Emails from the trip

Subject: "I'm pretty tired...think I'll go home now"

Greetings from…La Push, WA,

Well actually, I wrote this on the plane headed home yesterday, but close enough. 78 days ago I set off from Rehoboth Beach, DE...and after 73 days of biking, I officially touched tires in the pacific in La Push, WA on Saturday. What an incredible journey it has been. Rather than a long, sappy, and vague email about the trip as a whole, I thought I’d just fill you in on the last 3 weeks which contained some of the best views I’ve ever seen. Those views feel exponentially more satisfying when you earn them by riding a bike.

Since my last email I rode through 3 national parks; Glacier, North Cascades, and Olympic. I had been looking forward to Glacier the entire trip because I knew it would be a fun change of scenery from the open plains of eastern Montana and North Dakota. After waking up at 4:00am and climbing 16 miles to the top of Jordan Pass, I thought there was no way the views could get any better than that. They did. I had no idea what the Cascades had to offer two weeks later. You will see some pictures attached, but I promise they do not do those parks justice. Olympic was terrific as well, but I didn’t take the time to do any hikes and really explore the area. I will have to go back.

In Washington, I had a mountain climb pretty much every day. And before you start getting out of breath just thinking about it, just know I had been biking for 60 days by the time I arrived in WA. Many of those days were against the wind. So I was in great biking shape and they truly were not a problem - so please don’t feel bad for me ha. I took advantage of a few “WarmShowers” hosts in Washington and was able to recharge, but for the most part I really enjoyed camping in Montana, Idaho and Washington. There was an abundance of campsites available with cheap rates for bikers along my route and all had plenty of trees for my hammock (in Glacier it was a whopping $5 for a campsite). There were a couple times I disperse camped just on the side of a river or lake too. Camping also gave me an excuse to cook my favorite camp meal…instant mashed potatoes (oh so good😋).

Here are some specific highlights from the previous 3 weeks:

- Climbing “Going-to-the-Sun” Road in Glacier Nat’l Park and staying for a day.

- Talking to Bob and Sonya Judge from Houston in the park. Great people who generously bought me dinner!

- Staying with Lars and Bobbie in Columbia Falls, MT. They moved from Mt. Airy, MD just two weeks prior!

- Enjoying a hotel with a pool in Sandpoint, ID paid for by Kevin and Jen Gordon who I met on a bike trail in Minnesota.

- Consuming my weight in huckleberry ice cream any time I’d see a sign for it (never as good as Jimmie Cone).

- Climbing up a hill and my pedals randomly falling off just so God could allow me to truthfully say “I rode my bike until the pedals fell off.” (It was an easy fix don’t worry)

- Staying at the “Bacon Bike Hostel” in Colville, WA and enjoying dinner (and more huckleberry ice cream) with them and other members from their church.

- Riding route 20 (north cascades highway) to the top of Washington pass fueled on organic Washington apples and baguettes.

- Staying with Rob and John Scott in Marblemount, WA and hearing about both of their cross-country trips. Most beautiful home garden I’ve ever seen too (45 raspberry bushes in their front yard).

- Rolling into Olympic National Park on Friday of Labor Day weekend without a campsite and running into Bill and Carol who generously offered up a couple trees on their site as well as a meal in exchange for some stories!

- Having another family unsolicitedly offer me breakfast the next morning at this same campsite.

- Meeting my sister, Megan, and Andy (and Delia) at the Pacific Ocean in La Push. Came with champagne and everything!

- Then camping with Megan for the first time ever that night in Olympic😂. Hopefully the rain didn’t ruin camping forever for her.

- Staying with my 2nd cousin? 2nd Uncle? Once removed? Not sure but Kevin and Erin Armstrong took me in for a couple nights in Olympia as I inched closed to the airport from La Push.

- And the finale: staying with my old Pastor Pete and the Della Santina family who drove me to the airport this morning! So fun catching up with them after almost 4 years since they moved. I was able to put my bike skills to use to quickly fix Jonathan’s flat tire so he could ride to school in the morning too!

Now, if you read any of that and thought, “holdup…talk about [insert cool story here] some more please??!!” Well despite my lack of posting on my website, I still have been keeping journals of each day. I was difficult to find time and wifi to edit them and post them to my site along the route, but I will be posting some of those expanded stories on the site throughout the week along with corresponding pictures. I also have an Instagram account which I posted on fairly regularly. You can still go back and see the “stories” I posted which are organized by state on my profile here.

