Messages

31

Routes / Re: Eastbound from Washington/Oregon

« on: January 26, 2013, 04:31:21 pm »

Do you have to stay on ACA marked routes?

I have done all three plus a number of other routes.
1. NT is pretty brutal early on, 5 passes, remote, plus can be cold/snowy in early June.
2. L&C has least climbing, warmer, but with Portland metro to navigate, also remote east of The Dalles.
3. TA is generally most cyclist friendly, McKenzie Pass likely to be closed still.  Pretty far south of your plans.

Where would you like to start?  How to you plan on getting out to the coast?
Do you plan on riding Going to the Sun in Glacier NP - - you should.
Check out the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes - paved, services - combined with Thompson Pass.
There are some nice possibilities in southern Washington that have the combinations you are seeking.
Moderate climbs, nice scenery, towns along the way, reasonable weather.

PS - Personally, I think you should head from Glacier to Yellowstone on US 89 - 
Then head east to the Black Hills and continue roughly along SD/Neb border.

32

General Discussion / Re: Traffic burnout?

« on: January 25, 2013, 03:33:43 pm »

Mr. B -

Are you aware that the Canadian national parks in the Rockies allow cyclists on many two-track forest roads within the park?  In both Jasper and Yoho you can bike deep into the wilderness and set up camp - then hike or climb from there.  The Upper Athabasca River is awesome.

33

General Discussion / Re: Traffic burnout?

« on: January 20, 2013, 02:20:39 pm »

Dirt.

34

General Discussion / Re: Realistic time requirements

« on: January 14, 2013, 03:12:49 pm »

US 12 - You have a moderate climb up the Belt Mtns from Townsend - nothing too tough - campground at the summit.  Hot springs at White Sulphur Springs.  Last time thru we camped in the grassy area behind the motel for free just by paying the bathhouse fee.  You follow the Musselshell River valley for 100+ miles - Mennonite farms - a few have really deep wells with delicious water - if you see some Mennonite men out, don't hesitate to ask for water.  They have always been wonderful to me.  Roundup was really hit be the 2011 flooding.  Rolling and quite remote from there to Forsyth.  Bar/Cafe 1/2 miles off road in Ingomar is only service.  Funky, essential stop.

Willing to do any dirt between Forsyth and Miles City?

35

General Discussion / Re: Realistic time requirements

« on: January 14, 2013, 06:12:46 am »

Oh, you Minnesotans - always so practical.
But it's not necessarily 1600 miles. 
From Cape Disappointment it's more than 1700.
And have you allowed for travel delays and/or weather?
And you did say "ride out" to Cape Disappointment, too?

Not to mention that US 12 coming into the Twin Cities is nasty.
There are better back roads - albeit with a few more miles.
Same goes for I-90/I-94 in Montana - way better routes.
So let's say 2000 miles in 28 days - 500 miles per week - 71.5 miles per day.

Very doable - with one travel delay day and one weather day.

Consider US 12 for large segments of this trip.
From Cape Disappointment you can follow Wash 4 to Longview along the Columbia
Then cut north on the Old Pacific Highway to US 12 and over the Cascades.
(Wash 14 is another possibility east of Vancouver - but traffic has really picked up in the last decade.)
There are really nice back roads in the Naches and Yakima Valleys.

From the Tri-Cities you can get back on US 12 thru the Idaho panhandle to Missoula.
Much of this is the TransAm route - but the stretch either side of Orofino is tricky.
From Missoula to Helena you can take Mont 200 and Mont 279 and avoid the interstate - very nice.
(Make sure to take Birdseye Road into Helena from Canyon Creek.)

Although a little further, the east side of Canyon Ferry Lake is far more sane - US 287 is crazy.
Then follow US 12 all the way across Montana - light traffic - small communities.
From Forsyth to Miles City you can use Old US 10 most of the way - only about 10 miles of interstate needed.
Then you can do the big US 12 run across the Dakotas - take time to see Marmarth, ND.

You know the back ways into the Twin Cities.

So let's say

36

International / Re: Cycling Around World

« on: January 11, 2013, 02:10:48 pm »

Why should anyone respond when you do not reply to your own posts?
I think the term is "drive-by" posting.

37

Routes / Re: Northern Tier / TransAm Start Date Question (E to W travel)

« on: January 11, 2013, 11:09:53 am »

The advantage of starting in the east is that you have the longest daylight hours.
A 10-week trip starting on May 15 will included 35 days before and 35 after the summer solstice on June 21.
I love autumn touring, but it's hard to get a lot of sightseeing AND riding in with the short days.

And there's no reason you can't combine the Trans Am and Northern Tier -
That way you don't have to ride thru Kansas in 100-degree heat or tornados.
Using just ACA routes, you could do Trans Am, Lewis & Clark, Northern Tier.

Better still - consider your own routing.
Perhaps cut out into the Nebraska Sandhills and the Black Hills of S.D.
Then take in the Bighorn Mtns and Yellowstone before riding up to Glacier National Park.

