After spending the whole Winter in the Caribbean I'm supposed to be ready for bicycling around the world – well I'm neither physically nor mentally ready but 3 previous long distance bicycle trips in Europe have taught me to just get going and quickly the habits and physical shape will come back.
So what are my expectations? Well one of the reasons I want bicycle the USA is to get rid of some of my prejudice i.e. Americans are primarily focused on apperance and material life – success is measured by what you do, who you know, what you make, what you own, etc. - instead of who you are as a person and how you behave towards other people. Also I have premonitions that Americans in general are fairly ignorant (about the world outside their own county/state and especially outside the US) and therefore narrow-minded – interesting topics to discuss along the way include politics (domestic and international), religion, north/south, city/countryside, etc.
By travelling extensively around the country meeting people from most regions, it will be possible to make a fair assessment - I sincerely hope to be proven wrong. At the same time I also hope to show the people I meet that there's a much bigger and wonderful world out there.... Don't listen to all the horror stories in the media – get out and meet people and you'll be surpriced by people's friendliness, helpfulness, kindness, hospitality and generosity.
Despite people telling me about all the dangers in the US my concern is not about weapons, robbery, assault, etc. My preliminary concerns are related to Americans being scared and hesitant to meet me as well as drivers not being used to bicyclists which might create some dangerous situations. And then I'm pretty annoyed that in 6 months I haven't been able to find decent detailed road maps for the country (except if I buy a whole book per state). Consequently, I'm left with some overall maps and a google-map suggestion for a bicycle itinerary. The latter I have tried before and it's doesn't really work for long distance bicycling – there are a number of errors, many trails only for mountain bikes and if I miss one turn I'm lost. Also there are no points-of-interest, forests to indicate camping opportunities, etc.
Anyway, shape up and get going - it's for sure going to be a great adventure and an experience for life.
