Originally posted at Project Pedal...

One of the biggest undertakings for the pilot is planning out every last detail of the route. Having a number of options for camping sites each day, both for the cast of bicyclists as well as the crew members and their RV... having a long list of locations and landscapes to get on camera... etc.

This "to-do" is made much easier thanks to a few things: first off, the 'Adventure Cycling' maps that have been donated give us a detailed, bike-friendly, scenic route that is heavily travelled by other riders. But knowing exactly what roads we'll be using is only half the problem, I've never been on any of these roads, and granted, I will be personally driving the route before we begin filming in June. But thanks to Google Earth, I'll have a very good idea of what to expect before hand.



I've scanned each map section of the Western Express route and created image overlays to help me see exactly where the maps take us. Doing this allows to me to plan out shots from home that I can double-check later while doing the actual drive. For example:



Above is a fairly close-up shot of Cabrillo Hwy south of San Francisco, looking at this shot from a birds-eye angle I can tell this spot would make a great wideshot - having the bicyclists ride north-west on Cabrillo, while the crew, using a wide-lens and possibly a small crane, drives parallel with us from the parking lot at the bottom of the above picture. This would give us a great shot of the field directly behind us, the lines of crop stretching out into the high mountains in the background.


As I plan out the route in greater detail and also make more notes for possible shots, I'll create a network link that will allow readers of this site to eventually track our progress live during filming.