days left to go!

We’ve updated our itinerary, probably for the last time except for last minute adjustments.  Here’s what it looks like.

^{Friday, August 25 – Day 00 – Lake Itasca State Park, MN (0) – Camp
Saturday, August 26 – Day 01 – Lake Itasca State Park, MN to Cass Lake, MN (55.2) – Stony Point Resort (Camp)
Sunday, August 27 – Day 02 – Cass Lake, MN to Deer River, MN (106.4) – No nearby campground or Warmshowers host (Camp)
Monday, August 28 – Day 03 – Deer River, MN to Jacobsen Campground, MN (152.2) – Jacobsen Campground (Camp)
Tuesday, August 29 – Day 04 – Jacobsen Campground, MN to Aitkin, MN (200.3) – Aitken Campground (Camp)
Wednesday, August 30 – Day 05 – Aitkin, MN to Crow Wing State Park, MN (255.3) – Crow Wing SP Campground (Camp)
Thursday, August 31 – Day 06 – Crow Wing State Park, MN to Sauk Rapids, MN (317.3) – Residence}

^{Friday, September 1 – Day 07 – REST DAY (Sauk Rapids, MN) – Residence}

^{Saturday, September 2 – Day 08 – Sauk Rapids, MN to Elk River, MN (361.6) – Residence
Sunday, September 3 – Day 09 – Elk River, MN to South St. Paul, MN (421) – If no Warmshowers host then motel
Monday, September 4 – Day 10 – South St. Paul, MN to Red Wing, MN, (470.2) – Island Campground (Camp)
Tuesday, September 5 – Day 11 – Red Wing, MN to Fountain City, WI (530) – Merrick SP Campground (Camp)
Wednesday, September 6 – Day 12 – Fountain City, WI to La Crosse, WI (569.7) – Pettibone Park Campground (Camp)
Thursday, September 7 – Day 13 – La Crosse, WI to Prairie du Chien, WI (622.4) – Frenchman’s Landing Campground (Camp)
Friday, September 8 – Day 14 – Prairie du Chien, WI to Cassville, WI (672.3) – Whitetail Bluff Campground (Camp)}

^{Saturday, September 9 – Day 15 – REST DAY (Cassville, WI) – Camp}

^{Sunday, September 10 – Day 16 – Cassville, WI to Dubuque, IA (717.7) – Massey Marina Campground (Camp)
Monday, September 11 – Day 17 – Dubuque, IA to Thomson, IL (769.9) – Thomson Causeway Campground (Camp)
Tuesday, September 12 – Day 18 – Thomson, IL to Davenport, IA (823.7) – If no Warmshowers host then motel
Wednesday, September 13 – Day 19 – Davenport, IA to Keithsburg, IL (882.6) – Big River Forest Campground (Camp)
Thursday, September 14 – Day 20 – Keithsburg, IL to Nauvoo, IL (936) – Nauvoo SP Campground (Camp)}

^{Friday, September 15 – Day 21 – REST DAY (Nauvoo, IL) – Camp}

^{Saturday, September 16 – Day 22 – Nauvoo, IL to Quincy, IL (982.2) – Bear Creek ACE Campground (Camp)
Sunday, September 17 – Day 23 – Quincy, IL to Ted Shanks Conservation Area, MO (1024 + 1.5 miles off route) – Ted Shanks Conservation Area Campground (Camp)
Monday, September 18 – Day 24 – Ted Shanks Conservation Area, MO to Hardin, IL (1077.5) – No nearby campground or Warmshowers host (Camp)
Tuesday, September 19 – Day 25 – Hardin, IL to Alton, IL (1127.5) – No nearby campground or Warmshowers host (Motel)
Wednesday, September 20 – Day 26 – Alton, IL to Arnold, MO (1182.7) – If no Warmshowers host then motel
Thursday, September 21 – Day 27 – Arnold, MO to St. Genevieve, MO (1230) – No nearby campground or Warmshowers host (Camp)}

^{Friday, September 22 – Day 28 – REST DAY (St. Mary, MO/Kaskaskia, IL) – No nearby campground or Warmshowers host (Camp)}

