Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Here is a link to the bike I will be riding on this trip:
Franco Grimes bicycle


Here is a link to the route:
Transamerica Bicycle Trail

February 2016 (Getting Closer!)

Feb. 9, 2106

Beautiful day here in Edmonds.  I'm feeling the spring energy around the corner.  It is time to start putting down some information about the ride.

Coast to coast bike ride 2016!

This is a ride that I have been dreaming of since I was a kid.  I'm lucky that I get to just ride my bike on this trip fore my sister, Tamara Evans, and her husband, Loren Evans, and my dog Apollo will be my support crew.  They will be driving our Toyota van and pulling our Aliner travel trailer.  Some of the nights will be in an extra tent, some in the trailer and some in a hotel just depending on how we feel.  We will be on a budget but we will not make ourself miserable.  Since the route goes through small towns we will just have to wait and see what our options will be for a nights rest.  I plan on riding an average of 80-90 miles a day.  I'm not in a race but do need to get to the east coast in 8-9 weeks.  Once we approach the east coast, Chelle will fly out to meet up with us.  Then Chelle and I and Apollo will catch and drive Route 2 all the way home to Edmonds.  Tamara and Loren will then fly back to Seattle after spending some time on the East coast.

Here is a link to the route and route information.  I will be catching the Transamerica Bicycle Trail starting in Astoria and finishing in either Yorktown Virginia or in Virginia Beach.

https://www.adventurecycling.org/routes-and-maps/adventure-cycling-route-network/transamerica-trail/

I will start on June 18 right from my house in Edmonds Washington.  The first part of the trip will be the credit card ride to Astoria which will take 2 days.  Tamara and Loren will meet me in Astoria with the van and Apollo on the 20th of June.

For the ride to Astoria, I will ride to Seattle, meet up with folks who are doing the credit card ride, and head to the Bremerton Ferry.  Once in Bremerton we will ride on highway 3 and other side roads to Montesano.  This will be where we stop day one and about 70 miles.  We will stay in a hotel that night and eat and any restaurant we can find.  Day two will be from Montesano to Astoria mostly along Highway 101 and be about 80 miles.  This is where we will end day 2.  Options will be to stay at a hotel that night or Karen's (good buddy of mine) parent have a place we can stay.  Lots of great food and beer choices in Astoria.  Logistics as to how credit card ride participants will get back to Seattle are still being worked out.  Stay tuned for this.

On Monday, June 20, I will now be on the Transamerica Bicycle route and start my journey through Oregon.  I will be emailing folks that I know along the way to see if we can "plug in" at they house for a night.

Stay tuned for more information to keep trickling in...

Cycle on!

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Jan 10, 2016-   It is is cold Sunday morning in Seattle.  I'm about 5 months from the start of my "ride" but I actually starting dreaming of doing a USA ride way back when I was kid.  At 4 years old I got on my sisters bike, picked it up off the ground, jumped on and took off.  Gone in a flash.  Jodie was dismayed that I could do this while she struggled to pedal and stay upright.  None the less, my life with bicycles started.  While in high school I worked at the Unemployment office in Libby Montana. One of the claims guys was really into bikes and his enthusiasm for them matched well with my enthusiasm.  We stated to talk about cross country bike trips and I started to get out there and do lots of rides.  This riding has continued over the years and my longest ride to date was the STP in 2014 which was 205 miles in a day.  Now, I'm getting a foundation of fitness by going to spin classes and high intensity classes at our gym.  Soon when the weather is better, I will get my new Franco Grimes bike on the road.  Officially the ride starts June 18.  The first 2-3 days will be a group credit card ride to Astoria from my house in Edmonds.  After we arrive in Astoria folks on the ride will go home and I will start the Transamerica Trail route.  Today is another day closer to my dream of doing this ride across America.