Topics

1

Temporary ACA Route Road Closures / Ferry out of service St Johns River- Mayport - winter 2016

« on: January 13, 2016, 09:14:05 am »

Atlantic Coast Route Map 6. It looks like the ferry across the St Johns River going on A1A is out of service until February. Is there another local way across for a bike? (I am coming there today from the north and would like to avoid the unpleasant trip up to Jacksonville and back.) if someone has info today Jan 13, please email rjstolzberg(at)acsalaska.net.

2

Routes / Touring From Seattle Beginning Early In May

« on: April 20, 2015, 02:15:37 am »

Pacific Northwesters,

I will begin by noting that I am a hopeless optimist, and I figure great weather will continue forever. I did this around spring solstice this year, and my son and I had a great 3-day backpack in the Olympics, with only 2 hours of snow/rain. I am taking the same attitude with me for a 3 week unsupported tour out of Seattle beginning the first week of May, a month that does not have a perfect history of warm sunny weather in the Seattle coastal area. I have my airplane tickets from Fairbanks, my two Washington State Parks Bicycle Route (WSBR) maps, and information that the North Cascade Highway was opened to traffic earlier this month. With an eye on the long range weather forecasts, I'd like to solicit suggestions about early season touring on both loops in the WSBR. Right now four specific questions come to mind, but I'd be interested to hear about any 'not to be missed' side trips or any particularly dreadful stretches of road or anything that someone without webbed feet should know (but it does get rainy and cold in Interior Alaska on  occasion in the summer).

Am I apt to find that State Park and Forest Service campgrounds are closed prior to Memorial Day?

I am assuming that it will be decently dry east of the Cascades. Is this a bad assumption to be making?

What are the relative merits of clockwise versus counter clockwise on both loops?

Is it feasible to bike comfortably in the vicinity of the I-90 corridor from Ellensburg to Seattle if I were to shorten the eastern loop?

Thanks for your suggestions.
Richard