I feel it's been such a privilege to have had the time, the resources, the health, the gumption and most of all, family support, to undertake this trip of 4,300 mile (6,900 km) across a fascinating country. Non of these I took for granted. So, thanks for that.
There are of course many ways to see a country, but traveling by bike strikes me as the right balance between covering the distance in a reasonable amount of time, and still being fully immersed in what the place has to offer.
The trip has hugely enhanced my views and understanding of this country, previously shaped by the news, films, books and visits as a regular tourist to the East coast. My views are now populated by memories of the changing landscape, the heat, the physical efforts of getting over the mountain passes, the smells, and most of all, the faces and stories of the people I have met along the way. I hope the blog of the 74 days of the trip will give you a taste of what I mean by that.
I also asked myself what has made my TransAmerican Trip such a straightforward experience for me. There are clearly many factors which have played a part in this, allowing me to focus on taking in, and enjoying all the many meetings, experiences and impressions.
However, first of all, the best and worst part of the trip. For the best experience, I don't think there has been one particular event that sticks out, but the changing landscape and talking to people I normally wouldn't meet, have definitely been amazing and will stay with me for good. There are many other, more specific things that come to mind, like the early morning climb up to the White Bird Pass in Idaho on the old 95 on Day 16, the Kansas State Fair and attending a Mennonite Service on Day 41, or The Cookie Lady's House on Day 69.
As to the worst experience, I am aware that the blog posts all sound rather positive, and you could be tempted to think I have been glossing over the challenges and difficulties. However, I can assure you that no gloss was necessary. What you got is the unvarnished version. So, as to the worst part, I can't really think of anything. I haven't had a crash, had no health issues, no driver has thrown anything at me or try to run my off the road, I haven't been bitten by a dog, nor any of the many other misfortunes I heard, read about and prepared for. So, I suppose the first, and most important point to make here is that I have been very fortunate during my trip. Circumstances outside my control have worked out just fine.
Although, based on my brother's advice, I had a well-stocked first aid box with me, I didn't need to touch it. My physical health has been fine throughout the trip, with no ailments like UTI or pains at all. Again, something that I wouldn't nor couldn't take for granted, but clearly my general mental health, physical constitution, training and fitness played a part in this.
This has resulted in me never feeling that I was pushed to my limits. Another 10 miles at the end of the day? No problem. Searching for accommodation after 100 miles? Let's do it. I know, this doesn't make for very interesting reading. When I was at the Cookie Lady's House, there was a stack of cycle touring books, and all of them, in one way or another, included aspects of a personal struggle. Nothing like a bit of personal drama and existential struggle to spice things up, but sorry, I can't help you with that.
There are of course a number of elements I had control over. One has been planning and preparation. Due to Covid, I had over 3 years to plan the trip. Whilst there was a lot I couldn't anticipate, my previous trips (End2End, the Rhone and the Rhine), the Adventure Cycling maps, reading blogs and talking to people coming the other direction, all informed my plans prior to setting out and later, my day-to-day decision making.
At the same time, there was a need to be flexible and adaptable. I am thinking about the heat, the Plains of Kansas, the rollercoaster of Kentucky. Each of these, and many others, could grind you down and some people I met talked about that. However, if you adapt to them, they become an enjoyable experience and/or challenge. I suppose having worked in Camphill all these years has been a good lesson in adaptability.
Another aspect that helped, has been establishing an ironclad daily routine. Everything has its place, and everything is done in the same order. So for example, put on Factor 50 sun protection and mosquito repellent after getting dressed, even if it's still cold and dark outside.
Whilst it's clearly not everybody's cup of tea, traveling on my own, I think, reduced the chance of something going wrong by half. There are advantages of course, the sharing, the peer support, but I feel I would have worried much more cycling with someone else, and it would have made the trip more stressful. Also, traveling in a group, even if it is only two people, makes it less likely for people to approach you and talk to you.
Not having to worry about my bike, equipment, clothing and technology started clearly with the planning, but was a great relief when it all worked out. I was also very happy with the last-minute purchase of cycling sandals, though something I am unlikely to use much in Scotland once I am back. I don't know how I would have managed without them in the heat.
Another aspect has been the food and water. Apart from eating out a handful of times and a few microwave dinners in motels, I have prepared all my food from scratch and it always included, although hard to come by, fresh vegetables. This has made it easy to control a balanced nutritional intake, keep my digestive system on an even keel, get enough calories and therefore not run out of energy at the end of the day. Also, I keep a close eye on my water intake and avoided the possibility of dehydration.
You can see that my crossing of the USA has gone remarkably smoothly. However, this has only happened because a great number of factors, outlined above, coming together, some of them within, others outwith my control. It would be very unlikely that the same would happen again, if I would do it a second time.
I think, based on that, however great the experience was, I will give cycle touring a rest for now and won't chance my luck with another tour for a little while.
