Tacoma, Washington to Washington, D.C.
June 14, 2003 to July 27, 2003
Soon after I bought my V-Rex in 2000 for aerobic commuting, I found that the quickest and safest route to the office used seven miles of Interstate-quality divided highway. Riding that shoulder uphill at 10 mph and on the level at 17 mph made me wonder what it would be like to ride I 94 in North Dakota witih a tailwind. From that, the dream of crossing the continent on my bicycle was but a few spins of the wheel.
Planning took as much time as was available. I used DeLorme’s Street Atlas and Topo 3 to plot the entire route. Yahoo’s Yellow Pages helped find motels not listed in DeLorme’s points of interest. State Highway Departments also provided valuable assistance. On-line accounts by earlier tourists provided inspiration and important guidance. Other sources were mixed blessings. Information received on the road was of mixed quality. Crossing Montana and Wisconsin required careful attention to locating lodging. Elsewhere, the route followed roads with extensive support services.
To my surprise, I largely adhered to the plan. In all, I misssed three turns—one because my computer-generated map’s scale was insufficiently detailed at the size I printed, another because I was distracted by construction, and a third because I didn’t realize the route I had mapped used a dirt road. I also adjusted the length of days without changing the route several times. Weather shortened two days. Twice I took credible local advice toward substantial rerouting and gained both times.
Getting the time to make the tour was harder. Eventually, however, the departure day arrived and here is a partial report. Rather than waiting to have the entire report finished before posting anything, I have elected to post information as I have it formatted in case it helps someone else plan.
I’ve organized the information by roughly state-sized segments in the west and the last thousand miles as a larger grouping.
Tacoma, Washington to Sandpoint, Idaho
Fargo, North Dakota to Cambridge Minnesota
Cambridge, Minnesota to Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Manitowoc, WI to Washington, D.C.
Last revised:April 18, 2005 (9:05pm)