Cycling Across America

No, that's not me doing that.

But on my way to Raton, New Mexico yesterday, I saw a guy tooling away on a bicycle on I-25 South, hauling one of those baby carriages behind him.

As I noted here, long journeys have been on my mind lately. Today, I tried to find any online evidence of this person's trek, didn't succeed, but discovered a cottage industry on such journeys:

Bicycle Routes Across the USA, by Shular Scudamore. You can also access his blog and related information via this link.

The Across America North Tour does all the planning and logistical arrangements for you. It ain't cheap.

Bike Across America offers trip reports and guidance for those interesting in giving it a go. The info's a little dated, but still interesting.

New York Times reporter, Bruce Weber, has cycled across America twice: 1993 at age 39 and 2011 at age 57. Good reading. (Google on "On Wheels: America at 10 M.P.H." and then pull up the cache versions of his 1993 entries. Alternatively, if you're actually a card-carrying NYT subscriber, maybe you'll be able to get to the archives via the links in the 2011 articles.)

Trek Travel, like The Across America North Tour above, facilitates the cross-country affairs for you - all you have to do is ride the bike. 2013 cost: $15,999.00. 

The Adventure Cycling Association offers cross-country trip journals here.

Again, cycling across America is not in my plan. Noooo, I'm still fixated on mountain lions on a New Mexico trail. .... Carrying a boxcutter sounded like a good protection strategy til a conversation with one of my sisters today, who told me that another sister carries a very big, very sharp knife when she hikes in the wilderness.

So that's what I'm thinking about.