Route

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Our route is pretty arduous to say the least, involving 9 mountain ranges and 3 deserts, so here's a brief summary:


Heading northeast from San Francisco, we cross the coastal mountain range then California’s Central Valley, which is a flat agricultural area that is unfortunately rather warm in August. We then have a long climb up to Yosemite National Park and cross the Sierra Nevada mountains, just north of Mt Whitney and into the rugged, arid state of Nevada.


Places like 'Big Smoky Valley', 'Tonopah' and 'Last Chance' conjure up visions of the Wild West but the mountains of the Monte Christo, Monitor and Egan ranges suggest lots of hard work. Settlements are few and far between in this area, so we will need to be well prepared. After crossing the amusingly named Pancake Range, we pass through Ely and into Utah. We decided to give the Snake Mountains a wide berth as Steve didn’t like the sound of them one bit.


In Utah we cross the aptly named Confusion range, skirt the edge of the Great Salt Lake Desert, then pass south of Salt Lake City and the Uinita Mountains before heading into Northern Colorado.


We cross the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains via Steamboat Springs then pass through the enormous Roosevelt National Forest on our way to Fort Collins, north of Denver. From here we gradually descend through the Pawnee Grassland areas and onto the plains of Nebraska.


We run through southern Nebraska about 50 miles north of its border with Kansas through Lincoln before crossing the Missouri River and entering Iowa.

Contrary to popular belief, Iowa is not pancake flat, but consists mainly of gentle rolling hills, (which will not seem very gentle to us by this stage) We follow an almost straight line to Fort Madison, over the Mississippi and into Illinois, passing through Peoria, south of Chicago, then across Indiana via Buffalo and Huntington, before crossing Ohio  via an area worryingly known as the Great Black Swamp, which was drained for farming in the 19th
 century. We pass through Van Wert and Akron before reaching Pennsylvania, where the big hills return with a vengance.


There are plenty of steep North-South valleys to cross, along with the Allegheny Plateau and part of the Moshannon State Forest. That just leaves us with the Appalachians and Tuscarora mountains. before we cross into New Jersey near Stroudsburg and over the Kittatinny Mountains before heading for the finish in New York.Sounds pretty straightforward doesn't it? I can't see what all the fuss is about...






Anyway, here's the approximate destinations for each day. Please remember that they are guestimates and likely to change. If you do decide to come and meet us, then don't forget to check our Blog before you set off, just in case our plans have exceeded our abilities!


August 17th                        Half Moon Bay, San Francisco (Start Point)
August 18th                        Near Palo Alto, California
August 19th                        Near Freemont, California
August 20th                        Near Pleasanton, Callfornia
August 21st                        Near Manteca, California
August 22nd                       Near Oakdale, California
August 23rd                        Near Big Oak Flat, California
August 24th                        Near Yosemite on US-120 E, California
August 25th                        Near Lee Vining, California
August 26th                        US-6E Near the Nevada Border
August 27th                        US-6E East of Coaldale, Nevada
August 28th                        West of Tonopah
August 29th         (Day10)   Between Tonopah and Ely
August 30th                        Between Tonopah and Ely
August 31st                        West of Ely on US-6 E, Nevada
September 1st                    Near Ely on US-6 E
September 2nd                   Near the Nevada/Utah Border

September 3rd                    In Utah hopefully still on good old US-6 E
September 4th                    West of Delta on US-6 E
September 5th                    Delta
September 6th                    Jericho
September 7th                    Santaquin
September 8th    (Day20)   Tucker
September 9th                    Just North of Helper, near Castle Gate
September 10th                  Duchesne

September 11th                  Fort Duchesne
September 12th                  East of Vernal
September 13th                  East of Dinosaur
September 14th                  Craig  
September 15th                  East of Steamboat Springs
September 16th                  West of Steamboat Springs on Co-14 E
September 17th                  Walden
September 18th  (Day 30)  West of Kinikinik
September 19th                  West of Fort Collins
September 20th                  East of Ault
September 21st                   Raymer

September 22nd                  Sterling 
September 23rd                   West of Holyoke 
September 24th                  Near Imperial and Waunetta
September 25th                  Mc Cook 
September 26th                  Holbrook 
September 27th                  Minden
September 28th  (Day 40)  West of Hastings
September 29th                  East of Hastings on US-6 E
September 30th                  Grafton

October 1st                         Sprague
October 2nd                        Palmyra
October 3rd                         IA-2 E East of Sydney   
October 4th                         IA-2 E Around Clarinda and Newmarket 
October 5th                         Between Leon and Corydon
October 6th                         Centerville

October 7th                         Bloomfield
October 8th        (Day 50)   Farmington 
October 9th                         Terra Haute
October 10th                       Roseville
October 11th                       Just West of Peona
October 12th                       IL-116 E (Benson)
October 13th                       IL-116 E (Greymont)
October 14th                       West of Donovan
October 15th                       Between Brook and Collegeville
October 16th                       Between royal Center and Denver

October 17th                       Huntington
October 18th      (Day 60)   (Decatur)
October 19th                       East of Delphos
October 20th                       Forest
October 21st                       Attica
October 22nd                      Lodi
October 23rd                       Near Lakemore, South of Akron        
October 24th                       Oakwood
October 25th                       Barkeyville 

October 26th                       Clarion
October 27th                       Luthersburg
October 28th       (Day 70)   PA-144 Near Clarence
October 29th                       East of Centre Hall
October 30th                       Between Lewisburg and Bloomsburg
October 31st                       Freeland
November 1st                      Near Stroudsberg 
November 2nd                     Dover 
November 3rd                      Patterson
November 4th                      New York!