38

Routes / Re: northern tier route Aug to Oct.

« on: January 09, 2013, 09:29:09 pm »

Lisa -

I've done a couple of fall cross-country trips.
I started both in the Northwest - - BUT I headed southeast.

Already by mid-August the days are getting shorter.
They really get shorter after Labor Day.

Doing the entire Northern Tier in the fall in 10 weeks would be a stretch.
But doing a modified route ending in the Mid Atlantic would be quite possible.

If you wanted to stick exclusively to Adventure Cycling routes - -
How about - Northern Tier, Lewis & Clark, Trans Am?
Plenty of other possibilities.

39

Connecting ACA Routes / Re: Denver, CO to NW Iowa, two alternatives?

« on: January 09, 2013, 05:29:05 pm »

Google bike mapping is worthless.
Try ridewithgps.com - better than mapmyride.

Outside of eastern Nebraska there are very few paved roads that don't show up as such on the state highway map.  Most are state highways that have traffic counts on the traffic map.  Are you O.K. with maps?
Even the best programs leave much to be desired - use a map - on line or in paper form.

40

Connecting ACA Routes / Re: Denver, CO to NW Iowa, two alternatives?

« on: January 08, 2013, 08:38:19 pm »

Sspeed - Nebraska has some of the finest touring in the Great Plains.  I have traversed the state many times - including on my very first cross-country trip.  I think crossing Nebraska is way more scenic than Hwy 96 in Kansas.  That said, spring is a very stormy time - not to mention there's a big difference between early spring and late spring.

Anyhoo, leaving from Denver is rather tricky.  There is no longer a good back road from Denver to Fort Morgan.  I-76 was built in many places right over US 6.  Sometimes there is a butt-ugly service road right up against the interstate - other times you have to ride on the interstate - legal but not pretty.  I suggest hopping on a shuttle bus and riding from Fort Collins east on Hwy 14.  Way nicer.

From Sterling, you can follow the South Platte valley up to Julesburg on the old road - US 138 - almost no traffic.

Nebraska presents a number of opportunities depending on your preferences.  US 30 follows the Platte Valley and has moderate-plus traffic, but good shoulders for the most part and lots of towns with services.  But, but, but - - Hwy 92 from Arthur to Broken Bow runs thru the Sandhills - an area where the land has never been plowed for farming.  There is almost no traffic and you can see what the Great Plains looked like 200 years ago.

From Broken Bow you can continue eastwards on Hwy 92 (I'm assuming you will see the advantages of choice #2 above) towards Omaha with increasing traffic.  Or you can continue northeast on Round Valley Road to Sargent.  Then head east on Hwy 91 and zig northeast thru Norfolk and Wayne, a college town.

Here is a traffic volume map of Nebraska -
http://www.nebraskatransportation.org/maps/Statewide%20Traffic%20Flow%20Maps/2010-Statewide-Traffic-Flow-Map.pdf

Which I think is better than their Bike Map -
http://www.transportation.nebraska.gov/docs/bicycle-guide-current-2.pdf

Small towns in Nebraska are usually very generous to cyclists - letting them camp in town parks when they don't already have a small campground.  By all means, explore Nebraska.

Best - J

41

Routes / Re: Start Dates?

« on: January 03, 2013, 09:05:58 pm »

Depends.
Depends on which route you are taking:
Northern Tier?  US 2?  Via Mount Rainier N.P.?
Also depends on the year.
Some years it's already summer by mid-May.
Other years are cold and rainy until late June.
(Not to mention snow on the ground in campgrounds/forests)

Also, depends on where you is heading.
A mid-spring start usually implies east-to-west.
It warms up earlier in the east and is brutally hot by mid-summer.
If you are heading towards New England - then mid-June - even July 1.
If you are heading towards Georgia - then Aug 15.

42

Routes / Re: USA Corner to Corner

« on: December 17, 2012, 08:13:52 am »

I have done a diagonal tour NW to SE in the fall and it was wonderful.
Started in Astoria after Labor Day - but mid-August for Neah Bay is very doable.
I hit the Plains by late September - Wyoming into Nebraska.
If you head all the way down the TA into Colorado, expect early snows.

There are very few diagonal roads in the Great Plains -
and those that do exist tend to have heavy traffic.
A glorious route would be heading east in the Nebraska Sandhills -
then connecting to Hwy 99 thru the Flint Hills of Kansas.
Much of these areas remain in natural grass cover.

The major drawback of a fall trip is the shortening days.
By mid/late October this was really noticeable.
You will be heading further south than I did -
Warmer and slightly longer days the further south you are.

PS - November is the driest month in S. Ala, S Ga, and N. Fla.

43

Routes / Re: El Paso to Grand Canyon to TA in CO to NTier to Bellingham WA. Start date?

