16
General Discussion / Re: Firearms
« on: March 13, 2013, 12:27:10 pm »
Why is it even titled "Firearms"? Did I miss something? I don't even see firearms mentioned by the OP.
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17
GPS Discussion / Re: Announcement about Fred Hiltz
« on: March 13, 2013, 12:23:24 pm »
My condolences. I had gotten used to seeing his helpful posts. This is a loss to the whole adventure cycling community.
18
General Discussion / Re: Touring Question
« on: March 12, 2013, 05:41:57 pm »And teachers with summers off. I love teaching HS math and an additional bonus was that I got summers off (after masters degree, certificates, etc). was able to live in the mountains and go hiking, biking and climbing with my kids.
I see three main categories of people riding across the country: (1) young people between school and employment, (2) empty nesters who don't have kid responsibilities any more, some retired, some not, and (3) unemployed people between jobs.
John"s comments are good ones for those who are not teachers.
19
Gear Talk / Re: Looking for Rain Pants
« on: March 10, 2013, 08:27:17 pm »
Unless it's quite cold, I just use skin. Waterproff, breatheable, looks casual (looked better 30 years ago). Kinda hairy on the outside. If it's cold I wear leg warmers and they get wet but still provide warmth. It it's really gnarly, I use light nylon rain pants over the rain pants. Of course, they're not waterproof, but I've always done ok with them.
20
Gear Talk / Re: Pump Maintenance
« on: March 08, 2013, 06:59:01 pm »
I've had the same issues on pumps--they last at best abouit 2-3 years and then start leaking air out while trying to get adequate pressure. I've also never been able to get them back to good. and just end up buying new ones.
21
California / Re: Hwy 1 chip seal petition
« on: March 06, 2013, 10:25:08 am »
I live in a part of WA state that only uses this miserable type of chip seal and do most of my riding elsewhere. My protests about this have made no difference--I've been told it's the most economical way to do it. I now do most of my riding elsewhere now. I have noticed this type of road "improvement" being used more the past few years in other places, presumedly due to budget constraints. Expect it to continue. Seems everyone wants great services and amenities but the idea of getting back to historical tax rates (especially on the wealthy) is anathema to many. When I was a kid, camping was free everywhere, there were no fees to park for a hike, I couold pay for a full year of college, room, board, and tuition, on a kid's part-time job pay, etc.
22
Gear Talk / Re: Choosing the cycling pants for the first time
« on: March 05, 2013, 08:25:06 am »
I use PI shortsbut have found I have to spend $100 to get ones that are comfortable and last for a long time. Also, I always use chamois butter. It makes a difference.
23
General Discussion / Re: Question: Highway Troubles?
« on: March 03, 2013, 10:44:42 am »
A lot of I-90 in WA is legal for bikes even though there are lots of alternative routes.
24
General Discussion / Re: Beginner out and back camping in NW?
« on: March 01, 2013, 10:44:09 pm »Try the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes. From Plummer Idaho past Wallace to Mullan... over 70 miles one way, following the river and the lake... Flat, great scenery and nice places to stop, eat, and sight see. One of the premier rail trails in the USAYes, truly a gem. I took my wife on this and stayed in the hotel at Kellog that has the ski run starting at it. On day 2 we went up and back from Kellog to Mullen. I thought Wallace was one of the coolest western towns I've seen. Mullen---not so much.
friendsofcdatrails.org/CdA_Trail/index.html
It is not really flat from Kellog up to Mullen. It is steady uphill and gets steeper near the top, although it's never really steep at all.
25
General Discussion / Re: Melissa Carter: Cars aren’t the problem with ‘Share the Road’
« on: February 28, 2013, 10:10:33 am »
She should be in raise of the bikers because by riding, they reduce the car traffic and therefore reduce gridlock. That said, there are many many rude cyclists that give us a bad name. I see this a lot in Seattle. They do arrogantly run red lights and sometimes ride side by side, holding up traffic. I too have become irritated at them when driving. They need to get a clue and realize they are a part of the road scene, not above it.
26
Routes / Re: Traffic on the California section of the Pacific Coast Route
« on: February 28, 2013, 10:02:31 am »Traffic seems to pick up quite a bit south of San Francisco. Some of the people I met along the way seemed to have hostile attitudes. The ride was fantastic. The people sucked in general, but some were fine.
On our ride the traffic was bad on the northern half of Oregon and then for about 100 miles north of SF to about 50 miles south of it.
Again, get a mirror and take a lot of rides getting used to its use. It allows you to not only know what's coming but to take control of the situation, i.e., know when to "take the lane" and when you can give it up oe even when to dive off the road. Much of Calif has little or no shoulder so skill and experience with a mirror is, to me, essential.
27
General Discussion / Re: Campsites and bike theives!
« on: February 26, 2013, 09:49:44 pm »
Another good deterrent is to remove and hide the front wheel. Psychologically, it just does not attract the thief like a "whole" bike would.
28
Routes / Re: Traffic on the California section of the Pacific Coast Route
« on: February 22, 2013, 10:51:28 pm »
I rode it from Olympia WA to Santa Monica and was never really worried. I used a mirror and kept an eye on it like I always do. It helps if you have lots of experience riding highways. Our ride was from June 21 to July 10. It's a great ride.
29
General Discussion / Re: Bicycle Touring vs Backpacking
« on: February 18, 2013, 07:03:00 pm »For paved roads, the east and midwest have the western states beat. There are numerous county and state paved roads connecting all of the small towns in the east and midwest. All of the farm towns up and down every river. The west does not have many towns. And the few roads connecting the few towns are main, highly traveled roads. The west does have the advantage of every paved road being a scenic road through the mountains.
I find these claims to be kind of bizzare. I've toured all over the West and never felt the need for more towns! And the West has, to my liking, much superior weather in the summer months. There are many fairly cool places in the West and even the hot ones may be similar temps to the East but with much lower humidity.
30
General Discussion / Re: Bicycle Touring vs Backpacking
« on: February 09, 2013, 10:02:13 pm »Would (or did?) he prefer backpacking or bike touring? It is curious to ponder that many great physicists and mathematicians love to walk.
Well, I guess I can't lay any claim to greatness, but I've been a mathematician for the past 30 uyears or so, and I love to walk, bike and climb. In fact quite a high proportion of climbers are into mathematics, science, and other technical fields. I find solving the problems and meeting the challenges in climbing and mathematics to be metaphorically quite similar.
If anyone's interested, there is a delightful biography on Einstein by Walter Issackson. I listened to it on CD on a road trip a year ago. It's worth a read if you're into math/physics/etc.