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It was tricky to work out the route through Wyoming — in large part because of the mountains and the large swath of remote territory. In many ways, Wyoming will mark the beginning of roughing it for real. There will be two or three day journeys where I will be setting up camp in the wilderness. Fortunately, there are numerous towns along the way, where my conversations with Americans will continue. In addition to investigating Little America, Wyoming — a fascinating 80 acre oasis of luxury in the middle of the prairie — I will also be visiting Porterville, Utah, where Troll 2, widely considered the worst film ever made, was filmed. After I make my way across the mountains, I’ll reach the Great Salt Lake and start making a dip south in various Utah urban environments including Ogden and Orem. I’ll need all the urban adventures I can get. Because as we shall see with the seventh Google Map of the proposed route, there’s a marvelous desert that will be awaiting me.

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After Nebraska, the terrain starts to get interesting. And by “interesting,” we are, of course, referring to the mountains. It took me several days to figure out the route through Wyoming and into Utah. Some friends have expressed concern about the terrain. But I have worked out a trajectory that will take me through the north edge of the Rockies. This is where most of my outdoors camping will begin. To account for the uphill climb, I’ve adjusted my Wyoming mileage down to 15 mile daily increments. And because this journey is more about having conversations with people in many regions of the States, I have designed the path to hit populated areas. But I do plan to chronicle much of the natural beauty that I will encounter along the way.