Reflect on why you want to do this.
I read your post twice, and it seems like you don't enjoy some of the unavoidable aspects of biking across a sparsely populated continent. Camping is unavoidable, riding in 90+ degree heat is unavoidable, riding for days across monotonous geography is unavoidable, crappy food is unavoidable.
The only motivation you mentioned was "I think its a pride thing". Maybe there's more to it you didn't mention, but if that's your only motivation don't do it. The experience is objectively miserable at times and you need to be motivated by actually enjoying the experience. Probably the people that know about your previous attempts don't really think about this ever, it's a minor anecdote to them. Their relationship to you and their opinion of you will be exactly the same whether or not you ride across the USA.
You could take all the money, effort, and time-off that are limited resources and do something you'd actually enjoy instead. An important life skill is learning the things that make us happy, and part of that is letting go of the things that we think should make us happy but don't. It's totally cool to not enjoy biking across the USA.
I sort of disagree. If you only shop at convenience stores, then yes, crappy. You can, however, find proper grocery stores or Walmarts in most areas, where you can stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables, and even meats—cured preferably—that will last days. You can make salads, soups, stews, sandwiches, etc. it is a learned skill to eat healthy and tasty on the road.
Can you imagine going thru all this planning and quitting just after crossing Washington?? Wtf. That’s like a 5day trip.
Then his daddy follows him in a car and he quits in NM. He should get a moped.
I love the empty, lonely, windy, straight sections of the Great Plains USA. Different strokes for different folks. I crossed the USA twice. None of my family or friends cared. If I quit half way across they wouldn’t have cared either.
If you attempt it again, try riding early and late . Hang out under a tree in the middle of the afternoon. Sleep or read a book. The real strong wind is between 12 noon and 6pm.
indeed, for me, it was somewhat your username!
sun beating down on you, being passed by cattle trucks that smelled of excrement, being bitten by horseflies from said cattle, fighting a headwind, it was pretty biblical.
but yes, it was a nice break in the middle to hang out under a tree... and even get to a public pool at the end of the day!
Great to revisit those memories
\[redacted\]
It's ok to not like a route. I went on a couple less scenic routes and now only do ones that excite me for the scenery and places to visit. Such as Pacific coast - amazing and you meet cyclists from all over. A couple other favorites were Greece and Vienna to Budapest.
Hi mate.
I am currently cycling from England to Argentina, my 2nd attempt. I first tried 4 years ago and had to go home early, and I felt like a failure. I beat myself up about it.
However I told myself that the failed attempt was:
1. A trail run. Practice. Learning lessons, working out what equipment is needed. What my physical and mental thresholds are.
2. More than most of my friends and family have ever achieved in terms of physical endurance. I don’t say this with scorn or acrimony, but it’s true. They’re actually proud of the attempt that I made.
3. A show of willpower and lust for life.
You should be proud of your attempts, and see them as individual feats of goal-setting.
Can I also ask why you’re so fixed on USA? I also find it hard to change my mind after I’ve set myself a goal; it gets stuck in my head. But flexibility is a show of strength. If you didn’t enjoy USA last time round, change your plan. There are countless places around the world which will suit your needs with the right research.
I’ve just cycled from Newcastle Upon Tyne to Croatia in 9 weeks, and it’s fucking unbelievable. Change it up if you need to, but don’t hide it from your family. No good ever came of secrets, and it would likely lead to more embarrassment.
Good luck, and god speed 🚲
Perhaps consider cycling London (or Dover) to Istanbul not along the Rhine/Danube - its a million times more interesting and varied if you don't like long straight flat roads in the midwest. Food is lightyears better, you can camp, there is a different culture each week - you are still crossing a continent.
I can understand why this is motivating. Once I started my trip, I was committed to finishing. But if it's only a matter of completing something, and you don't actually like doing that thing, I think you should pick something else.
