Herkimer Student Spends Summer Biking Across the United States

September 15, 2008

Herkimer County Community College senior Satoshi Tomo, from Japan, spent the summer riding his bicycle across the United States from New York to Seattle, Washington. Tomo began his journey in Herkimer on May 10, 2008, as soon as he completed his final exams on campus. He arrived in Seattle on July 19, riding an average of 60 miles per day.

“Once I got used to it, I went 70-75 miles per day. On July 4th, I rode over 100 miles and saw fireworks in a small town in Montana. They were beautiful,” Tomo said. While touring the country, he pitched his $20 tent (“the cheapest I could find at Wal-Mart”) in meadows and fields and cooked for himself. The only time he ran into trouble was in Chicago, where the police shined a flashlight into his tent and asked him what he was doing. “Once I explained they told me to relax and have a good night but I couldn’t, it was so cold and windy!” Tomo said.

Tomo rode a $200 GMC mountain bike he had purchased on the Internet. He had four flat tires and broken spokes along the way, but found several bike repair shops where the people where very helpful. He visited with various friends as he biked across the U.S. Prior to coming to HCCC in 2007, Tomo had attended a Japanese program at Edmonds Community College in Seattle several years ago, where he had a host mother. “When I arrived in Seattle I called and asked if I can spend some time with her,” Tomo said. “She said, surprised, ‘you are going to drive from New York to Seattle?’ I told her I’m here already, I rode my bike!

On his 71-day trip, Tomo logged 3,310 miles on his bike. He enjoyed the wide-open spaces, and was most amazed by the farm fields full of cows. “Where I come from there are no cows. I rode for days without seeing any people. The animals were my friends,” he added. This was not the first long trip for Tomo. He had biked 700 miles from Tokyo to southern Japan in 2003, and it was that trip that inspired him to bike across the United States.

A General Studies major at HCCC, Tomo plans to transfer to a four-year SUNY college when he graduates next May. He hasn’t decided what field to pursue yet. “I had planned think about that over the summer, but I was so exhausted every day after riding, I just had to concentrate on my bike,” he said with a laugh.