Eureka and me up with our warm showers hosts, Latimer and Kari. They’re an adventurous young couple who enthusiastically welcomed us into their home, and have been fantastic hosts. Funnily enough, Latimer got into bike packing as a result of being a warm showers host instead of the other way around.

Now that we’ve finished a big pasta dinner prepared by our hosts, we’re relaxing and getting ready for bed as we share more stories and mentally prepare for the 4:30 wake up tomorrow to outsmart the wind for once.

Day 48: West Glacier - Break Day

Evan Malinchock

Maybe the worst possible thing to wake up to in any morning is “Don’t freak out, there’s a bear in our camp, stay in your tent!” Dad whisper-shouted this to all of us and I’m certain that Adam, Agustin, and Maya followed dad’s instructions.

I, on the other hand, was fully exposed in my hammock laying there suspended like a meat filled piñata. After laying silent for a few minutes the bear wandered over to our neighboring campsite and I got out to observe it. The bear was nothing like I’ve ever seen, it was easily two times bigger than any black bear I’ve ever seen with a longer snout, and cinnamon colored fur. This was a classic, but young, grizzly bear which was at most 20 feet from where I was sleeping.

After getting over that shocking experience we got our things together to go into town for a late breakfast/early lunch. Over food we reserved white water rafting for later in the day. 

Around 2pm we headed over to the rafting center for an amazing afternoon on the river. The river, while tame, was thoroughly enjoyable with fun little class 2 and 3 rapids dotting the run. Maya even took over as guide for one or two rapids! This was the best way to spend a break day!

After rafting we headed to the grocery store to get food for dinner, and then we headed back to the campsite to clean up and prepare ourselves for bed. The day was very relaxed and needed in such a special and beautiful place, I am so fortunate for having my dad with us to help us explore the far reaches of this awesome national park.

Day 47: St. Mary, MT - West Glacier, MT 60 Miles

Agustin Fiorito

Today was the day. I was so excited I woke up super early. Once everyone else woke up, we packed up and rode to the grocery store for breakfast.

We finished up eating and putting on our last bits of sunscreen and hit the road.

This was not any old road. This was the “Going to the Sun” road. The main road that cuts through Glacier National Park. We ascended via the east side. The ride started out with a few miles of mostly flat, rolling terrain, hyping us up for what was to come.

This was our first time seeing tons of trees in who knows how long. We couldn’t see for 50 miles straight anymore, like the past week of riding through the grasslands. Our view was obstructed by grand mountains. The first I’ve seen on the trip.

After a few miles of flat road, the road started to angle up and we began the climb. Maya and I didn’t stop as much as Evan and Adam, so they cruised to the top of Logan Pass.

This was my first time on a glacier and I stopped several times to take cool pictures and take in the views. And then I saw a short walk down to a little creek and decided it was worth it to go down and check it out.

At this point, Maya was also coming up and was easily convinced. We parked the bikes and walked down. It was getting hot outside, and the natural thing to do was get in the creek. So we did, but we didn’t last very long. This water hurts to be in. It was runoff from snow melt, so it makes sense that it would be frigid.

After the quick dip, we got on our bikes and finished the climb to meet Evan and Adam, who were waiting for quite a while after our expeditions.

At the top, we had to wait until 4 pm as there are two sections of road closed to bikes from 11 a.m. to 4 pm.

To kill time, we went for a short hike that was first cut short by bear activity. The trail was 3 miles long, but we could only hike 1.5 miles of it. Then we got to a melting patch of snow with a ranger saying that this snow was unsafe, so the trail would be closed until it melted.

After the extremely shortened hike, we still had time to kill, so we did what we do best... eat. After killing time with that, some of us walked around, some played word games, I took a short nap, and then it started getting close to 4.

We started getting excited because this is the fun part. The descent, generally, is the reward. Each time you go up a mountain, you have to come down it as well.

After gearing up, we started to go down the mountain, leaving ample space between each other not to crowd the road with bikers.

When it was my turn, I had a blast. The very top was scary as there were strong gusts of wind, causing me to be a bit more cautious, but afterwards I was cruising down 10 miles of scenic descent.

Once the descent was over, we all stopped by a river that ran through the park and hopped in for a bit of cooling off and fun. This one was a bit warmer than the first one I found, so we could swim around for a while.

After we were done, we got back on our bikes and rode 20 miles back into town on a false flat downhill. So we were zooming. We stopped in a small shop in West Glacier just to get some WIFI to figure out where our campsite was and to get some snacks.

We arrived at our campsite and split the work. Some went to the grocery store to get brats and accoutrements for dinner. Others got some firewood and got a small fire going.

After we ate, we could feel the sleepiness coming on and headed to bed.

Tomorrow we decided the ride back into town would be a break day as this is the prettiest it will ever be on the trip. To make up for that day, we may combine two short days of riding or adjust the route slightly.

Day 46: Jordan, MT to St. Mary, MT - 0 Miles - Shuttle Day

Maya Sweeney

With the events of yesterday and our plan to take a shuttle, today was a break day from riding as we waited for Mr. Malinchock to reach us in the town of Jordan, Montana. Although I would have preferred to ride the miles instead of shuttle, the decision to cut some of this trip worked in my favor. I have been increasingly nervous about the end timing of this trip as it comes uncomfortably close to my start date for school. With the new schedule, I should be able to finish with the whole crew and our days will include more time for sightseeing. Additionally, the coming heat wave was predicting blazing temperatures of 90-100 and above.  As both Evan and I have experienced heat exhaustion, we are both more of a liability in the heat, and I am more than grateful to be writing this from an air-conditioned car.   

The first part of our day we spent in Jordan, discovering what the town had to offer and resting in our cold motel rooms. We spent most of the afternoon at an indoor convenience store, sitting at the few tables and snacking from the nearby vending machines. Around 4 pm, he arrived. Mr. Malinchock, riding on his white stallion in the form of a large pick-up truck, came to the rescue. We were all relieved to see him and quickly loaded up our bikes so we could hit the road. The plan was to drive from Jordan to St. Mary’s, Montana which is just outside Glacier National Park. 

Glacier National Park to me is an incredibly special place. When I initially found out about this trip one of the biggest selling points was the fact that the route passed through Glacier. Tomorrow we will be riding Going to the Sun Road, the quintessential road that passes through the park with famous views. This is a day I have been waiting for for a long time and I can’t believe it is almost here. 

Before starting this trip, this was the day that I was looking forward to the most. As mentioned previously, the months before beginning this trip I was recovering from hip surgery which was a much longer and more painful process than I could have ever expected. In all my ups and downs in my recovery, as I was thinking of going on this trip, Going to the Sun Road was the road I dreamed of riding. In the days when it hurt to walk, to sit, to stand, I would sit in class thinking about this trip and would picture myself riding in Glacier. The girl riding in Glacier was not consumed by pain and bitterness- she was free. Free from depression, free from injury anxiety, and free from the pain. So many months ago, I never believed I would get to live out that dream. The image was simply a good distraction and provided a moment that took me out of my misery. 

So while Going to the Sun Road may just seem like another road on our journey, to me it represents the fulfillment of a dream and healing that at one point seemed impossible. I could not be more excited for the ride tomorrow and I think it will be as beautiful as it will be emotional for me. Tomorrow I ride to celebrate healing and can’t wait to live something that was once just a fleeting day dream. 

Day 45: Circle, MT - Jordan, MT 67 Miles

Adam Lenox

Evan mentioned yesterday that we would be embarking on what is historically one of the most challenging days of the bike trip. He wasn’t kidding.

Knowing that the only place to stop between Circle and Jordan was a rest area 30 miles in, we bought food for breakfast from a gas station and a grocery store in Circle the previous evening. As we began our ride to the rest stop, Evan quickly requested we go slower up hills. I was more than happy to slow down, but at the same time, it was concerning that Evan--our strongest and most experienced riders--was making this request so early on.

When we hit the rest stop, we sat down in the shade and began munching on our make-shift gas station breakfasts. Evan revealed that he was feeling very dehydrated and was unable to keep anything down. For this reason, we took a slightly longer break than we otherwise would have before filling our water bottles and continuing on.

This longer break, however, gave time for the sun to come out in full force, and it was soon 90ºF with no clouds in sight. As the heat pounded our backs for another couple hours, we eventually hit a point where we had to stop 13 miles outside of Jordan, as Evan was now suffering from heat exhaustion. Unhelpful was the fact that the water from the rest stop turned out to be undrinkable, as much of the water around here is (that is the first warning we get from almost any local: don’t drink the water). Agustin, recognizing that Evan should not continue riding into town, called the gas station in Jordan; gas stations always seem to be the community center of these small towns. Sure enough, there was someone at the gas station with a pick-up truck who set off immediately to meet us on the side of the highway. This was a prime example of people helping people that is so apparent in these small towns, and we are so grateful that this kindness and hospitality still exists.

With Evan and his bike now safely on their way to a medical center in Jordan, Agustin, Maya, and I continued the rest of the ride into town, where we met up with Evan. As we collected ourselves and settled into the cool A/C provided by motel rooms that Mrs. Malinchock booked for us, we began to reevaluate the rest of this trip.

We have been working against a fairly tight deadline for some time now, as Agustin and Maya both have classes starting up soon that they cannot miss. On top of that, an extreme heat wave is currently causing daily temperatures in the high 90s and even 100s here in Montana. As a result, our options would be to brave the heat at great risk to all of our health, or wait out the heat wave (which doesn’t seem to have an end in sight). Option one is clearly a no-go, and option two would prevent Maya and Agustin from ever reaching the west coast before having to return to school. For this reason, Evan and his parents devised option three: Evan’s dad will be flying out and renting a truck to shuttle us and our bikes to the western side of Montana in East Glacier. This would cut out approximately 375 miles of riding through blistering heat across the rural center of Montana.

Evan, Maya, and Agustin were happy with this plan, but it hit me hard. I recognized that this would be the only way we would finish together, but it was still such a big disappointment to be cutting out a chunk of the trip. Whether it was just one mile or 375 miles, it really hurts to be skipping out on any of the journey from coast to coast. For this reason, I even contemplated dropping off from the rest of the group and using the lack of a time constraint I had to wait out the heat wave and continue the rest of the way solo. As much as I hated the idea of splitting off from the group and not finishing together, it seemed like the option I felt I had to do.

Evan, knowing my disappointment, presented me with a compromise: yes, we would shuttle across a good portion of Montana, but he and I would continue the trip past Cape Flattery, WA to make up for and even surpass the miles we cut out of Montana. It won’t make this shuttle hurt any less, but it will at least allow us to hit the mileage we set out to and, more importantly, finish this trip as a team.

So, as we are waiting in Jordan for Mr. Malinchock to arrive, Evan and I are working on a plan to ride from Cape Flattery down the west coast to San Francisco, CA, tacking on over 1000 miles extra.

Day 44: Glendive, MT - Circle, MT 49 Miles

Evan Malinchock

Days like today make it nearly impossible to not be romantic about trips like this. Rare days present us with so many idyllic moments that make sentimental people like me so fill with joy. And of course this domino effect started with a late wake-up (knowing me). 

Waking up on Mutts comfortable couch around 7am was perfect. Everyone other than myself complained about sleeping poorly due to incessant snoring, and the heat generated by four bodies in a tight room in Montana in the middle of summer. We were, of course, woken up by the sound of my alarm, but this time we were met with an enthusiastic host! Mutt roused us and told us she’d be gone preparing for her west coast trip and wouldn’t be back before we’d leave this morning, she would be wrong. After a session where we all complained about some aspect of our sleep we begrudgingly packed our bags and stalled for even more before our day began. 

After a few hours our host Mutt came back in and was surprised that we were still in het living room. I had to explain that our wake up schedule was much slower than the 2020 bike trip. After making the hard decision to leave the comfy home that Mutt offered us, we decided to hit the road for breakfast two miles out.

Breakfast was at a trucker service station just on the outskirts of Glendive, MT. A place that primarily served as a bar and electronic casino. After browsing the menu for a few minutes Adam, Agustin, and I settled on a filling meal while Maya opted for two and half breakfasts for herself. We were all skeptical of her, but our waitress knew better than us and said she would almost bet on our “bottomless pit”. Of course all the boys were losers in this situation.

After a filling breakfast of chicken fried steaks and skillets, we decided it was time to make the trek into the wind to our destination. Today was the first day in what feels like forever that we weren’t on a scary four lane interstate with cars passing us at 70+ mph. We went two bikes wide along these country roads chatting as long as we could until the sun made things, let’s say, interesting. As always after breakfast the temperature seemed to rise by double digits and this was taxing for our crew. Fortunately the miles wound down and we reached our halfway point in a small “town” (it only had a gas station and a SMALL collection of homes) called Lindsay, MT.

At the Co-op gas station in Lindsay we made a bee-line to the cooler which held cokes, waters, and sweet teas. We sat inside to escape the brutal sun and made conversation with the locals that owned the shop, and I was surprised with how increasingly unimpressed they were with trans-American cyclists coming through their setup. This was of course because we started riding on the Adventure Cycling Northern Tier Route a few days back. 

The final few miles were more of the same, rough false flats that made us question our fitness with every pedal stroke, until we reached a continental divide. From then on we had a big descent into Circle, MT. 

The town of Circle is undoubtedly one of my favorite places on earth for seemingly no reason. They have little to no amenities or attractions, nothing to get excited about, or really anything worthwhile. But this town is, in possibly the worst terms I can put it, concentrated bike trip vibes. There’s everything you need and nothing more. A campsite, a restaurant, a gas station, a bar, and nothing else. It’s so minimalist without being barren. 

After setting up camp we headed into town for dinner, and on our way we ran into another bike packer who was going eastward! We invited him to join us for dinner so we could discuss what each of our next few days would look like. 

After heading back to the campsite we quickly fell asleep to get ready for what is historically one of the most challenging days in bike trip history. We are making the feared trek from Circle to Jordan. 

Day 43: Medora, ND - Glendive, MT 62 Miles

Agustin Fiorito

First of all, we got to Montana!

Why do people bike tour? I have been thinking about this ever since I joined the group two weeks ago. There are many reasons why: scenery, people, adventure, stories, exploring, or you just plain like biking. I think I’ve gone through every single one of these feelings during my time on the road.

For any person and any trip, the reasons vary, but fundamentally, I think that there is a common thread between people who start a bike tour or any long-term adventure, for that matter. It's a joy to discover new things.

