Messages

1

Routes / Re: KATY Trail - Conditions and Spring Flooding

« on: May 01, 2023, 11:10:21 am »

Thanks John, great idea. I didn't want to call the shuttle that we booked since they have money on the line. We have had great forecasts form vendors with money on the line in the past only to feel a little duped upon our arrival.

2

Routes / KATY Trail - Conditions and Spring Flooding

« on: May 01, 2023, 10:51:46 am »

We are scheduled to ride the KATY Trail the first week of June trying to miss the spring floods and beat the heat. We are coming up on our no refund cancelation window(s) for lodging and shuttle and I am not encouraged by the flood reports for the Mississippi River. Can anyone offer any local information?

I have already checked here https://dnr.mo.gov/document/missouri-major-rivers-flood-conditions-report-april-28-2023 but forecasts versus boots-on-the-ground reports are two different things.

3

Gear Talk / Re: Most compact UL down quilt or sleeping bag?

« on: April 18, 2023, 12:56:54 pm »

I own a beautiful Feathered Friends bag for backpacking with is great for the shoulder seasons. When it comes to summer touring and hiking, where I most often use my bag as a blanket over my bag liner, I got the REI quilt and love it.

4

General Discussion / Re: Adjust Your Plans for Touring in the West

« on: March 08, 2023, 04:40:28 pm »

Bike East young man (and woman). In Southern Massachusetts we have had snow on the ground once (last week) that lasted for a day. Reservoirs are at max capacity but bike paths have been pretty much open all winter. I imagine the mosquitos will be quite heavy but expect an early spring here. Of course March will go out like a lion.

5

Routes / Re: Sandpoint to Coeur d'Alene to Missoula to Bozeman

« on: March 02, 2023, 02:36:11 pm »

Most people seem to ride the interstate from St. Regis to Missoula. The gravel option you speak of I believe you will find closed in parts by some very aggressive (prepare to meet your maker type) property owners. We planned a route that would leave the Coeur d'Alene at Enaville and go through Prichard, Eagle, Murray and over to Thompson Falls on MT 471. From there down 200 through Plains and Paradise on to 93 into Missoula. People who take the interstate have reported that it is not too bad of a ride.

6

General Discussion / Re: Your best single piece of advice

« on: February 28, 2023, 12:04:19 pm »

If you don’t have one already, add a stand to your bike. You will appreciate the comfort many times each day.

I bought a click stand and use it sporadically - when I need it I am happy I carry it. It's funny, some days you always have something to lean your bike on, other days nothing.

7

Connecting ACA Routes / Re: East Coast Greenway as alternative to ACA NYC-Chicago ?

« on: February 28, 2023, 12:01:03 pm »

Living in the Boston/Providence area I have plotted routes along the ECG using RWGPS only to decide on a different route most of the time for traffic, or terrain. Also the ECG meanders around to connect existing bike routes (in Eastern Connecticut for example) that I felt was a waste of time with no gain in better riding conditions or better scenery. The ECG is fairly new (like the Great American Rail Trail) and the route is not as well traveled (or planned IMO) as the ACA routes. I also found some of the trail surfaces (like the GART) are not that touring bike friendly. I would do a lot of research and maybe us a planning tool like Ride with GPS (RWGPS) to compare grade and riding surface. I also use Google maps to look for street view pictures of the trail, even if it is a road crossings, to get an idea on the surface condition.

8

General Discussion / Re: Night Riding, Pros and Cons??

« on: February 24, 2023, 11:44:30 am »

I would also go for the early morning approach - East to West if possible on roads, with the sun at your back and not in the face of oncoming drivers. We have done a fair amount of night riding on gravel, and rail trails, (not always by choice) and bugs can be a real problem at night especially around water. Also, it is supper easy to out-ride your head light, which either slows you down or creates danger from unseen obstacles. Expect to cover fewer miles. It is also easy to overshoot a campsite or a critical turn in the dark.

I prefer riding into the coming dawn, with its beneficial light, when the world and nature start awaken. To me it is a magical time.

