How to bike across the country
brooks.team
brooks.team
When I'm hitchhiking to support packrafting trips or get back to where I launched my paraglider, I have no say in who I'm going to be chatting with and feeling gratitude towards. Initially that feeling of being reliant on whoever comes my way was difficult to adjust to after the false sense of individualism that a high paying job in a bubble of similar people brings.
The benefit though is enormous. Now I stop to help anyone who's broken down on the side of the road despite the flash judgements their car or bumper stickers might bring. I'm much more aware of the value and interconnectedness of our society, and feel inspired to actively seek to contribute instead of remaining aloof. Most importantly, I realize that there's a whole lot of people out there looking to help people out at any turn, and that gives me a lot of faith.
But I would argue that the type of person that does this kind of thing is very independent and thrives in an individualist environment.
After all- it's you that's inserting yourself into an environment of strangers.
When I was in China, people were bewildered as to why anyone would ever hitchhike. Whereas in America, a 5 year old knows what hitchhiking is.
I still pull over to help motorists. You've inspired me to look for more opportunities like those. :)
Just the fact that it takes such a great effort to experience first-hand how poorer people just help each other out because nobody has money, so they help. But for a tech bro to do that they have to engage in a self-indulgent hobby and cosplay as poor like they're on Undercover Boss.
Ironically this effort to relate to other real live humans with normal incomes is only possible by indulging in the ultimate luxury, which is taking major time off of work rather than being stuck working a shit job.
This is all done with a straight face while jamming a sentence full of words like "paraglider" and "packrafting."
This whole subject is all so stereotypical tech bro in such an unappealing way.
Maybe this sounds unnecessarily bitter, but I think a valid alternate take on this is that privileged people are taking advantage of the kindness of others to get a bunch of help they don't need to help them achieve a goal that is a frivolous luxury. It's great we all get to feel warm fuzzy gratitude but it seems like the NPCs in this main character syndrome story are the people inconvenienced by the OP.
Example: asking the fire department for a place to sleep, they probably feel bad so they let OP sleep in the fire department. But as a tech startup founder and software engineer, OP could have almost certainly afforded a basic motel each night with minimal to zero planning and effort and not resorted to inconveniencing other people.
It feels a little bit like your CEO going to the food bank doesn't it? The median firefighter earns under $60k and dude who has probably outearns that salary in passive investment income is asking for a place to crash. I bet if the firefighter knew that they'd surely still be nice on the outside but they'd probably have a negative story to tell their spouse when they got home.
I completely understand that not booking a motel facilitated human connection and all that loveliness but I sense that the benefit is very one-sided. In Zuckerberg-esque style, the tech bro gets to cosplay as a human with real emotions, while on the "normie NPC" side they get to deal with a tech bro on a bicycle asking for weird shit while they're just trying to get through a shift.
When I thumb a ride with a boat over my shoulder, nobody has to stop, and I'm sure nobody feels too bad for the dummy who might have to walk all afternoon because he decided to huck a river without a shuttle plan. When the author crashes at a fire-house, my hunch is the chief isn't worried that if he declines then the guy who's been camping for most of his trip anyway is going to freeze to death. Maybe he's just stoked to do someone a solid and chitchat with a traveler on a slow night. These are not 'CEO at a foodbank' type situations.
If I go on a mission to yoink a boater out of a gnarly river, I never hear anyone on my S&R crew worrying over whether the subject could have afforded a guided trip instead. We're just happy to help, and hope they learn from the experience. I think people legitimately enjoy helping eachother out more than you assume here, and are probably less concerned with economic status of the recipient than you.
> Ironically this effort to relate to other real live humans with normal incomes is only possible by indulging in the ultimate luxury, which is taking major time off of work rather than being stuck working a shit job.
So what do you advocate for here? Growing the increasing cultural isolation between economic classes because those lucky enough to afford time off work should be so concerned with potentially imposing that they shamefully avoid putting themselves in situations where they could benefit from the help of someone less well off?
