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Mike's Beautiful Ride, Enola, PA (2026)

08/07/2024

Posting again for those who might not have seen it. My host Tom Arneberg in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin took some pics and drone footage and then composed this cool video!

08/06/2024

This will be my last post about my cross-country bike ride.

As some of you know, this has been a bucket list item that goes back to when I was 14 or 15 after reading a book about a guy doing the same thing. I realized years ago that I would have to retire to fulfill this dream. I finally reached retirement at the end of March 2024. That gave me 2 months to wrap up everything at home and make the final plans for my trip. When I first started thinking about the trip, I knew that there would be physical, mental and emotional challenges. The physical part of riding my bike for 3300+ miles ended up being the easiest of the three. My 63-year-old body held up amazingly well...not an ache, pain or cramp the whole trip. The only real challenge was the hills and heat of Pennsylvania. The emotional part was also not as bad as I thought it would be. It would have been another story if I had done this 30 years ago. With cell phone in hand, I was able to call and talk to Laura 3 – 4 times a day, which put her at ease knowing where I was. My page also kept me in touch with friends and family and the calls and texts from friends were also much appreciated. So that leaves the mental part...the most challenging! There are so many moving parts to a trip like this. Which route am I going to take, finding Warmshowers hosts/campgrounds or a spot to wild camp, how safe are the roads, where am I going to get water/food, where will I charge my phone, weather and so many more things. After 4 or 5 days on the road, I wondered how I was going to do this for another 8 or 9 weeks! After meeting Mark Govett (a very seasoned bike tourer and beautiful person) on day 7 and riding with him for a week and a half, I was in the groove and all set for the rest of my trip. I had an army of prayer warriors behind me the whole time I was away from home. In the end this trip turned out to be a very spiritual one for me. I prayed all day, every day for my own safety and in turn God answered all my prayers and put angels directly in my path when I really needed them. I met so many generous people along the road and I was hosted by some of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met. I also saw a lot of poverty and homelessness across the country. There are a lot of people really struggling in a world that so many are blessed. In the end, everyone wants the same thing...to be heard, recognized and loved. So be a good listener and when you get a chance...be unusually lovely!
Thanks for riding along with me. Cheers!

Here are some fun facts from my trip:
Total # of days for trip – 65
Days on the bike - 58
Average mileage per day (zero days deducted)- 57.55
Number of flat tires - 3
Longest day – 103 miles
Shortest day –29 miles (day 6)
Days camping – 35
Warmshowers hosts – 17
Friends/ family hosts – 5
Hotel stays – 6 – 4 weather related & 2 with my son Kurt
Weight lost – 6 lbs.
Number of Moose Lodge license plates traded - 6
Hottest temp - 97
Coldest temp - 35

Here are some of my favorite things from the trip in no particular order:
Riding my bike every day!
Staying with Hal & Tonia at Big Bear Camp on day 1
Meal – Ribeye steak at my son’s friends Garrett and Kate in Fargo
Huckleberry!
My son Kurt visiting me in Grand Rapids, MI
Downhills!
The YouTube video Tom Arneberg made for me.
Meeting/riding with Mark Govett
Eating ice cream every day!
Warmshowers/friends hosting me
Cool architecture
My friend Steve Hoover visiting me in Montana.
Tailwinds!
Visiting my sister Sandy
Seeing my friends Jake & Kelsey in Green Bay, WI
All the great people I met

08/03/2024

Day 65 in the books! 36 miles to my home in Enola, PA and the final day of my epic journey across America. 3,338 miles total. About 10 miles in I picked up some fine wire that wrapped around my front hub and brake rotor. I got it cleaned out in about 10 minutes. From there I enjoyed my last day with a leisurely ride through the Cumberland Valley on familiar roads that I have ridden a hundred times. I arrived home a little after noon to a few friends and relatives waiting for me and a champagne bath!
Sometime in the next few days I'll write a final post about my trip and some stats. Thank you all for coming along on my journey with me. All of your comments and encouragement helped keep me going and connected to home.
Cheers!

