Many cyclists and runners have the goal of riding or running a marathon (or 5k, 10k, etc) in every state. We have been (quietly) keeping track of the states we have ridden on the tandem since 1996. This year we realized that we were “missing” just two states east of the Mississippi River. Not anymore! We used the return trip from this year’s Eastern Tandem Rally to head east and pick up Delaware and New Jersey.
We have driven from Atlanta to northern destinations for many years and found that Delaware just isn’t on the way anywhere. Now we have been to the “first state” (statehood in 1787) and checked it off our list.
We stayed in Newark, Delaware so we would have easy access to both states. We did a lovely 32 miles on a sunny and breezy day in Northern Delaware. We stopped in Delaware City, a small port on a bay and a canal.
We enjoyed the eight miles of scenic bike path (into a strong headwind!) along the canal, crossed into Maryland and back into Delaware. The ride concluded with a stop to purchase local honey along the road.
Here is an exciting fact we learned: the University of Delaware (Wilmington) was close by and they have an Ag School and cows. Cows make milk and milk makes ice cream, and the school has a creamery. Of course we HAD to make a visit after the ride.
The final ride for this trip was the last state needed east of the Mississippi River: New Jersey. We drove over the bridge from Delaware and we were in southern New Jersey. The toll was $5…what a bargain!
We parked at the Riverview Beach Park and did a 33-mile loop from there. Back in the day, this was quite the park, with a roller coaster, a port, and a boating pond.
We rode beside the Delaware River for awhile, then through farmland before things became a bit more industrial.
Roger created this infographic to show you the 10 states that remain in our quest to ride in the lower 48. We plan to pick up a few more this summer. Stay tuned for updates on our progress.
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Eve and Roger's Cycling Adventures 
I can’t believe that you didn’t have New Jersey! We need to figure out how many states we have ridden the tandem in.
We have never ridden in Nevada. Maybe we can meet you halfway between California and Arizona and ride there sometime.
Even though I don’t always post it, we do enjoy reading your blog.
We are at 31 states, including Hawaii. East of the Mississippi, we are missing almost all of your surrounding states. The only state that touches Georgia that we have ridden in is Tennessee. We also haven’t ridden in Michigan yet. We may drive from AZ to MA in 2025, so maybe we’ll try to pick up some new states…
When Debi and I retired in 2012, we set a goal of riding our tandem in all 48 contiguous states. Well, on our camper trip to Alaska in 2022 we finished off the 48 plus a bonus of Alaska, bringing our total to 49. We also took selfie photos of the roadside “Welcome to …” state signs in all 49. Now its just Hawaii that eludes us to make all 50. Someday!!! I wonder if they have a Welcome to Hawaii roadside sign???
Love this! A wonderful accomplishment but you might have to get the “Welcome to Hawaii” sign at the airport (with your bike in the case)!
That map looks good with so much purple! We still have 17 states left, but have done 4 of the states you have left.
:):) We loved the southern NJ with the farmland and not at all what we think of when we think of “Jersey”. Always love to read your fun times on the tandem.