FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gary Holden, Sports Info. Director
(540) 365-4306

August 11, 2007


Assistant Soccer Coach Pauly, Wife Bike Across America

FERRUM, VA. -- Ferrum College Assistant Men's Soccer Coach and his wife, Rachel Troyer, have recently returned from six months of bicycle riding, camping, and general exploration of the western United States.

The trip started at the end of January, in the desert near the Mexico-California border, and took a circuitous route through California, Oregon, and Washington, into British Columbia, Canada.  Andrew and Rachel then cycled east through Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Kansas.  In total they covered nearly 6,000 miles in 120 days of cycling.

Photo collage of the trip

Lodging consisted of their 2-person tent, wherever they pitched it, usually in State Parks (open or closed – to vehicles), Bureau of Land Management and National Wilderness areas, or sometimes just on open riverbanks.  Occasionally the couple would spend a few nights with old friends, new friends, or family members along the way, getting to sleep on something softer than the ground for a spell.  The occasional home-cooked food was integral in keeping their bodies together and spirits up.

The bikes weighed 100 lbs and 70 pounds when fully loaded with camping gear, several days of sustenance, and two gallons of water.  There was even room for a couple books, but not a stove.  When suitable, campfires provided hot food for the weary travelers.

The route was flexible and re-determined continuously, depending on weather and traffic conditions, among other factors.  Three times the couple had to turn around: once in the California desert with bike tires sinking into soft sandy roads, once in the coastal mountain range of Oregon, where they met a five foot wall of snow that covered the road for many miles, and once due to a forgotten camera.  There were also at least a half dozen landslides, for which they did not turn around.

Bikes were not the only mode of transportation along the way.   They rode on an airplane, train, subway, several buses, a sailboat, 7 ferries, kayaks and even some pickup trucks.  If you would like to hear more about the trip or see more photos, contact Andrew at apauly@ferrum.edu.

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