Across the USA in 10 Days and 4,370.7 Miles

Look down at Yosemite Valley.

Cyclist climbing Tioga Pass.

Entering Death Valley.

Sand dunes.

One of the many BMW test cars on the roads in Death Valley.

Dinner time. Ravioli, spaghetti sauce and French bread.

Camping spot off the side of the road in Death Valley at about 3,000' elevation.

Gravel grinding isn't just for Sunday Morning rides.

Gas stations always have the best views.

Open ranges require attentive driving.

Night #2 in Moab, UT.  I arrived at a full campground after dark and a family from Texas let me park and set up my tent on their site.

Morning driving along the Colorado River.

Camping along the Blue Mesa Reservoir just west of Gunnison, CO.  This site cost me $6 and it was the only night that I paid for lodging the entire trip.

Spotted the first bike tourist of my trip, Ferdi, 40 days in to his trip from Rhode Island to San Francisco.  We exchanged information to meet up if we are ever back in RI at the same time.

This lady was standing on top of her car at a scenic turnout while her dog was digging in the hills.  The dog returned with a small rodent and she proceeded to skin it and feed the body to the dog.

Night #4 in Lusk, WY in the local butcher's backyard.  We met at his girlfriend's fireworks stand down the road and he insisted that I stay on his property when I asked if there were any nearby parks to camp on.

Bison.

Mountain goats crawling around the craggy road shoulders in South Dakota.

They wanted $11 to park at the base of the monument.  No thanks, camera zoom is good enough and it's free.

I rode behind this group of motorcyclists for a while on the way to Badlands National Park and ended up stopping at the entrance sign with them.  They were all from France and didn't speak much English, but I was able to take a group photo with one of their cameras and get a picture of me with the group taken on my phone.

Leaving Chicago after spending the night with a cousin.  While waiting for him to get home from a soccer game in the suburbs I decided to cook dinner on the sidewalk near his apartment.  Two girls leaving their apartment struck up conversation and ended up waiting for me to finish cooking before inviting me for a walk to the beach with a nice cold PBR and then inviting me inside their unit to cook some chicken and hang out for a while.

I pulled off at a rest stop and asked the man at the "Free Coffee and Cookies" truck if there were any local camping options.  He said there was a grassy area next to the historic S Bridge just two exits down the road in Claysville, PA.  I fell asleep to the sound of water flowing under the bridge and to the flicker of fireflies buzzing around the tent.

5.24.2014 Riding the Coast to Half Moon Bay

Don met me in SF at the 24th and Mission BART station.  We came across two other tourists heading south and spoke about the best routes out of the city.

We left the city via The Wiggle and Golden Gate Park, which ended up dropping us at the beach alongside The Great Highway.

Views from Fort Funston where we stopped to eat lunch and watch hang gliders ride the coastal winds. 

Conquering the hilly neighborhoods of Daly City.

We found a segment of bike path that dropped us off at beautiful Linda Mar Beach.

Back on Highway 1 for the congested climb leading up to Devil's Slide.

Overgrown bushes, narrow shoulders and heavy traffic, oh my.

The transition from roadway to bike path and pedestrian walkway.

Minutes later we were riding around that curve after shooting downhill at 40+ mph, dodging a wandering dog in the bike lane along the way.

Taking a minute to enjoy the view and put on wool leg warmers to prepare for the fast descent.

$7/night for a walk-in hiker biker site at the Half Moon Bay Park.

This was about 50 yards from out tents, not too shabby.

Woke up with the sun at 6 AM and decided to take a walk on the beach...

...wearing my Keen SPD sandals.

The ocean mist and fog cover made for wet tents in the morning.  Venting out some moisture before packing up and heading out for second breakfast.

Oatmeal and coffee at a restaurant near the marina in Montara.

For every ripping downhill there is a steep uphill.  A mother and her two young children were walking alongside us and chatting for a while.

Pulling off The Great Highway near the San Francisco Zoo after Don took a little tumble.

I brought us from sea level up to Twin Peaks on a gradual uphill and then we held the brake levers tight descending steep road segments back to Bernal Heights.