I had ridden 4,945 miles in 16 days (one of those days was just local riding and doesn’t really count). I had ridden from sea level on the Oregon Coast to 14,110 feet atop Pikes Peak in Colorado. The southernmost point was Kaibito, Arizona, the eastern most was Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota, and the northernmost was Missoula, Montana.

My bike performed without issue or complaint as did my riding gear. I wore t-shirts, underwear, and pants from ExOfficio, a combination that worked wonderfully in the heat, all of which could be washed in a motel sink and dried by morning.

While riding, I had a GoPro HD camera with waterproof housing sitting in my tank bag. I would often unzip the tank bag with my left hand, pull out the camera, press and hold the ON button, then film several seconds up to two minutes of the ride and scenery as it passed by before shutting it off and putting it back into my tank bag (all with my left hand).

I used an iPad and the free WiFi in my motels each night to check weather forecasts, review the next day’s route, and keep in touch with family via email. I even used Facetime to video chat with my wife during the evenings.

The heat was probably the most challenging part of the trip, but even that is straightforward enough; it’s really just mind over matter: “If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”