By James Windell
When Deanne and Roger Fridley began dating, Roger bought a bicycle because Deanne was an avid cyclist. Not only did he take up the sport, but now the couple are one state away from accomplishing a cycling goal: Riding their bikes in all 50 states.
The Fridleys are looking forward to their final cycling adventure this month with a family vacation in Arizona – the last of the 50 states.
“This will be an e-bike trip,” Deanne Fridley said in a recent interview, “because the rest of the family do not bike as often as we do.”
That understatement is typical of the Fridley’s who bicycle nearly every day throughout the year. Roger uses a fat-tire bike to ride on the South Haven beach on most days.
Growing up in Sanford, Michigan, Deanne, who is 62, started riding a bike regularly as a child. Roger, 70, who grew up just outside of Columbus, Ohio, wasn’t into biking – until they started dated. They found that they enjoyed riding together and began taking their bikes on vacation. “We had ridden our bikes in 13 or 14 states before I said one day that we should ride our bikes in all 50 states,” Deanne said.
That was in 2020 and since then they have planned all of their vacations around going to different states to bike. Talking to them about their riding adventures elicits a ton of memories of some of their fantastic adventures and seeing closeup unforgettable scenery.
Although when they ride in Arizona they will only do an 18 to 20-mile ride, they have done 200 to 300-mile rides at times. “We once did a 360 mile ride from Pittsburgh to Washington, DC,” Deanne recalls.
“That was six days of riding and one day off,” Roger says.
“It’s all about the journey, not the destination,” Deanne says to explain their goal.
Roger says they love to ride their bikes in cities because of the restaurants they find and the theaters they can attend. But, riding a bike in a city affords pleasures that you never get from driving in a car through a city. They both remember remarkable trips on bikes through Chicago and New York City. “You see things you would never see from a car,” Roger says.
While they point out that riding in Alaska and Hawaii were undoubtedly picturesque and memorable, they had other more serendipitous adventures. They both agree that they were surprised by riding in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Little Rock, Arkansas.
“I didn’t want to go to Little Rock,” Deanne smiles as she remembers. “The weather was bad and our hotel was awful, but when we started riding, I just fell in love with the city. Little Rock was amazing in so many unexpected ways! The neighborhoods were connected to downtown with great bike lanes and trails. Our neighborhood had a beautiful community park and many wonderful farm-to-table restaurants. Best of all, the bike trails along the river were incredibly scenic.”
Both Deanne and Roger are retired. Deanne previously worked in the banking business and taught in schools for a while after she stayed at home to raise their two children, Patrick and Kendra. Roger spent 40 years in the electrical maintenance department at the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant.
They were asked about the benefits of bike riding besides the great adventures they have had. “Roger had some health scares a few years ago,” Deanne says in answer to the question. “But I recovered very quickly and that was because of our bike riding,” says Roger. “It’s a great feeling to be healthy.”
The other benefits they say have to do with breathing fresh air every day, staying healthy and eliminating parking problems: “You don’t have to worry about finding a place to park in downtown South Haven during the tourist season,” Deanne says with a smile.
What will they do once they have reached their goal this month of riding in every state?
“We’d like to return to some of our favorite places,” says Roger.
“I want to go back to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho,” Deanne says without hesitation. Roger agrees that it was one of the beauty spots of the US. “The Trail of the Coeur d’ Alenes in Idaho was just the most beautiful bike trail we’ve ever biked. It is remote and beautifully maintained. When you ride this gem, it is just you and mountains, lakes, wildlife, blue skies and fresh air! It is truly breathtaking!”
