Ski patroller spends summer traveling country on his bike

Most would call riding a bike 4,250 miles from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean a mental test and a physical challenge. South Lake Tahoe resident David Immeker says its his vacation.

"It's something I've wanted to do since I was a kid," Immeker said. "It's just a classic cross country route."

Immeker, a ski patrol supervisor at Heavenly Ski Resort, is tracking the TransAmerica Trail, a route established in 1976 by Adventure Cycling Association, a touring outfit specializing in long-distance trips. Avoiding major cities, the route begins at Yorktown, Va. and swirls along a compliment of back roads and scenic byways to its endpoint in Astoria, Ore.

Although Adventure Cycling offers sag-wagon support for the ride across the states, Immeker opted to try it on his own.

With his bike loaded with camping equipment, a few changes of clothes, a camera, extra food and a CD player, Immeker began his journey May 15.

Shortly after the start, Immeker met with two other solo bicyclists - one from Germany and one from Los Angeles - who were heading the same way.

Since then, the trio has pedaled 1,600 miles west across the Appalachian mountains in Kentucky, through the short steep passes of Missouri's Ozark range and into the plains of Kansas.

The flats are a welcome change from the eastern state's tiring hills.

"I had a sore knee early on in the trip but I'm not stressing it as much now that I am out of the steep terrain," he said.

Leaving behind one worry usually brings on another threat in this type of trip.

"I don't know what I'm going to do if there's a tornado out here," Immeker said. "I've never had to deal with anything like that before."

So far, strong headwinds have been his biggest enemy on this trip. Heavy rain and winding mountain passes have also slowed progress.

And the road ahead won't always be smooth.

The route will take Immeker, who plans on splitting up with his riding partners in Idaho, through Colorado's Rocky Mountain territory, then through the rough landscape of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Oregon.

But, averaging more than 65 miles a day on his special touring bike which offers a more comfortable ride than a regular road bike, Immeker hopes to see the Pacific by his target date in mid-July.

"I may go off the TransAmerica and finish in Northern California," he said, "then maybe ride down the coast a little bit, then head home."