Last thing I will say is - again - thank you for the support. We’ve raised over $25,000 for the ALS Association. My original goal was $5,000. There are very few words I can say to express my gratitude for everyone who supported the cause and kept up with the trip except that the funds truly are going to an incredible organization which I’ve personally seen make a significant impact in the lives of those suffering from this disease. Thank you.

I plan to host a night of sharing stories and going through pictures sometime over Zoom (and possibly in-person at Neelsville Presbyterian Church if possible) if anyone is interested in attending. Sometime in late September likely. I will post the date and link on my website and will happily answer questions.

Thanks for following! Shoot me an email back or text if you have any questions or suggestions.

*Que Bob Seger's "Against the Wind"*

Best,

Wil

againstthewind.xyz

301-512-9325

Subject: "Bring on the Rockies!"

Greetings from Great Falls, MT!

The past two weeks have been the most challenging of the trip. When I sent my last email, I was enjoying a rest day in Hackensack, Minnesota. Today, I find myself over halfway through Montana! Amazing how fast time goes and the stories I’ve gathered in such a short period of time. I also find it amazing how much the scenery has changed over this time period. I went from the land of 10,000 lakes, to the Great Plains, to the mountains.

The weather has been especially challenging. I was fully aware of the eastbound trade winds in North Dakota, but I don’t think I thought they would be as bad as I experienced them - ha! And that is a real shame, because I genuinely enjoyed the vastness of North Dakota’s farmland until I had 30-40mph winds aimed at my forehead. Over a 4-day stretch, I averaged about 6mph on my bike. It was quite frustrating spending 8 hours on a bicycle and traveling less than 50 miles. I met 4 other recent college grads at a campsite in Glen Ullin, ND who were headed to New York and it was especially frustrating knowing they were cranking out 100+ mile days with ease going the opposite direction. During this stretch, I thought back to the Stoics in Ancient Rome such as Marcus Aurelius. They preached controlling the controllable and accepting what happens without emotion. And of course I thought this is just God’s way of making the Rocky Mountain views that much sweeter. This experience taught me a great deal about perspective and after all, I did title this ride “Against the Wind.” Looking back, (though the wind is far from gone) I am glad I could experience wind blowing so hard I couldn't hear my podcasts or audiobooks.

The wind wasn’t the only obstacle, however. A Montana heat wave quickly teamed up with the prevailing winds and I was routinely waking up at 3:30/4:00am to get going before the heat and wind picked up after noon. The temperatures would get to 50 degrees F this early in the morning and would rise to 100+ F by 2:00. I enjoy the time in the mornings riding with the sunrise and little traffic. Gave me an opportunity to pray in peace and listen to some scripture.

Apart from the weather, I’ve had some incredible experiences over the previous two weeks as well. In Fargo, I linked up with Doug Mellum’s son (who I stayed with in Hackensack, MN). He and his wife lent me their CAR (brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee) not 5 minutes after meeting me so I could go out and get some things I needed in the city. That takes a lot of trust especially for someone who hasn’t driven in two months.

A couple days later, I stayed in Gackle, ND at the “Honey Hub.” It’s a family who leaves the doors to their house open 24/7 365 days a year for cyclists to have a warm place to stay. I got a shower, did some laundry and swam in their pool…they weren’t even HOME! They were in Fargo for the weekend. So generous and it was amazing to see their guest book dates back to 2016.

Apart from that, probably the best story of the last two weeks happened yesterday…I was riding from Lewistown, MT in the morning and had a bungee cord get stuck in my chain/derailer and it did some damage to my spokes and derailer. I had some spare spokes (thanks for the tip, Mr. Jessup), but the damage was too much to the derailer to continue riding. God would have it that my great friend from high school and college roommate, Brady Osterman, was driving through Montana that same day and was planning to pass me on the road. He picked me up two hours later and took me to a bike shop in Great Falls! Literally could not have scripted it any better. I’m still in shock by God’s timing there. So I’ll be picking up my bike from the shop this morning and will be on my way to Glacier National Park in a few days!

