America By Bicycle

Ride the East - South begins with a few days cycling south across rural South Carolina, trekking inland again and around the Intracoastal Waterway over to Georgetown. Now it’s time get off the tourist path and see real southern towns and enjoy the accent and hospitality that has made this region famous. The cycling continues to be rural, flat and interesting. You'll see the fields change from peanuts to cotton to okra and back again. We cycle right over Lake Marion and visit with the weekend fishermen and ultimately cross into Georgia at Savannah. Here, we'll take a final day off the bike. The south welcomes us with warm hospitality and great food. We'll spin into Florida on our final day to conclude the ride in Jacksonville. Great Ride!

The Northwestern Tour begins in Astoria, OR right near the mouth of the mighty Columbia River. You will find Oregon to be one of the most bike friendly states in the US, plus it may be the most scenic with diverse high desert, snow covered mountain ranges, and beautiful standing forests to shade the ride. You will spend the entire tour, up until the last day, riding through this amazing state. The tour starts at the coast and heads inland near the Columbia River. We pass through Portland right along the Columbia River before climbing to the base of Mt Hood. The third day is like riding in two different planets as it exits the tall green coastal forests and enters Oregon’s beautiful high desert that provides constant views of the Cascade Mountain Range...Mt Washington, Mt Jefferson, Mt Bachelor, 3 Fingered Jack, and the 3 Sisters, all snow capped, loom over the route for days. Needless to say, this tour provides strenuous terrain and eye-popping scenery before arriving in Boise ID.

The Northern Rockies Ride through Idaho will stay mostly in the Snake River Valley. The ride can get dry as we cycle on the Snake River Plain. You will learn a lot about yourself and the country as we pass through small and large western towns and many Indian reservations. Relish the beauty and contrast of the hot, dry plains with the lush green river valley. The views and vistas are remarkable as we cross over the Snake River many times. The mountainous climbing begins again once we pass our last oasis in Idaho, the lush Idaho Falls and begin to head up into the Grand Teton's. "Amazing, breathtaking, tremendous natural beauty, great climbs," are just a few of the words and feelings you will have as we cycle through this region and down into Jackson, Wyoming.

As we depart Jackson, we'll see many cyclists as we pass the backside of Yellowstone National Park and marvel at the jagged peaks of Mount Hancock. Then you'll climb over Togwotee Pass (9,658ft), cross the Continental Divide and get a nice ride down into the quaint western town of Dubois. The westerly winds can kick up on the high plains. We should get a nice ride into Casper, Wyoming for final day of our trip.

The New England Meander crosses upper New York State through rolling farm country passing Rochester where the Erie Canal leads us into Liverpool. New York provides beautiful vistas along the Mohawk River and some of the best cycling highways of the entire tour. The final few days cross the Appalachian mountain range to Vermont and into Brattleboro...a roller coaster experience to and through New Hampshire on our way to Portsmouth. We celebrate the end of our adventure with a wheel dip in the Atlantic Ocean.

The high plains are featured in the Tour de Plains. You will head out of Pueblo CO for two back-to-back century days that cross the border into Kansas. The rolling hills give way to the flat Kansas prairie. The name Kansas is derived from the Sioux word meaning “people of the south wind.” If all goes well, you will spend most of your time riding east to northeast with a wind primarily coming out of the south to southwest. The miles will fly and you combine the prevailing wind with the slight but persistent downhill moving across the state from west to east. We spend a night in Dodge City where you can take in a shootout and the Long Branch Variety Show featuring Miss Kitty and her Can-Can dancers. All across Kansas, distant silos mark the next town and if you imagine them painted green with a little glitter, you just might discover the inspiration for Emerald City. After riding by several stockyards, replete with all the livestock sites, sounds, and smells, you will cross the halfway point of the Cross Country Challenge. East of Topeka the ride travels through the Flint Hills. Hills in Kansas? Absolutely! You will spend a day riding through one of the last great swaths of tall grass prairie in the US. Crossing the Missouri River, we head north through a taste of Missouri hills and into Saint Joseph.

The Northern Tier Tour traverses the rolling farmland of Minnesota and crosses the Mississippi River at La Crosse WI. Rural Wisconsin provides great cycling on miles of quiet country roads highlighted by the “Cycling Capital of the World’s” Sparta-Elroy Trail. The route from there begins to display more vibrant towns and trees as it meanders to the shore of Lake Michigan where the USS Badger will take the riders on a 4 hour ferry ride from Manitowoc WI to Ludington MI on the 4th rest day.

