Messages

1

Routes / Re: Vancouver -> Yosemite or Vancouver -> San Francisco ?

« on: October 23, 2024, 03:47:48 pm »

In August in California -
Even a few miles in from the coast it is really hot.
And in the Central Valley it is brutally hot.
2024 had unrelenting heat especially in the Valley.

I would suggest heading inland to Crater Lake N.P in southern Oregon.
And then heading south on the Sierra Cascades route.
Anything much south of Yosemite will be hot and hotter.
Not to mention, an August trip risks forest fires in the Cascades and Sierras, especially.

Hmm, for the next years I am forced to go in August. So maybe I should do Alaska or Canada first.
Crater Lake looks beautiful, but then I would miss the Redwood Forests along the Northern Californian coast, right? And it‘s extra miles and altitude I guess.

2

Routes / Re: Vancouver -> Yosemite or Vancouver -> San Francisco ?

« on: October 23, 2024, 03:44:31 pm »

There are very few climbs longer than two miles or so anywhere on the route.

Good to know, thanks.

3

Routes / Vancouver -> Yosemite or Vancouver -> San Francisco ?

« on: October 21, 2024, 04:51:01 pm »

So I did the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Mountain West (see my other topic). So now my next trip would be the Pacific Coast. So the plan would be:

• Fly to Vancouver
• Ferry to Vancouver Island
• Ferry to Port Angeles

Then I want to finish in Yosemite NP and Los Angeles, having two options
1. Leaving the coast midway between Crescent City and Eureka on Bald Hills Road and CA 96, going east and joining the Sierra Cascades Route near Mount Shasta. Finishing in Yosemite, we would take a Bus and Amtrak to San Francisco.
2. Following the Pacific Coast down to San Francisco, and doing a back and forth tour to Yosemite.

I lean to option 1, and would be happy about suggestions.
It's August, so traffic will be heavy, but I am usually ok with that. I heard winds are reliable North to South during the summer. How many miles can you do along the coast with tailwind? On lightly hilly terrain I can do around 70 miles per day without problems.

4

Routes / Re: Route Tucson to Glacier [AZ, UT, CO, WY, MT]

« on: October 21, 2024, 10:58:31 am »

I'm sure we were all wondering if you did your ride. Do you have a website that has pictures and notes?

Well I did. Three month, first leg was from Savannah, Georgia (where I finished my ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway last year) to New Orleans. That was like two weeks. Then I took Amtraks Sunset Limited to Tucson and went North.

I actually did a daily journal on the then new iPhone App Journal. Now I realize they haven't implemented any way to share it. It just sits there on your phone... Hopefully they add it, then I'll share it here.

5

Routes / Re: Route Tucson to Glacier [AZ, UT, CO, WY, MT]

« on: October 20, 2024, 08:13:58 am »

Hi, for everyone remembering this topic, I cycled the whole route, more or less as planned. It was awesome.
Some info someone might find interesting or helpful.

Starting May 15 in Tucson was a good advice. It was already quite hot, also when I hiked through the Grand Canyon. But I had some very cold nights at Zion, too. So leaving one or two weeks earlier would have been possible, but probably with trade offs.

I remember only two unpleasant roads, one from Payton, AZ north to Pine on AZ 87. The other one was the very steep Kolob Terrace Road going North from Zion NP, pretty, but very hard. From Flagstaff I cycled and hiked up to Humpreys Peak, very impressive.

The Trans Canyon Shuttle brought my bike to the North Rim, it worked great. Only the guy at the Lodge who sells the mule hikes put my bike outside because he didn’t like it in the lobby, I found it without a lock outside in the public bike rack. 

So to anyone new to the US I would definitely recommend this route. You can see so many great parks. Saguaro, Grand Canyon, all the parks in Utah, Grand Teton, Yellowstone and finishing in Glacier. Of course many other beautiful places too. The National Monuments around Flagstaff were great, and Kodachrome Valley and Goblin Valley State Parks in Utah too. Good Amtrak connections to Tucson and Glacier. Thanks again for many good advices here.

6

Temporary ACA Route Road Closures / Re: Southern Tier Section 6 Map 87 bridge out (2021 route); any recommended detour?

« on: June 01, 2024, 09:24:57 pm »

May 18th still no problem. The old decaying steel bridges from the 1930ties are a sight in itself. They didn’t even care to remove the rust and repaint them. Hilarious.

7

General Discussion / Re: US dogs

« on: May 07, 2024, 10:04:25 pm »

I rode Fl-90 today going west, between Madison and Monticello. That‘s US Bike Route 90 and Southern Tier as well. Some kind of pit bull came aggressively running after me from the other side of the road. The second I saw it, it got hit by a car. It went so fast the driver couldn’t even hit the brakes. It made a loud sound, also on the bumper. The dog flew maybe ten yards through the air and landed in the middle of the lane, being probably instantly dead. The car stopped and the one behind it also.
My first instinct reaction was to continue, because I didn’t want to meet an angry and probably stupid owner.
Some 500 feet later, out of sight of the accident I called 911, a little confused and unsure what to do next. The lady was very understanding and sent a deputy, who arrived only five minutes later. He just asked what happened, thanked me for calling it in and continued to the site of the accident.

