This was the longest bicycle tour I have done, so far. Due to high temperatures, smokey skies and minimal services, the first few days in Idaho were really challenging. We had moments we doubted we would even make it to Canada. Amazingly enough, by the end of the first week we got into a routine and were more conditioned, (or just numb) mentally and physically, and things improved. Billy had some substantial knee pain, fortunatley he was able to too minimize this by making some saddle adjustments. Kudos to him for being a trooper and thanks for being a solid travel partner. We prevailed!

Click here to see a short video of this trip

Here were the items I found useful on this trip that I have not used before:

40 Oz Hydra Flask: The light weight backpacker in me said this thing, at 16oz empty, is way too heavy but it kept ice frozen for over 12 hours in near 100 degree temps. I had debated bringing it but it proved to be indispensable for hot weather riding, It may have made the difference in succeeding during the first few days that were really hot.

Maps.Me app on iPhone: With this app I was able to download maps onto my phone ahead of time, which allowed for GPS navigation without cell service, which was most of the time on this trip. Maps.me has some basic elevation profile info too. Kind of nice to know where you are and if there are steep hills ahead. I only turned it on sporadically to check our location and determine our options but it was very useful.

Big Agnes 2 Man Tent: Upgrading from a 1 man tent to a 2 man tent made a big difference in sleeping quality. My 6'4" body enjoyed 17 nights of tenting with extra space. The built in LED lights seemed gimmicky at first but as we were getting up at pre-dawn hours almost everyday having lights helped out with morning packing and organizing.

As of Feb 2018, discussion and planning is under way for a 2018 summer tour. This will require boxing the bikes and flying to Switzerland. 

Stand by for excitement. 

Thanks for following our story.

Graham