Wealth inequality is a huge problem, and I'm excusing the level of salt in your comment because I agree with your general theme that exploitation of that dynamic is bad. But it feels like you're attacking a harmless treatment because you're upset the disease exists in the first place.
I totally agree that people are happy to help regardless of circumstance. And I'm not trying to compare OP to Jeff Bezos or anything. But I think it still feels a little too much like cosplaying, metaphorically comparing camping in a tent to being similar to being homeless.
What do I advocate for? I would advocate for people who have the means to think about how they are impacting other people and trying not to artificially introducing situations where they need help from the less fortunate, and the situation where OP asked local first responders for help finding a place to stay was a great example of a problematic interaction.
So I think what you're saying here that even if the request is not unwelcome, it may still be unfair? That's for the person offering their help to decide for themselves. I would be absolutely bewildered if someone on the internet decided I was being exploited because I stopped to help a rich guy change his tire.
> But I think it still feels a little too much like cosplaying, metaphorically comparing camping in a tent to being similar to being homeless.
I'm a pretty offline dude so I don't grasp the full context behind 'cosplaying' here, but if you're suggesting that anyone sleeping in a tent thinks they are going through the same struggle as a homeless person then that's a huge leap my friend. You can simultaneously appreciate your fortunate placement in the socioeconomic hierarchy, and participate in pursuits that will at least give you a bit of sympathy for how bad it can suck to sleep in the cold.
> What do I advocate for? I would advocate for people who have the means to think about how they are impacting other people and trying not to artificially introducing situations where they need help from the less fortunate, and the situation where OP asked local first responders for help finding a place to stay was a great example of a problematic interaction.
How is this problematic exactly? I've worked with lots of small town fire depts doing S&R and disaster relief and they are typically pretty broadly serving public servants, accustomed to fielding, and declining all sorts of odd requests. I don't think there's any risk at all asking a fire chief about places to stay is exploitation.
I totally understand why, at a shallow level, someone with money benefiting from the aid of someone without grosses you out, but my concern with your view here is that you're asking folks with means to tiptoe around society, being careful not to exploit to the point that interacting with their communities in very normal and fair ways is 'problematic'. The well off can do a lot of good in their communities, but this doesn't tend to happen if they feel isolated outside the circle of giving that other folks enjoy. Crested Butte Colorado is a great example of this, where lots of new moneyed people have moved into town, but are too timid to integrate. Instead of contributing, they add more rarely used bedrooms onto their mcmansions, and vote against affordable housing.
Rich kids flock to burning man in part because they are stoked give and receive in a communal model. I think if they realized real life is more like that then they think, they'd probably be more helpful to those around them.
I really don't see this as being directly true. Most sorts of interactions where we would depend on others/strangers would happen outside of a job, just like all the examples you give. Maybe there's some truth to the stereotype that us IT guys are nerds and participate in fewer IRL group hobbies, which could make your statement indirectly true. However, there's still communities build around stuff like MMORPGs, FOSS, etc where people are from different backgrounds and regions. But then again, maybe I'm the odd one out as a middle class developer with everyone making more than me.
Diverse hobby groups are also a great way of attacking these divides, but may lack the aspect of vulnerability that comes from experiences like the author's.
I have a certain amount of fear about doing this sort of thing. I am ashamed of that, too.
When I was in college (this was in a small city), I was walking at night by the library and I saw someone trip and fall in front of me. I asked if they were hurt and if I could help. He hobbled up and said yes, one leg was injured, but he just needed some help to get back to his car. I helped walk him four or five blocks, supporting his shoulder. In a darker bit of street, his friend tackled me to the ground and threatened to kill me with his gun. He took my wallet, ordered me not to stir from where he pushed me under a car, and they ran off. To be explicit here, the tripping and falling was fake.
The campus police took me to the student health services; my knee was banged and slightly scraped from the tackle. I related the story to the doctor and he said, "Well, you can't stop helping people." On the other hand, the cop just said, if anything like that ever happens, I didn't have to handle it myself, just call them, they were happy to come and assist anyone who might need help on campus.
