And we are back! Starting off from exactly where my Coast-to-Coast wrapped up in 2019 – the Club House Hotel in Sioux Falls South Dakota. The hotel is steps away from a great bike path that circles the city, connecting beautiful parks and meandering along the Big Sioux River. The highlight of the loop is Sioux Falls. I’m not sure which came first, the falls or the city – but there is certainly a strong Sioux theme here, honoring the former inhabitants, at least namesake-wise. Some animals spotted along the trail: a deer and two fawns, rabbits, cranes, red-wing black birds, bison, and zebras. Ok, the bison and zebras were in a zoo along the trail, but still spotted!

Unlike 2019, when rivers were running very high and farms were inundated with water, 2021 looks to be relatively drier, at least here at the falls. Or maybe the maintenance staff forgot to turn up the flow today. Or, perhaps the 90+ degree heat and 20+ mph wind simply dried up the Big Sioux, just like it dehydrated us bike riders.

Jackie rode along for the full 22 miles today, and she will be providing support and encouragement for this 2021 segment. One car, two bikes, and a cooler full of Gatorade. The touring company (America by Bicycle), with whom I rode with in 2018 and 2019, was not able to assemble a tour together this year due to COVID restrictions in Canada. Instead, I get first-class touring experience with Jax Inc!

Stay tuned for more tales from the road…

Want to make Mother Nature laugh? Just tell her your plans! Bicyclists certainly know this adage, and it adds to the adventure of unexpectedness while on two wheels. 2020 was to be leg 3 of my coast-to-coast bicycle trek, but with closed borders and restricted travel, the planned segment from Sioux Falls to Niagara Falls would not happen this year due to the COVID pandemic.

Instead, a visit to Fish Creek Falls near Steamboat Springs served as a beautiful in-state proxy to Niagara Falls as Jackie and I resolved to hike, bike and boat all 42 Colorado State Parks (another multi-year challenge!)

I still managed to log 3500 miles in 2020, mostly within a 50 mile radius of home, criss crossing over paths and trails teeming with others seeking outdoor solace. It was great to see so many people using Denver’s fabulous network of multi-use paths. In fact, during the early height of the pandemic, it seemed the motorized roadways were less crowded than parks and bikeways. Kinda eerie, and I actually thought about bicycling down the interstate highway. People walking in the streets rather than sitting in traffic. Crisp air and the blissful sound of singing birds and playing kids. Briefly had me dreaming of a North America with more bikes than cars. Ha!

Mother Nature’s wicked 2020 curve ball put the coast-to-coast challenge on ice. But that’s alright, we’ll just dig in and try again in 2021 – with renewed determination and extra appreciation for the ability to experience America from the seat of a bicycle. Stay tuned for more coast-to-coast adventure!