There were several reasons I was excited to be on the Trans America Bike Route. I had actually been looking forward to being on this route from the time I decided to do the Moto-Myrtle USA trike tour. Doing the Trans Am was a big bucket list item for me. Since this would be the turnaround point, getting on this route meant I would be heading west, heading home. The Trans America is probably the oldest and most popular cycling route across the US. I expected to see many more cyclists than I had seen up to this point, especially since I was getting to the trail at the start of the summer riding season. Using the Adventure Cycling maps meant that anything I needed would be available and listed in an easy-to-find format. Since this route is so well-used, I expected the Trans Am to be safe offering plenty of room for cars and bikes/trikes to pass without worry.
After 6 rides on the Trans Am, my 2 biggest worries were the narrow, unsafe roads and the smoky air from the fires burning in Alberta, Canada. It is hard to imagine how so much smoke could travel so far. The smoke has gotten thicker the last few days even after windy days. I was hoping the wind would blow the air clear. Instead, I think more smoke was blown in. I can feel the smoke in my throat and my eyes are burning. At the end of every ride, I feel like I've been crying all day from my eyes tearing up. The scenery is stunningly beautiful in Virginia but the roads are very narrow with no shoulder - at all. The roads twist and turn up and down with lots of climbing. Many of the turns are on blind corners that drivers don't slow down for. The stress of being extra vigilant watching the traffic is very tiring. I've done a lot of touring and have never been on an actual bike route that feels so dangerous. The roads were probably much quieter when the Trans Am was designed in 1976. What were quiet country roads in 1976 have become too busy for biking. I have read many journals for this route and this is an aspect that no one really talks about. Perhaps, like me, everyone is trusting the Adventure Cycling Association to offer the safest routes. Every day, I keep thinking the roads I've been on are anomalies and today will be safer, and then, every day, I am seeing the route only become busier with auto traffic. I am losing my sense of humor and running out of excuses for continuing this ride.
Lovely scenery
Bucolic setting
The ride from the Love Ridge campground continued to follow the Blue Ridge Parkway. Coming off the Parkway is one of the steepest hills on the Trans Am Bike Route. Everyone remembers riding the Vesuvius hill. Going east to west, this is a crazy scary descent of 4,000 ft with lots of hairpin turns. I could smell the brakes of passing cars which gave me the idea to pull over to let my brake disc rotors cool. This is something that takes some thought. You need to pull over in a flat area. The brake rotors are so hot they need to cool without the brake pads engaged. The rotors will bend if the brakes are engaged. I actually pulled over twice on this descent.
Once at the bottom, in the town of Vesuvius, a man stopped me to tell a story about a guy driving a Ford Explorer who let his brakes overheat. The car caught fire igniting the hillside. The fire burned so hot that his car melted. Impressive!
From here I traveled roads along a creek into the town of Lexington. I found a hotel where I checked in for 3 nights to wait out a big rainstorm passing through. Hopefully, the rains will help improve the air quality.
Day 62 Ride Video
Myrtle resting at a hotel
On the 4th day, the weather forecast wasn't great but there also wasn't supposed to be any more rain. Leaving Lexington, I made a terrible mistake misreading the map. I turned the wrong way on a busy one-way road. Luckily, the car coming towards me saw what was happening and stopped. I ended up flipping the trike just as I came onto the car. My feet came out of my shoes and all the contents of my side seat mount bag were strewn all over the road. Remarkably, the only damage to the trike was a broken flag pole. When I flipped the trike, the left handlebars went into my ribs which was quite painful. My left ribs were bruised but not broken. Many of the car drivers stopped to help me. The police were called and they couldn't have been nicer. Their only concern was for my safety and well-being. They helped me get the trike and trailer onto the sidewalk. One officer also figured out how to attach the broken flag pole back on the rear rack with duct tape and a couple of zip ties. There was no damage to the trike or trailer and I was able to ride on.
Very nice officers
Scuffed Rohloff gear shifter
Frayed flag pole
The ride to Troutville was very hilly and I could feel my ribs as I huffed and puffed up every climb. A few miles before getting to the community park, the rains started. Troutville is a town that is on the Trans Am and the Appalachian Trail. They allow camping to both groups. I was the only person camping tonight. Just as I got under a park shelter, a big powerful cell really let loose. Oh my goodness, did it pour and pour and pour. I was grateful to be under a shelter for the night. There was water, electricity and a shower trailer. This was something new for me. The shower trailer had anything anyone could need. Soap, razors, shampoo, foot care bandages, toothbrushes, towels, and a really hot water shower. They even had a box of free clothes. This was very generous and unusual.
Day 63 Ride Video
There were also train tracks 50 ft from the shelter. Luckily, the last train went by at 8 pm and I had a quiet night's sleep. In the morning, I was relieved that my ribs weren't more sore than they were yesterday. I could tell this event was having an effect on me psychologically and I tried to laugh it off. I just couldn't believe I had made such a careless error and this had me second-guessing my judgment.
