Here are answers to some of the questions that people that people have asked me since I’ve been back.

What was your favorite state?
I enjoyed Kansas most of all, in spite of the heat. Its subtle scenery began to grow on me; the horizons were so vast and far away, and the cattle so appealing. It became more varied in the east and ended in the brilliantly green and fertile Flint Hills. And it was mostly flat.

It was such a hard working state. There was nothing pretty about it. Just about everyone seemed connected with farming. Their work clothes were dirty because they had been wrestling with cattle or machines. Towns would be at the junction of two or more highways that would stretch, empty and never-ending, to the horizon. At convenience stores and gas stations diesel trucks would be left idling--throbba throbba--while the drivers went inside in worn blue jeans and their hair in a pony tail. There was always that faint whiff of feedlot in the air.

And the little towns were so proud to be part of the Trans Am trail since its beginning. I began to realize that I was part of an historic happening, almost a pilgrimage, of thousands of people who had explored the United States from coast to coast since 1976. In turn, I became proud of being part of this.

Oregon, Idaho and Montana were, of course, more scenic. Kentucky was beautiful with its green rolling hills and its woods. Virginia was romantic with mist and clouds shrouding its mountains.

What was the worst climb?
Definitely the worst climb was the four miles from the town of Vesuvius (pop. 200) in Virginia up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. I made it, but was totaled for two days afterwards.

The hills in Missouri, Kentucky and Virginia were dreadful. While the great mountains in the west had gradients of 5 or 6%, those in the Appalachians were much steeper and climbing them made my muscles burn. But at least they were short.

How much did your stuff weigh?
The bike, bless its little metal heart, weighs 25 pounds; the gear weighed 51 pounds, not including water, and sometimes I carried as much as two gallons if it was hot and there were no services for a long way. I started out from Portland, Oregon, with 61 pounds but mailed ten back.

What were the best and the worst places you camped at?
The RV park in Riverside, Wyoming, is the place that I enjoyed most. It had grassy sites shaded by tall trees and was very well kept. Across the road was the pretty good Bear Trap Restaurant with great steaks and beer.

The city park in Sisters, Oregon, was the worst. The campground was dirty and the public restrooms had no showers, and only one small washbasin. I left without paying the camping fee of $10.

What are you enjoying most about being back home?
Makeup! A hair dryer!
Soft toilet paper;
Being 10 pounds lighter;
Getting up in the middle of the night without trying to pretend for half an hour that I don’t need to;
Buying enough groceries to last a week, not a day;
No more Little Debbie oatmeal cream pies;
Wearing cotton instead of synthetics;
Eating at good Mexican restaurants (there aren’t any outside Texas).

What do you miss most about the Trans Am trail?
Being outside all the time;
Smelling pine trees, wild flowers, even the occasional whiff of feedlots;
Hearing the birds and insects in the woods;
Seeing the incredible night sky away from city lights;
Having all that I needed to live with right there on the bike;
The simplicity of life--eat, sleep, pedal and follow the map;
The feeling that every day brought a new adventure;
Enjoying the scenery, a neat little town, the kindness of local people, or meeting other cross-country cyclists;
Dairy Queen hamburgers! Dressed, as they say in Kentucky, with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, mustard and ketchup;
Eating anything and as much I fancied--Snickers bars, milkshakes, ice cream, hamburgers and mashed potatoes and gravy.

What were the most ridiculous things that you took with you?
Hair styling mousse and mascara.

Would you ever go touring again?
Yes! Yes!