Three small steps have been made regarding my long term goal of riding from Georgia to Baltimore MD. First off, I received my info pack from Adventure Cycling Association which is a group that has detailed maps fo several routes across the country, and helps people who are doing epic rides get together if they want riding companions. There is an example of one of their maps in the packet, and they look pretty thorough. Having the mapping already done for you takes a big portion of the headache out of planning a trip like this. You could break out a map on your own and plan a route, but you’d have no way to know whether the way you picked was realistic, since sometimes the straightest way isn’t the best way when you are on a bike. Once you are out on the route you can always detour if you like.
I also added East Coast Greenway to my myspace friends to keep tabs on their project. They are creating a path from Florida to Maine which is supposed to be all off road. I hope their project works out. So far they are saying it is 21% done.
Most of all though I have been reading the trail diary of John Dorsey, which has made me feel like a long term trek really is do-able. I’m sure there are a zillion more cross country blogs out there, but I stumbled on to this one acidentally and it has kept me interested. Good FAQ section that answers a lot of the -real- questions folks might have about a lengthy ride. The only thing is, its a little dated…his ride was in the late nineties, but I doubt much has changed.
