No one gets to race ahead, food is an unguilty pleasure, and America is more hilly than you think. One couple described lessons learned from a tandem bike ride across the country.
This browser does not support the video element.after Steve surprised Karen with an anniversary gift of a used tandem bike. We had never tired of cruising by car on two-lane roads through deserts and mountains and wheat fields. It would surely be richer at 10 miles an hour.Steve took the “pilot” post up front, Karen rode “stoker,” and we wobbled off on a bike path near home in San Francisco. We learned to mount, ride and dismount while communicating every move.
Each day, we’d stop for a gourmet midmorning picnic lunch. We ate ice cream by the pint. And large bags of chips.Sure, we encountered jerks but we had no scary close calls. Most drivers held back until they could pass safely, and hundreds waved or gave thumbs-ups. We logged only four observed middle fingers.Wherever we stopped, curious people approached to chat: Where are you from? Why are you doing this? Do you get along? Welcome to our town, and God bless you. Many offered water or food.
Many places let us shower free, sometimes in creative locations with a view like this one at Hite Outpost, Utah.After our longest ride, Day 45 at 98.9 miles, we slept next to the red trucks at the volunteer fire department in Fordsville, Ky.When people along the route asked “why?” we responded “why not?” We feel compelled once in a while to do something crazy to dynamite ourselves out of our comfort zone, and we succeeded.
Stephen Kreider Yoder is an editor on The Wall Street Journal’s enterprise desk. Karen Kreider Yoder is a retired professor and K-5 teacher. They can be reached at [email protected].
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