Four successful and enjoyable bike trips only increased my desire to plan more. The Avatar proved its superiority as a touring machine and only fanned the flames.
A non-profit organization named Bikecentennial, (now called Adventure Cycling) headquartered in Missoula, MT., mapped a route across the country for a 1976 celebration of the U.S. Bicentennial. It was called the TransAmerica Bicycle Route. My 1981 trip followed part of that route from Missoula, MT. to Pueblo, CO. And, my 1985 trip from Oregon followed much of the route. Therefore, I thought completing the TransAmerica route to the East Coast would be a good challenge.
Because I ended two trips at the KOA Campground in Colorado Springs, I decided it would suffice to start this journey. I flew to Colorado Springs and had a taxi haul me and the bike box across town.
I knew opportunities for great scenery would be limited. An understatement at least when compared to the West. Accordingly, I took few pictures.
Overall, the weather cooperated and I never had to lay over a day. The winds were generally in my favor.
“Lazy Louie” requires a little explanation. The TransAmerica bike route just happened to pass Louie’s property located on a rural Missouri road. His outbuilding was literally only about ten feet from the road edge. With all the cyclists passing by, he started offering water and a place to spend the night. Eventually he even stocked some common bike repair parts. Word spread, and soon anyone cycling the route across the country would look forward to his hospitality. I stopped and chatted with him for an hour or so, but I did not spend the night. A very pleasant individual. He said he never saw a recumbent, much less one outfitted for cross-country riding. Louie’s claim to fame was the fact that he was featured on the front of a Kellogg’s Corn Flake box in 1954! His wife had died a year or two prior to my visit. He was indeed a friendly, albeit lonely, old guy.
While the trip was successful, a lack of grand scenery served to refocus my future plans on the West.