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Not everyone would take on a 4,000-mile bike ride, and that’s why completing the trip is so satisfying to Luverne’s Walt and Beryl Moser.
“If you like bicycling and if you enjoy travel — do it,” Walt said.
The couple will share information about their three-month cross country adventure Sunday evening, Oct. 16, at First Baptist Church, where Walt is the pastor. The program begins at 6:30 p.m.
The idea for this summer’s bike ride from Portland, Oregon, to Washington, D.C., began with a simple purchase 20 years ago.
“We bought each other bicycles for our 25th anniversary,” Beryl said. “We had bikes before, but we didn’t do a lot of riding.”
They recently celebrated their 45th year together.
Walt’s interest in staying physically active after retiring from the Army led him to biking.
“I never enjoyed running. Of course, in the military, you ran,” Walt said. “We tried a variety of things.”
The Mosers purchased a recumbent tandem bicycle, and a passion for enjoying the outdoors was born.
They switched to the single riding on Salsa Fargo bikes to complete their first cross country ride in 2015, the year before they came to Luverne.
Seven years ago, they rode the northern tier of the United States. “It was something I wanted to do — ride across the U.S. — just to see if I could do it,” Walt said.
Beryl had a simpler explanation of joining Walt and climbing on a bike and pedaling every day for 90 days.
“He’s crazy and I am stupid for going along,” she said with a laugh.
The Mosers carried all supplies with them during this summer’s ride.
Not including the weight of water or food, each carried 30 to 35 pounds of gear that consisted of a tent, two sets of biking clothes, sleepwear, rain gear, cooking equipment and coats for riding in the mountains.
Bike ride began
May 22 from St. Paul
They began their ride May 22 when they boarded an Amtrak train in St. Paul for the trip to Portland, Oregon, where they would begin their bike ride to Washington, D.C.
Family joined the Mosers during the first weeks of the ride, but the majority of the time it was just the two of them.
The couple followed a map developed by the Adventure Cycling Association for the 1976 bicentennial. It showed campgrounds, motels, water stops, places to buy food and area attractions.
The map took them on county roads, where they often met other bicyclists following the same map.
They planned their route every day, making sure they stopped for water along the way.
“The goal is to try and drink every 15 minutes,” Walt said. “Some of this depends on the heat of the day, and we try to drink whether you want to drink or not.”
In Montana they rode in 31-degree temperatures and light snow.
“My feet were so cold I couldn’t feel anything from here (points to ankle) to my toes,” Beryl said. “It was so cold.”
A detour around Yellowstone National Park due to recent floods took them off the plotted route.
“That was probably the scariest part because traffic was so heavy,” Walt said.
Coming into Rush, Colorado, which was not part of the mapped route, they found only a church and a café where people were accommodating.
“They let us spend the night in the church,” Walt said. “The next day was 67 miles with no place to get water.”
The Mosers carried extra bottles of water to make sure they stayed hydrated.
“The vast majority of the people are really good people,” he said. “We never felt threatened by an individual.”
They left the cold behind weeks later when they entered Kansas and Missouri and days of 100-degree heat.
Some nights, instead of setting up a tent, the Mosers opted for a motel and air conditioning to escape the heat and to let their bodies recover.
The bike adventure
ended on Aug. 16
The Mosers, ages 66 and 62, carried cell phones and listened to audiobooks along the ride. They talked about the subjects after riding anywhere from 60 to 80 miles a day once they were out of the mountains.
When they reached the eastern U.S. bike trails, the Mosers’ pace slowed down. The last 355 miles were by bike path.
“Seeing the U.S. at 10 miles per hour, it looks different,” Walt said. “You see all the crops — you see objects you’ll never see at 55 mph-plus.”
They prepared for the bike ride across the U.S. by training around Luverne. For mountains, they repeatedly pedaled up and down the state park’s hill north of Luverne.
The Mosers are planning their next bike ride that will take them along the southern tier of the country. They may also complete a bike trip to Alaska.
For now they’ll enjoy sharing their biking experience with others.
“We’ve learned about ourselves, each other and the greatness of God,” Walt said. “We enjoyed Amtrak, family, great views, rivers to follow, a few detours. Some places we strained to push up the hills and a few rain-filled days and campsites. We were both ready to be home and with our church family.”