Islanders Bruce Morser and Bob Horsley have been friends for three decades and, over that time, have cycled thousands of miles together on their bikes, usually 3,000 to 4,000 miles each year. They’ve taken on some of the toughest rides around from RAMROD (Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day) to Vashon’s Passport to Pain, but this week, the duo is beginning what will be their longest ride — a cross-country trip from Massachusetts back home to Vashon that will cover 4,000 miles in two months.

They couldn’t be more excited.

“We met at an art auction (on Vashon 30 years ago) and knew immediately we would be the type of friends that would cause trouble in each other’s lives,” Morser said. “This (bike ride) is something we’ve talked about for several years. We’ve ran, rowed and cycled countless miles together and always said, ‘How about that cross-country ride?’”

The illustrator and landscape architect sat down with The Beachcomber days before flying out to begin their ride. They landed in Boston Friday and started pedaling west from Morser’s hometown of Gloucester, Massachusetts, Tuesday. They’re aiming to ride 80 miles each day. Accounting for rest days, they should be back on Vashon by the end of June.

“We decided to just do it because it’s not a likely situation that you can do something like this with a good friend and that opportunity can be stolen from you so quickly,” Horsley said.

They noted that the ride is coming at an interesting time in national history and will take them through places like nothing they’ve ever seen before.

“Everything is changing now. It’s going to be an interesting time to ride across the country,” Morser said. “We can go through red states and go through parts of the country I know nothing about.”

The ride will take them through New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana and Idaho on mostly backroads and bike trails, including a 300-mile stretch of trail along the Erie Canal. They both said they are trying to avoid the large cities and stay in the countryside.

“The route goes through interesting landscapes, not cities” Morser said. “We’re hoping to go through Glacier (National Park) and ride the Going to the Sun highway.”

The route comes thanks to the Adventure Cycling Association, an organization that provides maps with trails that have been vetted for safety and friendliness to bikes. Horsley said he and Morser have 11 of the maps for the Northern Tier route in-hand.

Morser and Horsley are expecting the first few days to be the most difficult as Western Massachusetts is mostly rolling hills, similar to Vashon. On day four, this Friday, May 5, Morser and Horsley will stop in Buffalo, New York to see Morser’s daughter dance. She belongs to a dance company there and trained for more than 10 years at Vashon Allied Arts’ (now Vashon Center for the Arts) Center for Dance under Christine Juarez.

“That will be really great,” he said.

The east-to-west route is somewhat unconventional as most cross-country bike rides travel from west to east. Morser explained there is a common notion of a prevailing westerly wind, but his research gathered from other riders who have documented their experiences, seems to debunk the notion that it is noticeably more difficult. The timing of the trip is important as to avoid any excessively hot weather.

“The weather is better now back East and, as we get closer, it will be getting warmer here,” Morser said, noting that the pass over the Cascades is still closed due to snow and is not expected to open until June. “We also like the idea of riding home. Every day is closer to home.”

Asked if they were nervous about being out on their own for so long, they said no.

“Between Minneapolis and nearly back to Washington, there is a lot of nothing,” Horsley said. “My favorite is the unpredictably.”

For Morser, the ride is all about simplicity. He and Horsley both are artists and have promised to create a watercolor every day to document their adventure — a watercolor journal.

“I love the simplicity of the day: do a water color, take care of each other,” Morser said. “A good chunk of simplicity is probably a good idea.”

He said people approached them asking if they would be doing any blogging or Facebook updates.

“We don’t want to do that. The whole point is to simplify and get away from technology,” Morser said.

However, in addition to the watercolors, the two will be checking in with longtime friend and Voice of Vashon radio show host Jeff Hoyt every Thursday morning to keep the island posted.

Months of planning has gone into the ride, but as for training, not so much.

“We’ll ride into it,” Horsley said with a laugh before he and Morser explained that Tour de France riders don’t arrive at the race in peak shape, but build their way up to it throughout the ride.

One thing is certain. The two are not afraid of a challenge. Morser is the brains behind the Passport to Pain (P2P), likely the most challenging and punishing bike ride in the area.

“I’ve always had a love affair with hills,” he said. “Bob and I can drive each other. It’s great. We’ve caused each other a lot of pain, but we’ve enjoyed it.”

It’s that longstanding friendship that is the basis of the ride.

“The only thing I’ve never thought about is, ‘Will Bruce and I get along.’ That’s a given,” Horsley said.

Follow the journey

Bruce Morser and Bob Horsley will call into Jeff and Cindy Hoyt’s Morning Scramble radio show on Voice of Vashon at 9 a.m. every Thursday to update islanders on their whereabouts. Voice of Vashon is 101.9 FM on island radio dials and can also be streamed online at voiceofvashon.org and via the Voice of Vashon app.

Morser said he and Horsley also plan to send their daily watercolors back to Vashon and have a show somewhere on the island upon their return.