One odd thing about the tour is that I kept forgetting about certain towns and events. It was only upon constructing this journal that I remembered many of them. At the risk of leaving things out, here are some lingering impressions of my 2022 tour.

Best and Worst Drivers

By far the best drivers I encountered were in Kansas. Kansas drivers stop, look, and listen at stops signs. They are so careful they are unnerving. They drive under the speed limit. (Truth be told this methodical behavior carried over to restaurants. Getting served always seemed to take forever in Kansas. I mean, what's the hurry? You're in rural Kansas.)

The worst drivers were the family of road ragers I dealt with in eastern Kansas. Their anger would have been upsetting anywhere but it was so out of place in Kansas that it was truly upsetting.

Honorable mention for worst drivers was the jerk who passed Mark on the blind curve in Idaho. There were plenty of other incidents of bad driving behavior but you'd expect that in two months on the road.

Best and Worst Awards

The best breakfast was Rachel Posthumus's scrambled eggs at her Warmshowers home in Ennis, Montana. (The dinner she and her husband Mike cooked up wasn't half bad either.) The best dinner was the spinach ravioli at the Lake Restaurant in Grant Village in Yellowstone. 

The worst food was the beef burrito I had in Canon City, Colorado. Second place goes to the Chinese food in Cambridge, Idaho. 

Best hostel goes to Spokes N' Hostel in Mitchell, Oregon. Honorable mentions go to the Northwest Portland hostel, the Churchill School hostel in Baker City, Oregon, and The Pad in Silverthorne, Colorado. 

Best campground goes to Nehalem State Park on the Oregon coast. Worst campground goes to Grant Village in Yellowstone - because I froze. 

Hardest day was the short ride with crazy crosswinds from Eureka to El Dorado in Kansas. Second place goes to the long ride into the wind through the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming.

Biggest surprise was how we all adapted to climbing. By the end of the trip we were unstoppable. I was trying to keep the weight in my panniers down to ease the climbs. By the end of the trip the loss of weight on my body far exceeded anything I threw out along the way.

Worst motel/accomodations goes to Guffey, Colorado. Many riders think this place is quaint and amusing but I thought it was a dump. Literally. Second place goes to the trailer motel in Hells Canyon. (I wish we had known about the Idaho Power company campgrounds in the canyon. We rode by a few and they looked nice.) Another dud was the Super 8 in Corvallis. It was vastly overpriced and poorly maintained.

Best hotel goes to the Comfort Inn in Redmond. We payed through the nose for it but it was worth it. Honorable mention goes to the Courtland Hotel in Fort Scott, Kansas. It was such a cool old place and the owner freed my bike from a frozen lock. Also, Kim's Cabins in Windsor, Missouri on the Katy Trail was comfy.  

Biggest disappointment was Dodge City. I thought National Beef was more interesting that the cowboy side of town. Second place goes to Daniel Boone's grave. The modern, polished headstone looked ridiculous.

Some Thanks

Thanks to Corey and Mark for most excellent bike touring company. I'm glad you got to finish your TransAm.

I met and re-met so many engaging people during this trip. It's one of the perks of being on the TransAm route. There are too many to name here. But a special note is in order. To my friend Rachel Cannon: I hope Annie gets all the fritters she can eat in dog heaven. Thanks for coming by to see me. 

And finally a special thanks to my wife, Ginny Mayes, who kept the house from burning down while I was away.