Why did we find riding across the country on bikes to be a challenge we wanted to adopt?

We had tossed around the idea of a long bike ride from the days when we lived in Europe and really enjoyed our week bike trip down the Loire Valley. Then after we moved back to the US this trip sounded epic enough!

Where will we stay?

We intend on camping most nights but will break that pattern occasionally for clean sheets, showers and laundry facilities at motels or hostels or Warm Showers hosts.  Also, have no worries, if it is dumping down rain with 40 mph winds, we will hunker down someplace comfortable and wait the storm out.

How long will this trip take?

We will start pedaling from Anacortes, Washington on June 1 and plan on being in Bar Harbor, Maine around the third week in August. We will get our rear tires wet in the Pacific and the front tires in the Atlantic.

How much pack are we taking?

Our bikes, Surly Disc Truckers, fully loaded with panniers front and back plus tent etc. weigh about 70lbs each. We may mail back home some things that we find are not necessary so the load could shrink a bit as we move East.

How far will we go daily?

We need to average about 50 miles per day to arrive in Maine by our planned date. We both feel that we can average more even with taking some rest days to see the sites along the way including Glacier National Park and the Frank Lloyd Wright buildings on our route.

How will we stay in touch?

We will each have our cell phones and iPads and will be updating this blog as often as we can.

What is our route?

We are not the first people to make this ride across America, and we will profit from the route knowledge of the American Cycling Association by purchasing their comprehensive maps and updates. We have transferred these maps into our Garmin GPS so we will have no excuses for getting lost.

How can you help?

You can support us by donating to help preserve Taliesin West. Learn more about Taliesin West here.