After a day of errands in Seattle, I flew back home on June 4th and set out to finish writing up the stories in my blog.
This trip was longer and bigger than our 2007 NYC-SF tour and more varied in terms of terrain, weather, and culture. I beat my previous records in distance per day (148 miles), speed (49.3 mi/hr), overall distance (4,819 miles / 7,754 km), and duration (76 days). Biggest uphill: Panamint Range in Death Valley National Park.
MM cycled 19 days and 1,107 miles, of which 8 days and 423 miles were in Mexico.
Here are some additional stats for those who asked:
- Avg. daily distance (excl. rest days)*: 72 mi (116 km)
- Avg. daily distance (incl. rest days)*: 65 mi (105 km)
- Avg. riding days between rest days: 8.5
Longest days:
- 148 miles! – day 46, Flagstaff, AZ
- 113 mi – day 35, Midland, TX
- 105 mi – day 33, Menard, TX
- …in addition, there were many days over 90 miles.
Shortest days:
- 29 mi – day 41, Magdalena, NM — due to strong headwind and a FedEx screw-up
- 30 mi – day 58, Panamint Springs, Death Valley, CA — rode over the enormous Panamint Range
- 36 mi – day 45, St. Johns, AZ — due to fear of frostbite because of below-freezing night after 3 snow storms and inability to dry clothes
Free vs. paid accommodations:
- In Mexico:
- 1 free hotel night
- 24 nights in hotels or guest rooms (paid but pretty cheap)
- In the U.S.:
- 26 nights camping or staying with friends
- 24 nights in hotels/motels
Seven rest days (not cycling):
- Day 4, Merida, Yyucatan
- Day 11, Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche
- Day 22, Tampico, Tamaulipas
- Day 31, San Antonio, TX
- Day 42, Magdalena, NM
- Day 55, Las Vegas, NV
- Day 65, Black Rock Desert, NV
* A couple of days do not count due to non-ride-related delays: one day in Merida spent waiting for Masha’s plane stuck in NYC; the day we rode to Seybaplaya was spent mostly dealing with family issues in NYC.