Last fall, as I was recuperating from shoulder surgery, I started dreaming about the potential of making a road trip to the Pacific Northwest to ride and race. I knew that the North American Enduro Cup happened in late June in Kellogg, Idaho, and that it was a race I wanted to prioritize in 2025. A quick comparison of the costs of flying and renting a car for the weekend vs. driving out to Idaho indicated that it would be cheaper to drive–and if I was going to drive all the way to Idaho, I figured that I’d might as well stay out there for a few weeks. 

With my job being fully remote, the first priority was to figure out how to work effectively on the road. I purchased a Starlink Mini and a Jackery battery, then added “comfortable, tall-backed camp chair” to my Christmas list. Beyond that, I figured I’d be fine. Camping out of my car was nothing new; the only new part was doing it for more than a weekend at a time. 

As race dates began to be solidified, I started drafting out a plan of where I wanted to ride, the friends I could potentially visit, and the miles/hours of driving between each stop. (You all know I had a spreadsheet!). What started as a ~4 week trip quickly expanded into close to 6 weeks, as I realized it only made sense to incorporate the Cacapon Enduro in West Virginia and Transylvania Epic Stage Race in Pennsylvania into the trip (rather than driving back to VA for a couple of days in between). 

**Add road trip plan image that I shared on Insta**

When May rolled around, I packed up my Rav4, handed off an apartment key to a neighbor who had offered to check my mail and keep an eye on things in exchange for use of the patio (THANK YOU!), and said goodbye to friends, then drove north to Cacapon State Park in West Virginia. 

Stop 1: West Virginia Enduro Series, Cacapon State Park, West Virginia (May 16-18)

This was a race I would have done anyway, but happened to be on the way, so became the first stop of my trip. Thanks to B-Team, I was able to hang out with a crew throughout the race weekend, though I still camped in my car overnight. The race went well, and marked my first race win (since I don’t think Rockstar really counts) of the season. 

Stop 2: Translyvania Epic MTB Stage Race, State College, Pennslyvania (May 20-24)

With just one day between events, I rolled directly north from West Virginia and spent the extra day working at Rothrock Coffee before checking in for the stage race and setting up camp. Fortunately, I was able to find space under a pavilion, which allowed me to spread out my camp set-up despite the rain all week. As always, TSE was a great time riding and racing with friends, though by the end of the week I was pretty burnt out on racing and the challenge of balancing performance outcome goals with actually enjoying riding my bike in the woods (the rain all week didn’t help with this). Still, I managed to get 3rd overall on the week. 

As soon as the podiums wrapped up, I jumped on the road and drove west. 

Stop 3: Mom & Dad’s house, Fort Wayne, Indiana (May 24-25)

This was a super quick stop, mostly because I had miscalculated (forgotten?!) how far of a drive it was from State College to my parents’ house. Still, it was really good to see them, get a shower, do laundry (ALL the gross wet bike clothes!), and eat a home-cooked meal before jumping back in my car to continue driving. 

Stop 4: Salt Lake City, Utah (May 26-June 1)

I spent pretty much the entirety of Memorial Day weekend driving, taking advantage of a day off of work to get a big chunk of driving done. I slept somewhere in eastern Nebraska the first night, and stopped outside of Laramie, Wyoming to ride, but otherwise spent the entirety of Sunday and Monday driving. 

Once I made it to Salt Lake City, I stayed with my friend Lauren (and Brian!) and rode with her and another friend, Aaron, all week. My “East Coast lungs” struggled with the altitude, especially when riding up in Park City, but I wasn’t complaining about needing to stop frequently to take photos. The wildflowers were popping and the mountains were so, so beautiful!

Stop 5: Bend, Oregon (June 1-June 3)

From Salt Lake City, I drove up to Bend, Oregon, with a quick stop in Boise, Idaho to shake out the legs and explore the trails there. In Bend, I found dispersed camping spots in the National Forest, and set up my Starlink for the first time. Despite having to bundle up in every bit of warm clothing I owned in the mornings to stay warm during my 6 a.m. PST meetings, it worked perfectly, and I loved being on the 6 a.m. – 3 p.m. work schedule, as it let me get up early to work, then have plenty of time to ride in the afternoons and evenings!