08/02/2024

Day 64 in the books! 61 miles to Jill and Sarah's house in Newville, PA. 3300+ miles for the trip so far. Another hot, hilly ride today. I climbed to the peak of the Sideling Hill Summit at the end of the day yesterday, so my day started with a great downhill... woohoo!
I stopped at a Rutters for a donut and a bottle of chocolate milk around 10:00. Five minutes later the skies opened up with a torrential downpour that lasted about 45 minutes. I waited it out and then headed out for the rest of the ride to Newville. Jill and Sarah spoiled me with snacks and beers and Jill made us some great pizza on the Big Green Egg.
Laura came over for dinner and to visit for the evening. Tomorrow will bring an end to my journey...I have mixed feelings about it.

08/01/2024

Day 63 in the books! 59 miles to the Sideling Hill State Forest Picnic Area. Another hot and hilly day...93 degrees!
Getting out of Johnstown was brutal. Steepest hills of the trip. I did get a nice reward of a 4.5 mile downhill at one point. I rode through Everett, the hometown of my 3rd grade teacher Mr. Gary Border. He told me to check out a new memorial in town. Everett is one of the only small towns to have 2 Medal of Honor recipients. He also gave me a great tip on an ice cream shop. I'm going to wild camp at this picnic area tonight. Last night of camping! Tomorrow I will ride to Newville and spend the night with my friends Jill and Sarah. Laura is coming out for dinner and to visit for the evening. Saturday I will ride the last 35 miles home!

07/31/2024

Day 62 in the books! 47 miles to my Warmshowers hosts in Johnstown, PA. Another hot day with some killer hills! I had a great day riding around Johnstown. Lots of great architecture and history. My buddy Justin Dietz grew up here and recommended I stop for a Coney Island hot dog...it did not disappoint. After lunch I headed to the Johnstown Flood Museum. I didn't realize there were 2 different museums. The one I went to was dedicated to the 1889 flood. It was really interesting. From there I headed to my Warmshowers hosts Sean and Tink's. Another pair of incredibly generous, beautiful people. Tink had a little bag of goodies waiting for me in my room and she made us a great dinner of spaghetti, salad and rolls. She is going to make me a banana split when her and Sean get back from a bike ride! I'm going to ride through Everett, PA tomorrow, the childhood home of my 3rd grade teacher, Mr. Border. I called to talk to him this afternoon to tell him I was riding through his hometown. 10 minutes after we got off the phone he called me back and said there is a great ice cream shop in Everett... I'll be hitting The Igloo tomorrow for sure!

07/30/2024

Day 61 in the books! 54 miles to a city park in Elderton, Pennsylvania. I wanted to head out around 7:00 this morning, but it was pouring down rain and storming. I waited it out until 9:00 and it was still raining so I took off in the rain. It rained pretty hard for about 2 hours and then a few light showers this afternoon. Around lunchtime I was passing an ice cream shop and decided to have ice cream for lunch! My sisters Kim and Kelly and nephews Asher and Quincy are going to visit my sister Sandy for the week. They passed me on the way there and turned around and came back for a great photo op! I got to the park and found a good pavilion to stay in and about a minute after I got here it started pouring again. Perfect timing! Tomorrow night I have a Warmshowers host in Johnstown. After I requested a stay with them, here is the response I got:
Hi Mike,
Yes. We are HAPPY to host you!
We have a bed for you. We will feed you as much as you want to eat. We have a bathroom available, but there is only a bath, no shower. We will also be willing to wash your clothes for you if you wish.
Are you craving any special foods or drinks? Do you need anything?
The generosity of the Warmshowers hosts I have had has been off the charts!
Laura and I are going to have to step up our game when we start hosting!
Say a prayer that I don't get kicked out of this place... the skies are looking ugly.

07/30/2024

Day 60 in the books! I took a Zero Day today to chill and rest up for the last hilly week of my trip. I had a nice visit with my sister Sandy, brother in law Bob and niece Noel. Sandy tanked me up with good food all day and I planned a tentative route home. Hoping to be home this weekend.

