Reports by Eric Reynolds

Why would I bike around America? Why not? Or better yet, because I can. After first reading about cross-country bicycle tours on Crazyguyonabike.com I was hooked!

There it was, a great adventure that almost anyone could do, and I had all the free time in the world. Before reading about bike touring, I had dreams of hiking the 2500+ mile Appalachian Trail. But 75 mile days on a bike and real food quickly trumped 15 mile days on foot and oatmeal.

So I sold all of my stuff, opted to not renew my apartment lease, and bought a bike. It took me three months and almost $2,000 to aquire the knowledge and equipment to pull off this trip, but now I am ready to start it.

A lot of people ask me why I would want to do something like this. They either assume that I am either crazy, or poor. And while I may be a little of both, I just think it sounds like a good time. Cars, planes, and big cities are three things I try to avoid when I travel. So a nice slow bike ride through the Rocky Mountains sounds like a dream.

While most people will spend $20,000 on a new car, or $5,000 on a one week vacation, I spent $2,000 on a three month vacation with no bills to worry about. Everything I need, will be carried with me on my bike.

So, while it may seem a little crazy at first, I guess the main reason I would do something like this would be the journey itself. As one old Chinese guy once said, `The journey is the reward.'