The Route

Here's a rough approximation of The Route (as I affectionately call it):


 


The points marked on the map are places I know about. I'm sure there are tens more I don't know about now, but I will leave some to be discovered on the way, that's part of the magic surrounding this trip.

It goes through it all: big cities, never-ending plains, mountains, desert, forests, coast land, you name it.
There will be big climbs, long flats, tormenting winds, really hot places, and freezing mountain passes. All waiting to test me, so I really must prepare well.
It will be a real challenge also to find the right equipment for all these conditions while keeping the weight down so I can be as nimble as possible. (Update: actually not so much of a challenge these days as it may have been 10 years ago. Some amazing stuff exists out there for ultra-light packers.)

Why not going straight East to West? Are you trying to make life harder?

There is so much to see, so indeed it is not really a straight line from East to West. When I come up with the exact GPS route I'll know how long it is, until then I can only guess.

I may not get to all the places I marked here, as the route may be too long to cover in 40 days, but now I am allowed to dream. Reality check later.