Ride
Kenny Sexton
1,000 Mile Solo Bike Trip
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1308 Miles Biked
22 Days
5,233’ Elevation Gain
4 Flat Tires 5
I had only heard of the TransAmerica Trail months before I packed my bike for a one way flight to Seattle. The plan was made so quickly, I hadn’t yet decided if this was really something I was prepared to do. I would bike the western section of the TransAmerica Trail, a cycling route that runs from Oregon to Virginia. I had just entered a two-month window between graduating college and starting my full-time job.
I started the trip with my brother Doug, who rented a bike so he could accompany me on the Seattle to Portland leg. He had only two and a half days to cover the 200 mile distance.
After Portland, I continued along to the coast, meeting up with the start of the trail.
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Portland, OR
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Portland, OR
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We biked 90 miles on the first day to make sure that we would be able to hit Portland for Doug’s train back. Before this trip, the longest I had ever biked was 30 miles and that was without weight. It didn’t take long to understand what my friend Adam, who introduced me to bike touring, had meant when he said that anyone can do it. I had not given myself time to train for the trip, yet it soon became clear that the hours spent biking meant more than the speed at which I biked. I had to keep a pace of 60 miles a day to have a chance at making it to Denver in my time window. I thought that wouldn’t be a problem after starting the trip at such a fast pace, but I quickly learned that on a bike, not all miles are created equal.
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Seaside, OR
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Cannon Beach, OR
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I spent the night outside of Eugene, OR after the last day of going south. This would be the last of the larger cities I would hit until Missoula. Eugene was a very important planned stop since it was my last chance to buy bear spray before entering grizzly bear territory. 27
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Idaho brought with it anxiety. After Baker City, OR it was 419 mi to the next bike shop in Missoula, MT. This wouldn’t have been a problem, except that I had gotten flats the past two days, and was worried that the streak might continue. I was excited to try to get back on pace, since I had fallen behind crossing Oregon.
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After 22 days of biking, I hit Missoula, MT. I decided to stop the bike trip here. I had grown frustrated by mechanical issues, and falling behind schedule. I had made a mistake by trying to plan how much distance I would cover in advance of the trip. The beauty of bike touring is getting to go the speed you want and taking days off to spend in beautiful locations. When I arrived in Missoula, I instead decided to rent a car and drive to national parks in the area. While it was tough to stop short of my original goal, it ended up being one of the best decisions I could have made. 38
My Warmshowers’ host in Missoula let me know that the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park is open only to hikers and bikers during snow clearing each year. The climb to the summit was a highlight I will always remember. It was great getting to ride among strangers in national park without any cars on the road. The more I climbed, the more the landscape turned into snow. After Glacier, I would go on to visit Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Rocky Mountain National Parks.
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Missoula, MT
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Glacier National Park, MT
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Glacier National Park, MT
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Glacier National Park, MT
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Glacier National Park, MT
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Yellowstone National Park, WY
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Grand Teton National Park, WY
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This trip would not have been possible if it were not for the kindness of strangers I met along the route. Thank you
Proper Cycle Werks Longview, WA
Family that let me camp on their spot Coburg, OR
Frontier Motel & RV Park Cambridge, ID
Anderson Family Missoula, MT
Neil Seaside, OR
Bend OR couple helped with flat Sisters, OR
Veteran w/ a pump when mine broke 30mi west Missoula, MT
Alberta and Richard James Oregon
Brain Struve and Friends Pacific City, OR
Coty and partner Sisters, OR
Adventurer from Lancaster, PA Lolo Hot Springs
Spoke’n Hostel Mitchell, OR
Woman who offered a ride Halfway, OR
The Trailhead Baker City, OR
Philips Family Grangeville, ID
Tom Stoker Lolo Pass
Man getting coffee Washington
Store owner who let me borrow tools Washington
ig: web:
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