Messages

1

Routes / Re: Missoula Bound in June

« on: March 03, 2025, 10:26:17 am »

I hope the trip goes well for you.

On water filters, you can use either Sawyer or Katadyn water filters with larger CNOC containers that have compatible threads.  In my opinion that works better on the average than the tiny containers that come with those filters.

I've also been told by a salesperson at REI that the Katadyn filter should be replaced once a year whether you think it needs it or not.  The Befree replacement filter costs $25 to $30 so isn't a grossly expensive thing to replace once a year.

Looks like a very cool trip!

Yeah.  I am probably going to go with a Katadyn pump.  It's only 6 oz.  I have a little over $100 in REI dividend to spend, so I will wait for its spring sale.  I don't expect to have to use it every day.  My concern is that wells at government campgrpunds might be turned off.  There is a long stretch where there is nothing but USFS campgrounds and one BLM campground.

2

Routes / Missoula Bound in June

« on: March 02, 2025, 11:34:59 am »

Flight is booked or June 17th.

The planned route:

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/49509260

It was drafted when the plan was to start from the KOA, but I am going to spend the first night at a motel and pick up the bike at Hellgate Cyclery.

Much of the route I have done over the years, but there are some new segments planned.  Where I stay when will mostly be decided on a daily basis, with the exception that I will have a motel reservation for a night in Butte a little over half way. Day off planned for the Bike Camp in Twin Bridges.

One unknown is how the government worker purge might affect USFS and BLM campsite availability.  It could cause me to alter some of my planned overnight locations, and I will be adding a water filter to my gear incase I have to practice dispersed camping.

Especially looking forward to seeing the Big Hole Valley, the Pioneers, the Bike Camp, Gem Mountain, and Rock Creek Road again, although I may opt for Skalkaho Pass if I am feeling spunky.  When I did it in 2014, there was a very cold, heavy rain heading down towards Hamilton.  I spent only about two minutes at the falls taking a couple of photos before moving on.

Can't wait.  It will be my first long trip since becoming seriously ill literally at the end of 2022 and speding the next 3 moths in the hospital and rehab, which included heart surgery and being on a feeding tube for two months.

3

Connecting ACA Routes / Re: How to connect Transamerica (west) with Great America Rail Trail (east)

« on: February 26, 2025, 11:05:18 am »

This is an old post but here is how I connected the Great American Rail Trail to ACA TA/L&C/PPP routes (and included RAGBRAI 2023):    https://ridewithgps.com/collections/2331277

You rode on I-90 all that way in western, MT? 

4

General Discussion / Re: Seeking Trans/Am or Great American Rail Trail Group/Partners

« on: February 17, 2025, 10:23:43 am »

The so-called great American rail trail is probably good for a cross-country bicycle ride. There are gaps, which, if you get a close look at a map, are easily traversable by alternate roadways that are safe, and they cut miles off the 3700. The gaps and short sections are sometimes out of the way. Skip those places and keep going in your cardinal direction. You can cut 400 miles off that 3700 doing that.

As you say, Washington and Idaho are really the only areas covered by the GART out west.

What about the CdA Trail?  Paved from Plummer to Mullan, ID.  There is also the Olympian Trail in MT, which connects to the Hiawatha Trail at Taft.  I have ridden some of that.

5

General Discussion / Re: Costs per day?

« on: February 07, 2025, 07:55:18 am »

I don't know if this has been mentioned, but consider the money you are not spending while touring.  I am confident that my food expenditures decreases when on the road because I don't eat out of the freezer and microwave at home.  (You don't find me grilling a $15 whole fish in camp like you would at home.)  My utility costs drop.  No need for bus fare or gas.  My "entertainment" expenses are less.  On the flip side, I often pay a cat sitter when a good friend can't do it for free.  Fortunately, I have another friend who lives close, works cheap, and sends me great photos and videos of my boy.

6

General Discussion / Re: TransAm - Portland Oregon Return

« on: February 04, 2025, 09:19:29 am »

The Bike Gallery used to provide the mechanical support for the 2,000+ people Cycle Oregon.

7

Routes / Re: Looking for some advice on an Atlantic Coat NOBO ride.

« on: February 04, 2025, 09:16:17 am »

Thanks John that's exactly the kind of advice I am looking for. Sorry for being vague about the start and you are correct Savannah would be ideal, but certainly considering all options before looking myself into something that may be more dangerous than it's worth. With doing the Northern Tier followed by a route down the West Coast, it seemed cool to kind of work this into some kind of pseudo perimeter ride, but I am by no means a purist when it comes to this stuff. Want to have fun

I would not ride the ECG in PA.  South of Philly it uses PA 291, which is called "Industrial Highway", and for good reason.  It also uses some very busty roads/streets in Philly to get north.  I would stick to the ACA route north of Philly.  The route up the Delaware River using both the PA and NJ side is really nice.  I can give you a slight detour between Belvidere, NJ and Portland, PA that will cut out some hills.  You might even see a bear north of Delaware Water Gap, PA.  (Saw two cubs while driving up there two years ago and have seen a cub at Worthington State Forest campground whole cycling.)