I still help others when I can, but I am always cautious about my environment and assessing the circumstances
And some advice for anyone doing this for the first time and feels compelled to pay to camp - never stay at a KOA, consider them an absolute last resort. There is no bigger waste of money and RV culture is extremely cursed.
The weirdest spot was in another suburban area, I camped behind a row of shrubs next to a cellphone tower installation haha. Wasn't the best setup but places like that usually don't get any traffic until business hours, so as long as you're in late and out early, you're fine.
Not an every night kind of thing, and you're unlikely to find much in the way of grass to put a tent on, but I stayed at one with another guy who was bike touring and we get like kings for the night.
When you're digging holes in the national forest to shit in, it doesn't take much!
And there was much rejoicing.
... and showers.
Out west of course you usually have free options.
Overall I found it to be a net negative to stay at an RV park. RVs produce a lot of noise, almost on the level of night in a major city. At home in an RV, people stay up 2-3 hours later than you do on a bike tour, and they run tvs, ACs, generators, and make excess light. The last straw for me was when our "neighbor" for the night was yelling foul, abusive things at his wife. And those bathrooms... sometimes they are a real horror. Keep your boots on.
Those types of experiences are really yours for the taking for little to nothing when you tour. Toilets are so easy to come by. Showers, too, for the price of a $15 day pass at a gym, but you can also just sponge bathe in the handicap stall. I would stop in a town and get some mcdonalds, eat it at the laundromat, hit the post office, talk to bums on the street. When I wanted to swim I'd just find a place to swim. That stuff is the real gold, being resourceful and a massive cheapskate somewhere you don't know anybody.
On top of all that, you can just sneak on to the RV park in the morning if you want to.
I love the energy of Supertramps, but there is a reason they are controversial. It would be very easy to make a mistake and be in big trouble - underestimating water needs in a barren stretch, a hole in your tire (not tube) and not knowing how to fix it, etc. it’s pure luck you didn’t not over exert a small muscle or ligament locking you out of cycling during recovery.
It wasn't the bears or lightning or anything else, honest to god I experienced all that stuff and the scariest stuff was still people in cars.
My fat ass would have given up before I even reached the Bay Bridge.
That reminds me: the author did not mention how they crossed the Bay Bridge. There is no cycling path from SF to EB AFAICT.
Cycling is a fairly low-impact activity for your body, and is a great way to get some exercise if you are out of shape, with a fairly low risk of getting exercise-related injuries. (Compared to, say, running)
The only thing you'll really need to "train" are your "sit-bones". A good, soft-ish, wide saddle will help, as well as padded shorts. In fact, for your comfort, padded shorts are a must-have.
Those kinds of lifestyles generally create a knee-jerk reaction to people merely because they are different than the "normalcy". That is clear because, while some people are indeed being lucky/foolish in their endeavours (totally fine by me unless they don't directly hurt others with their choices), some other people have a pretty solid plan/foundation for being able to handle such a lifestyle and people still give them grief.
My lifestyle is far from an extreme one and I still get puzzled questions and the usual "oh, one day, you'll stop and grow up" kind of comments. Imagine if I had decided to drop everything and start cycling around the world.
The first chunk of the trip is very civilized, and you can use that to build skills before you get out in rural Utah.
If you have some experience with dry-country hiking, you understand about bringing water. That's the main threat. Most of the other mishaps you can think of are just inconvenient/unpleasant - "made poor time, got stuck at dusk in the middle of nowhere with only the snacks in my panniers, and had to camp by the roadside".
The author did prep for some other gotcha's, including having safety gear and doing some physical training in advance.
I reflect on the times in my life when I did just that and I have been amply rewarded with a life having been made just a little more worth having lived.
Seeing people holed up because of their fears makes me sad. I suppose the thing that I am most afraid of is finding out too late that I am too old to do these sort of things with the few years that I may have left in the world.
