Messages

1471

Routes / Pac coast help 2

« on: August 24, 2008, 07:03:26 am »

I've only ridden a bit of the coast, but..  Based on the part of the coast that I have ridden, there are better views on the southbound side and the lanes/shoulders are wider too on at least some parts of the coast apparently because they know most of the cyclists are southbound.

1472

Routes / PCH vs. Colo to Yellowstone (safer ride)

« on: August 29, 2008, 02:13:56 pm »

The PCH is a very scenic reasonably safe place to tour.  The road conditions vary.  I have only ridden a small part of it, but have driven a lot of it.  It is really pretty close to ideal touring.  For more details get the book:
Bicycling the Pacific Coast by Tom KirKendall and Vicky Spring

I rode the Colorado to Yellowstone section going the other way as part of our Cross country trip on the TA.  That section of the TransAmerica would be a godd choice if that is where you want to ride.  Colorado from Pueblo to Walden will be pretty nice.  Wyoming to the Tetons is desolate but we enjoyed it.

The Tetons were quite pretty and I liked Yellowstone.  Traffic was pretty heavy in Yellowstone, but doable.  Try to avoid the weekends until late Sunday when the park kind of empties out.

Check out our journal and other Trans America journals on CGOAB for more details about this area.
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/staehling2007

Given the choice between those two I would probably pick the PCH.  Or perhaps a loop in the Colorado Rockies, I loved the Rockies.

This message was edited by staehpj1 on 8-29-08 @ 2:17 PM

1473

Routes / TransAm Fairplay, CO to Ness City, KS

« on: August 13, 2008, 03:53:40 am »

This wasn't our favorite section for terrain or attractions.  There just isn't all that much there.  That said the local folks were warm and friendly and made it worthwhile.

I don't remember the names of the places in Canon City, but I would avoid the campground just past Jellystone on the right.  He tried to charge us more than if we had arrived by car and kept saying he had a bikers discount and implied we had to stay there be cause he was "on our map".  We told him to shove it and went a mile or a bit more to the next one on the right (the place with all of the carved wooden bears out front.  They were very nice and offered us a very good discount.

The city pool (free to cyclists) in Pueblo was nice and we stayed in the locked area the city provides for camping (call ahead to arrange for a key).

In Ordway, if it is hot take a cooling shower in the fountain in front of town.  Step on the blue circle to activate it.  I am not sure how things are going with Gillian Hogard and her rebuilding since the fire, but if she is accepting cyclists look her up.

We camped in the little city park in Eads.  It was nice.

I don't remember much about Leoti or Ness City, but I think we stayed in city parks.

1474

Routes / pacific coast western express, trans am loop

« on: August 12, 2008, 04:02:35 am »

Inland first probably makes the most sense due to the prevailing winds on the coast.

What time of year are you going?  The the passes (snow), coast (rain, slides), and the WE (heat) can all be sensitive to time of year issues.  You probably won't hit them all at optimum times and time will probably necessarily be a compromise.

Edit: Forgot to say that the time it is very dependent on your preferred pace, but I would probably expect to take 70-75 days.  Still 50-90 days would be in what is considered the "normal" range.  I am basing this on my experience with a small portion of the coast and all of the TA (never been on the WE), so take it for what it is worth.

This message was edited by staehpj1 on 8-12-08 @ 4:18 AM

1475

Routes / Help: Route from Wash, D.C. to Charlottesville, VA

« on: August 06, 2008, 11:01:55 am »

If you decide to take the AC Atlantic Coast route, the route the TA uses between Richmond and Charlottesville was nice.

1476

Routes / Are ACA Routes Marked?

« on: July 27, 2008, 02:21:32 pm »

My observation from last summer is that the TA was marked some of the way, but by no means everywhere.  The markings were actually pretty sparse, especially in the west.  I think we were nearly halfway across the country before we saw the first one between Fairplay Co and Canon City CO.  There were a  lot in Virginia, but even there they were not frequent enough to count on them.

1477

Routes / VA Campsites

« on: July 15, 2008, 04:28:46 pm »

We were lucky enough to have friends and family on that section, so we didn't camp much.

Misty Mountain Campground west of Charlottesville was nice and fairly cheap for us since we split the cost three ways and they gave us a break for being cyclists.  It wasn't real cheap though if you are not splitting the cost.

