Murrs Across America

This update includes tales of glee and woe; Glee first.

Our Maps have arrived! Eyes a’ twinkle Stuart devoured each segment of the journey, just to explore. They actually are pretty cool! They’re built for cyclists, with compact design, and are sturdy, lightweight, and easily packable. They include information not available on typical road maps designed for motorists; for example, the locations of bike shops, sources for food and water, and listings of overnight accommodations, especially camping facilities and small motels. To see pictures visit the adventure cycling website here: http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/maps.cfm.

These maps are supplement to the 3×4 ft. US map adorning our dining room (aka. Mission Control), which has our map routed and our mileage marked at intervals so that we see on a daily basis the full 4403.2 mile game plan. (I’ll talk about the proposed route in entirety in a separate post…or several…)

We’ve started making a comprehensive budget for gear and supplies, and we’re writing language akin to business-plan-speak to pitch to sponsors, potential partners, and media outlets. We’re clarifying our intention and motivation for taking the trip, which centers around the experience itself (see mission statement post). We’re still determining whether or not we should align ourselves with a cause, and what cause that might be.

If you have any suggestions for media outlets (parenting/family, exploring/adventure, biking, or conservation oriented blogs or magazines) please post them below. Likewise, if you or your business would like to sponsor us or donate to our trip, or if you have any suggestions for sponsors, please express your interest below and we will contact you with more detailed information. We hope to have our website up and running soon, and you will then be able to direct your friends there to check out our unfolding story.

Woah. With all this glee, I almost forgot the woe…

MY BIKE WAS STOLEN! ARRRRRGGGGG! We’re planning on purchasing (better, receiving!) new touring bikes for the trip. However, Judy, my mountain bike, was stolen from a friend’s porch the other day. While this is a setback to our weekend rides, we hope to have new bikes very soon, and intend to do a practice ride on segments of the Natchez Trace trail before Thanksgiving.

Finally, Jane has declared that she will need new bike shoes for the trip: She says she will outgrow the ones she has in no time. Also, she asked if we would be able to camp out every night on our trip, and pointed out that when it is bedtime here it is still the middle of the day in China, which makes it hard to fall asleep, sometimes.

Thank you, again, for your continued support, feedback, and suggestions!