4,500-Mile Cross Country 2024 Solo Bike Trip

This summer I will be taking a cross-country solo bike trip of at least 4,500 miles. On June 30th I will fly to Portland, Oregon, from where I will ride to Alexandria, Virginia. From there I will either ride another four days (300 miles) or take an AMTRAK train home to New York. I expect the trip to take three full months, so that I will arrive home at the end of September or the beginning of October. You can read my most recent blog post about my plans here: Planning Cross Country 2024 Update March 26 2024 The map above shows my route across the country.

So that you can follow me while I’m on this trip, I plan to write a blog post each day, just as I did on my solo 90-day 4,500-mile solo trip in 2019 (see May 28 to August 25 2019 Big Loop). I will also post a link to a map that will show my progress every ten minutes of each day's ride.

The direct costs associated with this trip are substantial. I will spend only a few nights with friends along the way, so I will spend almost all of my nights either in a motel or a campground, with a split of about 50/50. I will eat dinner in a cafe or restaurant every night, and during the day I will buy snacks. As you can see in the budget below, I expect to spend nearly $8,700 during the trip.

Motels..............................................................$3,982

Campgrounds..................................................$1,100

Food.................................................................$3,600

TOTAL EXPENSES DURING TRIP...........$8,682

I’ve already incurred expenses for equipment needed for this trip due to sometimes traveling in territory where there will be no cell service, no potable water during the day’s ride, or the possibility of encountering bears. In addition to my air fare, there is also the cost of shipping my bike to Portland. As you can see in the budget below, I expect to have spent more than $1,100 before I fly to Portland.

Air fare.................................................................$268

Bike shipment.....................................................$250

Satellite communicator.....................................$229

Mount for satellite communicator....................$40

Subscription for satellite communicator........$210

Water bladder.......................................................$22

Filter cap................................................................$38

Bear spray..............................................................$38

Bear spray cage.....................................................$15

Mount for bear spray cage..................................$11

Holster for bear spray...........................................$17

TOTAL EXPENSES BEFORE TRIP..............$1,138

Based on the budget above, I expect the direct cost of this trip will be about $10,000. And of course I will not be working during my trip, so I will not earn the income I would have if I were home. Please contribute whatever you can. I will be grateful for all contributions whether large or small.

When you contribute, please consider writing something in the “Words of support” section at the bottom of my GoFundMe page about why you want to support me in my ride across the country.

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Click this link to read about my recent multi-day trips: John Link's Biking Adventures