I can’t believe the time has come!
When we first started talking about Bruce biking across the country, around 6 years ago, we planned to do it after Bruce retired.
But when he broke his arm in 2017, we were reminded that we aren’t getting any younger and our future health isn’t guaranteed. So we decided that this would be the perfect time. Bruce is 60 and we have been married 30 years. Time to celebrate! We chose Sept 12 as our start date because we will be going a southern route so we are shooting for a little bit cooler fall weather. Bruce will bike 60-115 miles a day and then work from the RV in the afternoon.
This is NOT any kind of race. It’s only us. Our rules. Bruce’s pace. The route we are taking is based loosely on the Adventure Cycling’s Southern Tier. There were places we wanted to go that are farther north, so we are actually only following the Southern Tier through Florida, Alabama & Mississippi and then we pick it up again in Scotsdale and go to San Diego. We will be going through Albuquerque during the time of the big balloon festival, but sadly it has been cancelled due to Covid 19. You can follow our specific route by going to the menu and clicking on “Our Schedule”.
Putting the Pieces Together
Bruce’s Biking
Bruce has come a long way since he began biking over 25 years ago. On his first group bike ride, he showed up on a Schwinn road bike with a babyseat attached. He did get a little ribbing for that. Since that time he has biked to raise money in the annual MS150 (150 mile bike ride) for 15 years. He has also been on several fun long rides. In 2015 he rode with a group for 4 days in the French Alps on some of the famous Tour de France routes. In 2018 he did a week long 500 mile ride with some of his Wichita biking buds up the Mississippi River trail, from St Louis to Wisconsin. Last year the same group rode through the Texas Hill Country for a week. He also completed the 200 mile Dirty Kanza gravel race last summer. Needless to say, he loves to bike. He also still participates in his first love — swimming with his long time friends Ron Neugent and Brent Miller.
Our Motorcycle
Our first little step toward our Big Adventure was buying a Honda Passport in May 2018. Since I will be driving the RV there is no way I wanted to haul a car behind it. The Passport gives us the ability to explore once we reach our destination each day, so we can keep the RV hooked up.
The Conquest
Our next step was buying the RV last fall, 2019. I feel like this RV was totally handed to us by God. It was close by, in our price range and the perfect length –not too scary for me to drive — but still has the requirements: a queen size bed and a full shower. We did not want to have to fold a couch or table into a bed every night or take a shower sitting on the toilet. The people that owned it before us gave it a complete facelift with fresh paint and reupholstered furniture. I love it! Now if I can just figure out how to wash all my dishes by hand in the teeny-tiny sink with NO DISPOSAL…