The Route

Glendale, CA to Roosville, MT (Roads), Days 1-3 (Aug 19-21), 1700 miles

We plan to depart Los Angeles on Thursday August 18, 2010.  Day 1 will take us up the coast to San Francisco, CA as we try to ride the Pacific Coast Highway as much as possible.  Day 2 will take us slightly inland as we take Rt 5 all the way up to Portland, OR.  Finally, Day 3 will hopefully get us to the head of the Continental Divide Trail in Roosville, MT.  The first three days will total about 1700 miles, which is definitely some heavy saddle time to start the trip.

Below is an interactive map of Days 1-3 (Click on the link below it for the full version)

View R2R DAYS 1-3 in a larger map

Continental Divide Trail (Rockies), Days 4-15 (Aug 22-Sept 2), 2700 miles

The ultimate goal for us will be to complete the Continental Divide Trail in 12 days.  At ~2700 miles, we need to average about 225 miles a day, naturally with days being longer, and some being shorter. Most of this route will be on dirt roads and definitely the part of the trip we are most excited for.  An elevation profile of the continental divide trail is shown below.  Click here to download the Continental Divide Trail GPS data and upload into Google Earth or email Mark for the route at bigdogg@wildblue.net.

Below is the interactive Continental Divide Trail - Google Map.  Because of some limitations in the google maps program we can't show you the "driving directions" or an actual line of travel, but you can definitely see the areas we'll be passing through and, if you zoom in in satellite mode, you can even see the dirt roads, paths, and trails that make up the route...  Pretty cool.  Remember to check the Planning page for free posted copies of this data and the GPS specific data showing the CDT in both directions, when we return.

Map of Days 4-15 (Click on the link below it for the full version)

View The Continental Divide Trail in a larger map

Antelope Wells, NM to Glendale, CA (Roads), Days 16-18, (Sept 3-5), 930 miles

If all goes well on the trail, we will hopefully be heading home on Day 16, with about 1000 miles left.  We plan to get to Scottsdale, AZ on Day 16 and stay with one of our best friends.  Day 17 is a day that we will definitely be one of our most memorable as we make it to Las Vegas for our final night of the trip.  The feeling will be awesome as we roll into Sin City after 17 days of living on the bike.  If we make it out of Vegas alive, we head back to LA on Day 18, Sunday September 5, 2010.  Boo Hiss.

Below is an interactive map of Days 16-18 (Click on the link below it for the full version)

View R2R DAYS 16-18 in a larger map

We definitely understand this is tight for a 5300 mile motorcycle adventure.  Even though we have a goal of completing the Continental Divide, we understand that bike problems, exhaustion, and the unexpected will surely change things real-time.  At any point we can take a day off and relax or push a little longer.  We have no idea what will happen over these three weeks, but how we deal with the unexpected is one of the most exciting aspects of the trip.