The Transamerica route Jack and Lauren are following begins in San Francisco, California and concludes at Virginia Beach, Virginia. Covering 7807 kms, it follows the the Adventure Cycling Association‘s ‘Pacific Coast Route’ and ‘TransAmerica’ route.
Jack’s grandparents Keith and Marie rode the TransAmerican in 1976, corresponding tales of the trip to the Melbourne Herald Newspaper. These stories later become a book titled “It’s All Uphill”. The book was illustrated by Melbourne cartoonist Jeff Hook, who also rode with Keith and Marie.
The route generally avoids major cities and is ‘curated’ by The Adventure Cycling Association (ACA). From their website -
“…this is still the greatest and most used route crossing America. This classic ride offers everything you would expect from a transcontinental crossing. You’ll encounter all kinds of scenery and terrain, including ocean coastline, lush forests, high desert, mountain passes, snow-capped peaks, sweeping vistas, expansive plains, fertile farmlands, rolling hills, and wide rivers…”
The ACA provides cycling maps throughout the USA – which we have purchased and recommmend. They include important topographical features, campgrounds, elevation profiles, and other helpful information, as well as updated information as it comes to hand.
You can view ACA’s online map network/store here:
http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/
We’ve drawn rough estimate using Google’s fine map service below.
View TransAmerica in a larger map
The elevation profile below was drawn using the free and excellent online elevation profile tool at GPS Visualizer.