You can start a trip with every spot planned out and everything you do written out, but the moment you start, everything goes out the window. Of course, you try to stick to the plan you made for yourself before. But no one can ever know what will happen to you out there, good, bad, or neutral. Being able to turn a bad moment into a good one is critical when you face unexpected circumstances. Or being able to be OK with dropping your plan for a much cooler one if an opportunity presents itself, are both critical things to be able to do on a long trip.

After closing our mouths, we came back to pick up Evan to go see a small rodeo show. We were all so underdressed; we had no jeans, cowboy boots (basically a pre-req to be there), or cowboy hats. We ate dinner here from a food truck while watching the last bit of the rodeo and the sunset. It was so cool that it made us want to ditch the bikes and finish on horseback. But we figured that was a bad idea because we didn't know what to do with the bikes.

Day 42: Richardton, ND - Medora, ND 61 Miles
(Plus 15 of MTB) 

Maya Sweeney

Before I cover the occurrences of today’s ride I thought I would backtrack through the emotional rollercoaster that has been my last few days. As you know, the last time I had the privilege of writing an entry in the blog I was in a dire position. I was coming off my worst day on this trip and suffering from severe heat exhaustion and questioning my ability to continue on this trip. 

The day after my heat episode, I woke up feeling weak and extremely tired. The 104 mile day in the heat not only crushed me physically, but broke me mentally in a way I don’t think I have ever been broken before. It was a defeat so deep that it took all my willpower and energy in a way that felt like I might never come back from. While I was concerned about my physical state, the loss of my mental energy was just as concerning. Though we planned a break day, I spent most of the day going to urgent care and talking to my parents as I questioned my ability to continue.  Even on our second break day, the fatigue still lingered and even a walk from the hotel to the nearby grocery store left me abnormally winded. I started looking up flights from Bismarck to Richmond as I wasn’t sure my body would allow me to keep riding even if I wanted to. The second break day was much like the first. Me fretting about what I should do, and calling anyone I could think of for advice. After hours of deliberation, I found some last will inside of me that told me that I needed to at least try and get back on the bike for one more day. 

Starting the ride the next day physically I was still feeling pretty weak and tired. By some miracle, I made it 30 miles to breakfast. As Adam has already covered the events of yesterday, I was able to make it through the day, and not only have an average day, but a much needed good day. I am super thankful that I am still here and can’t imagine what I would have missed had I tapped out in Bismarck. 

Today began with an early wake up around 4am and we left the monastery eager to get on our way. The reason for our early start and the true motivation for the day was the promise of potential mountain biking when we reached the town of Medora. While the thought of adding more biking to this trip may sound insane, we all miss the adrenaline, speed, and variety of terrain that comes with mountain biking and the thought of it was incredibly enticing. Not only was mountain biking a motivator, but reaching Medora also meant entering into Teddy Roosevelt National Park and the Badlands territory of North Dakota. 

To say North Dakota has not been my favorite state would be putting it lightly. The scenery has been beyond dull and the boring highway roads seem to suck the life out of me. I had extreme doubt that North Dakota had anything better than grassy fields and was skeptical about this National Park. The first 40 or so miles were the usual- headwinds, never ending fields, and monotonous highway roads. Then out of nowhere, we dropped into a valley and the scenery completely changed. Tall hills and mountains covered in grass and underbrush rose up as we dropped considerable elevation into a canyon like landscape. The views were unlike anything I had ever seen and were truly incredible. Elated by the beauty of the landscape and change in surroundings, we booked it the rest of the way to Medora. 

The town of Medora has the feel of an old western town and even contains a cowboy hall of fame. After getting a quick lunch, we headed over to the bike shop. Likely making the smarter choice, Adam decided he did not want to be mountain biking this afternoon and spent his afternoon visiting a local chalet.  Augustin, Evan, and I, enticed by the thought of suspension, were more than excited as we were each handed a rental mountain bike that we would have for the afternoon. Once we were geared up to go, we were shuttled from the bike shop to the Maah Daah Hey Trail, a trail that traverses through the badlands of Teddy Roosevelt National Park. The terrain and scenery was truly incredible. The trail winded through the hills and grasslands with stunning views of the canyons. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced and one of the coolest trails I have ever ridden. The trails themselves were smooth and flowy and we all had tons of fun playing in the terrain and getting to see the landscape. 

After returning our bikes, which was a slightly emotional experience after we had all grown to love them, we set up camp and finally got out of our bike kits. For dinner, we went back into town to eat at a high end restaurant called Theodore’s Place.. Adam’s dad had graciously promised us a nice dinner and we felt like today was the day to go for it. The food was absolutely delicious and we feasted on bison and steak. It was a stark contrast from the breakfast burrito I heated up this morning in the gas station microwave, and it felt good to partake in a nice meal enjoying one another’s company. 

Though I just had one of my worst days on this trip, today was one of the best. I am so thankful I am still here and able to continue. It is days like these that remind me why I am here and give me the mental and physical rejuvenation to power through the bad ones. Not only that, but today changed my view of North Dakota and I can confidently say that Teddy Roosevelt National Park is one of my new favorite places. 

Day 41: Bismarck, ND to Richardton, ND - 80 miles

Adam Lenox

Now that our legs (and the rest of our bodies, for that matter) have had two days to recover, we decided on a 4:00am wake-up to be sure we would avoid any heat that may be thrown at us today. Well, the 4:00am wake-up did happen, but we did not hit the road for some time. One thing we forgot to take into account was the time of sunrise. And, given we would be on the interstate this morning, being visible to cars seemed just as important as beating the heat. So, it was not until shortly before 6:00 that we finally checked out and began today’s ride.

As a further precaution to our return, we decided to take things very slow. Luckily for me, this meant I got to pull all the way to breakfast! After 33 miles of my slow and steady™ pulling, we arrived at the grocery store where we would be buying our breakfast. With no restaurants on our route that would be open while we were riding through, this was our only option, but I don’t think any of us really cared. Maya and Evan each had a couple Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches, Agustin had a cold can of Chef Boyardee ravioli, and I had a box of Reese’s Puffs into which I poured a quart of milk. It was delicious, though I don’t think I’ll be having Reese’s Puffs again for quite awhile.

Despite having made a plan to ditch I-94 in favor of Highway 10 for the remaining 47 miles to Richardton, a few friendly strangers caused us to reevaluate when they informed us of some of the barriers Highway 10 may present. For one, we had a 13-mile stretch of gravel road upcoming that taking I-94 for a bit longer would avoid. And secondly, according to one local, Highway 10 had quite a few rattlesnake dens lining the side. But, hey, it was more scenic. I’ll spare you the details on our insightful, thought-provoking, and at points highly emotional conversation on the quality of the gravel carpeting the highway, and let you know that we chose to risk it for the nice views and lack of traffic on Highway 10.

I generally am a glass-half-full kind of guy, but I think the rest of the crew would back me up when I say we made the right decision avoiding I-94. Not only did we not see any rattlesnakes, but the gravel road was beautiful and—I dare to say—fun. Riding up and down big, rolling hills granted us views of the geographic structures we didn’t realize North Dakota had, along with a look at some beautiful railroads and their bridges.

After a return to asphalt and a gas station break, we cruised the rest of the way to Richardton across expansive and relatively flat farmland and pastures. When we reached Assumption Abbey, the monastery in Richardton that would be hosting us for the night, we could hardly believe we had just ridden 80 miles!

Brother Simeon, one of the monks at Assumption Abbey, greeted us and showed us to our rooms for the night. After showering off and taking a break to relax, Agustin and I joined the monks for mass at 5:00. This was a new experience for me, as I am not Catholic, so I am glad I had the opportunity to join in. After mass, we all had dinner with the monks in a dining hall with an incredible view that reached 30+ miles on a clear day. We had delightful conversations at dinner about where we’re coming from, where we’re headed, the nature North Dakota has to offer, and much more. However, this filling dinner combined with an early wake-up this morning, another to come tomorrow, and a time zone change today to top everything off, I’m afraid I’m using every bit of energy I have remaining to write this blog. So, [yawn] with this last sentence, I wish you a good…

Day 40: Break Day 2

Day 39: Bismarck, ND - 0 Miles, (much needed) Break Day

Agustin Fiorito

Many of you know that after yesterday’s difficulties, we took a rest day today. And it was a hard rest day.

The hot century took a toll on me and caused my sleep to be quite poor. On a side note, because the state of North Dakota is so flat, we were able to see a distant lightning storm when night fell. The rhythmic flashes were quite mesmerizing from a distance.

In the morning, we packed up camp to head to a hotel so that we could recuperate in air conditioning.

On the way, we stopped at a hole in the wall restaurant that was fantastic. We all ate in silence due to exhaustion. After playing a round of Palace, which I graciously let everyone else beat me, we arrived and settled into our room.

Me and Adam decided to pamper ourselves today with a pedicure. It was both of our first times getting one, and it was an odd experience. But now our feet feel like they’ve aged back 5 years. Let’s see how long that sensation lasts.

After a short nap, we went to a barbecue joint for dinner. I can’t really tell you much there, as I’m pretty sure I thought that was still part of my nap.

To be safe, we plan on taking an additional rest day tomorrow before pushing off again, as the heat from the previous day can have lasting impacts on our physical performance.

Day 38: Fargo, ND - Bismarck, ND 103 Miles

Maya Sweeney

I am writing the blog a day late because yesterday absolutely destroyed me. 

We started our day once again at 4:30 in hopes to avoid the predicted temperatures of 90 plus degrees later in the afternoon. The plan was to ride over a century after doing basically a century the day before. A single century usually wrecks me, and I wasn’t sure what was going to happen in attempting two in a row. 

The ride to breakfast was only 30 miles but felt significantly longer. The minutes dragged by and I felt like I couldn’t get into a rhythm. We stopped a few times for a flat and bathroom breaks which likely made the time pass slower. 

Following breakfast, we had a good 70 miles left which was a hefty amount of mileage to cover. I got in a groove for about 20 miles or so then the previous days started to take their toll. Everything felt hard. My legs were like bricks. The sun was beating down. A crosswind was pushing us aggressively to the side. For about 20 minutes, I wasn’t sure if I was gonna pass out, hyperventilate, or completely fall off the back of the pack. Just as I was reaching the brink of my demise, a gas station rose in the distance. It may have been the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. 

Arriving at the gas station, my body was telling me it was completely done. Maxed out. At its absolute limit. The worst part was- we still had substantial miles left, and though I was feeling worse than I maybe ever have felt while exercising, I was somehow gonna have to find a way to get myself through another 40 miles. I chugged a Celsius and ate some snacks and somehow found the willpower to get back on my bike. 

The next 20 miles were far better than expected and I found some hope that I was gonna make it. We stopped at one more gas station to get more cold drinks and fuel. I decided that since I was feeling so dead I wasn’t going to stay with the group and was gonna intentionally fall back so I could go slowly. It seemed like a good idea at first but ended up being a terrible decision. I was doing well until about the last 5 miles when I started feeling aggressive symptoms of heat exhaustion. I had a pounding headache, was extremely fatigued, had stopped sweating, was feeling so nauseous I could no longer eat or drink, and heat rash was all over my legs. I only had a mile to go but I was getting concerned I would end up passed out on the side of the road from heat exhaustion before I reached the campsite. Another 15 or so minutes and I probably would have been calling an ambulance. 

By some miracle I made it, finishing 103 miles in 95 degree heat, feeling very unwell and at my absolute limits. I jumped in the pool which helped cool my body off significantly. When I got to the campsite, I laid on the ground for a good hour unable to move from fatigue, dizziness, and lingering nausea. After showering, eating, and drinking I felt better, but I knew that there was no way I would be riding the next day. After voicing my concerns, we decided a break day was necessary. 

Waking up this morning, I still feel pretty significant effects from the heat exhaustion. It feels like waking up the day after having a fever. My body feels abnormally weak and fatigued and I can’t seem to get rid of my headache. Yesterday absolutely broke me and I am getting nervous about my heat exhaustion returning and my overall ability to carry on at this pace. It honestly might be beyond me, and if that’s the case I’ll have to accept defeat. I am hoping the break day revives me and I can make it to the end of this journey. 

Day 37: Fargo, ND - Jamestown, ND 95 Miles

Adam Lenox

With a not-so-heartfelt goodbye to the gear bag last night as we rotated who carried each piece of equipment, I was able to sleep very soundly. In fact, today’s 4:30 wake-up really didn’t feel that bad. We woke up, packed up, and hit the road. Our goodbye to the luxurious hotel we had been in for the past two nights was a bit more genuinely heartfelt. But not to fear, as tonight we have one last night of living the high life in an Airbnb before returning to our usual tent sleeping arrangements.

In an effort to put off riding on the interstate for as long as possible, I made sure that the non-interstate route did not have gravel roads, and we took that to breakfast. As it would turn out, I did not look at the roads as carefully as I should have and we managed to hit about 10 miles of gravel during our 45 mile ride to breakfast. Despite that tough stretch, the ride to breakfast went by quite smoothly. The headwinds from two days ago made today’s roughly 10mph headwinds feel like a tailwind.

Once we reached the travel stop for breakfast, we were greeted by the North Dakota prices Evan had been promising. That delicious breakfast was the most bang for my buck I’ve gotten on this entire trip!

After breakfast, we rode directly to the on ramp for I-94 and began our first bit of interstate riding. Luckily, Evan wasn’t lying when he promised wide shoulders on the interstate, and we felt very safe.

Something that stood out today more than most days was the encouragement from cars. The happy, encouraging honks beat out the angry honks (or maybe just honk) 10 to 1. My favorite honk happened when we were about to ride under and overpass and a U-Haul truck up above us have us plenty of beeps and fist pumps out the window. We returned the favor with some whoops and fist pumps of our own and felt the boost of energy that follows such a friendly and encouraging interaction. We’d even get honks and waves from cars on the other side of the highway!

Once the long spans of farms gave way to the buildings of Jamestown, we reached our Airbnb for the night, and it is so nice! A big shoutout to the Sweeney’s for the Airbnb; it’s just too bad we couldn’t spend one more day hanging out with them!

Before changing out of our sweaty chamois, we biked over to the grocery store to pick up dinner. In typical pre-century day fashion, we loaded up on lots of pasta, and I cooked a pasta dinner with meat sauce and zucchini. The rest of the crew put on a great show pretending they liked my cooking, which I appreciated, and will maybe give me the edge I know I’ll need for tomorrow’s century. Until then, we’re relaxing, unwinding, stretching, and trying not to think about another 4:30 wake-up tomorrow.

