{"id":701,"date":"2026-05-26T05:07:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T05:07:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=701"},"modified":"2026-05-26T05:07:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T05:07:25","slug":"utah-couple-celebrates-40-years-of-marriage-with-4000-mile-bicycle-ride","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=701","title":{"rendered":"Utah couple celebrates 40 years of marriage with 4,000-mile bicycle ride"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Robert and Bliss Sawyer started riding bikes together about 30 years ago. <\/p>\n

Occasional rides gave way to more regular and longer ones. They joined a cycling club and periodically pedaled in 60- to 100-mile supported events. Bliss set a goal to ride 50 miles in all 50 states. <\/p>\n

Read more Examining Washington\u2019s most expansive department<\/a><\/p>\n

It took almost a decade for the Saratoga Springs couple to get in sync with each other. She rode slow. He rode fast. He didn\u2019t like getting passed, she didn\u2019t mind. She eventually learned it\u2019s fun to push your body. He learned that every ride isn\u2019t a race.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is just to enjoy being together, enjoy the scenery, listen to music,\u201d Robert said.<\/p>\n

At first, they drove to nearby states to get their miles in. Then they started to fly, breaking down their bikes to travel. Robert assembled them in their hotel room and off they\u2019d go. The trips started stretching further, including riding across five states in the Northeast for Bliss\u2019 50th birthday.<\/p>\n

Bliss, 59, is a mortgage loan officer. Robert, 64, is a retired exercise physiology professor. He does the logistics, she handles the finances for their excursions. <\/p>\n

On the first couple of road trips, they packed their clothes in panniers fitted on the rear wheels of their bikes as they rode from hotel to hotel. Credit card touring, as it\u2019s called. At a cafe somewhere in Massachusetts, an older man asked if they were camping. They were not.<\/p>\n

As he walked to his car, he turned to his wife and said, \u201cDid you hear that? They\u2019re staying in hotels,\u201d and laughed. The Sawyers felt sufficiently shamed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018I can camp,\u2019\u201d Bliss said. So they started carrying all their gear. Bikepacking, as it\u2019s known.<\/p>\n

The big idea<\/h3>\n

Robert had the notion to ride across the United States, a seemingly logical thing for bikepackers to do. Bliss wasn\u2019t ready for such an arduous trek. So they went overseas instead. First, a six-week ride from the southern tip of England to the northern tip of Scotland in 2023. A year later, they biked 1,200 miles across Norway for six weeks. A week in Alaska last summer.<\/p>\n

The Sawyers will be married 40 years on June 20. And that\u2019s when their most daunting adventure begins, the one Bliss put off the past three years: They\u2019re planning to ride from Bellingham, Washington \u2014 where they met \u2014 to Atlantic City, New Jersey, covering roughly 4,000 miles and 140,000 feet of elevation gain. They\u2019re calling it Hope Across the USA.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, if I\u2019m going to do it, I need to do it for something, a good reason,\u201d Bliss told Robert. \u201cSo when it gets hard, I don\u2019t quit,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Pedaling with a purpose<\/h3>\n

Bliss, who has a deep belief in the power of stable housing, is riding to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. Robert is riding for Tabitha\u2019s Way Local Food Pantry, where he is a volunteer. Initially, she set a goal of $50,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said, \u2018That\u2019s a lot of money.\u2019 And then a week later, she said, \u2018Maybe we shouldn\u2019t do it. Maybe we can\u2019t get that much money.\u2019 And then a week later, she said, \u2018Let\u2019s get $100,000,\u2019\u201d Robert explained. <\/p>\n

One way they\u2019re raising money is bike bingo. A minimum $25 donation buys a bingo card with squares representing possible things that can happen on the ride: tailwind all day, leaving something behind, gas station gourmet meal, blood, vomit. Sponsors provided gift cards for the weekly winners.<\/p>\n

On June 20, their four children, four grandchildren, Bliss\u2019 mom and dad and a man they randomly met who makes giant bubbles will give them a grand send-off at a park in Bellingham. Robert and Bliss will dip the tires in the Pacific Ocean and start pedaling their Cannondale touring bikes eastward. <\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing our own country from a bicycle . . . that\u2019s kind of the magic of it, is you see things differently,\u201d Bliss said. \u201cYou see things differently when you\u2019re sitting on a bike, especially when you\u2019re sitting on it all day long. Sunsets and sunrises and all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more How have MLB players from Utah schools performed this season?<\/a><\/p>\n

There will be three to three-and-half months of those sunrises and sunsets as they pedal to the Atlantic. <\/p>\n

They\u2019re following a northern route (Bliss doesn\u2019t like the heat in the South) on steep roads over the Cascades and the northern Rockies. They will pedal through North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan before dropping down to Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and then rolling into New Jersey.<\/p>\n

Gearing up<\/h3>\n

Only eight states shy of the 50-miles-in-50-states goal, they\u2019ll be able to knock off four or five more, adding to the collection of license plates tacked to their garage wall. In addition to camping, they plan to stay in hotels and use the app Warmshowers, a platform that connects touring cyclists with places to stay for free overnight. The Sawyers have hosted bikepackers passing through Utah the same way.<\/p>\n

Their bikes will be loaded with a tent, sleeping bags, rain gear, water, a couple of days\u2019 food, bug spray, a backpacking stove and a couple of \u201cluxury\u201d items: hammocks and ultralight camp chairs tucked into their panniers. Robert will carry about 40 pounds of gear; Bliss about 30. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t take a lot of clothes. We probably stink, but we don\u2019t know,\u201d Bliss said.<\/p>\n

