Greetings from San Fransisco

Well we made it this far. We have seen rain, snow, winds, and now finally sunshine since we've been in California. The trip has been full of improvisation but that is why we bicycle tour right? It been fun trying to change our route when we were not able to pass through the mountains in Washington. So we went through Portland and made a little detour, but we got back on track at the beautiful McKenzie and stayed at one of my all time favorite campgrounds at McKenzie Bridge. The coast has been amazing. Dramatic would not even begin to describe it. Look for pictures on twitter and facebook. Remember to follow my tweets for current updates on where we are and what we are doing. I want to take a second to thank everyone who has donated to the cause in my name so far. Your donation directly helps those with MS. It provides funding to Bike the US for MS projects like building wheelchair ramps and home improvements as well as contributing to treatment and research at the James Q. Miller clinic in Charlottesville.

Thank you:

Colin Beal

Drew Walker

Ed & Carol Fox

Jim & Harriet Craft

Jenifer Walker

Andrew & Mindi Walker

Karen & Martin Jones

The Stallings'

Matt & Jen Walker

Tim & Ann Walker

Bill & Pat Fordyce

Deb Yurow

Dustin Akers

Base Camp

Tonight is the last night in Seattle and we have experienced so much hospitality. I cannot thank everyone that helped us along the way enough. We're setting out tomorrow for the mountains and Mount Rainier. We will certainly see snow since the pass didn't open until last Thursday, but we are ready. There has been so much to do to get prepared for this, and everyone is excited to get underway.

During our ride tomorrow we get the privilege of helping some suffering from MS by giving her house a good spring cleaning. This is what is most important about our trip, because we get to meet people and directly help them.

So out of Seattle and into the Cascades, try to keep up.

The Ride is Complete

Hello everyone.

I'm writing from Anchorage, Alaska! As you can see the ride is over but the adventure is far from done. The last part of the trip was amazing, and I have fallen in love with the northwest. It is so beautiful and has so many cool things to offer, especially in the area of cycling. Oregon had one last difficult obstacle to overcome in Ochoco Pass. It was, in my opinion, one of the hardest climbs of the trip which was made harder by the heat wave in the already hot eastern Oregon. But we camped a-top the pass that night and had a great down hill to start the day.

On the other side of the mountains was the quintessential scenery of western Oregon with the monster trees and lush undergrowth. But the most beautiful part for me was the blue glacial waters that lured me in. I stood underneath a freezing cold water fall and soaked in the beautiful Mackenzie River. This was encouraged by my teammates considering my pledge to not shower from Missoula to Florence, which was accomplished, and I don't think I smelled that bad.

Florence was great and the trip ended with a dip the Pacific Ocean. It was my first time seeing the massive body of water, and I couldn't think of a better way to end the trip of a lifetime. For there the team split up to our respective locations. Mason, Leanna and I made it up to Portland and Mason and I continued on to Seattle, where we hung out for a few days before I boarded a flight to Anchorage to see my brother Matt and his wife Jen.

I want to thank everyone for their amazing support throughout the country. The whole way from Virginia to Washington we have seen the most amazing hospitality, and I really cannot thank everyone enough.

This is not the end of our mission either. We will continue to raise money and awareness for MS, and the planning for the next ride has already began. Please be in contact with us if anyone is interested in donating, raising money, joining the next ride, or if you or someone you know needs support fighting Multiple Sclerosis. We are here, just let us know what we can do.

Thanks again for following, and there is a bright future for this organization and for those affected by MS.

Chris Walker

We've made it to Oregon

Hello everyone!

We crossed the boarder into Oregon this morning and the first thing that happened was Daniella, Amanda and Kristen go flats. It was a long day but we have made it to Baker City, and have replenished. It's too bad we were only in Idaho for such a short time. I would put it near the top of the favorite states list, for a few reasons, but probably the main reason was all the great river swimming I was able to do there. Nothing feels better when you get off your bike from riding all day than a cool dip in a mountain river. Don't let anyone tell you there are no beaches in Idaho either. White sandy beaches at almost every bend in the river made swimming holes all the more appealing.

Only one state to go! Remember that we are in the thick of a fundraising race, and make sure to donate in the name of your favorite rider.

Missoula, MT

Hello from Montana!

I cannot believe we are so close to Canada. I'm coming to grips with that and the fact that we are also so close to the end of the trip. We only have two weeks left, and we have started the two week fund raising challenge. This is the time to donate in the name of your favorite rider. Just go to biketheusforms.org to donate. We've only got a short amount of time, and we want to raise as much as possible.

Much like the other parts of the country, the generosity we see from people keep us humble and motivated. Thank you so much Jan and Nancy for showing us an amazing time in Hamilton, MT at the Bitterroot Valley Lanes. Never has bowling been so much fun!

Soon we will be in Idaho, and will only have Oregon left. This trip has gone by extremely fast, yet when I think about things from the beginning of the trip its as though I'm thinking of things from a year ago. I'm glad I've got so many pictures to help jog the memories.

Until the next post, keep an eye on my tweets to stay up on what is going on.

I Love Wyoming

Hey everyone!

I hope people are able to follow my Tweets and keep up with me.  It is much easier to communicate that way.

So we are in Wyoming!  Colorado was great, and Wyoming is awesome.  I love it here, it is so cool.  Its like riding through a geological text book.  Everywhere you go there is something really interesting.  The only bad spot we found was in a stretch between Rawlins and Lander.  We biked 108 miles because every spot was not worth staying for.  We ended up staying in Jeffery City because there wasn't anything close enough.  We were kicked off our camping spot, and this all gave me motivation to get up the next morning and get on the road to Lander.  I really enjoyed Lander, and have found Dubois to be very pleasant as well.  Tomorrow is our next climb and pass at over 9,000 feet.

I cannot wait until Yellowstone!

Colorado in no time

Hello from Ordway, Colorado. We've been truckin' across western Kansas and eastern Colorado. In the past three days, we traveled around 280 miles to get to this point. Yesterday was 130 miles, thanks to the sweet tailwind, especially in the morning.

The flatter land has been nice, but I'm beginning to look forward to climbing the Rockies and heading to some states I've never been to before. The Pacific Ocean still feels really far away, but there will be plenty of amazing things to come between now and then. There is so much to appreciate. I was dreading Kansas, because when I drove through it, I didn't like it much. However, biking through the plains and prairies of Kansas and Colorado, I've been able to see it from a different perspective, and it's been wonderful. I'll be getting my camera cord soon so I can try and share some pictures. I've been taking lots, and I think there will be a few good ones.

Kansas has had some of the highlights of the trip. We were able to visit with people diagnosed with MS. From young to old, male and female. Everywhere we go we are stopped and thanked for our efforts because MS effects so many lives. We are the ones that should be thanking them. Everyone has been so generous and have provided us with so much inspiration that it makes crossing the country on a bicycle easier. They give us such a boost in energy and morale.

Now we begin the West. Keep following, there is tons of good stuff yet to come.

Chris