The Carney family stops for a family photo along the TransAmerica Trail. From left, Laura, Nathan, Jim, and Abby.

By Joe Forward, Legal Writer, State Bar of Wisconsin

June 16, 2010 – That yearly vacation is a time to regroup and reenergize. Some lawyers go to the beach. Some go to Europe, Door County, the backyard – anything for some rest and relaxation. One lawyer is riding his bicycle 4,262 miles in 70 days.

On May 21, Wisconsin attorney James A. Carney and family – son Nathan, daughter Abby, wife Laura, and family friend Emily – embarked on the TransAmerica Trail, a cross-country trek that starts in Astoria, Ore., on the Pacific Ocean, and ends in Yorktown, Va., on the Atlantic.

After shipping their gear to Astoria and flying out to collect it, the group is now making the long haul back east, traveling from coast to coast covering 10 states – Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and Virginia.

As of day 25 on Monday, the group was in Yellowstone National Park and a week away from its largest hurdle of the trip – an 11,500-foot pass near Breckenridge, Colo.

“Everybody is healthy and mentally strong,” said Carney, whose use of technology allows him to work two hours every morning to stay connected to clients and partners. “It’s a magical experience by itself. Being able to do it with my family is unbelievable.”

The Carney family dip their ten bicycle tires in the Pacific Ocean at the beginning of their journey.

A 1985 graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School, Carney is an attorney at Carney, Davies and Thorp, LLC in Janesville. An active person, it took Carney five years to prepare for and run the Boston Marathon, which he completed in 2005. After that, he wanted a new goal – to ride a bicycle cross-country at the age of 50. He put those plans on hold in 2008, but his son Nathan rekindled the idea for a 2010 tour. The timing was perfect.

In May, Nathan finished a two-year work commitment and daughter Abby graduated college. In putting the plans together, Carney’s wife Laura jumped on board. “My wife wasn’t about to stay home while we rode across the country together,” Carney said.

Carney and his wife have been road biking for the past three years, even riding to Madison from Janesville for Badger football games. But road biking is different than touring, which requires riders to carry all necessary gear – shelter, food, tools, clothing – on the bike.

“You really can’t train for touring, because you can’t tour to train,” said Carney, who logged about 800 road miles in March and April in preparation. “But your body gets used to it. For us, the toughest part has been the weather. It rained 16 of the first 18 days.”

The weather is one thing, the pace is another. Time constraints mean the Carneys must finish by Aug. 2. While many take 90-100 days to complete the TransAmerica Trail, the Carneys are doing it in 70 days. That’s an average of 60 miles a day.

“We are constantly on the go,” Carney said.

As of day 22, the group had fought wind and rain to land in Twin Bridges, Mont., averaging about 57 miles per day and logging a total of 1,190 miles. On Monday, they arrived in Yellowstone, and checked out Old Faithful before hitting pavement for day 25.

In the days ahead, they will continue through Wyoming and Colorado before entering Kansas. Toward the eastern plains of Colorado, the land will flatten and carry the Carney group through Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and ultimately, Virginia. After studying weather patterns for this time of year, the west-to-east route seemed the best way to go. But it’s been rough so far.

Laura celebrates after reaching the top of a mountain.

Along the way, the daring five-some has already braved low temperatures and numb extremities to climb mountain passes at elevations nearing 7,500 feet. In Oregon, they tackled the Cascade and Blue Mountain ranges, climbed White Bird Mountain before dodging floods in Idaho, and topped Chief Joseph Pass at 7,460 feet in Montana.

They’ve bunked with neighborly strangers in the town of Prineville, slept at the city park in Mitchell, ripped through river-carved canyons and high deserts, peddled through the Siuslaw and Ochoco National Forests, and met friendly people in small town cafes. In short, they are seeing America by bike, and writing a daily blog about the experience.

In one blog, the group writes: “We are learning never to doubt or underestimate the generosity and kindness of the American people.” Intrigued by their adventure, strangers and friends have lent a hand to help the group achieve its lofty goal.

“People are really interested in what we are doing,” Carney said by cell phone on Monday. “They have been very kind and generous, and it really adds to our experience. I don’t think anyone can see the country like you do from a bicycle.”

Carney recommends the ride to anyone who can make it work.

“I probably couldn’t have done this five years ago,” Carney said. “Fortunately I have supportive partners and staff, and I can use the network to correspond. I was just able to make it work, and for others who can, I would recommend this type of experience.”