Messages

1

General Discussion / Fleece in July?

« on: July 09, 2011, 07:39:39 am »

I pulled the trigger (but not w/o a serious case of the hee bee gee bees first) and next week I'm starting the TransAm ride West to East, at least half of it.

I did a round trip, 700 mile, warm up. ride from Atlanta to Nashville this Spring where I rode in 50 degree rain and saw temps from the high 30's to the low 80's. (That was an unusual swing of weather down here.)

I'm basing my clothing selection on that experience, planning for temperatures anywhere from the high 30's up. I definitely don't want to be cold, but the extra layer of cloths seems over the top for July and August.

Any thoughts or comments on the subject would be appreciated?

Thanks in advance.

Mike

2

General Discussion / Re: Your top 5 things to take on tour

« on: July 09, 2011, 07:13:38 am »

I just bought a Kindle to take. I guess you could debate whether that is essential or not.

3

General Discussion / Crossing the Cascades

« on: June 15, 2011, 09:19:24 am »

Going W-E.

Difficulty? Weather July/August? TransAm or Lewis & Clark?

Thought?

Thanks,

Mike

4

General Discussion / Nightly Accomodations & Bicycle Traffic

« on: June 13, 2011, 07:47:44 am »

I'm planning a solo west to east Trans-Am ride, and wondering about nightly accommodations.

I plan on camping most of the time, but would enjoy the occasional motel.
Would really enjoy a nightly shower, but I don't I expect that to happen.
I don't want to stealth camp if I can avoid it.
I will be using the ACA maps.

For those of you that have done that ride, what should I expect for nightly accommodations, and did you know in the morning where you'd be staying in the evening.

Also, how often will I see other riders. I'll be starting the last week of July.

Thanks,

Mike

5

General Discussion / Accomodations in Astoria

« on: June 06, 2011, 08:00:26 pm »

Anybody have a recommendation for a motel or hostel in Astoria?  I'd like one to whom I could ship my recumbent ahead of time if possible.

Thanks,

Mike

6

General Discussion / Making the Commitment

« on: June 01, 2011, 08:08:15 am »

A couple of years ago I put riding coast to coast on my "bucket list", and have done several warm-up tours since then. Knowing what I do at this point, I have to admit that I am not undaunted by the prospect of such a long ride.

Besides the rigors of the road, getting my wife's blessing and squaring away my business before I go (I own a bicycle shop!), makes committing to the trip that much more difficult.

So, I'm interested to know anyone's thoughts on making the commitment to do the ride.

I'd also be interested to know about adapting to the rigors/dis-comforts of the road. Do they fall by the wayside after a while? How long does it take to get your rhythm, that sort of thing. I'm 57 and will be riding a recumbent.

Thanks,

Mike

7

Routes / Re: Atlanta to Nashville?

« on: May 22, 2011, 08:37:44 pm »

Just rode from Atlanta to Nashville and back a few weeks ago. (Actually went to Lebanon, skirted Nashville, then over to Franklin.) Plan on five days of riding.

Went up through GA and came back via AL. (725 miles). Pdlamb is absolutely right about 278/431 in AL. I found riding on it stressful, if not down right dangerous. I definitely recommend the GA route.

I took the Silver Comet to Rockmart, Rockmart to Lafayette , Lafayette to Tracy City, Tracy City to Murphreesboro, and Murphreesboro to Lebanon. You should be able to fill in the route details with Google maps from there, although it did mis-direct me heading to Lafayette. (Hint: stay on the Dalton road out of Rome.) Otherwise, ask the locals. they know the roads.

The prettiest parts of the ride were riding through "The Pocket" into Lafayette and up 193(?) out of Lafayette into St Elmo, Tn. St Elmo was an oasis with both a coffee and buritto shop.

US 41 turned out to be a good route out of St Elmo all the way to Murphreesboro. (I-24 picks up all the traffic.) Expect some climbing out of St Elmo around Nickajack Lake, but you'll be rewarded with a great descent.

After crossing the river, you'll have to side-track through Jasper because, as I understand it, 41 merges with I-24 to go over Monteagle. Coming out of Jasper is where you'll climb the Cumberland Plateau. Things get flatter after that.

I found three campgrounds. 1.) two or three miles before hitting Rockmart just off the Silver Comet (water, and outhouse. Questionable on the shower); 2.) about eight miles past Rockmart on the trail (primitive) 3.) a state park a few miles after climbing the Cumberland Plateau out of Jasper, which is about eight miles before you hit Tracy City. Otherwise I stayed in motels in Lafayette and Murphreesboro.

I stayed at the Jackson(?) downtown in order to avoid going toward I-24 for the chain motels in Murphreesboro. The attendant was behind plexiglass, but the room was clean and cheap. I felt safe enough.

I veered off 41 after Murphreesboro to go to Lebanon, so you'll have to figure it from there.

Good luck,

Mike

8

Routes / How Far in a Month

« on: May 22, 2011, 09:54:28 am »

I will likely have to break my Trans Am ride into three segments. Wondering how far I can get in a month going West to East from Astoria. Is that time enough to make it over the Rockies into Colorado.

Thanks in advance.

Mike

9

Pacific Northwest / Lewis & Clark or Trans Am to Missoula?

« on: May 18, 2011, 08:49:07 am »

It looks like the Lewis & Clark Trail is shorter than the TA from the coast to Missoula. Anybody have any thoughts or recommendations for using one over the other?

I'm hoping to do the coast to coast crossing on my recumbent at the end of July or first week of August. Trimming a week from the trip would be helpful for a couple of reasons if one route is quicker than the other. Thanks in advance.