Scott Edwards celebrating on the Pacific shore of Oregon (photo Michael Donoghue).
The cross-country route featured birds and bird songs along the way.
Professor Edwards about 10 days into his cycling trip in eastern New York (photo by James Deshler).
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After 76 days on the road, cycling cross-country from sea to shining sea, Harvard Ornithology Professor Scott Edwards stood on an Oregon beach and raised his bike overhead in triumph. On August 20, with low tide lapping at his toes, the 57-year-old birder had just finished a solo cross-country bike ride spanning 76 days, 15 states, and 3,800 miles – all with just three flat tires. As an evolutionary biologist, Edwards usually spends summers conducting fieldwork in places including Australia and Nova Scotia, but this summer was different.
This year the Covid pandemic forced a pause on his field research, so Edwards decided to attempt a lifelong dream of cycling from the shore of the Atlantic near Boston to the Pacific Coast of Oregon. A week before he started his trip, a group of Black birders and naturalists launched Black Birders Week, the social media campaign that connected and elevated Black voices in birding and science. Edwards opened a Twitter account to participate, and used the account to document his progress along the way.
On June 6, Edwards started pedaling from Newburyport, Massachusetts. Inspired by Black Birders Week and racial justice protests, he soon added Black Lives Matter signs to his bike and began documenting his ride on Twitter. Over the 3-month trip, he amassed more than 11,000 Twitter followers and a GoFundMe account was established by the Society of Systematic Biologists in his name, which has raised almost $58,000 to support diversity initiatives in biology.
We described the beginning of this cross-country birding trip in the July 1st issue of The Birding Wire, and Dr. Edwards shared insights about his bike trip with Audubon magazine author Bridget Alex, which we share here sans quotes:
Along the Way
One of the most interesting states was South Dakota. I cycled through the Black Hills, which was punishing in terms of the elevation and the inclines, but very beautiful. Biologically it’s very interesting, being something of an eastern outpost of the Rockies. One of the most beautiful stretches of days Edwards experienced was along the Yellowstone River in Montana. This time of year it has a really mellow flow. It was just so scenic and wonderful to cycle along that river; you really felt like you got to know it.
Also, the source of the Missouri River in western Montana, where the Jefferson, Gallatin and Madison Rivers all come together doesn’t announce itself with big brash mountains or anything like that, but it was just such a peaceful and beautiful spot. When I reached Missoula, someone told me it might take about two weeks to get to the coast. Then I thought, “Okay, this is within the realm of possibility,” and he started to feel a bit more upbeat. I still had some of my hardest cycling days actually in that two weeks, but it was just the knowledge that he was getting close.
There’s a mountain pass outside Missoula called Lolo Pass, which is at an altitude of about 5,200 feet, and after that pass the vegetation and birds really went up a notch. Cycling west downslope through the Lochsa River Valley in Idaho I heard Winter Wrens, and there was a beautiful fern understory that reminded me of Seattle, along with amazing western red cedar groves. I felt like I was entering a habitat closer to the finish line.
It’s fascinating what makes species ranges appear and disappear. As you’re moving west in the forest, things like nuthatches and Brown Creepers come around. Then you know, wow, you’re in really wet forests. These are not rare species, but for me they were indicators of the progress with my trip and habitats I really enjoy. After all the heat, to be in the magnificent coniferous forests and cool temperatures, that was just priceless.
While live-streaming the final leg of his ride on Twitter, Edwards reached the Pacific Ocean at northern Oregon’s Sunset Beach. As he carried his bike to the water’s edge, he reflected: “I’ve learned a lot about this country . . . One great thing about cycling is it allows you to go slowly enough that you can intersect with people and talk to them and learn about them, and learn what motivates them.” He thanked family, colleagues, and strangers who helped along the way. “Amazing acts of kindness from lots of people gave me a lot of hope for the country,” Scott Edwards added.
You can refer to the original Audubon article at https://www.audubon.org/news/journey-complete-scott-edwards-looks-back-his-cross-country-bicycling-trip
You can also visit the GoFundMe page the Society of Systematic Biologists began to raise funding in Professor Edwards’ name to support diversity initiatives in evolutionary biology and biodiversity sciences at https://www.audubon.org/news/journey-complete-scott-edwards-looks-back-his-cross-country-bicycling-trip
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