Messages

1

Routes / Re: Parks, Peaks and Prairies

« on: January 16, 2022, 03:18:04 pm »

The parts i'm talking about are:
Deer creek, WY in Buffalo, WY to possibly spotted horse(no camping or hotels on map)
In Basin WY is the closest place greybull?

I rode the PPP eastbound before it was officially the PPP.  I stayed in Greybull.  I recommend.  I don't know why they didn't go there as the roads are not bad to Greybull and the local road Orchard Bench Rd. is paved so it was fine also.  Greybull to Ten Sleep.

As I mentioned above, I would ride from Buffalo (home to Jamawani) to Leiter then to Gillette.  Yes, there are a couple of EMS related places between Buffalo and Gillette.  I have had luck with them and you being in "the family" I would think you would have better luck.  Perhaps, bring proof of some type to show you are in EMS, i.e. a business card, letter from a supervisor on laminated letterhead, etc. The town of Arvada might be a place to stay as it has a fire department I think.

After Gillette, I stayed at Keyhole SP on east side of Keyhole Reservoir.  I rode the fairly scenic but somewhat wash boardy CR-180/187 north back to US-14.  Basically, do not be worried about going "off route" in this part of the country as the  roads are mostly low-traffic.  Just be sure to confirm if your intended resupply place (grocery, cafe, motel, etc.) is open as it is not uncommon for places to permanently close and then a new place opens elsewhere but is not on the maps yet.  If truly remote, I call the day before and/or the morning of to re-confirm.  Libraries, Police Stations, and Post Offices are pretty good sources of information if "un-listed" places exist.

I hope you have a wonderful trip!

2

Gear Talk / Re: The shoe dilemma

« on: January 16, 2022, 12:39:38 am »

So if you want to go on hikes spontaneously this won’t do you much good. But if your passing thru 1 or 2 or 5 spots on your tour that you’d like to take some time off the bike and get some hiking in, General Delivery can work pretty well.

I think that is a pretty good idea.  Plus, General Delivery will hold it for 21-30 days (call actual office to confirm) and if for some reason you have to skip the hike or the tour gets canceled before you get there, they will forward or "return to sender" the package for free typically.

3

Routes / Re: Parks, Peaks and Prairies

« on: January 15, 2022, 07:58:50 pm »

Christopher,
I have ridden parts of the route (Yellowstone to Rapid City and parts of Minnesota).  When I rode thru the thriving metropolis of Leiter, WY, this summer, I stopped and had lunch at the bar.  They also have a free primative campground (donations are encouraged) but will let you shower if one of the cabins are available.  Check the ACA updates page for contact info/hours. This is a more reliable place than Spotted Horse. 

I also stopped at the The Spotted Horse.  While the owner was super great for me, she may not allow cyclists to camp there much longer.  She has gotten a bit fed up with cyclists who complain about having to pay for bottled water (the locals do not even drink the tap water as it will make you have an upset stomach due to the strong sulpher(?) smell/taste).  So if you stop at Spotted Horse, be polite, be willing to pay for the water, and if you are allowed to camp there, offer a donation. The food was pretty good at the bar/restaurant.

Beyond Rapid City, I did my own route which mostly paralleled I-90 along local or state roads with an occasional bit on the interstate (legal and it was fine).  As a result, I missed the other barren stretch between Rapid City to Interior.  However, I did drive this section in 2020 and it did lack many services at all.  Carry plenty of water and at least one day's supply of food.  When I stopped at "The Country Store" east of Caputa, SD, the owner was not there but the cashier said that "sometimes" cyclists can stay there, depending on the mood of the owner. 

It is due to this barren stretch and the others east of hear that I went from Rapid City to Wall before dipping down into the Badlands NP/Interior then back up to local/state roads that paralleled I90 all the way to LaCrosse, WI.  The services on my route were adequate overall with no really special planning and the traffic was very reasonable east of Box Elder, SD all the way to LaCrosse except a few portions near larger towns.

While I know this didn't answer all your questions, I hope it helped some.

Tailwinds, John

4

Gear Talk / Re: The shoe dilemma

« on: January 13, 2022, 08:58:26 pm »

If what you have works, I would still use it. A big plus you didn't mention is that if one type of shoe fails (I have had this happen on tour), then you still have a back up. 

That said, I currently use the no-longer produced Speedplay Frogs but will soon have to do a new setup up since the cleats are discontinued  after Speedplay was bought out.  I will probably do an SPD mountain bike shoe (so I can walk relatively easily during the day) and a lightweight pair of running shoes for camp.  After 45 years of riding I have an old problem in that I have to have something the somehow locks my foot in.  This is because I trained myself from WAY back when I raced to pull up on the leg opposite the down stroke and since I have a 95+ RPM cadence, I have a high propensity to pull off the pedal.  It is not fun to have the pedal smack your shin! I only do minor hiking (1 mile or less). 

I have tried Crocs and very lightweight canvas shoes for my camp shoes.  For me, neither are good for more than 1/2 mile tops of walking. Plus they look a little dorky but the crocs do great as shower shoes.

Tailwinds, John

5

General Discussion / Re: Tour on southern tier commencing Friday, January 14, 2022.

« on: January 13, 2022, 10:27:08 am »

I hope you have a wonderful and safe tour!
Tailwinds, John

6

General Discussion / Re: Hillbilly dogs

« on: January 12, 2022, 10:07:19 am »

I figured I could distance and mask as appropriate when on the road as well as at home, so I didn't think there was much more danger of being on the road than at home other than the risk of being sick in a distant city alone and unable to get home.