Day 36: Fargo, ND Break Day

Evan Malinchock

Today was an impromptu break day as the winds were forecasted to be just as bad as yesterday. In all my years of cycling the last 60 miles of yesterday were the hardest 60 miles I’ve ever done. The wind seemed to be consistently growing stronger as the day progressed and my long pull ended late into the day.

But today was a break day, so I got the opportunity to sleep in until 10 am in my own bed. After waking up fully I made my way down to a waffle shop for some breakfast and coffee. 

After a delicious breakfast I went back to the hotel to grab my laptop and from there I went to a coffee shop across the street to get some work done. I looked at the route and consolidated some days so we could all finish with ample time to get back to our normal lives. 

After tweaking the route I did some job research as me entering the workforce seemed to be coming for me at an alarming pace. I must’ve remained in that coffee shop for half the day! 

After that coffee break I went back up to the hotel room for a shower before we all went out for pizza. The Sweeneys had to head out around 6 and we have an early wake up time so this early supper was a perfect choice. 

The miles here on out look much tougher and the weather of course doesn’t look like it will cooperate too much, but I know we’ll get through it.

Day 35: Battle Lake, MN - Fargo, ND 74 Miles

Agustin Fiorito

We woke up late at 8 because we were staying at a hotel with a hard check-in time of 3pm. In addition to a relatively short day of 74 miles.

Breakfast at the Airbnb was great! Thanks to Maya’s parents, we had a fantastic selection to eat from. As well as making a shared playlist to listen to on the ride today.

Towards the end of breakfast, we took a look at the weather. Wind. Lots of it. headwinds at 20 mph for the entire ride. This was going to be a hard day. We geared up and left the house, and embarked on our journey through the wind.

It was tough going. But a rotating pace line eased our troubles a bit. For a bit, Maya’s parents drove the car (I think it was a Buick?) in front of us, breaking the wind and allowing us to draft off of them. Adam would like the blog readers to know that he did not cheat and used the wind-breaking car. He heroically pushed through all on his own. The rest of the group gladly took the break from the nasty headwind.

We regrouped shortly after our draft car left. And Evan took the lead on the pace line and was feeling great. He led the group for about 50 miles in the wind. A shockingly impressive display of mental and physical strength. I would like to reiterate here that this was a 20 mph headwind. It felt like a windy day at the beach.

We stopped about 10 miles from the hotel we were going to be staying at today for water and snacks. We rotated for a bit, but if the wind wasn’t enough, it started to rain as we came into Fargo. We put ourselves double wide so cars would see us better in the conditions and we had no more shoulders.

It was Maya and myself in the front when this rain started 5 miles from the hotel. Without looking or talking, we both got a burst of anger from the crappy day. We started to crank the pedals harder and harder. We turned up our music louder and louder (one ear was free to listen to the road). The rage that was building throughout the day was released in an explosive stretch to the finish. Afterwards we both agreed that it was very cathartic at the end of the day.

We arrived at the hotel wet, tired, and hungry. Adam’s dad was kind enough to purchase hotel rooms for us tonight.

At dinner, we had tacos, and everyone ate a bunch. I ate enough for two people. Everyone ate a similar amount of food. To top off dinner, we had ice cream to really fill our bellies for the night.

Tomorrow we are taking an impromptu break day as the winds will continue to be very strong and we have 100 miles to ride. Together we agreed together  wait another day for them to die down a bit.

Day 34: Crosby, MN - Battle Lake, MN 85 Miles

Maya Sweeney

Last night sleeping in the AirBnB was truly a pleasant experience, and when the alarm sounded this morning I wished more than anything that I could roll over and hit snooze for just a few more minutes. Nevertheless, we all got up and cycled through the one person bathroom, reluctantly pulling on our bibs and jerseys. 

This week has heavier mileage and I am so grateful to have my parents here! We are truly being spoiled, sleeping in AirBnBs and eating home cooked meals. It is making what would have been a brutal week much more manageable. It has been neat for my parents to get an insider glimpse into what it looks like to be on this bike trip. They have met up with us at local diners for breakfast, passed us on the road from town to town, and watched us drag ourselves in, sweaty and tired at the end of each day. It’s been really fun having them here and is a much needed morale booster that hopefully we will carry with us as we enter the second half of our trip. 

The plan for today was to ride about 85 miles, about the same mileage as we had ridden yesterday. As I am becoming more accustomed to the mileage, I am noticing how my body reacts to certain distances. I find that anytime we break the threshold of about 75 miles, my recovery time becomes significantly longer with every 10 mile or so increment. Since 85 is above what I have now deemed to be my manageable “threshold” I knew it wouldn’t feel like an “easy” day. 

We started our day by riding 45 miles to a local diner where we stopped for breakfast. The place was an absolute 10/10, and we were amazed by the food and the kindness of the restaurant workers and other locals. Julie, our waitress, agreed to cover our breakfast and gave a generous donation to the Be Loud! Sophie Foundation! Not only that, but we were greeted with kindness from many of the locals asking about our journey and some of them contributed donations as well! 

The rest of the day went far smoother than I thought it would. The riding was very flat with little elevation gain and we stayed on the same road for most of our miles. We are staying in another AirBnB tonight as my parents are still with us and we were relieved to be greeted by cool air conditioning after another hot day. We spent most of the afternoon watching the Great British Baking Show and draining our legs. 

Before my parents were thinking about coming, I had asked them to bring me one particular thing- my running shoes. This might have seemed crazy, but I haven’t run since before my surgery a good 7 months ago, and this felt like one of the last things I needed to do to really put this time of recovery behind me. I decided to lace up my Brooks and go for a run. I couldn’t believe I was running! It was an emotional time that involved more than a few tears. It wasn’t much - 15 minutes of alternating running and walking, which would have been a joke to my former self, but I could not have been more grateful to be running again! 

For dinner my mom made one of my favorite meals, spicy pasta sauce, with broccoli and bread. It is so nice not to worry about going back out to get food or having to make anything. Tonight we rest up for our day tomorrow and the upcoming mileage this coming week! 

Day 33: Cloquet, MN - Crosby, MN 82 Miles

Adam Lenox

Well, this morning did not go as expected for me. Anticipating an invigorating morning after resting in the hotel sauna with Agustin the previous night, our 5:30 wake up hit like a sack of bricks. To worsen the blow, a sluggish morning and Agustin needing to change a tube before we left pushed back our departure time from 6:00 until a bit after 7:00.

Here’s where things got tricky for me. Feeling excited by the company of the Sweeney’s and perhaps a desire to make up for lost time earlier in the morning, we set off to breakfast at speed. No, we weren’t going 16mph instead of 14 or 15th, we were in the 18-19mph range. On a fully packed bike, my legs did not appreciate that. Eventually, we recognized that with many high-mileage days ahead, our bodies would thank us in the long run if we slowed it down a bit.

After another 21 slightly slower miles, we hit the 44 mile mark of today’s ride where a small cafe awaited us. Breakfast was BIG. Portions were out of control, and don’t even get me started on the cinnamon rolls. It was even surprising that Maya managed to take one down along with her omelet.

Eventually, we could sit in the cafe no longer, and had to reenter the hot, sunny, and increasingly treeless outdoors to ride the remaining 38 miles to Crosby.

Despite some shoulders that felt like riding on tightropes and a few rude honks here and there, we managed to reach our Airbnb in Crosby with plenty of time to spare. While we relaxed and played a few games of Palace, Evan and Maya did their best to hold back their envy of Mr. Sweeney’s mountain biking adventure, and Mrs. Sweeney cooked up a delicious dinner of street car chicken. Having a home-cooked dinner for the first time since reentering the US was more refreshing than I can put into words. Now, as a bit of inspiration for our ride through Brainerd tomorrow, we’re watching the movie Fargo before going to bed.

Day 32: Iron River, WI - Cloquet, MN 68 Miles

Evan Malinchock

Why do mornings in hotels on these kinda trips almost ruin the magic of sleeping in a bed the night prior. Waking up and abandoning a comfy bed and our four walls and a roof is painful to say the least. Fortunately for us the time change was on our side as the 6:30 am wake up felt more like a 7:30! 

After fighting the urge to roll back over I jumped into my kit and chamois and chugged my monster energy drink. Today is a very exciting day as Maya’s parents are joining us for a few days to pamper us! With hotel accommodations already made all I had to do this morning was ride to breakfast and meet with the Sweeneys. 

After a few miles of perfect flat/downhill roads with massive shoulders the route took a turn for the worse. After we turned off Wisconsin county roads we hit miles of loose large gravel that made our quick pace slowly turn into a slog. Lucky for us Agustin is a far more experienced gravel rider than any of us so he took charge of setting a blazing pace to get these challenging miles over with. Mercifully after about 10 miles of riding in tire tracks so our bikes wouldn’t slide out we hit tarmac.

We arrived at a small Wisconsin bar in the middle of nowhere that was packed to the brim with breakfast goers. It was there that Maya reunited with her parents, and we all said our hellos to our new “road parents” for the next few days. After a delicious bar breakfast we reluctantly saddled back up for what was promised to us by the bartender, as a hot hilly climb to Cloquet.

After dodging more perilous gravel roads, we crossed the Wisconsin border into Minnesota. Unfortunately for us there was no sign to pose with and the only way we found out we were in another state was a robotic “Welcome to Minnesota” from google maps. 

After a few truly hot miles I was completely out of water so we took a quick pit stop at a gas station and chatted up with some locals for a while. After us all seeing that the temperature was 86 degrees and rising I made the executive decision to bust our asses to town to relax in some AC. 

After a few scorching miles we arrived at the motel and quickly cleaned up. The hotel we are staying at is directly across the street from an Aldi so we all jokingly decided to take down a six pack of Danimals in a race as a post ride fuel up. Both Adam and Agustin had better starts and strategy than me but I ended up pulling ahead in the end. 

After a little while the Sweeneys took us out to a restaurant that one of Adam’s local friends (and Guy Fieri) recommended. After being faced with piles of fried food we had to tap out fairly early. After choking down some highly recommended ice cream we got driven around downtown Cloquet. In town we ran into a train for Agustin’s acclaimed Snapchat story group “Terrific Trains”, and directly across the street was a gas station designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Adam. After Maya and I cracked a few jokes about the geeks and their passions we headed back to the hotel for a restful night's sleep. 

Day 31: Iron River, WI - 0 Miles Break Day

Agustin Fiorito

I’ve finally joined the crew!! For those that don’t know me I’m Agustin Fiorito and I’m a rising senior at Virginia Tech. I’ve been meandering in the mid-west for a week before linking up with everyone as they made their way closer to me. 

The day after I flew into Duluth I left to explore north shore of Minnesota. It was a gorgeous day to start. Great weather and riding along country roads beside Lake Superior was stunning. I stopped to eat some smoked fish at Russ Kendall’s on the way up. Continuing after that I arrived at Gooseberry Falls State Park and set up camp just before it rained. Resting up in my tent for the hour or so it drizzled I recharged before exploring the park hiking and enjoying the views. I finished the day taking in the sunset on the point jutting into Lake Superior. 

The next day I had an early wake up to ride the bike path up to Split Rock Lighthouse State Park and check out the cool lighthouse there. I rode back to Gooseberry to pack up camp and do one more hike before heading down to Knife River to stay at a WarmShower. 

On the way I stopped in Two Harbors taking in all the local history, which was a surprising amount actually for such a small town. It was the start of 3M, and a historically an important port town (hence the name). 

After reaching my WarmShower host Lee. I set up camp in his back yard and enjoyed the company until bedtime. Lee helped me plan out my next few days before meeting Evan, Maya and Adam. 

I left early the next morning heading towards Herbster a small town on the south shore of Lake Superior. I just got to the campsite before a massive storm so I waited a for a bit underneath the picnic shelter until the rain cleared. Here I met Jenny and Troy who were very kind sharing some dinner and conversation with me. I set up camp right on the shore and listened to the waves as I went to sleep. 

Waking up late today I took a plain hot water shower in the morning. Broke down camp and rode a short 8 miles to Cornucopia. A very cute town that had an artisanal water spring, great coffee and friendly people.

Moving on from breakfast I rode all the way to Bayfield. Bayfield was a very touristy town for good reason. It was very beautiful and had many islands off the coast which gave the town a great atmosphere. After lunch I took the ferry to Madeline Island where I set up camp and took a stroll on the board walk. Which reminded me a lot of the costal forests in North Carolina. 

Waking up early I took the first ferry to be on time to meet everyone in Ashland. I ate some delicious breakfast at a hole in the wall diner 20 miles out of Bayfield. Then I rode 10 miles to the meet up coffee shop stopping by the artisanal water spring by it first. Here everyone met up a short time later and we set off for the 20 miles into Iron river. 

I was surprised to see we were staying in a motel after camping out the past 5 days. Here I had my first proper shower and laundry of the the trip (yes I know I was stanky).

And today, the day the blog is supposed to be about, was a rest day in Iron River. We all woke up whenever. Once everyone was up we went as a group to breakfast to a cozy inn/diner. 

Afterwards Evan and Maya stayed back watching some movies and talking to their families. 

Me and Adam headed to a golf course to play a short round of golf. We hit the driving range for a short bit to get into the swing of things ;). And started playing. Keep in mind this is the first time I have ever played golf.  

We head out onto the course and start playing and it becomes very apparent that I am terrible. But we were having a ball (another one ;). After 9 holes and little bit of golf car four wheeling (the path was very gravely) we headed inside for bit before leaving to get back to the motel. 

We then rested for a bit before me and Maya decided to go to a fish fry at a local VFW. The food was delicious and we left very full. 

Tomorrow is a relatively short day to Cloquet.  Where Maya’s parents will be meeting us to cheer us on. 

Day 30: Bergland, MI - Iron River, WI 97 Miles

Maya Sweeney

With a big mileage day ahead (about a century) the luxuries of a late wake-up time were behind us, and our alarm sounded off at 5:30. Although it is the middle of July, the morning was brisk and cold, and we all started our day in fleeces and arm-sleeves. About 20 miles into our ride we stopped at a gas station to get some corn nuts based on a recommendation from Adam’s friend. After the gas station, we rode 10 or so miles further before stopping for breakfast. We stopped at a local diner and enjoyed talking to the locals about our journey. As we were about to pay, our waitress, after hearing about our trip, told us that she would cover our breakfast. We can’t thank her enough! 