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General Discussion / Re: Seeking Trans/Am or Great American Rail Trail Group/Partners

« on: January 21, 2025, 07:39:42 am »

Look at NB, WY, and MT.

https://gis.railstotrails.org/grtamerican/?utm_source=map&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=grt&_gl=1*ndrpd8*_gcl_au*MTE2MzY2Njc2NS4xNzM3NDYyNzEz

That represents a lot of road miles in itself. And from what I have read, paerts of the Cowboy Trail in NB are not pleasant riding.  I know from experience that some of the Olympian Trail in MT are not.  On top of that, the Borax Tunnel of the NorPac Trail in MT was recently closed due to fear of imminent collapse.  Last I looked, there is no practical option other that I-90 over Lookout Pass to get to the CdA Trail.

9

General Discussion / Re: Costs per day?

« on: January 21, 2025, 07:28:43 am »

... Cheap motels are out there and not often, from what I have seen, to be found advertising on Google. I think some are dodging the tax man. ...

Funny you should mention that.  I've noticed quite often at the less expensive motels that the credit card machine is "broken" and they only are accepting cash that day.

Heh.  The owner of the Bunkhouse in Jackson, MT somehow couldn't connect to his credit card billing system back in 2016 even though no one else had problems with Internet access.

10

General Discussion / Re: Montana Proposes Bill to Force Cyclists to Ride the Wrong Way in Traffic

« on: January 21, 2025, 07:24:11 am »

I believe it has been withdrawn.

11

General Discussion / Re: Bike 'friendliness' of US hotels?

« on: November 05, 2024, 09:37:10 am »

nlanswer,

I believe they are Indian.  I don't know if it is true or not but I have heard that the last name Patel is almost exclusively by the Indian caste(?) that runs hotels.  Maybe it is a urban myth.  If true, that is sort of interesting to me as I would think other names would want to do the hotel business but for one reason or another do not seem to be able to.  I have met a LOT of the mom & pop hotels in rural America have someone at the front desk with the name Patel.

Tailwinds, John

Not a myth at all. 

12

Routes / Re: Lake Champlain bikeway

« on: October 16, 2024, 10:14:00 am »

Don't know if this will work. It's the route as I inputed it into RideWithGPS.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/48591975?privacy_code=LWeIbyuXz1KibO41oVVo691Knmo1wQCS

I can only comment on part of the VT side...

1.  Your route skips the trail south of Hero Island.  Very neat ride that uses a boat shuttle to bridge the gap left by the removal of the old railroad swing bridge. Just make sure you check the shuttle schedule to make sure it operates on the day you plan to use it.  Also check to make sure the trail is open.  When I came down that way in 2018, a freak spring storm had damaged the trail and the section that crosses the lake closed.

2.  Burlington is a fun town, but indoor accommodations would likely be pricey.  One alternative would be to stay at North Beach Campground.  It's right long the trail, a bit north of the center of town.  Like many/most state parks in VT, this municipal campground has lean-tos. They are actually very large.  Book in advance as the place can be busy during certain times of the year.

3. Leaving Birlington, I followed the Island Line Trail to Queen City Park Rd. and then picked up U.S. 7.  The early part of 7 has no shoulder, so I rode on the sidewalk. (There were no pedestrians.)  By the time you get to Holmes Drive, a shoulder appears.  You'll have to ask yourself whether veering of onto Falls Rd. and Marsett Rd. just to skip some of U.S. 7 is worth it.

4.  Once you get onto Bostwick, things improve greatly.  Again, you will have to ask yourself whether it's worth veeringoff to the lake for a short section rather than just staying straight through Charlotte.  The Old Brick Store at the intersection of Greenbush and Ferry Rd. is neat.

5. Careful in the center of Vergennes.  Traffic can be heavy.  Both times I grabbed a sandwich of the c-store at the intersection of SR 22A and MacDonough and took it over to the park by the dam.

6. From Vergennes, I stayed to the east of 22A for a while and then got onto the 22A all the way to Orwell, so I can't really assess your route.  I can say that VT dirt roads are usually pretty good, but I would check them with Google Maps Street View to the extent you can just to make sure.  (For some reason, RWGPS no longer lets you view a route using Google Maps.)  I planned to take one unpaved road that was impassible on anything but a full on MTB.  And keep in mind that dirt roads will likely slow you down, especially if they are wet.

7.  The store on SR 73 in Orwell was nicely stocked both times I stopped there.  From there, I headed SSE to Castleton.

Hope this helps.

13

Gear Talk / Re: What's your rain riding plan?

« on: October 12, 2024, 10:27:16 am »

For a multi-day tour in cold, rainy conditions, I'd prioritize a breathable waterproof jacket, durable waterproof pants, and effective shoe covers or insulated waterproof socks, while also ensuring my gear is tested and reliable to prevent discomfort and excessive wetness.

Which AI program are you using?

14

General Discussion / Re: Updated ACA website and 5 year plan

« on: October 07, 2024, 08:13:10 pm »

On a separate note, last year I used ACA maps (android) for Western Express and parts of the mid-west.  I found ACA maps lacking on locations for restocking (grocery stores) and shelter (camping, churches).  Warmshowers and asking locals was more helpful, to me.

Are you saying there were places on/near the route that were not listed on the map(s)?  If so, have you communicated this information to the organization so that it can be added to the map addenda?  Information from "boots on the ground" is extremely helpful.

15

Routes / Re: Lake Champlain bikeway

« on: October 07, 2024, 08:06:21 pm »

I have never had the patience for that site, which is why I asked for your map.  So many different routes.  Was hoping to see one map of the loop you are considering.