Traveling the Southern Tier in December West-East without tent.

[Erick]

I am traveling the Southern Tier from San Diego to Miami...without tent. My questions are -
1.  Can I travel the route without having to climb Mt. Emory (alternative routes)
2.  Would I be able to find warmshowers.com or lodging along the route without having to tent?

I'm currently traveling the Pacific Coast Highway and will be in San Diego by December 1st.

I would appreciate any feedback...thank you!

[CMajernik]

For an answer to your #2 question see the topic "Southern Tier from early January to early March" and the post by Lingen. And you can go to Warmshowers.org and look for the map that overlays ACA routes in the U.S. to see where you might find overnights.

[staehpj1]

For an answer to your #2 question see the topic "Southern Tier from early January to early March" and the post by Lingen. And you can go to Warmshowers.org and look for the map that overlays ACA routes in the U.S. to see where you might find overnights.

When I looked in preparation for my trip there in a few months, it looked to me as if there were a ton of warmshowers hosts for the western part and not so much later in the trip.

[Lingen]

Find a tent,  bring it, with a sleeping bag...there are times that there is a whole lot of nothing in the 1st 1500 miles of the Southern Tier.  Flat tires, breakdowns and headwinds can easily change the intended end point for the day.  The nights are very cold in those miles. Best to be prepared. 

[staehpj1]

Find a tent,  bring it, with a sleeping bag...there are times that there is a whole lot of nothing in the 1st 1500 miles of the Southern Tier.  Flat tires, breakdowns and headwinds can easily change the intended end point for the day.  The nights are very cold in those miles. Best to be prepared. 

I wouldn't take a tent if I didn't plan on camping, a sleeping bag and a silnylon tarp, maybe a bivy sack at most.  That said, I probably skip both if I wasn't camping and plan on riding, hitch hiking, or walking all night in the event of a break down or what ever if necessary.

[Billb58]

to avoid Silver City,  suggest when you depart Safford, AZ, head to Lordsburg.....then you can run from Lordsburg to Las Cruces thru Deming......understand another option is that when you get to Deming...head straight south to Columbus...(1 motel there), then head straight to El Paso, just above the border.....

[tonythomson]

I thought that Silver City and the ride from there was one of the highlights of the tour.  Especially as I got there just as the Tour of the Gila started(Lance et al turned up that year) I joined in the Citizens race.   But great ride there also.

Going without a tent guess you need to research your final route and see what the longest distance is between motels (use Google Earth) and decide if it's something you can achieve - factoring in and extra hour for head wind, punctures etc.

If you are fit/strong enough to do it then there is your answer.

Good luck

ps I wouldn't dream of touring without a tent or something, but then I'm knocking on a slow.

[staehpj1]

I thought that Silver City and the ride from there was one of the highlights of the tour.  Especially as I got there just as the Tour of the Gila started(Lance et al turned up that year) I joined in the Citizens race.   But great ride there also.

I too wondered about an alternate to Emory Pass.  Not sure about the OP, but my rationale is that Emory Pass might be impassable due to snow when I got there, so I should be prepared with an alternate choice just in case.  My first choice would still be to go over the pass.

ps I wouldn't dream of touring without a tent or something, but then I'm knocking on a slow.

Maybe, but I always figured that the only reason I might plan a credit card tour would be to be able to ride an unladen and sportier bike.  Taking camping gear in that case kind of defeats the purpose to my way of thinking.  On this trip I am trying to accomplish that by going ultralight instead of doing a credit card tour.  I hope to manage to have my cake and eat it to, so to speak.

I acknowledge that others may have different preferences and just want to avoid camping where possible, while not caring about the extra baggage.

[tonythomson]

ps I wouldn't dream of touring without a tent or something, but then I'm knocking on a slow.

Maybe, but I always figured that the only reason I might plan a credit card tour would be to be able to ride an unladen and sportier bike.  Taking camping gear in that case kind of defeats the purpose to my way of thinking.  On this trip I am trying to accomplish that by going ultralight instead of doing a credit card tour.  I hope to manage to have my cake and eat it to, so to speak.
[/quote]

I appreciate that and only added a ps because I know I can't do the distances. And yes some days I would love to dump the tent and all that goes with it for camping.  Another ps I stop in motels given every opportunity 

[yumadons]

staehpj1, if you haven't seen it already, you must look up (CGOAB) Stefan Steen's trip from BC, Canada to NYC with only seatbags! They don't list their equipment but it only takes reading their journal to figure out what they brought. I thought we packed pretty lite but these guys are amazing. Part of the difference is that hardy Canadians don't require the warm clothes that wimpy Arizonans do   

Suzanne

[staehpj1]

staehpj1, if you haven't seen it already, you must look up (CGOAB) Stefan Steen's trip from BC, Canada to NYC with only seatbags! They don't list their equipment but it only takes reading their journal to figure out what they brought. I thought we packed pretty lite but these guys are amazing. Part of the difference is that hardy Canadians don't require the warm clothes that wimpy Arizonans do   

Suzanne

Thanks I'll check it out

[Jason]

Regarding the two questions, the answers would be yes and yes...

Only I guess it just depends on why - maybe specific to question 2 - you'd be thinking about not taking a tent.  Granted, the climates' a little dryer in/around CA and AZ where I didn't use a tent, but that's hardly the case as you move further east.

As for Emory Pass - if your decision to "pass" on that portion is in part because of weather (and no tent) I would say buy a tent for EP then send it back home if you still think you won't need it.  The trek up/over Emory Pass is amazing - times 100,000,000...  I met more than a few people heading east when I was in AZ who decided (before getting there) that it was "too high, too far... too this, too that..."  (mind you, based only on ACA's elevation descriptions...) Yet, funny - they asked me 50 questions about what it was like.... 

A "tent" isn't the only option.  It took a little while, but I've finally gotten more than comfortable in a bivy sac - something you might want to look into.

j