From there we continued to chip away at the miles, and within a short time we were out of Michigan and crossing into the state of Wisconsin! Though slightly sad to leave the people of the Upper Peninsula, it feels good to be entering a new state. We rode about 40 miles from the border to the town of Ashland. The riding was relatively easy as we were met with slight descents and a tailwind. Upon reaching Ashland we stopped at a local coffee shop where we met up with the fourth member of our team, Agustin! We were all anticipating meeting him and are super excited to have him join us!  Agustin had done a mini trip of his own before meeting up with us and we took a brief break catching up over coffee and had fun sharing our different experiences bike packing. 

From there we had about 20 miles between us and our break day. Riding in a group of 4 felt faster and we seemed to cover the miles quickly. About 5 miles before our finish in Iron River, Adam got a flat, and we stopped briefly to assess the situation. We decided to simply pump the tire and hope it held until we reached our final destination. We continued on and arrived in Iron River. We spent the afternoon showering and doing laundry - which was much needed. For dinner, we went to a local restaurant and found that they were having a trivia night. Naturally, being competitive, we decided to join in. Though confident going in, most of the questions were far out of our reach, and we found ourselves in near last place for most of the night. Tonight we are staying at a motel and are excited to rest and enjoy our day tomorrow free of riding!

Day 29: Michigamme, MI - Bergland, MI 77 Miles

Adam Lenox

Oof, and just like that the days of late wake up times have come to an end. The time has come for warmer, longer-mileage days, which we gladly welcome after many shorter days. After waking up at 6:00, then waking Evan up after he seemed to have fallen asleep again, we got packed and hit the road.

Despite the roads still being wet from rain last night, today was not nearly as muggy as yesterday. In fact, as the sun rose, very few clouds were around to block its intense rays from drying up any remaining water on the ground, making the gradual hills up to breakfast quite easy and, dare I say, fun.

Keeping with yesterday’s double-entree theme, Maya and I each ordered two breakfasts and managed to take them to the house; Evan seemed to have learned from his tasty mistake yesterday.

Before we knew it, we were back on the road again. Taking route advice from Google maps, we hopped on a gravel ATV/snowmobile trail to avoid any cars. However, we quickly realized the loose gravel would slow us down more than anything. Not to mention, I’ve made a habit of slipping on any bit of sand or loose gravel my bike goes near. At the next point the path intersected the highway—which thankfully didn’t take too long to reach—we hopped back on the road.

Once again, about 10-15 miles out from our destination, Evan and Maya had had enough of my slow pulls and decided to pull ahead. Today, however, I stuck with them and enjoyed the ride as Evan and Maya tore through the air ahead of me.

Tonight, we’re staying in a town park. The showers here were nothing to write home about, but a shower is a shower, and I’ve come to be extremely grateful for any one I can get. Plus, nothing can bring down my mood tonight. After all, tomorrow is not only break day eve, but the day we finally get to unite with Agustin! With a long day of riding tomorrow and another early wake up, I can’t let the excitement keep me up too late tonight.

Day 28: Christmas, MI - Michigamme, MI 69 Miles

Evan Malinchock

Last night our crew was hit with our very first major thunderstorm. Around midnight last night we all woke up to crashing thunder and lighting so bright and close that it looked like someone was shining spotlights on our campsite. The wind attempted to throw our tents as far as Lake Superior, but they stayed steadfast in strong gales. The storm lasted only a few hours but was plenty strong enough to startle us all awake.

I woke up 30 minutes before the alarm at 7am to the sound of intense buzzing around my head. Apparently there are a few small holes in my brand new tent and over 60 mosquitos made themselves at home with me. As soon as I woke enough to greet my tenants, the swatting commenced. All the mosquitoes must’ve already feasted on me as I slept because every slap or clap was met with a pretty healthy amount of my own blood. Now with my hands, tent, and sleeping bag permanently looking like that scene from the end of The Shining, I was ready to begin my day.

After the massacre, I roused Adam and Maya and the arduous packing up process began. As we took down our tents and threw on our filthy chamois, a light rain began to fall on us as a thick fog rolled in off of Lake Superior. Because the temperature was so cool (in the low 50s) we all donned our rain jackets for the 34 mile slog to breakfast. 

After about 12 miles of going at Adam’s slow and steady pace, Maya and I began shivering and getting irritated by the rain, so we decided to sprint into Marquette for our hard earned breakfast. I gave Adam the route and restaurant’s name and Maya and I were off like a shot. After a few miles I remembered Adam’s proclivity for getting flat tires. This would be an issue because I had the gear bag with all the tire levers and Adam also had never changed a tire in his life. From this point on I was banking on the fact that my famous bad luck wouldn’t make an appearance today. Boy was I wrong - eventually.

Maya and I arrived at the unassuming looking bar for breakfast and immediately downed some hot coffee to warm up, yet I still shivered in my wet gear. After hearing that the breakfast menu was turning over to the lunch menu in less than ten minutes Maya and I scrambled to find some breakfast items for our surely drenched comrade. Just as the waitress came to us for “last call” before the kitchen staff took off, Adam walked in, just in the nick of time.

We all ordered the same massive meal, biscuits and gravy with two eggs and a piece of fried chicken. Breakfast got interesting when Adam and Maya opted to also get cinnamon twists. And I, ever the follower, tacked an order onto my breakfast. In this case my eyes were FAR too big for my stomach. The biscuits were massive and came served with a mountain of hashbrowns, and then one order of cinnamon twists came out and we all assumed that it was our combined orders. We were very wrong. We were each given a meal that all together far surpassed 2,000 calories. Adam and Maya naturally took this as a challenge. They dispatched their many plates of food with astounding speed as I struggled along with my biscuits. After a few joking remarks from our waitress about how I couldn’t finish the food I became competitive too, and after a few rounds of coffee and palace, I joined the crew with empty plates. This felt like a triumph but ultimately was a mistake.

After a few pedal strokes we were faced with our first major hill of the day as we left the flat Lake Superior coastline for the rolling hills of the interior UP. As soon as I saw that hill my stomach decided to “unload” all of its unnecessary weight, and I began climbing much more comfortably. But of course, my only “success” on the day ultimately became a failure in the most Evan Malinchock way possible. After all, they didn’t call me the Vomit Comet on the ASU cycling team for nothing. 

The hill that made my stomach churn seemed to drag on for over 5 miles and gained more than 1000 feet. At the crest of the hill, I assumed we would start descending but after lackluster 50 foot descents we were met with a precession of 200-300 foot walls to scale. 

The road dragged on like this for a good 30 miles or so until we reached a gas station where we would be getting snacks and ultimately dinner for the evening. After loading up on enough food to even make Maya's bottomless pit satisfied we marched on to our campsite in Van Riper State Park. Perched right on a beautiful lake we set up our camp and showered to get all of our grime from the day off ourselves.

Tomorrow looks like another challenging day with big miles and more cool weather, but tonight we relax and plan to enjoy a fire. My take away from the day is that because I’m me, even when I think I’m a winner I still have plenty of time to lose.

Day 27: Grand Marais, MI - Christmas, MI - 55 miles

Maya Sweeney

Having collectively decided to get up around 8am, we actually stayed up last night late enough to see the sunset. It was one of the most spectacular sunsets I’ve seen. Our campground was only a 5 minute walk from the beaches of Lake Superior and we watched as the sun dipped into the water turning the clouds pink and orange, which reflected over the waves. 

Waking up this morning, we were relieved to find our tents dry, as rain had been predicted in the forecast. The plan for the day was to ride 55 miles, and since there were few if any places to stop along the way, we decided to eat breakfast first rather than stopping in the middle of the ride. Breakfast was in a cute local place that doubled as both a gift shop and a bookstore. 

After putting down a waffle or two, we headed on our way. After riding such flat and monotonous roads the last few days, we were excited to be riding on a road with twists and turns. In between the trees, we caught glimpses of Lake Superior as the road followed closely to the edge of the water. We rode all of our miles in one go, stopping only briefly to replenish on water. We arrived at our campsite mid afternoon and spent the remainder of our day resting. I was able to chat with my sister who today completed her journey on the Appalachian Trail!! It is truly an accomplishment to have completed that immense of an undertaking. We were both reminiscing about what we miss at home and the things we look forward to after our trips come to a close. She will be on her way home in a few days, but we’ve got a good bit more work to put in before the luxuries of normal life are within our grasp. Tomorrow we plan on about a 70 mile day as we enjoy our last few days in Michigan! 

Day 26: Newberry, MI to Grand Marais, MI - 48 miles

Adam Lenox

As mentioned in yesterday’s blog, due to the short nature of today’s ride, wake up was left up to us as individuals. I believe I was the first one up this morning, which was nice in that I generally like to take my mornings slow. Today, I took my time methodically breaking down and packing up camp. It was nice being able to take my time without the fear of pushing back a set start time for our ride.

Once we were all packed up and ready to go, we got going on the first 23 miles of today’s ride, which rather than ending at a breakfast stop, ended at a gas station since no restaurant was to be found between Newberry and Grand Marais. That was no problem for us though, as we all seemed to enjoy our grub from the gas station, and Maya even took the opportunity to lube her very squeaky chain.

The decent pace we had kept up on the way to breakfast was blown away by the following 25 miles. With a nice tailwind and a flat road, we SPED through the rest of today’s ride. And to finish off a speedy second half, we cruised down a big descent into Grand Marais. It was at this point—just about a quarter mile from our campsite—that I spotted a sign for a community 5k. Knowing another short day lay ahead, I stated that if that 5k was happening tomorrow morning, I would be sure to run it! And, as luck would have it, the 5k was not tomorrow morning… it was this evening!

As Evan and Maya checked into the campsite and began setting up for the evening, I rode back to the registration site we had passed and signed up.

Having not run since a half marathon back in March, I was curious as to how I would fare. To my surprise, I managed to snag 4th place in the race; I was extremely happy that my legs hadn’t fully transitioned to cycling only.

After settling from the race and hanging out at our campsite picnic table, we decided it was time for dinner and headed to a saloon in town. And what do you know, it seemed like everyone from the 5k was there! With a delicious dinner down the hatch, we are feeling more than ready for the scenic ride tomorrow (even though it’s supposed to rain well into the late morning).

Day 25: Sault Ste. Marie, MI - Newberry, MI 70 Miles

Evan Malinchock

I think I’m getting softer as a leader, today was a prime example of that. The night prior I floated the idea of a 7am wake-up for a seemingly not too difficult 60-mile day into Newberry, MI. The weather looked perfect, the roads were barren and flat, and we were fresh coming off of a break day. So naturally, I was expecting a horror of a day.

Wake up, in actuality, was perfect. Almost all of us woke up in synchronicity a few minutes before the alarm went off. After a very slow hour and a half pack up Adam, Maya, and I decided to take advantage of the complimentary coffee that the campground provided. After coffee, we struck up friendly conversation with the locals who frequented the Soo Locks Campground. We finally had to say our goodbyes and hit the road for an easy 14-mile ride into breakfast. 

Around 10 miles into our ride we came up on a construction zone. On prior trips (or even earlier on this trip), I would’ve just told us to break minor laws and walk through the construction site. Today though I was feeling alright with taking what was promised to be a short detour. This detour took us five miles out to the main highway, then about a hundred yards further west, then back those very same five miles. This was frustrating, to say the least, but the crew and I just shrugged it off and joked about how this will only make our long journey more impressive. 

We ate breakfast quickly and we all noted how hard this breakfast was to leave. It was nearing 11am and the lunch crowd was slowly rolling in, so we decided to knock out the remaining 40 or so miles in one go. 

The road was insanely quiet and flat the whole way, we were only passed by the odd camper or RV. The scenery was beautiful for the first few miles as we powered through endless evergreen forests. But then this ongoing scenery and flat as a pancake road became monotonous, and the miles seemed to drag on as the sun got warmer and warmer. Thankfully we were aided by a soft tailwind to boost us along. 

We arrived at our campsite just outside of Newberry, MI, and got busy setting up our campsite for the night. I decided that the weather was clear enough, and the mosquitoes and flies weren’t bad enough for a hammock night (I’m currently working on getting Adam to join me). 

Tomorrow the plan is to bike about 45 miles to Grand Marias, so again being the softy that I am, I’m advocating for a late wake-up tomorrow. As a crew we’ve decided no alarms, just wake up when you wake up. I think this may be my favorite bike trip yet!

Day 24: Sault Ste. Marie, MI Break Day 

Maya Sweeney

Today was a long-awaited break day and my body was ready for a well-deserved rest. After sleeping in this morning, we all found our way to the main campground building having been told that coffee would be freshly brewed each morning. The building was fully equipped with tables, coffee, a camp store, and old arcade games. After taking advantage of the free coffee, I made my way into the camp store looking for some sustenance that would suffice for my morning breakfast. I found a package of Little Debbie’s donuts and washed those down with 4 cups of extremely weak campground coffee. I sat at a table reading my book and listening to conversations of the RV Park locals.  

The RV park has such a great community. It seems to preserve an aspect of human connection that I feel is hard to come by these days. It’s a familiarity with one another that only comes with living in close proximity. It’s a connection to days of old when people spent time on their porch and got to know their neighbors. Their community exudes kindness and friendliness in the most genuine way and almost everyone passing our campsite stops by and asks us about our journey. 

The rest of our break day consisted of various forms of games. We began with Palace, the card game that consumes the most of our downtime. We have even created a spreadsheet to catalog our wins, losses, and “perfect games.” After a short lunch break, we began an 18-hole round of minigolf- Adam winning, myself coming in second, and Evan third. The last round of games was a few rounds of air hockey and pool that took place in the campground community building. To finish off our day, we got dinner at a Mexican restaurant stuffing ourselves full of burritos, chips, and guacamole. Following dinner, we made a fire as the sun began to set, enjoying the last light of the day and our last few hours of the break day. Tomorrow we’ll ease back into things with a moderate 60 or so miles!

Day 23: Espanola, ON - Sault Ste. Marie, MI 59 Miles

Adam Lenox

I’d like to kick off today’s blog with a big shout out to Lucy Loo’s Restaurant in Echo Bay, Ontario, for it was their 11:00 opening time that “forced” us to push back our wake up time to 7:30 this morning. Feeling well rested, we packed up and hit the road quite uneventfully. Thirty-seven miles of pedaling up and down small hills through cool, wet air (it just felt wet, no rain thankfully) led us to the aforementioned Lucy Loo’s Restaurant. The timing was perfect, and we arrived just a minute or two before 11:00.

After scarfing down a very pleasant breakfast, we made our way across pancake flat roads the remaining 16 miles into the Canadian side of Sault Ste. Marie, where we stopped at a bike shop to grab a few tubes, a pair of socks for Evan, and a pair of gloves for Maya. I was fortunate to have a delightful conversation with the salesman at the bike shop, who was intrigued by our journey and had plenty to talk about regarding touring and cycling in general himself.

