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There were WAY more people on the Divide route, or so it appeared, and they were self supported for the most part.What time of year? It's quite possible that you ran into people participating in the race. I've detoured off the TA east of Big Hole Pass in Montana and taken the Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway twice. Both times I saw a lot of riders heading south from Wise River who were participating in the yearly race. Both times were around the beginning of the third week of June.
I do think that there are fewer people out there touring.+1. I neglected to mention that the German fellow must have some connection to the states because he stayed with a friend in Darby. I forst met him on the trail heading towards Hamilton. He passed me the next day after Connor Cutoff Rd.
And that e-bikes and van support have taken a big chunk out of self-contained.
Which is unfortunate, because self-contained gives you such a sense of freedom.
As for German and British and French people touring in the U.S. -
Given a few high profile detentions that have occurred, many people may be hesitant to ride in the U.S.
I think much of what is happening is that the activity of bicycle travel has evolved and is not at all what is was in past decades.+1.
A lot of the routes and places popular for long-distance road touring are much more crowded, which makes the riding less pleasant and also means you probably have fewer options, especially low-cost options, for how to make a trip happen. And that trip is probably considerably less safe than it was in the 1980s. For a lot of reasons I think dirtbag travel of any kind is on its way out in the United States.
If you look at the bikepacking crowd, you'll notice that they are (on average) much younger and doing very different kinds of trips than trad bicycle touring people are doing. Also some great organizations (like bikepacking roots) have stepped up and are doing a lot of the advocacy needed to keep the activity alive.
Another thing I've noticed is that some public campgrounds and some RV parks often have a "camp store". These are often overpriced and vary enormously in quality but they also might be the only store of any kind for many miles. So I tend to note them when I am planning routes.I'll carry camp food all day (or eat dinner out) if I have to rather than rely on a "camp store." One of the worst, if not the worst, meals we hand during my group tour of the Northern Tier was when we had to rely on camp store food at a place in MT. It was pasta with jarred sauce and a variety of watery canned vegetables like green beans and corn. Even the store at the Lake McDonald Lodge in Glacier N.P. is mostly junk snack food and canned goods. I stop in W. Glacier before entering the park.
Way to bounce back from your health challenges. Have a fantastic trip!Thanks. We'll see how much I have bounced back.
Looking to fly out of Missoula airport with bike on Allegiant mid August. Does anyone have recommendation for LBS there that could cardboard box my tour bike for air travel? Think I’ll try to buy cheap bag for all the gear as checked luggage. Walmart?My bike is currently on its way to Hellgate Cyclery in downtown Missoula. They are going to assemble it and hold my box for my two-week tour then re-pack it. Have never used them before, but they seems like competent folks.
Try using the Street View function when available.
I spent long periods of time on Google maps planning, fine-tuning and perfecting for my best routes, and did not follow the directions on the road. What looks good from satellite pics may be a bust in the real world. It is like they say--The map is not the terrain. It is not the woods. It is not the road.
Anyone have some good self-guided routes for Vermont? Solo senior looking for suggestions.What do you mean by self-guided. It typically refers to a trip arranged through a tour company that makes accommodations and transports your luggage.