Topics

1

Routes / Great Plains Gravel Route?

« on: March 01, 2023, 09:12:30 am »

I saw the write up about this not yet completed route in the ACA magazine and can't stop thinking about riding it.  I also saw the article in Cycling World https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/gravels-most-successful-creators-are-collaborating-on-a-new-adventure-the-great-plains-gravel-route and a few other places.  It says route completion in late 2023.  Does anyone know how like that is to be on schedule?  It looks to me like a route that should to be ridden north bound as early as the weather allows in order to avoid the heat and to hit the Flint Hills when they are their beautiful spring green.  Also some lead time is needed for planning.  I usually fail at avoiding the heat even if I go somewhere when it isn't supposed to be hot, but still...  If the release of the route is too late I am guessing it means riding in 2024 is out since I would not want to ride in the worst heat and miss the Flint Hills in Spring and it would be pushed back to 2025 for me.  A shame since at 71, I am not getting any younger.  I like to think I have lots of years left where I can still do long tours, but you never know how you will hold up.

I'd really like to find out more.  How much access is there to resuppy or at least filterable water along the way?  Will there be a need to carry multiple days of water anywhere?  How many days and how often?  I am generally not inclined to use a support vehicle, but if a support vehicle were to be used is it possible to drive the route or drive parallel to the route close enough to provide meaningful support.

2

GPS & Digital Data Discussion / GPS Watches

« on: June 07, 2022, 10:11:24 am »

Does anyone here use a GPS watch for turn by turn directions?  I am considering a Garmin Instinct 2 Solar model for collecting workout data and other daily usage and it would be nice if it were also useful for turn by turn on ACA routes and backpacking trips.

How easy was it to load routes?  Did it work out well on the road?

I've always carried paper maps and likely still would do that or have electronic ones on my phone, but it would be nice to not need to refer to them much if at all during the day on the road.

3

Routes / Big landslide on PCH near Big Sur

« on: January 30, 2021, 05:45:10 pm »

I'd imagine we'll be hearing more about this from the ACA as details shake out.  It will likely have a major impact on anyone ricing the PCH in the near future.  It looks like something that won't be quickly repaired.  Reports put it at or near Rat Creek.

4

Routes / Idaho Hot Springs Route

« on: June 11, 2014, 10:24:47 am »

A few questions...

I plan to go as soon as the snow pack permits.  It is looking like that will be pretty soon.  Given that, how likely are fire restrictions while I am there?  Is taking my alcohol stove likely to be a problem?  Will I need to get a permit to use a stove?  I prefer my alcohol stove, but do have a canister stove I could take if necessary.

How much traffic will there be on the main loop?  Will I go for days without seeing a motor vehicle, or with I see a jeep or raft company vehicle most days?

5

Routes / Atlantic Coast Questions

« on: October 25, 2012, 01:46:46 pm »

Can anyone comment on the Atlantic Coast route and the available camping/lodging opportunities there?  I kind of have the impression from living in the Mid-Atlantic region that the camping is likely to be scarce and expensive.

I am giving some consideration to giving the Atlantic Coast a try since I live near it in Maryland and have a daughter and son in law in Florida.  Also I am retiring soon, not that I let my job stop me from doing long-ish tours.

I don't have any touring experience with the Atlantic Coast Route because I have typically gone out west for my tours in the past.  My limited experience in the East was the eastern portion of my Trans America and a Southern Tier trip that ended in Sarasota.

I am not afraid to stealth camp and will do so once in a while, but prefer either free camping in plain sight or inexpensive campsites.  I am guessing I will not find much of either in the East.  Is that the case or am I being too pessimistic?

How often are inexpensive rooms available?  I don't mind staying with a warmshowers.org host here and there, but really do not want to rely on that too much.  The warmshowers thing tends to require too much planning and not enough last minute spontaneity to suit me.  Hosts seem to usually like some notice and I often don't know where I am stopping until I am there.