After bidding farewell, we biked just a few blocks further to the hockey arena of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, the major junior hockey team that was once the team of NHL Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky, Paul Coffey, and even Ron Francis (former captain and GM of the Carolina Hurricanes!). Unfortunately for us, though fortunately for our wallets, their team store happened to be closed, so we did not have the chance to pick up some SOO apparel and continued on our way.

Next up on today’s journey was the bridge over to the American side of Sault Ste. Marie. A fairly large climb up the bridge naturally led to a nice descent into the border control station. One of the border agents even seemed to know a bit about touring, commenting on our bikes and asking how we liked our Brook’s saddles. But, alas, all that glitters is not gold. Our next taste of being back in the US was a $2 toll (per bike), just to get out of the border station.

All whining about the toll aside, we were excited to be back in the US, and made a quick trip to a grocery store to pick up some post-ride snacks and drinks to enjoy at our campsite as we head into break day tomorrow.

Luckily for us, upon exiting the grocery store, we ran into 3 local tween boys curious about our funny outfits and comically packed bikes. When we told them what we were up to, they offered to show us the way to our campsite. Or… maybe they were racing us, I’m not really sure. If it was a race, however, I’m sure I lost.

Since settling into our campsite, we have been presented left and right with that classic Michigan friendliness. Be it with Ray, Mrs. Judy, ATL, or any of the other strangers-turned-friends our conversations have been the best! I think I can speak for all of us when I say, it is so much fun hearing everyone's story and answering their questions about what we’re doing. So, I am very excited to spend break day here tomorrow within this warm community.

Day 22: Espanola, ON - Thessalon, ON 100 Miles

Evan Malinchock

Last night my tank was on empty, I sat at dinner wishing only for an early bed time and a late wake up. Over Indian food we discussed what we wanted the ride to look like the next day, and a couple of options were floated out. The only option that really made sense was to push 100 miles to a small town on a First Nations land with no guarantee of a place to sleep because the only campsite’s answering machine was full. So exhausted from a fairly easy day I got back to the tent and passed out.

Wake up was an easier but slower one at 6am. After taking our tents down and packing our bags we went over to the Tim Hortons for a pre breakfast snack. From there we biked over 44 miles to breakfast so we could get deep into the day early. 

After reaching the diner we set off for a remaining 53 miles that google maps described as “mostly flat”. So naturally after a few hills it evened out and we got brief periods of tailwinds. Today was probably one of the fastest days yet with an average speed of over 15mph!

Everyone was feeling good as we were riding, but Adam and I noticed that we’d end the day at only 97 miles! So Adam and I decided to find a way to go 2.99 miles just to make our followers on strava upset. Meanwhile we sent Maya to the campsite to check for an open tent site. 

About a mile into those supplementary laps around Thessalon, I noticed the hills were getting way harder. Then I pulled over and of course my rear tire was flat! After picking out the pebble in my tire I pumped it up just enough to make the hundred meter trek back to our campsite. Upon arrival I found that Maya wasn’t there, so because of my lost wallet I had to wait for someone to pay. After waiting a few minutes Adam showed up, and we got the site, and Maya came briefly after that due to getting lost on some confusing streets.

Today was a much easier day than I expected, but that’s just how it goes sometimes on this trip.

Day 21: South Baymouth, ON - Espanola, ON 70 Miles

Maya Sweeney

This morning we woke to the sound of rain beating down on the metal roof of the gazebo, where we had set up camp. Our alarm went off at 5:30, but after glancing at the weather, we decided to sleep in for another hour or so to avoid the rain. No complaints there. 

The thought of leaving the peaceful dry gazebo out into the soggy rain seemed anything but appealing. When we finally got out on the road, it was still drizzling, but the heavy rain seemed to have passed. The first 10 miles of the day seemed to drag, the landscape relatively flat and dull. Our bodies are certainly tired and the honeymoon phase of this trip is nearing its end. As we continued on, the rain let up and a misty haze settled, aligning the foothills in mixed gradients of color. Arriving at breakfast around 11:00, due to our late wake-up time, we were convinced we would be eating hamburgers as we had far surpassed the typical breakfast hours. Upon looking at the menu, we were all in for a surprise as we realized breakfast was served until 4 pm and we would be getting the meal of eggs and pancakes we’d all been hoping for. 

Well fueled, and ready to go, we hit the road again for another 30 or so miles. After about an hour of riding, the landscape changed as we entered reservation lands. Soft mountains lined the horizon with streams and other bodies of water visible from the road. Though we had been dragging a bit before, the varying terrain made for a fun afternoon. The climbs were short but long enough to be rewarding and the swift descents renewed our legs. Pulling into Espanola, our riding felt more playful and spirits were higher having enjoyed our afternoon. 

Tonight we are pitching our tents in the backyard of a local church. We stocked up on food at the nearest grocery store and had some delicious Indian quinine for our dinner. Tomorrow is about an 80 mile day, and fingers crossed the weather promises a tailwind! 

Day 20: Lion’s Head, ON - South Baymouth, ON 32 Miles

Adam Lenox

This morning began with a gentle wakeup to the sound of seagulls in my hammock, which I finally got a good opportunity to sleep in. Evan slept in his as well. With an alarm set for 7:00, it was quite easy to ease into the morning well before the alarm went off. With a short day of riding ahead, we had a bit of extra time to pack up and get ready for the day ahead.

Evan and Maya took this as a chance to replace their morning coffee with a polar plunge in the icy cold water of Lake Huron. You may say I chickened out, but I was never planning on hopping in that water anyway. Having let the lake numb my feet yesterday, I felt ready to part ways with the water for a bit. I listened to Evan and Maya’s woo’s and eek’s as I munched on a few Chips Ahoy cookies and downed a Monster energy drink, which in my opinion seemed to yield comparable results to a polar plunge, though I know two people who would strongly disagree.

With a quick wave goodbye to tent site 08, we rolled out of Lion’s Head and hit the road. The next 30+ miles flew by. With no stops, we managed to reach Tobermory—the town which housed the ferry stop we would be boarding at—in under two hours. With the biggest hill of the day being roughly 60ft, it is safe to say this was one of the most forgiving routes yet.

The small lakeside town of Tobermory gifted us a wonderful breakfast spot, Tobermory Princess Dining Room, where we indulged in pancakes, eggs, breakfast potatoes, and more. Having been on a big chocolate milk grind recently, I of course had to finish off breakfast with a tall glass.

After stopping by a grocery store to pick up some ferry snacks and beverages, we got moving towards the dock where we would board the ferry to South Baymouth. Having arrived a bit early, we naturally had to get a game of Palace going on the pavement. Exhilarated by the thrill of keeping my winning streak alive (no way I couldn’t mention that), we cruised onto the ferry and tied up our bikes.

The next two-ish hours were filled with breathtaking views of Lake Huron and, you guessed it, more Palace. I’ve got to say, it was quite satisfying to be covering a good chunk of miles without pedaling. We’ll have to remember bike floaties for next trip. When the time came to exit the ferry, we hopped back on our bikes and made our way just a few pedal strokes down the road to our campground for the night. When I say I few pedal strokes, I mean it; when I was typing that last sentence, I jumped at the blast of the ferry horn just around the corner.

Now, having just eaten dinner at a diner across the road and taking a couple slices of pie to go, we are relaxing under a pavilion, waiting for a downfall of rain to put us to sleep. No fireworks for us this Fourth of July, but seeing as it’s looking like a wet ride tomorrow, a long night’s rest should do us some good.

Day 19: Blue Mountain, ON - Lions Head, ON 77 Miles

Evan Malinchock

Waking up in a hotel bed is about the nicest thing that can happen on a bike trip, but you’re always at risk for the “roll-over”. Just like it always seems to be on the days I write the blog, I felt merciful with our wake-up time, and we settled for 7am this morning. My alarm went off at 7am (of course it was “dogs barking” a la Wyatt Benjamin), but something made me roll over and go back to sleep. I groggily woke up to see that it was now 7:30 and even worse, Maya and Adam were all kitted up and ready to go. Being the absolute sweethearts that they are they let me sleep in, but when I was up I was moving at a million miles an hour. Thank god for pre-packing the night before.

We rolled out of the tourist trap town that was Blue Mountain before the “locals” from Toronto were even up and had clear streets all the way to the highway. But not 5 miles into the ride this morning my Panier fell off the clamps that held my bags to the rack on my bike. After about 10 zip ties and 30 ft of duct tape, I declared these bags fit for Washington and we began pedaling on.

From the jump, we were met with the unwavering hills that preceded our arrival in Blue Mountain, but this time they really hit us mentally. We would have these long two-mile false flats on a road that’s as straight as an arrow, leading up to a straight-up wall that we had to scale. Adam, the ever consistent, kept the same speed that he always seems to hold up the steep inclines. Meanwhile, Maya and I felt like our legs were made of lead as we churned up 300 ft climb after 300ft climb. 

We pulled into the small town of Owen Sound, ON for breakfast after a pretty grueling 34 miles ready for a huge breakfast. It’s just our luck, we pulled into the restaurant as their lunch menu started and we all missed out on our necessary eggs and omelets. After what we would consider “a light brunch” we decided to leave the spot and make our way to our destination.

Leaving Owen Sound we probably had our steepest climb yet, which unsurprisingly, Adam COOKED us on. But after a few minor ups and downs from that point on we made it to the Bruce Peninsula, a spit of land extending out into the far reaches of Lake Huron. Once we officially made it onto the peninsula the topography totally changed, but the difficulty remained. We were no longer battling steep pitches, but now we struggled with a stiff headwind. The headwind (for the most part) was created by the parade of RVs, Campers, and Trailers from all the Canadians who decided to go camping on Canada Day weekend. Fortunately, all these cars were oncoming traffic so there were very few “car back” calls today.

Headwinds and traffic aside, the riding was spectacular, we would catch breaks in the wind and we’d zip through fields of the brightest yellow canola flowers you’ve ever seen. After passing a few wind turbines I spouted off some facts and measures about wind energy technology just to prove that my degree wasn’t worthless. 

After turning off the main road we began slowly rolling down the Main Street of Lions Head, until we reached the park that we’re camping in tonight. 

This park may be an all time favorite campsite for me. My hammock is spitting distance away from a sand beach with some of the clearest water you have ever seen. The Harbour is flanked on both sides by sheer white rock walls and bright pine forests atop those cliffs. Maya and I were ecstatic about having a beach day, while Adam was ready to work at evening out his worsening farmers tan. After a wading into the water Maya and I both knew that this was as good as an ice bath, so after counting down from 3 we took the plunge. We sat and walked around in the rocky coast line until I started shivering, then I got out to let the sun dry me off. This began the talks of a polar bear plunge tomorrow (read tomorrow's blog to see if we chicken out!)

The day started out shaky, but as always, once you get in a rhythm on this trip, it becomes second nature. We crushed some tough climbs and big miles today and we really look forward to a short day and a long ferry ride tomorrow morning!

Day 18: Blue Mountain, ON Break Day

Maya Sweeney

Waking up this morning at 9 am really felt like it was a true break day. I slept unbelievably well, knowing that the work had been put in and the only task on the agenda today was rest. We are staying at Blue Mountain, which is a ski resort area, and a well known destination for people living in the Toronto area. The first thing on our minds this morning was finding a place to wash our sweaty clothes. Thankfully, the hotel has washing machines and we all were relieved to have clean and dry clothes. Laundry has become one of the greatest luxuries and the thought that I once used to dread doing my laundry feels like a lifetime ago.

The rest of the morning was spent sitting on the couch and enjoying our time off. I tend to be a particularly restless person, and by the time the afternoon rolled around, I was getting bored. After looking at the map to see what might be around us, I found a beach that was about 2 miles away. While 2 miles is a relatively short distance, it meant that I would have to get on my bike, something that should be avoided at all costs on a break day. The thought of the beach was too enticing, and I decided to bite the bullet and go for a short ride.

Pulling up at the beach, I knew the short time on my bike had been worth it. The beach is on Lake Huron, which is absolutely beautiful. The water was clear and the light and dark waters mixed together in gorgeous turquoise hues. It could not have been a better day for the beach. It was 75 and sunny and a breeze from the water helped diminish the heat. I spent a few hours sleeping on the sand and swimming in the cold water of the great lakes. On my way back from the beach, I took a dip in the hotel hot tub which seemed to work wonders on my eternally sore legs. A beach and a hot tub were more than I ever could have dreamed of for a break day.

To me a break day feels like a lunch break at work. It is enough time to relax, but it always seems to pass quicker than it came. It leaves you refreshed, but longing for just a little more. Tomorrow we have about 75 miles on the agenda, and for tonight we soak in the last bit of our break day before the journey continues!

Day 17: Orillia, ON - Blue Mountain, ON 58 Miles

Adam Lenox

Ooooo Caaaanadaaa, we stand on guaaaard for—ahem… excuse me. Happy Canada Day, and happy break day eve! Apparently the mosquitos do not recognize Canada Day, as they were hard at work this morning at 5:00 as we packed up camp to begin the 22 mile ride to breakfast. With nice weather to start the day and the knowledge that today was less mileage than average, we felt great biking out of our campsite. That enthusiasm did not last long, though. On that short ride to breakfast, we were bombarded by unexpected hills, which our legs did not take kindly to after a speedy finish to yesterday’s ride.

But alas, just the thought of a break day tomorrow was enough to drive us up those hills and to breakfast, where we were grateful to have a much more pleasant experience than yesterday. A super friendly waitress and a filling breakfast left us in high spirits, ready to ride into the rain that lay ahead. A forecast of heavy rain and occasional thunderstorms was thankfully incorrect, as the rain through which we rode was moderate at the worst, and there was never any thunder heard or lightning seen. More importantly, the route we took was, as Google Maps so eloquently put it, mostly flat.

After 36 post-breakfast miles on rural roads with much fewer cars than yesterday, the sky began to clear, and we arrived at Blue Mountain. Again, a very nice surprise that we did not have to actually bike up a mountain to get to our lovely home for the next two nights. Here at the mountain, we have been greeted by people rocking Canada EVERYTHING everywhere we look.

With break day eve being a slightly more important holiday to us (at least in our current exhausted state), we did not join in on the Canada Day activities around us, and instead spent a quiet day relaxing, napping, and enjoying the cool, mosquito-free indoors. I’m sure we will end up doing something fun for break day tomorrow, but for now, nothing beats our pasta dinner and quality couch time.

