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Our Route |
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The route we took across the USA combined the Eastern section of the TransAmerica trail and the Western Express. Cycling from East to West, we followed the TransAmerica trail between Yorktown VA, to Pueblo, CO. From Pueblo we started out on the Western Express, right the way in to San Francisco, CA, where we finished upon arrival at the Golden Gate Bridge, 3, 830 miles West of the Victory Monument in Yorktown, VA.
Here are the daily rides which we did listed state by state…
VIRGINIA: Day1: Yorktown - Ashland, 96 miles Day2: Ashland - Charlottesville, 96 miles Day3: Charlottesville - Cookie Lady (Afton), 32 miles Day4: Afton - Buchanan, 76 miles Day5: Buchanan - Radford, 79 miles Day6: Radford - Troutdale, 80 miles Day7: Troutdale - Council, 78 miles
KENTUCKY: Day8: Council - Hindman, 96 miles Day 9: Hindman - Booneville, 63 miles Day10: Booneville - Harrodsburg, 106 miles Day11: Harrodsburg - Springfield, 26 miles Day12: Springfield - Sonora, 58 miles Day13: Sonora - Utica, 92 miles Day14: Utica - Cave in Rock, 83 miles
ILLINOIS: Day15: Cave in Rock - Murphysboro, 97 miles
MISSOURI: Day16: Murphysboro - Farmington, 86 miles Day17: Farmington - Eminence, 87 miles Day18: Eminence - Houston, 43 miles Day19: Houston - Ashgrove, 114 miles
KANSAS: Day20: Ashgrove - Walnut, 98 miles Day21: Walnut - Toronto, 74 miles Day22: Toronto - Cassoday, 60 miles Day 23: Cassoday - Buhler, 71 miles Day24: Buhler - Bazine, 134 miles Day25: Bazine - Leoti, 93 miles
COLORADO: Day 26: Leoti - Eads, 80 miles Day27: Eads - Boone, 92 miles Day28: Boone - Westcliffe, 78 miles Day29: Westcliffe - Monarch Pass, 70 miles Day30: Monarch Pass - Cimarron, 85 miles Day31: Cimarron - Telluride, 85 miles Day32: Telluride - Dolores, 61 miles
UTAH: Day33: Dolores - Blanding, 83 miles Day34: DAY OFF Day35: Blanding - Hankesville, 126 miles Day36: Hankesville - Torrey, 49 miles Day37: Torrey - Escalante, 65 miles Day38: Escalante - Panguitch, 68 miles Day39: DAY OFF Day40: Panguitch - Cedar City, 60 miles Day41: Cedar City - Milford, 60 miles
NEVADA: Day42: Milford - Baker, 84 miles Day43: Baker - Ely, 59 miles Day44: Ely - Eureka, 80 miles Day45: Eureka - Austin, 71 miles Day46: Austin - Fallon, 115 miles Day47: Fallon - Dayton, 52 miles Day48: Dayton - Genoea, 26 miles
CALIFORNIA: Day49: DAY OFF Day50: DAY OFF Day51: DAY OFF Day 52: Genoea - Silver Lake, 50 miles Day53: Silver Lake - Rescue, 60 miles Day54: Rescue - West Sacramento, 50 miles Day55: DAY OFF Day56: West Sacramento - Vallejo, 75 miles Day57: Vallejo - Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco! 12 miles.
The Ten Stages Yorktown, VA, to Christiansburg, VA. (369.5 miles) NOW COMPLETED This section began at the Victory Monument in historic Yorktown, which symbolises the end of the American war for Independence. The route took us through the historic triangle and up across the Blue Ridge Mountains. The rolling hills of Virginia gave way to the steep switchback roads as we climbed in to the mountains. The hills remained as we finished our time in Virginia but we managed to get over them! Throughout Virginia, the route was well marked with the TransAmerica ‘76′ signs…thankfully, so it was just a case of turning the pedals.