There are plenty of incredible pictures to come this next week so continue to monitor the ‘pictures’ tab of my website and I’m sorry the journals have been a little too much to keep up with. I do post pictures on Instagram fairly regularly so you are welcome to follow that as well: https://www.instagram.com/wilsride/

Thanks for reading! Less than 3 weeks from the Pacific Ocean!

Wil

Subject: "Greetings from Hackensack, Minnesota"

Greetings from Hackensack, Minnesota!

Finally - some wifi and free time to write an email! I apologize for keeping everyone on the edge of their seats.

Nevertheless, the past two weeks have been incredible (despite my first flat-tire of the trip); Mackinac Island especially. I’ve been cranking out some miles up here in the midwest and today is my first day off since Mackinac on the 21st. I can’t believe it’s already August. Time has gone by so quickly it seems. I often lose track of the day of the week on the road here, but I know today is the 39th day of the ride and I’ve covered a little over half of the total mileage (about 1775mi so far).

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan was stunning and wish I had more time in the day to relax on the beautiful Lake Michigan beaches I passed (see picture). It was the weekend when I was going through so there was a ton of traffic on Route 2 including plenty of loud motorcycles and large campers. Luckily the shoulder was wide enough I didn’t have any problems except for how loud they were passing by. The first day in the UP, I was feeling great and had some wind at my back so I ended up covering 25 more miles than I originally planned for. This meant I had no place to stay planned out, however. So I finally got to practice my elevator pitch and knocked on a random neighbor’s door in the middle of nowhere Michigan. He allowed me to borrow a couple trees in his front yard and even gave me $20 for dinner across the street where I got a pasty (pronounced pass-tee, not like pastry I quickly found). It’s like a shepherd’s pie calzone almost. Delicious. I appreciated the hospitality very much even though I didn’t have much sleep because of thunderstorms all night. God at least dried up the sky a bit so I could get packed up without the rain when the morning came around so I can’t complain.

From there I continued the fast pace along the Michigan coast and up the Wisconsin border until I stayed on a friend’s couch (Clint McLeod) in Iron Mountain, MI. He just started a job up and moved up there two weeks ago. What are the odds! The next day I was blessed with not only phenomenal riding conditions but also the chance to meet up with some distant relatives who live about 3 hours south in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Jeff and Julie came all the way up to visit me and put me up in a hotel! So generous of them and I really enjoyed getting to know them better. Also, I went to TOWN on the complimentary breakfast the next day.

A few days later in Ashland, WI, I didn’t have anywhere in mind to stay. I rolled into town and immediately was drawn to a pier with views of Lake Superior. I just got to talking to a friendly neighbor in his car and he offered to call up a few motels to see if they had availability for me. They did not. Next thing I knew he was chatting it up with another friendly neighbor walking her dog and she offered up her BOAT as a place to stay. I of course humbly accepted. She and her husband actually brought me dinner and took me out on the lake for a little picnic that night as well! Easily one of the most memorable nights of the trip. The midwest hospitality is not a myth folks.

Lots of camping since then and have been blessed with more terrific riding conditions. Got to stop in at the other UMD (University of Minnesota-Duluth) where I got a t-shirt and met up with some relatives of a friend who showed me a great time in the city. The only negative of the past week has been the haziness from the Canadian wildfires which is blanketing Minnesota right now. I have been riding with a mask to avoid breathing it in.

Other than that, I’m now staying with a family on Woman Lake who offered to let me stay two nights so I could have a rest day. They took me out on the boat to work on my farmer's tan, let me connect to wifi, and allowed me to use a much-needed laundry machine (the Mississippi River water only gets my clothes so clean). Looking forward to the next few days in North Dakota where I’m hoping I can crank out a century or two. Pray the wildfires don’t get any worse!

Love you all,

Wil

Subject: "Greetings from Corunna, MI!"

Greetings from Corunna, MI!

The long-awaited email is here! I apologize for being a little late in sending this. I initially wanted to send an email update every Sunday on the trip, but I’ve learned to write my plans in pencil and let God hold the eraser. Unfortunately, as I was riding into Pittsburgh on Sunday July 4th, I got word my Aunt Lisa suddenly passed. The same Aunt I stayed the night with just 3 days prior in Frederick, MD. I’m flying back for two days to attend the viewing and memorial service this weekend, so in order to keep my schedule on track, I continued riding each day and have yet to take a true day off. Believe me, I’d love to write more updates and thank each and every person for their donations, but I haven’t quite had the time. I do see the donations that come in, however, and from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I’ve been in touch with the ALS Association and the funds are absolutely going to make a difference for those with this hideous disease.

