Day 48 – Camaraderie

By Mark Heggestad
Today was a lot like yesterday, a great day!  We biked 60.3 miles from Hartville, MO to Summersville, MO.  Once again weather was perfect, and road conditions and traffic were good.  We are now in the beautiful Ozarks: winding scenic roads with hills that don’t stop.  Similar to yesterday, it is like a constant roller coaster.

I have been meaning to talk about the camaraderie that is formed on this trip.  We are biking the TransAmerica Bike Route.  It was established in 1976 and is the most popular bike route crossing the United States.  It is estimated that somewhere between 2,000 and 4,000 people bike the route each year – about half from west to east like us and half from east to west.

This is Rick.  He is from Belgium.  He is biking alone and is completely self-supported (meaning he bikes with about 75 pounds of gear on his bike).  Like us, he is going from west to east, and he started his trip about the same time as us.  Once he gets to Virginia he is adding a trip to Washington D.C. onto the end of his bike ride. Because he is carrying a lot of extra weight on his bike he moves at a slower pace than us.  But he sometimes bikes as far as us (or further) because he gets up early (sometimes around sunrise), bikes late (sometimes around sunset), and bikes in all weather.  Accordingly, we have leap-frogged past each other on several occasions – six times based on my last count.  Each time we see each other it is like old friends.  Greetings, big smiles, and catch-up on what has transpired since we last saw each other.  Even though discussions are brief out on the road, a special bond develops.

Rick, from Belgium

 Occasionally other bikers pass us and occasionally we pass others.  But as the trip has progressed we are meeting more and more bikers who are coming from the east.  Today we met about ten bikers coming from the east, yesterday we saw six bikers coming from the east.  We often just wave and smile as we pass.  Sometimes we stop and talk.  We share stories, highlights, and warnings – giving them perspective on what to look for as they continue westward; and they provide us similar information as we continue east.  We see many singles, some doubles, and an occasional group of three to six.  We have visited with married couples, bikers from Europe and Australia, and ages ranging from mid 20’s to mid 70’s.

Yesterday we stopped at a little convenience store in the middle of nowhere to refuel.  It is on the bike route and they get many bikers stopping in for water and snacks.  They have a journal signed by all the bikers coming through and they asked us to sign it.  By 10:30 in the morning five other bikers had already signed the journal and left greetings.  Even though we don’t meet most of the bikers, and the ones we do are brief conversations, there is a special camaraderie we all share knowing we are all experiencing a similar journey of a lifetime.

Another day of biking rolling hills

Typical scenery from today's ride

More typical scenery from today's ride



Comments

  1. UnknownJune 18, 2017 at 3:32 PM

    It's so awesome that you're meeting so many people along the way! When you get home, you should read Cheryl Strayed's book, "Wild". It's a true story written in journal format of Cheryl's 1,100 mile, 94-day hike on the Pacific Crest Trail from California to Oregon. She had no hiking experience but was at a turning point in her life and had always wanted to hike the trail. Your encounters with folks along the trail, especially seeing Belgium guy Rick several times, reminded me of her story. You should get Rick's contact info in case you get to Europe and want a riding partner!

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