The Team

Just before the end of my journey, I'd like to take a quick moment to thank the team behind my ride.  At times it may appear to be just me out on the open road, but there is a support team helping me along the way:

1. Holly

I never thought it was possible to love an inanimate object, until now.  Holly has been my best bud on the road for three months, and what a pal she has been.

I have not mentioned Holly's performance until now (for fear of jinxing it), but on the eve of completing my journey I can proudly say that Holly has travelled over 5,500 miles without so much as a puncture!  That's right, this entire trip I have not had a single mechanical issue.  Holly hasn't had it easy either, I have cycled most of the time on hard shoulders which are littered with nails and glass and every night when I was in my tent Holly was out in the open air, being hit by rain, hail and sub zero temperatures; Holly even survived being hit by a car with no damage!

I guess a little thank you to Thorn Cycles for giving birth to Holly too.

Holly, you're one in a million. xx

2. Kelly

My girlfriend Kelly has been manning mission control in Bristol, checking weather, routes, camp sites and all sorts of other things along the way.  At times I think she has been working harder than me, whilst also holding down a full time job!

So thank you Kelly for your selfless act of support.  x x x

3. Taunton Leisure / Easton Mountain Products

Before I left, Taunton Leisure and Easton Mountains Products joined forces to provide me with a tent to take on my travels.  The tent was an Easton Mountains Products 2P Kilo, and what a piece of kit it has turned out to be.

I have slept through thunderstorms, high winds and even a Coyote attacking my campsite, all safely tucked up in my tent!  The tent has been flawless and thrown into the bargain the guys have offered me massive support along the way; I was even treated to coffee and croissants in the Taunton Leisure store on my UK leg!

Thank you.

4. Simpkins Edwards

Simpkins Edwards helped make the Corner to Corner challenge possible, my regret is I found out the day after I had my cycling jersey printed!  Simpkins Edwards provide accountancy, business advice and tax consultancy services to a wide variety of businesses and individuals.

Cheers Guys

5. Marx Away

If you need your carpet cleaned, give Marx Away a call QUICKLY!!  Marx Away have generously donated to ShelterBox on behalf of my challenge the whole time I have been on the road; as well as religiously liking or retweeting all my posts.

Nice one Marx.

RTA

So, I am now nearly finished cycling the USA.  Just a few more miles on a big wide road, with plenty of room for cyclists.

But it hasn’t all been this way.  The low point of my journey happened a few days ago…….I was hit by a car.

A lot of people have been asking me which is was the best and worst state.  The best state is a tough one, Oregon and Colorado win for scenery  but Kansas and Missouri had such fantastic people, Alabama had such crazy accents, Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons were stunning (Wyoming) and Kentucky had the best looking women.  But the worst state?  Without a doubt Florida!

Don’t get me wrong, Florida is a nice place overall and has plenty of good points to it too  (I had a fantastic time in St Augustine and met some great people), but as a cyclist Florida has been horrendous.  Mainly because of a combination of narrow roads with no shoulder and a handful of awful drivers. 

So a few days ago I was cycling on a typical Florida road when a car brushed into me and Holly.  I was knocked wildly off course, but luckily the car was not travelling too quickly so I managed to keep the rubber down.  The driver of the car didn’t even realise he had hit me.

I managed to catch up with the car at a junction just down the road, and to my disbelief the driver didn’t hear me shouting from about 2m away* as his music was so loud.  I had to bang on his car to get his attention….which probably got me more attention than I wanted, but he certainly needed to know that he had hit a cyclist.

Thankfully modern cars are smaller and softer than this!

In the end, no harm was done to me or Holly, but the incident left me shaken and with an all new high heart rate from all the adrenalin pumping through my veins.

Maybe this incident has left me with a sour taste in my mouth, but I was certainly relieved to get past Miami and leave the busy Florida roads behind me!

* I am not an angry cyclist, I was just shouting to get the guys attention to let him know that his driving had just nearly caused an accident.

Celebrity Encounter!!!

Today I met Michael Gregory.  "Who?" I hear you cry?  Watch this and you will see!  

Lets hope this one remains less dubious than my previous cycling/celebrity encounter!

Caught by the Fuzz

When I planned my cycle across the USA, I decided the one detour I wanted to make was to see a Space Shuttle (it turns out it was only 6 miles from my route, so not much of a detour!).  So on Tuesday, I took a trip to Kennedy Space Centre and ticked something off my bucket list (i.e. seeing a space shuttle!).

Sadly in the USA, the car is king.  As a result, there is not much public transport and, as with my other two days off, I was forced to cycle.  It was only 7 miles to the visitor centre and I was able to leave my heavy bags behind, so as rides go it was pretty easy.

