On the evening of June 2, 2021 we pulled out of Lancaster with a van and trailer loaded with bicycles, duffel bags, some food, and extra bikes supplies. Our goal was to make it to Portland, Oregon before the team arrived in Portland by plane on the evening of June 8th.

The route I planned took us through 12 states, with a detour across a bridge to pick up a 13th state (one I had not visited before - Kansas). If you want to blow the mind of your teenage-self, take a cross country road trip with your parents (on purpose)! My dad and I were the drivers and my mom was along for moral support.

Pulling a trailer across the country, we were not quite sure how fast we’d roll or how many miles were reasonable to cover in a day, so I booked the hotels day-by-day. As it turned out, we needed to stop for gas every 150-200 miles, as we burned through the 30 gallon tank quickly.

Here are a few highlights from our trip:

• State Welcome signs - These things are illusive. Blink and you miss the sign. Have the camera go to sleep while waiting for it, and there is no picture! Capturing the signs became a point of entertainment as we crossed each border. I think we captured a few readable signs.

• Fireworks can be purchased at random places across the country

• Trains! We saw trains that seemed to stretch for over a mile. One train had 7 engines with too many cars to count. They carried anything from crude oil to lumber to cars.

• From Wyoming to Oregon was our favorite section of scenery. The mountains, water, rocks, and vegetation combined to create indescribable beauty.

We rolled into the suburbs of Portland on the afternoon of June 7, in time to gather some groceries, do laundry, and grab a few supplies.