PHOTO COURTESY OF TYSON WILLIAMS Former Lampasan Tyson Williams, left, and his friend Harry Miller ceremonially dip their rear bicycle wheels in the Atlantic Ocean at San Augustine, Fla., before beginning their 3,400- mile ride to the San Diego area. Until recently, the most cycling Tyson Williams and Harry Miller had done were some spinning sessions on stationary bikes aboard the USS Ronald Reagan. Now, the duo are near the end of a 3,400-mile cross-country tour of the United States.

Williams, a 2003 Lampasas High School graduate, and his friend, originally from the Los Angeles area, began their trek in San Augustine, Fla. on Sept. 23 while on terminal leave from the U.S. Navy. They plan to complete their twomonth journey in Ocean Beach, Calif., near San Diego, where Williams lives.

Looking for a way to celebrate their retirement from the Navy, Williams and Miller decided on a cross-country tour after Williams met with a friend who was partway through a cycling trip from San Francisco to San Diego.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TYSON WILLIAMS Tyson Williams, left, and Harry Miller try to maintain their cadence while riding on a stretch of road outside of Brenham. “I was amazed that he’d covered that much ground,” said Williams, who added he never had thought of bicycles as a means of long-distance transportation.

Williams spent time on Internet bicycle touring forums, and he and Miller found touring guides with maps, information about lightly traveled roads and the locations of hostels, other accommodations and stores along their route.

Like many touring cyclists, Williams and Miller chose a non-profit organization to promote as part of their ride. During their trip, the former Navy nuclear propulsion workers are promoting the Armed Services YMCA in San Diego, where Williams’ girlfriend of three years works.

The YMCA offers after-school programs for youth from military families, as well as a variety of counseling programs for the spouses and children of deployed armed services personnel.

“The military lifestyle could be, and is, difficult for everybody, especially people with kids and loved ones left behind [during deployments],” Williams said.

The LHS graduate rides with a brightly colored YMCA shirt, and he and Miller have been raising funds for the organization.

Williams and Miller have ridden an average of 70 miles per day during their trip, although they took one day of rest in Tallahassee and two days off in New Orleans. After their longest travel day -- a hilly 97-mile trek to Williams’ sister’s home in Wimberley -- the pair rested for a few days in Lampasas before preparing to reach Lubbock and then Albuquerque. They considered an alternate route through El Paso in case they encountered inclement mountain weather.

“We’re going into some higher altitudes, so we may have to take some detours,” Williams said.

Finding accommodations has given the Navy buddies some adventures at times. They have camped in several state parks, were evicted from an RV park because they didn’t bring a recreational ve- hicle, and accepted an invitation to sleep in a couple’s front yard in Paige, in Bastrop County.

In Bay Saint Louis, Miss., where four years after Hurricane Katrina numerous gutted buildings still show the effects of winds and flooding, Williams and Miller camped in the loading dock of an abandoned Winn-Dixie grocery store in a deserted strip mall.

“We just pulled our bikes inside and made the best of it,” Williams said.

Despite their $40-a-day budget, the cyclists haven’t always settled for spartan lodging.

They stayed in a hostel in New Orleans, and at another place in Louisiana a couple pulled off the road in their vehicle to invite Williams and Miller to stay the night in their home. Avid cyclists, the couple hope to open a hostel for touring bicyclists.

Near Brenham, Williams and Miller met an Australian couple who were completing a cycling trip from Alaska to Atlanta.

“It’s kind of interesting how you meet people and form your own little networks,” Williams said.

Other than one minor accident -- when the riders collided with each other -- the journey has gone fairly smoothly, even when riding up the shoulder-less Mississippi River bridge in New Orleans. Their bikes weigh 60 pounds when loaded with four fully provisioned saddle bags each, but the duo have maintained a steady pace without too much fatigue.

Neither rider completed much intense training before beginning the trip, Williams said.

“You don’t have to be in that good a shape to do it,” the former Lampasan said.

Future riding plans likely will keep Williams and Miller in peak condition, though. Both plan to focus on college coursework in the spring -- Williams will study chemical and environmental engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder -- and then try another tour with Navy friends in the summer. They are considering a Pacific Coast trip, a European venture or a trek across Southeast Asia.

They probably won’t find many Winn-Dixies in another hemisphere, but they will continue to seek adventure.