Charla Burke, Eric Hartman, Nia Hartman and Dana Hart enjoy a break in Panora.
By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
Four cyclists were recently spotted in Panora, and they had quite a tale to tell. The group includes Nia and Eric Hartman, their friend, Dana Hart (all of California) and a new friend, Charla Burke (of Portland, Oregon).
As Nia looked ahead at her upcoming birthday, she decided she wanted to do something special. Nia and her husband, Eric Hartman (of California), are experienced bicyclists, so when Nia looked ahead to turning 65, she decided the best way to celebrate was on her bike. They made plans to cycle across America, a trip of roughly 3,800 miles from Washington, D.C., to Seattle.
Nia recalled some of the planning that went into the trip.
“As a gift to myself, I wanted to do an epic ride,” she said. “My husband is a strong, fast rider. I told him I was going to do this ride, and it was my ride. He was welcome to join at my pace. I didn’t want to be chasing him across the country.”
The pair agreed that Eric, as a way to control his speed, would tow one of the two bicycle trailers that hold all of the group’s clothing and gear. There is no support staff along on the trip — just the four cyclists and their two trailers.
Burke didn’t previously know the Hartmans, but she saw a posting on an adventure bicycling website inviting other bicyclists to join the trip, and she was available.
Hart is a longtime friend of the Hartmans, and he made a last-minute decision to join the trek.
Each of the four cyclists has prior experience with long bike rides.
“Three of us are pretty experienced cyclists. Dana has done long distance cycling in the past, but not in the very recent past,” Eric said.
“He’s very stoic. He won’t say he’s hurting or anything,” Nia said of Dana.
The group’s journey began from Washington, D.C., in early April. Each day, the group has an approximate day’s trip in mind, but flexibility is required due to weather, roadwork and other issues that may arise. Nia explained the weather has been an occasional obstacle, but the group feels fortunate that the worst weather missed them.
On Monday, May 5, the four determined cyclists paused in Panora in the midst of a 78-mile day that began in West Des Moines and stopped in Atlantic. The group has enjoyed seeing the variety of geography and life across America.
Looking back over the first half of the cross-country trek, Nia recalled that the group didn’t have to wait long for the first glitch.
“We were starting on April 3. We all took a picture in front of a big sign, and then we all got on our bikes, and 5 feet from the sign, the trailer fell off of Dana’s bike,” Nia said. “The hitch broke, and you can’t just pull the trailer with your hand. Three hours later, we were back on the road again.”
Since then, the four have faced a variety of surprises, challenges and delights. One challenge Nia mentioned relates to small-town lifestyles.
“In the small towns, they close up their shops early,” Nia said.
She recalled one evening when the four arrived just minutes before 8 p.m. and the only restaurant was about to close.
“We ordered food, then we had to go sit out on the back step, and we were eating outside in the dark,” Nia said. “We’ve learned that we not only have to pace our rides mileage-wise, but we have to know what time these towns wrap up.”