On Wednesday, John Trahan and Laura Elsenboss stopped by Coffee House on 5th while on a two-year bike trip across the U.S.
The retired, married couple hopes the trip will take them to Tennessee, west into Missouri, north through Iowa and the Dakotas, south down the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains, then across to San Diego. On Wednesday they were in Columbus.
Trahan and Elsenboss are enthusiastic bikers. They biked to and from work when they lived in Connecticut, and have taken bike trips in Europe, Australia and Vietnam.
They departed from their home in Stuart, Florida, on Apr. 26. This is their longest trip yet.
“It’s all becoming a blur,” Elsenboss said.
Three weeks. Three states. 1050 miles. Two flat tires. And it’s only the beginning.
On the road
Trahan and Elsenboss camped for two nights at Pickensville Campground on the Tenn-Tom Waterway earlier this week. While enjoying drinks in the Coffee House, they were set to ride to West Point, where they would spend Wednesday night and then head to Aberdeen.
Though they planned to go to Memphis, as they left the Coffee House they half-jokingly discussed taking a detour to Indianola in time for B.B. King’s memorial service on May 29.
There’s a method to their travel madness, though.
Trahan and Elsenboss are following trails mapped out by the Adventure Cycling Association, a non-profit organization which promotes travel by bicycle. Along the way they’re stopping at hotels, campgrounds and the homes of people on the hosting network Warm Showers, a network of cycling enthusiasts who host travelers.
It’s a great way to meet new people and make friends, they said. That’s part of why they’re taking the trip — to see the country and its people up close.
Travelers see more of the country when on a bike ride than in a car ride with scenery flashing past, they said. Having to stop at so many different places, though, means they’ve met a variety of people, from an award-winning University of Florida forestry professor to the lone minister of a small town in Alabama who rotates between four different churches each month.
A lot of details go into organizing a trip like this. Trahan and Elsenboss had their bikes specially designed by a bike-maker who took their measurements and observed them as they cycled so that he could customize each bike.
They also had to take into consideration food and camping equipment. When they started out Trahan carried 69 pounds, not including his bike or the bottles of water and fuel. Elsenboss started out with 50 pounds of bags. Trahan is now down to 60 pounds; Elsenboss to 40.
Sometimes the couple has dinner at a local restaurant. Otherwise, they snack on energy bars and feast on food from Backpackers Pantry, which sells packets of food that turn into a hot meal when poured into boiling water.
Staying safe
But at an average of 45 miles a day on roads that aren’t always made with cyclists in mind, a lot can go wrong.
Trahan and Elsenboss have a system in which they check in with a close friend every day, and all their family members have each other’s contact information.
The worst day so far was the day the couple left Stockton, Alabama, and rode for 73 miles, up hills, through rain and alongside trucks on the longest journey they’ve taken in one day thus far.
“That’s when you look at each other and say, ‘Are we having fun yet?” Trahan said.
Before biking to West Point, the couple planned to visit the Tennessee Williams Home and explore the Riverwalk. From there, plans could always change.
Trahan and Elsenboss hope to get to San Diego by the time their son gets married next April. From there and in between, plans are subject to change.
“Maybe into Canada and diagonally back to Florida?” Trahan said. “I don’t know.”
To follow Trahan and Elsenboss’ tour, visit their blog at crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?doc_id=15779 or track their tour at trackmytour.com/Dx8Kb.
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