My planned route combines established Adventure Cycling Association routes, the longest of which is called the TransAm Eastern Express.  It is more gentle than the traditional TransAm and bypasses the steepest parts of the Appalachians, Kentucky dogs, the Ozarks, the steepest parts of the Rockies, and most importantly, northern Great Lakes MOSQUITOES.*  

In northern Missouri, the route picks up the Katy Trail, 240 miles of the longest rails-to-trails project in the US.  The Eastern Express connects with the traditional TransAm in northern Colorado and runs through Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, and will be a repeat of what I think are the best parts of the TransAm.  Finally, the plan is the Lewis & Clark route through some of Washington and on to Oregon, following the Columbia River to Portland.

Although I could depart from home in Williamsburg, VA, the bike route to connect to the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) trail is not too appealing with traffic and limited camping options.  And I’m starting late in the season and need to clear the northern Rockies before it’s too cold.  So Sara is shuffling me up to Maryland where I’ll join the GAP in the Cumberland area.

* I abandoned a Northern Tier cross-country trip in 2023 due to mosquitoes.  I made the mistake of going up Michigan to the Upper Peninsula, and across Minnesota in a banner year for mosquitoes.  It was impossible to camp or even ride they were so thick.  I threw in the towel at St. Croix Falls north of Minneapolis.