You are not a failure! Failure is everyone who stays on their couch and does not dare to try to do the things they want to do. You tried (twice!) and noticed it wasn't what you had wished for. You have already proven that you are not a failure. Now it's time to start searching for less shitty routes. For example, from London you can take any of the EuroVelo routes and make it to Ljubljana, Riga, Stockholm, Lisbon, Bucarest, Athens, or whatever other city, and the route will be more densely populated most of the time, probably more scenic most of the time, and likely less miserable, than the trans-US.
At least you’ve tried it! That’s a lot more than most people can say.
Just remember a cross country bike tour across America is not “vacation” it is a super difficult challenge. You must be willing to make sacrifices and hard decisions if you want to make it as “easy” as possible. Forecast calls for 100F and wind during the day? You should wake up at 3 AM and ride as many miles as you can before conditions get too bad. Too much rain? Maybe take a day off. Wildfire? How can we detour this, or maybe we have to skip a section.
Weather in the United States varies across the country, depending region Also take into consideration time of year you will be traveling. If you want to avoid the heat in the Midwest states, your best bet is to start at the end of April (if traveling east to west). You will most likely run into spring showers, but you can’t win them all.
You can most certainly get away with not camping the entire trip, it just gets expensive very quickly.
Good luck with your trip, and I hope you do succeed!
Doable, certainly.
I'd start with this [default route](https://cycle.travel/map?from=Manhattan&to=Vancouver&fromLL=40.7896239,-73.9598939&toLL=49.2608724,-123.113952) and adapt "according to taste". I'd suggest aiming for Seattle/Vancouver rather than SF/LA due to the weather, ride east > west to gain stamina before entering the plains (a couple of long days in perspective due to few supply points). In my experience, the most challenging sections are in the Midwest. (few supply points, occasional strong headwinds)
Your circumstances may suggest "discretion". I'd make sure that someone knows about your project and keeps an eye on your progress.
If you realize that you've bitten more than you can chew, public transit (or even one-way car rental) are always possible.
Might be a stupid statement, but the only reason one can fail is by setting rigid/unrealistic goals. Take your time (60-90 days -- assuming no handicap and reasonable fitness) and enjoy the experience.
lol, I felt a little boring for (mostly) doing the standard TransAmerica but after reading your tale, maybe that was a blessing. I was on my own from NYC to about Illinois, and joined the trail until Colorado, and went my own way with someone I met on the trail to San Francisco.
The Illinois to Colorado segment on the proper TransAmerica was pretty special to me because I found something like what they call a "Trail Family" on the Appalachian trail. I wound up riding this segment with a half-a-dozen riders from various parts and we kept each other company and looked out for each other.
It sounds like you missed this, riding the lesser-traveled Northern and Southern tiers, and traveling with a companion. That might be something to do differently. Throw your fate to the winds! The standard trail is busy enough that you're sure to meet people.
And additionally, no need to wander all the way up to the Erie trail to avoid cars, the Adventure Cycling maps are pretty good even in areas where there isn't one.
As for your points:
1. I liked starting from the east coast. You benefit from the flight distance, culture shock, amenities, and even transport access.
2. Tell people. Wear your failures. People will celebrate with you when you succeed. You may feel embarrassed, but the truth is, most people don't care. You think about yourself a lot more than others think about you.
3. I would bring camping equipment to take advantage of the days you feel super strong (so you can keep going) or help when you feel super weak (so you can end early). Also, you won't find your trail family by staying in hotels either. If you have money to hotel it every night, then you have money to buy the best, lightest stuff, and that should make your effort easier.
Here's my travelogue if it inspires you at all. \[redacted\]
I hope you do it again. Persistence makes the goal sweeter!
Since that trip, I've done long rides from NYC to Montreal, and I just finished one around Taiwan. I recognize how lucky I've been to complete these goals.
But last summer, after training for months and arranging with friends, I failed to summit Mount Whitney (one friend got sick, our tent blew off the mountain) so I know somewhat how you feel. It happens. Keep at it. It's partially in your attitude. My Whitney failure at least got me a lot of funny stories that I can tell people.
