Topics

1

Connecting ACA Routes / Shortest route, Natchez to Asheville to Vermont

« on: April 17, 2014, 12:17:30 pm »

Hi all,

I am currently in El Paso, Texas, on my way from San Francisco to Vermont via parts of the Southern Tier, Natchez Trace and Blue Ridge Parkway. I need to get home (Hyde Park VT) by June 10th to graduate from high school, so my route can't be too winding. I will be following the Southern Tier until Deridder, LA, then heading North on US 171 North to Leesville and SR 28 and US 84 East to Natchez, MS where I will join the Natchez Trace Parkway (a connecting route I found on the forum). I want to take the Natchez Trace until Jackson, or maybe Tupelo, but if it is possible to bike through Tuscaloosa and Birmingham AL on a more direct route to Asheville NC, I would prefer to do that, as I don't have much time. From Asheville, I will take the Blue Ridge and Skyline Drive all the way to Fort Royal.

From there, I would like to get to New Haven Connecticut to take the Farmington Canal Trail to Northampton. Does anyone know this trail? It seems like a pretty direct route, though it doesn't sound like it is all paved and that could be problematic. I am on a surly disc trucker with medium sized tires, and biking on dirt or gravel would not work because I need to move quickly. None of the ACA routes go where I want to for this section, and I don't have the luxury of time, so I really need to take the fastest route that is still bicycle friendly. I can deal with heavy traffic as long as there is a shoulder, though I prefer secondary paved roads even if they don't have a shoulder. It is hard to tell which roads are safe to ride from AAA and Google maps which are my main resources. Bike routes are great, but they are often out of the way.

 The one thing is, I really want to bike the whole length of Vermont, as it is my home and I love it, so I will have to further East which means more congestion. It seems like going through Philadelphia and New York would be totally crazy, am I right? So far, I have been stealth camping and staying with Warm Showers the whole way, I can't afford to stay at motels or campgrounds, and I am worried that it will be difficult to find places to camp as I go further east because it is so populated. Can anyone speak to this?

I am comfortable biking 60-90 mile days, though I will need to take some rest days along the way and there's no saying what kind of injuries I will run into. So it's a bit of a long shot to try to get all the way home by June 10th, but I think it is possible if I can figure out a safe, relatively direct route. What do you think?

2

Routes / San Bernardino to Twentynine Palms

« on: March 13, 2014, 11:45:55 am »

I am planning to bike from San Bernardino to Twentynine Palms later this week, and I'm wondering whether it would be possible to go through San Bernardino National Forest at this time of year. I will do the trip in at least two days, because my knees have been giving me trouble lately, so I can only do short distances because I have to take breaks to stretch. I know going through the park means lots of elevation gain, but if I took route 38 East to Big Bear Lake, and then Burns Canyon Rd. from Big Bear, the incline would be a little less severe. And there are many more places to camp through San Bernardino National Forest, whereas paralleling I-10 until Route 62 is in a much more populated area and it seems like it would be difficult to find places to camp. Has anyone biked through San Bernardino National Forest, or paralleling I-10? How are the shoulders? And weather? I have warm clothes, but anything under 15 degrees would be too cold for the gear I have.

3

General Discussion / Opinions wanted: Traveling the Southern Tier alone as a young woman

« on: February 11, 2014, 08:46:27 am »

I am a senior in high school, 18 years old, and I am planning a bike trip across the country this spring. I am flying to Oakland, CA next week, and I will be biking from there to San Diego with a friend of mine, an 18 year old guy. However, he is not likely to continue biking with me past San Diego, so I will be doing most of the Southern Tier on my own. My dad will join me in Texas for a few weeks, but for the most part, I will be traveling alone using warm showers and camping. I am planning on about $20 a day, though I do have some money in a CD which I can access if I need to. I have until June 10th or so to get back to my home in Northern VT and I am hoping to do the majority of the trip by bike, though I am also committed to not rushing and enjoying the experience.

I intend to go further north from San Diego on rt. 67 and 78 through Julian CA and take 86 past the Salton Sea. I will go East on I 10 until exit 168, then bike up through Joshua Tree National Park as I want to avoid I-8 and I would like to see Joshua Tree. Past Twentynine Palms, I will take 62 to Parker, then 72 to 60 and on into Phoenix. I know this section is quite remote. I will be carrying my food, stove, tent, etc. with me, so I should be pretty self sufficient, but I am wondering about safety as a young woman. It seems like traveling in more populated areas is probably safer, but larger roads are also more dangerous and I would much prefer to be in less traffic.

I may take the Natchez Trace Parkway up from Louisiana rather than going all the way to St. Augustine and up the Atlantic Coast route, because I want to go through Asheville NC and the Parkway seems like great riding. I don't have an exact route for this part of the trip, so if you have any suggestions, I would appreciate hearing them. Is there a good way to get from Tupelo, Mississippi to Asheville North Carolina? I want to go up the East coast somewhere between the Atlantic Coast adventure cycling route and the Underground Railroad route through Eastern Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, and Vermont.

My touring experience is pretty limited, I spent 8 days biking in Ecuador this fall with a group, but we were riding mountain bikes and mostly on tiny cobblestone roads way up in the Andes. I feel comfortable camping, cooking on a camp stove and generally living sparsely, but I haven't done a lot of traveling alone so I don't really know what to expect as a young woman. I've also never been in the South before, so it's a totally new culture to me. If you have any experience traveling alone as a young woman, or have any insight about my situation, I would appreciate your advice. Are there generally a lot of bikers doing the Southern Tier at this time of year (March-May) or will I likely be unable to find companions to ride with during the day? Should I stay away from remote areas? And fundamentally, are the risks of riding over 5,000 miles as an 18 year old woman with limited touring experience in an area of the country I have never been to before too great to balance the benefits of challenge, adventure and learning how to live in a self sufficient manner? I know that's a hard question to answer because it depends on a lot of factors, but it would be helpful to hear several opinions on this issue. I love biking, challenges, meeting new people, adventure, seeing new perspectives and inspiring people, but am I banking on these passions too much to warrant putting myself in a lot of danger?

Thank you so much, I have already learned a lot from reading through this forum. It is an incredible resource and I'm extremely grateful for it.