Riding across the US was something that I had wished to do for many years. I had made some
shorter trips, one from Burlington Vermont to my Parents home in NJ. Another was a combination
of bicycle and train through Europe for 5 weeks with my Aunt Helen and Brother Steve.
I decided that the best time for a big cross country ride had to be after college graduation
and before I started working full time.
It was something that I didn't want to do by myself. Unfortunately I didn't have too many
friends that shared my desire to make the trip or my interest in riding. So I talked my younger
brother into making the trip with me. Marc was willing but concerned about our ability to
complete the trip. We had planned to set out for Seattle from Philadelphia and Fly back home
after we arrived.
Two weeks before we were to leave I had a change of heart and I decided to
fly to Seattle and ride towards home. It seemed to be a big psychological boost
to ride towards home and I had read that the prevailing winds were from West to East.
I know that it was great to wake up each day, one day closer to home.