I will need help planning my route

[lkelly]

I am a 100% disabled combat veteran. I am confined to a wheelchair for most of my days. For exercise, weather permitting, I am able to ride a recumbent trike.

During September 2009, I plan to take a very special journey for a very special cause. My journey will be by recumbent trike from the Cleveland, Ohio area to Dallas, Texas. Over 21 days and about 1,200 miles.

I am riding to raise funds and awareness for our returning disabled soldiers and thier families. The beneficiaries of my ride will be the Wounded Warrior Project (www.woundedwarriorproject.org), and the Fisher House (www.fisherhouse.org).

what I need some help on is my route planning I know I've got several months to go but I just want to be sure that it follows along the same way that one of my sponsors is providing me a hotel room for my team and I
so how about it?

[JimF]

Hi:
Sounds like a memorable trip for two important organizations. I'm sure you'll get good advice on possibilities. You need to provide the hotel chain or other info so possible route(s) can be determined for the communities that you'll be passing through. Most state DOTs have bicycle coordinators. I'm sure they can help with routes through their states, paying particular attention to your needs, e.g., roadway shoulders. The folks at ACA may be able to help, as well. I'm personally not familiar with the area you'll be passing through; however, I do have gps mapping software that can use the bicycle as the vehicle, using parameters that are important to cyclists (avoiding toll roads, major highways, etc.) It's not perfect, but it may give you some possibilities combined with other advice you'll get from this group. You can message me directly if you'd like me to run some routes. Good luck and God bless.

[Aloha_Cyclist]

Aloha Ikelly,
Sorry I'm not able to offer help with your route planning but would like to commend you for making the commitment to such an honorable cause.

All the best!

[lkelly]

Hi:
Sounds like a memorable trip for two important organizations. I'm sure you'll get good advice on possibilities. You need to provide the hotel chain or other info so possible route(s) can be determined for the communities that you'll be passing through. Most state DOTs have bicycle coordinators. I'm sure they can help with routes through their states, paying particular attention to your needs, e.g., roadway shoulders. The folks at ACA may be able to help, as well. I'm personally not familiar with the area you'll be passing through; however, I do have gps mapping software that can use the bicycle as the vehicle, using parameters that are important to cyclists (avoiding toll roads, major highways, etc.) It's not perfect, but it may give you some possibilities combined with other advice you'll get from this group. You can message me directly if you'd like me to run some routes. Good luck and God bless.

well one of the hotel chains is days inn and the other Marriott and it looks like the marriott has hotels about the distance I want to travel everyday. if not there is always the days inn
as far as routes I would like to stay along the highways more for visibility than any other reason

[DaveB]

There is a maping web site ViaMichelin that provided routing directions and offers a "bicycle" option to avoid Interstate and similar roads that restrict bicycles.  Here is the URL:

http://www.viamichelin.co.uk/viamichelin/gbr/tpl/hme/MaHomePage.htm?ck=OK

However, most Days Inns, Marriotts, etc are either in larger towns and cities or are located right along Interstate highway exits so you may have a problem finding suitable roads that allow easy access to them. 

[lkelly]

hey thanks that helps allot I've sat here for the past 2 hrs and plotted out several courses near my hotel sponsor