The problem with the ride was the road.  I would not recommend SR405 to anyone on a bike!  The ride out in the morning was unpleasant, but quiet.  On the way back it was a different story.  A very intimidating busy road and I was feeling uncomfortable riding it.  Believe it or not, it was with some relief when I heard the bleep of a police siren behind me; I knew help may be at hand!

The reason the policeman had pulled me over is the road is closed to cyclists 3-6pm everyday; I had cycled past the information sign without seeing it.  The policeman was in a patrol car so he couldn’t help me, so he called NASA security to come and get me off site.  I was given a lift by Eric, who it turns out is a nice bloke and also a fellow cyclist and triathlete.  We had a nice chat; but I’ll leave that bit out when I retell the tale back in the UK and just tell people how he had a gun.

A great ShelterBox ambassador, after a run in with the police!

Squirrels 1 - 0 Boxhall

Yes, that’s right.   I have been out smarted by a squirrel!

I'll get you one day!

I arrived at my campsite early to find that they had site wide wi-fi.  It was getting late in the UK so before setting up my campsite I decided to make a skype call home.  As it was quite windy in the campsite I took my laptop up to the communal shelter.

Whilst making a call, I was nibbling away on a Nutter Butter when I noticed a squirrel in my peripheral vision.  The sight of a squirrel in US campsites was nothing new, but this one seemed extremely relaxed around me as he sat up on his hind legs about 1m away from me. 

Despite the cuteness of the squirrel I did not relent and ate my remaining Nutter Butter. 

I was just telling the Mrs about how I was excited about my dinner; I had chilli, with rice and a bread roll awaiting me….the bread roll being the treat as supermarkets can be hard to come by towards the end of the day when buying my groceries.  Almost as soon as I had said this I saw a suspiciously familiar paper bag blowing in the wind, the cheeky things had knicked both my bread rolls (I had one for breakfast too).

Holly makes a friend

To add insult to injury, the following morning I was cooking breakfast as the sun was rising.  I quickly went to take a photo and returned to my campsite to discover they had nibbled into my rice packet; my dinner for that night!!  I had assumed the packet, being sealed and within a plastic bag, was safe.  So I guess really it’s 2-0 to the Squirrels .  It’s OK though, I’ve still got a bit of time on my hands to plan my revenge!

Oh Sandy, Why-eye-eye???

Tonight I am holed up in a motel, worrying about whether I will make it to Key West to complete my journey!

The reason, hurricane Sandy is banging about and as a result there is currently a Tropical Storm warning in place in West Palm Beach (Florida), where I currently am.

I have been glued to the TV most of the night and it seems that, the hurricane is not expected to hit Florida, however the effects will be felt on land and I may be forced to sit out the storm for two days.  As the hurricane passes east of the coast, winds are expected to reach 40-50 mph and expect that it will be nearly impossible to cycle in those conditions (even though they’re forecasting tailwinds).

The good news is that I am ahead of schedule, the bad news is I won’t get my planned pootle through the Florida Keys; assuming the forecasts are accurate!

This song sums it up nicely

So the plan?  That’s easy, I’ll get up in the morning and get ready as if I was going to cycle.  Then I will watch a bit more of the Weather Channel and look out the window before making a decision.  Looking at the map, I have plenty of options for accommodation, but rest assured I won’t be riding if I can’t keep Holly in a straight line (especially with the drivers of Florida around me)

The Good, the Bad and the Prettiest Pictures!

OK, so I still have a little way to go, but I have now visited all of the 14 states I will enter during my ride across the USA.  So I thought it was time to hold a little Kangaroo Court.  The idea of Rich’s Kangaroo Court is that each state gets an award for something good and something bad (and I’ve included my favourite photograph from each state).  This is based purely on my experience, so please do not assume the whole state is as I have described!!