With that beings said, not much else to talk aboot for today, eh?

Day 16: Peterborough, ON - Orillia, ON 74 Miles

Evan Malinchock

Some days on the bike trip there are clear winners of the day; like Adam when he gave a Herculean 100 mile pull, or Maya when she crushed us up the first pass. But on the other side of the coin there are some very clear losers. Today I was a battered and extremely sore loser.

The day started out unassuming with a late 6am wake up with an easy 25 miles on a gravel bike path to the town of Lindsay. The first few miles of the path were peaceful easy rolling on hard pact wet fine gravel, much better than some roads we’ve ridden thus far. When we were not rolling over easy terrain, we were on old train trestles with hundred foot drops on either side spanning beautiful green valleys. But shortly after we hit 10 miles into our ride we realized we were slowing and working way harder than what the previous miles felt like. It was then that we all came to the conclusion that we were actually sinking into extremely soft and sandy gravel. This made flat easy miles laborious, and the slog to breakfast seemed even further than most mornings.

After arriving at the restaurant we were seated by a waitress who was clearly on something. The conversations with her were scattered, confusing, and worrying. After shaking this off we ordered our meals (which came out all wrong) and my food, with this not being my day, came out a good 15 minutes after Adam and Mayas. I only finished about a quarter of it before we got up and left. It was then that I left my wallet on the table just as we started pedaling to Orillia.

After a fun and fast 30 miles, where we received very first tail-wind "(yay!), we stopped at a gas station to refuel. At the check out counter I realized I didn’t have my wallet on me, but I clearly remembered leaving it on the table. After calling the breakfast spot more than 3 times and begging them to look around they said it was gone. I asked if the waitress who hosted us was still there and they told us that she took off for the day. Great.

After cancelling my cards and contemplating getting a new ID before the finish, we decided to hit the road, eager to be back in our tail wind.

If you have noticed that we haven’t shared many photos the past few days, it’s because we were on some of the scariest cycling roads I personally have ever ridden. Roads that if my mom, grandpa, or grandma found out I was riding, they’d make me quit cycling forever. Smartly following the directions of locals who’d insist that the Trans Canadian Highway was safe and that many bike packers take it across the country, we decided to follow the route. Little did we know the road is used as a main route for semi-trucks of all sizes, reckless Canadian hosers (eh?), and the shoulder was about a tires width the entire time, all day. This required a lot of team work between all of us to successfully merge on the roads, and keep cars from buzzing us.

All of the sudden maybe 15 miles from finishing the day a black Jeep SUV buzzes us so closely that it sideswiped my bag, throwing me out of the narrow shoulder and into the large gravel on the side of the road. Luckily I stayed on two wheels and was able to hop back in behind Maya just in time to give the speeding driver a very passionate gesture. Adam asked if I wanted to stop for a second but the only thing in the world that I wanted was to get off this highway from hell.

Upon reaching camp, with plenty to complain about, I was able to relax knowing that we had a secured break day in Collingwood after a super short milage day. Until I got a text from our warm showers hosts telling us that they could no longer host us for the days that were previously mentioned. Now tomorrow is Canada Day, essentially their 4th of July, and Collingwood is a tourist town on Lake Huron, so naturally finding a hotel, motel, campground, air B&B, or a patch of grass to sleep on was near impossible. So eventually I caved and got my family to reserve a condo in Blue Mountain, a small local ski resort town 5 miles away from our original planned destination.

Life at camp was also more of the same, incessant Canadian sized mosquitos, no reception, and miles between us from any place to get food. It was then that Adam and Maya must have pitied me for my challenging day, so of course they let me win a few rounds before we ordered dinner.

Pretty heavy rain and storms are in the forecast tomorrow so let’s see if my run of bad luck continues. But if that is the case then I will fall back on what is slowly becoming my mantra “What happens, happens.”

Day 15: Kaladar, ON - Peterborough, ON 67 Miles

Maya Sweeney

This morning marks the third day without a shower and I have to say I’m feeling a bit grimy. We got an early start to the day in hopes to beat the oncoming rain in the forecast. Leaving the restaurant parking lot where we had stayed the night before, pink hues streaked across the sky as the sun began to rise. The ride to breakfast was relatively uneventful, and the miles seemed to pass quickly.

Breakfast this morning was at a local diner with the most sporadic mix of interior design. The main dining area consisted of booths that were both too narrow and too long. The walls were covered in decor with the most clique sayings as if someone had bought out an entire aisle of Hobby Lobby. Following breakfast, we continued on our way, the rain finding us despite our attempt to stay dry. Finally reaching camp, we were relieved to find showers and a washing machine to clean our soaking gear.

Since we woke so early, and had a shorter day mileage wise, we pulled into camp at about 1:30. It feels unusual to have an entire afternoon completely free with “nothing” to do. In my normal routine, I often chronically over schedule myself and find that I fill most moments of my downtime. Productivity and busyness is so glorified in our world, that we often forget the value of unscheduled time. There is something refreshing about these afternoons- there is nothing to get done, nowhere to go, and no one competing for our time or attention. Though it feels unnatural to have so much downtime, I am learning to embrace these afternoons and soak in the fact that this trip provides us with the gift of time.

The rest of the afternoon was restful as we prepare for a 74 mile day tomorrow!

Day 14: Ashton, ON - Kaladar, ON TBD Miles

Adam Lenox

Day 13: Cumberland, ON - Ashton, ON 48 Miles

Dinner last night may have changed the entire trip for the better entirely. Over dinner with the Hawleys they echoed the same sentiment that Paulo left us with “where you’re going in Ontario is boring as crap!” So I went back to work and adjusted the plans around 10 pm. 

Instead of following the Ottawa River all the way to its terminus in the Great Lakes, we are swinging south to Manitoulin Island in the middle of Lake Huron. This adjustment adds 2 days to our trip but we were offered views “of a lifetime” out there and more importantly to me, quieter roads. So with this alternate route and the massive miles that we put down yesterday I decided it was best that we treat tomorrow like a break day on wheels. 

Feeling generous I set our alarms for 8am and planned to be out of our gracious hosts' hair by 9. After a breakfast of danishes and toast that Maya and I partook in (Adam didn’t get the message and he missed out) we were packed and about to hit the road. 

Even before my first pedal stroke, I realized today would be a rough one for me specifically. My right Achilles heel is inflamed and swollen about two times. After Maya taped my strain up we set off to be met by BRUTAL 20mph headwinds coming off the Ottawa River (which we planned to follow for 30+ miles). A benefit of the day and being so close to a capital city was that we would be on bike paths all day, great in theory. What we were met with though was exhausting mentally more than physically. Every Canadian in the country was using the bike paths with dogs and full families, baby carriages included. Odds were that many of them didn't speak English despite us being in an Anglo province (though Quebec was just on the other side of the river), so we couldn’t do our “on your left” mantra when passing. This meant we would be waiting behind walkers until the left lane was clear.

Another foreboding and frustrating thing about the day is the amount of construction taking place on these bike paths. Every few feet we’d be forced to detour around a chain link fence, or even worse we’d have to make it back on the not-so-bike-friendly streets of Ottawa. After navigating the meandering mess of paths we exited the city and started a slow grind on a gravel path.

The gravel path, while unassuming, was a former railroad bed, this meant one thing and one thing only to me, false flat. We were churning uphill against this brutal headwind on loose fine gravel, not ideal. It was then that Adam told us he didn’t partake in the breakfast that Maya and I shared back at the Hawleys, but being the trooper that he is he decided to push on to lunch.

Last night at dinner we were told amazing things about a brewery in Ashton, ON, so we set that as our waypoint for lunch (and hopefully to sleep in). So after turning off the gravel path we were more than ready for a little break.

During lunch, I started calling around to every source I knew for someplace to hunker down tonight. After calling campsites, fire stations, churches, and parks I was out of luck and losing patience. In a moment of desperation, I asked our waitress if she knew of anywhere to camp tonight and she was beyond amicable. She said we could bike 20 miles to her friend's house (headed NW when we needed to head SW), we could stay next to the sewage treatment area behind the brewery (Maya wasn’t so jazzed on that idea), or we could stay in her backyard! That made the decision very easy. Thanks to Shanon we now had a place to sleep and plenty of time to kill.

Between rounds of the most intense Palace (a favorite card game of mine)I’ve ever played and a few Radlers we passed the time on the Ashton Brewing Companies back deck. 

We ordered a to-go dinner from the Ashton Brewing Company so that we could set up camp in our host’s yard and get ready for an early wake up tomorrow. Mercifully the wind had died down as we cycled to Shanon’s house.

Today was a tough day for us, though physically we only had 48 miles with minimal elevation gain, we were attacked mentally for one of the first times on this trip. We faced brutal headwinds, labyrinths of bike paths, detours galore, and sluggish uphills. But we came out on top and looking forward to the day tomorrow!

Day 12: Montreal, QC - Cumberland, QC 104 Miles

Maya Sweeney

When the alarm sounded at 3:30 this morning, the thought of getting up and riding was the last thing I wanted to do. I’ve never been a morning person, and even if I was, 3:30 is painfully early. It was one of those mornings where you wake up and your body is so tired that even your rib muscles groan with the simple act of breathing. Nevertheless, we choked down some food, and readied ourselves for the task ahead. 

Paulo, our host, was kind enough to wake up with us at this unearthly hour and lead us on our way out of the city. He unfolded his city bike, strapped on his helmet, and put a yellow traffic vest on for visibility. We all doubted the ability of his tiny city bike until we soon found ourselves left in the dust by his speed. After winding our way out of Montreal, we said our goodbyes to Paulo. We truly cannot thank Paulo enough for his hospitality. He could not have been more generous with his time and resources. Though we were strangers when we first arrived, he treated us like guests of honor and made us feel like we were his absolute top priority. His way of life of simplicity and generosity was truly inspiring to me and I would have to say that Paulo is officially one of my new favorite humans. In honor of our stay, I have decided that my bike for this trip will be named Paulo to carry on the legacy! 

After parting ways, we continued on, reaching breakfast at about 40 or so miles. Despite 2 more flat tires and some construction zones, the morning had been relatively smooth and we all felt optimistic about the afternoon ahead. As the day went along, the sun got hotter, the roads more heavily trafficked, and a massive headwind seemed to stay directly in our path. Personally, I was doing well until about 75 miles or so in when the heat got to me and I felt like I ran out of fuel. I tend to wilt quickly in the heat and was starting to get nervous about my ability to finish the day. We stopped at a gas station to regroup and I tried to eat and drink as much as I could. Though I felt less like I was gonna pass out, I wouldn’t say I had any more energy than I did before. There were still 30 miles to go, which was a substantial distance given the way I was feeling. My only strategy here was to eat a pack of Sour Patch kids, blast my audio book so I could drown out any thoughts about my tired body, and glue my eyes to Evan’s wheel with a laser-like focus. The headwinds persisted as the miles dragged on, and though my hodgepodge strategy was working, I wasn’t sure how long it would last. When we finally turned off the main road, I finally felt the end was in sight. We pulled up to our hosts for the night and boy did it feel good to be done! 

Our hosts were incredibly kind, immediately welcoming us into their homes for showers, drinks, and snacks. They also brought us to dinner with the rest of their family which made for a lovely evening. It was super relaxing and we could not have been more well fed after our long day. We are staying inside tonight and are setting up for a much shorter day tomorrow. I hardly kept my eyes open writing tonight, and am more than excited to get some sleep!

Day 11: Montreal, QC Break Day

Adam Lenox

Groggily waking up to the smell of fresh bagels and coffee that Paulo picked up for us was more than I could have ever asked for in a break day morning. As we slowly rolled out of bed and up to the kitchen counter, we sipped warm coffee and conversed with Paulo as he whipped up scrambled eggs sprinkled with peppers, onions, and spices, pairing perfectly with those bagels and a breakfast salad.

Even with a healthy meal to rejuvenate us, I must admit our legs were feeling pretty heavy. That being said, when Paulo offers to show us around the city by bike, there’s no way we can say no! So off we went, first biking up Mont-Royal to get a panoramic view of Montreal. That climb was painful to say the least, but well worth the view, and certainly worth the stretch of biking downhill that followed.

From Mont-Royal, we ventured into downtown Montreal, with Paulo pointing out landmarks and reciting fun facts left and right. We also had the chance to stop by a bike shop to pick up a few extra inner tubes to replace those we lost yesterday. After more riding and exploring, Paulo dropped us off at a great spot for poutine, and it did not disappoint. I think Evan managed to squeeze 3 meals out of a single serving! Meanwhile, Maya and I decided to try to beat the heat with some ice cream sandwiches from across the street.

We made the short trip home to Paulo’s apartment, dropped off the bikes, and Maya and I walked over to a nearby grocery store to pick up dinner and snacks while Evan spent time working out logistics for this upcoming week. Again riding on the success pasta has brought us thus far, we picked up linguine to be served with chicken, broccoli, and mushrooms and doused in pesto. I had a great time cooking up dinner, having gone well over a week without preparing my own food. And just as we started eating, Paulo returned home and was able to join us as we scarfed down all the energy we could in preparation for tomorrow.

And speaking of tomorrow, Evan’s time spent working out how this upcoming week with play out was certainly time well spent. He not only managed to tweak our route in a way that shaves off about 60 miles over the next few days, but also found us a great place to stay tomorrow night! The catch, you may ask? Tomorrow will be another century day. With hot weather continuing into tomorrow, we are pushing our wakeup time forward yet again, this time to 3:30am. We can only hope are legs are rested up by then, but the thought of shorter days that lay ahead should be enough to get us to Ottawa without issue.

To make things easier, Paulo will be waking up with us to lead us on the easiest and safest route out of the damaged and somewhat complicated streets of Montreal. We really could not have asked for a better host during our time in Montreal, and can’t wait to stay in touch with Paulo in the future!

Day 10: Trois-Rivières, QC - Montreal, QC 85 Mile

Evan Malinchock

Today started beyond pleasantly, waking up at the late hour of 5am to our dry sleeping arrangements under Otavio’s gazebo. Not a bad way to start a break day eve. 

After our pleasant wake up, we began the 37-mile trek to breakfast on pancake flat roads with a large shoulder to boot, what could go wrong? About 15 miles in just as we hit our stride Adam slowed a little slower than usual and Maya correctly diagnosed him with a flat rear tire. After combing over the tire I changed it in record-breaking speed, I’m sure Adam and Maya were impressed with my one year experience at Performance Bike Shop. 

