Thanks Alan and Cbad rider, My plan is to probaly fly back to Ct. I don't have enough time to cycle back. I am in touch with a local group about raising money for their cause. i have plenty of time to work on this. I have been over to the touring site, a lot of good reads and discusions. I am deciding on what bike to use. I have a carbon that i don't think is rugged enough plus i don't want to beat it up on a trip like this. I will look into tourng bikes or using my old trek steel frame and gearing that up. I am not all that aggressive on the donation asking so that may be more difficult than the ride... i will search and see if others are riding I might hook up with.. thanks..