Recent Posts

1

General Discussion / Re: Seattle to Boulder Tour :)

« Last post by John Nelson on February 06, 2023, 11:59:20 pm »

By June, snow is not usually a problem cycling in the Colorado Rockies.

I would probably head south to Astoria, then pick up the TransAmerica Trail to Walden, Colorado. Then leave the TA and ride over Cameron Pass. Unless you want to, or need services, I wouldn't ride all the way to Fort Collins. Rather, I'd take Stove Prairie Road (relentlessly rolling) to Masonville, then follow county roads (27, 29, 23) south to Boulder.

If you'd rather ride Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park (definitely an epic ride), you could instead ride south from Walden to Granby. Once you get to Estes Park, ride highway 7 through Allenspark (do not ride US36 out of Estes Park). Then proceed to Boulder either through Ward (better scenery) or Lyons (fewer hills).

2

Routes / Re: Cycling to Long Island

« Last post by canalligators on February 06, 2023, 11:29:49 pm »

But to actually answer your question… I have yet to make that trip.  So I don’t have on-the-ground info for you.

3

General Discussion / Re: Trans America Trail The Eastern Third (video)

« Last post by loonyy on February 06, 2023, 10:10:16 pm »

Another great video Paul!

I cannot believe that you will actually place you camera on those steep uphills, ride past for our entertainment, and then have to go back to retrieve it. I am not sure I would have been happy about having to go down the "wrong" side of the mountain at Rockfish Gap to get a hotel in Waynesboro, only to have to climb back over the next day. I would have probably been stealth camping at the point. For starting out easy you kicked up the mileage pretty quickly.

A couple of questions:
- How much does your rig weigh? That looks like a different bike than previous videos.
- It looks like you carry a drone, which one?
- You carry a tent, do you carry a stove?
- What do you use to edit your videos?
- What do you carry to charge all your electronics?

You probably found the C&O and GAP a bit boring after all of those hills, but we love it.

Thanks again for watching. You're right, I go to some lengths, but it's not just for your entertainment. I get a lot of kicks from making and watching the video myself. Did you notice, you don't see me zooming down a hill past the camera. Stopping on a downhill to go back and get the camera is worse. About stealth camping at Rockfish, that was an option, but I had no food (no dinner, no breakfast) and the nearest place to get food was Waynesboro. It was 4 miles down into Waynesboro and 4 miles back up a relatively easy hill the next day. And back on the trail I went. Relatively painless.
I took more rest days than normal. Along with the 21 days of riding, I took about 7 rest days during the trip. It never really got easy.
I've never weighed my rig. I guess 40-50 lbs. of gear. I don't travel particularly light. I use to tour on a 1981 Miyata 1000 (burgundy). I've since acquired several other bikes. I'm now riding a 1987 Miyata 1000 (gray). But my rig is constantly evolving over time.
Drone, yes. DJI Mavic Mini. I love it. I'm studying for my part 107 drone pilot license. Soon.
I carry a very light weight stove, some fuel and a small aluminum kettle to boil water. I seldom use it but I carry it, just in case.
I started out using Adobe Premiere Elements to edit video. I've since upgraded to Adobe Premiere Pro. It's more expensive, but slicker than whale snot.
Charging cords for cameras, drone and phone are pretty lightweight. The batteries are heavy. That can be a limiting factor. More batteries means more weight. Less batteries means I have to charge up more often. I mostly stay at hotels, so charging at night is no problem. But I don't think I could go more than 2 or 3 days without a serious charge up.
The C&O and GAP were not boring at all. They were quiet, quaint and car-free. Big hills are sometimes over-rated. Nice level trails are nice.   

Thank you so much for sharing the video and answering the questions!
If you have the opportunity, how much time did you spend learning how to work with Adobe Premier Elements? Do you use someone else's help or study the program on your own?
All the best!

4

Routes / Re: Cycling to Long Island

« Last post by canalligators on February 06, 2023, 09:37:18 pm »

I would point you to these resources.

In NYC, see https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/nyc-bike-map-2022.pdf

In Nassau County, you’d need to do some research.  You would probably do best by linking local streets.  You would end up with a complex route, it might be best to design the route using RideWithGPS or some such.  Then let your phone feed you the turn-by-turn directions.

