[la_yerba]

An east-to-west traverse would be the only way to trek this without disappointment, wherein the reward for surviving the un-fun and mostly flat east and lower Great Lakes, upper Appalachia excepted, and the windblown monotony of the Great Plains is the Rockies and the Pacific Northwest/Cascades, which are beyond awesome.

Do it west-to-east and you've seen everything worth seeing by Wyoming, so utterly underwhelming is everything east thereof.

I once started in Washington, D.C. and only made it to Chicago before giving up from overwhelming boredom, jumping the Amtrak (train) to Denver before continuing west.

[l3db3tt3r]

I think going east to west is the better choice too. Given the terrain, and amount of closeness of services on the Eastern sections — this lets the individual get in shape, for the harder, longer sections as you move West, but also dial-in their fueling and hydration systems.

[PaulDavisThe1st]

> Do it west-to-east and you've seen everything worth seeing by Wyoming

The section in PA that follows a few rivers before climbing the eastern continental divide is quite lovely, and is followed by a similarly lovely section along the canal to DC.

Crossing the midwest by bike is never going to lovely, no matter what direction you choose, and west-to-east at least shifts the odds of tailwinds slightly in your favor.

[la_yerba]

Yeah, that's the area I meant by Upper Appalachia, that really gorgeous, hilly topography in (what I think was) eastern Pennsylvania.

[JKCalhoun]

I'm not sure sight-seeing is the only reason to bike tour.

I did the Katy trail last Fall (across the state of Missouri — about 6 days or so of camping/biking). It was punctuated with pretty limestone bluffs and the Missouri River but to be sure had stretches of farmer's fields, etc.

I still enjoyed the isolation, and then the small towns you rolled into. Turtles, camaraderie with fellow bikers, sense of accomplishment and adventure....

A lot to enjoy besides the views.

[wl]

The prevailing winds are generally west-to-east across the US, so east-to-west means more headwinds than tailwinds.

[mauvehaus]

Prevailing winds are a damned lie.

Source: bike toured a good chunk of the Trans America and Western Express route west to east. Most of it upwind.

[01HNNWZ0MV43FF]

I figure I'll start from where I live and then go some other place. Or vice versa

[mayormcmatt]

Well, DC to Chicago sounds like it would allow me to catch up on podcasts...

[hinkley]

Indiana will do that to you.

[mturmon]

I went west-to-east in the late 1980s.

My group was in, err, very good shape by the time we got to Kansas.

We crossed Indiana in less than 2 days of riding (Vincennes, IN to Cincinnati OH along Hwy. 50). It was exhilarating.

[mcswell]

Indiana is much more interesting underground, IMO. There are lots of nice caves down around Bloomington and Bedford.