On his handlebars, Robert has the collar of their Shitzu-Maltese mix Kamo who died last year. A speaker mounted on the back of his bike will pump out hard rock for him, pop for her and some blues and indie folk they agree on.<\/p>\n

Going along, getting along<\/h3>\n

Bliss made a list of 10 things that scare her about the ride: wildfire smoke, climbing, injury, illness, headwinds, bike problems, heat and humidity, finding places to camp, discouragement and too much time together.<\/p>\n

Robert\u2019s chief concern is whether he should cut the long blondish locks that flow out the back of his helmet like a mane when he rides. Bliss says yes. He says it\u2019s his trademark.<\/p>\n

Regardless of how much they love each other, the couple did get on each other\u2019s nerves on their six-week rides. Knowing it will happen on the cross-country tour, they have talked about ways to deal with it. \u201cYou got to be open and honest, just say, \u2018I\u2019m starting to get annoyed,\u2019\u201d Robert said. \u201cWe have to be able to say, \u2018I just need some time alone,\u2019 and not take it personally.\u201d Bliss suggested they could go to a movie and sit in different parts of the theater.<\/p>\n

At the same time, they know if one of them is struggling physically or mentally on the bike, the other one is there to pick them up.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re very, very different people but the biking has really been something over the years that, honestly, made us stay together,\u201d Bliss said, turning to Robert and adding, \u201cSorry. Do you know this?\u201d With a laugh, he said he did.<\/p>\n

Robert has the entire route mapped out, as is his nature. But he\u2019s open to playing it by ear, which is more Bliss\u2019 style. They\u2019re taking a livestream 360-degree camera and plan to regularly post the good, the bad and the ugly on social media.<\/p>\n

The Sawyers aren\u2019t sure how they will feel when they reach the end of the long road.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s going to be a little anticlimactic, because no one will be there. But I have a feeling I\u2019ll be a little teary,\u201d Bliss said. \u201cI actually think it will be some very interesting emotions at the end. I think it will be super happy and relieved. And \u2018Oh, my goodness. We did that. We just did that.\u2019 <\/p>\n

Read more The top prospect in Utah has the Cougars and Utes in his final 4; Ryder Lyons\u2019 high school replacement has them in his final 3<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThen we\u2019ll have to plan our 50th.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How long does it take to bicycle across the U.S.? What are best cycling routes in the U.S.? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-utah"],"yoast_head":"\nUtah couple celebrates 40 years of marriage with 4,000-mile bicycle ride - American Movers Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=701\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Utah couple celebrates 40 years of marriage with 4,000-mile bicycle ride - American Movers Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How long does it take to bicycle across the U.S.? What are best cycling routes in the U.S.?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=701\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Movers Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-26T05:07:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=701#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=701\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b68c8483906c0d2987f271455f0177af\"},\"headline\":\"Utah couple celebrates 40 years of marriage with 4,000-mile bicycle ride\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-26T05:07:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=701\"},\"wordCount\":1351,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=701#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/c4ec0698e458192ee773acf764d69ca9.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"Utah\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=701#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=701\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=701\",\"name\":\"Utah couple celebrates 40 years of marriage with 4,000-mile bicycle ride - American Movers Hub\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=701#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=701#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/c4ec0698e458192ee773acf764d69ca9.avif\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-26T05:07:25+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b68c8483906c0d2987f271455f0177af\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=701#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=701\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=701#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/c4ec0698e458192ee773acf764d69ca9.avif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/c4ec0698e458192ee773acf764d69ca9.avif\",\"width\":630,\"height\":331},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=701#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Utah couple celebrates 40 years of marriage with 4,000-mile bicycle ride\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"American Movers Hub\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b68c8483906c0d2987f271455f0177af\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Utah couple celebrates 40 years of marriage with 4,000-mile bicycle ride - American Movers Hub","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=701","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Utah couple celebrates 40 years of marriage with 4,000-mile bicycle ride - American Movers Hub","og_description":"How long does it take to bicycle across the U.S.? What are best cycling routes in the U.S.?","og_url":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=701","og_site_name":"American Movers Hub","article_published_time":"2026-05-26T05:07:25+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=701#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=701"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b68c8483906c0d2987f271455f0177af"},"headline":"Utah couple celebrates 40 years of marriage with 4,000-mile bicycle ride","datePublished":"2026-05-26T05:07:25+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=701"},"wordCount":1351,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=701#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/c4ec0698e458192ee773acf764d69ca9.avif","articleSection":["Utah"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=701#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=701","url":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=701","name":"Utah couple celebrates 40 years of marriage with 4,000-mile bicycle ride - American Movers Hub","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=701#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=701#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/c4ec0698e458192ee773acf764d69ca9.avif","datePublished":"2026-05-26T05:07:25+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b68c8483906c0d2987f271455f0177af"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=701#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=701"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=701#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/c4ec0698e458192ee773acf764d69ca9.avif","contentUrl":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/c4ec0698e458192ee773acf764d69ca9.avif","width":630,"height":331},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=701#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Utah couple celebrates 40 years of marriage with 4,000-mile bicycle ride"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/","name":"American Movers Hub","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b68c8483906c0d2987f271455f0177af","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/americanmovershub.com"],"url":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=701"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}