Deb writes
in: Arial
Bob
writes in: Times New Roman
I graduated from high school in 1962 when I was seventeen. From June to September of that year was probably the last time in my life I was truly without worries and cares. High school was over, college had not yet begun, and I had no responsibilities. It was during this period that the thought crossed my mind that it would be a lot of fun to gather up a bunch of friends and ride a bicycle all the way across the country. At that time I had never heard of anyone doing it, and it was a fantasy, a summer dream… But the thought stayed with me, tucked away in the back of my mind. And time passed…
Fast forward to about 1993. I was in my late 40’s and needed some exercise. I went to a toy store and bought a Huffy. I brought it home, assembled it, and for the first time in many, many years took off down the road on a bicycle. I rode one whole mile to a friend’s house. Boy, was I tired. A whole mile! On the way back I spotted an oscillating sprinkler spraying cool water back and forth on someone’s lawn. I couldn’t resist it. I diverted my course, rode through the water, and I was hooked on bicycles. Bicycles were fun!
To make a very long story short, I soon upgraded that “toy store” bicycle to a Trek Hybrid and finally to a Bianchi road bike. Also during this time I joined the Almaden Cycle Touring Club (ACTC) in San Jose, California. Joining this club was instrumental in my becoming interested in riding longer distances and touring in general. Little did I know what the first two mile ride on my little Huffy would turn into.
I became active in the ACTC, leading many day rides and overnight campouts. I also served one year as Membership Chairman and two years as President. All during this time I heard of and spoke with many people who rode their bikes across America, and that thought that I had so many years ago was silently and gradually pushing its way to the front of my brain. Could I really ever do such a silly thing? The call of that distant trumpet was starting to reverberate much louder in my mind.
And who would be nutty enough to ride all the way across the country with me? It was around this time that I began taking courses in computer networking. One day I walked into a class and met this woman named Debbie…
This man that I met in classes talked about preparing for a ride named The Davis Double. It happens to be a single day 200 mile ride. Why on earth would someone want to purposely set out on such an endeavor? We became friends. He continued to talk of his friends from ACTC and the places they visited on their rides.
One day I retrieved my
hybrid from the garage and rode a 10-mile loop through the strawberry fields
and apple orchards of Watsonville. Yes,
this was relaxing, but then again there is very little traffic on these back
roads.
So Bob and I became a
couple. He started a very gradual
progression of rides to encourage a buildup of my strength and endurance. I loved being outside and the campouts. My back aches disappeared. I hated the hills, but found I was getting
stronger.
In August
of that year while in Erie, Pennsylvania for his 35th year high
school reunion, he casually mentioned that he wanted to ride to Erie for his 40th
reunion. What??? Would I come with him? No way.
I’ll drive maybe.
I thought it sounded like a good idea. I’d been thinking about it for some time. It was during this visit that I casually mentioned to my mother that I thought Deb would make an exceptional daughter-in-law. I’d been a bachelor for about 25 years so my dear old mom was a bit shocked, I think.
The seed is planted. Six months after getting
married, we quit our jobs to venture forth across America IN A VAN to explore
and find a new place to live. While on
this vehicle journey, the seed sprouted.
Why not? People older than me
have done it. This is a good time. We have no roots, no responsibilities, no
jobs, and no home. Why not? If not now, when?
It was during our cross-country trip in the van that I realized that the following summer would be the perfect time to finally do the ride I had been thinking about. All our “stuff” was in storage, we had the resources, and we had the time. It was at this time that I brought it up as a serious question. The idea was not received with much enthusiasm at the time. In fact, I didn’t get a definite “yes” until well into the winter of 1999/2000.
So, we decided to do
it. We spent the winter reading every
book the local library had on touring and routes. I scoured the Internet for ride stories and routes. So…May 5, 2000 is Departure Day for our “All
the Way in Y2K” Ride Across America!
Notice that? “We decided” to do it? I wanted to do it all along. SHE finally decided to do it.
So in April of 2000 we flew from Pennsylvania where we had spent the winter living with my mom to Santa Cruz, California to get us and our bicycles ready for our Ride Across America. Our motto for the ride was “All The Way in Y2K”. I had contacted Alan Kayser, a bike club member and friend, and Alan agreed to take on the job of preparing our Bianchi Eros road bikes for our ride. Deb and I each had a Bianchi Eros. They are road bikes, not touring bikes, but we thought we’d take them anyway.
Alan did a superb job preparing our bikes for the trip. He checked them mechanically, replaced any questionable parts, and added frames, panniers, fenders, and anything else he thought we might need. I must say that except for one wheel which went bad because of a problem that couldn’t be foreseen, the bikes rode 4511 miles with NO PROBLEMS. I was greatly impressed with Alan’s work.
And that's how it happened that on May 5, 2000, at the age of 55, I finally began the ride which I first envisioned 38 years before...