August 23, 2013 The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch Page 57 Cross-Country Bike Trek Will End InResort Facials• Massage Nails • Body Treatments Full Body Waxing Mineral Makeup Application Zen Spa provides 10 treatment rooms and boasts the area’s only couples room. Alex Kelso is pictured entering Kentucky during his 3,000-plus mile bike trek across the country. Submitted Photo Exclusively At Zen Spa From Edge Systems  Voted Best Day Spa In Delaware THANKS TO THE READERS OF COASTAL STYLE MAGAZINE A 4,000 Sq. Ft. Day Spa Located On Rte. 54, One Mile North Of Ocean City and 4 Miles South Of Bethany Beach, Delaware. Large Parties Welcome • 302-988-1750 • Like Us On Facebook By TRAVIS BROWN STAFF WRITER OCEAN CITY – After graduating from the University of Richmond, 23-year-old Alex Kelso decided to take a year off before entering the professional world. But while others might have hit the beach or traveled to places far and wide, Kelso hit the road, participating in a 53-day, 3,000-plus-mile bicycle trek from San Francisco, Calif., to Ocean City. Though he only has about 18 months of cycling experience under his belt, Kelso committed himself to the idea of the trip and has tackled the first few weeks with enthusiasm. “You have to be really passionate about it to really get across, I guess,” he said. Reached last week with a little over two weeks remaining in his trip, which is scheduled to reach Ocean City on Aug. 31, Kelso said that the ride has had a lot of metaphorical, and literal, ups and downs. “I think the biggest challenge is just getting up every day and being mentally prepared to bike 70, 80, 100 miles every day back to back to back,” he said. Only scheduling a total of seven rest days spread out over his nearly two-month trek has also taken a toll, Kelso admitted. “I realized that with my rest days all I wanted to do was sit in the motel room in the air conditioning and watch TV and eat as much food as I possibly could,” he said. But the ride has its fair share of highlights as well. While the weeks of mostly solitude have been tough, Kelso said the scenery has been fantastic. The cross-country ride has included about every kind of terrain and vistas one can imagine. “I think Colorado was my favorite part,” said Kelso. He has tracked his ride online since the start, frequently blogging about the areas he rides through, the views he experiences and the people he meets in every state. SEE PAGE 60