A bicycle.  A long road south. And the forgotten stories hidden along the way.

1,850 miles - Two climates - One long road between rain and fire.

When Cory Mortensen rolls his bicycle out of Seattle, the sky is gray with Pacific Northwest rain. Nearly two thousand miles away waits Phoenix, Arizona, where desert heat shimmers above the pavement.

Between those two points lies a journey through some of the most dramatic landscapes in the American West.

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In Between Rain & Fire, Mortensen rides south through misty forests, volcanic ridges, lonely desert basins, and small towns scattered along forgotten highways.

Each day brings brutal climbs, long empty roads, mechanical mishaps, roadside diners, and the quiet rhythm that only comes from hours spent pedaling through wide open country.

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But the road is more than miles and elevation.

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Along the way Mortensen uncovers pieces of America’s overlooked history - strange roadside landmarks, forgotten mining towns, curious historical footnotes, and the kinds of stories that rarely appear in guidebooks.

Part adventure narrative, part wandering exploration of the past, the journey becomes a moving conversation with the landscapes and histories that shaped the American West.

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Told with humor, curiosity, and the reflective voice readers have come to expect from Mortensen’s travel writing, Between Rain & Fire is a story about endurance, discovery, and the long roads that reveal far more than the distance between two cities.

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Sometimes the most interesting parts of America aren’t the destinations at all, they’re the forgotten stories waiting somewhere between the miles.