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Realistic time requirements

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freightbike:
I've got it in my head that I want to ride from the west coast to my home in St. Paul MN this summer. I'am thinking of flying to Seattle WA. Riding out to Cape Disapointment st. park, dip my wheels in the Pacific ocean and ride home in about thirty days. My route would be the lewis and clark, I 90 to Miles City and US 12 through Baker MT. Cross the Missouri at Mobridge SD. Am I in a state of personal delusion? The hwy miles between Seattle and Minneapolis are upwards of 1600. I've done bike trips out to Garrison ND and back by various routes with total miles over 1800, granted it was kind of flat.

johnsondasw:
1600 miles in 30 days is just a little over 50 miles per day average.  That's very doable if  you're in shape and prepared.  In my 30+ years of touring, I have often averaged over 70 mpd, and I'm no special athlete, just a guy who's always been willing to gut it out as necessary.

jamawani:
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

freightbike:
Thanks for all your help, I feel a little bit more of the warrior spirit coming back to me. :) Yes I know it could be cutting it close with weather and other delays. I figure there's always the bus home if I get snagged up enroute. I was wondering if US 12 was terribly hilly between,say, Townsend and Forsyth. I have a co-worker at my job who worked on the airforce missle silos who said MT 200 was endless ups and downs out of Greatfalls. I love getting off the main roads as much as possible. A few years ago, I was riding west through SD towards the missouri when I stopped by a cityhall to inquire about a road. The clerk kept insisting that I not ride it because it was in terrible shape with potholes and such. She was of the impression that I was on a harley because I had told her about my bike ride out of Mpls. I'm glad I persisted because the road was fine for my needs and at the end of it was a herd of bison in a fenced off field that I could get practicaly nose to nose with. I'am thinking I'd take the ferry to Vashon island and by rainbow falls. Back in 83 I rode from Morton to rainbow falls to a beach st.park on the ocean with a slow girlfriend in two days. Should be able to do it in a day. We caught a ride over White pass into Morton. I'm thinking as much flat level riding as possible with paved shoulders as availiable. I don't much relish riding on the interstates. It's the pits with flat tires, no public interaction and the ever present danger of sleepy truckdrivers. (I drive concrete trucks) I got the last miles into the cities covered. Luce line trail from Cosmos!

John Nelson:

--- Quote from: freightbike on January 14, 2013, 02:03:36 pm ---I was wondering if US 12 was terribly hilly between,say, Townsend and Forsyth. I have a co-worker at my job who worked on the airforce missle silos who said MT 200 was endless ups and downs out of Greatfalls.

--- End quote ---
So what. 80% of the country is endless ups and downs. It goes with the territory.

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