POLAND Family cycle: Trio finishes cross-country biking trek

The Delaware-to-Oregon trip took 79 days.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
POLAND -- A village family spent most of the summer putting togetherness, trust and physical endurance to the test while making the famous words "from sea to shining sea" a reality.
Frank and Peg Krygowski and their 24-year-old daughter Heather dipped the rear tires of their bikes in the Atlantic Ocean in Delaware, and 79 days later they let the front tires of those same bicycles rest in the waters of the Pacific Ocean in Oregon.
The Krygowskis covered between 40 and 70 miles per day.
"I have been talking about doing this for more than 25 years," said Frank, a cyclist for nearly three decades. "We gave [Heather] a new bike after she graduated from college, then decided to ride across the country."
The family members bought all the proper bicycle outfitting equipment, light clothes and maps tailored to long-distance cyclists from various states. Frank spent hours stretched out on the floor of the family living room connecting the dots from the point where one map would end and the next would begin.
Getting started
On May 17, the trip's starting date, each family member had reasons for making the journey:
UPeg saw the ride as a challenge.
UHeather wanted to check the cross-country excursion off of her "things-to-do" list.
UFrank said the bikes were the only true way to see the American landscape.
"I love exploring, and I love seeing things, and I don't think you can see the country from a car window. This way you get to see the scenery and people in a different light," he said.
And that is exactly how they saw most people they met -- different from what they expected.
The family spent one evening explaining their trip to bearded, leather-clad, yet smiling members of a motorcycle club. One morning was spent in conversation about the trip with a well-to-do businesswoman, but by that evening the family was rubbing elbows and sharing the same stories with hobos waiting to hop the next train.
"We are talking about riding 4,000 miles from coast to coast, and we didn't have a problem with anybody," Heather said. "If there is one thing this trip has cemented for me, [it's] how overblown fear is in this country."
A heap of hospitality
The hospitality they experienced went far beyond friendly conversation. A few people offered the Krygowskis their cars to go sightseeing after a day of riding, and several families extended an invention to spend the night in their homes -- seven of those offers were accepted.
Frank recalls arriving at two of the homes and finding a note telling the cycling family that no one would be home for a while, but come in, make a sandwich, relax and take the room on the right. He said they used their judgment in deciding whom to trust.
"You have to be sensible, but you don't have to be afraid," he said.
The family did pack camping gear, but with heavy rains on the East Coast and a heat wave on the West Coast, most nights were spent in hotels. The hotel stays added to the adventure's overall cost -- a figure Frank said he has been afraid to tally.
On Aug. 3, the three cyclists completed their journey with a champagne toast near the Pacific Ocean with the fourth member of the family, Michael, who lives in Portland, Ore. The Krygowskis, looking back, said they would do it all over again if afforded the opportunity.
For any other group or person looking to make the cross-country trek, they say, with a smile, "give us a call first."
jgoodwin@vindy.com