Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: route advice :Western tour

« on: July 30, 2018, 01:09:10 pm »

Thanks  a lot for all the advice, your help is much appreciated. I'm going to take a good look at the suggested route out of las vagas which sounds like an excellent plan.  If I have any further queries I'll certainly be on the forum again. Best wishes from me to you all.

2

General Discussion / route advice :Western tour

« on: July 28, 2018, 01:47:12 pm »

Greetings,
I am planning a trip from  San Francisco , down to Yosemite, giant redwoods , across Death Valley , on to the Grand Canyon, Bryce and Arches then either across to Denver or up to Portland.
Timing is my big issue. When is the earliest I could start ? I really want to be out of the Arches by mid/end of May. Is this possible ? I generally ride 50 to 80 miles a day ( depending on terrain , temperature and winds).
I'll be camping or warm showers. Can anyone recommend reasonable campsites ?
Are dogs a problem ?
Finally , what roads are to be avoided ? ( I did the Transam 2 years ago and the concrete roads drove me nuts - bump , bump , bump ,bump for mile after long , long mile).
Many thanks.

3

Routes / Danube from Black Sea into Germany.

« on: October 04, 2017, 03:21:01 pm »

Has anyone ridden the section from the Black sea ?  I'm interested in the availability of campsites. Any other advice would be appreciated.  Thanks

4

Routes / Re: Seattle to Astoria

« on: October 04, 2017, 03:17:42 pm »

Greetings, I rode the transam last year  east - west finishing in Seattle. If you arrive at a reasonable time the ride out of the airport is easy (check google maps), cross by ferry from Fauntleroy to Southworth and camp at the state park at Manchester. I followed the aca Atlantic route from Astoria to Seattle, camping and using warmshowers. Do a lot of training ! The Rockies have big climbs but are fantastic. Two other bits of advice : The humidity on the plains is awful , ride early . Be prepared for temps up to 100f . If you are setting off early and finishing by lunchtime be prepared for long and sometimes lonely hours on city parks. Best wishes. Its a fantastic ride and the Americans I met were great people.

5

Routes / where can I buy aca maps.

« on: April 21, 2016, 12:54:51 am »

Is it possible to buy aca maps other than from the ACA  ?  I'm thinking of altering my route when I get to Pueblo . Are they available in cycling shops ?

6

General Discussion / cheap camping around sacramento and yosemite.

« on: April 19, 2016, 10:11:04 am »

 I'm finishing my cross America route at Sacramento and hope to have time for a trip down to Yosemite .

Does anyone know of cheap / primitive but reasonable quality camping around sacramento? I have to call in  at the airport to clarify an issue with flying with my bike back to the UK.
I've checked Sacwest RV park and it gets terrible reviews. Does anyone know if Beals Point on Folsom lake does hiker /biker sites ? They are quoting about $28 for camping - a bit high.

Can anyone recommend cheap camping and a route from Sacramento to Yosemite ?
Thanks in anticipation.

7

General Discussion / Re: Summer restrictions on alcohol stoves on the Trans-Am?

« on: March 27, 2016, 02:10:42 pm »

I'm glad I saw this post. I'm riding  E-W  starting  1st May ,I'm taking my trangia and I'd never heard of the open flame ban . I'm leaving the transam at Pueblo  to join the Western Express / Grand canyon connector .Where can I find information about whether a ban will be in place ?

8

Routes / Re: Question for those who have toured in Europe

« on: March 27, 2016, 01:15:56 pm »

I rode from S.E. Portugal to North cape Norway using pages torn from old motoring atlases  and a marco polo map of Scandanavia. Use google earth to pick out back roads , camping spots and mark them on the maps. Amazon has old atlases for a few quid.
As Andrew G  says camping in Spain is a real pain. There are very few inland campsites and those that exist are very badly signposted. I wish I'd marked them on my map more carefully. I managed quite a few wild camps in Spain but sometimes had to ride big days to find them ( carry 4L of water at the end of the day). The Spanish like to fence everything off  so pick out likely spots in advance. Michelin maps show where some of the the campsites are  but I used google .
France is pretty good for wild camping , a lot of municipal campsites don't open until June. You'll need to do some research on French municipal sites , not all villages have them but they are great and cheap too;  commercial sites can be expensive.
Germany was ok for campsites but I only wild camped once and made sure i was well out of sight. Denmark is campsite paradise - campers lounges , kitchens and shower blocks to die for.
Norway  has good campsites , I was there in June and I heard they can be busy in July , August. Finding wild camping spots can be surprisingly hard  in the fjord areas south of Trondheim  because of the really steep land ( alot of the suitable spots had a house on them).  North of trondheim there was no problem.

9

Routes / Re: camping in the Shenandoah valley

« on: March 24, 2016, 02:13:02 pm »

Thanks for the info. Its a bit out of my way. I'm now looking at the Skyline drive which has a couple of cheap campsites along the route, its a bit hillier than I want at the start of the ride but $40 is too much.

10

Routes / camping in the Shenandoah valley

« on: March 21, 2016, 04:23:22 pm »

I'm riding down the Shenandoah Valley to join the Transam at Vesuvius. I'm looking for somewhere to camp around Mt. Jackson / Timberville but the campsites I've checked so far want $40 for a night ! Has anyone got suggestions which will be cheaper ?
many thanks.

11

General Discussion / Re: camping on city parks

« on: February 01, 2016, 01:05:18 pm »

Thanks for advice. I'm almost set to go. Flights booked for 1st May, just a few new bits for my trusty Dawes and I'll be all set . The help I've  had from the forum has been invaluable , a really big thankyou  to everyone .

12

General Discussion / Re: Dogs n' bears

« on: January 28, 2016, 11:04:23 am »

Many thanks to all. I'm all set for the 1st of May for an east - west. The advice I've been given has been very valuable.

13

General Discussion / camping on city parks

« on: January 28, 2016, 11:02:12 am »

 The ACA maps say that the local police have to be contacted before camping on city parks  (i'm doing the transam) .Is it always necessary to do this ?
Thanks

14

Routes / Re: Diversion from Western express - advice needed !

« on: November 25, 2015, 12:29:02 pm »

Thanks for tips on the roads. I've ordered my Aca maps . They will take a lot of the effort out of planning for water and supplies. I'm hoping to be at the GC in late  June/early July  and  am hoping traffic might not be too bad at that time of year.

15

General Discussion / Re: Flying with a bike . Help!

« on: November 20, 2015, 11:25:18 am »

Thanks daytripper, that sets my mind at rest .Some of the budget airlines here can be a bit picky about boxes . I flew Ryanair to Poland  some years ago and had to follow all sorts of rules. I met some French boys in Slovakia on my trip who had flown with the same airline from paris , no pedal removal , no twisting handlebars , no boxes or bags , just deflating the tyres.