• Depart Chicago for Virginia at the end of April
• Start riding on May 1^st
• Ride for ~77 days
• Finish on or around July 16^th

In general, this is the schedule that Bicycling Coast to Coast lays out and what i'll roughly be following:

A detalied schedule showing where i plan to stop each night can be seen here, on a Google calendar.

So, with that simplicity in mind, these are the main planning issues i'm working on:

Schedule
While i'm going to lay out a schedule between now and leaving, i'm admitting to myself that once on the road it could change. Not by much, or even days, but depending on my tiredness, the weather, unexpected encounters, laziness, etc., i could ride longer or shorter on any given day than i had planned. I don't want this to turn into a completely planned, completely locked into a routine, kind of trip. Part of the enjoyment of these things is the being open to change, being open to the experience unfolding on its own terms.

I have already scheduled one change from the official route. From Hodgenville, KY, i'm going to take two days and swing down to Mammoth Cave National Park for an afternoon tour of the caves. From there, i'll go off-route for one day as i work my way back to the northwest, where i will pick up the trail again at Rough River Dam State Park. One day down to Mammouth, the second day for the tour and lounging around, then a third day to work my way back to the trail.

Equipment
There isn't much planning to do here. I list on another page everything i'm planning to take with me. The trick is to figure out what i need and what i just want, and then cut out the latter. My goal is to carry between 40 and 50 pounds and looking at the list on the other page this seems very doable.

I'm carrying two front panniers, two rear panniers, and a rack pack that will sit across to top of the two rear panniers. The tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad will be stashed in the rack pack, clothing and spare parts in the rear panniers, and food and cooking gear in the front panniers. Soon i'll load everything in the panniers and weigh them to see where i stand with the list as it is right now. Then i'll know if, and how much, i need to cut out.

Food & Water
Food is a tricky issue simply because of the amount i'm going to need to eat. I'm estimating that i'll need about 4,000 calories per day so need food that is both easy to carry and prepare and high in calories. For ease of preparation, i'm planning on oatmeal each morning. For dinners i'll be preparing freeze-dried Mountain House entrees. For both meals, preparation is nothing more than adding boiling water, waiting, and then eating.

Problem is, morning oatmeal will probably be no more than 300 calories and a typical 2-serving entree is about 600 calories. This leaves a deficit of 3,100 calories each day. I'm thinking of carrying a jar of peanut butter and a jar of jelly and stopping for a snack sandwhich from time to time. If each sandwhich is about 500 calories, two sandwhiches gives me another 1,000 calories., leaving 2,100 calories i have to eat during lunch. Or, with a snickers bar here and there lunch needs to be somewhere around 1,600 calories. That's a lot.

I can't carry enough food for the entire trip, so will have to drop ship some ahead for pickup at a post office. Depending on weight, i'm thinking i should be able to carry enough for 20-30 days when i leave Vrginia so would then ship boxes to myself for pickup on days 20, 40, and 60, or on days 30 and 60. Looking at the schedule in The Complete Handlebar Guide to Bicycling the TransAm, day 20 would put me in Owensboro, KY, day 43 puts me in Pueblo, CO, and day 60 puts me in Dillon, MT. All look (on Google Maps) to be reasonable places to find a post office and make the pick up.

For water, i'm going to carry the three water bottles that are already on my bike and bungee cord a 2 liter (68 oz.) CamelBak-like hydration pack to the rear rack, just below the rack pack. In the east, i shouldn't need to carry any water in the hydration pack, but in those areas where it seems like i need more i'll fill it and this will give me a total of about 140 oz. of water, or a little over 1 gallon. As long as i keep all of these topped off whenever i stop, this should be more than enough.

Lodging
I'll be camping out most of the time instead of staying in hotels. Many towns let people camp in the city park, but there will be a lot of campgrounds as well. From what i've read, these cost anywhere from $5 to $35 per night. There are also some places listed in the guidebooks that let bicyclists stay for free. If i'm lucky, i'll also find places along the side of the road to camp from time to time out west.

Other
I heard from a friend living in Tōkyo the other day; he wants to come over and meet up with me in Montana or Idaho and ride the last few states together. He used to come down and walk about 3 days of the Shikoku Henro Trail with me each spring when i was there between 2005 and 2008, so it will be good to meet up once again.

• Bicycling Coast To Coast
• The Complete Handlebar Guide to Bicycling the TransAm
• CrazyGuyOnABike.com (A web site of online journals, with this link pointing to the section on East-->West TransAm rides)

Yorktown, VA to Christiansburg, VA

Christiansburg, VA to Berea, KY
{On the maps ACA sent to me, the route no longer goes up to Irvine from Booneville (going East to West). It now goes south of Irvine and more directly to Berea.}

Berea, KY to Murphysboro, IL

Murphysboro, IL to Girard, KS

Girard, KS to Alexander, KS

Alexander, KS to Pueblo, CO

Pueblo, CO to Rawlins, WY

Rawlins, WY to West Yellowstone, MT

West Yellowstone, MT to Missoula, MT

Missoula, MT to Baker City, OR

Baker City, OR to Coburg, OR

Coburg, OR to Florence, OR