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 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 31st Freeland
November 1st Near Stroudsberg
November 2nd Dover
November 3rd Patterson
November 4th New York!
