I thought I would post up the prospective planned route I will be taking across the US. There will most likely be changes and deviations as I get information about each location, elevations, things to see, routes to avoid, etc.
From Florence, Oregon to Boise, Idaho there will be five of us riding. Tom and Stephanie from California (and whose van Cathy will be driving to support us through Missoula, MT), my friend and former Forest Service colleague Ed who is flying in from Northern Virginia and our Russian friend Lara who is flying all the way from Russia to join in this escapade! Tom, Stephanie and Lara I met last year on my Finger Lakes Bike Tour thru Adventure Cycling Association.
We'll have a few others joining on that route for parts of it. My friend Bill in Eugene will accompany thru Belknap Springs, OR and our other FS friend Laura and her husband Bob (from Blue Lake, CA) will accompany on the Eugene to Bend, OR portion.
Ed drops off in Boise and returns home to Virginia. I miss him already and we haven't even started yet! In Boise, we'll be meeting up with and stay with another former FS colleague and good friend Tom and his wife Joni. It will be good to see them again, too.
Tom and Stephanie, Lara and Cathy (driving the van) will continue on up to Missoula, Montana where Tom and Steph will end their journey, take their van back and drive back home. I miss them already, too!
Lara and I will pedal and Cathy will take the bus to Helena, MT where we'll meet up with lifelong friend from my hometown Reed and his wife Dodie. It's good to have friends in faraway places when you're on a bike!
Cathy will then fly back to Madison and it will be Lara and I continuing the bike trek thru Eastern Montana, N. Dakota and Minnesota on thru to Madison, Wisconsin where I'll spend a couple days relaxing at home before continuing on. Lara may split off at this point (or in Michigan) and go on to Washington, DC as her final destination. I will continue on my own from there on. Unless any of you want to join up with me somewhere! I would like that!
The plan from there takes me to Milwaukee where I'll board a ferry to cross Lake Michigan to Michigan and avoid the Chicago/Gary/Cleveland traffic mess. I'll actually cut across Michigan into Canada north of Lake Erie and continue on to cross back into the US in Niagara Falls.
From there I'll pass thru Rochester to say hello and see another lifelong friend Mike from 4th grade Fulton Elementary. I haven't seen him since I don't know when. Onward to my
hometown of Auburn, NY to visit my siblings and other family members and spend a couple days.
I judge from Auburn to Rockport, Massachusetts will take about another week and I think I'll arrive at our good friends Rich and Rita's home in Rockport on/about August 23rd where I'll dip my tires in the Atlantic to complete the ride. About 10 weeks altogether.
That's the plan anyway. Only 2 weeks to go til I start on June 15th! Ride on!