State	The Good	The Bad
Washington	Clifford I met Clifford on my first day of my journey down the Pacific Coast and we rode together for five days.  Clifford cooked for us each night and then gave me his stove after mine stopped working. I would have been surviving on Gas Station Tacos were it not for Clifford.... Cheers buddy!	The Pacific Ocean Despite follow the Pacific Coast Cycle Route, I hardly saw the Pacific Ocean whilst in Washington and the times I did see it were just glances
Oregon	The Pacific Coast Cycle Route Once you enter Oregon, the Pacific Coast is very popular with cycle tourers and the campsites are dirt cheap!  Along my way through Oregon I met loads of fantastic people and was gutted I had to turn east rather than follow them down to California.  Maybe next time!	The Mist When I planned to cycle the Pacific Coast I was expecting Baywatch.  In reality every morning a (cold) mist comes in from the ocean and obscures everything for most the morning!
Idaho	The Clearwater River It was magical cycling alongside the Clearwater River for two days, and it certainly lived up to it’s name.	Phone Signal Much of the western states had no phone signal, but in Montana I went days with no signal at all.  To top it off, I had no messages when I did get back to a phone signal!
Montana	Big Sky Despite it being smoky in Montana, the views were spectacular, some days cycling with mountain ranges either side of me.	Forest Fires After an exceptionally dry summer, there were Forest Fires active all over Montana.  This covered much of the scenery in smoke.
Wyoming	Yellowstone I was worried I would have been disappointed by Yellowstone.  I need not have feared, I had a great couple of days passing through the famous National Park, which is littered with Hot Springs and Geysers.  Had I have been there four weeks earlier, I may not have been so enamoured (apparently it is 4 times busier in peak season!)	Boredom Wyoming was the first state I cycled through with not much going on.  Three days of no scenery and nowhere to stop was plenty!
Colorado	The Rockies Some of the best scenery I have ever cycled through made extra special by the start of autumn.	Eastern Colorado The prelude to Kansas.  Flat, vast open spaces.  At least the plains of Kansas are farmland, here it was just nothing.
Kansas	Free Camping! There are no campsites in Kansas, you just turn up in a town and pitch your tent in the city park!  If you’re lucky you may even get a cold shower.	Weather I have previously blogged about the headwinds and storms I encountered in Kansas; but I did also experience some tailwinds and sunshine!  The problem with the weather is that as Kansas is so open and exposed the weather WILL either make or break your day as there is no hiding from it!
Missouri	Even Better Free Camping!! The deal is the same as Kansas, but in Missouri all the City Parks I stayed in had warm showers too!	The Hills This is not a moan about the fact that there were hills in Missouri; in fact I like hills and probably my favourite ride of this trip was up a hill (McKenzie Pass).  The problem with Missouri was that the hills were through woodland.  So you’d work hard to get up the 10% hill, but the view at the top was exactly the same as at the bottom.  At least in open land there is the reward of a nice view!
Illinois	Popeye Visiting Chester, the home of Popeye, was about the peak of my short ride through Illinois.	The Weather I cycled for two days through Illinois and it rained for two days.
Kentucky	The Accent I entered Kentucky by a ferry over the Tennessee River.  The next person I met had a southern accent, which I love.  This change was one of the most dramatic changes in scenery or culture I remember of the whole trip.  Hey y’all!	My Accent All of a sudden, nobody can understand a word I say!
Tennessee	The People The people I have met the whole way across the states have been fantastic, but in Tennessee I felt like a celebrity as people were quizzing me on my trip every time I stopped!	The Dogs An honourable mention also has to go to Missouri, Kentucky and Mississippi.  But Tennessee is the land of the mental dog!  Not a single one tried to bite me, but the nasty ones really make the hair on your legs stand up!
Mississippi	Church Slogans There were churches all over the place in southern USA and each one has a sign outside with a catchy slogan one of my favourites was ‘seven days with no prayer is a weak’ Gedditt!?	The Campsites Like many places in the US, the campsites were individual pitches inside woodland areas.  This combined with the cool weather made the campsites of Mississippi a lonely place.
Alabama	Communication I honestly did not have a clue what the people of Alabama were talking about.  I don’t think they had a clue what I was on about either, but it was great fun trying.	The Drivers The driving in Alabama has been the worst (for a cyclist).  A combination of the narrow roads, big trucks and angry pickups mean I will not miss the highways of Alabama!
Florida	The Weather Glorious sunshine, just as I had dreamed it would be.  Oh, and the hotpants!	Election Banners OK, so there is a presidential election on 6th November and also local government elections, and I have found out from experience that the USA take there politics seriously…….but are the political banners necessary in every yard and on every junction of the entire state!?!?!?

 The Pictures

Washington

Oregon

Idaho

Montana

Wyoming

Colorado

Kansas

Missouri

Illinois

Kentucky

Tennessee

Mississippi

Alabama

Florida

The Sweet Smell of the Ocean

Today was a historic day for me; I reached the Atlantic Ocean.   I can now put 'cycled coast to coast of the USA' on my CV!  Of course, the plan is to cycle the 'corners' of the USA, but it is nice to have a tick in the box!

I surprised myself how emotional I was at seeing the Ocean; especially as I don't even like beaches!  

The moment from today that I will never forget was smelling the sea / salt water.  It was incredible.  

I smelt the salt water about 2-3miles before I arrived at the beach as I crossed a sea water river.  

