In 2014 I left my home in California to bike to Chicago.

Alone.

But when I reached Chicago, I didn't want the adventure to stop. I had just graduated from college, and my bicycle was taking me places that my degree could not.

The people I met and the things I saw from the seat of my bicycle were life-changing. Read more about last summer's trip here (Claire to-do - move this to separate page).

When I learned about an opportunity to ride the Great Divide through a sponsorship with Blackburn Design, I eagerly applied and you can find my embarrassing video somewhere on YouTube. I didn’t complete the Great Divide - I made it about 2/3 of the way from Canada to Mexico due to a debilitating ankle injury developed from overuse.

I’d like to think that my story is still somewhat inspiring - and maybe one less told, since it is uncomfortable to share and less newsworthy than someone who successfully completed all 2,696 miles.

Read on if you’d like to hear my experience on the trail!

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note:

The blogs are listed from most recent to oldest, which is an annoying preset feature that I can’t seem to change without manually changing all the dates of each post. Until I make a table of contents…I would recommend starting with the oldest post and working your way forwards using the navigation links at the bottom of the page.

Enjoy!