Planning Session the First

Dave and I hung out and poured over the maps tonight. It was tough getting started! The American Cycling Association maps are chock-full of info, but they're not easy to read at first. I think we've now got the hand of it.

We're shooting for about 70 miles per day with intermittent rest days at natural stopping points. For example, an extra night in Philadelphia is a no-brainer! I may even sample the scrapple.
Here's the rough schedule:

Day 0: Depart DC. July 6th, 2008.
Day 1: Find a hotel near or in Reisterstown, Maryland. 67 miles.
Day 2: Campground near Pequea or Shenk's Ferry
Day 3: Campground near Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site or
French Creek State Park
Day 4: Arrive in Philly. Find a youth hostel.
Day 5: Philly
Day 5.1: July 11th. Buy iPhone.
Day 6: Campground near Belvidere, PA
Day 7: Campground near Godeffroy/Cuddebackville, NY
Day 8: Youth hostel near New Paltz
Day 9: Campground in Taconic State Park near Salsbury, CT
Day 9.5: Lunch with Dave's sister Isa
Day 10: Campground near Winsted, CT / Pleasant Valley, White Pines
Campground or Austin F. Hawes memorial campground

Options for Bikes on a Train

With the Amtrak representative proving none-too-helpful, lacking a response to my email, I've done a little more internet digging and here's the scoop on taking your bike on an Amtrak train.

There are four ways to get a bike onboard an Amtrak train.

• Bicycles stored onboard in bike racks.
• Bicycles as checked baggage in a box or other secure container.
• Bicycles as checked baggage secured by tie-down equipment, not in a box.
• Folding bicycles brought onboard as carry-on baggage. Availability varies.

The only train that in the Northeast with onboard bike racks is the "Downeaster," which runs Portland, ME to Boston, MA.

For checked baggage, the best bet is the Regional, which goes from Washington, DC, to Boston, MA. The last train of the night, departing at 10 pm and arriving at 7:52 am, has a checked baggage compartment - but none of the other daily trains do.

Bike By Train

It turns out that bringing a bike on a train is a difficult affair! Amtrak doesn't allow bikes on most trains - unless the bikes are boxed up! I've contacted Amtrak via email to ask which trains allow un-boxed bikes and am waiting for a reply. I did, however, come across this cool product: a bike box designed so you don't have to break down your bike! I've also written to them asking if bikes with racks on them will fit in the boxes.