Some call me a bit meticulous, others say it is OCD, whatever you might call me, unprepared is not the description!
I am beginning the planning for a 2013 Spring tour when my oldest son graduates from Tulane University in mid-May. My plan is to tour to his graduation and then ride back home in the car with my wife and other sons.
Interstate and main highway driving showed us that it is around 1400 miles. I am beginning the route planning. I will be starting at Holyoke, Colorado which is the intersection of US 6 and 287. Either direction I head initially, south or east, will ultimately lead south. I would love to hear resources for bike routes across Kansas, OK, TX, maybe Missouri and Arkansas. and ultimately Louisiana. My plan would be to camp as much as possible. I will tour fully loaded (4 panniers) on a bike yet to be built and fine tuned.
I have found a good online set of maps for Kansas. I would rather spend as little time as possible on the plain plains, thus the thought of trickling southeast across Kansas and perhaps hitting Arkansas around Mountain Home. I could hit part of the ACA northern tier in southern Kansas by riding straight south from my home and catching it east of Eads. I don't want to ride the OK or TX panhandles - been there, done that.
So, I patiently await your input and advice.
Yes, I am a novice, having only done 2 two day point to point tours, but feel like I have plenty of time to absorb information and fine-tune my planning.