Messages

1

Routes / Great Divide Section 2 Polaris MT-South Pass City,

« on: August 30, 2006, 08:11:11 pm »

I'm very sorry to hear that this happened to you.  
I'd like to know more for my own personal safety.  Were you camped just off the side of the road, or were you in a camp site?  Was your site hidden or highly visible from the road?  Was a weapon involved in this incident?  Thank you, and better luck next time...

2

Routes / Vermont

« on: August 24, 2006, 11:35:27 pm »

I'm planning on doing the Atlantic Coast route (North to South) followed by the Southern tier route.  I'd like to see Vermont though, and am considering flying into Burlington and biking across Maine to the start of the Atlantic Coast route.  Does anyone here have an opinion of the areas I'm going through, their bikability, and if they'd recommend it?  Thank you.

3

Routes / Oregon routes?

« on: August 23, 2006, 07:13:34 pm »

Definately do not ride I-5.  I've ridden 99 from Portland to Salem and found it to be pretty good, although I've taken smaller routes and found them to be better.

Heading west, 99 isn't too bad going through Portland--- it's often high traffic, but you have a bicycle lane all the way.  From there you can hit 22 which will take you most of the way to the coast...  I've never ridden it, but don't think it would be too bad.

Going west, I've done Portland-Astoria via federal highway 30.  This follows the Columbia river, ending in Astoria at the Northwestern tip of Oregon.  On the section I did, there was a quite comfortable shoulder most of the way there.  Towards Astoria it gets quite hilly, but most of the way is relatively flat.  There's also the most randomly placed Korean restauraunt I've ever seen.

I've ridden some of the smaller roads that you could get to via 99-W that connect the coast to the Wine Country area of Yamhill, Carlton, etc.  Very pretty and low traffic, from what I've found.

If you have any questions on specific routes/highways, put them forth and I'll see if I can answer them.  Another resource you can visit is www.bta4bikes.org, they have some maps and if you contact them they can answer your questions.

4

Routes / Best route to traverse America

« on: August 26, 2006, 05:28:03 pm »

"also, to anna-i saw another one of your posts, about negative vibes in poorer towns. what kind of behaviour should i expect from these people? i can take all the verbal they care to give me. but what else?"

I've never had negative reactions from people in towns, and only occasionally from drivers.  In fact, people in the small towns and rural areas are much nicer than in the cities --- they will sometimes offer you food, places to stay, rides, etc., with no expectation of anything in return.  People are curious about you, and if you're a foreigner I'm sure that curiousity will be greater.

I think you may have an overly negative view of the US in terms of the danger of its people.

5

Routes / Best route to traverse America

« on: August 24, 2006, 11:32:43 pm »

Even if you are planning on using motels, I'd recommend bringing camping gear with you too.  It can be a very long way in between towns in some parts of the US, and you may find yourself stuck in an area without motels if, for instance, you're having bike problems that delay you.  Having camping gear gives you more flexibility because you are not dependent on towns every night.  If you want to avoid bringing a trailer you can always tie down camping gear to your rear rack.  Also, if your worried about expenses camping is a good way to cut down... you can buy some very lightweight gear with a fraction of the money you'd save.  If your main concern with camping is that you don't want to carry the gear I'd say that you can have adequete camping gear that isn't too bulky.

6

Routes / Southern Tier Summer

« on: June 21, 2005, 08:37:15 am »

My summer plans may have just fallen through which would leave me with about two months time.  I would like to do the Southern Tier, starting early July.  If I did that I would leave at about 5am everyday and get most of my riding done before it got too hot, then maybe bike a bit in the late afternoon/early evening.  How challenging of an experience would the weather be?  I'm normally pretty tolerant of heat. Thanks all, ride on.

7

General Discussion / Site Search Function

« on: August 29, 2006, 04:14:43 am »

The site search only allows searching for threads that are a maximum of 365 days old.  Why not have an option to view all threads regardless of date?  Or, are these included in this search as well?  Thanks.

8

General Discussion / Uphill

« on: June 20, 2004, 03:48:57 am »

Does anyone have any physical, mental, or spiritual advice on how to best battle those seemingly endless uphills?  Any tips would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!
-Steve

9

General Discussion / Trans-Am questions

« on: June 11, 2004, 11:04:19 am »

I'm a newbie planning on going on the Trans-America trail  to get to Chicago, and I have a few questions.

How many days of food or how much food is good to have on hand at all times (I'm planning on using a BOB trailer)?

How difficult are the Rocky Mountains?

Are thunderstorms a major concern?

Are the dogs in Kentucky a major concern?
Is finding water a major concern?

Thank you!
-Steve