Who’s going?

I found several people on the great World Wide Web!  No, I’ve not met most of them in person.  Yes, I know it’s a bit crazy.

To find people, I posted this video on youtube and a few bike forums in January 2015. I’m still amazed at how numerous and far reaching the views are.  As of May 2016, it has been viewed at least once in these countries (green):

In that far flung net, 8 joined me in Maine.  Here they are (in alphabetical order):

ABBY: Richmond, VA.  A bad-ass lady who never toured before this summer and made it over all those mountains without a granny gear!  She was really good about doing daily Instagram/Facebook posts – that seems to be the best way to keep in touch.  Here she’s playing bar keep in “Legendary Larry’s” Sunset Bar and Grill, Wessington, SD

CARL: Royal Oak, MI.  Carl and I have been riding together since 2014 – we were the only two who knew one another before the trip.  Carl is also a bad-ass as he rode 3,000+miles with a fractured collar bone and rib.  He always gives me lots of credit for planning this whole thing, but I always remind people I wouldn’t have made it without him!  Thanks, Carl!

CRAIG: Cambridge, OH.  Craig’s a super experienced rider.  We were very fortunate to have him riding sweep for the first month or so – making sure cars were giving enough room and no one was left behind b/c of mechanical issues.  Craig kept a great blog throughout the whole trip: https://outforarideblog.wordpress.com/

FRANK: Maryland.  Frank was only with us for about 36 hours, but he was a fun addition.  I believe my favorite stories regarding frank involved a moose and an old couple towing him up the mountain 🙂  “Ingenuity man!”

MIKE: Houston, TX.  This is still my favorite pic of Mike – helmet hair is the best.  Mike’s a freelance illustrator and this trip is his idea of dabbling with retirement…maybe 🙂  Mike’s a great riding buddy – he just goes with the flow.

PETE: England.  Not pictured.  Pete was only with us the first day as well.  He made it to the end point about 3 hours after everyone else.  I was impressed with his determination.  Unfortunately, he did not continue with us after that first day – we were just riding too many miles a day.  He had the mental drive – Pete, I hope you try again/tour around England!  You can do it!

PETER: Burlington, VT/Sacramento, CA.  Peter is an extremely experienced biker – he’s done those multi-day races.  He’s also a great camp cook – see the broccoli?  He really likes riding early in the morning.  One day I joined him for his early start, holy crap, I didn’t know I could ride so far over mountains, in the heat without stopping!

RACHEL: Leicestershire, England.  The never faltering ray of sunshine.  You cannot shake this woman.  She broke and dislocated her finger, popped it back into place and kept riding, broke her sunglasses, dropped her phone in a deep lake, tripped even more than I did…nothing phases her.  Best adventure partner ever!