Here we are by the Illinois state sign! This is the third state we've ridden to.. we're a happy bunch. Strike a pose! As soon as we crossed the state border we stopped getting chased by stray dogs! Day 23. We woke up quite early today, packed up the tent and left the campground by 7:25 a.m.! Clouds covered the sky for most of the morning, which made for a cooler ride (one that we haven't had for a while). Asher and I started off the day riding by the Illinois state sign! Pedaling with the sunrise on our backs was beautiful. All ...
Asher and I have fixed gear bikes and we're all about a good challenge, but we're not insane. Just crazy. We both need new bikes. Bikes with gears and brakes and even a rack on the back. And we also need things to put on that rack on the back. We figured if we're gonna buy new bikes, then we outta buy Cannondales. They're pricy.. but wtf, right? So we did. We found Dunbars Cyclery an awesome bike shop in Delaware (to save on tax) and the salesman was super kind and knowledgeable. He gave us a mad discount on our Cannondale ...
Total miles pedaled to date is 643 miles.. mostly because we got lost. (The TransAm length of VA is only 540 miles.) Now that we left the state of Virginia we want to share some of our favorite things. Morgan and Asher: the people here are our absolute favorite part of this trip! In Virginia everyone was kind and welcoming and it even made Morgan appreciate the small town vibe. Top favorites: Asher: the cows. He knows that he has other favorites, but he mainly liked the cows. Morgan: the accent (it definitely grew on me) and breakfast.. for $2.50! A little bit of Virginia:
Gear for two crazy kids planning on pedaling across the USA. We already had some gear like sleeping bags and basic bike tools, but we needed a little extra stuff. Here's what we've got so far: Cannondale Touring 2 bicycles - these special bikes are like a bionic mule with wheels instead of legs. Bike speedometer - we wouldn't wanna get caught speeding Bike tools, pump and spare parts - even the best mule needs a bike pump Helmets - to protect our brains, duh. Tent - there was one second that Asher tried to talk Morgan into sleeping with no tent. It obviously didn't ...
NICE!!! We sport an "alternative" look full of tattoos and piercings mixed with a queer flair. This often leads to judgment and nasty attitudes. Maybe we just look so good in spandex?!.. because every person we've encountered on this adventure has been so nice! We expected that the south would bring us some trouble, but we were wrong. It's been the complete opposite. On our first day we ended up knocking on some stranger's door around 9pm because we were a little lost. He kindly gave us directions and we went on our way. When we were rolling up to our destination we ...
There are so many bike routes in the USA! Who knew? Asher and I are already on the east coast so we're gonna start here and ride out west. (No, we are not riding out and back! Crazy, yes. Insane, not-so-much. Remember?) Our Route: We chose the "middle" route, which goes by the name of the "TransAmerica Trail." This route basically runs from the coast in Virginia (Yorktown) westward through the middle-ish of Colorado (Denver), then heads northwest to Idaho and then down to Oregon (Eugene). Our ending destination is the west coast in Florence, Oregon. Our time: We're giving ourselves about 2.5 months to ...
One of the first questions people ask us when they find out we are riding across the country is, "What type of job do you have that allows you to do that?" Well we don't work no boring 9 to 5. [Insert self-promotion here.] We do what we want because we own PaperShark Design. In fact, I stayed up 'til 4 in the morning developing this site. So "Hello World" and goodnight!
We got our new video camera and it's waterproof up to 10ft! (I'll test that depth later.) Here's our puppy, Pixel (also PaperShark Design's mascot). He's a Havanese dog and he's almost a year old. Testing out the new video camera! We are still pre-adventure and out at brunch. What should we eat?... Asher, pay attention!
(Enjoying our first day off! We were at a hotel pool in Berea, Kentucky. This was Day 16 and at this time we had ridden 810 miles. We finally got to put our aqua socks to good use not to mention our waterproof camera!… Why do I still have my glasses on?!) Day 26. We’ve stayed in Carbondale, Illinois for a few days now and this is our second break since we started this trip (on June [..] read more
Here we are by the Illinois state sign! This is the third state we’ve ridden to.. we’re a happy bunch. Strike a pose! As soon as we crossed the state border we stopped getting chased by stray dogs! Day 23. We woke up quite early today, packed up the tent and left the campground by 7:25 a.m.! Clouds covered the sky for most of the morning, which made for a cooler ride (one that we haven’t [..] read more
Day 22. We’re on Central Time and going on 1094 miles! Getting chased by stray dogs has finally dwindled down, but we still get a little nervous when we hear barking in the distance. Today we leave from Sebree, Kentucky. These rolling hills are draining! Our end destination today is a ferry-ride across the Ohio River, which separates the Kentucky state line from Illinois. We sure hope this [..] read more
KY for Kentucky!.. get your mind outta the gutter. Day 14. We are now in Kentucky! There are coal trucks everywhere and we’ve already ridden around a few mines along the trail. Asher discovers a new way to cycle. (He thinks he’s a ballerina.. A mobile ballerina.) Day 15. Climbing and descending more mountains. It’s nothing until you do that in Kentucky and you have stray dogs [..] read more
Total miles pedaled to date is 643 miles.. mostly because we got lost. (The TransAm length of VA is only 540 miles.) Now that we left the state of Virginia we want to share some of our favorite things. Morgan and Asher: the people here are our absolute favorite part of this trip! In Virginia everyone was kind and welcoming and it even made Morgan appreciate the small town vibe. Top favorites: Asher: [..] read more
Day 11 and 12. These are our last few days in Virginia. We go through a few thunderstorms each day! Here we are in front of someone’s pool.. I mean, yard. Every time it starts to pour we stop and put on our rain gear and by we, I mean Asher (because I just put on a jacket). It takes Asher at least 5 minutes to put on his rain suit, booties and all, and often times that’s how long these [..] read more
Day 5. Mental preparation. Day 6. Breathtaking. Day 6. Almost at the top! What goes up, must come down! 3 miles.. straight down! Top speed while braking was 37mph!! We never thought we’d be wishing to climb the hill instead of going downhill. Day 6. After the descent. Lunch at Gerties. She gave us signed postcards and wanted us to send her a postcard when we finish our adventure.
Day 5. Afton, VA. We met June Curry aka Cookie Lady, a TransAm legend. She is 89 years old now and still helping out bikers daily. She and her dad helped the first bikers on the TransAm trail in 1976 with water, food and a place to stay. Over the years she became known as the “Cookie Lady” because she greeted bikers with freshly baked cookies. Eventually she turned a house on her property [..] read more
NICE!!! We sport an “alternative” look full of tattoos and piercings mixed with a queer flair. This often leads to judgment and nasty attitudes. Maybe we just look so good in spandex?!.. because every person we’ve encountered on this adventure has been so nice! We expected that the south would bring us some trouble, but we were wrong. It’s been the complete opposite. On our [..] read more
