Introduction

As with my most recent tours, I don't have a set route or timeframe for this trip. The title of this journal is what I've told my very understanding wife as I've pedaled down the driveway to start the last few trips: "I'll see you in two days, two weeks, or two months."

Like many (most?) bicycle tourists, I used to do a lot of pre-planning for my tours, but I've lost interest in that for whatever reason.

My last couple of tours really were almost completely random, mostly on routes I created myself, often figuring out where I was going during the day while riding, but this time, for the first time in ten years, I actually purchased paper Adventure Cycling maps.

I don't know if I'll use the maps, which are for the ACA Arkansas High Country Route, but I'll take them along in case I actually stick to my current vague "plan": Ride out of my driveway in Henderson, Kentucky, then head southwest and ride into Arkansas. If I do that, I'll probably use some (but not all) of the ACA route. Unless, as seems to happen a lot to me, I get annoyed while following a predetermined route and abandon it.

Why Arkansas? Arkansas is one of eight states in which I have not toured by bicycle (the others are Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and West Virginia.)

It would be nice to knock off Oklahoma while I'm on this tour. If I get as far as Arkansas, I might as well ride over into that state too, right?

Ok, that's enough. This is starting to feel too much like over-planning. And who knows: If the weather is blowing the wrong way, I might ride to Minnesota or somewhere else anyway.

(And because I happen to have them handy, here are the "state line" photos from the 42 states I've toured in, in alphabetical order. Sadly, some of the roads I've toured on are so remote that I didn't always see state line signs, and had to settle for pictures of the bike in front of post offices, and the like.)

"Florida" is in small print on the sign. I'm pretty sure I will never tour in Florida again just to get an actual state line photo, though. I wasn't a big fan of riding there.

The Mason-Dixon Line will have to do for Maryland.

Washington. A state line sign without the name of the state!

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Bob Distelberg42 states! Wow. That’s a pretty impressive number.
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1 year ago

Jeff LeeThanks! I knocked off a lot of states on my 2008 tour, which included a big chunk of the ACA Atlantic Coast route. Some of those states are small and easy to ride through quickly.

It's too bad I didn't detour off that route back then in order to pick up Delaware and Rhode Island. I don't know if or when I'll ever do a tour in that region again.
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1 year ago

Gregory Garceau"Ok, that's enough. This is starting to feel too much like over-planning. And who knows: If the weather is blowing the wrong way, I might ride to Minnesota or somewhere else anyway."

The Ozarks of Arkansas will be a greater challenge, but if a strong wind from the southeast were to blow you to Minnesota, you'd be most welcome. Perhaps you'd even come to love the passive-aggressive nature of "Minnesota Nice."

Back in the day, I posted an article on Crazyguy about my obsession with taking pictures at state border signs. I showed quite a few pictures, but not nearly as many as I just saw on this page. NICE!
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1 year ago

Jeff LeeTo Gregory Garceau"The Ozarks of Arkansas will be a greater challenge, but if a strong wind from the southeast were to blow you to Minnesota, you'd be most welcome."

Thanks! My wife and I both really like Minnesota, especially the North Shore. That's a great place to visit when it's unbearably hot here.

I guess I don't really have much of an obsession with state line signs, since several times I chose not to go out of my way to find one, and instead just settled for a post office, or something else with the state name on it.

Now, though, I do wish I'd tried to get a few more actual sign photos. Especially Louisiana - I passed an interesting one there, but I was too lazy to backtrack a half mile to take a picture.
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1 year ago