Step 3: The Itinerary

We had what is probably our last official planning meeting last night at Airwell Farm, Alice Noland's home. She is coordinating our part of the TransAmerica tour along with neighbor Howard Smith who did the whole darn country last year!

Here is our itinerary...

The "A Team" of Howard Smith, John and Rose LaVoie, Will Brown and Casey Smith will start at the Kansas/Missouri state line on Bicycle Route 76. They will cover ~300 miles from July 14th to July 19th and will meet up with the "B Team" in Farmington, MO on July 19th. The teams will ride together to Chester, IL on July 20th. This is supposed to be a short (48 miles) and beautiful ride from the Ozarks down to the Mississippi River valley. And Chester is the home of Popeye, the Sailor Man. I'd play it on my harmonica but the dog would howl :).

The "B Team" of Alice Noland, Deb and Howard Anderson, and Kent Howard will start in Farmington, MO on July 20th and will cover ~620 miles in 10 days ending in Hazard, KY on July 29th. Howard Smith will also continue on with us. "Why???!!!" do you ask? Because he can. I guess when you do the whole country in one summer, 1000 miles in two weeks seems pretty darn tame.

It looks great on the maps. We "newbies" are excited and nervous at the same time. Four of us got new touring bikes with 11/32s. There was lots of discussion about hill climbing technique. Howard Smith and Alice are very confident. And Howard said he would get us back to VA. He didn't say if we'd be dead or alive :)...