Topics

1

Cycling Events / Nevada Portion of Wesern Express

« on: August 04, 2023, 11:08:13 am »

There is a fully supported ride on the Nevada portion of the Western Express.  The organizer had done the ride for the last 31 years but he is retiring and this may be the last year he does this ride (it is called OATBRAN).  He also did 2 rides around Lake Tahoe but he is retiring so he sold the rights to those rides to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society so they will be doing those rides in the future.  If you ever wanted a fully supported ride to see the wide open vistas of Nevada on Hwy 50 this year may be your last chance.

https://www.bikethewest.com/oatbran-one-awesome-tour-bike-ride-across-nevada/

2

General Discussion / No moderators?

« on: August 19, 2022, 10:05:08 am »

Are there no moderators for the regional forums?   There is a reported post in the California forum about a Chinese mining company.  Clearly not appropriate yet it hasn’t been removed.  This is a duplicate post that was removed from other forums. 

3

General Discussion / Recent Amtrak experience

« on: June 08, 2022, 07:35:07 pm »

I made reservations for a trip from Fullerton, CA to Whitefish, MT about six months ago unaware of changes Amtrak has made to taking a bicycle on this route.

I was informed there wasn’t carry on service from Portland on train 28 so bike needed to be boxed.  I was not aware boxed bicycles are no longer available on the Pacific Surfliner.  I was told to carry it on and box it in Los Angeles (couldn’t even box it myself as the train doesn’t take them). The train from Fullerton was a little late so when I arrived in LA I was told there wasn’t time to box it and get it on the train so I carried it on again.  I was told I could box it in Portland - wrong.  Again told I couldn’t box it.  They made an exception and let me carry it on if I signed a damage waiver (no damage).  I was also told they don’t check baggage to Whitefish.  Yet when I got there they had baggage service.  At every station I was told something that didn’t happen at the next station.  Changes made because of Covid has negatively affected their service.

Don’t get me wrong I love traveling by train and have taken many trips.  Although I am not sure I will use them again.  Maybe less of a hassle flying.

4

General Discussion / C&O trail

« on: July 29, 2021, 07:56:52 pm »

I am currently riding the C&O from Cumberland to DC.  IMO this has to be one of the poorest maintained trails in the country.  I understand NPS is underfunded but it appears they do absolutely no trail maintenance other than a bit of mowing.  The trail is extremely rough, rutted and muddy (even without rain).  It seems like an unmaintained logging road with rocks, roots, ruts and holes.  They have closed part of the trail (signage) near the Paw Paw tunnel for no apparent good reason.  There isn’t any work currently being done on the cliff face that would necessitate a horribly difficult detour.  The GAP trail is a paved (even though it isn’t paved - just crushed limestone) superhighway compared to the C&O.

5

Temporary ACA Route Road Closures / ST section 2 map 20 highway closure due to wildfire 6/2021

« on: June 08, 2021, 09:10:18 pm »

There is a wildfire burning near Globe, AZ.  It appears to have closed Hwy 70 east of Globe.  There doesn’t appear to be an alternative route.

6

General Discussion / Touring after Chemotherapy

« on: January 23, 2021, 09:29:15 am »

Has anyone done a tour after chemotherapy?  How long were you off your bike?  How long after chemo were you able to tour?  Do you lose much muscle mass during chemo?  Did you take any precautions as you began to ride after chemo?

7

Cycling Events / Bike ride across Nevada part of Western Express

« on: August 24, 2020, 01:41:44 pm »

I will be working SAG on this ride and it should be an interesting time with all the measures in place to keep Covid transmission to a minimum.  Not sure many organized rides have taken place this year.  I'll post a review after the ride is over as it runs from Sept 27 to Oct 3. 

8

Gear Talk / BOB cargo trailers discontinued

« on: August 22, 2020, 10:54:13 am »

I've had two people tell me BOB no longer makes the Yak or Ibex cargo trailers.  Is this accurate?  I haven't been able to find anything online to confirm this information.

9

Routes / Pony Express Route?

« on: October 07, 2019, 04:13:18 pm »

The recent Bike Bits had a link to an interesting article about a woman who researched, mapped and rode a route along the original Pony Express Route.  Wonder if it would be possible for ACA to create a mostly gravel/dirt route along the route she created?

10

Routes / Ferry from Ft. Meyers to Key West

« on: August 04, 2019, 06:10:41 pm »

Has anyone taken the  Key West ferry recently?  I was thinking to taking the ferry to Key West and then riding up the coast however the website for the ferry makes it seem like a touring equipped bicycle won't be permitted.  This is from the website  Bicycles must be single, standard size with absolutely no attachments, luggage racks, trailers, etc..  It appears a trailer is a definite no-go along with recumbents and tandems but it also seems as if racks are also not permitted. 

11

Routes / Hwy 98 - Florida

« on: July 20, 2019, 05:33:32 pm »

Has anyone ridden Hwy 98 in Florida this year?  I'm thinking of riding it as an alternative to the Southern Tier from Pensacola towards St. Augustine.  I'm particularly interested in the recovery of restaurants and hotels.

12

General Discussion / Article on Local Bike Shops (LBS)

« on: June 12, 2019, 11:25:07 am »

Interesting reading. Hope the link works.  Headline from Bicycling “Hey, Bike Shops: Stop treating customers like garbage”


https://www.bicycling.com/culture/a27496999/bike-shops-need-change/

13

Temporary ACA Route Road Closures / Chicago2NYC_Philadephia_Alt#1 - C&O Trail Closures - 2019

« on: March 30, 2019, 03:17:26 pm »

Looks like the C&O trail still has a number of areas that are closed due to the heavy rains last year (May) that washed out parts of the trail.  No telling when the damage will be repaired.  It appears some closures affect the spur through Lancaster, PA on the NYC to Chicago trail.  Here is the website for updates to the trail.

https://www.nps.gov/choh/index.htm

14

General Discussion / Updated ACA website

« on: February 27, 2019, 10:42:45 am »

Not a fan of the updated website.  It is difficult to find the forum site.  I had to click at least 10 different places to find where forums had been hidden the first time.  I still have a hard time remembering where to find what I'm looking for.  It looks nice and may be useful for a first time user but if you already know where you want to go there are no drop down menus to help you find it.

15

General Discussion / Impact of Bikers (and hikers) on a small town

« on: December 25, 2018, 09:56:36 am »

There is a nice story in Outside magazine on the impact bikers and hikers have on small towns when the route takes them through or near them.    https://www.outsideonline.com/2376136/continental-divide-trail-towns
Although the story doesn't say how much additional income it brings into the town it does imply that it has definitely helped the community.  Might be a good story to relay to small town along ACA's routes.  Even providing a few basic services helps bring in some additional revenue that otherwise wouldn't be there.

Oops.  Fixed the link.