Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ

These are literally all the questions when get when we tell people about our biking plans. The questions appear in the same order they are always asked.

How long will that take you?

We leave Boston on June 26th and have plane tickets leaving from Seattle back to Boston on September 10th. That gives us 77 days total. We plan to spend about 50 of those days biking and 17 gallivanting.

What is your route?

Somewhere along the red line from Boston to Seattle.




How many miles is that?

Give or take, around 4,000 miles. 

How many miles will you ride a day?

60-90 (We now know from our practice ride to Amherst that two 100+ mile days in a row is doable, but probably too much).
 
What about your stuff?  

We will have 4 panniers on each of our bikes, carrying about 15-20 pounds in each bag.

 
Where will you stay?

At camp grounds, with “Warm Shower” hosts (www.warmshowers.org) and with you and your friends if we are lucky!



What will you eat?

Sweet Potato Fries &

Espresso 

 


Will you blog?
Look! Here's our blog! We're certainly trying to, at least.

Will you come back?
All we know for sure is that we are leaving our place in Boston on our bikes on June 26th and that we are flying back to attend Francis and Heidi’s wedding on Sept 10th. After that ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING is a possibility…

Can I come?

Yes, we would LOVE to meet up with friend along the way. Anyone interested in biking a sections, camping a night or exploring a new city (or rural Wyoming) with us is more than welcome.

Will you wear helmets?

Yes mom.

Practice Rides

Some people, (ok may people) think the idea of biking from Boston to Seattle is crazy. I find it amusing that even those people have to nod their heads in agreement when we say we are doing a bunch of "practice rides" beforehand with full gear to simulate the experience. No one ever thinks practice is crazy.

Practice Trip 1 was to see my co-teacher Anita and her lovely family in Kingston, Mass. Her husband is a lobster man and her daughter, Stella, is one of the more energetic eight year olds I have ever seen (yes, that includes myself). Anita greeted us with a gorgeous lunch spread, grilled chicken, GREENS and a mozzarella antipasto. After lunch Stella got us all to play wiffle ball. After yard games and visiting their goats we headed back into Boston, with a not-so-quick stop at a Harpoon party in Quincy.

That ride was 70 miles and was a huge confident booster. We figure if we can wake up late (and slightly hungover) the morning after Wake Up the Earth Festival and bike 70 miles, stopping for two parties, we just  might be able to do this biking to Seattle thing.

Practice Trip 2 we completed yesterday. Saturday we biked from our place in JP 112 miles to Northampton MA, where we stayed with our first Warm Shower hosts, Brett and Jenny. They definitely set a high standard for the Warm Shower experience. They were so warm and welcoming and eager to share stories of their own biking adventure. Three years ago they rode from Northampton to Portland to San Francisco on a tandem recumbent bicycle. In the morning Nik and I tried out their recumbent, which was way more challenging than I had imagined. Props to them for making such an epic journey in such a unique way. 

It turns out 226 miles is a lot of biking over two days.  We got home late yesterday night, sore and exhausted but oh so triumphant!