« on: December 16, 2012, 09:09:24 pm »

Nater -

I run up the Rockies a bunch of times south to north.
I think it's the best direction to go in late spring/early summer -
although ACA recs north to south for the GDMBR.

Here's a link to one of my crazyguy journals - starting at about Day 30
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=1168&v=sJ

The advantages of south to north are threefold -
1. The rainy season in the New Mex begins in late June - in Montana it ends then.
2. Winds tend to be generally southerly in summer Rockies, although variable.
3. You will have the sun at your back for much of the riding day.

You will have the best direction for riding Going to the Sun Road in Glacier - E to W.
(Provided you use US 89 from Yellowstone to Glacier)
The weather on the Northern Tier will be ideal.

And there's no requirement that you adhere strictly to ACA routes - esp in the West.

44

Routes / Re: USA Corner to Corner

« on: December 16, 2012, 08:31:33 pm »

Norsman -

How you gonna do it in the fall?
A fall trip begs a northwest to southeast orientation - but not the reverse.
To get to the Northwest before the snow flies,
you'd have to cycle through the Southeast in July and August.

Actually, leaving from Cape Flattery in Washington on Aug 1 is ideal. (Up to Sept 1)
One of the finest trips weather-wise - albeit with shortening days.
Southeast to northwest asks for a spring trip - perhaps May thru July.
Any earlier and you will encounter tough late spring weather in the Rockies.

Wind tends to be highly favorable for fall NW to SE ride.
Wind tends to be slightly unfavorable for spring SE to NW ride.
The real issue for a spring ride will be storms in the Great Plains.
50% of Plains precip comes in May-June - and the storms can be doozies.

I-90 sucks - the Vantage bridge is a death trap.  Google map it.
US 2 is O.K. in eastern Wash but gets dicey over the Cascades - not too scenic.
From late May to early October - Hwy 20 is the far better option.  Closed in winter.
If you don't want to do the whole NT in Washington -
take US 2 from Spokane to Wilbur and then via Grand Coulee to Methow Valley.
Riding out all the way to Neah Bay and Shi Shi Beach is worth it.

45

General Discussion / Re: National Parks Tour out West

« on: December 09, 2012, 04:29:45 pm »

Generally, a large, counter-clockwise loop works best temperature and weather-wise.
Consider taking Amtrak out to San Diego in early to mid April.

1. Mid April to Mid May - San Diego to Grand Canyon via the southern California desert parks -
Anza Borrego, Joshua Tree, Mojave Preserve, Death Valley is already getting pretty hot.
You can ride Old Route 66 in Ariz and drop down to Jerome and Sedona before hitting the canyon.

2. Mid May to Mid June - Grand Canyon to Taos via southern Utah and the ancient pueblo ruins -
Zion, Bryce (may be cold at elevation), Capitol Reef, Monument Valley, Mesa Verde, Pueblo Bonito.
Chaco Culture NHP is off road but the finest ruins in the Southwest.  Make sure to take US 64 and the "High Bridge" across the Rio Grande Canyon to Taos.  Taos is better than Santa Fe for cyclists.

3. Mid June to Mid July - Taos to Glacier NP via a run up the Rockies in peak wildflower season -
Great Sand Dunes, Rocky Mountain NP, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone - give yourself time. 
Using US 89 in Montana is a better route, plus sets you up for Going to the Sun Road in Glacier.
Stash you bike and do some hikes in the parks - either overnight or just day.

4. Mid July to Mid August - Glacier NP to Olympic NP via the Northern Tier and San Juan Islands -
Couldn't be a better time - consider loops in to Canada - Waterton, Victoria, Pacific Rim.
Drop down to Chelan and take the ferry up to Stehikin in North Cascades - way worth it.
Check out each of the San Juans - preferably on weekdays - and head all the way out to Neah Bay.

5. Mid August to Mid Sept - Olympic NP to Klamath - via Mount Rainier, Oregon coast, Crater Laker -
It's hard to do both the Pacific Coast and the Cascades - it requires some back and forth zigging.
From Mount Rainier you can also hit Mount St. Helens, then ride the central Oregon coast.
After hitting Redwoods NP you can follow the mighty Klamath River back up towards Crater Lake.

6. Mid Sept to Mid Oct - Klamath to Los Angeles - via Crater Lake, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, Calif coast -
Late summer/early fall is a perfect time to do the Sierras and the mid coast - dry and pleasant.
If you do the east side of Lake Tahoe, you can also add Nevada to your list - if you didn't in May.
From Yosemite you can head back to Monterrey and do the Big Sur stretch of the Pacific Coastal Hwy.

Winds tend to be southwesterly in the SW in May, southerly in the Rockies in summer,
westerly in the northern Rockies in late summer, and northwesterly on the coast.
You beat the monsoon season in late spring in the southwest - and are after snowmelt in the Rockies -
the Oregon coast has had time to dry out by late August - and the Calif coast stays warm until Oct.