This journey began in 2017 as a “Ride Across Florida” for me and a couple friends from a gym I used to go to. We agreed we’d invite other people along. I invited my cousin, Julie and my daughter-in-law, Jodi. Jim invited his daughter’s mother and father in law, Matt and Vicki, who ride a tandem bike. Jodi couldn’t commit to the whole ride so she joined us for the last day.

We rode from St. Augustine, FL to St. George, Island, FL. The trip was 306 miles and we completed it in 4 days. We had such a great time, we decided we would just continue the ride the following year and make our way to San Diego.

We carried everything we needed on our bikes when we started, but when we picked up in St. George in 2018, we decided to have a SAG carry our gear and equipment.

The group changed. Julie, Jim and I rode every mile from Florida to San Diego, but we had other friends jump in and out for sections. It is hard to take the time away required to ride the distance. We also had 3 different support drivers. Jim’s brother, John, drove the majority of the trip. Vicki and Matt’s daughter drove a small section and Bobby, a friend of Jim’s drove a small section.

Those who joined when they could included John’s son, Ryan; Julie’s friend, Lisa; also Julie’s friend, Lynn; and another tandem couple, friends of Matt and Vicki.

We completed the ride in 2020. We rode through 8 states: Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. The trek was 2,845 miles. We averaged 70 miles/day. We had 40.65 riding days.

It was a fantastic adventure!! There were struggles and mishaps along the way, some of which were flat tires, heat, accidents, etc. However, the beautiful scenery, fun with friends, and the sweet taste of accomplishment made it all worth it.

Just a small photo dump.