Here I am, 66 days to go and I am still working on my route. Thanks to the Houston PD Bike relay Team, https://www.facebook.com/HPD-Bike-Relay-Team-113947212023430/ for their assistance with that. I spent time this evening with my maps and the highlighter.
OK so I am dating myself, but I still like to have that old piece of paper around for when the electronics don't work. I have also received my maps from Adventure Cycling. On first glance they look a little hard to follow. Maybe after I have some time to study them, I will be able to understand them better. My goal is combine the two of them on my maps so I can compare, then decide a route that will work best for me. Or at least that is what I am hoping for.
I continue with gym time almost everyday. a combination of walking, strength training and riding. I am NOT a cold weather rider.
Saturday, January 23, 2016
70 DAYS TO GO
By far, the most tedious and time consuming thing I have to do for this trip is plan the route. I got amazing help from the Houston PD Bike Relay Team. They did a ride last year from Houston to NYC. Way to go, to our friends in Blue!!! Their President shared their route with me. I am sure I will have to do some modifications, as I will not have the Police escorts for safety, but it is a big help. The intresting part is reading them backwards to plot it on my maps. I do like the the web site they use. "Ride with GPS" Wouldn't you know something else for me to think about to keep me up at night.
I also have maps coming from Adventure Cycling and of course Google maps does their very own bicycle route.
I have contacted each state and requested their tourism maps and information, in hopes that the maps would be more detailed. So far they have been of little help. I am still missing maps for Alabama and Louisianna.
I have marked the maps I have with VFW/Auxiliary Posts along the way. I am hoping to get support from my Auxiliary Sister's and Brother's allong the way. I want to know where they are as I plan.
For now I have to take a break. It is time for me to hit the gym or I will want to put it off... Cause Baby it's cold out side!!!
Here is my map room. I didn't have enough table space.
By far, the most tedious and time consuming thing I have to do for this trip is plan the route. I got amazing help from the Houston PD Bike Relay Team. They did a ride last year from Houston to NYC. Way to go, to our friends in Blue!!! Their President shared their route with me. I am sure I will have to do some modifications, as I will not have the Police escorts for safety, but it is a big help. The intresting part is reading them backwards to plot it on my maps. I do like the the web site they use. "Ride with GPS" Wouldn't you know something else for me to think about to keep me up at night.
I also have maps coming from Adventure Cycling and of course Google maps does their very own bicycle route.
I have contacted each state and requested their tourism maps and information, in hopes that the maps would be more detailed. So far they have been of little help. I am still missing maps for Alabama and Louisianna.
I have marked the maps I have with VFW/Auxiliary Posts along the way. I am hoping to get support from my Auxiliary Sister's and Brother's allong the way. I want to know where they are as I plan.
For now I have to take a break. It is time for me to hit the gym or I will want to put it off... Cause Baby it's cold out side!!!
Here is my map room. I didn't have enough table space.
I guess we need to start at the beginning. That was here Back in August 2014. http://www.allbecausewecan.com/
Now a year and a half later I am working on it still. The difference is at this time nothing is going to stop me. On April 2nd, I am leaving my Home in Havelock NC and riding my bicycle to see my grandson Clay. He lives in Victoria Texas. He also has Muscular Dystrophy.
Why am I riding? Because I can. If it was easy, then everyone would do it. Right.
I had hoped to do the ride last year but as every person that has ever tried to plan a major event will tell you, there is always something that can and will go wrong or change your plans. I have had a few.
The first was having to have more surgeries on my left hand and wrist. They were injured in a car accident October 21, 2013. They are as good as they will get now. So, yeah...
Another change was my support vehicle.. My brother and his wife, my dear sweet sister Annette, have had a major life changing event and cannot be there. So I am really going solo!
The biggest problem I am finding now is mapping the route. Paper maps don't have the detail needed for bicycling and I can only look for so long at a computer screen.
I think I just got a very big shot in the arm from the Houston PD Bike Relay Team. With any luck I will be getting their route from Houston to at least Myrtle Beach. I have also ordered the bike maps from Adventure Cycling.
But for now I have to go back to being Nurse Nancy and get ready for work tomorrow and the rest of the week. I do still work that full time job. I got to pay the bills some way.
Now a year and a half later I am working on it still. The difference is at this time nothing is going to stop me. On April 2nd, I am leaving my Home in Havelock NC and riding my bicycle to see my grandson Clay. He lives in Victoria Texas. He also has Muscular Dystrophy.
Why am I riding? Because I can. If it was easy, then everyone would do it. Right.
I had hoped to do the ride last year but as every person that has ever tried to plan a major event will tell you, there is always something that can and will go wrong or change your plans. I have had a few.
The first was having to have more surgeries on my left hand and wrist. They were injured in a car accident October 21, 2013. They are as good as they will get now. So, yeah...
Another change was my support vehicle.. My brother and his wife, my dear sweet sister Annette, have had a major life changing event and cannot be there. So I am really going solo!
The biggest problem I am finding now is mapping the route. Paper maps don't have the detail needed for bicycling and I can only look for so long at a computer screen.
I think I just got a very big shot in the arm from the Houston PD Bike Relay Team. With any luck I will be getting their route from Houston to at least Myrtle Beach. I have also ordered the bike maps from Adventure Cycling.
But for now I have to go back to being Nurse Nancy and get ready for work tomorrow and the rest of the week. I do still work that full time job. I got to pay the bills some way.