Summer ride

 Making plans

I said I would finish my crash-interrupted cross country ride of 2019, and I'm finally getting around to figuring it out.

Just to recap, I'd done about 2600 miles from Astoria, Oregon to southern Michigan when, in August, my riding buddy Mark and I were hit by a car. We were both hospitalized for many days; the driver, a young woman, was cited with two counts of causing bodily injury with a motor vehicle; and still, at this late date, my claim for medical costs is ongoing.

My old bike was destroyed, and I bought a new one, a Surly "Disc Trucker," in February and have been riding pretty regularly when this crappy Wisconsin weather allows. 

The red line on the map shows what I've done so far, the "x" the site of the crash, and the brown is my tentatively planned route. I hope to leave in mid-June. 

The route takes me from the ferry landing in Ludington, Michigan, around a crescent-shaped loop (an Adventure Cycling route) to Bay City and down to the Detroit area. I might get help from my intrepid wife in a car to get me through Detroit -- although there are trails -- and on down to Toledo, or maybe Huron, Ohio. 

The best way to go would be through Canada along the northern shore of Lake Erie, but Canada is closed to visitors, so I'll follow the southern shore of the lake on marked routes. This involves a few big cities, like Cleveland, so I'll just take my time. 

At Buffalo, I meet the Erie Canal trail. It's about 400 miles, flat, wide, pretty much straight and closed to motor vehicles. I think it might even be a little dull, but there are small towns and lock stations to explore, and it has an interesting history. 

When I reach Albany, I'll follow trails through the Hudson River valley to NYC, where I'm hoping my sisters will take me in, and Ms. V will pick me up. 

It's about 1200 miles, roughly a third of the total distance coast-to-coast. It should take 30-ish days, so let's say 40 at my lollygagging pace, which would bring us to, say, the end of July or beginning of August. 

Stay tuned!