About a mile later Adam pulled up again. I immediately assumed it was a pinch flat, when the tube gets caught between the tire and the rim and rips apart. So I reluctantly changed his flat again this time asking the crew to take note of what I was doing. But after another 8 miles, the pace dipped again, and once again I was changing a flat, but this time I heard the tell tale hiss of a punctured tire. After combing Adam’s tire for a few minutes we found a near microscopic piece of glass wedged in between the tire and tread. So once again I got back to work. 

The following 37 miles to breakfast were seamless, picture perfect farmlands and flat quiet roads as far as I could see, again not a bad way to start the day.

For breakfast, we pulled up to a French speaking only cafe where Maya and I struggled to speak to our servers. Adam bridged the language gap and (thanks to Duolingo) helped us get what we needed. Another breakfast of duck confit eggs Benedict, not a bad way to start the day, again! 

From this point on the day turned into a slog as we didn’t leave breakfast until around 11 and still had the bulk of our riding ahead of us. Maya and Adam alternated pulls and the road turned to mush. Every five feet Adam or Maya would call out pot holes on either side of the road (sometimes at the same time). 

As the day went on the sun began to bake us and the roads became more populated with cars coming from both directions. Today was probably the most popular day for a drive because today is Saint-Jean-Baptist Day. Saint-Jean-Baptist Day is essentially a Québécois 4th of July and an explosion of French-Canadian patriotism. Every house we passed was flying a Fleur de Lis flag and grilling up hotdogs. All the Casse Croute poutine stands had lines around the corner. Most surprising to us was that this crappily paved river road was saturated with road cyclists.

As we approached Montreal Island, the rolling farmlands changed to an urban landscape. With urbanization came some issues in the form of red lights. We were stopped every 100 meters for another red light killing any rolling momentum we had in the blazing sun. We eventually submitted to the far worse paved and painfully short Canadian bike paths and made it to our destination by 3pm.

Tonight we’re staying with a Warm Showers host named Paulo who greeted us warmly from the get go. As soon as we entered his apartment he whipped up some fresh smoothies and handed us glasses of cold water. As we rotated in and out of showers our host prepared vegan tacos that were to die for. To round out the meal we were offered local beers and even finer Champagne cheeses and cookies. 

Paulo talked glowingly about his Provence and offered to give us a tour tomorrow and take us out tonight to watch a hockey game. This is exactly how a break day eve should go, tough struggling days with beyond sweet endings in amazing places surrounded by amazing people. I love this trip!

Day 9: Quebec City, QC - Trois Rivieres, QC 86 Miles

Maya Sweeney

Today started as both our earliest morning, and first morning after a true “break day.” We got up at 4:15, put down as many calories as we could, or at least I did, and headed down to the lobby to grab our bikes for the day. We carried our stuff outside first and upon doubling back to get our bikes, realized that the hotel door had locked behind us. Though our bikes were only about 10 feet away, they were out of reach, and given that it was an obscenely early hour there was no one else in sight. Thankfully, we found a call bell and someone picked up. Although it took a number of calls and some jumbled mix of French and English, we managed to get a code to the door, grab our bikes, and get on with our day. 

We zigzagged our way out of the streets of the city until we reached a main road that we stayed on for the rest of the day. The plan was to ride 37 miles to breakfast then finish the rest of the 86 miles from there. About an hour or so in, it started to drizzle, then rain, then the sky opened up entirely. By the time we reached breakfast, we were sopping wet, drenched in mud, and covered head to toe in gravel and sand. I was quite literally picking gravel out of my eyes and hair. Not sure what the people at the diner thought the cat dragged in, but they served us anyways. 

Leaving this breakfast may have been the toughest yet, as the thought of putting back on a soaking helmet, gloves, and rain jacket was not at all appealing. Seeing as we had no other choice, we braved the rain and wet gear and continued on. Motivated by the promise of a warm shower, the rest of the day was truly a straight push. The plan was to connect with a host from Warm Showers, a network for people willing to host groups of bike packers. After a number of hours of riding, we arrived. Our host, Otavio, graciously greeted us at the door. He let us store our bikes in his garage and provided us with a shower- at long last. We all agreed it was probably the best shower of our life, even though I find myself saying this after each shower on this trip. 

We had pushed so hard to get out of the rain, that we didn’t stop for a meal, and by the time we reached Otavio’s house, we were low on fuel. Naturally, I downed multiple packets of peanut butter from breakfast, but still found myself hungry. I seem to need to eat the equivalent of what both Evan and Adam eat combined, and usually still have space left in my stomach. My huge appetite likely stems from childhood lessons from my dad about “eating D1” and “eat big to get big.” As I found myself entering the red zone of hunger, Otavio came to the rescue. He whipped us up a “quick lunch” which felt more like a gourmet meal- rice, fries, potato salad, and a delicious piece of steak. 

We are now sitting under the Gazebo in Otavio’s backyard, where we will also be sleeping tonight. We are super thankful to be clean and to sleep in a dry place out of the rain. Tomorrow is another 80 or so mile day so we can’t thank Otavio enough for letting us crash in his backyard!

Day 8: Quebec City, QC Break Day

Adam Lenox

Despite having some low- to almost no-mile days already, today was our first official break day, and it felt that way. After over 160 miles ridden in two days to warm us up for what will soon become the norm for this trip, a day where we could truly relax and take in our surroundings was welcomed. As Evan already mentioned, we spent break day eve replenishing calories with burgers, tacos, fries and more from an Irish pub. This was followed by Evan and me picking up hockey jerseys so we could better blend in during our time in Canada. As expected, Evan’s Quebec Nordiques jersey garnered plenty of approval from locals wherever we went.

This morning, in proper break day fashion, we slept in until about 7:30, at which point the smell of our dirty laundry reminded us that it was time to find a laundromat. While we were waiting on our clothes to wash, we sat at a café where we had a couple coffees and a delicious breakfast. Luckily for us, most of the people we have met here speak “just a bit” of English (i.e., they are fluent); yes, I have been slacking when it comes to Duolingo.

Between our spurts of slamming down calories via delectable meals and snacks, we walked around the beautiful city of Quebec and took in the breathtaking views of the bordering St. Lawrence River and narrow streets lined with tightly-packed European-inspired buildings. We even had the chance to venture below the terrace covering the ruins of the Chateau St. Louis, where the governors of Quebec used to reside! It was interesting to learn about the rich history behind such a quiet, modest city.

After more wandering and relaxation, we decided to see if we could achieve the same success as our first century during our 85 miles tomorrow by mirroring the pre-ride Italian carbo-loading, this time at a nice restaurant just steps from where we are staying. With bellies full of pizza, pasta, and of course tiramisu, I have high hopes for our upcoming ride to Trois-Rivières.

Day 7: Notre-Dame-des-Pines, QC - Quebec City, QC 65 Miles

Evan Malinchock

The morning started a little later than usual as I decided to reward the crew for their amazing effort yesterday! I set my alarm for 7 but I was naturally up by 5 am so I decided to swing in my hammock and watch the sunrise by a babbling creek next to our campsite, not a bad first morning in Quebec. 

I roused the crew and after a quick pack up we were on the road. For the first twenty miles, we were on one of the most spectacular bike paths winding in and out of quaint villages with massive French-style cathedrals, and European-esc villas. It’s really hard to ride through rolling fields of wheat in a place like this and remember you’re in North America and not the farmlands of Bordeaux. 

After a light 27 miles, we stopped at a cafe for a feast. Maya and Adam both got sweet crepes and a full breakfast and I went with potatoes covered in hollandaise, no light breakfasts here.

The sun cranked up the heat and we were feeling every mile of our century yesterday, but in the spirit of break day eve, we took ample breaks at unremarkable gas stations for remarkable energy drinks and water. It was from that point on that the bike trail abandoned us and we rode on some of the worst paved roads in all of Canada. If my rack did not fall off yesterday, it surely would have been blown to pieces today. I am eternally grateful for the help that Natalie gave me yesterday, she is a true bike trip hero.

The bike path began again but this time it was punctuated with 20ft gravel sections just to throw us off our pace. The scenery abruptly changed from rolling countryside to an urban setting. 

After following our soon-to-be best friend, the St Lawrence River, through what seemed like a never-ending construction zone, we were met with a sight to behold. You could pick out the most French corner of Paris, Marseille, or Lyon and it wouldn’t have had a more foreign feel than this place, only a few states away from home. Gorgeous massive cathedrals met with rattling cobble streets and tight corners with every artist in town selling their wares. This is truly going to be a special break day.

Just to distract us from the views we faced a steep 14% climb just to really bring images of the Tour de France to mind. Maya and I were behind Adam (as usual) but then something unusual happened. Adam, the ever consistent slow and steady rider TOOK OFF, while Maya and I were gasping for air at the top,  Adam looked fresh and ready for another 20.

After looking out of place wandering tight pedestrian-only streets in our tight spandex and oversized bikes, we found our hostel. Right smack dab in the middle of old town Quebec City, perfectly set up for an unforgettable break day. After squeezing our bikes into the lobby, we made our way (with some confusion and trouble) to our room for some well-deserved showers.

For dinner, we picked out an Irish pub in hopes of running into English speakers for the first time in two days.

What a past few days!! I never thought this crew would be ready for a century and BIG miles after that day. Every time I or anyone else has doubted us we’ve exceeded all expectations and then SOME. So far this has been the most exciting bike trip I’ve led and it’s only been a week or so in. I can’t wait for more tales and friendships to be shared on this trip as the states pass by.

Day 6: Greenville, ME - Notre-Dame-des-Pins, QC 101 Miles

Maya Sweeney

After yesterday’s grueling mileage, the obvious choice was to attempt to complete a century ride. Aside from Evan, Adam and I had never attempted a century. For me, this would be near doubling what had previously been my longest ride. Honestly, I had no idea if I could do it, especially given my lack of training before the trip. Naturally, we decided to give it a shot.

Alarms went off at 4:30, and we begrudgingly pulled ourselves out of the warm and comfortable beds into the cold morning air. The plan was to fit in 50 miles before breakfast, then split the last miles into chunks as we entered into Canada. Only about a mile or so in, the back rack on Evan’s bike, the one that literally carries all of our gear, appeared to be broken and was rubbing on his back wheel. Initially, we attempted to stabilize the rack with a stick and duct-ape, but that foolproof plan quickly gave way. Plan B was simply to lighten Evan’s pack on the side where the rack was broken and hope for the best. It seemed to work for the time being so we continued on with our journey.

The morning ride was absolutely gorgeous. The air was crisp, the sky was clear, and we watched as the sun slowly made its way above the trees. We passed through scenery that consisted of logging towns, fishing harbors, and expansive lakes surrounded by mountains. The mountain ranges were especially beautiful as the peaks were interspersed with dark evergreens sprinkled with lighter green trees. Faster than we knew, the first 50 were over and we pulled into Jackman, Maine for a proper breakfast.

After eating as much as we could, we continued our journey and within about 15 miles, landed at the Canadian border. The first part of our day had consisted of a considerable amount of elevation gain, and after crossing into Canada, the topography promised us a swift descent for our last 30 or so miles. Around mile 85 of the day, we stopped for a quick lunch getting our first taste of Canadian poutine. The end felt in sight as we hopped on the bikes one last time.

By this point, most of us had forgotten about our start to the morning and the fact that we had settled for a very makeshift operation with Evan’s back rack. With about 12 miles to go, the back rack completely imploded, the metal cut entirely in two, leaving us and Evan stranded on the side of the road with a broken back rack, a substantial amount of gear, and no way to carry or transport it. Hoping for a solution, we called a bike shop about 10 miles up the road only to be greeted by the voicemail answering machine that was, of course, in French. After some deliberation, we determined our only viable options were for Adam and I to ride to the bike shop and hope they could help, or find some hodgepodge backpack situation from a local Walmart then bike back to Evan and assess the situation. This would add additional miles to our already long day, but there wasn’t really another option. Not exactly the coasting into the finish line we had all imagined.

Adam and I set off, leaving Evan to fend for himself on the side of the road. As we got closer to the bike shop, we look over our shoulders and see Evan riding in the passenger seat of a truck with his bike in the back. Pretty sure we both did a double take. Apparently, Evan attempting to hitchhike, was picked up by a French woman named Natalie. She was kind enough to drop him directly at the bike shop. Since she spoke French, we hardly had enough vocabulary to express our gratitude, but she will live as a hero forevermore in our hearts. The bike shop, thank goodness, was open and they just happened to have the exact rack we needed.

Major crisis just barely avoided, we finally continued our journey and coasted into the finish line with 100 miles under our belts. Tonight we are staying at an RV park campground in Notre-Dame-des-Pins, QC. Our rest today was hard earned, and I have to say I am looking forward to one of the best sleeps of my entire life.

Day 5: Just outside of Greenville, ME - Greenville, ME 2.5 Miles

Adam Lenox

I’m beginning to think I should be writing blogs every day. Although that would certainly be detrimental to the quality of these blog postings, it does seem like every day I write a blog, we end up in a motel for the night. Tonight, our motel comes compliments of Mr. and Mrs. Sweeney, to whom we are extremely grateful for being able to stay in a warm and dry room when the weather outside is quite the opposite. Despite the nasty weather and high winds of today, we felt motivated to push ourselves to the limit to reach the cozy motel room awaiting our arrival.

After a grueling 13 miles yesterday, we knew today would be our biggest challenge yet. That challenge started with waking up at 7:30, aggressively relaxing in our tents, and eventually breaking down camp when we felt like it. To be honest, I’m tired just thinking about it. But it gets worse.

We took off on an excruciating 1.5 mile descent into the town of Greenville, stopping at a grocery store to stock up on snacks and stretch our legs on the way. Upon reaching town, we were famished, and stopped in a local restaurant to grab breakfast. Feeling we needed to further fuel for the road that lay ahead, a trip to the pub a block down felt fitting. There, over coffees, teas, and appetizers, the duality of man truly unfolded in the form of a game of Monopoly. Evan and Maya were naturals, quickly taking over almost every property while I scrapped to put together a single monopoly. Just when I felt I might have a chance to catch up, I landed on Evan’s house-ridden Boardwalk. Luckily, I was able to abuse Evan’s kindness when he offered up a trade rather than taking all that I had left and kicking me out of the game. I did not pay it forward. With Maya in severe debt, Evan letting his goodwill get the best of him, and the restaurant becoming crowded with hungry townspeople, I “won” the game, and we returned to our bikes to continue today’s trek.

The next mile was a complete blur. It could have lasted hours or even days; I’m not really sure. All I know is that we eventually arrived at our motel, cold, wet, and in disbelief at the distance we had managed to cover in a single day.

