Messages

61

Routes / Re: Chicago to New Orleans in April, exp cyclists, beg tourists

« on: December 31, 2012, 07:54:49 am »

Hi there sara.atx,

I suggest you take a look at the resources from the Illinois DOT Bicycle and Pedestrian program to get yourselves from Chicago to where ever you want to connect to the Great Rivers Route.

http://www2.illinois.gov/gov/green/pages/regionalbiking.aspx

However, be aware that flooding can occur in this region in April closing roads and bridges.

Good luck and have fun on your trip!

.Jennifer.

62

Routes / Re: Toll roads in Florida...

« on: December 27, 2012, 06:33:24 am »

Hi ronnie421,

It looks like the Florida DOT Bicycle and Pedestrian pages are undergoing some changes. They used to have some great resources for bicycle travel on the site. You might want to contact their office to see if they still have maps available for planning a route across the state avoiding those toll roads:

http://www.walkinginfo.org/assistance/contacts.cfm#FL

I hope this helps,
.Jennifer.

63

General Discussion / Re: Bicycle tourism route mapping advice and examples?

« on: December 20, 2012, 06:37:20 am »

Logan,

A colleague in the department suggested the following:

As for an example of bike maps using some of this other attribution, he could check out MaineDOT's "Bike Book" that includes data for shoulder widths, daily traffic flows and multi-use trail designations on their maps (and presumably in their GIS database).

http://www.exploremaine.org/bike/

Be sure to check out the various documents under the Resources label on that USBRS page I mentioned before. There is an area that addresses your questions about liability.

I hope all this helps,
.Jennifer.

64

General Discussion / Re: Bicycle tourism route mapping advice and examples?

« on: December 19, 2012, 01:54:47 pm »

Hi Logan,

Another source for information is the US Bicycle Route System page on our site. There are pdfs and links to a lot of different articles that could be helpful to you.

http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/nbrn/usbikewaysystem.cfm

Best,
.Jennifer.

65

General Discussion / Re: Bicycle tourism route mapping advice and examples?

« on: December 19, 2012, 12:39:52 pm »

Hi Logan,

This sounds like a great new project! Please keep us apprised of how it's going. I'm sure you're already aware of the Great Shasta Rail Trail project but if not, you can get a taste at a blog post I wrote about it: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/09/new-development-on-sierra-cascades-route.html

I have forwarded your question to our staff who are most knowledgeable about GIS. Hopefully they will have some ideas for you.

Let me know if there is anything else we can do to be of help to your project.

Good luck and have fun!

.Jennifer.

66

Routes / MOVED: route ideas for cycling in greece

« on: December 19, 2012, 07:22:40 am »

This topic has been moved to International.

http://www.adventurecycling.org/forums/index.php?topic=11230.0

67

General Discussion / Re: Need advice - NJ

« on: December 19, 2012, 07:21:10 am »

Hi cmtbiz,

Welcome to bicycle travel and Adventure Cycling!

I'm not sure where in NJ you are but you might want to take a peek at these two Bikeovernights in NJ for inspiration:

http://bikeovernights.org/archives/category/new-jersey

The only mapped routing we have in New Jersey is the Atlantic Coast Route, Section 2: http://www.adventurecycling.org/store/index.cfm/product/7_10/atlantic-coast-section-2.cfm

Hope this helps get you going.

Best,
.Jennifer.

68

GPS Discussion / Re: How do you use the Adventure Cycling GPS waypoints?

« on: December 11, 2012, 12:28:53 pm »

As a department we've been studying your needs and wants alongside our needs and wants. We're starting to come to some conclusions as we work with an outside contractor to get our database up and running. I wanted you all to know your comments have been very helpful in this process. Thank you!

As more questions arise, we'll be back in touch.

Best,
.Jennifer.

69

GPS Discussion / Re: Google maps vs garmin GPS

« on: December 10, 2012, 05:48:50 am »

Hi littledn,

I would highly recommend checking with the bicycle coordinators for the states in which you will be traveling through and need routing. Many have online resources as well as printed materials. Nearly every state publishes a bicycle map of some sort that they will send out for free and the coordinators often have more information they can distribute for no charge as well. And while the maps aren't as detailed as ours, they generally offer suggested roads for cycling through their state. Here is a link to the contact information for all of the bicycle coordinators:

http://www.walkinginfo.org/assistance/contacts.cfm

I hope this helps.

Best,
.Jennifer.

