Messages

46

General Discussion / Re: Blue Ridge Parkway

« on: January 21, 2010, 01:42:52 pm »

none thru ACA...though part of TransAm uses parkway.

purchase the book "bicycling the blue ridge"...it covers everything.

also, check your local bookstore for a fold out, laminated map of the parkway that might be good for keeping in jersey as backup.

47

General Discussion / Re: Dry Counties on the TransAM

« on: January 14, 2010, 04:17:34 pm »

hey
in 2007 i did the transam...veered off route to bike through rocky mtn national park...near entrance to park on the west end i was stocking up on food and ran into this fellow who was, more or less, following transam....his intent was to stop in as many bars as possible and document his thoughts on each place, etc, etc...you get the idea.  he was pretty hungover when i was chatting with him, but interesting nonetheless.

here's his blog site:   http://barsacrossamerica.blogspot.com/

not sure if that'll be of any aid or not.

48

General Discussion / Re: Camping on the TransAm and start date ?'s

« on: January 10, 2010, 07:38:21 pm »

to touch on what staehpj1 mentioned about mckenzie pass....when i climbed up the gate was closed for cars and i assumed for cyclists too....i backtracked 11 some miles back down and took santiam pass....i found out a few days later that the road was in fact clear and the road crews hadn't been up yet to open gate.

so take heed and by all means....hop the gate.

49

General Discussion / Re: Camping on the TransAm and start date ?'s

« on: January 10, 2010, 01:10:22 pm »

a nice handful of campgrounds, esp out west, have the hiker-biker sites at cheaper prices.

in the midwest, camping in the town's park is totally fine.  a lot of times the parks have a community pool whcih means a shower room is not far. 

a lot of times, if you're in a bind and aren't comfortable pitching tent in a ditch, just asking some locals can lead to unthought of places (one time in kentucky a cop gave me permission to camp under a bridge next side a beautiful river).

hope this helps a bit.

50

Connecting ACA Routes / Re: Connecting Natchez, MS to Southern Tier

« on: December 04, 2009, 06:43:27 am »

hey skjellyfeti

i was hoping to do that same route next year and wondering same thing.
please post what you decide either before or after your trip as it will def help me out!
thanks.
michael

51

General Discussion / Re: Getting back to where you started

« on: December 02, 2009, 07:44:18 am »

amtrak.

52

Routes / Re: Skyline Drive/Blue Ridge Parkway

« on: November 25, 2009, 04:15:05 pm »

when i did this trip i rented car from enterprise...drove down where they had an enterprise car rental in sylva, nc (about 10-15 miles from cherokee, nc) and that was that.  the guy working at the enterprise in sylva even offered to drive me to cherokee to save me some time since daylight was fading fast at that point.  just double check on they terms/conditions regarding taking the car out of state.  i didn't have an issue when i rented, but things change often i'm sure with companies like that.  good luck.

michael

53

General Discussion / Re: Southern Tier Weather

« on: October 04, 2009, 08:08:54 am »

hey wardvic11

i did the transam route and averaged 115 miles/day while carrying my own gear....so, it is possible, but prob not the most enjoyable approach.  but, seeing you folks will have gear carried it might not be so bad.  just keep in mind the amount of daylight hours will decrease later in season get, so you'll either have to bike faster avg pace or bike in the dark some on either end of the day.  good luck!

54

General Discussion / Re: how much weight in a backpack is comfortable for riding long distance?

« on: September 22, 2009, 06:09:49 am »

thanks for posting links valygrl
those racks would work perfect...have you had any issues with the hardware coming lose or getting bent out of shape?  regardless, they look like they'd make life a bit less stressful (for the seatpost rack, that is)....

55

General Discussion / Re: how much weight in a backpack is comfortable for riding long distance?

« on: September 21, 2009, 07:43:49 pm »

hey michael

i've recently started using the backpack method for the past few tours and find it to work very  well.... without being longwinded....i use an old/small camelback bag (that doesn't have the water bag in it) and use it to carry:  maps, canon camera, two nalgene bottles filled up, first aid kit, wallet, journal, pens, and snack foods. 

it took my back, shoulders, neck a bit to get used to, but i found that stopping to stretch out every now and again solved any issues...plus it reminded me to slow down and smell the roses. 

main reason i started backpack way was that my touring bike is my old racing bike, whcih obviously wasn't meant to have panniers bolted onto frame...so the seat post rack has a carry capactiy of 25lbs or so...so any unnecessary weight i can get off of seat post rack is less chance of it breaking at stem....

another great thing about backpack is that if i want to go wander off and explore i have all my valuables already on my back (wallet, camera, maps, etc)....so that saves time, in my opinion...

..ok...maybe that was a long winded.

56

Routes / Re: Southern Tier.

« on: September 19, 2009, 07:11:58 am »

if you type 'southern tier' into the "search" option above you're bound to find about 10 pages worth of threads related to the southern tier....also, read peoples' blogs that are posted on this website and/or on crazyguyonabike.com...i think you'll find enough information to read between the two until your departure date!  good luck!

michael

57

General Discussion / Re: ocean in florence oregon

« on: September 15, 2009, 06:28:34 am »

just my own two cents...but if your schedule permits i'd def start up in astoria....it's amazing scenery and you'll also find plenty of places where the road swings mighty close to the ocean....it'll only add two days or so to overall trip, but really worth it!

58

General Discussion / Re: Camping on Blue Ridge Parkway?

« on: September 11, 2009, 07:21:05 am »

just remember that when it comes time to refuel/restock you'll have a long descent down to towns and a long climb back up.  more often than not it's a busy road with tight shoulder that leads to the town.  having a loose dog on these roads might not be the safest of options...or if on leash it just might be a bit precarious. 
so, if possible, at least find elevation profile of entire parkway and try to plan your restock/refuel times in places that aren't a long haul off the parkway (mileage wise, and elevation wise)....def sounds like good route ya'll are planning though and should be fun.

59

Routes / Re: Loop Ride VA/WV/PA

« on: September 11, 2009, 07:14:04 am »

well, regarding the w.va or va part you could incorporate part of the allegheny mountains loop that ACA has mapped out....or you could ride on route 11 from northern area of Virginia all the way down to vesuvius area, which i'm assuming is where you might turn off to get to montebello?  just a few ideas...i'd got with incorporating allegheny mtns loop rather than riding route 11 for a few days...either way nice views of mountains.
good luck

michael

60

General Discussion / Re: Camping on Blue Ridge Parkway?

« on: September 08, 2009, 08:29:23 pm »

yeh...i second what staehpj1 said about hauling dog around in trailer.....esp on parkway vast majority of the descents go on a good ways, are quite steep, and winding....at the very least the doggie might be freaked out.  but, ya'll know best when it comes to traveling with canine folk in tow.

michael