Summer 2004: New Jersey to Oregon

The inaugural Coast to Coast for Hope ride departed in early July  from Ship Bottom, New Jersey, a resort town on the Jersey Shore. As honorary rider for the first day, Pete Alward took the first kicks of the pedals as he lead Brian, Travis and Cameron from the sandy dunes of the Atlantic westward.

The route taken by the 2004 Coast to Coast for Hope team

The first phase of the trip took Brian, Travis and Cameron from New Jersey to Washington, DC. These were interesting days for the group, as they learned to pilot their heavy bicycles through east coast congestion. Soon enough, they had put some distance between themselves and the Atlantic as they headed south through the Virginia countryside towards Charlottesville.

The team arrives at the ferry at Cape May, NJ

Saying goodbye to Cameron, Brian and Travis pushed onward and upward, connecting with the TransAmerica bicycle trail on their way over the steep grades of the Appalachians. Crossing into Kentucky at Breaks Interstate Park, the tandem left the TransAmerica to head towards Louisville. Ryan joined the group upon their arrival into Louisville, and they set off due west across the US heartland.

Ryan Burke, looking across the plains for sight of the Rockies

With relatively flat terrain and agreeable weather, the team pushed hard across the Midwest and began to log 100 mile days. These “century” days help them arrive at the base of the Rockies in Boulder, Colorado in mid-August. From Bolder, the team took an interesting off-road detour that put their touring gear to the test before heading north into Wyoming. A quick detour into Jackson Hole and some days spent riding around Yellowstone preceded their entrance into Montana.

Travis Rave and Ryan Burke on an off-road descent in Colorado

Certainly a world away from the terrain, population and roads they saw back east, they pressed on through Montana and Idaho, once again on the TransAmerica. Big sky, big mountain passes and epic descents filled long days of riding. The team entered Oregon well into September, and they pressed on toward the coast through some of the most interesting terrain of the entire trip.

Brian Alward takes a break on a chilly Idaho morning

The team had traveled over 4,000 miles via bicycle upon reaching the Oregon dunes. It was a cold, overcast day and nearly October as the team climbed over a massive dune to find the vast Pacific at their feet. They would spend over a week riding north along the coast before turning toward Portland where they would catch a return flight back east.

For the team, traveling coast to coast was nothing less than epic. They ended their journey with nothing but ocean in front of them, a continent behind them, and thousands of dollars earmarked for the American Cancer Society.

Coast to Coast for Hope will be launching a new, expanded website later this year (after the 2007 team’s completion on their ride) that describes the 2004 and 2007 rides in greater detail while elaborating on how extraordinary it can be to couple these types of journeys with charitable fundraising efforts.

Reaching the coast, for hope