70

General Discussion / Re: Ft Lauderdale to Key West & Marco Island to Ft Lauderdale

« on: November 30, 2012, 08:43:54 am »

A widening of US 1 past the Last Chance Saloon might let you cut some miles off your trip by passing up Card Sound Road, but check it out for sure first.

FYI: Based on recent cyclist feedback, we are changing the Atlantic Coast route through here from Card Sound Rd. to US 1.

.Jennifer.

71

Routes / Re: TransAm to Western Express, VA to Califorinia

« on: November 14, 2012, 06:08:55 am »

Thank you everyone so much for the advice!  Since I originally posted this thread, some new questions have come to mind.  Does anyone have a recommendation for a good bike lock and were you ever in a situation where you didn't have an ideal spot to lock your bike? How did you deal with washing your clothes each day/dealing with them being damp for awhile?  And also I'm trying to carry as little weight as possible...if anyone has a recommendation for a very light weight easily packable tent, I plan to buy one soon.  I also am thinking of how I will go about packing for this trip.  I don't want to use a trailer.  The only things I figure I'll be carrying are toiletries, a tent, and water/snacks plus spare tires and general necessities.  Should I use panniers or what do you guys think the best way for me to go about packing my bike is with the goal of being as light as possible?  Thanks again for the help!

Have you read this article on Ultralight Bicycle Travel from our How To pages?

http://www.adventurecycling.org/features/ultralight.cfm

It's a good place to start.

Best,
.Jennifer.

72

General Discussion / Re: New Bike Hostel/repair shop on the Northern Tier

« on: November 13, 2012, 02:02:35 pm »

farnorthcyclist,

Yea! Thank you for offering this opportunity to traveling cyclists. We've got you on the addenda and you will be on the newly printed map.

Best,
.Jennifer.

73

Routes / Re: Best route from SC to Cali?

« on: October 25, 2012, 04:35:16 am »

The TransAm to Western Express looks great to me because it ends right in San Fransisco. I would probably have to ride up to Damascus, VA or Berea, KY to hop on the TransAm. The Western Express + TransAm East package looks like it will cover most me most of the time. Are there maps that would cover my route from SC to KY or VA? If not are there any ideas on how to plan that on my own?

I suggest you take a look at the routes we have mapped to see which parts you could potentially use:

http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/network.cfm

Once you get to that page, in the right side navigation bar there is a link called Map of All ACA Routes that is a download of a pdf that clearly shows our network and how it intersects with itself.

The next step is to get in touch with the bicycle coordinators for the states in which you will be traveling through and need routing. Many have online resources as well as printed materials. Nearly every state publishes a bicycle map of some sort that they will send out for free and the coordinators often have more information they can distribute for no charge as well. And while the maps aren't as detailed as ours, they generally offer suggested roads for cycling through their state. Here is a link to the contact information for all of the bicycle coordinators:

http://www.walkinginfo.org/assistance/contacts.cfm

Hope this helps!

.Jennifer.

74

Gear Talk / Re: Backroads maps of the US.

« on: October 24, 2012, 06:09:19 am »

Hello Chappers,

As you've already discovered, we've got an excellent group of cyclists here on our forums who are happy to help! To follow up on an earlier suggestion to get or look at maps produced by state agencies, I've got a bit more info.

Many states have online resources as well as printed materials. Nearly every state publishes a bicycle map of some sort that they will send out for free and the coordinators often have more information they can distribute for no charge as well. And while the maps aren't as detailed as ours, they generally offer suggested roads for cycling through their state often including what is called a suitability map that shows shoulder widths and traffic volumes. Here is a link to the contact information for all of the state bicycle coordinators:

http://www.walkinginfo.org/assistance/contacts.cfm

Have fun where ever you decide to ride!

Best,
.Jennifer.

75

Routes / Re: Trip from DC to Mobile, Alabama

« on: October 12, 2012, 04:14:33 am »

Hello CaptBionic,


While we do not have a route with those specific endpoints, I suggest you take a look at the routes we have mapped to see which parts you could potentially use:

http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/network.cfm

Once you get to that page, in the right side navigation bar there is a link called Map of All ACA Routes that is a download of a pdf that clearly shows our network and how it intersects with itself.

The next step is to get in touch with the bicycle coordinators for the states in which you will be traveling through and need routing. Many have online resources as well as printed materials. Nearly every state publishes a bicycle map of some sort that they will send out for free and the coordinators often have more information they can distribute for no charge as well. And while the maps aren't as detailed as ours, they generally offer suggested roads for cycling through their state. Here is a link to the contact information for all of the bicycle coordinators:

http://www.walkinginfo.org/assistance/contacts.cfm

Hope this helps,
.Jennifer.