The "trail" follows the same route ridden by bicyclists in 1976 when a group of people road across the US in commemoration of the Declaration of Independence (Bikecentennial '76). As with many people (most?), i'll be following the maps sold by Adventure Cycling Association (ACA). Their web site has a very good overview of what to expect and instead of simply copying it here, i'll just provide this link.

(Click to enlarge)

Very Roughly...
For the full trail ride, after dipping your bicycle's back tire in the Atlantic in Yorktown, Virginia, you head north to a little north of Richmond, VA, then drop back south again to the North Carolina border (without actually entering the state).

From there you head north again to just below Lexington, Kentucky, and from there ride just about straight west until you get to Carbondale, Illinois. From Carbondale you head west to the Illinois/Missouri border then head south to the Missouri/Arkansas border. Then it is a west/northwest climb through Missouri and Kansas and into Colorado, with a stop at Pueblo, CO, which is the half way point of the trip.

From Pueblo, you begin a northwest climb through Colorado and Wyoming, up to the northwest corner of Wyoming where you enter Yellowstone Park.

After touring Yellowstone, you enter Montana and continue the northwest climb to the northern-most point of the trip in Missoula, MT, the home of Adventure Cycling Association, the people who make the maps i'm following.

From Missoula, it is southwest through Idaho until you get to about the middle of Oregon (north to south), where you cross the border and ride west through OR to the coast, stopping at the Pacific in the town of Florence.

• I'll be riding from East to West.
• The ride is about 4,300 miles (6,900 km) long.
• You ride through 10 states:
  (Virginia, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, & Oregon)
• It usually takes about 80 days, with the book i'm following laying out a schedule of 77 days.
• I'll be camping out each night and staying in hotels only when absolutely necessary.

• Eastern Virginia is relatively flat
• Central Virginia turns into rolling hills
• Western Virginia is a lot of climbing and descending in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains
• Surprisingly, there is more vertical gain in Virginia than out west in the "mountains"
• Kentucky is green woodlands and farms amongst rolling hills
• Southern Illinois is flat
• Missouri is said to be like a roller coaster ride
• Kansas is flat, dry, and barren country, and they recommend carrying lots of extra water
• Colorado is high alpine country
• Pueblo, Colorado is the mid-point of the ride
• The highest point is the Continental Divide at Hoosier Pass (11,542 feet)
• Eastern Wyoming is dry, high desert
• "The views in Yellowstone National Park and of the Grand Tetons in Wyoming are incomparable, and memories will last a lifetime."
• Montana and Idaho are series of mountain passes and long rides along the Lochsa and Snake Rivers
• Eastern Oregon is dry, mountainous terrain
• To get from Eastern Oregon to west, you must cross McKenzie Pass in central Oregon
• Western Oregon is plush, green, and relatively flat