The bicycle route described in this book began with a simple idea. Think of a map of the United States as a rectangle. The top of that rectangle would be north. The bottom of that rectangle would be south. During the cold winter months, it would be better to be on the bottom of that rectangle. During the hot summer months, it would be better to be on the top of that rectangle. Finally, one could travel up or down the sides of the rectangle during the fall and spring.
While I was pondering this basic plan, an employee at REI Co-op suggested that I consider using Adventure Cycling maps. She said their maps followed safe and scenic routes and would be a good place to start. I went straight to the Adventure Cycling website and studied their various routes. I was reading Mark Twain’s “Huckleberry Finn” at the time, and the Great Rivers Route, which follows the Mississippi River from New Orleans to the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Minnesota, caught my attention.
After studying all my options, I selected maps for the Southern Tier, to get me from my home town of Austin, Texas to New Roads, Louisiana. Then I selected maps for the Great Rivers Route, to take me north along the Mississippi River. Next, I selected maps for the Northern Tier to take me across the top of the United States to the west coast. Finally, I purchased maps for the west coast all the way down to San Diego. There, I could get back on the Southern Tier in order to return home to Austin, Texas.
My shopping cart was now pleasantly full and I completed the transaction. The cost for all these maps was approximately $200. I was very happy. With these wonderful maps, I was ready to begin my journey.
As it turned out, these maps were indeed wonderful. I followed them to the letter. They included all kinds of information such as campgrounds along the way, bicycle shops on the route, and elevation charts. These maps were all I used for the first year of my journey.
The next steps in the evolution of my bicycle route were what I would call rough spots. North Dakota was under seige from trucks hauling materials related to the oil boom. In fact, as far as I could tell, the whole state smelled like an oil refinery. I could do way better than this. Similarly, even though southern California was beautiful, I really did not enjoy skirting big cities like Los Angeles and San Diego.
On the other hand, I absolutely loved riding the portion of the Natchez Trace Parkway which was part of the Great Rivers Route. The Natchez Trace Parkway was gorgeous in the spring with meadows and wild flowers and stately groves of hardwoods. Also, commercial traffic was not allowed on the parkway, which was fantastic. Why not ride more of that parkway? I had also heard intriguing stories about another parkway, the Blue Ridge Parkway, which could possibly take me further east through North Carolina and Virginia.
At about this same time, I read an extraordinary article in the New York Times by Jim Harrison about the Sand Hills of Nebraska. The Sand Hills seemed like a good candidate to replace the disappointing trek across North Dakota. (Appendix 5 contains a list of all the New York Times articles which have provided information and inspiration for my bicycle journey.) The basic idea was to keep all the wonderful destinations I had learned from the Adventure Cycling maps, including the Natchez Trace Parkway, Glacier National Park, the North Cascades, the Olympic Peninsula, the Oregon coast, the Avenue of the Giants, and parts of the California coast.
Then I could add the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Sand Hills of Nebraska, eastern Wyoming, Spearfish Canyon, Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Grand Canyon, northern New Mexico, and Big Bend National Park. Finally, why not spend the winter on the beautiful Texas gulf coast where I could swim and walk on the beach?
I got out my Rand McNally Road Atlas and set to work. One advantage of paper maps, in my opinion, is that it is easier to see the big picture. I kept one thumb on the map of the United States in the front of the atlas, while my other thumb held my place in the various state maps.
One really nice feature of the Rand McNally Road Atlas is that it uses a distinctive line to identify especially scenic routes. This feature was very helpful as I worked to link the various pieces of the route into one continuous loop which would circumnavigate the United States.
Next, after all this map work, only one task remained. Test the route by riding it on my bicycle! For the next four years that’s exactly what I did. As I traveled the route, I found dangerous stretches which needed replacing. Sometimes local cyclists suggested their favorite routes which I tested and then incorporated the best of them into my route. I worked to avoid large cities and to concentrate on the rural byways of America. The route you find in this book is the product of five years of challenging yet enjoyable work. Sharing my route is the main reason I decided to write this book.
People sometimes ask me if I plan to continue riding the same route. The answer is yes. After all, I am returning to each place only once a year so there is no opportunity for boredom to set in. It’s convenient knowing where the libraries, grocery stores, and laundromats are located. I even have free camping spots which are already prepared because I cleared a nice spot on a previous trip. When I return the following year, it’s waiting for me almost as if I had a reservation!
In my hometown of Austin, Texas, before I started my bicycle journey around America, I had just a few bicycle routes that I enjoyed riding over and over again. My route around America has a similar feeling. The only difference is that my home now consists of the entire country. I like the way that sounds! My home is America and this is my favorite bicycle route! This land is indeed my land!
Summary
My bicycle route roughly circumnavigates the United States in a counterclockwise fashion. The route begins and ends in Austin, Texas. You can begin your trip at any point on the route, however, since the route forms a circular loop around the United States. The journey following the route is intended to begin approximately April 1st and to end approximately December 1st. This eight-month span includes six-months actual pedaling time (10,095 miles) plus two-months designated for time off in these eight favorite cities (one week each):
• Asheville, North Carolina
• Waynesboro, Virginia
• Spearfish, South Dakota
• Sandpoint, Idaho
• Wickenburg, Arizona
• Taos, New Mexico
• Marfa, Texas
• Port Aransas, Texas
The route is designed to optimize weather conditions for your entire trip. You will be “chasing spring” all the way to Glacier National Park (hence the title of this book). You will be in the northern reaches of Montana, Idaho, and Washington during the hottest summer months. You will traverse the Washington and Oregon coasts during the dry season. The cool fall months will find you in the desert South-West. Finally, you will enjoy the winter months in the beautiful gulf coast town of Port Aransas, Texas.
Austin is centrally located towards the southern edge of the United States. This allows you to start your trip very early in the spring. Austin has an international airport for those arriving from other countries. Austin also has excellent bicycle shops and several REI stores for those planning to purchase gear for their journey. Austin is also a wonderful destination in its own right with incredible live music venues, a beautiful river running through town with riverside trails, Barton Springs, and Texas barbecue. I focus on things to do in Austin at the beginning of Chapter 16, “Austin to Natchez.”
Spring in the Texas Hill Country is absolutely breathtaking. I hope the planned excursion to the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, which is located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country near Fredericksburg, will enchant visitors just as it enchants me each spring when I ride my bicycle there. I realize, of course, that not everyone will want to cover the entire route. For this reason, the route is divided into ten sections for individuals who might want to plan a shorter trip. These sections vary in length but generally span 2-8 weeks.