Decorah resident bikes across America after graduating from Luther

Schaeffer in Bar Harbor, ME at the end of his 3,900 mile journey.

After graduating from Luther College this spring, Decorah resident Blaise Schaffer had a college degree, a job at IBM starting in mid-August and about 10 free weeks with nothing to do between these two momentous events.

He figured that he wouldn't let those ten weeks of freedom go to waste, so he set out to bike across the continental United States. The nearly 3,900 mile trip, initially planned to take ten weeks, would only take Schaffer five and a half weeks to complete.

"About two or three years ago, I had the idea that I want to do something big like this, and I thought it would be cool to bike across America," Schaeffer said. "I interned at IBM and they offered me a job with the option to start later in the summer, so I figured this was my opportunity."

While always an avid biker, after finally committing to taking on this challenge while on a senior year J-Term trip to the West Coast, Schaeffer began extensively training and preparing for the undertaking.

"When I got home, it was cold outside, so I started riding two hours a day on the stationary bike and did some running," Schaeffer said. "Once it got nice out, I started doing a 20-30 mile loop around Decorah. Eventually I got up to 50-60 miles a day. I had a nice enough senior schedule where I could ride a lot."

Schaeffer then began planning his route and his stops along the way, based on resources provided by experienced friends. Schaeffer planned to spend some of his nights camping, but also planned to stay with people who regularly hosted touring cyclists, thanks to the hospitality exchange website, "Warm Showers."

"People were super nice and helpful on 'Warm Showers," Schaeffer said. "Oftentimes they would cook breakfast for you and were just interested in how your travels were going. A lot of the people hosting were into bike touring themselves."

On May 25th, Schaeffer dipped the front tire of his bike into the Pacific Ocean in Anacortes, Washington. Riding all along the northern tier of the United States, Schaeffer would eventually dip his front tire into the Atlantic Ocean outside of Bar Harbor, Maine on July 2nd, only 39 days after he set out.

"I planned to do about 75 miles a day," Schaeffer said. "After the first day, I got into my destination at about 1:30 in the afternoon and started to think, 'I can probably do this much faster than I planned.' I think my longest day was 193 miles and my shortest day was the last day, which I think was around 60."

Along the way, Schaeffer got to see some familiar faces. Aside from a serendipitous encounter with friends from Luther in Whitefish, Montana, Schaeffer was joined by his mother for the Minnesota and Wisconsin portions of the trip and also had a chance to stay at the cabin of Luther Computer Science Professor Brad Miller.

"Seeing Luther people in Montana was so crazy," Schaeffer said. "Everything had to align perfectly and it did. I also got to bike about 40 miles with Brad Miller, which was really nice to have some company for a change."

According to Schaeffer, the best part of his trip was going through Glacier National Park, where roadways that had been closed to cars, due to avalanches, granted him sole occupancy of the twisting mountain roads.

The worst part: "Easily, it was North Dakota. Headwinds are a biker's worst enemy. It was the only part of the trip where I questioned whether I could finish.'"

He didn't let North Dakota get the best of him. At the end of his journey, Schaeffer said he is glad that he took on the challenge of this cross country ride and urges others to attempt something adventurous and difficult if they have the opportunity.

"I don't think everyone needs to ride their bikes across the country to get a good experience, but if you have the time and opportunity to do some sort of exploration out in the world, then do it," Schaeffer said. "You learn so much about yourself and the world, no matter where you're from or what you've seen, there's more perspective to experience. It helps you think critically and be adaptable with people." 

With his 10 weeks of post-grad freedom winding down, Schaeffer plans to move to Asheville, North Carolina in the next week to begin his career as a software developer for IBM. Schaeffer says that he plans to return to Decorah "as frequently as budget and life allows."

For full details about Schaeffer's ride, visit blaise2s.com

Schaeffer in Wisconsin with Luther Computer Science Professor Brad Miller.

Schaeffer in Montana's Glacier National Park.