Intro
I’m starting this journal to record our trip across country. I will be riding and Jani will drive the camper van with Kira our dog. If everything goes right we will meet up to camp each night. We will leave Everett on June 16th and spend a night or two at my family’s beach cabin in Ocean Park. The route I will be riding starts in Astoria, Oregon and ends in Yorktown, Virginia but the cabin is only about 20 miles from Astoria and makes a more meaningful starting point.
We’ve talked about doing this trip for over 5 years and the time has finally come. Riding across country has been a dream and goal of mine for many years. I may not remember the names of people who years ago told me about their bike trips but each one of them helped to reinforce my desire to one day do the same. Jani hasn’t dreamt of riding a bicycle across the country but has wanted to see more of the country. Kira is a ten month old puppy and doesn’t dream of anything more than eating, playing, and sleeping.
I began to seriously plan the trip a year ago. The first step was to tell everyone that I was going to take off the summer of ’06. I knew this would finalize my plans because it would create a verbal contract that would be hard to break. The other thing it did was reaffirm that this was a worthwhile goal. At first I was a little apprehensive as to whether anyone else would share my enthusiasm but everyone has been very encouraging. Most people wouldn’t want to ride a bike that far but all have expressed interest in taking time off work to do something that you really enjoy.
The second step was to inform work that I wanted to take a total of 12 weeks off including 8 weeks without pay. I’m always worrying about things that never happen and this was another example. My leave was approved even though it comes at a very busy time. I’m sympathetic to the extra work that will be required by my coworkers but don’t think there will ever be a perfect time for me to be away from the job.
The final step has been to accumulate all the necessary gear. The biggest purchase was the VW Eurovan camper. I’ve been interested in camper vans for years and that interest was fed by working next to Jan who owned one and told me how useful it was for him and his family. Everything fell into place when Jan took a temporary assignment in Australia and decided to sell his van. The van has a propane stove and refrigerator, sink, bed, and the roof extends to give standing room inside. The only thing lacking is a toilet and shower but we plan on staying in campgrounds so that shouldn’t be a problem. In addition to the van I have bought: replacement and spare parts for my bike; cell phones; a talking gps for the van; and a laptop. I’ve spent months thinking about what to take even though I know it’s not like we’re going into the wilderness. We will be able to buy things along the way. Even bike parts can be ordered by phone and delivered in a couple of days.
We’re essentially ready to go but need to wait until we can get Jeff moved back from college for the summer. His classes end mid June then we’re off to Ocean Park for a couple of days. After dipping my wheels in the Pacific we’ll head out on about the 18th.
THE ROUTE
I will be riding a route that was first done in 1976 and was called “Bikecentennial”. Adventure Cycling Association produces detailed maps for this Transamerica route as well as many other routes in the US. For many years I thought about crossing the country through the northern section but ultimately decided to stick with this one since it’s been around for 30 years. The route is about 4200 miles long. It starts in Oregon and meanders through Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado before hanging a left and going more directly across Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and Virginia.
Here is an overview of the route (from Adventure Cycling):
I don’t have specific mileage goals for each day and hope to not become fixated on the numbers. I’d like to complete the cycling in eight weeks which would leave four weeks for the trip back home. That will be about 80 miles per day with a day off each week. I’m sure there will be longer days and that’s okay if it’s by choice not necessity.
It will be a challenge to pick a destination each day. Jani and I won’t plan on meeting during the day so ideally I’ll be able to decide how far I want to ride and where we want to spend the night. We each have cell phones and she’ll have the GPS unit that connects to the laptop. Hopefully it all works since I don’t relish the though of spending the night with nothing more than Lycra bike clothing.
Other than the fear of not finding Jani each night my biggest concerns are the usual worries of rogue drivers and dogs, along with a new concern: heat and humidity. We can’t start the trip earlier in the year so if/when it gets really hot I’ll just have to start riding early in the morning. I also will have to remember that no matter how challenging it may become, it’s still better than not going.
We’ve talked about doing this trip for over 5 years and the time has finally come. Riding across country has been a dream and goal of mine for many years. I may not remember the names of people who years ago told me about their bike trips but each one of them helped to reinforce my desire to one day do the same. Jani hasn’t dreamt of riding a bicycle across the country but has wanted to see more of the country. Kira is a ten month old puppy and doesn’t dream of anything more than eating, playing, and sleeping.
I began to seriously plan the trip a year ago. The first step was to tell everyone that I was going to take off the summer of ’06. I knew this would finalize my plans because it would create a verbal contract that would be hard to break. The other thing it did was reaffirm that this was a worthwhile goal. At first I was a little apprehensive as to whether anyone else would share my enthusiasm but everyone has been very encouraging. Most people wouldn’t want to ride a bike that far but all have expressed interest in taking time off work to do something that you really enjoy.
The second step was to inform work that I wanted to take a total of 12 weeks off including 8 weeks without pay. I’m always worrying about things that never happen and this was another example. My leave was approved even though it comes at a very busy time. I’m sympathetic to the extra work that will be required by my coworkers but don’t think there will ever be a perfect time for me to be away from the job.
The final step has been to accumulate all the necessary gear. The biggest purchase was the VW Eurovan camper. I’ve been interested in camper vans for years and that interest was fed by working next to Jan who owned one and told me how useful it was for him and his family. Everything fell into place when Jan took a temporary assignment in Australia and decided to sell his van. The van has a propane stove and refrigerator, sink, bed, and the roof extends to give standing room inside. The only thing lacking is a toilet and shower but we plan on staying in campgrounds so that shouldn’t be a problem. In addition to the van I have bought: replacement and spare parts for my bike; cell phones; a talking gps for the van; and a laptop. I’ve spent months thinking about what to take even though I know it’s not like we’re going into the wilderness. We will be able to buy things along the way. Even bike parts can be ordered by phone and delivered in a couple of days.
We’re essentially ready to go but need to wait until we can get Jeff moved back from college for the summer. His classes end mid June then we’re off to Ocean Park for a couple of days. After dipping my wheels in the Pacific we’ll head out on about the 18th.
THE ROUTE
I will be riding a route that was first done in 1976 and was called “Bikecentennial”. Adventure Cycling Association produces detailed maps for this Transamerica route as well as many other routes in the US. For many years I thought about crossing the country through the northern section but ultimately decided to stick with this one since it’s been around for 30 years. The route is about 4200 miles long. It starts in Oregon and meanders through Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado before hanging a left and going more directly across Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and Virginia.
Here is an overview of the route (from Adventure Cycling):
I don’t have specific mileage goals for each day and hope to not become fixated on the numbers. I’d like to complete the cycling in eight weeks which would leave four weeks for the trip back home. That will be about 80 miles per day with a day off each week. I’m sure there will be longer days and that’s okay if it’s by choice not necessity.
It will be a challenge to pick a destination each day. Jani and I won’t plan on meeting during the day so ideally I’ll be able to decide how far I want to ride and where we want to spend the night. We each have cell phones and she’ll have the GPS unit that connects to the laptop. Hopefully it all works since I don’t relish the though of spending the night with nothing more than Lycra bike clothing.
Other than the fear of not finding Jani each night my biggest concerns are the usual worries of rogue drivers and dogs, along with a new concern: heat and humidity. We can’t start the trip earlier in the year so if/when it gets really hot I’ll just have to start riding early in the morning. I also will have to remember that no matter how challenging it may become, it’s still better than not going.
posted by Gary and Jani at 11:41 AM
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