Great sense of humor
welcoming sign
The ride to Christiansburg had a good deal of climbing which tested my rib soreness. Even though there had been lots of rain the day before, the air quality was still poor with smoky haze. Coughing with sore ribs is no fun. Using my ACA maps, I followed the route to a recommended motel. This motel was scary-looking. It was old and run down with sketchy people sitting outside their rooms. The doors to the rooms were not wide enough to get my trike through. I asked a man if he could help me and he couldn't. Maybe he was too high. The thing about getting help carrying the trike into a hotel room is I would also need help in the morning getting it back out. This place didn't feel safe and I pushed on riding back into downtown Christiansburg. This added another 6 miles to my ride for the day but I found a normal Econolodge hotel where I checked in for 2 nights.
20 Anniversary sign for bike route 76
Abandoned auto repair
Day 64 Ride Video
I really could have stayed another night. I didn't feel super rested even though I didn't do anything for 2 days. Sometimes, I try to stay too positive and push myself when I really should have stayed put to rest more. It's hard not to ride when the weather is good. I had a few miles to get out of Christiansburg and back on the Trans Am bike route. Again today, there were lots of hills. The scenery was beautiful and even though I was enjoying the ride, I could also feel that I was still spooked by my close call when I flipped the trike. My ribs were still quite sore but there wasn't anything I could do about it. I got lost a couple of times when I couldn't get Google Maps to agree with the ACA digital map I had on my phone. After all these years of touring, I still have a terrible sense of direction. Today I ended up climbing two very steep mountain roads expecting to find a shortcut. There wasn't one. Just a lot of extra riding - oh my! I found my way to Max Meadows to camp at a private RV park. The tent sites were $15 and separate from the RV campers along a beautiful creek. The sites didn't have water or electricity but there was a covered gazebo that had outlets. I decided to set up my tent there to make charging my batteries and gadgets more convenient. At one point, I needed to find the bathroom. I was walking around and around and couldn't find it. I knew I was in trouble emotionally when I started to cry about it. This was a clear sign that I was exhausted.
Day 65 - Ride Video
I have toured all over the world and done a lot of tent camping. All my gear is excellent and as comfortable as it can be. Somehow, I have never been comfortable tent camping no matter what I do. The tent is so thin and I always feel vulnerable. I rarely sleep well even though I was probably in my sleeping bag by 7 pm in the evening. I always think that I'll get used to tent camping and I never have. Maybe if I had other people to tour with I would feel safer. I'm always staying at campgrounds but, still, I don't feel safe.
Hay drying in the field
Scenic country road
There was a huge 14% grade hill to get back on the road leaving the Pioneer Family campground. The route was beautiful but the road was busier than I was hoping and I didn't feel safe. This made me quite emotional. It's been a lonely ride on the Trans Am where the road has become a monster. I felt like something terrible could happen at any moment. I had completely lost my sense of humor. The sore ribs, sore throat and burning eyes from smoke-filled skies also wasn't helping how I felt. At about the halfway point for the day, I was feeling like giving up on the ride but decided to continue. Maybe something would happen to change how I was feeling.
Fur trappin
Cows going home
All through my ride across the country I have had friends keep in close contact. My friend Joni at the church near Palm Springs has been a constant companion as well as Ron and Cindra in Dayton, Ohio. Ron and Cindra had been very concerned about me over the last week. They were not happy about how narrow the roads are and, every day, they called to ask if I needed them to come pick me up. If they hadn't been so insistent, I probably would have blown off their offer but, instead, today I called them to say 'yes', I needed them to come pick me up. The narrowness of the roads had taken its toll on me and it was time to be honest about the situation. I could hardly believe it when they said they would come the next day, from Dayton, Ohio. I was very near the Appalachian trail town of Rural Retreat and found a hiker's motel. This motel was next to a highway which would make finding me easier for Ron and Cindra.
Rural Retreat, end of the tour
Appalachian trail blaze
Ron and Cindra arrive with a trailer
Being rescued is fun!
Day 66 - End of the Tour Video
I called my friend Joni to explain the situation and, incredibly, she said, no problem, I'll come get you. She started driving my truck from Palm Springs the next day. Ron and Cindra found me in Rural Retreat, VA arriving before noon the next day. Once we knew when Joni could make it to Illinois, Ron and Cindra decided to drive me, Myrtle, and the trailer to meet her from Dayton, Ohio. This was a huge help and would save Joni 2 days of driving. I couldn't believe how fast everything happened. When I thought about stopping my ride, I expected to rent a truck to get back to Southern California. Being rescued is a lot more fun.
With Joni, on Route 66
Blue Whale of Catoosa, Oklahoma
Even though I didn't finish the 7,000-mile tour I had planned I felt good having done the riding I did. This has been an amazing experience. Touring by trike is a wonderful way to travel. Much of the tour was in really terrible weather conditions and I think the ride will always be affectionately known as the 'Sufferfest Tour'.
The thing that has made the tour worth all the suffering was the wonderful people I met along the way. The triking community has been fantastic. Trikers all over the country have been warm, inviting, and generous. So many trikers opened their home to me. I loved meeting everyone. Andy O'Neil, a triker in Missouri, design a website for me with a map to show my YouTube videos, contact form, miles and climbing accomplished. He also put together a donation page where many of you donated to the tour. With the terrible weather, these donations made the tour affordable. The most common donation was $100 which was, for me, a huge amount of money. I want to thank everyone who offered support, encouragement, information, hosted me, rode with me as well as all those who followed along. I will always remember your kindness.
I ended up doing just over 3,000 miles with 100,000 ft of climbing.
