I am planning on biking from NYC to Orange County, CA (southern california) in May. I have never biked long distance but I have asked around and I have a vague idea of what I need. Im planning to do it in less than 45 days, and I'm more interested in taking the shortest route possible, rather than taking detours to see attractions (even though I may do this once or twice). However I will not risk safety for a shorter route, I want to play it safe for now. So my first question is, where can I find such route? I've looked on Google Maps but... it's Google Maps, so I want to see if anyone knows better routes. Im planning on using a hybrid bike and mainly couchsurfing or camping somewhere (hotels if necessary), but this is something that I can look into later. For my bike, what type of problems should I expect during the trip? And what bike parts should I carry with me? Also how much money is good to have to repair bikes (not counting money for food or hotels)? And lastly, what kind of training do you recommend I do to prepare for the trip? I am in college so I will be able to work out maximum 2 hours (3 sometimes) on weekdays, more on weekends. Thank you!