Stop 6: Oakridge, Oregon (June 3-5)

This was the first stop on my trip where I got to take advantage of my Loam Pass. I scheduled afternoon shuttles with Trans Cascadia Adventures both days, and they were kind enough to allow me to camp in their parking lot and use their outdoor shower, which was awesome! The trails in Oakridge were really sick, with Alpine Trail easily becoming my favorite all-around trail. It was also really nice to be back in the “green room” after several weeks of desert riding. 

Stop 7: Race Cascadia Dirt Cup, Yacolt State Forest, Washington (June 5-7)

Jumping into a local enduro race seemed like a good way to meet new people and get a curated trail experience, so when I saw that a Race Cascadia Dirt Cup would be happening while I was in the area, I planned it into my travels. For this weekend, I opted to camp at the State Forest campground, which admittedly was no different than if I was dispersed camping, except for the fact that it was convenient to the venue and had a pit / drop toilet. There was no cell service, which made me glad to have Starlink for some kind of connectivity. I ended up camping next to another racer from the Seattle area, Chris, who was extremely generous in his sharing of trail knowledge, post-ride bevvies, and experience in fixing car tires. On the night before the race, after already flatting my bike tire en route to pre-riding that morning, I drove the ~1 mile to and from the trailhead to check in and returned to the campground to find that I had flatted my car tire as well. Chris offered to drive into the closest town to buy tire plugs, which saved me from having to drive on the spare tire the ~5 hours to Bellingham the next day. Thanks Chris! 

On race day, I met the other 3 women racing in the pro category, and spent all day riding with them. The race itself meant very little to me, as I was more concerned in staying upright and healthy for the rest of my travels, but it was a great opportunity to test my confidence and skills. One of the fun things about local enduro races is that they seem to have the same community-centric vibe no matter where in the world you are: riding with your friends, friendly competition, and celebrating life and bikes and trails together in the parking lot afterwards. 

Stop 8: Bellingham, Washington (June 7-10)

Last year, at the Trans New England stage race, fellow racers Sam & Jordan had offered to host me if I ever made it out to Bellingham. Not wanting to impose, I reached out to them prior to my trip, hoping I could at least catch up to ride and maybe car camp in their driveway. They immediately invited me to stay in their home and were absolutely incredible hosts (and, it turns out, we will get to ride/race together again in February in New Zealand!). During my time in Bellingham, I also connected with a friend of a friend with Roanoke roots to do some shuttling, as well as riding with Meghan, one of the racers from the Race Cascadia Dirt Cup enduro. Though it was just three days, I manged to squeeze in four rides and what felt like a premier tour of Bellingham riding. (I also got my car tire properly repaired and enjoyed a bit of time on the lake). There is no question in my mind that I want to come back to Bellingham for more riding–it is so, so good!

Stop 9: North Vancouver, British Columbia (June 10-15)

In North Vancouver, I stayed with a friend that I met at last year’s BC Bike Race, Sam (and rode with another Sam that I also met at BC Bike Race last year!). The first afternoon, I met Sam after work in Squamish, where he and a co-worker gave me a cold plunge introduction to riding slabs, going straight from Rupert to In-N-Out, which is a massive slab that I did make it down, but barely. The rest of the week, I alternated between riding the local goods on Fromme and Seymour in North Van and returning to Sqamish to ride. At this point, nearly five weeks into my trip with only one day off the bike entirely, I was starting to feel the fatigue–but didn’t want to miss out on the chance to ride epic trails, so just kept at it, even though it meant that Sam & Sam had to wait up for me on most of the climbs during Saturday’s ride (admittedly, they were both on XC bikes and I was on the enduro rig) and that I was mentally less-ready to attempt challenging features than I had been earlier in the week. 

