Planning the next year: A Rough Estimate

Unique thoughts happen when riding

So Beth is leaving in about a month, well we are going over to Australia and the South Island for the last bit.  Originally the plan was for Skog to visit from the August 25th till Sept 11th and for Beth to return on the 9th and me to return on the 12th.  Those plans have now blown up.  Beth is still going home on time and so is Skog, but we'll be jumping around like Mexican Jumping Beans up until that time.  Beth is going over to Australia for a couple of weeks and will be departing before Skog gets here.  I'll be heading up North of Auckland for a couple days for some adventure.  Once Skog gets here, we'll be looking to play on mountain bikes in Rotorua and summit either Mt Taranaki or Mt Ruapehu.  Depending on the time, we might try to fit something else in before heading over to Australia ourselves.  We'll have about a week over there before we head down to Queenstown.  We'll be trying to hook up with my friend Michelle for some snowboarding even though she has been working 12 hour days, 6-6.  From there we have no set plans.  We may get to several other spots, but we'll let our plans be flexible.  I wont be returning home for some time as I have gotten a contract until January.

The kicker is I really want to bike back.  I understand that to most people this concept is either beyond them or they think I'm a nutter.  Yes, this is a long and some what crazy sounding task.  It will test my resolve and may hurt the bank, but I've been tossing some quick figures together and well here they are.  I have not estimated what it would cost other than when I looked at a plane ticket for multiple locations it would be under $3000, which didn't include my existing flight that needs to be changed.

New Zealand: Tauranga to Invercargill to see New Zealand at a slower pace: approximately 2400 km.
Australia: Sydney to Cairns to see the Great Barrier Reef and eat a roo: approximately 2800 km.
Japan: Nagasaki to Aomori to sample as many different varieties of ramen as I can: approximately 1800 km.
US: San Francisco to Minneapolis to get back home: approximately  2000 miles.

So Grand Total:  ~10,000km at first glance at Google Maps

I figure about a month or just over for each leg other than the domestic one where it will take as long as it needs to take.  I wouldn't be getting back until it was Summer time in the US.  I know that it would be a long time away from Beth.  About 10 months, but I'm sure we can handle it.  I just hope my bike and bum can handle the daily riding as I have never done anything like this before.  Sure, I have done a few multi-day trips back home, but never sustained riding.  The plan would be to do 100+ km a day with a rest day here and there.  On riding days I would bike about an hour then get off the bike for 5-10 minutes of stretching before resuming.  Then breaking at mid-day for some off the bike fun.  The days would be longer as it would be summer in the Southern Hemisphere, I could bike for a longer time in the sun and not do any night riding.  I would also try to camp as much as possible to keep the trip as cost effective as possible and allowing my budget to go to my already bottomless pit of a stomach.  I'm busy typing up a list of gear and planning what I think I would need.  I've already talked to Gabe, our friend/bike mechanic/beer brewer/tenant/dessert eater, about getting my Surly Cross Check up to the task.  Its time to make a decision as my ticket already needs to be changed ASAP.