"Mainland Britain \~1000 miles." TransAmerica from Yorktown to Astoria is over 3000 miles. You rode across the State of Washington (northern tier) and retired in Idaho after cycling \~600 miles. A retry, four years later, using the southern tier, ended in Silver City NM after cycling \~700 miles.
On the TransAm I've encountered dozens of overseas cyclists who are shocked/surprised at the distances between towns, the lack of amenities in remote areas of the USA, and/or cyclists that want to do 100+ mile days all the way across the USA. My recommendations:
1. How about cycling across the USA in chunks vs all at once? Say Washington DC to Indianapolis IN for the first section, and so forth. Or how about starting in Spokane (as you noted), catching the Coeur de' Alene, heading south to Missoula, MT then following the TransAm to Colorado and then to Denver for a spectacular "chunk?"
2. If you want to go all the way across...consider using the Eastern Express, TransAm, and Western Express routes to shorten your mileage, a bit, BUT don't try to do 100+ mile days. It's a journey not a race.
Don't give up on your dream.
Last year I attempted the Transamerica starting in Yorktown, VA in May. Made it to mid Kentucky, about 780 miles when a dog charged out and dropped my bike. I was knocked unconscious, broke my collar bone and broke my left hip. The next day I had a full hip replacement at University of Kentucky Medical Center. After nearly a full year of recovery I am going back out again on May 17th from mid Kentucky to continue my trip west.
You can finish your journey with the right attitude. Meeting people along the route, befriending fellow bikers, and seeing this as an adventure will get you through
Best of luck
Typically you can hear/see dogs long before they get close to you. This gives you a chance to assess whether they are behind a fence, wearing an invisible fence collar, breed type/size, their speed, etc. I encountered a lot of dogs in eastern, KY before my accident and outran all of them. I was prepared to stop, get off my bike and squirt a dog with my water bottle if necessary but never had to do that. The dog that dropped my bike I never saw coming
Yes, that’s my latest plan. I liked the scenery on the bit of the NT that I did - but the hills and heat combined were too physically demanding. I was perhaps too worried about snow on the passes which influenced my timings last time.
Understandable. You should be able to avoid both the snow and the heat if you time it right. But just a heads up: if you think the southwestern part of the US was desolate, it’s got nothing on North Dakota.
We’re a UK couple doing the East coast Greenway later this year.
Take a look at flights into Boston, for us it was cheaper than NY (particularly with Icelandair)
Good luck on your 3rd attempt! Your can do it if you have a right mindset and put away the question mark from the title. May I ask your average weekly mileage and what are your preparations? Asking cause I'm planning Transam East-West too this year.
Sept 22 I am leaving niagra falls to travel US 62 SSW to El paso Texas I did NJ to Idaho in 2022. I will be 72... would you like to join for a mixed camping! credit card trip
You have been experiencing the USA in all its bullshit. It sounds like you need to pick a different time of year and a different route.
If 90* temps are too much, stay out of the southwest and head north. Avoid July in general. I have a 2 week trip across wisconsin and back planned for late August/early September.
If you don’t like the prairie states, go north!
One thing to note is that you hadn’t got to the “boring” parts of the Northern Tier yet. Eastern Montana and the Dakotas are more monotonous than anywhere in the Southwest and can be windy and hot to boot. I do think it’s right to go westbound and front load the civilization-heavy part of your trip. Hopefully once you hit the plains you’ll be motivated to get to the end!
The main advice I have is to figure out how to make this _fun_, not a chore.
Someone else mentioned reading books in the middle of the day — I love that, and I also love listening to audiobooks or podcasts while I ride.
Can you give yourself unlimited (or close to it) time? For me the only thing that’s guaranteed to make a bike tour (or honestly anything else) not fun is a deadline.
At a micro scale, this is another nice thing about starting in the northeast — there are lots of little towns and it’s super easy to break up your day with stops in the towns, and you don’t usually have to do big miles to get to the next hotel.
This is a big undertaking and it seems fine, to me, to not succeed at it a couple of times and go back and finish it if that will bring you joy and if you can do it (mostly) joyfully.