Stop 10: Whistler, British Columbia (June 15)

Originally, I wasn’t sure if I would even go to the Whistler Bike Park, but Sam & Jordan convinced me that I needed to (ironically, they also tried to convince me to rent a DH bike so that I wouldn’t break my enduro rig). So instead of riding Whistler backcountry (which I’ve also heard is well worth the time), I decided to do a proper park day. It was a gorgeous day, and I actually ran into Sam again who was up riding for the weekend, as well as another BC Bike Race friend, Eric. After a full afternoon of lapping Dirt Merchant and Fade to Black with Eric and crew, plus some exploring on my own (Odesa might be my favorite tech trail that I rode at Whistler for pure fun, aka not on-the-limits challenging), I was completely exhausted, but happy. 

Stop 11: Pemberton, British Columbia (June 15-16)

From Whistler, I drove up to Pemberton, BC, where my (gorgeous) dispersed campsite was unfortunately so surrounded by tall pines that I was unable to get Starlink reception, so I found a city park (with showers!) right at the base of one of the trail systems, where I could set up and work for the day before my ride. The trails in Pemberton were gorgeous, though the incessant mosquitoes that somehow managed to bite me even while I was still moving were annoying. 

Stop 12: Revelstoke, British Columbia (June 16-17)

Revelstoke was the next stop, where I was disappointed to learn that the two high-alpine rides were still closed through the end of June as it was “protected Grizzly habitat.” I mean, I didn’t want to see a Grizzly–but I did want to ride Martha’s or Frisby. Instead, I rode at Boulder Mountain, and enjoyed some shorter loops of various trails there. 

Side note: the drive from Pemberton to Revelstoke was absolutely stunning. It probably took me two extra hours because of how many times I stopped to take photos. 

Stop 13: Nelson, British Columbia (June 17-18)

The drive from Revelstoke to Nelson was almost as awe-inspiring as the previous day’s drive, this one including a ferry across a lake. Nelson itself was on a lake as well, and I enjoyed the waterfront views for my “office” before driving up to the trailhead. As I was preparing to ride that day, I happened to turn my enduro bike upside down to check the brake pads and realized that I had cracked the chainstay at some point (probably during a low-consequence crash at Whistler). After some frantic problem-solving, I decided to ride anyway, and in a moment of miscalculated readiness, chose to descend a double-black trail “Bedframe,” where once again, my fatigued brain would not let me even attempt a number of features that admittedly were on the edge of my skill capacity (I was also notably nervous because of the number of “Make Noise. Grizzly Bear Habitat” signs I’d passed on the climb trail up). Despite walking some of the bigger features, I still had fun ripping the steeps and rock features on the way down, then transferring into a flow/jump trail that took me back to the parking lot. It was a shorter ride than usual, but I was tired, scared to see a grizzly bear, and anxious about my broken chainstay, so I called it at one lap and started the drive back to the U.S.

Stop 14: North American Enduro Cup / Enduro National Championship, Silver Mountain Resort, Kellogg, Idaho (June 18-22)

Though this race was the entire reason for my trip, by time I made it to Idaho, I was deep in the fatigue hole from riding bikes every.single.day along the way. I did take Thursday off, hoping that by some miracle, a single rest day would bring me back to life, but with little to no effect, especially considering the added stress of trying to get a replacement rear triangle for my bike before race day. 

The weekend was a whirlwind, which I’ve detailed more in my race report, but it was fun to see my fellow East Coast riders, to meet some more rad women racers, and challenge myself on an absolutely phenomenal course. This is definitely a race I want to come back for!

Stop 15: Maah Daah Hey Trail, North Dakota (June 23)

An unplanned stop, the Maah Daah Hey trail is somewhat legendary, and happened to be just a few minutes off of the freeway, so I set up my “office” at a local park for the day and then did a short spin on the trail itself to break up the driving (y’all, it is a LONG way from Idaho to Duluth, Minnesota!). 

