The route that Ian and I are planning to follow when we cycle from San Francisco to Pueblo, Co is called the Western Express, which has been compiled by the Adventure Cycling Association, or the ACA. They have an excellent set of waterproof maps which detail the route and also have camping and eating suggestions along the roue. These will be helpful for the many small towns that we will either pass through or spend the night.
The map set was actually purchased by a friend Tom. He and I were planning to cycle across the entire USA this summer. We were going to follow the Western Express route to Pueblo, then continue riding along the eastern half of the TransAmerica Trail all the way to the east coast.
When Ian heard about our trip he expressed an interest and planned to join us for the initial Western Express half of the trip. Unfortunately, Tom then had to back out as he decided to build a new house, which was scheduled to be completed and close in June, which was during our ride. That left Ian and I to ride the western (better) half of the trip. I had promised wife Tracy not to do any solo touring, so the eastern half of the trip will have to wait for another time.
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| Western Express route from San Francisco to Pueblo Colorado (yellow line) |
Total trip distance is measured at approx. 1540 miles. We plan to include about 5 rest days during which we will re-group, wash clothes and probably eat a lot. Doing the calculations shows that this is an relatively easy 55 miles per riding day, excluding the rest days. One of the rest days will be about halfway through the trip, when Tracy will pick us up from Cedar City and drive us an hour south along I-15 to our new home in St George. It may be hard to resume the trip after this stop?
The easy pace will allow us to enjoy the trip and not feel as if we are rushed. We will have a cushion for bad weather, or other unexpected issues/mechanicals that might occur. Both Ian and I are newbies to un-supported (carry all of your own gear) touring, but the internet abounds with trip accounts and recommendations. I am actually more concerned about dealing with the dirty/smelly/hungry camping part of the ride. I know that we are both very capable of doing the "easier" cycling part.
We will cycle through and stay in many of the following towns: from Calif to Nevada across the Great Valley and Sierra Nevada (Davis, Sacremento, Carson City); across the Nevada/Utah Great Basin on US50, the "Loneliest Road in America" (Fallon, Austin, Eueka, Ely, Baker, Milford); in the canyonlands of the Colorado Plateau (Cedar City, Panguitch, Escalante, Boulder, Torrey, Hanksville, Blanding, Dove Creek); and the Colorado Rockies (Delores, Telluride, Montrose, Gunnison, Salida, Westcliff and Pueblo). Key passes to be climbed include; Carson Pass, the Markagunt Plateau, Boulder Mountain, Lizard Head Pass and Monarch Pass.
It should be an adventure.
Mike
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