Let's go!

After didn't do it in New Zealand I decided to write a blog about my bike trip in the US. I apologize in advance for maybe bad grammar or spelling mistakes and less experience in blog-writing:) I also can't promise to post always in time cause there might be no reception for days or "sometimes" low battery on my phone.

Cause there was almost no reception the last few days I'm already behind so you'll find the first few days all at once.

After I packed all my stuff in 3 bags back home I was ready to head off to New York the start for my 3-months trip crosscountry to San Francisco. The original plan was to take kind of a northern route towards Yellowstone and Salt Lake (visiting some relatives on the way) then south to Grand Canyon and west again via LA to San Francisco. That would mean an average distance of at least 80km (50miles) a day including the two days of not-cycling at the beginning and the end, so rather 90km than 80. Let's see how all that works out:)

It was actually a very good idea to be 5 hours prior to the flight at the airport cause with my two big bags (they contain the bags on my bike later) and my big bag with my bike in it, I had to carry about 50 kilos at once and must have looked like a giant human Bulldozer pushing everything and everybody away with the big bike-bag in front of me and the other two behind (thank God they had rolls otherwise it would have been literally impossible to carry them all at once). Anyway it took me an hour to get from the train-station to the counter and another 1 1/2h to get to my gate (they haven't been prepared for someone with a bike apparently, what a chaos!).

Booking the cheapest flight doesn't usually mean to book the most convenient one so I had a 10h-Stoppover in Iceland during the night. Well...it's not a night actually. Cause it's so far north the sun just hides like three hours below the horizon. During this time it stays almost daylight, which is kinda interesting to watch cause sunset and sunrise is the same thing but it's not good for sleeping at all. I wondered how people can stand this in summer AND in winter when there's almost no daylight. But luckily I don't have to live here:) Finally we took of and after a relaxing flight with nice views over Greenland and North-East-Canada I reached the start of the whole trip...well...almost. My place to stay for the first two nights was about 50km from the airport. As far as I can tell the New York Subway-System is not made for traveling with that much luggage! These three hours (switching trains, climbing staircases) have been the most exhausting so far! The more happier I was when I finally, finally! reached the last stop! I stayed at Danielle's house, a friend I met on my last trip in New Zealand and who (luckily for me) had her home in the suburbs of NYC. She and her family have been such nice hosts, I felt very welcomed. Thank you for that stay again! :) The whole next day after my arrival I spend fixing my bike and sending the bags to San Francisco, which took me about 10 hours in total. But I was ready :)