CAPE MAN BIKES ACROSS U.S.

He wasn't raising money. He wasn't drawing attention to a cause. He wasn't looking for publicity.

Jason Hutson rode his bicycle across the United States for no reason at all.

"I just did it because I like to ride," Hutson said.

The 24-year-old Cape Girardeau man wanted to make the trip before he turned 25. He traveled 2,678 miles from coast to coast. "I remember a lot of them too," he said.

He left Jacksonville, Fla., May 1 headed west. He took a southern route through Texas and the Arizona desert before ending his ride in San Diego on May 28. He flew back from San Diego over the weekend to be back at work Tuesday.

Hutson made the trip alone.

"I started planning this two years ago, getting in shape and everything," he said. His 24-speed touring bicycle was loaded with 58 pounds of gear.

Hutson planned to camp out along the way, but at the beginning of the ride he lost his tent and sleeping bag during a storm in northern Florida. "They blew off my bike," he explained. "I stayed in motels after that."

He planned the trip in May with hopes that the weather wouldn't be too hot. However, he underestimated the heat of the Arizona desert.

"I had no idea it would be 115 degrees," Hutson said. "I thought the hills in Texas would be the challenge of this trip until I got to the desert."

Hutson said he had many close encounters with dogs along the way and determined that outrunning the canines was the best way to avoid trouble.

Over the course of the trip, Hutson experienced more than 25 flat tires. "Eventually I ran out of innertubes and had to walk to a city to buy more," Hutson said.

He was surprised how many other cyclists he met on the road.

"A lot of people were riding from the West Coast to the East Coast," he said. "I sure met a lot of nice people along the way."

Of course, he didn't meet many people during the long, hot trek through the desert.

"I wish I had someone with me," he said. "If I do it again, I would like someone with me."

He is considering another cross-country trip but not in the near future.

"I enjoy riding," Hutson said. "I was worried that I might be burned out after this, but I'm not."

Hutson is back on his bicycle a lot sooner than he anticipated. This week his car battery died, and he has been pedaling to and from work.