In Suffolk County, NY DOT has designated bicycle routes.  These are on-road but with accommodations for cycling.
https://gisportalny.dot.ny.gov/portalny/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=e1f0619b174740fabdcd13667888b1ed
Cycling in Suffolk County, especially the eastern part, can be quite nice.

5

Routes / Re: Questions about a possible tour of the NE US

« Last post by Mark Manley on February 06, 2023, 09:15:54 pm »

Some people have wild camped along the Erie. Although I do not recall seeing any designated sites, aside from the locks, I do not recall seeing too many posted "no camping" areas. Potable water may be an issue since the area is fairly developed and there are no "mountain streams" to source water from and the canal water is not something you would want to drink, even if you boiled it for a week . Some towns have water spigots along the trail so you could pack water in to camp. We rode during COVID so a lot of services were closed and some public water was turned off.

You can camp at many of the locks. I think stealth camping would work fine if you setup late and packed up early and camped on weekdays versus weekends. We camped mostly in private campgrounds and opted for a few hotel nights to get out of the 90 degree heat in August and the afternoon and evening thunder showers. Bring bug repellant. The mosquitos were horrible, the worst that we have even encountered on any bike trip.

As far as downhill to DC goes, that works on the C&O but the GAP is a steady climb (very gradual) all the way from Pittsburgh to past Meyersdale when you cross the Eastern Continental divide. Once you reach that point you have about a 24 mile downhill run into Cumberland where the GAP and the C&O meet. Once on the C&O the grade is hardly noticeable in most areas. This will help in planning for the Erie and Hudson Valley https://empiretrail.ny.gov/map

Good information thank you, it looks like plenty of water bottles are the order of the day, I see there are quite a few locks along it's length so if most or all have camping areas that should not be a problem.

6

General Discussion / Re: Seattle to Boulder Tour :)

« Last post by mcw15 on February 06, 2023, 09:07:08 pm »

Appreciate the tip, but you're saying good to head E from farther N? Like WA or OR? I found this map (https://cycletourist.com/Seattle_to_Boulder/), and it seems like a good path to follow til Wyoming. We want to stop in SLC before getting to CO, would you head S from Jackson? Not seeing any "bike paths" on the interactive map here...any tips/anyone done that ride?

7

Routes / Re: TransAm Alternate Routes You Would Recommend

« Last post by Jake Northrup on February 06, 2023, 08:21:55 pm »

Again, great thread.  Thank you everyone!  And I will take I80 over the rattlesnakes!

8

International / Cycling in Bulgaria (impressions)

« Last post by Rob Fullnorth on February 06, 2023, 01:33:05 pm »

Hi Everyone,

I would like to share my recent post with memories of cycling through Bulgaria https://fullnorth.com/2023/01/27/cycling-in-bulgaria/
You will find Strava routes and some pieces of advice on how to cycle there.

If you need any help or recommendations, let me know!

Cheers,
Rob

9

Routes / Re: Questions about a possible tour of the NE US

« Last post by HikeBikeCook on February 06, 2023, 12:57:53 pm »

Some people have wild camped along the Erie. Although I do not recall seeing any designated sites, aside from the locks, I do not recall seeing too many posted "no camping" areas. Potable water may be an issue since the area is fairly developed and there are no "mountain streams" to source water from and the canal water is not something you would want to drink, even if you boiled it for a week . Some towns have water spigots along the trail so you could pack water in to camp. We rode during COVID so a lot of services were closed and some public water was turned off.

You can camp at many of the locks. I think stealth camping would work fine if you setup late and packed up early and camped on weekdays versus weekends. We camped mostly in private campgrounds and opted for a few hotel nights to get out of the 90 degree heat in August and the afternoon and evening thunder showers. Bring bug repellant. The mosquitos were horrible, the worst that we have even encountered on any bike trip.

As far as downhill to DC goes, that works on the C&O but the GAP is a steady climb (very gradual) all the way from Pittsburgh to past Meyersdale when you cross the Eastern Continental divide. Once you reach that point you have about a 24 mile downhill run into Cumberland where the GAP and the C&O meet. Once on the C&O the grade is hardly noticeable in most areas. This will help in planning for the Erie and Hudson Valley https://empiretrail.ny.gov/map

10

Routes / Re: TransAm Alternate Routes You Would Recommend

« Last post by jamawani on February 06, 2023, 10:11:26 am »

I didn't have any problems on the West Thumb to Old Faithful section.

Add major construction in 2023 and, most likely, into the 2024 season.