Inspiration

When my father was 24, he and a couple of his friends embarked on a bike tour that started in Seattle and ended in Denver. They followed the Grateful Dead on tour, and he called his 2,300-mile journey the "Tour De La Dead." He described it as a life-changing experience and always wanted to do a bike tour with me.

Unfortunately, at the beginning of 2023, my father passed away due to cancer. To honor his memory, I decided to undertake a similar journey. Initially, I planned to recreate his trip, but as you’ll read, things changed halfway through. I also wanted to challenge myself, as my life had been pretty stagnant after graduating college. I was working a job I didn’t enjoy, and the lease on the house I was renting with my friends was ending. So, I convinced a friend to join me on this trip and leave his job as well.