A cyclist from California recently stopped in Landrum and Tryon on a journey from Florida to Montana.

John Dyes said he started in Daytona, Fla., in early July and traveled through Georgia to make his way to the Carolinas, which he says he always wanted to visit.

Dyes says while in Landrum he spent the night with Landrum Mayor Bob Briggs, who offered his home after meeting him in Zenzera Coffee & Wine Bar, which Briggs wife owns.

Dyes says he loves to stop in small towns and visit coffee shops and restaurants and meet local people. He normally finds campgrounds on his route to stay and after a week or so will stay in a hotel for a rest.

Dyes is from California, where he was recently laid off from his job as a mechanic. He said he had always wanted to travel across the country and decided to take advantage of the opportunity.

He rode a train and had his bike shipped to him in Florida. He plans to ride through the winter and end his journey in Montana, where he says he will catch a train and go back to California. He had no expectations of when he might arrive in Montana, but on average he says he is traveling eight to nine hours per day, about 50 to 60 miles per day.

He left downtown Tryon headed up Hwy. 176, with his next stop planned in Asheville.