My plan is to ride across the U.S. on the Adventure Cycling routes as much as possible. On the map below, the purple line is the “Northern Tier” and yellow and blue show alternatives to get around those pesky Great Lakes. I am going to take the blue route on the north side of Lake Erie, and connect to the yellow in Michigan, where there are more choices! I am going to head north to the Mackinac Bridge and then continue across the Upper Peninsula and into northern Wisconsin. From there, the ride is pretty straightforward.
On May 2, I will take my bike to R&E Cycles in Seattle, so they can pack it and ship it to Harris Cyclery in West Newton, Mass. The mechanics at Harris will assemble it and have it ready for me to pick up on May 12. I will fly to Boston on May 10, and stay at my sister’s house in Hyde Park. On May 13, I will ride to Quincy, Mass., to dip the rear wheel in the Atlantic Ocean, the traditional start to a cross-country ride. Then on May 14, I will ride out of the driveway of my sister’s house and head west.
A lot of people ask why I chose to ride east to west — after all, aren’t the prevailing winds west to east?
Yes, if you are flying an airplane at 30,000 feet, you will get the advantage of the west to east jet stream. That’s why my flight from Seattle to Boston takes about 5 hours, and the return flight takes about 6 hours. But on the ground, the weather can (and does) come from all directions. So at any one location, on any one day, the wind can come from any direction.
In my opinion, there are a lot of advantages to riding east to west. I can start in mid-May from the east coast, where the weather typically is somewhat warmer than in Washington in May. Alternatively, starting from Washington, I would not be able to ride over Rainy and Washington passes until mid-June at the earliest. And Loup Loup pass is closed indefinitely due to mud slides. By the time I get to Washington in late July, the passes will be snow-free and my legs will be a lot stronger!
For me, riding in the mountains of the west is the high point of the trip. So while I am riding across the plains, or suffering with headwinds, I can think of what is still to come – Logan Pass and the five passes in Washington.
In general, crossing the mountains from the east means riding up the more gradual slope, compared to coming over from the west.
I’m optimistic that I will experience less of the heat, humidity and bugs in the eastern U.S. by starting in mid-May, compared to heading into the east in mid-July. Of course, there is likely to be hot weather for much of the ride.
And every day, I will start in the morning with the sun on my back.
These pages show the route in more detail:
- Massachusetts – New York
- Ontario – Michigan
- Wisconsin – Minnesota
- North Dakota
- Montana – Albert – Idaho
- Washington
More text here.
etc.
Judy's Bike Ride 2017 