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Topics - Stefan_E

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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.

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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.

3
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?

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Routes / Tucson to Grand Canyon
« on: January 26, 2024, 11:14:05 pm »
Hello everyone, I already got mighty input last year for our tour this spring / summer from Tucson to Canada.
For the part from Tucson to Grand Canyon, I have two alternatives.

#1 via Apache Junction
#2 via Globe


I lean towards #1, since Picacho State Park and Casa Grande NM seam worth visiting as well as doing a hike in the Superstition Mountains. Also there seam to be nice shoulders every part of the way. But surely a lot more suburban environment.
#2 is surely a bit more remote and maybe more scenic? But there seem to be stretches without shoulders, but steady traffic and inclines at the same time.
I would be grateful for some input. (The route planer I use doesn’t work very well on mobiles. You would have to turn your phone sideways and then close the statistics)




5
Routes / Cycling the Parkways from Washington DC to New Orleans
« on: May 05, 2023, 11:29:03 am »
I got already great input for my south to north route next year. This late summer and fall, I want to tour from DC to New Orleans together with a friend. We will start right after Labor Day. 
The route felt pretty natural to me:
  • From Washington to Harpers Ferry alongside the Chesapeake and Ohio Channel
  • Roughly following Shenandoah River to Fort Royal
  • Blue Ridge Parkway
  • Going to Nashville via Cherohala Skyway, maybe taking the commuter train from Lebanon into Nashville to avoid city traffic
  • Natchez Trace Parkway
  • Mississippi River Trail into New Orleans

I feel well informed about the parkways and also bought the Blue Ridge book. But any recommendations concerning season, nice places and towns and especially the connecting piece between Smoky Mountains and Nashville would be very appreciated.  :)
Here is the route:
https://classic-maps.openrouteservice.org/directions?n1=34.764873&n2=-84.345978&n3=6&a=38.89837,-77.005863,38.890143,-77.052907,38.907665,-77.090539,38.922057,-77.104132,38.927132,-77.110462,38.937122,-77.118144,38.942238,-77.123272,38.952217,-77.128465,38.962746,-77.137198,38.970362,-77.149917,38.971838,-77.164975,38.972289,-77.167454,38.971154,-77.19492,38.977093,-77.222772,38.983231,-77.235775,38.996374,-77.247963,39.008347,-77.244315,39.014982,-77.239895,39.035186,-77.247276,39.045119,-77.274742,39.059183,-77.305727,39.068447,-77.335167,39.067514,-77.379799,39.071579,-77.409239,39.081307,-77.449751,39.121671,-77.506485,39.179445,-77.49258,39.20765,-77.46769,39.233051,-77.463055,39.256848,-77.504339,39.271733,-77.531633,39.286549,-77.552919,39.307339,-77.583904,39.315972,-77.648621,39.334297,-77.758141,38.989036,-77.961731,38.881145,-78.209953,38.760308,-78.297844,38.543869,-78.387451,37.918337,-79.013844,37.637072,-79.330902,37.25602,-79.869232,36.749063,-80.406189,35.966475,-81.933031,35.441302,-83.396358,35.323669,-83.962927,35.58887,-84.472353,36.189222,-86.651402,36.184719,-86.697063,36.1569,-86.780512,36.129972,-86.84834,36.033275,-86.976185,31.545479,-91.369858,31.322407,-91.60778,30.053345,-90.594635,30.002814,-90.441856,29.928587,-90.199986,29.946085,-90.078503&b=1c&c=0&k1=en-US&k2=mi

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Routes / Route Tucson to Glacier [AZ, UT, CO, WY, MT]
« on: October 17, 2022, 02:48:57 pm »
Dear fellow cyclists,

2024 I am going to be the first time in the US, cycling from south to north. My plan is to start in Tucson, AZ, in mid March, going to Grand Canyon and the National Parks in Utah, arriving mid may in Yellowstone N.P. when the South Entrance opens and in late May / early June in Glacier N.P.

I am from Munich, Germany, 36 years old and an experienced cyclist. For 2800 miles I plan about 3 months.
You can see the route:  here (works in Firefox, not well in Safari).

I would be happy about some input concerning the route and season:

- Is it too early? I could do it later, but the intention was to do the trip mostly before Memorial Day.

- Did I choose any Highways that are outright unpleasant to cycle on? Especially on these ones, which are not ACA recommended routes: 
    - AZ 77 from Oracle to Globe
    - AZ 87 coming from Roosevelt Lake to Payson
    - AZ 87 / AZ 260 from Payson to Camp Verde
    - Red Rock Scenic Byway to Sedona, AZ 89a to Flagstaff
    - US 180 Flagstaff to Grand Canyon
    - US 89 Mount Carmel Junction to Bryce Canyon Junction
    - US 191 Monticello to Moab
    - Interstate 70 from junction with UT 75 to outskirts of Fruita, bikes are probably allowed?
    - CO 139 (Douglas Pass Road) from Fruita to Rangely
    - US 40 Rangely to Vernal
    - US 191 / UT 44  Vernal to Flaming Gorge
    - WY 530 Flaming Gorge to Green River
    - Unpaved Green River La Barge Road / Greys River Road from La Barge to Alpine through Bridger-Teton National Forest, possible with a touring bike?
    - US 89/191 to Jackson
    - Yellowstone in mid May has probably already a lot of car traffic, but if you’re used to it, it’s still ok?
    - Unpaved Road along Red Rock Lakes to Lima (possible with a Touring bike?)
    - Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway (also unpaved?)
    - MT 1 Anaconda to Drummond

- In June I could continue up to Jasper in Canada or take Amtrak to Harpers Ferry and do another two weeks on the Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway.  Are the Canadian Rockies much different from Glacier, or would you rather suggest doing the skyline drive?

Thanks in advance for tips and feedback, I surely appreciate it and will report back. It’s still some time, but I am kind of a planning fetishist, that’s why I’m so early…  ;D

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