Beginning the first week of June 2007, I am riding my bicycle 4,200 miles from Anacortes, Washington to Bar Harbor, Maine. This online journal will be a record of that journey.I'm travelling by myself and will be camping for most of the trip. It is going to take me somewhere between 70 and 80 days to finish this ride and that includes "rest days."
The route I'm taking is a hybrid of the Northern Tier bike route, a bike path trailblazed by the Mizzoula, Montana company, Adventure Cycling. Here's what the Northern Tier looks like.
My route is exactly the same as the Northern Tier until I reach Fargo, ND. Instead of heading south east towards Minneapolis, I'm going straight across Wiscosin to Deluth. From Deluth, I'm heading into the UP of Michigan where I'll cross into Ontario at Sault Ste. Marie. When I reach Espanola, Ontario. I'll turn south and catch the ferry at South Baymouth on Lake Huron. At landfall in Tobermory, Ontario. I'll make a bee line for Niagra where I'll hook back up with the Nothern Tier Route.
Of course, this route is subject to change and I might decide to stick with the original route. We'll see. I'll have a lot of time to think about it.
I'm jumping ahead, but I've been playing with MapQuest and am envisioning what Day #1 of the ride is going to look like Here it is. 76.64 miles to Newhalem and the entrance to the Cascades National Park. Most of Day #1 is pretty flat. I go from sea level to about 900 feet above sea level. Not bad but I imagine I'll be watching the Cascade Mountains rearing up in front of me as I bike. That might be intimidating. I wanted to stop in Diablo b/c Diablo Lake looks incredibly cool. Glaciers in the park grind rock into suck a fine powder that when said powder is washed into the lake, it remains suspended in the water, giving it that crazy turquoise hue. According to my cycling maps, unfortunately, there are no campsites nearby. Tomorrow: A little bit about my bike and my checklist for the ride as well as some idea as to what all this is about.
Before I forget, I want to mention that I'm going to be raising money for the American Cancer Society in honor of my mother. Please visit my personal fundraising page to learn more about my efforts and to make a secure, online donation.
1 comment:
Cool!
So, I was talking to this woman at work who biked from Seattle to the Mississippi. She meant to go across the U"S, but strted in late June, so it was far too hot and uncomfortable to make it the whole way. She says you are wise to start june1.
She also said that you are likely to meet a ton of people on your trip -- other bikers, and other people who are just curious about what you are doing. So that's good!
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