Life On A B-I7

Section 1, Anacortes, WA to Sandpoint ID, 456 Miles

There are 11 sections to the Northern Tier Route. Section 1 starts in Anacortes Washington and goes to Sandpojnt Idaho. Highlights of this section are the Cascade Mountain Range, the plains of northern Washington and the mountains of northern Idaho. The Anacortes ferry terminal is the western terminus. The first climb out of the terminus is over Washington Pass in the North Cascades. The Cascade Trail runs 22.5 miles between Sedro-Woolley and Concrete. I plan to ride that as an alternate. The descent from Washington Pass to Mazama is steep. I’ll be crossing a pass almost daily until reaching the Pend Oreille River valley. SR 20 can be busy with narrow shoulders. I’ll be avoiding SR 20 between Tonasket and Kettle Falls, taking the 102.5 mi. Curlew Alternate. This routing is 22.7 miles longer than the main route and has limited services.

First Steps

The preparations are beginning! I did my first training ride yesterday. It was short but it felt good to get back on the bike. The Davidson without panniers is a real thoroughbred.

Yesterday I downloaded the Northern Tier digital map set from the ACA. I’ll be loading that into Komoot so I can sync it into my COROS app and watch. My plan is to use these preparation pages to layout a detailed schedule for the tour. I’m planning to begin the ride in Anacortes Washington on June 1st and end in Bar Harbor Maine, some 4,300 miles and about 90 days of adventure touring by bicycle.

I’ll most likely be riding solo unless the right riding companion signs on. I plan to camp and cook for myself most of the way with occasional stays in motels and a meal in roadside diners here and there. This will be my third trans con tour so I’m no stranger to this sort of travel. I actually enjoy it. That’s a must actually, no surprise really.