How to plan a cross-country bicycle trip

The best way to start a cross-country bicycle trip is to pretend you’re not doing it.
Convince yourself you are embarking on a series of day trips. It will do no good to anticipate the Rockies while still smelling the salt air of the Atlantic, or to think about the East if leaving from the West.

One rest stop to another, one day at a time, one state before the next. That’s the essential mind game. It will all add up to a journey exposing you to staggering landscapes, the kindness of strangers and abilities you didn’t know you had.