Now it’s off to cross Michigan. More farmland and quiet country roads will bring the ride to Port Huron where Canada is waiting to welcome us. Many say the highlight of the entire ride is crossing the Blue Water Bridge into Canada where the bridge authority closes this busy 6 lane bridge for ABB to cross...quite a thrill. Farms in Canada will display a variety of crops that are rare in the US and one thing to note about Canadian farm lots...they are immaculate and almost all display the Canadian flag. Finally, as much as we like our neighbors to the north, our time there is short lived as the ride approaches Niagara Falls with lots to see and do.

The Badlands Ride travels across the high plains that drift through many small western Wyoming towns with populations of less than 10 before entering South Dakota grasslands. The rolling grasslands soon turn into mountains again as the route enters the Black Hills and through Wind Cave National Park. Here thousands of prairie dogs and free range bison roam the area and provide photo ops throughout. This section’s highlights include passing the Crazy Horse Monument, Mount Rushmore, and, who would want to miss, Wall Drug made famous by free glasses of ice water. After Wall, fertile farmland becomes the scenery du jour into Pierre where we trace the footsteps of Lewis and Clark along the Missouri River. The views are outstanding, and in many cases you can see for miles from the terrain overlooking the river. The final day of this leg enters the country’s breadbasket approaching Sioux Falls.

The route then heads inland and follows the Santa Ana River to the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. After a little climbing to get over the San Andreas Fault, we will be rewarded with a terrific ride down to the desert floor. We will then roll into Palm Springs for the first overnight. The next day includes substantial climbing up off the desert floor and cross Chiriaco Summit and continues east through the arid southern California desert just south of Joshua Tree National Park. The desert continues as the route crosses the Colorado River, the terrain flattens out and the landscape turns agricultural.

The terrain really becomes mountainous as we cycle up and over Yarnell Pass. Up again, we ride through the Prescott National Forest and down through the town of Prescott. Crossing the Prescott Valley, we tackle the toughest climb of the trip, Mingus Mountain. Get ready for a fast and wild descent back to the desert floor. On the other side of Jerome, the switchbacks straighten out and give way to a nice straight descent. The climbing isn’t over yet as the route winds up through the red rock town of Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon. The ascent is intense but the views and vistas are worth every inch. The climbing ends for a while as we cycle through Flagstaff, gaze at Humphrey’s Peak (12,663’) and get a rewarding descent on the way down to Winslow, Arizona where the Eagles will help you “Take It Easy.”

Next we cross the rural western desert plains where the terrain ranges from flat to intermediate rolling as we gradually descend for a few days. The climbing begins again when we pass the four corners, cross into New Mexico and roll up and over the Continental Divide. We cycle through the Acoma and Laguna Indian Reservations, conquer 10-mile hill, and finally experience an exciting descent into Albuquerque proper to complete our 136 mile day. By the time you reach Albuquerque, you have more than earned your chance to celebrate completing this challenging ride.

This 15-day, touring-pace ride averages 85 miles per day and crosses through 3 states and Canada. This amazing figure eight tour of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario features riding into the great city centers of Cleveland, Toronto, and Kingston. You’ll see fabulous vista & views of both lakes and take four scenic ferry rides. It also includes riding past Niagara Falls, Cleveland Brown Stadium, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and many more attractions. Lock your cleats in for the ride of your life.

The southern section of the Great Mississippi River Ride travels through flat sections of the Mississippi River Delta. We cycle out of the Big Easy, past Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and ultimately into the Louisiana countryside. Fertile farm land abounds as we pass many plantations growing cotton, rice, sugarcane, and a few fish hatcheries. Soon we cross into Mississippi.

Mississippi is home to the Delta Blues. You are sure to hear everything from Cajun to Zydeco as we travel across the southern states into Tennessee. Make sure you take a little time as the tour stops in Vicksburg and Natchez to explore the wealth of Civil War history. Chalk up another state as we cross into Tennessee and work our way right into downtown Memphis. Here the section ends. Take the time to see all the sights Memphis has to offer. Walk along Beale Street and visit Sun Records, tour Mud Island and Graceland. Then dine on real southern BBQ. There is something for everyone in Memphis.