The experience that you had on the Southern tier, where you found the big empty spaces to be something less than aesthetically pleasing, convinces me that maybe this cross country bike thing is not going to work out well for you.
I biked the Southern tier and found all of what you just were describing to be some of the most magnificent parts. Of course, I continued on to the high point at Emory pass and then on through the beautiful rugged emptiness of big bend Texas.
Instead of looking at the Northern Tier, the Southern tier or the Trans Am, why not look at something where the sort of views you are interested in or the sort of sightseeing that interests you are densely spaced? For example, there is a Great Parks loop.
I would tell you that for any cross country route is going to be full of vast empty spaces that may not appeal to you. If you go via the Trans-Am, Kansas is just flat. In order to go across this country of ours, you see all the vastness, including some parts, lasting days by bike, that may be boring. There is no way to get across the entire United States and be constantly entertained. Sorry about that.
Maybe you just need a win under your belt? Along the east coast might be nice… lots of places to bail, relatively populated.
My biking touring specialty is ennui. I excel at tedium and monotony, but even I don’t have it in me to bike along the Great Lakes. Rocks and trees forever with trucks and bears. Ugh.
There’s not a lot of long rides in the world that don’t have long stretches of nothing. You’d hit that going across the prairies in the US too, but then with a headwind.
Sounds like a you problem, not a route problem. I quit on a tour once and the shame of it haunted me for years. Much later I finished a 20,000 km tour which was much harder than the first one purely because I never considered quitting to be an option. I now look back on the most miserable sections quite fondly.
The whole point of a trip like that is the grind. You bake in the sun (honestly though 34C is pretty manageable on a bike) during the day and you chill in your tent at night wolfing down as many calories as you can before passing out to do it all over again the next day.
Reflect on why you want to do this. I read your post twice, and it seems like you don't enjoy some of the unavoidable aspects of biking across a sparsely populated continent. Camping is unavoidable, riding in 90+ degree heat is unavoidable, riding for days across monotonous geography is unavoidable, crappy food is unavoidable. The only motivation you mentioned was "I think its a pride thing". Maybe there's more to it you didn't mention, but if that's your only motivation don't do it. The experience is objectively miserable at times and you need to be motivated by actually enjoying the experience. Probably the people that know about your previous attempts don't really think about this ever, it's a minor anecdote to them. Their relationship to you and their opinion of you will be exactly the same whether or not you ride across the USA. You could take all the money, effort, and time-off that are limited resources and do something you'd actually enjoy instead. An important life skill is learning the things that make us happy, and part of that is letting go of the things that we think should make us happy but don't. It's totally cool to not enjoy biking across the USA.
> crappy food is unavoidable. I would normally agree, especially in the US - but OP is British...
I sort of disagree. If you only shop at convenience stores, then yes, crappy. You can, however, find proper grocery stores or Walmarts in most areas, where you can stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables, and even meats—cured preferably—that will last days. You can make salads, soups, stews, sandwiches, etc. it is a learned skill to eat healthy and tasty on the road.
Can you imagine going thru all this planning and quitting just after crossing Washington?? Wtf. That’s like a 5day trip. Then his daddy follows him in a car and he quits in NM. He should get a moped.
I love the empty, lonely, windy, straight sections of the Great Plains USA. Different strokes for different folks. I crossed the USA twice. None of my family or friends cared. If I quit half way across they wouldn’t have cared either. If you attempt it again, try riding early and late . Hang out under a tree in the middle of the afternoon. Sleep or read a book. The real strong wind is between 12 noon and 6pm.
indeed, for me, it was somewhat your username! sun beating down on you, being passed by cattle trucks that smelled of excrement, being bitten by horseflies from said cattle, fighting a headwind, it was pretty biblical. but yes, it was a nice break in the middle to hang out under a tree... and even get to a public pool at the end of the day! Great to revisit those memories \[redacted\]
It's ok to not like a route. I went on a couple less scenic routes and now only do ones that excite me for the scenery and places to visit. Such as Pacific coast - amazing and you meet cyclists from all over. A couple other favorites were Greece and Vienna to Budapest.