I also backpack and I do embrace night hiking. You can feel the trail under foot and to me it is less dangerous to hike a well marked trail in the dark, with no light, and be completely emersed in the night.

9

Routes / Re: Questions about a possible tour of the NE US

« on: February 06, 2023, 12:57:53 pm »

Some people have wild camped along the Erie. Although I do not recall seeing any designated sites, aside from the locks, I do not recall seeing too many posted "no camping" areas. Potable water may be an issue since the area is fairly developed and there are no "mountain streams" to source water from and the canal water is not something you would want to drink, even if you boiled it for a week . Some towns have water spigots along the trail so you could pack water in to camp. We rode during COVID so a lot of services were closed and some public water was turned off.

You can camp at many of the locks. I think stealth camping would work fine if you setup late and packed up early and camped on weekdays versus weekends. We camped mostly in private campgrounds and opted for a few hotel nights to get out of the 90 degree heat in August and the afternoon and evening thunder showers. Bring bug repellant. The mosquitos were horrible, the worst that we have even encountered on any bike trip.

As far as downhill to DC goes, that works on the C&O but the GAP is a steady climb (very gradual) all the way from Pittsburgh to past Meyersdale when you cross the Eastern Continental divide. Once you reach that point you have about a 24 mile downhill run into Cumberland where the GAP and the C&O meet. Once on the C&O the grade is hardly noticeable in most areas. This will help in planning for the Erie and Hudson Valley https://empiretrail.ny.gov/map

10

Routes / Re: Questions about a possible tour of the NE US

« on: February 05, 2023, 02:08:41 pm »

The GAP does not have Hiker/Biker campsites every 5 to 10 miles like the C&O. However, it does have a few "free" spots like Cedar Creek near West Newton,  Roundbottom in Vanderbilt, and the shelters in Connellsville. There are also private campgrounds you can use like Husky Haven in Rockwood. The YMCA in Cumberland also offers camping. Bring ear plugs since there is a very active rail line across the river from most of these campsites. Trains are required to blow their whistle three times at each road crossing and towns can have multiple crossings. Check this site for good info https://bikecando.com/

We just rode the C&O and GAP in 2022 starting from D.C. at Mile 0 on the C&O May 15th. The week before had torrential rains and flooding and the bridge over to Harper's Ferry was actually closed due to a barge breaking loose. I would say late May or early June is the best spring time. D.C. is known for HOT and HUMID summers.

Depending on the time you have, and the mileage you want to do, there is also the Eire Canal Trial between Buffalo, NY and Albany, NY which would link you to the Empire State Trail back to NYC. There are some trails and bike routes that could probably get you from Pittsburgh to Buffalo. New York State Bike Route 517 would get you there - Google Maps shows it as 251 miles with 2,900' of climbing. https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Pittsburgh,+PA/Buffalo/@41.6589051,-80.8755307,291606m/am=t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x8834f16f48068503:0x8df915a15aa21b34!2m2!1d-79.9958864!2d40.4406248!1m5!1m1!1s0x89d3126152dfe5a1:0x982304a5181f8171!2m2!1d-78.8783689!2d42.8864468!3e1!5m1!1e3 We did the Erie Canal 2 years ago and it is not on my list of favorite trails. Most of the trees were clear cut along the trail and there is very little shade, plus the trail is no where near as scenic and the C&O and the GAP.

11

Routes / Re: KATY Trail in June - Flooding and temperature

« on: February 02, 2023, 10:08:45 am »

Thanks for the detailed response jamawani -

I did use this table https://www.discoverstcharles.com/plan-your-visit/about-the-area/weather/ which showed June with less rain than May or July. June is also less hot than July and August. September looks really good, but that is a busy month for us and I have a long backpacking trip planned for the fall. I guess we will see how the Spring weather shapes up on the flooding threat and adjust from there.