Christiansburg, VA, to Berea, KY. (381 miles) NOW COMPLETED Initially heading South West, the route continued down to the town of Damascus near the Tennessee border. Still tired from the steep climbs of the Appalachians, the rolling hills (which we still considered mountains) of Kentucky, the Bluegrass state, were supposed to provide some relief from the challenging ascents. The hills remained, while the route markers all but vanished! This section of the route was through small villages and farmland, and I am sure that anyone else could follow the route by following the squashed tortoises on the road…
Berea, KY, to Murphysboro, IL. (416.5 miles) NOW COMPLETED Traveling from the heart of Kentucky, the route took us along the narrow country roads, through horse country, most famous for its racing and bluegrass music. Having crossed the Ohio River in to Illinois, this section was completed at Murphysboro. The (still) rolling land temporarily gave way for the Ozarks, a small and unique mountain range, running East-West. They were pretty sharp in elevation, with plenty of small towns along the way.
Murphysboro, IL, to Girard, KS. (407.5 miles) NOW COMPLETED Descending from the peaks of the Ozarks, the route crossed Southern Missouri’s rolling hills. The sparsely populated undulating terrain took us across the state border in to the flat lands of Kansas. The roads here were much straighter and far more open. The strong winds caused most difficulty, often called Kansas Mountains by the locals, while the entire of the route followed road 96.
Girard, KS, to Alexander, KS. (333.5 miles) NOW COMPLETED This section of the crossing took us on through the flat land of central Kansas, where the heat really picked up. We followed the straight road, getting excited by slight bends, simply heading due West as we traveled through the center of the United States. We saw vast wheat and sunflower fields with little shelter from the elements. Still on route 96!!
Alexander, KS, to Pueblo, CO. (292 miles) NOW COMPLETED In this section, services were limited. The flatlands and gentle climbs became rolling hills as we reached the high plains of Colorado. We had a couple of dust storms to be wary of, created by the strong winds. This section provided us with our initial glimpses of the Rockies as we approached the foothills. This was also the time at which we left the TransAmerica trail, and started out on the Western Express. The mountains provided some welcome relief from the strong winds faced on the plains.
Pueblo, CO, to Dolores, CO. (359.5 miles) NOW COMPLETED From Pueblo to Dolores we have ridden through Mountainous Colorado, with many steep passes along heavily forested roads. Fortunately we didn’t experience any altitude sickness from the elevations. The route has mainly headed West with a tail to the South West as we reach the more remote tourist communities. The views were incredible and the roads winding as they passed through winter time ski resorts. At the tops of the mountains though we still encountered snow, despite it being July!
Dolores, CO, to Cedar City, UT. (447 miles) NOW COMPLETED This was expected to be the most challenging section of the crossing, due to the terrain and elevation, but also the lack of water, extremes of temperature and the long distances between services. While all this was true, we were amazed by the diversity in the landscape as we crossed through Utah. The route was extremely warm and was more limited in terms of shade. The route passed through some of the most remote communities, however we traveled through some of America’s most spectacular scenery. This part of the Western Express took in some really long climbs, and equally long descents. The roads became much quieter and we thankfully left the larger trucks behind in Colorado.
Cedar City, UT, to Fallon, NV. (465 miles) NOW COMPLETED Nevada was extremely dry and presented the same challenges as Utah did. We saw very few people on the road and only the occasional communities. Nevada was the penultimate state on the journey and we were surrounded by very arid and barren land with a general elevation about 5000 feet.
Fallon, NV, to San Francisco, CA. (317.5 miles) NOW COMPLETED The final section of the crossing took us over Carson Pass at 8500 feet and then gradually descended to below 1000 feet all the way to our final destination. Country roads rapidly became replaced by more urban roads as we traveled West. Our USA ride was completed as we boarded the ferry before cycling along the iconic Golden Gate Bridge marking the end of our Journey.
States crossed: Virginia, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California. |