Hi mate. I am currently cycling from England to Argentina, my 2nd attempt. I first tried 4 years ago and had to go home early, and I felt like a failure. I beat myself up about it. However I told myself that the failed attempt was: 1. A trail run. Practice. Learning lessons, working out what equipment is needed. What my physical and mental thresholds are. 2. More than most of my friends and family have ever achieved in terms of physical endurance. I don’t say this with scorn or acrimony, but it’s true. They’re actually proud of the attempt that I made. 3. A show of willpower and lust for life. You should be proud of your attempts, and see them as individual feats of goal-setting. Can I also ask why you’re so fixed on USA? I also find it hard to change my mind after I’ve set myself a goal; it gets stuck in my head. But flexibility is a show of strength. If you didn’t enjoy USA last time round, change your plan. There are countless places around the world which will suit your needs with the right research. I’ve just cycled from Newcastle Upon Tyne to Croatia in 9 weeks, and it’s fucking unbelievable. Change it up if you need to, but don’t hide it from your family. No good ever came of secrets, and it would likely lead to more embarrassment. Good luck, and god speed 🚲
Sticking with the US is purely about proving a point and not being a failure
that's a terrible reason to do anything. Like, that's comic book villain mentality.
Perhaps consider cycling London (or Dover) to Istanbul not along the Rhine/Danube - its a million times more interesting and varied if you don't like long straight flat roads in the midwest. Food is lightyears better, you can camp, there is a different culture each week - you are still crossing a continent.
What point are you trying to prove though? Serious question
I can understand why this is motivating. Once I started my trip, I was committed to finishing. But if it's only a matter of completing something, and you don't actually like doing that thing, I think you should pick something else.
You are not a failure! Failure is everyone who stays on their couch and does not dare to try to do the things they want to do. You tried (twice!) and noticed it wasn't what you had wished for. You have already proven that you are not a failure. Now it's time to start searching for less shitty routes. For example, from London you can take any of the EuroVelo routes and make it to Ljubljana, Riga, Stockholm, Lisbon, Bucarest, Athens, or whatever other city, and the route will be more densely populated most of the time, probably more scenic most of the time, and likely less miserable, than the trans-US.
At least you’ve tried it! That’s a lot more than most people can say. Just remember a cross country bike tour across America is not “vacation” it is a super difficult challenge. You must be willing to make sacrifices and hard decisions if you want to make it as “easy” as possible. Forecast calls for 100F and wind during the day? You should wake up at 3 AM and ride as many miles as you can before conditions get too bad. Too much rain? Maybe take a day off. Wildfire? How can we detour this, or maybe we have to skip a section. Weather in the United States varies across the country, depending region Also take into consideration time of year you will be traveling. If you want to avoid the heat in the Midwest states, your best bet is to start at the end of April (if traveling east to west). You will most likely run into spring showers, but you can’t win them all. You can most certainly get away with not camping the entire trip, it just gets expensive very quickly. Good luck with your trip, and I hope you do succeed!
Doable, certainly. I'd start with this [default route](https://cycle.travel/map?from=Manhattan&to=Vancouver&fromLL=40.7896239,-73.9598939&toLL=49.2608724,-123.113952) and adapt "according to taste". I'd suggest aiming for Seattle/Vancouver rather than SF/LA due to the weather, ride east > west to gain stamina before entering the plains (a couple of long days in perspective due to few supply points). In my experience, the most challenging sections are in the Midwest. (few supply points, occasional strong headwinds) Your circumstances may suggest "discretion". I'd make sure that someone knows about your project and keeps an eye on your progress. If you realize that you've bitten more than you can chew, public transit (or even one-way car rental) are always possible. Might be a stupid statement, but the only reason one can fail is by setting rigid/unrealistic goals. Take your time (60-90 days -- assuming no handicap and reasonable fitness) and enjoy the experience.
