By Jessica Barboza, OSCPA marketing and communications intern   

After transitioning to working part-time, one CPA fulfilled his bucket list goal of biking cross-country.  

In early June, Joe Soltesz, CPA, tax manager for Dyke Yaxley (“DY USA”), embarked on a nearly 4,000-mile biking trip from Bar Harbor, Maine to Anacortes, Washington. The trip lasted 58 days total, with Soltesz averaging about 70 miles per day. “I wasn't trying to set any speed records when I did this; I was trying to take in all the scenery and get a feeling for what our country was all about while accomplishing my distance goal,” Soltesz said.   

Soltesz began planning the cross-country trip in early 2024 and became a member of the American Cycling Association (ACA), an organization dedicated to people who enjoy bike touring. One of the offerings ACA provides is detailed maps of various bike routes across the USA and Canada, of which Soltesz purchased the entire map set for the cross-country tour along the Northern Tier route. During the planning process, Soltesz discussed his trip with DY USA’s Managing Partner, Rob Whittall, who thought it was a great idea and an opportunity for DY USA to team up with Soltesz and raise money for a worthy cause.      

Soltesz selected St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and collaborated with Whittall and Rose Kemmerling, DY USA’s marketing director, to create a ‘Biking Across America with Joe’ fundraising page. In addition, DY USA posted weekly travel weekly travel updates on its LinkedIn page logging his progress and sharing photos of his once-in-a-lifetime adventure. As a result of this initiative, Soltesz raised $4,209. “This is just one example of why DY USA is a great firm to be a part of – supporting its team members both in the office and in our personal lives and supporting us as we help others, ” he said. 

Soltesz started the bike trip on June 7 in Bar Harbor and stayed on plan for the entire trip, ending it one day early on August 3 in Anacortes. “I was very happy when I finished. As I looked back, it didn't seem to go fast when we were doing it; but once we finished, it felt like it went quickly,” Soltesz said.  

“It was a cool experience to travel across the United States and visit so many small towns and local diners and breweries where you likely would never go on a typical vacation,” Soltesz said. “Most of these rural cities, with a population of maybe several hundred people, had one or two stoplights, hotels, and places to go out to eat. You also get a sense of how vast the USA is and experience the amazing landscape that makes up the northern part of the country. Since you're only going 60 to 70 miles a day at 10 to 15 miles an hour, it’s almost like you get to see these sights in slow motion.”  

Soltesz does not plan to make any more cross-country bike trips — the time commitment takes away from spending quality time with his grandchildren and he’s satisfied with having accomplished this goal.  “You get an idea of what America is all about and how big the country is,” he said. “You get away from all the news, distractions, and realities of life for a while. It was a rewarding experience.”