SMETHPORT – Cooper Rogers wouldn’t let his grandmother’s 80th
birthday pass with just a card or flowers. Instead, the 17-year-old
is riding his bicycle across country to say “Happy Birthday” in
person.

Rogers is in the midst of his trek that is taking him from
Berkeley, Calif., to Boston Mass., via Smethport.

Rogers’ mother planned his route that will take him from San
Francisco, Calif., to New York City, where he will meet his parents
on Friday. From there, they will drive to Boston for the birthday
party on Saturday.

The teen cyclist talked to the press Monday during a stopover in
Smethport at the Route 6 Diner.

“This was the first time I have ever been interviewed,” said the
tall and personable young man as he and an Era reporter sat in a
booth at the restaurant.

By this time in his trip, Rogers had covered about 2,800 miles.
After almost two hours, Rogers was on his way again, heading east
over some very hilly terrain on U.S. Route 6.

Rogers began his trip from San Francisco on June 4.

“The night before, my friends and I had a beach party. I dipped
the back tire of my bike in the Pacific Ocean before I left. When I
arrive on the East Coast, I will dip the front wheel in the
Atlantic Ocean,” he said.

Rogers’ father rode with him in California for the first two
days of the trip that will cover 3,000-plus miles.

“I saw a lot of desert in eastern California, Nevada, Utah, and
western Colorado,” he said.

His father again joined the ride for the trip through the Rocky
Mountains.

“After traveling through the desert areas, I was glad to see the
trees of the Rockies. Not only are these mountains very large, but
also very beautiful.”

In the Rockies, Rogers rode through Cameron Pass at an elevation
of 10,063 feet.

Besides his father, some of Rogers’ friends have met him along
his route and rode for part of the trip.

The hottest weather Rogers has encountered was in Nebraska where
the temperature reached about 106 degrees.

Even though he said that he’d like to sleep in, Rogers said that
he rises at 6 or 6:10 a.m. daily. On an average day, he rides
90-100 miles in flat areas. Even with his 24-speed bike, that
average drops to 70-80 miles in hilly areas like this part of
Pennsylvania.

This hilly terrain certainly presents mental and physical
challenges to bike riders, Rogers said. “Pennsylvania takes the
cake for hills which never seem to end. Here the grades are much
steeper when compared to the West.”

A social person, Rogers said he misses conversation while he
rides alone. So much so, in fact, that during a stop at a
restaurant in Warren over the weekend, he initiated a conversation
with some patrons who had already finished their meals.

As mementos of this experience, Rogers is collecting samples of
soil from each state that he visits.

So far, Rogers has used two sets of tires and broken several
spokes.

“The bike has held up well, too,” he noted.

What has been Rogers’ biggest surprise on his trip?

“It’s been how incredibly friendly and supportive the American
people have been,” he said.

But this is not the first long-distance bike ride for the young
Californian. Last summer, Rogers joined a group of nine students
and two leaders for a 1,500-mile ride from Paris to Rome that took
one month.

“I prefer bicycle touring because of the adventure,” he
said.