(And that goes as well to spending time with my daughters, wife, family.)
Thing is, you don’t know what you need until you’ve done this. I have taken a two-week trip out of a carry-on suitcase. You will need laundry service at some point if you want to be presentable in public, but there are companies selling clothes that are designed to wash and dry quickly even with hand soap and a sink, but you have to know they exist and be able to afford a not-cheap new set of clothing.
But I have done this because I started minimalism with trips to places where I knew I could buy whatever I needed within an hour if I forgot something. Do several of those and notice what you don’t use, pulling it off the list unless it’s a rarely-used-and-important-but-not-replaceable-quickly item. Like my contact lenses, which are always a special order. I keep a few in every item of luggage I own. I carry a spare phone, because if my phone dies outside the US or Canada (as my Nexus 6P did) it’s not trivial to get a replacement with US frequencies, and with eSIMs not trivial to swap into something new while still being on my US number (needed for work). I would have to find WiFi first.
And yes, my backup phone has the apps for my service and my wife’s. As soon as I have WiFi, I can be going in ten minutes. It’s currently running a backup of my phone that I update before every trip, but I back hers up too, and while it might take an hour or two to restore and get working again, it can be done easily.
well yes of course. that's the other part. you learn what you need that you didn't prepare for too. sometimes through failure.
Having said that i cycled a fair way across Europe in my youth with nothing but a light bag, water bottle and wallet in my pocket.
So basically it depends. Yes you can get away with it in certain parts of the world but i would never argue for unpreparedness since it's way too common for people to die from lacking the basics of preparation.
I rode my bike around Lake Erie back in 2007 without even a smart phone. I didn't have a map of places to stay, I just scoped out surreptitious camping sites mostly if I didn't happen past a campground at the right time of day.
I fully expected to face several significant sections where risks where high, notably from lack of water but also just general remoteness.
The reality was quite different. Just the distribution of gas stations meant that water supply was rarely a problem (though I did have a fancy australian 4 liter bottle on my bike and water bladder on my trailer). There was one day when I came close to running out and that was a little scary, but tiny sips and another 12 miles got me to a gas station.
But it wasn't just gas stations. There are not many places in the lower 48 where you can go 40 miles without passing some sort of human habitation if you're on a paved road. The Mojave and parts of Nevada might be an exception. I didn't need to get help from any such places, but I was always aware that I was passing by them.
In addition, sure, some of the most back- of the backroads I took got very little traffic, it was still the case that there would be at least a car every 2 hours or so.
My point is this: if you're travelling on paved roads in the lower 48, you are extremely unlikely to die from mistakes arising from unpreparedness. You might suffer a bit, but you will encounter someone who is very likely to be willing to help you.
One thing I would say, however: in years and decades past, I would never have had any hesitation riding or walking down a farm/ranch driveway if I needed water or help. News events over the last few years involving shootings of "strangers" in driveways now make me extremely reluctant to do such a thing. I contemplated this often on that ride, and if that situation had arisen, my plan was to stay on the road and make as much noise as I could before being OK'ed to cross their property line. A sad change for me, and for the country.
You are greatly overestimating the hazards associated with bike touring.
Folks are decent, and if you're on Adventure Cycling's routes, they are familiar with seeing cyclists. People offer help and stop to ask if you're ok. The route is well travelled by cars; if you passed out from heat exhaustion in the middle of the road, you'd be no more than an hour from being found, and in most places, a good deal less.
Water is pretty readily available, and most of the route passes through populated areas where you're a knock on a door away from a fillup if you're desperate. Mostly, I filled up with water at gas stations or where I camped in the evenings.
If you can ride a bike, fix a flat (you'll likely get a lot. I did), camp in a tent, and cook over a camp stove, you can do what the author of TFA did. Maybe a little/lot slower (75 miles a day is hauling ass fully loaded touring) but it's totally doable.
