When contemplating a long distance journey, through unfamiliar territories, keep in mind the natural hinderances, the same ones that our ancestors had to cope with, except they used horses, mules and oxen.
Here in the U.S. you have the big 3 mountain ranges, the Appalachians, Rockies and Sierras. BUT, now we have an MB.advantage, for example, riders in W. Virginia, Colorado and Oregon who possibly have crossed those mountains and can recommend routes.
The evolution of a "road" began as a game trail, large animals traversing back and forth, sidewise along hills. (buffalo, deer, cows or goats don't go straight up a hill, they find the path of least resistance).
Indian paths followed game trails, then came the pioneer roads. Finally the paving machine was invented, and they simply put a few layers on the established routes. Dynamite enabled engineers to create shortcuts, but there are few US or state highways that are severely steep.
When in doubt, aim for a county seat, that's where the old time wagons headed on market days, you are less likely to hit any steeper than normal snags. Smile, don't dread the terrain, you most likely are on the best possible roads, even if you didn't know anything in advance.
Plus, 30 miles a day is the best a horse owner could average, without killing his mount. If Kit Carson, Lance Armstrong or Forrest Gump eventually arrived, so will you.
At the same time, once you get in altitudes over 3,000 feet, your carburation is going to be affected, at least temporarily. Tinkerers might tinker, while the rest of us merely cope......
We are not MB.klingons. If you chose wrongly, there is no dishonor in finding a cafe/truckstop, taking out that Sharpie pen & pizzabox cardboard, and requesting assistance to toss the bike in the back of a pickup truck or lashed to a flatbed trailer, get a 30 mile jump over Donner Pass or the Sawtooth Range.
"In addition to being overweight, this bicyclist is now lost. Can I bum a ride to ????".
I haven't had to do that yet, but always had it in the back of the mind IF I saw the trade-off, some 60 mph Ford Ranger propulsion replacing my 10 mph huffing/puffing.
Very few of the roads I've seen are any steeper than Eureka Hill below my driveway, only longer. Rarely is a real steep grade over a mile long, and most are half that.
Finally, if you are a tenderfoot like I was, on a cross-country adventure, nothing will prepare you for the high prairie winds....its windsurfing fun when you have a tailwind, but swimming against the current when getting hit head on. Best advise is flexibility, at sunrise plan to go north by northwest, but don't be surprised to find yourself waaaaay south of that target.
Hey, one historical cow-town is as good as another, as long as you're not fighting mother nature to get there. Swap an Armarillo for a Dodge City, enjoy the tail wind surfing. I didn't end up in Red Cloud, NB because of pre-planning, that wind pushed me so far north I thought "what the heck, mightaswellmightaswell....."
Mountain passes, extended periods in high altitudes, and those wagon-tipping breezes, keep them in mind when looking at your maps.
