Chicago

Off I go
Aurora, IL

Western Illinois- heat wave

Camping between Chicago and Iowa state line. Super hot
Prophetown, IL

Heat exhaustion. Limped into campsite and passed out on picnic table. Super friendly campsite host…or maybe a ghost, not sure
Davenport, IA

Zero day in Davenport to escape the heat with Warm Shower Host Dustin
Great stay in Iowa City

In Iowa City with Warm Shower hosts Jim and Lisa— very cool town, great people and new friends
Overnight in Grinnell- movie set town

Much appreciated kindness from Craig who let me crash in his trailer, and delicious pizza and beer on a perfect night
Des Moines

Stayed with Warm Showers host Dave. Fantastic host. Dave has been bike touring across each of the US states- one at a time- with his brother and a friend…they have amassed quite a list. Great dinnerRead more
Coon Rapdis, IA

Beautiful campsite on the Middle Raccoon River. Part of the Whiterock Conservancy. One more riding day tomorrow then a day off.
Denison, IA

Overnighted in the small town of Denison, IA- where, evidently, Donna Reed was from (aka The Donna Reed Show)…They have a Donna Reed Auditorium downtown to prove it. Also a hog processing plantRead more
Norfolk, NE

Thanks to a ride from Lee, I stayed at the Maskenthine Lake Campground. RV crowd was representing for the Labor Day weekend. Too many Husker flags and t-shirts to count…kind of like a footballRead more
Ewing, NE

Slow start to the day made it a long day…Punctuated by one of the bridges on the Cowboy Trail- crossing Elkhorn river- being washed out in a flood causing me to have to backtrack a couple miles to aRead more
Bassett, NE

Ended up more than just camping in Kevin’s backyard…treated to a shower, laundry, dinner and a big breakfast. Pretty sure on paper we don’t have a lot in common, but when it comes to kindnessRead more
Valentine, NE

Highlight of today, a 64-person town with the only public space I could see being a beautiful pocket park with everything you need: free camping, clean bathrooms, covered tables and COLD well pumpRead more
Cody and Gordon, NE

Cody was a pretty cool tiny village right on the edge of the Rosebud reservation on the border of South Dakota and Nebraska. Most of the folks I met were from the reservation. Great little town parkRead more
Chadron, NE

Wow what a couple of days. First you have to meet Cody Anderson. My day on Thursday started with Cody riding his bike up to me on the highway and asking, “you got bear spray?!” When I told him IRead more
Lusk and Douglas, WY

Crazy weather conditions here in Wyoming. Heavy rain overnight, strong headwinds averaging 14 mph and gusting up to 27 a daily norm…definitely making me earn the very soon eventuality of mountains!Read more
Central to western WY

Well here is where things started getting more interesting. Turns out the Jackelope is a revered legend…sort of like Nessie in Scotland.
Had a wonderful stay with Warm Shower hosts Loraine andRead more
Western WY

Did I mention the wind? Getting used to it now and has certainly increased my strength and confidence on the bike. Got to ride some more gravel which led me to a campsite on a reservoir where I wasRead more
Western slope

Great ride today. 39 miles up and over the Rockies through Togwatee pass. No shade being thrown at Eastern slope but I don’t connect with the dry, rocky landscape there like I do a verdant, alpineRead more
Jackson Hole, WY

Heaven on earth. That’s it. Arrived in 29° rain but woke up to one of the two most beautiful places I’ve ever seen (The other being Wengen, Switzerland). Whatever your travel plans, this placeRead more
Climbing out of Jackson and meeting Tony

Climbed up and out of Jackson Hole and onto “the rim” which is a high plain next to the Wind River range in southern WY.
Do you think St. Hubert’s knows Jagermeister stole their logo?
PickedRead more
Flaming Gorge, UT

Relaxing day in Flaming Gorge on the Green River…very cold water offsetting very hot sun. Beautiful desert camping with a dance party vibe courtesy of DJ EZ. Really fun climbing and dirt road ridingRead more
Fruita, CO

A snapshot of VA’s future from Dinosaur, CO…and the future is bright.
Add Fruita, CO to your list if you haven’t been yet- especially if you like mountain biking. For better or for worse-Read more
TravelerCan't wait to see your facial hair at the end of this!
Traveler
This is the worst pic from the trip so far.