TLDR; A map with all of the hiker/biker campsites in America. See it here!
I've had a lot of time to think on the bike, and I'm excited about several projects that I'm going to explore now that I'm done with this ride. There's one that I'm really excited about and need your help to build. It's going to be a website that shows all of the hiker/biker campsites in America. (There will also be more rides in the future, more on those as the plans solidify.)
This is my next project, because it is one of the things that I could have benefited from the most while out on the road. It also helps solve one of the biggest concerns I've heard from new cycle tourists - that they're worried about where they are going to stay each night. At the beginning of my tour, it was stressful not knowing where I was going to sleep as I set out in the morning. After a couple of weeks I got used to this uncertainty. But this is a big barrier to entry for a lot of folks, and this website will help people find more places to camp while on tour.
There's also going to be an advocacy component to this website. As more campsites get mapped, we'll be able to see where the least support is for cyclists. I'll then be able to reach out to churches, local businesses, parks and rec groups, and public land managers in these blank areas and ask them if they'd like to be featured on this website and receive the benefits of hosting cycle tourists. I'll be able to show them other people just like themselves that are on the site, and the benefits they've gotten from supporting cyclists.
Of course we won't get every spot. There are churches and fire stations along well established routes like the TransAm that are not on any maps, and prefer it that way. You only hear about them from locals and other cyclists that you meet on the road. That helps them keep their numbers manageable, and also preserves some of the fun and magic.
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