Plan, Route & Gear

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The Plan:

This will be a self-supported, solo ride. Meaning that I will carry my gear and leverage resources along the route. I will be camping most of the time with a hotel and rest day every 7-10 days depending on weather and the route. I plan on averaging 70 miles/day and expect that it will take about 10 weeks to cover the 4290 miles. Based on other rider’s experiences, that seems pretty reasonable. And just like your car, the mileage may vary depending on elevation and weather. So it will take as long as it takes. I plan to eat mostly on the road…restaurants, convenience stores, grocery stores, etc. and plan on cooking/carrying food only as a back-up. I’m getting a ride out to Oregon with my bike and gear. The return trip from Maine is too far out to plan at this point, but if you’re interested, I hear Maine is beautiful in late September.

The Route:

I am combining two routes from Adventure Cycling. I’ll be starting from Astoria (technically Seaside) and following the Lewis & Clark Trail along the Columbia River through Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana. In Great Falls MT I’ll pick up what’s known as the Northern Tier Route that heads east through North Dakota, Minnesota along the Mississippi, into Iowa, across Illinois and Indiana, through Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York along Lake Erie, across New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. I’ll be making a couple deviations along the route to see family and friends. I chose this route based on a couple factors. I wanted one of the northern routes because they tend to be the longest (hey, go big, or… By contrast the Southern Tier from San Diego to Augustine FL is just under 2900 miles). I didn’t want to follow the western section of the Northern Tier route, since I would have been solo camping several days in grizzly country and the route goes through Glacier NP on the Going to the Sun road. A beautiful part of the country, but narrow roads, heavy traffic and an elevation of 6600+ ft don’t make it an appealing bike ride.🙁


If you are interested in the details see AdventureCycling.org and select alternate routes on the right hand drop down.https://www.adventurecycling.org/routes-and-maps/adventure-cycling-route-network/lewis-clark/



My Gear:

My normal, light, responsive aluminum framed road bike was clearly not the bike to carry my gear and head across the country. In the spring of 2021 I looked for a cross-country touring cycle. Although it wasn’t my first choice, I was able to lock in on a Salsa Marrakesh at Freewheel Cycling -Eden Prairie in September 2021. This was lucky, given the supply chain challenges as Trek and Surly were both out over a year. The bike is built like a truck weighting in at 32 lbs, but it is indestructible and if needed repairable. I’ve added Arkel rear panniers, a front handlebar bag, and 4L of water capacity. I expect when fully loaded the bike and gear will be about 50-55 lbs. (still trying to cut that down!!) 


I’m camping with an REI Quarter Dome T2 tent, sleeping pad, 20 F mummy bag. I’ll be carrying a Garmin Edge 530, iPhone, iPad, solar panel and two 10,000 mA battery packs. The rest is essential stuff, 3 sets of bike clothes, a limited food bag and jet boil type camp stove. Based on a 165 mi overnight test ride through central MN and northern WI over the weekend of July 4th, the weight is manageable and everything works as planned. I indulged a bit and went with a Garmin 530 for navigation, tracking and route planning… why not just paper maps??


All loaded with equipment and food I topped out at 81 lbs!! I’ve reviewed everything and really don’t think there’s anything I want to pull out. I am probably on the high side for food (oatmeal, pasta, granola bars…etc.), but that can be adjusted in the first week on the route as I get a feel for what’s available. Maybe after a couple long climbs, I’ll figure out what’s really ‘essential’😄


Here’s what everything looks like:

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