This article, written by Craig Skinner, appeared in the Westport Minuteman, the local weekly in my sister’s town, which also happens to be where my Pedal N’ Putt tour ended. 

Colorado Man Pedals & Putts
His Way Across USA

July 3, 2003 

You have read about someone swimming around Manhattan for cancer, or someone pogo sticking up Pike’s Peak for arthritis, the list goes on.  Many can identify with people that have come to a “crossroads in life,” and done something significant to justify their lives.  Well you haven’t met Dick Maynard. 

Maynard is a 63-year old retired businessman from Grand Junction, Colorado where he owned several radio stations.  With a passion for bicycling and a desire to play golf, he came up with a tremendous idea to combine the two: bike from coast to coast, with his golf bag in tow. 

Last Saturday afternoon, Maynard finished his quest, as he rolled his bike past the canons at Compo Beach and into the Long Island Sound to dip his wheel in the Atlantic, with a dozen or so of his family looking on and applauding. 

“I always wanted to ride a bicycle across the United States and after awhile people began to say, “You’ve been talking about that for three years, are you ever going to do it?”” Maynard recalled.  “That was my sole motivation.  I retired, sold my businesses, and had plenty of time, so I did it; and had a pretty darn good time doing it.” 

On April 22, Maynard and Gere Smith, age 64 of San Luis Obispo, Calif, Smith was to accompany Maynard only as far as Yellowstone—set out from Florence, Oregon on their journey which they dubbed “The Geezerpalooza Tour.” 

Along the way, the pair would travel upon hundreds of two lane roads, encounter countless storms, witness spectacular vistas, enjoy the resounding silence of the back country, most of the time with their golf bags in tow. 

As Maynard and Smith were nearing their first destination, Yellowstone National Park, in northwestern Wyoming, Maynard experienced the two extremes of nature’s fickleness.  “The worst day of the trip was coming out of Ennis, Montana, it was about 40 degrees and we had 50-70 MPH headwinds.  We had bad weather most of the way, so bad weather wasn’t an issue,” Maynard confessed.  “We just couldn’t make any progress, it started to rain, which turned to snow, and I knew we just weren’t going to make it.  I called my wife on the cell phone and she picked us up.” 

Though disappointed about the previous day’s trek, Maynard was amply rewarded.  “The next day we rode from West Yellowstone to Old Faithful Lodge and it was 60 degrees, the sun was out, there were no people, it couldn’t have been more beautiful.  There were wild animals everywhere. That was the best day of the trip.  So both the best and worst day happened within 24 hours of each other.”

While his primary goal was to ride across the United States, Maynard actually found the time to play a few rounds of golf along the way, some more memorable than others.  “We played a course in Anaconda, Montana, called “The Old Works,” designed by Jack Nicklaus, which was only $36 to play.  I’d drive 300 miles out of my way to play there again, it was that cool,” Maynard said.  “I played a really good golf course in Panora, Iowa, that I didn’t know anything about, the “Panorama” that was just outstanding. 

All these little golf courses kind of snuck up on Maynard, and his occasional partner, while they played mostly at public links, they got a few chances to play at country clubs.  But all the while, Maynard had one course consistently on his mind: Longshore.

Now that he has arrived in Westport, to the welcoming arms of his sister, Mari Carroll, and other family and friends, Maynard has one last round to play.  “Finally, I’m going to get the chance to play your course, which I’ve played before, and I’ve thought about it the whole way across the country,” he confessed.  “I really like this golf course.  I live in the desert in Colorado, so I rarely get a chance to play amongst towering oaks and maples and have the chance to smell the ocean while playing.” 

For the last two months, hundreds of people have questioned Maynard about the true reason for his journey.  “I didn’t want to raise funds for any cause, I wasn’t on any mission, I hadn’t gone through any drastic change in life, or had any bad relationship and I hadn’t lost my job,” Maynard would explain to his inquisitors.  “I just wanted to ride my dang bicycle.  That’s what it come down to.” 

Maynard’s wife, Jan, was at first reluctant to share her husband’s vision.  “I thought he was absolutely crazy, but that’s fine,” she said chuckling.  “I said I wasn’t going to go with him, but the more I thought about it, the more I began to think of it as going to a foreign country.” 

Jan did end up traveling with Dick, and would bring him lunches and stay overnight in the hotels, and a thousand other small things that helped make his trip successful.  Driving a hundred or so miles a day, away from the beaten path, allowed Jan to see things a little differently.  “This trip was all new for me,” she allowed, “Before we would always go somewhere quickly on the freeways and interstates.  This time, were traveling on the backroads and it was beautiful, and we met a lot of nice people.  It was hectic being in a different motel every night, but I got used to that.  It was great and I’m glad I went along.” 

Now that he’s complete his great trek, Maynard realized that what he’s done wasn’t amazing or spectacular, or even profound.  “It was just something I did that was really fun, and it was one of the high points of my life, and at 63 I’m glad I can say I did it,” he said.  “Now that that’s done, I’ll have to talk to my wife about what our next adventure is going to be.”