Start of an Adventure
Date - June 19 2020
Current Location - Phoenixville PA
Miles Traveled - 0
Hey, my name is Chris Hytha. I am a photographer, designer, and architecture student at Drexel University. I am creating this blog as an archive of my photography, sketching, and thoughts as I travel across the USA on a bicycle.
This cross country trip has been a long time coming. Back in 2015, my friend Jake and I decided to ride our bikes 1,000 miles from Philadelphia to Florida the day after high-school graduation. You would think that we were die hard cyclists, but in reality we were just kids pushing the boundaries of what we thought was possible, with very limited cycling experience. The idea was a joke for the longest time, but eventually we realized, “wait we can actually do this.” The journey wasn’t easy with our minimal budget and old rusty bikes, but we made it. The experiences along the way were so positive, that we started to think about this cross country trip nearly right away.
2015 - End of our 1,000 mile bike tour from Philadelphia to Florida. (Jake on the left, Chris on the right)
Now, some details on the trip. Jake and I have been talking about doing this for years, and we have recruited some like minded individuals to join us. In reality though, we just asked every single person we know if they want to bike across the country, and these were the only folks brave enough to say yes. The gang is Jake Casmay, Jason Miller, John Adams, and me, Chris.
We are following the established Trans American Bike Route, then taking the Western Express. The trip will be a total of 4,000 miles, and 11 states as we travel from Phoenixville PA to San Francisco CA.
I am incredible excited for this trip for a few reasons. The first is I am exhausted. There are so many little things occupying the limited bandwidth of my mind in the city. There is school, work, apartment management, keeping up with friends, making time for photography, and all the little things in between. It is going to be so refreshing to only have to worry about pedaling, that’s all it takes. I am also excited for the creative challenge. I have been roaming the same streets of Philadelphia for years, and ready to change it up with small town America.
All the gear that is coming with me on the journey
Our route is as follows. If you, or anyone you know is along the route, we would greatly appreciate a yard to pitch our tents in!
Phoenixville PA June 20th
Christiansburg VA June 28th
Berea KY July 6th
Murphysboro IL July 14th
Girard KS July 22nd
Alexander KS July 30th
Pueblo CO Aug 7th
Dolores CO Aug 15th
Cedar City UT Aug 23rd
Fallon NV Aug 31st
San Francesco CA Sept 6th