Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: US dogs

« on: May 30, 2022, 11:16:34 am »

I live in Kentucky, widely regarded as the cyclist-chasing dog capital of the world. I've toured in the northeastern USA, and believe me, the dogs there are very, very mild compared to Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, etc.

Please do not change your route to avoid country lanes because of dogs! That would be a shame. Traffic is much more dangerous than the occasional dog who runs out into the road.

If you're really worried about dogs chasing you, buy a can of "Halt!" pepper spray. It's specifically designed to repel dogs. It shoots in a stream and is easy to aim, even while riding. If you hit a dog in the face with it, he will almost immediately stop and rub his face in the grass.

Jeff
(Kentucky cyclist who deals with dogs on almost every ride, and has learned that it's no big deal)

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General Discussion / Re: 2019 Tours - Where and when?

« on: August 23, 2019, 10:27:58 am »

Yet not exactly easy. In your words:

"I turned left at Cheyenne Crossing and the road got MUCH steeper. I was now out of the canyon. I slowly pedaled up at 3.5 mph before I turned right after four miles."

I think part of it is that riding up the canyon and to the Cheyenne Crossing didn't feature anything too steep. Then this thing slaps you in the face. Also, I got a late start because I trashed my camera and had to wait for K Mart to open up. After a stop for food in Savoy (the fancy restaurant) and a side trip to Rough Lock Falls, I ended up climbing that steep hill at a time when the sun was beating directly down on me.

Definitely not easy, and I agree that the time of day makes a big difference. Probably the hardest single climb of my tour was from Ten Sleep, Wyoming to Powder River Pass. Ten Sleep is at 4,426 feet, and the pass is 9,666 feet, and I didn't start that until around noon in the hot sun, after already riding forty miles. According to Strava, I had 8,511 feet of climbing that day total (https://www.strava.com/activities/2488553937.

I think riding the other direction, from Buffalo up to the pass, might actually be harder... The ride down from the last "brake check area" down to Buffalo was a very memorable descent (https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/noflats/day-nineteen-basin-wyoming-to-buffalo-wyoming/)

3

General Discussion / Re: 2019 Tours - Where and when?

« on: August 22, 2019, 05:28:44 pm »

I didn't go in the museum - I remember passing it, but I was in a hurry. I do remember that the park looked very nice as I rode through it at dawn, but I was in motel mode for most of this tour, and stayed at one of them in Spearfish.

By the time I got to South Dakota I was in very good shape from lots of climbing, especially in Oregon and Idaho, and the climb from Cheyenne Crossing doesn't stand out as one of the hardest ones... I guess I was jaded by then, haha.

4

General Discussion / Re: 2019 Tours - Where and when?

« on: August 22, 2019, 01:51:20 pm »

I rode most of the trail in one long day on July 2 of this year, as part of a 3,200+ mile tour. The trail surface was in good condition then.

Here's a link to that day in my journal: https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/noflats/day-twenty-three-spearfish-south-dakota-to-edgemont-south-dakota/

5

General Discussion / Re: TramsAm: Rainy days?

« on: January 05, 2012, 11:10:52 am »

I did the Transam east to west in 2006, starting June 1st. I had about 2 hours of rain during the daytime over the entire 66 days. A woman I met (and who is now my wife) started riding the route in the same direction three weeks earlier, and she was rained on A LOT. My feeling, from living in Kentucky most of my life, is that there is much more rain earlier in the Spring in that part of the country than later.

I think it's worth taking a good rain jacket - I wouldn't bother with the pants, since in my experience they're not that helpful. I know that when I did the Northern Tier in 2008, I was glad to have the jacket.

6

General Discussion / Re: ‘Camping’: Is it really necessary?

« on: February 19, 2009, 01:09:14 pm »

I’ve criss-crossed Europe by bike, but always with a credit-card rather than tent. I happily manage 100 miles/day on a light tourer, staying at whatever ‘indoor’ accommodation (bricks, mortar, shower, bar etc) is available. I’m beginning to scheme a coast-to-coast US tour for 2010, but I keep encountering references to ‘camping.’ I appreciate that the US has a few more empty spaces than Europe, but isn’t it possible to route a tour hotel-to-hotel, comfy-bed-to-comfy-bed, nice-warm-bath-to-nice-cold-beer etc, rather than being weighed down with tents etc? Any advice/pointers would be most welcome, J’.

It's possible to do a coast-to-coast tour of the USA and never camp at all, but I don't think I would try it for the following reasons:

1.  You mentioned that the US has "a few more empty spaces than Europe."  That is a major understatement, especially in the western states.  There are some days on the TransAmerica and the Northern Tier when you will be FORCED to do long days, despite the terrain, the weather, or how tired you are, in order to get to the next motel.

2.  I would think you would need to plan fairly far ahead and get reservations if you're not carrying even minimal camping gear as a backup.  For me, a major part of the fun of bike touring is NOT needing to plan ahead.

3.  Even if you plan far in advance, there's no guarantee that a small-town motel (especially in one of the tiny, remote towns in the western states) will even still be in business by the time you get there - especially give the current economic recession.

4.  I'm not sure if cost is an issue for you, but you might be surprised at how much even some of the "cheap" motels cost.  You will find very few $10 per night hostels in the USA.  You will rarely (if ever) find a motel for less than $30 or $35, and most of the time they will cost $50 or more.

I rode the TransAm in 2006, and only camped a few times, but there's no way I would have done the trip without carrying the camping stuff.  I would have constantly worried about finding the next motel.  I did the Northern Tier last summer, (and camped a lot more often), and I seriously doubt that it would be possible to do the whole thing without camping, ESPECIALLY once you get into the western states.

These people did the TransAm without camping at all:

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3Tzut&doc_id=2522&v=si>Mike Noonan
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3Tzut&doc_id=1496&v=ad>Janice and Jon Risley

I'm not aware of anyone who did an unsupported Norther Tier without camping at least a little bit.