Other comments about the route appreciated as well.

6

Routes / Number of Cycle Tourists on the Southern Tier?

« on: November 14, 2011, 01:25:25 pm »

I am starting Feb 11 in San Diego and wonder how many other tourists I am likely to meet and possibly camp with?  I have done one trip where I stayed with other tourists pretty much every night (Pacific Coast), one where I met and stayed with others fairly often (Trans America), and some other trips where I rarely or never met another touring cyclist.

My preference runs toward meeting others along the way.  How frequently is that likely to happen given my planned start date and direction of travel?

7

Routes / Great Rivers?

« on: October 09, 2011, 11:27:40 am »

I'd appreciate any comments from folks who have done this route.  I have done some touring in areas somewhat in the vicinity (Trans America and KC to Santa Fe) but not on this route.

How rural and small town is it?  Does it have that small town feel where you can typically camp in the town park picnic area without being kicked out?  Is other hospitality generally available (and listed on the AC maps) like camping at churches and so on.  How are the prices for camping in the state and other parks and how readily available is camping in general?  Did you need to resort to private campgrounds much.

How are room prices along the route if I decide to get a room once in a while?

When do you consider the best time of year to go?  I was thinking maybe spring, but have not yet looked at historical weather data.

8

Routes / Sierra Cascades North to South, When?

« on: December 08, 2010, 02:55:30 pm »

I would be curious to hear any thoughts folks have on the best timing for a N-S Sierra Cascades tour.

Last year we rode the southern 1000 miles or so of it, starting in San Diego and flying home from Reno.  This year I am considering starting in the North and either flying home from Reno again or riding all the way to San Diego.  The weather would be the deciding factor on how far I would go.  We had extreme heat for much of the desert sections and I am really not up for a repeat of the conditions we rode in there in 2010.

Bottom line, my priority is to have decent weather in the North, figuring I'll bail from the Tahoe Reno Area or somewhere farther south if the weather is too hot to suit me.  I would definitely want to make it to at least the Reno Tahoe area so I will have seen the whole route (more or less), making it to San Diego would be a bonus.

9

Routes / Water Filter on the Sierra Cacades Route?

« on: May 27, 2010, 12:28:48 pm »

I originally posted this over on the crazy guy on a bike forums, but am posting here too in the hope that someone who is familiar with the route might pipe up.  If not is there any chance the question could be forwarded to Bil Paul?

I carried a filter for a portion of the TA before sending it home. My plan was to leave it home for the Sierra Cascades Route. A few folks have suggested that on this route it might be worth carrying.

My daughter pointed out that while we only used it a few times on the TA, on this trip much of the route is similar to the portion of the TA where we actually used the filter. She also pointed out that sometimes it makes safe but nasty tasting water more palatable. I know that I have trouble staying hydrated when the water tastes nasty, so that could be a significant advantage. Her opinion was that we should take it and she is usually the sensible one on the tour

I have an MSR Sweetwater filter and as filters go I like it fine. Is it worth the extra 11 or so ounces, considering that the filter will be shared between the two of us?

Will it offset the need to carry as much water on this particular route? If so it could possibly actually reduce the load carried.

10

Routes / Sierra Cascade Route, starting to sweat the release date

« on: March 05, 2010, 10:58:51 am »

I think have read "late winter or early spring of 2010", "late march", and now on the map at http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/images/SierraCascadesMap.pdf it says "Research was completed in the summer of 2008 and the maps should be available late spring 2010."

This has me nervous since we have a planned departure of June 1 and Spring ends June 21st.  We will go with or without AC maps, but using a 20 year old guide book would not thrill me.  Has the delivery date really slipped to late Spring?  Is it going to slip further?

I have to say I will be very disappointed with Adventure Cycling if they do not have maps available by our June 1 start date when they projected late winter or early spring of 2010 at the time we started seriously planning the trip.

