On June 4, 2006, Bill and his biking partner, Bill Melton, will complete the goal they planned several years ago…to bike from coast to coast.

Bill Westhoff has planned and trained for his bike ride across America for a long time. The second half of his journey begins on June 4, 2006 in Edina and will end in late June in Bar Harbor, Maine.

The following is a day-by-day account of the ride and Bill's adventure of a lifetime! Enjoy the journey with him!

Bill expresses his sincere thanks to those of you who have supported his ride through Team Lung.

Day 1

Bill and Bill began Day 1 of their travels in Edina and ended in Lake City, completing 84 miles on the first day. The temperatures were in the 80's with strong headwinds from the south that proved challenging at times.

Making a wrong turn to Hastings, they ended up in Vermillion; having lunch at Kiefer's Bar where the bartender hearing of their trip provided lunch on the house. Both men had a good friend named Kiefer who passed away recently which made this lunch a special occasion on several counts. Ending Day 1 in Lake City, they enjoyed a delicious meal at a restaurant overlooking Lake Pepin.
See the map of their journeys.

Warmer temperatures and stronger headwinds made the trip a bit more challenging on Day 2 but they arrived safely in LaCrosse on Tuesday evening having traveled 83 miles. Again, stopping for cokes at a tavern along the way, they were offered the refreshment free of charge. The highlight of the day was the beautiful scenery of the bluffs and the valleys as they traveled along the river.

The third day of Bill's travels will be titled the "4 H" day…humid, heat, headwinds and hills. They made their way from LaCrosse, WI to Marquette, Iowa completing a distance of 68 miles. An adjustment to Bill's bike seat half way through the day made the trip a bit easier for the rest of the day. They met many nice folks in the small towns along the route and found it interesting to watch the river as it became progressively wider and wider.

Starting out of Marquette on Day 4, Bill and Bill encountered 3.5 miles of strenuous uphill biking. This day will be known as the "valley day". As Bill put it - valleys, valleys everywhere. With winds from the northwest, they experienced very hot temperatures that slowed them down to 63 miles total for the fourth day of their journey. Bill was particularly impressed by the number of very large, beautiful and opulent Catholic churches in many of the very small towns they rode through. They ended the day in Diresville, Iowa having now traveled a total of over 300 miles.

The fifth day of Bill's ride will be none as "Mona's Day". Leaving Dyersville, the two men biked 95 miles in 9 hours, ending their day in Muscatine, Iowa. The temperatures were in the 90's and although there was a slight breeze, it was a tough hot day.

One of the strange events of the day was a bird attacking Bill's helmet, not once but twice. His partner remarked that the bird was fond of Bill and wanted to get to know him better.

At 2:30 that afternoon, they stopped at Mona's Café in Lowden, IA. No one was around and so they opened the refrigerator and helped themselves to a root beer and a gingerale. Mona came from the back and was delighted to see them, offering them a piece of her delicious lemon chiffon pie stating that they were a blessing to her. She told them of how the town had offered her some economic development funds to keep her café open and how the farmers shared their vegetables and fruit with her and she received ice from another source in town at no charge. In Bill's words, it was a wonderful statement about American capitalism at its best. The memory of Mona and her café will be with the Bills for a long time to come. They ended their day hot, tired and and sore.

Here is a personal note from Bill:

The cartoon says it all! The bike ride to Maine is suspended. After developing blisters on the second day, I could not find relief. Many adjustments were made to clothing, bike seats, etc., but things progressed to the point that continuing to ride would cause more serious problems. We arrived in Muscatine, Ia. at 8:45 pm on Thursday night and took the next morning to assess our options. We determined that this was the best location to rent a vehicle to return to Mpls with our bikes. We arrived in Minneapolis at 7:30 pm on Friday night.

Bill and I are both committed to completing the ride across the US and have now finished the Minnesota and Iowa segment. We may resume part the remaining trip this year; or it may wait until next year. All I know now, is that we both enjoy the challenge of the ride, meeting the people and seeing beautiful scenery up close and personal. I need a few more days to heal and determine next steps.

I am truly thankful for those who offered pledges and words of support, but equally sorry that I could not complete this goal as envisioned. Should any supporters want their money returned, I am more than happy to do that.