Originally Posted by
staehpj1
FWIW, I didn't find that the ST had much going for it other than that 1- it can be ridden in winter, 2- it is the easiest way over than the mountains, and 3- the food and people were interesting, Still the scenery was pretty uninspiring most of the way and there were day after day of endless dry brown sagebrush punctuated by nothing.
Yes, your disappointment and regret over your ST tour has been noted here many times, and your one-man campaign to prevent others from wasting their own tour opportunities is commendable.
Because Adventure Cycling is headquartered there?
Crazy, isn't? A national bike touring organization has their headquarters in a small, out-of-the-way town with short summers and long snowy winters. Go figure.
Co-founder Dan Burden had been going to University of Montana in Missoula. Bailing on Hemistour due to hepatitis, he returned to Missoula to attend university part time while making BikeCentennial happen. While most of the TransAm route was planned by Lys Burden driving a VW van across country in 1973~74 with an eye towards safety and history, she naturally wanted to reunite with her husband in Missoula.
I've wondered how Adventure Cycling and their route network would be different if Mr. Burden had been attending University of Ohio or University of Texas a half century ago!