NB: Trek discontinued the 520 in 2023. Dozens of us are furious. The Surly Disc Trucker is well-recommended for touring, though I haven't been on one personally. Any bike that fits you with relaxed enough geometry, a long enough wheelbase, low enough gears, and the capacity to carry you and your gear will do.
1. The few remaining 100 mile stretches of no services, when extreme weather is possible.
2. Sundown towns, if you aren't white. Yes, they still exist.
3. Running out of water.
Especially nowadays, when cell phone + satellite coverage is nearly universal and affordable, you can run a phone off a small solar panel, and a credit card can fix any fuckup.
There are still places in the west where the level of law enforcement is similar to Tatooine. Mostly in sparsely populated counties and very small towns, where attention from state governments, mainstream media and the internet is general can be avoided.
to Portland, Oregon.
In 1989.
So before cell phones, satellite phones, Strava, electrolyte powders, websites full of helpful tips, Google Maps…
He was likely criminally prepared and yet he says he had a great time. He mostly slept in the back yard of strangers and I vaguely recall that people offered him so much free food that for the entirety of the trip he spent about $35 and went through one giant tub of peanut butter (that he hauled with him). He got some sort of puncture-proof tires and never got a flat.
Skipping the dessert southwest helped avoid the risk of water shortage and she clearly got lucky and avoiding a variety of problems and it’s an n of 1, but it’s a data point saying one doesn’t have to plan to the nth degree.
The Iron Springs climb tops out at 6000' or so, the weather is awesome in summer. However that is the end of weather happiness for 300 miles or so, because it's a steady drop from there into the desert, all the way down to the Colorado River. Temps in the 100-115F range are normal. Water is scarcer there than on just about any roads in the country. I was pretty alarmed so I got it across that they needed to show me their route. As best I could I showed them the best way on maps to not die. I tried my damnedest to get across they should not bike in the afternoons. "extra chaud!" etc.
And off they went. Never found out if they made it or not, but... you just can't keep humans down. They will always find a way to do the craziest things.
Was in Kyrgyzstan recently, and there's a popular hike that everyone does (Ala Kul). But it's HARD. And the people that do it are often not hikers. It's 3 days, but it involves a massive climb at altitude, and you have all these random backpackers attempting it because...well, that's what you do. And by and large they all seem to get through it ok.
There are tons of people out there having great adventures!
Did you look into different tires? 8 flats seems like a lot. I got exactly one running schwalbe marathon plus tires.
Overall what was your favorite part of the trip?
favorite part was jumping into extended conversations with strangers. from a scenery perspective, coming down into Lake Tahoe from Eldorado was just absolutely stunning. same when I went past Bryce Canyon.
Rhythm wise, super surprised you did the whole thing without stopping! I used to do a half day (pre-dawn to late morning) then chillax at a place and explore. This gave time to recover, take in the area, balance cycling with walking, and time to maybe wash some clothes which means carrying less. Rest days can be best days. That's totally nuts you did the whole thing without stopping!
I'd be sketchy on those Utah areas too - no shade! Probably would have camped out at the lookout there, etc. Of course, not feasible if you're running out of water.
I'm getting old now (43) but have to mention one thing I never properly appreciated in my earlier travels and regret missing was the biology. iNaturalist is friggin' awesome. It has never been easier to get in to biology, and it adds a deeply fascinating dimension to travel. Looking at those instant pot meals, foraging would be one application!
Re. Diet, I was veg when I did most of my cycle trips too. Used to acquire bags of raw husked peanuts as easy protein. On later trips (Romania) deeply appreciated eating a steak!
So... any ideas for next trip? Europe? New Zealand? Around Australia? Back across Canada from "Europe"? https://maps.app.goo.gl/URwtvz9wxWHWYEb18
Good luck, don't be afraid to slow down, and keep it up. Once you have kids it becomes difficult to continue.
Sounds like you had a great experience riding too! Did you go across the U.S.?