Having already eaten at both restaurants Greenville had to offer, Evan braved the elements once more, traveling back to that first grocery store we stopped at to pick up pasta, meatballs, salad and bread. When he returned, we cooked up dinner quickly so we could get to bed early.

In an effort to recover from today, we will be sleeping in until 4:30am tomorrow and taking it easy with just about 100 miles of riding, bypassing the town I was most looking forward to visiting (Jackman, ME) and going straight into Canada.

All sarcasm aside, I cannot emphasize enough how appreciative we are to Mr. and Mrs. Sweeney for offering us the opportunity to avoid the lousy weather passing through this area today, letting us rest up for what will likely be one of the more difficult days of the trip tomorrow. I also want to wish a happy Father’s Day to all of the dads out there reading this. I am so thankful to have spent some time on the phone with my dad today and glad I can share this experience with him.

Until next time, au revoir!

P.S. Brush up on your French, because we’ve been hitting Duolingo pretty hard in preparation for Canada!

Day 4: Monson, ME - just outside of Greenville, ME 13 Miles

Evan Malinchock

Today, well last night, was the first day that I was truly tested as a bike leader on this trip. After an amazing dinner with the AT thru hikers we went back to Shaw’s Hostel for some of the backpackers to try riding a fully loaded bike. Then Maya showed me the bruise that she got from our little collision. After seeing how large it had gotten, Maya and I agreed that we need to seek medical attention tomorrow. Though Maya keeps insisting to me that she thinks it’s fine and that a short day or zero day tomorrow would be a solution, we decided that we should play it safe and only ride 13 miles to Greenville, ME.

Today we woke up at 6:30am, even though I’d promised we could sleep in, but the smell of breakfast made its way into our bunk room. We went downstairs to see that everyone else in the hostel was also stirring because the all you can eat coffee, eggs, bacon, home fries, and blueberry pancakes were on their way.

After our delicious breakfast, we decided it was time to pack up and get ready to get on the road. After a couple of thru hikers found out that I had a laptop, they asked if they could borrow it for a few minutes and I obliged. In that time Adam, a thru hiker named KT, and Maya started playing piano, guitar, and singing, making for a truly special few moments.

After saying goodbye to our newfound friends, we moved out and began what would essentially be a 13 mile grinding climb, with 15mph headwinds, so naturally Adam decided to pull the whole time.

About three miles in, we decided to stop at the beginning of the Appalachian Trail’s notorious 100 Mile Wilderness. In 2013 I started my high adventure travel addiction by creating a 100 Mile Wilderness backpacking trip for my Boy Scout troop. This was one of the most difficult things I have ever done but it deeply influenced me to keep doing hard things like backpacking trips, and bike tours. So we decided as a crew to go to the sign that set off the this entire trip and my addiction. We joked on the way down that Maya has now officially hiked more of the 100 mile wilderness than her sister who is thru hiking the AT this summer.

From there we kept climbing until we reached our campsite 2 miles out from Greenville, ME.

Day 3: Bangor, ME - Monson, ME 55 Miles

Maya Sweeney

3rd day down! Today we started early around 4:30 in an attempt to beat the rain. We fit in 30 miles before breakfast, and stopped at a local place where we all stuffed ourselves full with waffles.

After breakfast, we continued our journey another 25 miles or so into Monson, ME. The first 30 miles of the day felt like a bit of a slog but the last 25 miles, things felt like they started to click. We turned off the busy roads and spend the last miles of our day on roads with rolling hills and climbs. Along the way we passed this cute little place and out ran a corgi. Immediately upon seeing the corgi, we decided we should stop. It turned out the shop was owned by this kind lady named Marcy and her corgi’s name was Shiloh. Marcy owned a little shop with tons of handmade goods, knitted sweaters, and homemade food. Marcy was kind enough to give us a jar of pickles and a bottle of honey each!

Maybe it was the honey from Marcy or maybe it was the fact that we only had 15 miles left, but the rest of the ride into Monson felt like the easiest and most enjoyable miles yet. The road was up and down, with enough climbs and decents that the ride was super engaging. Although the majority of our morning was dry, we couldn’t entirely escape the rain and the skies unleashed on us about 2 miles before reaching town. Even with the rain, the spirits from the last few miles carried us to the Monson General Store where we waited out the storm.

Since we arrived in town around noon, the rest of the day was spent enjoying what the town of Monson had to offer. We are staying at an AT hiker hostel called Shaw’s, and got to meet some of the through hikers, most of whom are beginning their journey South towards Georgia. Staying in this town is especially cool as my sister is currently through hiking the AT. She is traveling South to North and will reach this exact hostel in only a few weeks time. Getting a taste of what it is like to be a part of the AT community and getting to see what my sister will be experiencing was special.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing, resting, and gearing up for what is ahead.

Day 2: Columbia Falls, ME - Bangor, ME 71 Miles

Adam Lenox

What a day! It’s only day two, so I’m sure some naiveté lies within this statement, but I understand why Evan is addicted to bike-packing. Both of these first two days have ended with such a strong sensation of accomplishment coupled with the mindset that I can eat whatever and however much I want. What more could someone ask for?

With Maya’s bike needing a bit of work after her and Evan’s little collision yesterday, we wanted to be able to stop at a bike store today. Evan was able to conduct some research last night, and decided it would be best to modify our route to spend tonight in Bangor, ME instead of Bucksport, ME. So, today’s wake-up time was set to 5:00am, but nobody stayed asleep long enough to hear an alarm. An early bedtime last night left us feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. After packing up, a crisp, chilly, 13-mile morning ride brought us to a cozy diner in Milbridge, ME. We arrived to a nearly empty restaurant, but by the time we left, the diner was filled with locals milling from table to table catching up with fellow Milbridgians. Having rarely spent time in rural towns, it was pleasant seeing the camaraderie concentrated at this diner, and reminded us that there’s so much more to experience on this trip besides beautiful views and quality cycling time with our crew.

Feeling full from a big breakfast, we set off for on the next 32-mile chunk of today’s ride. We stopped at an outdoors store in hopes that they would have a bike shop to work on Maya’s bike, but alas, we had no such luck. The next bike shop was in Bangor, so Evan began calling every church, fire station, police station, YMCA, parks and recreation department, and campsite in Bangor to see if any would be willing to house us or grant us a patch of grass onto which we could set up our tents. Again, no luck there. But there’s always a silver lining; tonight we’re living the high life in the cheapest motel Bangor had to offer. Lying in a bed typing out this blog feels WONDERFUL.

Across the street from the outdoors store, we stopped to fuel up at a gas station. We all had a quick snack, and hydrated—actually, Maya managed to fit in a quick meal. In the time it took Evan to make a phone call and me to formulate a complete thought (well, not quite that long), Maya emerged from the gas station triumphantly and said, “I just ate 950 calories.” No wonder she had the energy to complete the rest of the ride so effortlessly.

Our gas station stop was followed by 26 miles with a few climbs interspersed to whip us into shape. Before we knew it, we had arrived at a bike shop in Bangor, just half a mile down the road from our motel. Simply put, they were fantastic. We were in and out quickly, and in the small amount of time Maya’s bike was being worked on, we were constantly being asked if there was anything we needed. Best of all, our bikes are all ready for the next 3,600 miles.

Today was the longest ride of both my and Maya’s lives. In those 71 miles, two things I learned stood out to me.

One: my depth perception is horrible. Every hill looked insurmountable from afar, then we would start climbing, and I would realize it’s so much shorter and gradual than I’d thought. We’ll see if it feels that way when we hit the big hills later on in the trip.

Two: I’m sure any parent reading this will disagree, but an 18-wheeler passing uncomfortably close to the shoulder isn’t too bad. The gust of wind they leave in their wake felt like it was slingshotting us along. That brief gust seemed to be all I needed on some of our bigger climbs today. And to put some worries at ease, almost every car and truck to pass us so far has been extremely polite and given a wide berth while passing us.

But overall, we’re feeling great. Tired? For sure. Sore? Just a bit. But feeling great, and so grateful that we get to spend tonight indoors to rest up for a rainy day tomorrow. Here’s to a great ride today, and an even better one to follow!

Day 1: Quoddy Head State Park, ME - Columbia Falls, ME 50 miles

Evan Malinchock

How is it that me being essentially homeless, living out of my bike on the road for 60+ days, over a thousand miles from home, feels more like home to me than Chapel Hill or Boone? From the first pedal strokes it all came back to me, all the emotions of the bike trip, the panoramic views, the camaraderie, it was all there.

Today started unlike any of my previous trips with a wake up time of 8am, in a hotel just miles away from the start. We feasted on freshly made blueberry muffins and played with the biggest dopiest black lab I have ever seen, named Max. After this we loaded up in our cramped car one last time to make the 5 mile journey to Quoddy Head State Park for the final sendoff.

Right from the get go we could not ask for better weather today, with a soft tailwind all day, no rain in the forecast, and the non-humid heat only peaking at 80 around midday. After an emotional sendoff with only a little bit of crying we decided to leave the picturesque light house on the most eastern point of the United States and begin our adventure. And from pedal stroke one my history of bike packing came flooding in, and I was reminded why this is my passion.

The funny thing about history though is that it tends to repeat itself. From the jump I saw the gregariousness of Sean Hankins in Adam. After what I thought was an impressive 7 mile pull where we averaged 15mph, Adam decided to pick up the rest of the check and pull THE REMAINING 47 MILES with a smile on his face and a song in his heart.

After maybe an hour of riding my chain dropped and I decided that it would impress the newbies if I put it back on while riding, using my foot. Maya, immediately ahead of me must have heard that I dropped my chain so she abruptly stopped and my eyes were not looking up and I ran into her left pannier at coasting speed. Other than a flat tire, a booboo on my knee, and a bruise on Maya’s good hip we were utterly and totally fine. I complained and moaned about my sore knee while Maya quickly laughed her injury off and told us we should get riding soon. It was then that I saw shades of Cole Malinchock, never complaining, always ready to roll, and tough as nails. After perfuse apologies from me we hit the road again and I promised myself that I would, in Ed Billings words, “keep it tight” from here on out.

From then we rode on through villages that looked like they were straight out of a postcard. Lobster traps outnumbered adorable little seaside cottages 200:1 and the few drivers that passed us were beyond polite. This was the bike trip I fell in love with.

Just around noon we stopped for a little ocean view lunch where we devoured some food in between chatting with a couple of other bike packers who knew we were on our first day by our demeanor. “You’re obviously on your first day because all of you are too damn chipper!” said one. Though we knew today was a near perfect day we loved to set the tone for the rest of the trip in this way.

After lunch we had an uneventful 16 mile ride into our campsite outside of Columbia Falls, ME, where we relaxed at a gas station for a few minutes before scooting our bikes across the street to make camp for the night.

Today had many ups and one regretful down, but each of us can’t wipe a smile off our face in this wilderness wonderland and we look forward to do it about 59 more times starting tomorrow.

T-1Day - Our First Blog Post

What is there to say about the bike trip that I have not already said. This trip is truly my magnum opus as it is the culmination of everything I love about slowly traveling across North America. Starting in the most eastern point in the United States and ending in the most western point seems very apropos and poetic. The views that we will not just see, but ride through will be all-consuming. The people we will meet along the way will be among the most welcoming and kind people that this country has to offer.

This crew, though very green to bike packing, was painstakingly handpicked. I truly believe that the crew’s cohesion and ability to work in a team will better not just ourselves but will benefit our trip.

This is my third trip, and most likely my last trans-American bike trip for a while so I am beyond excited for the highs and lows of living in the moment on the road every day.

- Evan Malinchock

“Painstakingly handpicked.” Now, as an engineer, I’m generally not great with big words, but I believe this is a colloquial term meaning: Evan had to settle for an inexperienced group of friends who were the only people crazy enough to follow him on a cross-country bike trip this year.

Well, here we are. Just a week ago, I was living comfortably in San Francisco. Now, I’ve sold my car, packed up everything I own, flown back East, and am sitting in the backseat of a Subaru towing three bikes bound for Maine. What lies ahead is 60 days of exploring new places, creating and rekindling friendships, becoming very skilled at breaking down a tent quickly (Evan’s really hammered that one home), and of course, some biking interspersed here and there.

I never thought I would have the opportunity to participate in Bike Loud, so I am beyond excited to set off on this adventure and so grateful to be a part of this venturesome, exuberant, painstakingly handpicked crew.

- Adam Lenox

To say that I can’t believe I am here is certainly an understatement. About 6 months ago, I had hip surgery for impingement and a torn labrum. My life felt completely turned upside down as I went from being a highly active college runner to being unable to walk, dress myself, or tie my shoes on my own.

When I found out about this trip I was about 2 months into my recovery. At that point, I still was not cleared to start riding again, but for some reason, I still agreed to go, irrationally hoping that by some miracle I would recover in time. As the months passed, the trip felt more and more unlikely. My recovery seemed to be going downhill as I had to take multiple rounds of steroids for inflammation and pain. I hardly was able to ride my bike and was by far in the worst shape of my life. I struggled going to class, and couldn’t imagine even a day free of pain, much less getting back to riding or any level of activity.

I’ve always been incredibly determined and even though everything seemed against me, I wasn’t ready to give up on this trip. It wasn’t until about two months ago that I finally started to turn a corner. I had a pain free day, then another. I started riding again. I went back to work. It was like all of a sudden I was starting to feel more normal and in my mind “normal” translated to committing to this trip to ride across the country. My disability car pass only expired about 2 weeks before our start time, and to me, that seemed like a green light.

Because my recovery was so up and down, when I finally realized I was gonna do this thing, I realized I only had about 3 weeks to get my stuff together. I am an extreme procrastinator, so this didn’t phase me, but I’m pretty sure my parents thought I was completely insane. I speed ordered some gear on Amazon, made a million trips to REI, and only got my bike a week before go time. I am completely out of shape and feel underprepared, but for some reason, I feel like I am meant to be here.

Personally, for me this trip means celebrating a journey of return to ability and a deep gratefulness that I can live days without pain. It is hard to explain what months of pain does to your mind, but for me this trip is a continuation of that healing. I love riding and I am incredibly excited to traverse the country on a bike. I think there’s a certain way that biking allows one to specifically engage with the world and terrain. I am super excited to meet new people and see new places and all the experiences that this trip has to offer. Supporting Be Loud! through this ride is a special experience and I am hoping that I can use some of my own healing from pain to support and raise money so others can return to health. All that is to say, I am incredibly grateful to be here.

-Maya Sweeney