I believe that the Cookie House is open, but there is a different contact person.  Check out the following thread:
http://www.adventurecycling.org/forums/viewmessages.cfm?Forum=7&Topic=2370

1478

Routes / eastward/east coast in September

« on: July 11, 2008, 07:36:26 am »

The BRP itself is very pleasant, but climbing up to it can be tough.  That was the hardest part of the TA or at least very close to it.  Nothing in the Rockies was even close IMO.  Unfortunately any detour for construction usually involves descending and climbing back up VERY steeply.  So double check for road closures at:
http://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/roadclosures.htm

Also any marked detours don't take bikes into account and are likely to use interstate or other roads unsuitable for bikes.  You may be able to sneak through rather than use the detours.

I don't think any current closures should affect you, but it is a good idea to check.

Skyline drive is a nice ride.  I would disagree that it is harder than the BRP in general, but perhaps it is harder than the portion of the BRP that the TA uses.

If you decide to pass close to Baltimore and need a place to stay I am just inside the beltway on the north side and could probably provide a place to stay assuming we are home.  Let me know if that would help.

1479

Routes / TransAm on Map 12, Christiansburg VA

« on: June 21, 2008, 07:41:57 am »

I would suggest trying to see if a one way car rental to Blacksburg or Christiansburg might work.  Some rental companies soak you for a huge fee for dropping off at a different location and others not.  It might depend on location as well.  We had good luck with Alamo on the west coast, but I don't know if they are in the area.

1480

Routes / Western Virginia Route- route 80 quality

« on: July 10, 2008, 04:38:41 am »

Sorry that I don't remember all of the specifics. but...

I think that all of the VA roads on the TA had a reasonable surface.

There were long stretches of horrible surfaces because of road construction in the west.  I think the worst of it was Wyoming and maybe some in Montana.

Missouri had a long stretch of freshly applied tar with no chip yet on it that was pretty bad in the 100 degree heat.  What a mess that was!

Edit: I forgot to say that was in 2007, but the construction in the west was slated to go on for several years.

This message was edited by staehpj1 on 7-10-08 @ 3:39 AM

1481

Routes / US Perimeter Tour Logistics

« on: July 29, 2008, 12:32:14 pm »

FredB, I am jealous!

Have a great trip.

1482

Routes / US Perimeter Tour Logistics

« on: July 29, 2008, 10:39:33 am »

I forgot to ask.  Are you seriously considering this trip or is it an academic exercise?  I hope to do it, but will not have the time until I retire (probably a few years off yet).

BTW: I had a copy of my proposed timetable on CGOAB and they came back up after an outage so I now have the following:
                           Miles  Days   Start      Finish
Baltimore to Bar Harbor    1000   16     06/01/??   06/17/??
Northern Tier              4295   69     06/17/??   08/25/??
Pacific Coast              1836   29     08/25/??   09/23/??
Southern Tier              3159   50     09/23/??   11/12/??
St. Augustine to Baltimore 1000   16     11/12/??   11/28/??
        11290   miles    
        180     days

This message was edited by staehpj1 on 7-29-08 @ 9:43 AM

1483

Routes / US Perimeter Tour Logistics

« on: July 29, 2008, 10:37:32 am »

I worked out a tentative schedule for starting and finishing at my home in Maryland.  I don't have it here at work, but it basically a matter of picking a pace and playing with start and finish dates to try to hit the various segments at suitable times of year.  I think that starting around June 1 works OK for a six month counter clockwise trip starting in Baltimore.

I think that counter clockwise is the way to go regardless of starting point.

I think it is easiest to make the schedule work if starting in California in Winter but late enough to  have the snow melted on the NT and the rain done on the PCH in the Northwest.  As I said you have to pick a pace and then play with different start dates.

1484

Routes / touring in PA amish country

« on: May 20, 2008, 12:51:53 pm »

I hope someone else will pipe up.  I don't know the area all that well.  It does have some very pleasant riding though.  If you just want a leisurely B&B to B&B ride, I can see where it would be a nice area to explore.  Sorry I don't have some good specific advice.

Maybe the following site might help a bit:
http://www.lancasterbikeclub.org/scenictours.php

Have a great trip!

1485

Routes / touring in PA amish country

« on: May 20, 2008, 11:01:47 am »

Lancaster County is a pretty small area for a week long tour.  If I was to do a week there I think I would either do day trips or maybe branch out to another area like Maryland's Eastern Shore or Delaware.

Havre de Gras Maryland might be within range and is nice but you would have to get across the Susquehanna.  The only place you can ride across is on Rt1 and that may be a bit out of the way.  That would get you into pretty hilly country though.