That is why I toured last year and will tour this year.  As you said, I think there is a higher chance of getting Covid at home due to the increased population I deal with vs. being on the much more sparse open road.  My only concern is getting somewhere and then a worthless lock down occurs thus severely hampering my efforts to get home perhaps.  That said, all my "covid" tours have been fine and even somewhat nicer as the crowds are down.  I mask up, distance, etc. when interacting with the public but otherwise, life is the same.

7

Routes / Re: March Trip from Phoenix - Looking for best route

« on: January 11, 2022, 01:36:51 pm »

By the highway through the desert, they may meant the old route that went from Blythe, CA, to Brawley, CA.  The new route uses I-10 which while sounding dangerous is probably safer due to the much better sight lines and the full-width shoulder.  The old route was not ideal on weekends due to the large amount of RVs pulling Off-Road vehicals to Glamis on a somewhat narrow road that had lots of little ups and down making sight-lines more difficult.  Beautiful but not great on weekends/holidays.  On the week days, it wasn't too bad but I would encourage the use of a flag and/or bright clothing for that stretch. 

Regardless, in order to go from Phoenix to San Diego and have hotels every 70 miles or less, you would have to follow the old route from Phoenix to Quartzsite then south to Yuma (very little services) then west to San Diego. 

Out of curiosity, why Phoenix?  Do you live there or ? 

8

General Discussion / Re: Hillbilly dogs

« on: January 11, 2022, 01:26:35 pm »

I am, however, almost as afraid of a friendly dog as a mean one.

By that I guess you mean the type that are so friendly they can clumsily get in the way causing a wreck.  Then they lick you to death while you are on the ground.

9

Routes / Re: March Trip from Phoenix - Looking for best route

« on: January 11, 2022, 10:56:21 am »

Welcome to the ACA Forums!

You probably need to give a bit more info such as how many days total.  Do you have an extra battery or what is the max distance you can do in one day?  Are you eating out or cooking or eating food not needing to be cooked at the hotel?  Are you looking for a loop or one-way?

If you are solely dependent on a hotel every night, be sure to plan carefully.  Some days may need to much shorter or longer than you would like.  Check out WeatherSpark.com to see if the temps are what you are thinking they would be.  For me, doing the Utah Clifs in March would be a bit too cool when at elevation.

Whatever you decide, have a great trip!  Tailwinds, John

10

General Discussion / Re: The Trans Canada Trail (Great Trail)

« on: January 08, 2022, 02:50:12 pm »

CGOAB he always seems to be the go to!

CGOAB is great for journals but I recommend you stay away from the forums as he can be quite moody at times and has repeatedly banned people (myself included) for saying or even clicking "agree" on forum posts.  Definitely can not recommend CGOAB forums.  The other decent forums is on BikeForums.net (Touring sub-group).

Tailwinds, John

11

GPS & Digital Data Discussion / Re: Editing RidewithGPS Routes with an Android Tablet

« on: January 08, 2022, 11:18:18 am »

I do agree about losing body weight.  The classic example I give is I once lugged an 8 pound watermelon and a gallon jug of water to camp for about 10 miles.  I was astonished how much extra 16 pounds of weight seemed. 

I then thought if I just loose some weight, it would be beneficial and have lost (and kept off) about 15 pounds since then.  I still need to lose about 20 more pounds (or what Pete typically carries total on this tours!).

If you want to see the difference, just ride with 1 gallon of water in your pack and that is what it is to carry an 8 pounds of body fat.  I dare say most of us could shed a gallon or two of water.

12

General Discussion / Re: The Trans Canada Trail (Great Trail)

« on: January 08, 2022, 11:13:27 am »

I have wanted to do a TransCanada route for many years.  It is the stretch between Marathon and Thunder Bay Ontario that has given me pause as almost every journal I have read said the traffic was miserable.  The route you reference looks promising but it uses too many unsurfaced (only dirt) backroads (can be horrible when wet) with little to no services.  Plus there are significant gaps in the road routes.

I would suggest you take a look at Cycle Blaze or CrazyGuyonaBike for journals to get information.

Tailwinds, John

13

General Discussion / Re: Hillbilly dogs

« on: January 08, 2022, 10:22:12 am »

I was told by another Welshman at some point that he’d used wasp spray to great effect, so there are plenty of deterrents out there!

Can't tell if you are an American or a Welshman.  Regardless, in the USA, I personally would be very reluctant to use wasp spray as that could permanently injure or kill the dog.  I say this due to legal issues that MIGHT occur since as you may know, America is unfortunately a very litigious nation.  Sure, I am totally for protecting oneself but I would use Halt!, water, etc. before wasp spray, ammonia, etc. due to the potential legal issue.  I am NOT trying to get this into a flame fest; just saying you might consider using some other deterrent.

14

GPS & Digital Data Discussion / Re: Editing RidewithGPS Routes with an Android Tablet

« on: January 08, 2022, 10:07:21 am »

Thanks John, I already own two Surface Pros, so I do not really need another device, but 2 pounds is a big savings. Having lived in IT all my live I feel naked without a computing device, but really can go days with only my phone. I am just not sure I could go weeks without a laptop or tablet of some kind.

OK, but I was just trying to answer your question if anyone has a Samsung Table to edit RWGPS.  For me, it sucked.

15

GPS & Digital Data Discussion / Re: Editing RidewithGPS Routes with an Android Tablet

« on: January 07, 2022, 07:06:43 pm »

Ok, I tried it with my OLD (like really old Samsung A tablet) and while I could, it was very very slow and a royal PIA to do.  I would not deal with it but again, my unit is OLD.  BTW, I used Firefox to access RWGPS.