12

Routes / KATY Trail in June - Flooding and temperature

« on: February 01, 2023, 01:06:47 pm »

We are looking at doing the KATY Trail the first week in June this year. I know that flooding can be an issue and with recent climate changes 5 year old trip logs are starting to become irrelevant in regards to weather and temperature. Are there any locals here that would like to chime in. I consider anything over 80 oppressive heat 

Don't mind getting wet for a day or two but all week kind of sucks. Plus on most rail trails having to detour due to flooding usually means step climbs to get out of those wonderful long flat valleys.

13

Routes / Re: English rider thinking of Transamerica

« on: January 31, 2023, 11:59:24 am »

You can search for trip journals here. This seems to be the go-to place to journal bike trips here in the US and for Americans abroad. https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/?o=3d2

14

General Discussion / Re: panniers or single-wheel cargo trailer or both --

« on: January 31, 2023, 11:55:16 am »

I have used both, but not at the same time. It is easier to organize with panniers in my opinion. I used the BoB Ibex trailer on the C&O and the GAP and no matter how careful I was in packing the trailer bag, things tended to shift and settle, with the heavier stuff working it's way to the bottom. I traveled with my wife and it was our first trip so I had the gear for two. We had to camp a few nights and when we got to camp i needed to completely unload the trailer bag to find the tent and sleeping gear, etc. That was a pain when it was raining. The weight is pretty much an even trade off. The trailer weighs in around 18 pounds. I ride a Surly Disc Trucker and use their chromoly racks which add about 7 pounds with front and rear combined. I also have Ortlieb panniers that weigh in at 4.2 pounds for the rear and 3.5 pounds for the front. So racks and panniers add about 15 pounds and the trailer adds 18. There are lighter racks and maybe panniers, but Ortlieb panniers are the best you can buy in my opinion.

I found the panniers were also easier to access when riding. I keep my rain/warm gear in the front right and can get at it without dismounting. Also in bear country I have a separate pannier for food and bear-bagging stuff. I found it easier to over load the trailer as well. On the plus side for the trailer, the weight is distributed over a 5th wheel which I have to assume reduced overall drag but never researched that. Another thing with the trailer is that I took it shopping and was able to throw 2 bundles of firewood on the trailer to bring back to the campsite. 

As far as handling it some ways the trailer handled better. A few times I had my panniers unbalanced and hit a scary shimmy at 18 mph, got past that only to hit a worse one at 24 mph. Never really had a bad shimmy on the trailer but people do complain about that. I did have a trailer crash when I was hauling at about 18 to 20 mph on the C&O  trying to get to a campsite. I was passing through a partially closed gate and glanced over my shoulder to look for the campsite. The tip of my handlebar clipped the gate and the forward momentum of the trailer pushed me into a bad skid and we had a yard sale. Minor scrapes since it was dirt.

We now travel with panniers and split the gear between us, but 4 panniers for a 10 day trip might be overkill. The other odd thing that I noticed from the backpacking side of my life is that thru-hikers (I thru-hiked the AT in 2007) carry less weight that weekend or section hikers. I started a cross-country bike trip which I did not complete, but I also over packed. I should have know better from my backpacking experience. However, living in the woods on the AT, and going into trail towns, you can get away with being a little less hygienic or dressed in a ratty outfit. I hiked with boots and crocs 2 pairs of shorts, 2 t-shirts and rain gear. I wore crocs in town and threw on rain gear to wash my clothes. When I set out on my cross-country bike trip I packed town clothes and town shoes, etc. to not offend the general public. Next time I will skip all of that. Plus food is way easier to find on most bike routes, as is water. You think that you can ship back what you don't need, but on a long-distance bike trip you are better off to start without it and buy it later if you really need it. Biking brings you past shopping areas almost daily and now there is Amazon that would ship to you next hotel or hostel.

Hope this helps, safe travels.

15

General Discussion / Re: Trans America - Oregon to Virginia

« on: January 31, 2023, 11:11:09 am »

You may want to read my friend's journal. It was East to West, but he pulled a BoB Ibex trailer. Good read with plenty of pictures. https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3d2&doc_id=24120&v=Zk