<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[The Knocking Rod: Cross-Country Road Trip]]></title><description><![CDATA[A collection of stories from the summer 2026 road trip Tyler and I are taking, running from New Hampshire to California, with a sojourn in Canada.]]></description><link>https://www.theknockingrod.com/s/cross-country-road-trip</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BJYD!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd28505a9-f3e3-4352-8120-506320a090e5_1280x1280.png</url><title>The Knocking Rod: Cross-Country Road Trip</title><link>https://www.theknockingrod.com/s/cross-country-road-trip</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2026 12:57:41 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.theknockingrod.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Niel Stender]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[nielstender5@gmail.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[nielstender5@gmail.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Niel Stender]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Niel Stender]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[nielstender5@gmail.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[nielstender5@gmail.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Niel Stender]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[Gearing Up For A Cross-Country Drive]]></title><description><![CDATA[Road trip prep begins!]]></description><link>https://www.theknockingrod.com/p/gearing-up-for-a-cross-country-drive</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.theknockingrod.com/p/gearing-up-for-a-cross-country-drive</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Niel Stender]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2026 10:36:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R3sM!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16b16138-2850-419b-b3e2-3e274d77765d_2896x1944.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Road trip prep begins!</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R3sM!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16b16138-2850-419b-b3e2-3e274d77765d_2896x1944.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R3sM!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16b16138-2850-419b-b3e2-3e274d77765d_2896x1944.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R3sM!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16b16138-2850-419b-b3e2-3e274d77765d_2896x1944.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R3sM!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16b16138-2850-419b-b3e2-3e274d77765d_2896x1944.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R3sM!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16b16138-2850-419b-b3e2-3e274d77765d_2896x1944.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R3sM!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F16b16138-2850-419b-b3e2-3e274d77765d_2896x1944.jpeg" width="1456" height="977" 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class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>First up, a huge shout-out to Michelin for seeding us with a set of CrossClimate2 tires for the drive. Looking forward to sharing what we learn on this trip and beyond - they&#8217;re all-weathers :) Also, thank you to Tyler for throwing said tires at me.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.theknockingrod.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.theknockingrod.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div id="youtube2-poirPoHmneU" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;poirPoHmneU&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/poirPoHmneU?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><p>And another thank you to HeyBike and Hollywood Racks! HeyBike has provided a pair of e-bikes - the <a href="https://heybikeinc.pxf.io/c/7334411/3203093/28155">Ranger 3.0 Pro</a> and <a href="https://heybikeinc.pxf.io/c/7334411/3203116/28155">Mars 3.0</a> - both of which magically fold up for transport! </p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Transparency Note</strong><br><em>Some products featured in this article were provided by the manufacturer for evaluation. This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. The manufacturer had no input on the editorial content.</em></p><div><hr></div><p>Why not put them inside the car for the drive you might be wondering? Because we shall be joined by Lady The Wonder Dog for this 3,000-mile adventure!</p><p>So, it&#8217;s a rack for the bikes, specifically the RV Rider heavy-duty beast of an e-bike setup from Hollywood Racks. These e-bikes, they&#8217;re not lightweight. The plan is to stop at Rocky Mountain and Capitol Reef National Parks to do some fat tire e-bike exploration!</p><div id="youtube2-1uninqolUbA" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;1uninqolUbA&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/1uninqolUbA?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><p>Stay tuned for more stories from the field! ICYMI, this road trip will be our third cross-country boondoggle. The <a href="https://thebolognafoot.com/2015/12/07/hermosa-beach-summer-2004/">first time</a> in 2004, the <a href="https://thebolognafoot.com/category/6000-mile-road-trip/">second time</a> in 2013, and here we go again. </p><p>Stoked for the next road-tripping chapter and for recreating some of our more&#8230;iconic photos of yore.</p><div class="image-gallery-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;gallery&quot;:{&quot;images&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9315bd1e-f163-4f44-a39f-62c12f40072d_2896x1944.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7d211980-3808-49eb-a118-10a23aaff9b5_2896x1944.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/121635ce-44ad-4d20-986c-28926a3c5195_2896x1944.jpeg&quot;}],&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;staticGalleryImage&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/691cb9f0-df22-41d6-a481-8832acd3a298_1456x474.png&quot;}},&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.theknockingrod.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading The Knocking Rod! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><blockquote><p><em>About the author: Niel Stender is an automotive journalist. More of his work can be found at muckrack.com/niel-stender</em></p></blockquote>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>