Words & Photos by Nick McConeghy and Brandon Watts

A journey always starts in one place, and may sometimes end in another, or… it may never end at all. Unfortunately, for my friends and I, it had to end for the time being, but not without the memories and good times to keep it alive forever. In the beginning of the 2007 summer, we decided to view the country from the saddle of our bicycles; to take in the country for what it really was, without the congestion and ease of the ubiquitous automobile. From the view-point of a bicycle, the ten states that we crossed from Michigan to Washington seemed a whole lot bigger and more amazing than we ever imagined. We crossed plains, desert, mountains and the Pacific, never regretting our decision for one second. The countryside that was seen through our eyes and bicycle cockpits will go down in our minds as the true way to experience our beautiful country. It was the beginning and we had 2800 miles to go. If you have ever done a long tour, you know that the beginning is the toughest part. You are out of shape and close to home, but must force yourself to pedal past your comfort zone to reach the un-recognizable and unknown. Unlike most people that may have ridden a multi state tour, we decided to take the care-free approach and plan pretty much nothing at all. Our route was rough, our timeframe even rougher, and we didn’t really have a care in the world. The only goal we had was to get on the bike in the morning, and get off it at night in hopeful camp zones… but we were often sadly mistaken. Corn fields are not the most exciting thing to stare at for over a thousand miles and sure as hell aren’t a great area to set up hammocks to sleep in for the night either. We seemed to manage every night regardless of our surroundings, but some spots were a bit more uncomfortable than others. The states between Michigan and Montana didn’t offer much to us except an abundance of livestock, a fun time at the Sturgis biker rally and a couple of great people that put us up for the night. Outside of Mankato, Minnesota, we met a great fellow at a gas station who offered us a place to stay after only a minute of conversation. Our initial hesitation gave way to thoughts of good beer, home cooked meals, and a night safe from a hail-infused thunderstorm. The man that we first thought a bit creepy, turned out to be awesome. Upon arrival at his home, we chose our beverages from a fridge filled with over 100 different dark beers, ate fresh homegrown corn, shrimp fried rice and delicious pork tenderloin. We learned their son was a professional rock climber who guided expeditions in China, and their daughter was a San Francisco artist who painted for a living. It’s funny when first impressions lead to the complete opposite of their thought, and badass friends shine through. To say that this family was good-hearted and cool would be an understatement. They really “made” our trip in Minnesota, and proved to be the start of our encounter with great people and friendships. The next thing we came to realize was that Montanans are great people as well. Our first stop was the southeast corner of Montana in the small town of Broadus .

This quaint town seemed to be the cowboy capital of the States and it was the first place where any of us had ever witnessed a rodeo. We found ourselves eating Rocky Mountain Oysters as well as a freshly caught rattle snake, both of which were delicious. Being such a small town, we imagined nothing much was happening, but instead found ourselves immersed in a town street dance, lots of bars and the rodeo. After a few cold ones, we hit the dance, were offered meth, involved in an awkward situation regarding a meth head and her husband and ended up with another great story to add to the journal. After the rowdy night in Broadus, we were off to the west, where more friends and great times would pop up from the woodwork. With a couple days like these, we were curious to see where the trip would take us next. Anyone who has ever been on a great journey knows that there is a highlight, and that the best parts will never discredit any other part of the journey. Throughout the trip, we met a bundle of great people, as well as people who deserved a good slap. However, we stayed cool most of the time, and always found the positive to hold override the negative. Of course, there were the inevitable drivers and passengers that would scream nonsense out the window, as well as the guys who would just completely push you off the road. Nothing really got out of control in terms of confrontations, but rest assured, the finger was hoisted quite a few times. Besides these random jerks, the only other significant problem involved the ever present tire blowout. Throughout the entire trip, my buddy and I changed 44 flats, 25 of which happened in Montana! Due to the limited number of roads in MT, we found our route necessitated taking Interstate 90 which happened to be filled with massive amounts of metal tire strips and debris. My teammate and I absolutely love Montana , but between the crazy amount of flats and the inhalation of forest fire smoke, we envisioned a better way to travel through the state. However, our good times in Bozeman made up for all the blowouts as well as I-90’s general condition. From the first big mountain pass which happened to be in Bozeman, our journey only grew more fun and more beautiful. We raged through the mountain passes from Montana to Washington, pulling 50 pound trailers down 25 mile descents approaching speeds of 50 mph. While forest fires ate up Montana’s terrain, we gathered with close friends for a random road trip to give our bodies some relief from the saddles. We ended up spending 10 days throughout Montana and Utah, during which we partied our brains out! The Outdoor Retailer show in Salt lake City and wild nights in Park City started our pre-celebration to a trip that was far from over. After this brief interlude, we stretched the legs back in Bozeman and prepared for our final two states. The northern panhandle of Idaho provided refuge from Montana’s forest fire smoke, even though most of Idaho was on fire; fortunately, the wind played in our favor. We crossed Idaho in one day and found ourselves entering the amazing state of Washington. It should be illegal for one state to have so many beautiful and amazing habitats ranging from desert to rainforest to ocean, and so much in between. During our ride on the North Cascade Mountain Highway, we witnessed an abundance of wildlife as well as breath taking views that many American’s have never laid eyes on. From Rainy and Washington Pass on, we floated our way down the west side of the Cascade Mountains. We continued on Highway 20 over to the San Juan Islands, where we rode in awe of Deception Pass and the beauty of the Isles. After some great camping and biking throughout the Cascades and San Juans, we found ourselves on the fringe of Seattle – our final destination. Thirty eight days later, after seven relaxing days in Bozeman, three days in Salt Lake City , and the rest on the saddle, we saw Mount Rainer and the outline of Seattle . It had been a long trip for us and we were realizing that we didn’t want our journey to end. With this sad, but joyous realization, we set up shop at our buddy’s house and started the celebration. This shindig lasted us nineteen days in the hip city of Seattle, but not without a few adventures on the side. There was a three day bike trip around the Olympic Mountains, a three day surf trip in Tofino B.C., and a days worth of freeride biking at Whistler. The celebration was a great experience after conquering 2800 miles on the road. It made us realize how good life can be and how essential it is to take a moment for yourself. To anyone who has ever considered doing a trip like this, you must do it. You will only grow with your adventure and the incredible experiences that you will have.