“Can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.” -Proverbs 19:20

That being said, I am truly having a lot of fun. Spirits are still high and I’ve been blessed with terrific weather (relatively speaking) and remarkably generous people along the way. There have been several days where I check the weather the night before and looked at thunderstorms the entire next day. Clearly prayer works, because somehow I’ve only had one day being caught in the rain. Even then, there was no thunder; just a consistent shower.

Some highlights (not all are fun highlights, but memorable nevertheless):

- The brutal Maryland heat and being restricted to cycling in the morning before the true heat of the day came in.

- Sleeping in the basement of my friend’s old baseball house at Stevenson University.

- Staying with my Uncle and Aunt in Frederick, MD as I tried to escape the heat and getting loaded up on their excess snacks for the next few days.

- My dad tracking my Garmin and bringing me Jimmie Cone on the side of the road at 10am.

- Riding up the C&O Canal and Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) north to Pittsburgh and being around other cyclists. First time on the trip I was off the roads. Lots of cute small towns along the trails that thrive on bike tourists.

- Staying with my friend Brooke’s Aunt Tina and learning how to do my first cartwheel with her daughter on the trampoline.

- Being in Pittsburgh with my friend Emma and her other friends staying the weekend. Sat on the lawn in front of Heinz Field eating tacos and watching fireworks.

- Surviving the cruel hills and rush-hour traffic of Pittsburgh when I left the city (no bike lanes either).

- Stopping at an Amish market in Ohio and the owner giving me “the best sweet corn I’ll have on the trip” for free (it was darn good, but not sure I’ll be buying much corn to compare it to).

- Using WarmShowers for the first time (free AirBnb-style app for cyclists). Dwight made I think the best pancakes I’ve ever had in the morning (added pecans, raisins and rhubarb to a half oat, half flour mix - unreal tasty).

- Stopping by my friend Kenny’s home in Ohio to initially just say hi to his parents, but instead leaving with clean clothes and a full stomach!

- Staying with the Hohensteins in Clyde, OH. Introduced me to Texas Roadhouse and their very addicting rolls. Had the pleasure of attending church with them the next morning too! Such a fun visit.

- Speaking to and comparing notes with two other groups of cross-country cyclists in Ohio (two sets of husband/wife couples going from West to East)

- Asking a Univ of Michigan Facebook page for a place to stay and getting hooked up with the nicest guy in Pushpinder. Showed me the whole town and bought me dinner/ice cream!

- Getting to visit my Mom’s high school friend in Michigan. Invited the neighbors over for dinner and made my favorite foods! Doesn’t get much better.

- Random stranger stopping me on the side of the road, handing me a $20 bill for lunch, asking what else I needed for the ride, driving home and grabbing some extra butane fuel, a mosquito shirt, a micro-umbrella, another $20 bill, and finding me later down the road to give it to me. So cool and generous (I didn’t ask for any of that - just the type of person he was).

I know that’s a lot, but each day has been so unique, it’s hard to exclude any of those experiences. It’s crazy to think I’m only a little over 1/4 of the way done, but what a journey it has already been. I’m especially looking forward to getting to the UP (upper peninsula) of Michigan and seeing the many lakes of Minnesota.

As I mentioned earlier, I would love to say thank you to every person who has generously donated to the ALS Association - and I am still slowly sending out thank you’s - but I want to say another special thank you to Mike Pratt, the entire Lapp family, Wilson Krahnke, Chelsea Hamilton and everyone at Jimmie Cone, Chuck Zukus and the Owls club, Randy and Kathy Ray, as well as Bob and Ralph Hohenstein. Can’t thank you enough for the VERY generous support. And of course thank you to Gary at Lone Peak Packs for providing my trusty pannier bags. Last but not least, thank you to my family including my always loving mom and dad for being ok with me doing this.

Just a reminder, I do try to update my daily blog with pictures when possible on my website (againstthewind.xyz). I also at the very minimum put out my location and some stats about the day.

Well, that’s all I’ve got today. Not every email may be this long, but I will try to get back on schedule of emailing 1x/week with some highlights.

“Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge fore us.” Psalm 62:8 (sent to me from my Pastor Jeff at Neelsville Presbyterian Church)

Wil