WANT TO JOIN US? HERE ARE THE FAQS

FAQ SHEET

WHO AND WHY?
The core group consists of four intrepid adventurers, Carl & Liz Tippit, Larry Schulz, and Peter Conway. We hope and expect to be joined by other adventurers who will join us for one or more week long legs (stages) of the trip. So, the Who may be You!

WHY? We share a “bucket list” dream of cycling across the country. Beyond that, we plan to use the ride to raise money and awareness for a non-profit founded by Liz Tippit called FILL THIS HOUSE. (http://www.fillthishouse.org/ )So, even if you can’t ride with us, we encourage you to support us by making a donation to Fill This House once we complete the ride. Each rider is paying all of his/her expenses so 100% of all donations will go to Fill This House.

WHEN IS THE RIDE?
We will start Monday October 4, 2010 and plan to finish 49 days later on November 21, 2010.

HOW LONG IS THE ROUTE?
Approximately 3150 miles, barring wrong turns.

WHAT IS THE ROUTE?
We will ride west to east, from San Diego, CA to St. Augustine FL. We will travel through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. We are using a route designed for cyclists by the Adventure Cycling Association. They have named it The Southern Tier. To see the route, go to their website: http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/southerntier.cfm?pg=overview

WHAT IS THE ROUTE LIKE?
To quote Adventure Cycling:
The Southern Tier Bicycle Route is our shortest cross-country route and offers a wide variety of terrain, vegetation, climate, and people all the way across the nation from the Pacific to the Atlantic. The route is rich in human culture and history -- ranging from the Spanish and Mexican influences in California, to the ancient indigenous pueblo cultures in Arizona and New Mexico, to the imprint of the Spanish conquistadors in Texas, to the bayous and French influences of Louisiana, to the Old South of Mississippi and Alabama, to a four-hundred-year-old city in Florida.

WHAT WILL BE THE DAILY AVERAGE MILES TRAVELLED?
75 miles. However, due to varying elevation changes (e.g. mountains) and some long stretches between services (e.g. desert) days will vary between 50 and 100 miles.
We plan to publish a daily route log by the end of December.

WILL THERE BE ANY REST DAYS/LAYOVERS?
Yes. Taking cues from the Good Book, we will bike for six days and rest on every seventh.

WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT WILL THERE BE?
We will be supported by “Vanna” a small RV and trailer which will carry all of our gear, spare parts and us when needed. During the day, Vanna will be our SAG wagon, on call in case of emergency or fatigue, and meeting us at pre-ordained food/water/ rest stops. Liz will drive Vanna for much of the route, but we are seeking another driver or two for part of the trip.

WHERE WILL WE STAY?
We will stay in clean but cost efficient motels along the route. We will also bring some camping gear in case the sprit moves us to occasionally camp out in a particularly scenic area during ideal weather.

I AM INTERESTED, BUT I CAN’T SPEND 49 DAYS.
We are breaking up the ride into 7 week long stages. As our rest day is Sunday, we will be able to meet people at airports along the route on Saturday evening/Sunday morning, so that they can ride with us from Monday- Saturday.
 

WHERE CAN I JOIN OR LEAVE THE TRIP?
TENTATIVE:
Stage Dates From TO Meet Us Leave Us
1 10/03-10/10 San Diego,CA Tempe, AZ San Diego Phoenix
2 10/10-10/17 Tempe,AZ El Paso, TX Phoenix El Paso
3 10/17-10/24 El Paso,TX Del Rio TX El Paso Del Rio
4 10/24-10/31 Del Rio,TX Navasota, TX Del Rio Houston
5 10/31-11/07 Navasota,TX BatonRouge,LA Houston Baton Rouge
6 11/07-11/14 BatonRouge,LA DeFuniakSpr,FL Baton Rouge Pensacola
7 11/14-11/21 DeFuniakSpr,FL St Augustine Pensacola StAugustine

HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN JOIN US EACH STAGE?
Two maximum. We can either have two cyclists, or one cyclist and one van driver for the week.

HOW MUCH WILL THE TRIP COST PER WEEK?
At this point, we have not developed a weekly budget. That will come in due course. You can ball park the cost by figuring in seven nights in a motel, evening meals at restaurants, your share of the weekly grocery bill for breakfast/ lunches on the road and your share of Vanna’s weekly expenses. Plus travel costs to join and leave us.

INTERESTED IN JOINING US?
If interested, give Carl, Liz, Larry or Peter a call. We will add folks on a “first to commit” basis for each stage.