Sadly, the carefree, adventure-filled days of summer have nearly come to an end. But if you made the most of your break, you’ll have memories to last a lifetime.
Chelsea Cash ‘14 cycled across the country solo after graduating from the College of Charleston.
Photo by Greg Siple, Adventure Cycling.
Just ask Chelsea Cash ‘14, who bicycled across the country solo after graduating from the College of Charleston. A resident of Mount Pleasant, S.C., Cash graduated magna cum laude and received the Outstanding Student Award from the Department of French, Francophone and Italian Studies.
“As much as I loved everything to do with college, I yearned for complete freedom,” says Cash. “I wanted to travel without the expenses that come with owning a car, and without the low speed of backpacking through the woods. A bicycle was the happy medium. All I could do was picture myself, a free bird, coasting across the plains of the Midwest, not a care in the world.”
Embarking from Yorktown, Va., in mid-July 2014, Cash mostly followed the TransAmerica Trail, mapped out by the Adventure Cycling Association, finishing her 5,000-mile ride four and a half months later in San Francisco.
The College Today recently caught up with Cash to learn more about her epic summer journey.
Q: What were some of the most important items you brought on the trip?
A: A good bike. Thankfully, my Surly Long Haul Trucker, which I named Aerinndis (a Norse mythological name meaning Air animal and Hearth) was my big graduation gift from my dad. A good seat (Brookes C17 Cambium) to get through those long days. Flat-proof tires (Shwalbe or a knock-off); my first flat was about 100 miles from the West coast, thanks to those tires. Waterproof panniers (Ortlieb).
I also brought an iPad mini with a keyboard for blogging, and a ukulele for singing. Just something to do besides biking!
Read the blog Cash kept along the way for more stories and photos from her adventure.
Q: What were some of the most memorable moments along the way?
A: Highlights:
- Reaching the Rockies. I’d never been out West before, so I felt like the original explorer. The first glimpse of those towering mountains on the horizon was a thrill I’ll never forget.
- Discovering (for myself) the Grand Tetons. There’s nothing more humbling than sky-scraping mountains, and nothing more stunning than those mountains in the crisp of fall.
- Uniting with a cyclist at long last. Oliver Mednick had been on my tail, unbeknownst to me, for most of my trip (he would see my name on trail logs, always two days ahead of him). When I took time off in the Tetons, he’d gotten overzealous in trying to catch up and passed ahead of me, unbeknownst to either of us for some time. Word passed through cyclists in ways that only a slow adventure could reveal, that I was behind him. So he’d leave messages and, once, a gift, for me to find in towns I’d pass through. Finally, we united in Eugene, Ore., and traveled together for three weeks.
- Reaching the Pacific Coast. Of course.
Q: Any close calls with cars, critters or strangers?
A: Thankfully, I had no close calls with cars or strangers. One of my biggest take-aways from the trip is that people are good and just want to help. People are good. Believe it.
You’d think I would have had close calls with grizzly bears in the Northwest, considering how pungent I smelled in my worn clothes, exposed at night in my solo tent, but alas, this is not a dramatic story: My only detrimental critter encounter was a chipmunk that chewed through one of my panniers and ate some of my food, an issue quickly mended with some handy guerilla duct tape. Little rascal.
Q: What are you doing now?
A: I just started working as a bicycle delivery driver for Caviar & Bananas on George Street. I’m saving up for a traveling adventure involving a Nice Cream food truck with my twin sister, Mazie Cash. (Her creations can be previewed on Instagram @Maziestree).
Q: Would you recommend a cross-country experience like yours to others? If so, what advice would you offer?
A: I would recommend a solo bike trip to anyone yearning for a truly independent, transformative experience.
You don’t have to be a cyclist; you will get in shape along the way. You don’t have to have clipless pedals to get up mountains; my Chacos were a dream (see photo below). You don’t have to go West-to-East like everyone says; the prevailing winds aren’t bad except in Montana. Then they’re bad. You don’t even have to have a route planned.
Your journey is your own. Let it be yours; you’ll figure it out along the way.
Watch the slideshow below to see photos from Cash’s ride. (Drag images or use the buttons to navigate.)