I think I'll pause the bike tour travel for the foreseeable future. I think I like running better :)
The one time I had it fail me entirely, it was in New Mexico where the goathead thorns are relentless. I had about a dozen thorns in each tire, and my half dried up sealant was no longer up to the task. Still hard to imagine going back to tubes, even though I carry lightweight TPU tubes as backups.
The hard part isn't really fitness (for any moderately experienced biker unless your trip has a specific time or FKT goal), it's the logistics of food + shelter, the mental grind, and dealing with possible repairs.
This guy was using Rockbros bags and rack and I’m wondering if I should swap out my Tailfin for a more durable OMM rack…
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3-zVwEVdJ-UbC1DT4tSG...
(Gdmbr 2022)
The gear, the legs, they help with going faster. Whether or not you can finish (barring catastrophical mechanical or injury) is all in your head!
My Trip: https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=10372&v=2E
I hated it every day — right up until we finished it. The boredom, the drudgery of every day. Now I can't wait to go again.
There was a weird thing that crept into my brain by about day 4 or so — I kind of didn't want to linger off the saddle for long. Strangely, I was starting to kind of prefer being on the saddle than to being off.
Also, having done a minimal of research, there were often unexpected happy surprises that would pop up from time to time — for example a sudden bar along the banks of the Missouri River (Cooper's Landing — not, you know, a sand bar).
I credit my friend being there for keeping me determined not to "puss out" and bail early. And he told me after he was waiting for me to bail so he could have an excuse to quit as well.
We met all manner of other riders: many, like us, on their first bike tour.
The six or so days on the saddle can be done, physically, by about anyone. I am almost 61 and over weight. I trained on the trail. I think if I had prepared before hand my ass might have been less sore — more "broken in". (It also would have been boring though.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_Across_America
But 51 days is also fantastic!
-- Note about "prepadness". No need for that. I started at 70km per day, but eventually made 500 km in 24h. Because good back wind and too hot for camping by the road.
It takes about two weeks to totally numbify youres backside. Thereafter rockhard professional saddle is the best.
TIL that Pan Am was flying Airbuses!
> It takes about two weeks to totally numbify your backside.
Beat you sit-bones into submission until your pain-reporting nerves give up.. The week-and-a-half before you get there, though.. Ouch.
Quite a helmet! Cool, eclectic video. With a bit of a teleport jump between the Pecos river and NY. :-)
Note that we largely cycled through the French and German countryside on dedicated bike routes on which we were the only cyclists most of the time, so this was relatively uncritical.
I can not recommend it highly enough. It took us 2 weeks which is a much more reasonable amount of time to take off. I wasn't really prepped and not in great physical shape, which made it more difficult, but it was so rewarding. That route is very popular and there are hiker / biker camp sites every 30 miles or so. About half the people you see each night are going the same direction as you, so you probably saw them last night.
I would strongly recommend the paper maps from ACA. They are fantastic, and you can get a holder that goes between your handlebars. It's really hard to use your phone as a GPS when you're out of power.
I also broke a spoke on my wheel and it wasn't a very common wheel type. The person I went with had to go 20 miles back to a bike shop and ended up buying me a whole new wheel. So getting bog-standard equipment is very helpful.
The above is why it is critical to keep food either hung in a tree or in bear proof containers. So long as bears don't see humans and think "I've found food near them" they will stay away - but once they realize humans mean food there is trouble. Wild areas rarely have problems - causal campers don't realize how important proper bear protection is and over time bears have figured it out.
The black widow and a few other spiders and insects are exceptions - they will target you. (though mostly spiders leave you alone)
And people there were freaked out when they heard I was from Kansas and thought little of having grown up around the perhaps more frightening Brown Recluse.
You'll be fine.
BeWelcome.org is free accommodation, like Airbnb or CouchSurfing but without money! And open-source, in many countries, and very hospitable to refugees.
He seems to have made some really savvy decisions though, like getting a proper bike fit, and knew enough about camping and meal prep etc to make it work.
Kudos to him.