Looking back I have some sympathy for the dog, because he apparently had an inattentive and silly owner. Also I am sorry for the car driver. Still, I am also happy about the result, because
1. The dog didn’t bite me
2. It won’t bite another cyclist or any person
3. The owner hopefully will learn his lesson.

In hindsight I would also recommend the same approach I did instinctively. Leave the site (as long as no one else got injured) and call the sheriff. Having the officer at the site of the accident also helped me to get over the idea that some angry dog owner followed me in his pickup truck pointing a gun at me yelling about his dead dog.

What do you think? Would you have done anything differently?

8

General Discussion / Re: Amtrak lounge access with a bicycle

« on: May 07, 2024, 09:44:56 pm »

Accessing the lounge in Penn Station worked out fine. They stored my bike in a separate room beside the reception. The lounge is great.

When I walked my bicycle down to the Silver Meteor to Miami, the baggage car was already closed with no personnel inside. They had clearly forgotten about it, although I had checked it in at the baggage counter. The conductor hammered on the opening mechanism like crazy to get it open. He managed it at the departure time, at least he was very concerned about on time departure.
I arrived in Florida four and a half hours late and got 200$ compensation from Amtrak the next day.

9

Routes / Re: Key West and Gulf Coast - State Parks

« on: March 08, 2024, 06:26:52 pm »

Thank you for the valuable advice. Since I am a little short on time for excursions in kayak or airboat and the Keys seem not to attractive if you won’t to avoid hotels, I will start in Savannah and cycle to Tallahassee via Cumberland Island and Okefenokee NWR and later on Bike Route 90.
Northern rural Florida seems worthwhile too. I also ended my last tour on the Blue Ridge Parkway by going down to Savannah, so starting there gives a nice sense of continuity.

10

Routes / Re: Key West and Gulf Coast - State Parks

« on: March 07, 2024, 07:22:29 pm »

Thank you jcostanz. Well, it doesn’t sound very intriguing to cycle to Flamingo Campground, but I kind of feel the need to see the Everglades once in my lifetime.
I could of course cycle along Tamiami Trail as well and do Shark Valley, I guess that would count as seeing the Glades, too.

11

Routes / Re: Key West and Gulf Coast - State Parks

« on: March 05, 2024, 05:52:19 pm »

Thank you. Yes, there is a official policy, it’s posted on the ACA website, still it’s probably up to the ranger on duty…
Your answer at least sounds optimistic enough to give it a try.
I’ll be in inland Florida until Grayton Beach, so Panama City won’t be a problem.
Between Mary Ester and Navarre the shoulder seems at least ok on google streetview. They also seem to have added bicycle lanes in some parts.
I’ll  stay away from Danziger Bridge. Thanks for the good advice.

One more question you might be able to answer: is a detour into the Everglades to Flamingo Campground worth it? I even got backcountry permits to hike to the beach campsite. Or is it just flat and mosquitoes and you have basically seen it when cycling to the Keys from Florida City?

12

Routes / Key West and Gulf Coast - State Parks

« on: March 05, 2024, 10:22:53 am »

Hi everyone, I planned to cycle Miami to Key West, taking Key West Express to Fort Myers and then following the Gulf Coast to New Orleans in early May.
I realized now that every Florida State Park along the Keys and the Gulf Coast is booked out for month. Naive I know, but I am from Germany and not familiar with the region.
I have little interest in searching hotel rooms, motels or RV-Sites instead and would rather choose a completely different tour.
Can someone share some experiences if you can rely on the No-Turnaway-Policy for Hikers/Cyclists, especially if you turn up already in the afternoon? I guess not, but feedback would be much appreciated.

13

General Discussion / Re: Amtrak lounge access with a bicycle

« on: March 01, 2024, 12:50:04 pm »

Thank you. Having read your answers, I will give it a try in Penn Station and let you know how it worked out.
Sleeper tickets are expensive, so I certainly want to enjoy the lounge I paid for.

14

General Discussion / Amtrak lounge access with a bicycle

« on: February 29, 2024, 05:55:21 pm »

Hi everyone. I have a sleeper ticket for Amtraks Silver Meteor from Penn Station to Miami. That means I am going to check my to big panniers, but I will have to walk my bicycle to the baggage car myself when boarding starts.

A sleeper ticket grants access to Amtraks Metropolitan Lounge, which looks worthwhile visiting in Moniyan Train Hall.

Does anybody have experiences about entering one of these lounges in big stations with a bicycle?

15

Routes / Re: Tucson to Grand Canyon

« on: January 30, 2024, 07:12:56 pm »

Thank you, Pat lamp, your experience with traffic along the highway to Globe certainly helped. It’s going to be that route then.

In Tucson I’ll start with the loop through Saguaro National Park West and then take the cycle path along Cañada del Oro up to Catalina State Park, which should avoid most urban traffic and lights.