The second the scent of sea water went up my nose the most amazing feeling swept through my body, the hairs on my arms and legs stood up and, yes.....I cried like a little girl!!  It was an unforgettable feeling and one I wish I could bottle, I can only imagine how good it will feel to run out of land to cycle in Key West on 1 November.  I can't wait now.

One thing I wasn't ready for was how restricted access to the beach is in the USA, I had to cycle 2miles along the beach road before I found public access to the beach!

So to celebrate my achievement I am writing a blog by torch light (being attacked by bugs!) with a nice cold can of Icehouse lager.  I might have two cans of lager in Key West!

The Beard

People following my journey and the photos I have posted can not have failed to notice the 'beard' I am currently sporting.

The plan was simple, grow the beard for a few weeks, just to see what it would look like.  I do not grow good facial hair and I figured my three months away was a great time to just see what it would look like, away from the everyday comments I would encounter in my normal life.

So, the time came to shave the beard after about 6 weeks.  Unfortunately this time was when I was cycling through Kansas and Missouri, when well equipped restrooms were hard to come by (I camped in City Parks most nights!).  So as time passed and I arrived into Mississippi with the 'beard' intact I decided it should stay.  So now I am keeping the beard until Key West.  

The beard is scruffy and gets in the way when eating, but by far the worst is it's bug catching abilities; in Florida there seem to be clouds of little bugs on the road.  When you cycle through these you collect loads of little bugs in your leg/arm hair.......and naturally in the 'beard'.  But despite this, I now feel that the beard is part of the journey and I don't think the last two weeks would be the same without it.

Rest assured, my no.1 job when I finish is to hack it off, but until then the beard stays!  Good news for all you beard fans out there.

My beard, if I was cycling around the world
(now there's an idea...............)!

Mind Management

I recently passed into Florida (my final state), and it is a great feeling.  For the first time on this trip I feel like the end is in sight, despite the fact I still have three weeks of cycling and 1,000 miles left to go!

I had always planned to get to Florida a little ahead of schedule, so now I am left with a laid back daily mileage of 55 miles per day and I also hope to treat myself to a day or two off to visit the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral.

The problem with hitting my final state and taking my foot of the gas is my mind!  I am feeling somewhat victorious at the moment and like I will just sail to Key West.  The thing my mind seems to ignore is that, even thought the hardest bits are done, I still have to cycle for 5-6 hours a day.  

Each day it seems to come as a shock to my legs that I am asking them to cycle, hopefully they'll figure it out soon enough and get me into Key West in plenty of time, but for now it is turning into a bit of a daily grind; despite the fact I am now doing the easiest cycling of the entire trip!

My Redneck Induction

So, my last night night in Alabama and I met my first (self confessed) Rednecks!

I was wandering around the campsite after a hot day in the saddle (looking for the showers) when I stumbled across my Redneck family; unfortunately I can't remember all their names so won't attempt them!

I was told to be a Redneck you need to:

• Say 'y'all' a lot;
• Eat lots;
• Have bad table manners;
• and have a good time around the camp fire, making plenty of noise (until 10pm quiet time!)

Turns out, I make a pretty good Redneck  (although my accent needs a little work).

So, after learning how to be a Redneck, I had my first night as a Redneck.  It was a corker; I was fed burgers, hotdogs & cake and I had a great night talking about our respective lives.  Good food, good company and good chat.

The thing that I loved most, was the BBQ.  This badboy is actually towed as a trailer behind a truck!  I didn't even bother mentioning my BBQ at home as it would have been embarrassing.

That is a lot of piggy!

In the UK, the phrase "Redneck" conjures all sorts of negative stereotypes, I have also been told to look out for Rednecks by Americans so I imagine it is the same here.  Well my night in the Conecuh Forest goes to show how wrong stereotypes can be.

So, Alabama and the deep south are now done and I am in my final leg; 1,000 miles of Florida sunshine.  That means my stupid tan lines are only going to get stupider from this point onwards.....oh boy!

Breakfast BBQ!!!

Tunes

As a rule, I do not listen to music when cycling [and neither should you!].

But at times, when on deserted roads with nothing much to look at or think about there are moments when I like to quietly put on a bit of music to pass the time.

So here you have it, my top 5 of cycling tunes.  These are simply songs that I enjoy cycling to.

If you have any suggestions for tunes I may enjoy, drop me a line and I'll attempt to try them out!

No. 1...  The Who - Eminence Front

No. 2... The Wildhearts - Love u Till I Don't

No. 3... Ugly Kid Joe - Bicycle Wheels

No. 4... The Foo Fighters - The Pretender

No. 5... Led Zeppellin - When the Levee Breaks