June 2015 - Mike and Marilyn's 2001 TranAmerican Bike Tour

Postscript, June 2015

As we had hoped, we did bicycle tour once again with our friends the Helms (whom we met June 10-15, 2001). They were unable to complete their TransAm bike trip in 2001, but they returned to the U.S. in 2002 to complete the western half. We joined them on the Katy Trail in Missouri for the first part of their journey. And as they had hoped, they cycled on successfully to complete their TransAm journey in August 2002. We were there at the finish to help them with the champagne.

The Helms complete their TransAm bicycle tour on the Oregon coast, August 2002

Not only did we join the Helms for part of their 2002 tour on the TransAm, but in 2003 we traveled to Germany and Denmark to bicycle tour with them again. Then they visited us in the U.S. in 2005 and 2008 for two more bike tours across the U.S. And finally, to commenmorate the 10th Anniversay of that chance meeting in Kentucky in 2001 while biking across the country, they retuned to spend time with us in 2011. They are among our dearest friends.

June 2011

Toasting to 10 years of friendship with Peter and Maren Helm,

starting with a chance meeting on our 2001 TransAm Bike Trip.

And as for our TransAm friends, John and Karen Poole (June 15 and August 9, 2001), not yet tired of bicycling across America, completed their third bicycle crossing of the continent the next year (2002), on the Southern Tier (see report), and visited us in Wenatchee on a bicycle tour in 2014.

Since our TransAm bike trip in 2001, we have completed shorter tours: Hawaii, Ireland, southern France, Arizona, New Mexico, Scenic Bikeways in Oregon, the C&O Towpath, Great Allegany Passage, and the Netherlands, but nothing as long as traveling coast to coast across the U.S.

Our TransAm Bike Trip 2001 may be long over, but the friendships and memories continue. We hope that all the readers of this journal can make their goals come true as well!

On bicycle tour again - Great Allegany Passage, April 2015

Visiting our TransAm friends Peter and Maren in Germany, August 2019,

while on bike tour in the Netherlands.