TOURING CYCLISTS AND HIKERS ONLY. NOT A TRAVELER'S STOP.
"Good behavior and an attention to manners is highly prized."

This year's ride!
Had a tour up the spine of the Sierra Mountains planned for 2020 but the virus put the kabosh to that for the past two summers. Paralleling the Pacific Crest Trail has been postponed to 2022. I sure didn't need two years off. This summer is much more promising. I also use the bicycle hospitality site to locate hosts but these are few and far between on this year's mountainous route. By the way, Campgrounds have really raised their prices for tent people like me. They many times charge as much as if I were in a huge motorhome.

June 2022 - Sept. 2022
This year's pedaling from Mexico to Canada will be to raise money for the Tunnel to Towers Organization which provides homes for severely injured Vets, 1st Responders and Gold Star families.
The route mirrors Adventure Cycling's Sierra Cascade Route in most areas, beginning on the Southern end. When the route gets to the upper end, I wanted to get as close to the terminus point of the Pacific Crest Trail as possible but roadways are scarce up there so I have to do a loop through Canada to get it done.

I'm a people person and much of the ACA planning has to do with endless rural travel whereas I like to detour to stop a talk to people and see tourist stuff. With a stop in Lake Tahoe to visit my daughter's family, the ride should take about 80 days.

Presently, I am new-family-member babysitting in Lake Tahoe and not accepting guests. -
515-988-8604 - jackjday@gmail.com - FB jack.day.98434 - 2019 Ride FB - Jack Day Bicycle
I am home only marginally in the winter months and not at all in the summer time. Retired, I spend most of this time exploring or planning the next adventure. You are more than welcome to benefit from my hospitality if I am available, but few riders or travelers pass through Des Moines. Therefore, my experience with Couchsurfing has been mostly limited to being a guest and only infrequently a host. But with age creeping up, the future dealings with Couchsurfing members will become more and more as a host. ...I hope you have contributed to the organization. I do because I owe them so much.

Past Solo Bicycle Tours since retirement:

2011 - Golden Gate Bridge to Times Square New York City.

2013 - 7,000 mile eastern USA loop - Iowa - Key West - Maine - Great Lakes - Iowa.

In 2014 to answer the Call to Adventure and celebrate my 71st year, I bicycled the first half of an 9,000 mile USA Western loop, my fourth long distance bicycle tour since retirement. Iowa - Vancouver, Canada - California Coast

On 7/25/2015 I completed a 4,600 mile solo bike tour of the USA Desert SW. It began 3/15/15 in San Luis Obispo, CA for a 4 month and 10 day, return to my home in Des Moines, Iowa.

2016 - Bicycle tour down the Mississippi River basin to New Orleans and then west to California. 3,600 miles

May 2017 - A 4,400 mile bicycle adventure (C2C@73) in was to angle up from Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, through the Great Smoky Mountains to the Mississippi River basin. From there I headed north up the river to its headwaters at Lake Itasca, Minnesota. Then up to the Canadian border, the northern most point of the contiguous USA. At that point I cut west across the top of the country to Seattle, WA. Then down to Lake Tahoe, NV for a family reunion before ending the ride in San Francisco on the Golden Gate Bridge.

2018 -A bike ride down to Mississippi where I picked up the Natchez Trace to Nashville, TN. I then dropped down to Chattanooga, TN to bike the Appalachian Mountains NE to the Blue Ridge Parkway. This was a route to parallel the Appalachian Trail (hiking route) all the way up into the state of Maine.

2019 - The plan is to begin in Portland, Maine after the 4th of July, ferry to Nova Scotia where I will cycle the Maritimes all the way up to Newfoundland and return. Around 3,000 miles, one of my shortest bicycle tours. (Getting older.)

I find that many are inspired by my adventures into becoming more active in their own lives. The Adventure Cycling maps don't always include what I want to experience on their cycling maps. I keep telling myself one can't see it all, but I'm trying.

My time is my own with three grown children (31-33-36). Each is a professional who I am very proud of, and I have just been blessed with my eighth grandchild. I am inspired by my children and their spouses who all compete in triathlons/marathons. My son recently completed his first Ironman in Cozumel, Mexico.

PHILOSOPHY

Be Eccentric Now. The Clock of Life is Only Wound Once.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

This site was recommended to me by an American bicycle tour guide that takes groups over to Italy. Couchsurfing allows me to meet many like minded people that make life so enriching.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Easter Sunday 2013, I embarked on a 7,000 mile bicycle ride throughout the eastern portion of the USA and pieces of Canada. I enjoyed the hospitality of more than 100 hosts along the way using Couchsurfers and Warmshowers, a cycling site. The trip was a loop; Des Moines, Iowa to Key West, FL, then up to the northern tip of Maine, and then returned home to Iowa. I found each of my hosts to be interesting, generous and gracious. And of like mindedness, loving to explore. In 2014 through 2018 I stayed with a marginal amount of CS hosts, relying mostly on Warmshowers.Org for hospitality. Very little hosting experience because so few folks pass through Iowa. This will change soon with age and I will hosting more and more as traveling is more limited.

Interests

Videography, photography, bicycle touring, triathlon, lecturing.

• photography
• triathlon
• drones
• cycling
• cartography
• tourism
• video editing

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I have been fortunate. I grew up in a happy full house that showed no bias or ill will towards others. I witnessed the miracles of my three children being born. I saw the ugliness of conflict in Southeast Asia in my youth, therefore appreciated whatever came next. And now in my senior years, there is still room for adventure and satisfaction. Every day is amazing.

Teach, Learn, Share

All people are fun to know, we all have our quirks. I infrequently give slideshow presentations to civic groups in host towns on my cross country bike rides in my attempt to inspire more people to the cures of exercise and also raise awareness of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

What I Can Share with Hosts

One likes to bring a house gift when being hosted. I tried wine and was surprised at how many hosts allow no alcohol in their homes. Then I switched to fruit trays but nowadays there are many places where there are no markets or stores to find a treat. Then I had the idea of providing drone photos of hosts and their properties from unique and different perspectives. Even host firehouses and rangers love this gift.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Costa Rica, France, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Monaco, Nigeria, Panama, Philippines, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Virgin Islands, British, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Germany, Japan, United States