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South Atlantic / Re: February cycling
« on: November 23, 2021, 10:47:18 am »
Southern Arizona is a great place to ride in the winter. Take a look at the Tucson area.
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Temporary ACA Route Road Closures / Re: Pacific Coast Sec. 4, Maps 54-55. US 101 wildfire closure. 10/21
« on: October 14, 2021, 04:45:26 pm »
Heading south past Guadalupe is Hwy 166. You could take it until it meets Hwy 33 then head south to rejoin the route. I drove 166 several years ago and it didn’t have much traffic. Not sure about the total mileage of the detour.
3
Routes / Re: Route 98 along the Gulf of Mexico
« on: September 26, 2021, 09:32:08 am »
I rode Hwy 98 a couple of years ago. I mostly enjoyed the ride but once you get close to Destin cycling conditions were not that great. Further along there was a great deal of construction that should be done by now. It may have improved riding conditions. It was a very busy stretch of Hwy. In 2019 I wrote there was no shoulder from Ft. Walton to at least 10 miles past Destin and had heavy traffic.
4
Gear Talk / Re: Does anybody sell a bicycle cargo trunk like this?
« on: September 18, 2021, 09:26:44 am »
Take a look at the new Old Man Mountain brand Divide bike rack. It will mount to your axle or braze ons and it designed for use with disk brakes.
5
General Discussion / Re: C&O Trail
« on: September 11, 2021, 10:23:46 am »
Not very familiar with trikes. However if yours can handle a trail that is rocky, rough, rutted and has lots of mud holes created by maintenance vehicles you should be fine.
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General Discussion / Re: C&O trail
« on: September 01, 2021, 10:53:31 am »
I had fenders on my bike during my recent ride. Try to avoid the major mud areas but even then you should be ok. Your bike will still be muddy and dirty but most will be off you and your gear. You could always stop at one of the pumps and use that water to rinse off the mud. They are fairly frequent.
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ACA Mobile Route Apps / Re: does map purchase in app get me paper maps too?
« on: August 27, 2021, 10:16:07 am »
Welcome.
The only discount on paper maps is if you are a member. The maps on the mobile app don’t get you a discount on the paper maps.
The only discount on paper maps is if you are a member. The maps on the mobile app don’t get you a discount on the paper maps.
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General Discussion / Re: C&O trail
« on: August 04, 2021, 02:25:04 pm »
I stand by my original post. The trail conditions are atrocious from Cumberland to Sheperdstown. From Sheperdstown to Harpers Ferry the trail surface is improved and I did not notice any removed trees. Still plenty of shade and wildlife. I have finished riding the trail and can’t tell you how many miles are resurfaced. Most of the distance between Harpers Ferry and DC is bad. Not sure exactly where the improved trail ends but the entire trail except for the currently improved section needs work.
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General Discussion / Re: C&O trail
« on: August 04, 2021, 07:58:01 am »
It appears there is an active plan to resurface at least 80 miles of the towpath. The organization leading these efforts is Canaltrust.org. Be interesting to hear their perspective on this discussion.
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General Discussion / Re: C&O trail
« on: August 03, 2021, 08:00:22 am »
The improved surface between Sheperdstown and Harpers Ferry didn’t change the character of the trail other than making it a better riding surface. Didn’t see any evidence of heavy vehicle damage. There were still a few spots were rain had created bumps.
If the intent is to have no improvements then NPS should remove all the porta-potties at camping areas along with the water pumps and trash removal bags. They also shouldn’t do any mowing or vegetation removal. This will save money, keep the number of vehicles on the trail to a minimum, and recreate the experience mule drivers had moving the barges. I’m sure these improvements “diminish” the historical character of the trail as these improvements weren’t available to the mule drivers.
I did ride the WMRT were I could. It roughly parallels the C&O and in many places you can see it through the trees. It was a nice respite from the rough C&O. Other than having a paved surface it had much of the same character as the C&O. The C&O doesn’t need to be a paved trail. An improved surface would make it a more enjoyable ride and open the trail to more visitors.
If the intent is to have no improvements then NPS should remove all the porta-potties at camping areas along with the water pumps and trash removal bags. They also shouldn’t do any mowing or vegetation removal. This will save money, keep the number of vehicles on the trail to a minimum, and recreate the experience mule drivers had moving the barges. I’m sure these improvements “diminish” the historical character of the trail as these improvements weren’t available to the mule drivers.
I did ride the WMRT were I could. It roughly parallels the C&O and in many places you can see it through the trees. It was a nice respite from the rough C&O. Other than having a paved surface it had much of the same character as the C&O. The C&O doesn’t need to be a paved trail. An improved surface would make it a more enjoyable ride and open the trail to more visitors.
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General Discussion / Re: C&O trail
« on: August 02, 2021, 04:11:05 pm »
It is interesting to note there is a relatively smooth crushed granite surface from Sheperdstown to Harpers Ferry. Not sure who or what organization was responsible for improving the surface. The water along the trail is at water hand pumps with iodine treated water. Not all the pumps seem to work. At the official campgrounds there are also portable toilets. It also appears many of the mud holes are caused by service vehicles traveling along the trail. There are no trash cans anywhere along the trail but they provide plastic bags in dispensers so visitors can remove their trash. Harpers Ferry is also a historic park preserve yet they have improved many areas for visitors so the idea of no improvements seems applicable only when convenient (Harpers Ferry gets more visitors than the C&O).
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Routes / Re: Chicago to Cincinnati?
« on: August 01, 2021, 05:47:00 pm »
I just rode from Cincinnati to Cleveland on the Ohio to Erie trail. The trail is easy to follow from Cincinnati to Columbus. The trail markings become infrequent at trail intersections in Columbus so you may need a map program (google maps) on your phone to help keep you on the right trail. The trail marking are horrible in Sunbury and then from Fredericksburg to Dalton. It will also put you on some of the worst chipseal I’ve ever ridden. (Be prepared for new fillings afterwards). Trail marking becomes spotty again once you enter Cleveland. The Fulton Canal route can be muddy if it has recently rained. Check out the website for camping info. You may also want to use it to guide you through the sections that are terribly marked (20/20 hindsight).
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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.
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General Discussion / Re: Deciphering AMTRAK
« on: July 24, 2021, 04:33:02 pm »
If you make a reservation on the Amtrak web site it will generally show if the train has roll on bikes available. There are a limited number of spots so it is possible they will be sold out on popular routes. You can box the bike but you can only check/get your bike at stations that have baggage service. I currently have reservations from Cleveland to Pittsburgh to ride the GAP/C&O to DC. I then have reservations from DC to Cincinnati. I have reservations for my bike as well.
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ACA Mobile Route Apps / Re: Cross country maps
« on: June 08, 2021, 09:17:18 pm »
One idea is to take Bike Route 66 out of Santa Monica. Ride it to connection with ACA Trans Am to connect with Atlantic Coast route. There are several alternative routes just depends on your desire for miles and terrain.