So...  Is there any updated word on what the real release date might be?

11

Routes / Sierra Cascade Route

« on: May 07, 2009, 09:20:30 am »

Anyone know how much we can count on the maps for the Sierra Cascade Route being available before the Summer of 2010?  I am toying with the notion of doing a loop including it and the Pacific Coast route at that time.

I would be interested in any specific or general info about the route that anyone cares to share.

12

Routes / Adirondack Loop

« on: November 13, 2007, 08:52:59 am »

Has anyone done the Adirondack Loop or toured the area that it is in?  I know that it was just officially released, but someone must have test ridden it.

I would be interested in folks opinion of this tour since it could be one of my choices for the coming year.  Things I would like to hear about are:
  Riding conditions
  Scenery
  Best time to go
  Points of interest
  Other stuff that I probably forgot to ask

This message was edited by staehpj1 on 11-13-07 @ 4:53 AM

13

Routes / US Perimeter Tour?

« on: October 02, 2007, 09:58:40 am »

I am thinking of the possibility of a US perimeter trip at some time in the future and have a number of questions. I have done the TransAmerica unsupported, so I have some idea of what a long tour involves, but wonder how much difference extending the trip will make.

Do you need to allow more rest days? On our TA we really didn't use rest days much. One day for rafting and one day for one of our party to recover from a crash were the only rest days. We preferred to take a low mileage day (30 or 40 miles) once in a while rather than stay in one place for a whole day. Does the extra length of a perimeter trip require a different strategy.

At the end of this post is a first attempt at a rough schedule. I would like to hear suggestions about whether it hits the various regions at a reasonable time.

Regarding pace, I think the 60 mile per day pace is conservative. The assumption is that a relaxed pace may be required to manage this long of a trip. I am basing the 60 miles per day on what we did on our TA, but we started that with two riders not really having trained and none of us having trained with a loaded bike. Our low mileage in the beginning kept our average down a bit. I am thinking that the length of a perimeter trip may require more frequent rest days and an easy pace. Is this reasonable or will it just keep getting easier to do long days back to back?

                           Miles   Days  Start      Finish
Baltimore to Bar Harbor     1000    16    05/01/08   05/17/08
Northern Tier               4295    71    05/17/08   07/27/08
Pacific Coast               1836    30    07/27/08   08/26/08
Southern Tier               3159    52    08/26/08   10/17/08
St. Augustine to Baltimore  1000    16    10/17/08   11/02/08

Miles per day ~60
Starting date 05/01/08

This message was edited by staehpj1 on 10-2-07 @ 6:16 AM

14

Routes / New Routes

« on: September 28, 2007, 08:10:45 am »

A recent email from AC soliciting donations mentioned the following...
"An Appalachian loop in Virginia and West Virginia. An Adirondack loop in upstate New York. A new spur off the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route from Lake Erie to Pittsburgh, PA. And the Northwest Quest, a collection of awesome rides in Washington State, including on the San Juan Islands, the Cascade mountain range, and the Olympic Peninsula!"

Are more details available about these routes anywhere?  I am especially interested in details for the Appalachian Loop, but interested in hearing about the others as well.

15

General Discussion / Logistics, Getting People and Bikes to Astoria

« on: May 13, 2007, 06:24:07 pm »

We are making kind of a last minute change. With only a couple weeks to go, our trip originally planned to an E to W transamerica is now possibly going to be a W to E transamerica if we can figure out the logistics. Does anyone have suggestions of how to best get us and our bikes to Astoria?

I imagine we would fly to Portland and take a bus or train to Astoria or possibly rent a car. I think it would be easier if the bikes were shipped directly to Astoria. The problem is where in Astoria. Can any one recommend a person, business, or bike shop in Astoria that would be willing to receive the three bikes and hold them for us for a reasonable fee?

I apologize to those who read crazy guy and BF forums for the duplicate posting to the three locations.