Messages

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General Discussion / Re: Northern Tier East to West June - August 2022

« on: Today at 03:11:27 am »

Some who hiked the Appalachian Trail are experts in ultra light camping gear and Tents. I suppose if you can pay $500 for a small two person tent they would be the people to listen to. Some can get hey 25 pound load in a backpack including clothing and t e n t 3 days of food and water.

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General Discussion / Re: The road is flat. It's what?

« on: Today at 02:50:28 am »

Proceeding east to west on the Southern Tier of states I used interstate highways west of San Antonio. Bicycling through large cities is easier than it might seem. I used paper state road maps. Asking directions and locations and distances was not part of the mix. When it comes to interstates you just get on and go. The map locate cities and distances add towns of all sizes. I suppose it is nice to have an elevation profile printed on a map. I am not sure of the value of that. You have to go over the hills and elevations when you come to them. Compared to the interstate highways, the ACA route has a great deal more climbing and higher elevations. There was never an occasion or Reason to ask about distances and Terrain along the interstates. You are more likely to be flattered buy small steel wires along the interstates.

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General Discussion / Re: Recent Vermont Trip

« on: June 24, 2022, 07:39:18 pm »

Could any of the above-mentioned incidents in this thread come even close to the willful indifference drivers in New Orleans show toward a person on a bicycle? Maybe so oh, but so far I have not heard of it or rid of it

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General Discussion / Re: Northern tier crossing end of June!!

« on: June 23, 2022, 10:45:30 pm »

You are making good Headway. It should be smooth sailing. Remember one thing. When you are bicycle touring a long-distance like you are, nothing ever works out 100% as you want it to. I mean some things may. But you will find on several occasions that there are forces at work that will put a dent in your plans. Road work. Storms. Headwinds. Side winds. Rain. Just take those things in your stride and it will be smooth sailing all the way.

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General Discussion / Re: Northern Tier East to West June - August 2022

« on: June 22, 2022, 01:24:43 pm »

Do not be overly concerned about overpacking. It is a common mistake made by many. I have done a great deal of bicycle touring, and I still do that myself. I don't know why, I just do. If you read enough journals by people who did cross country cycling tours you will see that many people over packed at the beginning. What day did was they mailed the unnecessary things to somewhere such as back home. Once you get started a while you will find out what you actually need oh, and what is actually just fluff. What you do not need or use, just put it in a box and mail it home.

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General Discussion / Re: Advice for shipping bike to Europe and then picking it up?

« on: June 21, 2022, 01:02:31 am »

Communicate with bicycle shops in that area in that City. Perhaps they would let you ship a bicycle to them and hold it for you.

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General Discussion / Re: “Welcome to my Garden”

« on: June 19, 2022, 05:52:58 pm »

It sounds like a good idea. One thing, Western Europe socially politically and economically is quite different from the United States. I lived in Western Europe for 26 months. I also spent a considerable amount of Time bicycling and camping there. 1 time after a lengthy bicycling trip we returned to the United States and began cycling here. The difference in social attitudes and other matters was Stark and immediate. I would definitely allow a traveling long-distance bicyclist to stay here where I live for 2 or 3 days oh, enough time to actually relax. 1 overnighter simply really is not enough. If I were to stay a day or two with someone as a guest while cycling, I would give that person my name and where I live and phone number and email. I would most certainly return the favor. However oh, and the United States, I am not so sure that I would be open to anybody and everybody who comes along saying they are on a long-distance bicycling trip. In other words, you host me and I will definitely host you.

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General Discussion / Re: Camping along the Southern Tier

« on: June 19, 2022, 01:58:15 am »

Free camping in the woods and other places would be more readily available in the Western United States then in the east on the Southern Tier. In large areas of forest and overgrown areas in the east it might be impossible to find any free space that is not overgrown with something. It could be almost impossible to find a patch of bare Earth large enough to set up a tent and in some places to even lie down. That was one reason I often camped and slept under an 8 by 10 poly tarp. I couldn't string that out between the trees and bushes had I could usually find a space large enough where I could put my closed cell foam pad and sleep. I could not find a bare patch of ground large enough to set up a tent even a small tent even a one-person tent. Everything is completely overgrown with bushes and interlacing branches and Vines.

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General Discussion / Re: New York City to Washington - Looking for a Partner

« on: June 19, 2022, 01:14:15 am »

A start in early June should have you on the road now, or soon. How are you proceeding?

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General Discussion / Re: 6 REI’s no bags

« on: June 19, 2022, 01:06:07 am »

I was just now locating and REI store on Glades Road in Boca Raton Florida. Panniers and Tents were not on my mind. I was thinking about nikwax. The next moment I logged into the ACA discussion forum and saw a reference to REI. I bought from them one item and 1987. It was a Shimano biopace triple chain set. The price seemed to be reasonable. The product worked just fine from Seattle to Anacortes across the Northern Tier of states to Chicago Illinois, and much farther than that. I think I had a membership with REI.