Stop 16: Duluth, Minnesota (June 24)

My original plan was to use my Loam Pass to ride at Spirit Mountain in Duluth, but, after realizing they were not open on weekdays until July, I reached out to a friend in the area to see if she wanted to ride and catch up. Fortunately, both of our work schedules aligned, and we were able to get out for a ride on a section of the Duluth Traverse, which offered some pretty incredible views of Lake Superior. 

Stop 17: Copper Harbor, Michigan (June 24-26)

Always on the hunt for good dispersed camping spots, I had heard rumor of a waterfront spot out on the point. By time I got to Copper Harbor, it was after 11 p.m., and with no cell service (because Copper Harbor), started to attempt to find this camping spot. Several miles later, on a dirt road that was increasingly resembling a 4×4 trail, I eventually surrendered, turned around, and camped in a pull-off closer to town. The next morning, I got up early to get a ride in before work (since I was no longer on the lovely 6 a.m. – 2 p.m. work schedule), and took the Keewenaw Point Trail out to the bay where I had intended to camp. Turning around was definitely the right choice in my Rav4 with the bike rack…but the spot was gorgeous, and made me wish I had a more off-road capable vehicle to access it (maybe better tires and a lift kit?! lol). Because the biting gnats and mosquitoes were on the war path, I made the community center park my “office” for the two days in Copper Harbor, only leaving town to camp overnight. 

Though I absolutely loved the Highland and Keewenaw Point Trails, best identified as “backcountry flow,” I was a bit underwhelmed with the Copper Harbor trails that I shuttled (thanks Loam Pass!) the second day–they felt too slow on the enduro bike, but at the same time, had several features bigger than I wanted to attempt, even on the big bike. Maybe I’m just spoiled…or picky. Lol. 

Stop 18: Marquette, Michigan (June 26-28)

In Marquette, I took the “easy” button when it came to finding a camping spot and pulled into the Walmart parking lot with about ~15 other RVs and vans. Though I had recommendations for good dispersed camping locations with admittedly better views, I really didn’t want to deal with the mosquitoes again, and being able to go into the store to use the bathroom, buy snacks, and get ice for the cooler made life really simple.

After work on Friday, then again Saturday morning, I met up with Ben, a friend from Marquette that I met at Iceman Cometh a few years ago, to get the local trail tour. We rode a mixture of trails on the Marji Gessick course (a race I’m planning to do in September) and other trails in the area that highlighted the diverse nature of Marquette’s expansive trail network. Really, they do have a bit of everything: big rock slabs, old school tech, and new school flow. I just wished I wasn’t so fatigued… my brain and body were so, so tired by this point, and I kind of just wanted to be home.

Stop 19: Boyne Highland Bike Park, Michigan (June 28-29)

On the way south from Marquette, I stopped on both the Superior and Michigan shores to stretch my legs and appreciate the gorgeous blue water in both lakes. The Great Lakes really are impressive.

Though I debated whether squeezing another ride in was worth it, the Boyne Highlands Bike Park was a good way to split up the drive from Marquette to Fort Wayne, and on the Loam Pass–so free?! I decided to stop, and ended up getting some really good practice in on drops of varying sizes, despite an unexpected rainstorm.

Stop 20: Fort Wayne, Indiana (June 29-30)

Though I wanted to try and make time to ride the trails at Franke Park where I first learned to mountain bike, it just wasn’t possible this trip–and I didn’t need more miles on my legs at this point. Instead, I met up with some friends and had dinner with my parents (and breakfast the next morning), before making the final day’s drive back to Roanoke.

July 1: HOME!

Some stats (since I’m a data nerd!) from the trip:

• 7,296 miles driven
• 45 days (29 nights in my car; 16 with friends/family)
• 2 countries, 19 states
• 809 miles, 101,848 ft of climbing, 167,331 ft of descending (all on a mtb!) in 48 rides
• Elapsed ride time was 5 days, 16 hours
• 3 rest days (off the bike)

All in all, what an incredible opportunity this was, and while I do want to do it again (maybe next year?!), I am also so, so glad to be home.