The route changed just a few days ago, when I realized that the western express route has

more than one hundred miles between grocery stores or trees.

That and the fact that the pony express used that trail, not the covered wagons.

The grade (steepness of climbing incline) in the Sierra Nevadas is twice

what it is in the Oakland Hills, our training ground.

Therefore, we start in Oregon with what we think will be

softer shade and smoother slopes.