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General Discussion / Re: New York City to Washington - Looking for a Partner

« on: June 16, 2022, 04:28:19 pm »

It looks like a great ride you have ahead of you. It looks like the Northern Tier route or something like it. On an established bicycle route you should meet others going east and west. You might be better off connecting with people from whom you can disconnect at any time. One advantage has I see it for having hey cycling partner is sharing the cost of motel rooms. Where a motel might cost too much for one person to bear, split two ways it might be easy. That sort of thing. I would not want to do that route in summer, and in Winter it is much too cold. It will be blistering hot this summer with high temperatures breaking records all around the country and the world. Right now they are recording temperatures in the Southwest at 100 degrees Fahrenheit, 110, 114, 120 and 123. You might say well that's the Southwest not the North. Except when you get in the higher elevations out west in the Rockies and such, it can be as hot or hotter in the northern states. At any rate oh, have a good time. Keep the wind at your back at all times, an impossibility, but it sounds good.

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General Discussion / Re: Northern tier crossing end of June!!

« on: June 14, 2022, 04:00:06 pm »

I am looking at this post. It is getting on toward the end of June. Are you still planning on crossing the USA buy bicycle starting at the end of June? If so, how is everything proceeding?

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General Discussion / Re: Warm Showers

« on: June 14, 2022, 03:50:59 pm »

I signed in with warm showers quite some time ago. I think there was a small fee, $15 or something like that. After a while only one person contacted me for a place to stay. I am about 12 miles off the Atlantic coast route in Fort Lauderdale Florida. It just so happened I was leaving on a bicycling tour myself, the same day he wanted to come here. I would have driven out to his location on the island, put his bicycle in the rack on back of my car and brought him here. It was just that I was ready to go. He mentioned that of all the people he had contacted oh, I was one of the few who answered. I heard a rumor that there were people who were not actually on bicycling tours. They got around on bicycles in the cities and towns. They posed as tourists on long trips oh, and they went from host to host to host staying as long as they could get away with at each place. I have no idea whether or not that is true, but as they say, where there is smoke there is fire. Most likely some people have done that and are doing that. I closed my membership with warm showers. They still send emails. I read them. I think warmshowers is a very good idea. It is a good arrangement. However, I am somewhat taken aback by the idea that I should host hey person who would not do the same for me if the situation were reversed. Be all that as it may, should a cyclist on a long-distance to her contact me oh, I would welcome that person to stay here for a while. Two or three days or longer would not be unreasonable. I mean, I have bicycled about 35,000 miles through 20 countries. I have cycled across the continental United States at least five times and many many points in between. I understand the value of a nice place to kick back and relax and get good cooked meals and have a bed to sleep in. Here I have a swimming pool, a full gym, jacuzzi and sauna. There are also night clubs in the area with plenty of good looking women. I am a little too old to be chasing after all those good looking younger women, but most guys cycling across the u.s.a. would probably be interested in something like that. I support long-distance cycling tours. I think it's a great idea. In my opinion bicycling across the United States has to be the coolest most awesome outstanding thing a person can do.

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General Discussion / Re: The road is flat. It's what?

« on: June 14, 2022, 03:20:09 pm »

I remember one time cycling from Southeast Coastal Florida to San Diego California. I was using the interstate. There it is allowed. I was far out west. I stopped in a restaurant or something to drink and a bite to eat. I got in a conversation. Somebody warned me about the dreaded Telegraph Hill farther west. I was told other cyclists going west seemed to be concerned how about the dreaded Telegraph Hill. Well, by the time I got to Telegraph Hill I hardly noticed it was there. My legs where is sufficiently strong by that time that the dreaded Telegraph Hill seemed more like making a mountain out of a molehill. But whatever the case oh, the road definitely was not flat. Look at that stretch of road between El Paso Texas and Las Cruces New Mexico. Highway 20 I think it is. If ever there were a road that could be described as flat, Highway 20 fits the category. It is an agricultural plane. But even that road has some kind of change of elevation between the two cities. It is just that the elevation change is so small and averaged out how long such a distance, it is not noticeable. It is not perceptible bicycling difficulty or by looking at it. I asked two people in a pickup truck in one city oh, can you give me an idea of the lay of the land up ahead on this highway. One man told me it's no problem. It's like a plane. Of course I followed that road. It was a roller coaster ride. If it wasn't going uphill it was going downhill. If it was not going downhill it was going uphill. I find that very interesting. Not to mention the fact I have done exactly the same thing myself. Oh sure, no problem oh, it's flat all the way.

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General Discussion / Re: Average Weight Loss/Gain on Cross Country Tour

« on: June 13, 2022, 04:19:34 pm »

I was never meticulous about free long-distance tour weight as compared to after the tour was over. By vague recollection for me I think it was more about maintaining weight. I may have lost some pounds on long-distance rides oh, but not very many pounds. It is my understanding if you take in about as many calories as you burn oh, you should maintain your current weight. If you are comparative Lee inactive when you begin a long-distance bicycling tour such as from coast to coast across the United States oh, your body must go through a transition stage. It is during this transition that you must get used to the rigors of many hours a day of constant continuous activity oh, and if applicable, camping in the woods. When I was younger on long-distance tours I would eat like a horse, or maybe two or three horses. I would burn up the calories as fast as I took them in. If you are younger, your leg muscles should strengthen up very well.