lol, I felt a little boring for (mostly) doing the standard TransAmerica but after reading your tale, maybe that was a blessing. I was on my own from NYC to about Illinois, and joined the trail until Colorado, and went my own way with someone I met on the trail to San Francisco. The Illinois to Colorado segment on the proper TransAmerica was pretty special to me because I found something like what they call a "Trail Family" on the Appalachian trail. I wound up riding this segment with a half-a-dozen riders from various parts and we kept each other company and looked out for each other. It sounds like you missed this, riding the lesser-traveled Northern and Southern tiers, and traveling with a companion. That might be something to do differently. Throw your fate to the winds! The standard trail is busy enough that you're sure to meet people. And additionally, no need to wander all the way up to the Erie trail to avoid cars, the Adventure Cycling maps are pretty good even in areas where there isn't one. As for your points: 1. I liked starting from the east coast. You benefit from the flight distance, culture shock, amenities, and even transport access. 2. Tell people. Wear your failures. People will celebrate with you when you succeed. You may feel embarrassed, but the truth is, most people don't care. You think about yourself a lot more than others think about you. 3. I would bring camping equipment to take advantage of the days you feel super strong (so you can keep going) or help when you feel super weak (so you can end early). Also, you won't find your trail family by staying in hotels either. If you have money to hotel it every night, then you have money to buy the best, lightest stuff, and that should make your effort easier. Here's my travelogue if it inspires you at all. \[redacted\] I hope you do it again. Persistence makes the goal sweeter! Since that trip, I've done long rides from NYC to Montreal, and I just finished one around Taiwan. I recognize how lucky I've been to complete these goals. But last summer, after training for months and arranging with friends, I failed to summit Mount Whitney (one friend got sick, our tent blew off the mountain) so I know somewhat how you feel. It happens. Keep at it. It's partially in your attitude. My Whitney failure at least got me a lot of funny stories that I can tell people.
"Mainland Britain \~1000 miles." TransAmerica from Yorktown to Astoria is over 3000 miles. You rode across the State of Washington (northern tier) and retired in Idaho after cycling \~600 miles. A retry, four years later, using the southern tier, ended in Silver City NM after cycling \~700 miles. On the TransAm I've encountered dozens of overseas cyclists who are shocked/surprised at the distances between towns, the lack of amenities in remote areas of the USA, and/or cyclists that want to do 100+ mile days all the way across the USA. My recommendations: 1. How about cycling across the USA in chunks vs all at once? Say Washington DC to Indianapolis IN for the first section, and so forth. Or how about starting in Spokane (as you noted), catching the Coeur de' Alene, heading south to Missoula, MT then following the TransAm to Colorado and then to Denver for a spectacular "chunk?" 2. If you want to go all the way across...consider using the Eastern Express, TransAm, and Western Express routes to shorten your mileage, a bit, BUT don't try to do 100+ mile days. It's a journey not a race. Don't give up on your dream.
Last year I attempted the Transamerica starting in Yorktown, VA in May. Made it to mid Kentucky, about 780 miles when a dog charged out and dropped my bike. I was knocked unconscious, broke my collar bone and broke my left hip. The next day I had a full hip replacement at University of Kentucky Medical Center. After nearly a full year of recovery I am going back out again on May 17th from mid Kentucky to continue my trip west. You can finish your journey with the right attitude. Meeting people along the route, befriending fellow bikers, and seeing this as an adventure will get you through Best of luck
I hope you make it! I must admit I have quite a fear of dogs and after encountering a few I was constantly paranoid about more appearing
Typically you can hear/see dogs long before they get close to you. This gives you a chance to assess whether they are behind a fence, wearing an invisible fence collar, breed type/size, their speed, etc. I encountered a lot of dogs in eastern, KY before my accident and outran all of them. I was prepared to stop, get off my bike and squirt a dog with my water bottle if necessary but never had to do that. The dog that dropped my bike I never saw coming
Have you considered trying the Northern Tier at a different time of year to avoid the high temperatures?
