For 30 plus years, our friend and Dave’s former workmate, Chris, has been talking about riding across the USA. Chris retired in 2023 and decided it was now or never. We’re always up for a bike ride so when asked what we were doing this summer, we jumped at the chance to join his trip. The start is in Nehalem, OR (close to Portland, OR). The finish is in Portland, ME. If it weren’t for the clever “Chris-crossing” title, we would have called this trip our “32 years after our last USA crossing, Portland to Portland cross country bike ride”. Ok, that title is too long – we’ll stick with Chris-crossing the USA.
Read more about the trip below.
- Day 0 – 30 day countdown to start
- Day 1 – May 29th – We’re off, Portland Maine here we come
- Day 2 – May 30th – Over the coast range
- Day 3 – May 31st – Blowing in the Willamette Valley
- Day 4 – June 1st – Mckenzie River ramble
- Day 5 – June 2nd – Rain/rest day in Belknap Hot Springs
- Day 6 – June 3rd – Mckenzie Pass, rode hard and put away wet
- Day 7 – June 4th – Riding the Ochoco Express to Mitchell
- Day 8 – June 5th – Racing to Dayville – with John the real racer
- Day 9 – June 6th – Riding to no signal and star land – Bates SP
- Day 10 – June 7th – Bates SP to Baker City
- Day 11 – June 8th – Rest day musings from Baker City
- Day 12 – June 9th – Bonus miles after meeting old friends – to Oxbow
- Day 13 – June 10th – Blasting Hell’s Canyon to Council
- Day 14 – June 11th – Two sides of Highway 95 to Riggins
- Day 15 – June 12th – CHATGPT Experiment to Grangeville
- Day 16 – June 13th – Active rest day to Lowell
- Day 17 – June 14th – Cruising the Lochsa River to Lochsa Lodge
- Day 18 – June 15th – Lolo Pass and our third state – to Missoula
- Day 19/20 – June 16-17th – Days off in Missoula
- Day 21 – June 18th – Riding the Bitterroot Trail to Darby
- Day 22 – June 19th – Chief Joseph Pass to Wisdom
- Day 23 – June 20th – Bighole Valley and two passes to Dillon
- Day 24 – June 21th – Through Virginia City to Ennis
- Day 25 – June 22nd – Long hard day to West Yellowstone
- Day 26 – June 23rd – Yellowstone delivers at Grant Village
- Day 27 – June 24th – Blown out of Yellowstone to Cody
- Day 28 – June 25th – Changing roles to Meeteetse
- Day 29 – June 26th – Early finish and a soak in Themopolis
- Day 30 – June 27th – A nice canyon and a hotel on the edge (of Shoshoni)
- Day 31 – June 28th – Century ride to Casper
- Day 32 – June 29th – Casper Observations
- Day 33 – June 30th – Onward to Douglas
- Day 34 – July 1st – Douglas to Lusk
- Day 35 – July 2nd – Hard earned miles to Edgemont
- Day 36 – July 3rd – The Mickelson Trail to Custer
- Day 37 – July 4th – Crazy Horse to Rapid City
- Day 38/39 – July 5th/6th – Spoiled tourists in Rapid City
- Day 40 – July 7th – Scenic South Dakota or Scenic, South Dakota – to Interior
- Day 41 – July 8th – Badlands riding to Murdo
- Day 42 – July 9th – A bicycle angel near Ft Thompson
- Day 43 – July 10th – And then there were three to Huron
- Day 44 – July 11th – East River delivers to Oakwood SP
- Day 45 – July 12th – State number six to Marshall, MN
- Day 47 – July 14th – Long day to Hutchinson
- Day 48 – July 15th – Navigating to Minneapolis
- Day 49/50 – July 16th/17th – Minneapolis Daze
- Day 51 – July 18th – Crossing the Mississippi to Scandia
- Day 52 – July 19th – Navigating to our seventh state – WI
- Day 53 – July 20th – Dairy farm to Crazyland Hayword KOA
- Day 54 – July 21st – Escaping the KOA Crazy to Glidden
- Day 55 – July 22nd – Wisconsin forest ramble to Boulder Junction
- Day 56 – July 23rd – Rain in the forecast to Hiles
- Day 57 – July 24th – Bagless for a day to Tilleada
- Day 58 – July 25th – Next time bring donuts to Wrightstown
- Day 59 – July 26th – Ferry day, state 8 to Ludington, MI
- Day 60/61 – July 27/28th – 80% man rides again to Evart
- Day 62 – July 29th – Donuts and bike trails to Midland
- Day 63 – July 30th – Wet day cut short in Frankenmuth
- Day 64 – July 31st – Flat day to Fort Huron
- Day 65 – August 1st – Canadian tornado to Blenheim, ON, Canada
- Day 66 – August 2nd – Three times wet to St Thomas
- Day 67 – August 3rd – More wet and a hotel re-route to middle of nowhere
- Day 68 – August 4th – Niagara Falls
- Day 69 – August 5th – Back in the USA and the Erie Canal to Albion, NY
- Day 71 – August 7th – Be safe kids to Newark
- Day 72 – August 8th – Tracking Debby to Syracuse
- Day 73 – August 9th – Debby dousing to Herkimer
- Day 74 – August 10th – To path or not to path to Arrowhead RV Park
- Day 75 – August 11th – To the edge of New York in Whitehall
- Day 76 – August 12th – Vermont state 9 or 10 or 11 (if you count Canada)
- Day 77 – August 13th – North Woodstock, NH state 12
- Day 78 – August 14th – Maine – Lucky 13th state
- Day 79 – August 15th – Ending Chris Crossing with a boom!
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