So you're thinking: They rode their bikes 184 miles from Cumberland, Md., to Washington. Impressive.
Then you think: But wait! How did they get to Cumberland to begin with? And how did their BIKES get there??
Cal's kids had a lot to do with No. 1.
As for No. 2, consider this:
And then consider Cal's genius and mechanical smarts. He explains how the Amazing Bike Transport Device was born:
For several years I've had four of these screwed into a plank that sits crossways in the truck bed, so the bikes face same way as truck. Plank did not need to be tied down. I'd just sit it in there when carrying bikes.
Then I realized that I could get many more bikes on board if they were mounted crossways. When you raise the front end of the bike onto a side of the truck bed, it just fits.
So I made the two mounting boards from an old futon that I took apart. I fastened two braces on the underside of each board that drop down into slots in the side rails. The weight keeps them on so you don't have to do anything fancy to fasten the boards to the truck, and you just lift them off when you're done for the day. Careful measuring was required, and sanding, to make the braces (more like square pegs) snug but not too tight.
Then I screwed eight bike mounts onto the top of the boards, foureach side, starting as close as possible to the truck cab, and alternating one side to the other so the bikes would go on without handlebars getting in the way. You have to figure out the spacing by using bikes, not by measuring/guessing. There was just enough room for eight bikes, with the front wheels stashed between them. You have to move the pedals around so they are out of the way of the next bike and don't scratch anything.
Of course, this leaves you practically no room to put anything else in the truck bed. But if you are only carrying five or six bikes, then you also have room for a cooler etc.
Then I put on the separate hitch mount that hangs off the back of the truck, able to carry two or three more bikes, for a total of up to 11.
The bike mounts can be bolted right onto the truck rails, if you drill out holes, but that's radical and you'd always have bike mounts on the truck.
You can also spend more and get bike mounts that lock the bike to the mount.
My only concern is theft of the mounting boards ... It's easy for anyone to make off with them so I'll figure out a way to lock them to the truck in situations like Little Orleans, when the truck is sitting unattended for hours.
I had a strange and (when I bent over) sharp pain in the stomach after the trip -- started a couple of days later, and I figure it was from repeated lifting of the bikes and not being careful enough about how I was doing it. It's going away now. So do it slowly and with proper posture etc....