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.