07/29/2024

Day 59 in the books! 56 miles to my sister Sandy's house in Portersville, PA.
Almost 3100 miles total for the trip. The morning started out cool, sunny and beautiful and ended up 90+. Sunday mornings are my favorite time to ride. I love rolling through sleepy towns before anyone is out and about. Mid-morning I got my 3rd flat tire of the trip. That's an average of 1 every 1000 miles...not too bad. I rode through Canfield which is another cool old town. Then I found the Stavich bike trail about a mile from the PA border. It was paved but in horrible condition. Just as I was wondering how I was going to ride on it for another 10 miles I crossed into Pennsylvania and the trail turned smooth as glass. Then I hit New Castle, which is another beautiful town with great architecture and then came the hills. For the next 20 miles to my sister's house it was nothing but up and down very steep hills. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I climbed more STEEP hills than all of the previous 3000 miles. My next week will be the most physically demanding part of my trip, especially with the hot forecast. My route took me through McConnell's Mill State Park just a couple miles from my Sister's. I was taking some pictures and a family of 8 from India started asking about my ride. After about 50 questions they wanted group pictures and selfies with me... haha. Tomorrow I'm going to take a Zero Day and visit with Sandy, my brother in law Bob and niece Noel. On Tuesday I'll start my mad dash across PA.

07/27/2024

Day 58 in the books! 54 miles to Berlin, Ohio. Another beautiful day for a bike ride! Good roads, lots of trails and beautiful scenery. My Warmshowers hosts Mike and Nancy got home late last night and I stayed up later than usual. Mike helped me plan out a great route for today and Nancy wanted to cook for me but I opted for ice cream instead. Ice cream twice yesterday made up for not finding any today! They got up early to make me a great breakfast and a couple hours of good conversation. Two more generous, beautiful people that really enhanced my trip. I spent a lot of time on really nice paved trails this morning and then rode through Ravenna which is another beautiful town from the early 1800's.
I had a delicious lunch at Guido's and then continued on to the Mill Creek Campground. It's on Lake Berlin and has showers...$10.00 for the night.

07/26/2024

Day 57 in the books! 56 miles to my Warmshowers hosts in Medina, Ohio.
Another perfect day for bike riding. Good roads, temps in the 70's and very little wind. I wild camped successfully last night at the reservoir and got on the road early. Not far from where I camped there was some kind of a street rod show this weekend. I passed hundreds of street rods, muscle cars, etc. as I rode east. I passed through Wellington which is a really cool, historic town and a little later went through Medina which was even cooler. I somehow got some of my pictures out of order, so I might not have them labelled right. I stopped at the Moose lodge in Medina and traded license plates and then headed to a really good ice cream shop. I got to my Warmshowers hosts mid-afternoon. Mike and Nancy are away and will be home later this evening. Their son Will showed up a little after I got here to show me around the house and told me to make myself at home. This place is amazing. 20 acres, lots of fruit trees, a couple of barns, 2 cabins and trails cut all through the property. Another son just dropped off 2 dogs for his parents to watch for the weekend. I guess I'm dog sitting for a few hours!

07/25/2024

Day 56 in the books! 72 miles to Veterans Memorial Lake Park in Norwalk, Ohio and over 2900 for the trip. Another beautiful day of riding. Mid-70's, a little cloudy and tailwinds most of the day. I picked up the North Coast Inland Trail a little way outside of Toledo and rode on it for about 35 miles to Bellevue. It's paved, has some shade and it went through some cool towns. Mid morning I stopped at a great cookie shop for a little snack...a chocolate, chocolate chip cookie and a peanut butter brownie with chocolate and peanut butter icing! Around lunchtime I was looking for a place to eat and there happened to be a Moose lodge right on the trail. I got a huge taco and a really good chef's salad for $6.00. You can't beat the Moose's prices! Unfortunately they didn't have any license plates to trade. Later in the afternoon I found a good ice cream shop. The cheapest campground I could find was $32.00 for a primitive tent site. I decided to find a park to wild camp instead. I'm at this big reservoir with lots of park grounds around it. I think I found a good place to pitch my tent and hide out. Tomorrow night I have a Warmshowers host outside of Medina, Ohio. My hosts won't be home until 9:00 but said the house is open and to make myself at home!

Mike's Beautiful Ride

08/07/2024

08/06/2024

08/03/2024

08/02/2024

08/01/2024

07/31/2024

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