^{Saturday, September 23 – Day 29 – St. Mary, MO to Grand Tower, IL (1295.4) – Devil’s Backbone Park Campground (Camp) (see note 1)
Sunday, September 24 – Day 30 – Grand Tower, IL to Cape Girardeau, MO (1328.2) – Thebes Landing Campground (Camp)
Monday, September 25 – Day 31 – Thebes, IL to Columbus, KY (1382) – Columbus Belmont Landing Campground (Camp)
Tuesday, September 26 – Day 32 – Columbus, KY to New Madrid, MO (1424.9 + 4.5 miles off route) – Donaldson Point Conservation Area Campground (Camp)
Wednesday, September 27 – Day 33 – New Madrid, MO to Caruthersville, MO (1473) – No nearby campground or Warmshowers host (Camp)
Thursday, September 28 – Day 34 – Caruthersville, MO to Osceola, AR (1522.2) – No nearby campground or Warmshowers host (Camp)
Friday, September 29 – Day 35 – Osceola, AR to Memphis, TN (1584.8+ 1.6 miles off route) – Residence}

^{Saturday, September 30 – Day 36 – REST DAY (Memphis, TN) – Residence}

^{Sunday, October 1 – Day 37 – Memphis, TN to Tunica, MS (1627) – No nearby campground or Warmshowers host (Camp)
Monday, October 2 – Day 38 – Tunica, MS to Clarksdale, MS (1674 + 4.5 miles off route) – No nearby campground or Warmshowers host (Camp)
Tuesday, October 3 – Day 39 – Clarksdale, MS to Scott, MS (1728.7) – No nearby campground or Warmshowers host (Camp)
Wednesday, October 4 – Day 40 – Scott, MS to Mayersville, MS (1782.6) – No nearby campground or Warmshowers host (Camp)
Thursday, October 5 – Day 41 – Mayersville, MS to Eagle Bend, MS (1822.7) – No nearby campground or Warmshowers host (Camp)
Friday, October 6 – Day 42 – Eagle Bend, MS to Port Gibson, MS (1880.6 + 4.2 miles off route) – Grand Gulf Military Campground (Camp)
Saturday, October 7 – Day 43 – Port Gibson to Natchez, MS (1939.5) – If no Warmshowers host then motel}

^{Sunday, October 8 – Day 44 – REST DAY (Natchez, MS) – Motel}

^{Monday, October 9 – Day 45 – Natchez, MS to Old River Lock Campground, LA (1984.6) – Old River Lock Campground (Camp)
Tuesday, October 10 – Day 46 – Old River Lock Campground, LA to New Roads, LA (2025.4 + 3.5 miles off route) – No nearby campground or Warmshowers host (Camp)
Wednesday, October 11 – Day 47 – New Roads, LA to Baton Rouge, LA (2068.5) – Warren and Grace Farr Park Campground (Camp)
Thursday, October 12 – Day 48 – Baton Rouge, LA to Central, LA (2120.2) – Sugar Hill RV Park (Camp)
Friday, October 13 – Day 49 – Central, LA to Harahan, LA (2172.3) – New Orleans West KOA (Camp)}

^{Saturday, October 14 – Day 50 – REST DAY (New Orleans, LA) – Motel}

^{Sunday, October 15 – Day 51 – Harahan, LA to Phoenix, LA (2228.8) – No nearby campground or Warmshowers host (Camp)
Monday, October 16 – Day 52 – Phoenix, LA to Venice, LA (2277.5 + 8.5 mile backtrack) – Fort Jackson Park Campground (Camp) RIDE OVER!! (see note 2)}

^{Tuesday, October 17 – Day 00 – New Orleans, LA – Motel (see note 3)}

^{Note 1: Route Mileage in Kaskaskia area will be done on “rest” day: 9/22, cutting 11 miles off 9/23
Note 2: Camping on last night will be at Ft. Jackson which is 8.5 miles back up road from Venice
Note 3: Ft. Jackson to NOLA Airport is 82.8 mile ride if no other transport back is found}

A few words about the colors.  If a day is in red, it means we don’t have either a campground located nearby where the day’s end location is or a Warmshowers host listed there. We are looking for either overnight hosting indoors or camping outside on these days. We are emailing the municipalities identified to see if camping would be possible in a park or other public area. We are also contacting local churches to see if camping on a church property would be okay. If you live in one of these places and would be amenable to hosting us for the night, please contact me at info@b2bbiketrip.com or in the comments below. We have our fingers crossed that, by the 26th of this month, we can start with no red dates on the itinerary.

If a day is in blue, it means that we have a local campground or motel stay identified, but we would still very much like to stay overnight with a Warmshowers or other host if possible in or very near the day’s end location. Where we have found Warmshowers hosts listed we have sent out hosting requests. If you are living in one of the blue overnight locations and are willing to be our host, again, please contact me as described in the paragraph above.

Days in black are nailed down. Hey, we had to start somewhere.

David