Back in April, I hit the Texas hill country outside of Austin with my new Bike Friday for a week long bike trip put on by the Adventure Cycling Association.

The ride was a shake down for my New World Tourist as part of my preparation for a cross country trip on the TransAm bike route from Astoria, Oregon to Yorktown, Virginia. I planned to do the 4,262-mile ride during the summer.

In Texas, I met a fellow Bike Friday rider from New York. Ted Swedalla and I entertained the rest of the group, who were on conventional road bikes.

My bike performed flawlessly and I returned to California to prepare for the TransAm. I gave Ted a hearty high five and wished him well as he returned to New York.

Fast forward to early July. I'm riding just outside of the Grand Tetons.

It's a great day with clear blue skies and the Tetons providing a phenomenal backdrop while I pedal along. As my mind wanders, I catch a glimpse of a cyclist coming from the opposite direction. It quickly becomes clear that the chariot that he's riding is a Bike Friday.

You know the unspoken rule -- cross country cyclists crossing paths have to stop like dogs to sniff one another. Inasmuch as the other cyclist is riding a Bike Friday, I'm compelled to stop and give him the secret BF handshake. When he comes closer, I realize that the other cyclist is Ted

Unbeknownst to either of us, there we were, face to face, next to the Grand Tetons doing a cross country TransAm ride from opposite ends of the country on our trusty Bike Fridays (me with panniers, him using a trailer). It just goes to show you how small a world it really is.