TransAm Summer 2017

[indyfabz]

My suggestion is to allow more time and more money than you need.  Then just ride the miles you feel like each day.  IMO, nothing sucks the joy out of a tour more than a rigid schedule.  Too tight budgets can be joy killers as well.  I am not saying you need to take a long time or spend a lot, but it will be more fun if neither of those is too limiting of a factor.
[/quote]

Having done two extended solo tours after doing an ACA group tour with a drop-dead finish date, I agree. While the group tour schedule was totally rigid and the average daily mileage relatively tame, I enjoyed much more the ability to ride the miles I wanted to ride (or not ride at all) when I was alone.

OP: There are almost certainly going to be days when you just don't feel like riding much, if at all, especially if the weather is crappy. As for a budget, I find that I always spend more than I think I will. Chances are you are going to want that motel from time to time.

[Motomarcus]

I related to your post and wanted to applaud your ambition.  I'm also teaching and planning now for a 2017 summer transam.  Lots of variables need to fall into place, but that's the goal.  Best of luck to you.

Mark

[markdobbins007]

Being a male nearly 51 years of age I comfortably did the Trans Am and up to the Katy Trail westbound in 63 days with only one rest day that was used to plan the last 8 days of the ride.  A comfortable ride is all about planning. A poorly planned  2012 attempt on the Trans Am had me using 4 panniers and getting cooked off the road with the heat dome setting in over the country.  My successful ride this summer had me using only a seatpost bag and riding light, fast and enjoying the ride.  You have a lot of churches on route, a lot of city parks, and warmshower hosts when the weather gets bad.  Remember, you're riding to destinations and how long does it take to get here is your only concern. I had one set of cycling clothes and one set of street clothes.  Riding very light and fast had me getting in early allowing the clothes to get washed and time to relax and recover and visit with the locals.  I made it comfortably to Pueblo without a tent.  Any mileage past 70 (I averaged just over 70) you're looking at a huge difference in how comfortable and tired you will be with shortened rest for the next days long ride and time to clean, eat and prep for the next day.  Again, you're going to predetermined spots on route that you need to get to to sleep, eat and get supplies.  Any questions or comments give me a yell.

Mark
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=tS&doc_id=18876&v=1r


June
18th Yorktown to GraceWillis Church 70.
19th. Willis to Mineral. 82
20th. Mineral to Charlottesville 72
21st Charlottesville to vesuvius mallard campground 74 7.5
22nd Mallard to troutville park pavillion 55.
23rd. Troutville to Christiansbug 51.
24th. Christiansburg to wyethville city park 51
25th. Wyethville to troutdale 54
26th Troutdale to Rosedale united Methodist 57
27th. Rosedale to breaks hotel.
28th Breaks to Hindman first Baptist Church 7855689,7859253 61 virgie sunshine dinner, stores.
29th Hindman to hazard 24
30th. Hazard to Booneville 46. 3900ft
July
1st Bonneville to danville Pioneer Playhouse pavillion
2nd Danville to Hodgenville LaRue County Park
3rd Hodgenville to fordsville north park 67 .
4th. fordsville to sebree first BaptistChurch
5th. Sebree to America's best value inn Marion 91.
6th ?
Katy trail plan
7th to Hostel St Louis 86 miles
8th. Hostel to Klondike Park 46 miles
9th Klondike to steamboat Junction Campground Bluffton , MO 62 miles.
10th Steamboat Junction Campground to hotel Tipton mo 71 miles
11th. tipton mo to Deer Run RV Park & Campground Appleton City MO. 91
12th. Deer Run to Pittsburgh KS city park. 88 miles Back on Trans Am
13th ?
14th Pittsburgh to chanute 56
15th chanute csmpground to Cassoday .
16th cassoday to Newton. 75.
17th Newton to larned 104
18th Larned to ness citu . 64
19th ness city to Scott city
20th Scott city to sheridan lake bible church. 77
21st shetidan to ordway
22nd ordway to pueblo
23rd Pueblo host to Starlite campground canon city
24th Starlite campground Canon city to Guffey
25th. Guffey to Fairplay
26th Fairplay to Kremmling
27th. Kremmling to walden Co victory and Sigurd Hansen memorial park
28th walden to Saratoga Warmshowers
29th Saratoga to rawlins wy 1600 up
30th. Rawlins to Jeffery city Baptist church Warmshowers.org
31st Jeffrey City to Lander city park shower at pool junior high
August
1st Lander to Dubois Koa
2nd Dubois to Colter Bay Village
3rd colter Bay Village to grant village campground
4th grant village campground to Eartquake Lake
5th eartquake lake to ennis rv village 49
6th ennis rv village to dillon Warmshowers host Larry Volkening
Dillon. 406 925 3775 or 406 925 3774.
777 Thatcher Rd Dillon, Montana 59725
7th dillon to wisdom mt town park. 63. 3400'
8th. Wisdom to darby 56. Patrick and Haley Schultz 3932 Logmill Lane
Darby, Montana 59829 406-531-0799
9th darby to Missoula
10th. Missoula to Powell Campground. 57
11th. Powell To Kooskia.Rivers Junction RV Park 88 2700 down
12th. Kooskia to to riggins rv . Grangeville only supply
13th. Riggins to Cambridge Frontier Motel and RV Park ($10.00 per tent 83 2800 up 1900 down
14th Cambridge to Halfway RV park. 58. 3300 up
15th. Halfway RV Park to baker mt view holiday park 54. 3200 up
16th baker to prarie city depot rv park 66. 4400. Up
17th. prarie city to Mitchell
18th Mitchel to ochuco campground
19th ochuco campground to redmond
20th redmond to eugene
21st eugene to florence heceta beach. 65.

[jwrushman]

I want to thank all who responded to litespeedlujak.  I didn't realize the original post was almost a year old.

I'm planning a ride - NJ to Niagara Falls and then pick up ACA routes to Northern Tier - for June and July of this year.  I got my ACA maps last month and have been planning how are I'd go per day and where I'd likely stop.  Then I realized I made a small miscalculation in the length of the route.  Instead of 3200 miles, my planned route is 3700.  Instead of 62 miles a day, I'd need to average 72 miles a day.  Whoops...

I started re-planning where I'd be stopping, re-considering how many rest days to take, when I had a revelation.  Why the h*ll am I in a hurry? My employer agreed for me to be off for two months.  What's so bad about two months and ten days?  Or twelve?  This is likely the only time I'm going to be doing this (I'm 60 yo and have other things still on my bucket list!), so I'd better make this a worthwhile adventure and not a race to meet an artificial deadline. 

Last summer, I was reading the blog of a couple doing a similar trip with their young daughter.  One of their goals was to accept any offer and adventure that presented itself.  They weren't in a race and enjoyed each day whatever was in store.    They inspired my to re-think the purpose of my trip.  Occasionally I still need reminders...