Introduction

My name is Cranky Crust and I like to take loooooong bicycle rides. I've ridden two out of the three Adventure Cycling Association cross-country routes, and yet the Triple Crown of North American cross-country cycling evades me. In 2018 I rode the ACA TransAm from Yorktown, VA to Astoria OR. In 2019 I cycled the ACA Northern Tier route from Bar Harbor, ME to Anacortes, WA. Last summer I pedaled from Brooklyn, NY to Astoria OR on a combination of ACA routes. The Southern Tier is the shortest ACA cross-country route but, because of the weather, it must be cycled in the spring or the fall, during when I'm teaching. For me, pedaling the Southern Tier in one shot is not a possibility until after I retire. Last fall I considered a short January tour and purchased ST map sections 6 & 7. The closer I examined the weather forecasts the more I realized that it wasn't a good winter idea. Those maps have been sitting on my desk staring at me since December. I have a week off from work for spring break. Because I've been remote teaching during the pandemic, I've decided to try Zooming from the road to give myself an additional week. I should be able to ride from the Atlantic coast to within striking distance of the Mississippi River. I expect the route to be mostly flat, and have decided to tow my dog Blanka behind me in a wagon. This will be her third and longest bike tour to date. It will be nice to have a co-pilot, intermediary, and sentry. The trip will serve as training for my June Western Express Tour across the Rockies and Sierra Nevadas. I've got both of my Moderna COVID vaccinations and am itching to get back out on the road.

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