Messages

16

Routes / Trans Am: west to east or east to west?

« on: May 19, 2005, 04:56:06 pm »

For me, aside from the wind and other factors, it seems best to start far away and head home.  I live in Virginia near the cookie lady; on July 15 I'm flying with BOB to Eugene.  Then I'm going to make my way to Florence somehow (any suggestions?--nobody seems to want to do a one-way car rental from the Eugene airport to Florence).  I'm shipping my bike to a local bike shop in Florence beforehand.  Once I get it all together & jump in the Pacific a time or two, I'll head home on the bike.

There are plenty of folks going the other way, judging by the number of touring cyclists going through Charlottesville over the past few weeks.

Nick

17

Routes / route from Lewis & Clark end to transam east in Il

« on: April 29, 2005, 04:11:12 pm »

I'm planning on riding (for the most part) the Lewis & Clark east from Oregon starting mid July, to its endpoint in Illinois, then hooking into the TransAm route across Kentucky to my home near the cookie lady in Virginia.  

Unless I'm missing something (which is entirely possible), there seems to be a gap in the ACA mapped routes between the end of the L&C at Hartford Ill, and the TA at Murphysboro Ill.  I'm sure I can pick up an Illinois road map and figure something out, but any suggestions from those who have been there, as to a bicycle-friendly route, would be welcome.

Thanks, Nick

18

Routes / TransAm west to east in May....weather?

« on: January 03, 2005, 12:16:09 pm »

Folks, I'm planning on flying to Oregon and riding self-supported (chez BOB) back home to Virginia (right near the cookie lady) starting May 1 or thereabouts.  I'm wondering what weather conditions I should anticipate in the west in early May.  Am I going to be dealing with snow in the high country? I have a pretty good idea what the midwest and east will be like in June....

How early in the season to the west-to-east TransAm folds start pulling out of Astoria (and are they packing ski parkas)?

Thanks, Nick

19

General Discussion / Dogs & "Halt"

« on: May 15, 2005, 12:05:49 am »

There are lots of dogs between Oregon & Kentucky.  Been there, seen them.  Somehow, though, the ambient dog owner in the west seems more responsible & apt to train his or her dog to be a good citizen.  Where I live (Virginia), and in places like West Virginia and Kentucky, there seem to be plenty of (sick in my book) people who take pride in harboring mean dogs.  Dogs that are trained to attack.  I could be ambushed by a crazy dog at an point on my cross-country tour, but I bet I'll have more irrational confrontations east of the Missippi.

Nick

20

General Discussion / Dogs & "Halt"

« on: May 14, 2005, 12:30:57 am »

Thanks for the input, I guess I'll order up some Halt for my impending west-to-east tour.  I sense I won't need this stuff between Oregon & the Kentucky border, is Halt available on the road at places like WalMart or the like (which I never shop at locally)?  I haven't seen it around here in the bike shops (central Virginia), but I haven't asked for it & might have missed it.

Nick

21

General Discussion / Dogs & "Halt"

« on: May 13, 2005, 06:51:08 pm »

Has anyone actually used "Halt", or some other spray device, to successfully ward off a nasty-looking dog chasing your bike?  

Here in Virginia, ill-mannered & unrestrained dogs are a fact of life.  In a lot of cases, those terms apply to the dog's owners too.  My immediate, impulsive, response when faced with a threatening dog is to stand on the pedals & sprint.  I've still been bitten once on the foot, put some holes in my Sidi but not in the important stuff stuff inside.  I've also learned that at least sometimes, the action of the feet twirling around on the pedals is what gets the dog all excited in the first place, and if I simply stop pedalling, the situation diffuses.  But if it doesn't diffuse, that strategy makes it that much easier to get bitten....

I'm getting ready for a trans America tour pulling BOB, and I don't think I'll be sprinting away quite as easily as i can on my lightweight, unloaded road bike.

I have some concerns with using a pepper spray or whatever:  (1) possible loss of control of the bike while fooling with a spray can with one hand, & trying to ride/escape at the same time; (2) what happens if the prevailing winds, bad aim, or whatever cause the spray (or some of it) to end up in your own eyes or in the eyes of another rider who happens to be nearby?; (3) what about Bubba the dog owner, who comes out with his belly & pickup truck to chase down whoever's messin' with his dog?

I know a lot of people carry this stuff, but haven't heard a lot of success stories about people actually using it.  Any out there?

Vacyclist Nick

22

General Discussion / safe place to ship bike to in Oregon?

« on: April 13, 2005, 12:30:36 am »

Thanks for the input! Duh, I hadn't browsed the ACA list of cycling resources in Oregon, looks like I'll be talking to Corvallis Cyclery & staging things out of that fair city.  As for BOB on the airplane, I'll carry a sack of stuff as carry-on & keep it under 50#.  The fish scale says I'm well under 50 at this point (trailer plus camping stuff, no water, food & stove fuel), that will only change upward....

Nick

23

General Discussion / safe place to ship bike to in Oregon?

« on: April 12, 2005, 07:11:14 pm »

Folks, I'm riding transam solo self-supported from Oregon to Virginia starting in July......I'm thinking about boxing up the bike and shipping it to Oregon beforehand then flying my butt out there (with loaded BOB as luggage).  I need to find someone I can ship the bike to who will store it safely for a week or so until I get there.

I'd like to start the ride in Florence, has anyone had experience shipping a bike to that town?  If there's a bike shop there, it doesn't seem to have a presence on the web.  Alternatively, I could ship the bike to Astoria & ride from there.  Anyone know of a good shipping destination in that town?

Thanks, Nick