Abby Nadeau
Community Editor

It took 1350 miles, eight flat tires, three broken spokes and a bus ride to get two Forest Lake 20 year olds from Seattle to Minneapolis, on two wheels.

Peter Bailey and Jordan Koch couldnít remember who first thought of biking across five states, but it didnít matter. By the time the idea was said out loud, the tickets had already been bought.

Koch, a student at Hamline University, and Bailey, a student at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, had a small amount of time to kill between the end of classes and summer classes and jobs.

So the pair decided to take advantage of the extra time.

On May 16 the two college students boarded a plane bound for Seattle with only backpacks light enough to be carried while biking.

The 1800 mile trip would take them through Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota, making this trip the longest either had ever traveled.

The Plan

Starting out, the plan was executed perfectly.

Bailey and Koch flew into town, spent roughly $1400 each on all their bike equipment, camping gear and other amenities.

They decided that each of them would carry two bike packs, roughly 10 to 15 pounds each, on the back of their bikes.

Since Koch had to be back in town for work and Peter had to be back for classes on June 12, the trip had to be planned fairly tight if they were going to get back in time.

ìI expected us to travel at least 100 miles per day,î Bailey said. ìBased on that, we could get through 1800 miles in just over two weeks. But, I didnít plan any cities to stop in or places to stay.î

Part of the plan was to spend the least amount of money as possible.

Saving money included usually eating a loaf and half a day worth of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and not staying in any hotels for the entire trip.

After the general plans had been made, Bailey and Koch headed south out of Seattle for a 1800 mile trip.

However, the longest trip either Bailey or Koch had taken was 70 miles, a distance the men would make in less than a day.

Or so they hoped.

A few glitches in the plan

After the first night Bailey and Koch knew their plans would have to be changed.

ìThe first two days we only traveled 60 to 70 miles each day,î Bailey said.

One factor the men didnít plan on was wet gear. Most mornings the pair didnít get on the road until 10 a.m. because they needed to wait for things to dry.

Some nights Bailey and Koch slept on the side of a creek, under a bridge or just on the side of the road. Sleeping outside was a part of the plan, but having to wait for wet gear was not.

ìWe also didnít expect to stop as often as we did,î said Koch. ìWe made about five to six stops a day.î

Koch said that they would only get in about six and a half hours of biking a day, and have to stop by 9 p.m. because the day light hours were running out.

Wet gear and late starts were not the only factors contributing to Bailey and Kochís mile shortage.

ìWhen we left the bike shop we bought our bikes at, the guy at the counter said to bring extra tires,î Bailey said. ìHe told us we would need a new tire every day.î

Although Koch and Bailey didnít need a tire for every day, the pair went through about six or eight flat tires.

When the pair reached Lewiston, ID, they made the decision to take a bus through a portion of the trip, to make up for the lost miles.

ìWe decided to take a bus from Lewiston, ID to Billings, MT,î Bailey said. ìWe were told it was a good idea to avoid the Rocky Mountains.î

ìA lot of people said that stretch is a trip in itself,î Koch said.

From Billings, Bailey and Koch stopped in several small towns like Hardin and Busby MT.

As the pair moved through Montana, Wyoming and into South Dakota they relied on each other, but when that couldnít be done, the kindness of strangers helped the pair along.

A helping hand

Koch said that having a flat tire is normal and that things like that will happen.

But when Bailey ran into trouble with his bike, it was more than just a flat tire.

ìAbout 57 miles outside of Pierre, SD, I broke a spoke,î Bailey said. ìI kept biking on it until another spoke broke. When that one broke I couldnít turn my wheel.î

Since Bailey couldnít bike any further he was forced to hitchhike into the closest town. Koch ended up biking the remaining 57 miles into town.

Luckily enough the man who picked Bailey up knew a guy, who knew the person who owned the bike shop in town.

ìThey convinced the bike shop owner to open the shop the next morning at 7:30 a.m.î Bailey said, ìand it was Memorial day weekend.î

Helping out with a broken wheel is only one of the many instances when Bailey and Koch were helped by strangers.

In Lewiston, when the pair asked for the location of a nearby campground the man told them it was flooded out.

ìInstead, he offers his spare bedroom to us for the night,î Bailey said. ìThere wasnít a bed in the room, but it beat sleeping outside.î

While in Union Center, SD Bailey and Koch stopped to ask a couple for water.

ìWe were invited to sleep on their porch, then in the living room,î Bailey said.

ìThey ended up feeding us dinner,î Koch said.

After 17 days of biking through fatigue, difficult weather and bike troubles, Bailey arrived at their apartment in Minneapolis on Friday, June 2.

ìWe biked over 100 miles that last day,î Bailey. ìIn the end we biked over 1350 miles.î

Looking back on the trip Bailey and Koch recognize where things could have been done differently, but they wouldnít change a thing.

ìI was regretting the trip at first,î Koch said. ìOnce we stopped having so many problems, things really fell into place.î

Now that the trip is over, they are anxious to plan another trip.

ìNow weíll have to do the other side, the East Coast trip,î Koch said smiling.

To see more pictures from Bailey and Kochís cross country bike trip visit www.flickr.com/photos/peterbailey.

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Forest Lake Times
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Forest Lake, MN 55025
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