This route has to be finalized at some point...or does it?

Countdown - 61 days

Anyone who has followed my blog for a bit knows that in the past 18 months or so, the route has changed a couple times. Okay, maybe more than a couple.

First it was just the "Vancouver Adventure" with the farthest point (and turnaround point) being Vancover, British Columbia. The plan was to take a route down the California coast and then back through Las Vegas to the midwest. That changed.

Then it was still Vancouver as a primary destination with a route through the US southwest on the return trip.

Then it became a trip to Vancouver with a 'return' trip through Alaska (since we're going to be that 'close' anyway).

That's pretty much the way Gordo's Vancouver Adventure is holding up today: Fort Wayne, Indiana to Vancouver, BC to Hyder, Alaska to Fort Wayne, Indiana again. All told, about 6,500 miles.

I worked more on the route last night, keeping in mind that I want to be able to see as much as I can without overdoing it on the daily mileage. Nothing says 'risk' like riding when you are overtired. Considering I have to be back at work 17 days after I walk out, 16 is the magic number for riding days. If all things were equal (and they aren't), I would be looking to average 406 miles a day just to stay on point. I'm hoping to really do far more miles per day on average, so that I can have some time to spare for weather or other issues where I might need to delay my trip slightly.

As of right now, I'm going through 8 different states (5 of them I'll be traveling through twice), 3 Canadien provinces and 2 countries.

Here's where I'm planning on bunking down each night and how many miles I'm planning for each day:

1. St. Cloud, Minnesota (642 miles)
2. Dickinson, North Dakota (461 miles)
3. Shelby, Montana (534 miles)
4. Kalispell, Montana (158 miles) [much of the day spent in Glacier National Park]
5. Bellingham, Washington (609 miles)
6. Prince George, BC (490 miles)
7. Stewart, BC / Hyder, Alaska (432 miles)
8. Prince George, BC (432 miles)
9. Calgary, AB (489 miles)
10. Regina, SK (468 miles)
11. Grand Forks, North Dakota (462 miles)
12. Madison, Wisconsin (583 miles)
13. Fort Wayne, Indiana (337 miles)

Surely things will change slightly from this, based on the weather or how close to being 'on-schedule' I am each day. And certainly I will not probably be staying specifically in those cities, but likely an outlying area nearby - preferably a hotel on the low end of the cost scale.

So depending on construction and weather and all the various other little details, I've once again put together a route that I'm surely going to amend. Except now I'm getting down to the nitty gritty on time before July 3, 2010.

So now it's on to finding a way to get sponsors to help foot the bill for the expenses (and make donations to charity). At least now I know -sorta- where I'm going to be each night!