FAQ's Often times when we meet people on the trip, they ask us a bunch of questions. here are some of the most common...
Q: Why are you taking this trip? A: Simply because we love cycling and it is a great way to really get to see the country and to meet a lot of great people. Getting somewhere via your own power is a very rewarding feeling.
Q: How heavy are your bikes? A: We had our bikes officially weighed in Missoula, MT at the Adventure cycling headquarters. Joe's bike weighs around 125 lbs and Em's bike weighs around 105 lbs when they are fully loaded.
Q: How are you financing the trip? A: We knew once we were done with our FL tour that we wanted to do this trip. We lived cheaply and saved up our money. We also have amazing families who have helped us quite a bit- with health insurance and our student loans. Without the help with the loans, we wouldn't have been able to afford to go when we did (originally we planned this for 5 years down the road). We watch our money very carefully to make sure we have enough to get back home.
Q: What was your favorite place so far? A: This is a tough one because there are so many different places and different reasons that we like each place. As of the 8 month mark on the trip, our favorite place is between the Yukon & Alaska and the west coast as a whole. We loved the beauty, serenity and vast open spaces of the Yukon & Alaska, but also the ocean and the cities we got to go through on the west coast.
Q: What do you use to navigate, do you have a GPS? A: No, we just use simple AAA maps and they have worked pretty well for us. A lot of times when we enter a new state, there is a visitor center where we can sometimes get more precise maps for areas, too. Google maps is also very helpful when we have to do "micro" navigating. As for the Adventure Cycling Maps, we have only used them once- from Missoula, MT to Jasper, BC. They are great, but because we started our first tours with AAA maps, that is what we are used to- and plus we zig-zag alot because of the destinations we want to go to.