I’m not sure when the idea of a cross country bike trip first entered my mind. I’ve daydreamed about this trip for a while but never thought I’d find the right time to drop everything and hit the road. There is never really a right time to take on an adventure like this, but after 6+ years of working in the real world, I decided it was time to take a break and reassess what I am doing.
Bicycle touring is a whole new adventure for me. I’ve stayed in relatively good shape over the years, training for a handful of triathlons and marathons, but loading 50 pounds of gear onto a steel framed bike and traveling day after day will bring about its challenges regardless of the shape I am in. Bicycle touring is not about speed; it is about persistence and adaptability. I expect to have some amazing days on the bike and some days that will truly test my limits. Regardless of how the day is going, I will be experiencing the country in a way that just isn’t possible using any other mode of transportation.
I’ve been asked a lot about where I’ll be staying each night on this trip. I plan to split my time evenly between camping and hotels/motels. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve been camping, so that aspect of the trip will be a learning experience. I’ve got a bunch of new gear that has not been tested, so we’ll hope I figure that out as I go. Camping as much as possible will help to make this trip affordable. I anticipate spending less than $2,000 in total for lodging over the entire 3 months of the trip which is significantly cheaper than my current rent in Hoboken.
The timeline for this trip is May 6th to the end of July. While I have a route planned, I intend for this to be a general guideline and subject to change as I go. I look forward to seeing where the road takes me and who I meet along the way.
As I ramble across the country, I hope to use this blog to stay in contact with friends and family and give everyone an idea of what my day to day is like. This is an adventure of a lifetime and I look forward to sharing it with all of those along for the ride.
Route
My trip will take me through 16 states and cover approximately 5,000 miles. The majority of this route has been taken from Adventure Cycling’s TransAmerica trail maps (pictured above) with some edits to the beginning and end of the route. Adventure Cycling has been an amazing resource in planning this trip and I would highly encourage everyone to check out their website (adventurecycling.org) for more information on this route and bicycle touring in general.
The TransAm route typically starts in Yorktown, VA and then heads west through Virginia and Kentucky. I will instead be starting my trip in New York with a dip in the Atlantic Ocean at Coney Island. From there I’ll head west through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky where I will finally meet the TransAm trail. The TransAm trail continues west through southern Illinois, Missouri, Kansas and Colorado before heading north into Wyoming and Montana. After hitting Missoula Montana, I’ll turn west again through Idaho and Oregon, finally hitting the Pacific Ocean. I’ll then head up the Oregon coast and ride into Washington where my route will end in Seattle.
Update (7/14/17): Due to tired legs and timing constraints I will be ending my trip in Florence, Oregon and will be skipping the route to Seattle. That makes this a 15 state trip rather than 16 and shortens the total distance by a few hundred miles.
Ramblin' Dan: Bike Touring Adventures 