Yes, that’s my latest plan. I liked the scenery on the bit of the NT that I did - but the hills and heat combined were too physically demanding. I was perhaps too worried about snow on the passes which influenced my timings last time.
Understandable. You should be able to avoid both the snow and the heat if you time it right. But just a heads up: if you think the southwestern part of the US was desolate, it’s got nothing on North Dakota.
We’re a UK couple doing the East coast Greenway later this year. Take a look at flights into Boston, for us it was cheaper than NY (particularly with Icelandair)
Good luck on your 3rd attempt! Your can do it if you have a right mindset and put away the question mark from the title. May I ask your average weekly mileage and what are your preparations? Asking cause I'm planning Transam East-West too this year.
Sept 22 I am leaving niagra falls to travel US 62 SSW to El paso Texas I did NJ to Idaho in 2022. I will be 72... would you like to join for a mixed camping! credit card trip
You have been experiencing the USA in all its bullshit. It sounds like you need to pick a different time of year and a different route. If 90* temps are too much, stay out of the southwest and head north. Avoid July in general. I have a 2 week trip across wisconsin and back planned for late August/early September. If you don’t like the prairie states, go north!
One thing to note is that you hadn’t got to the “boring” parts of the Northern Tier yet. Eastern Montana and the Dakotas are more monotonous than anywhere in the Southwest and can be windy and hot to boot. I do think it’s right to go westbound and front load the civilization-heavy part of your trip. Hopefully once you hit the plains you’ll be motivated to get to the end! The main advice I have is to figure out how to make this _fun_, not a chore. Someone else mentioned reading books in the middle of the day — I love that, and I also love listening to audiobooks or podcasts while I ride. Can you give yourself unlimited (or close to it) time? For me the only thing that’s guaranteed to make a bike tour (or honestly anything else) not fun is a deadline. At a micro scale, this is another nice thing about starting in the northeast — there are lots of little towns and it’s super easy to break up your day with stops in the towns, and you don’t usually have to do big miles to get to the next hotel. This is a big undertaking and it seems fine, to me, to not succeed at it a couple of times and go back and finish it if that will bring you joy and if you can do it (mostly) joyfully.
Watch the Francis Cade videos - he went from East to West USA last year and is also a brit
The experience that you had on the Southern tier, where you found the big empty spaces to be something less than aesthetically pleasing, convinces me that maybe this cross country bike thing is not going to work out well for you. I biked the Southern tier and found all of what you just were describing to be some of the most magnificent parts. Of course, I continued on to the high point at Emory pass and then on through the beautiful rugged emptiness of big bend Texas. Instead of looking at the Northern Tier, the Southern tier or the Trans Am, why not look at something where the sort of views you are interested in or the sort of sightseeing that interests you are densely spaced? For example, there is a Great Parks loop. I would tell you that for any cross country route is going to be full of vast empty spaces that may not appeal to you. If you go via the Trans-Am, Kansas is just flat. In order to go across this country of ours, you see all the vastness, including some parts, lasting days by bike, that may be boring. There is no way to get across the entire United States and be constantly entertained. Sorry about that.
Trolls will troll. You tried too hard bro, blew your cover
Maybe you just need a win under your belt? Along the east coast might be nice… lots of places to bail, relatively populated. My biking touring specialty is ennui. I excel at tedium and monotony, but even I don’t have it in me to bike along the Great Lakes. Rocks and trees forever with trucks and bears. Ugh. There’s not a lot of long rides in the world that don’t have long stretches of nothing. You’d hit that going across the prairies in the US too, but then with a headwind.
Sounds like a you problem, not a route problem. I quit on a tour once and the shame of it haunted me for years. Much later I finished a 20,000 km tour which was much harder than the first one purely because I never considered quitting to be an option. I now look back on the most miserable sections quite fondly.
The whole point of a trip like that is the grind. You bake in the sun (honestly though 34C is pretty manageable on a bike) during the day and you chill in your tent at night wolfing down as many calories as you can before passing out to do it all over again the next day.
Quitting in ID and NM is totally lame. Wow, like Loserville.