circumnavigation of the U.S.

[litespeedlujak]

Has anyone ever done a circumnavigation of the U.S?  I speaking of following the Southern Tier, Pacific Coast, Northern Tier and the Atlantic Tier.  Thanks.

[indyfabz]

I am sure it's been done. You might seriously consider going counterclockwise if only due to the prevailing winds on the Pacific coast. That subject has been discussed in this forum plenty of times. I met a sister-sister duet on the Northern Tier who had started their trip by heading north along the Pacific coast. They said it was miserable and the wind had put them way behind schedule.

On that same trip I ran into a guy in Bowling Green, OH who was trying to circumnavigate the county using the route you describe, only he was going counterclockwise. The guy was from a suburb of Philadelphia, where I live. After many questions from him, we finally realized that he and I had were on the same club ride to New York City the year before. We had been on the same ferry across the Hudson River and later had dinner with a group of people at a place under the Brooklyn Bridge. I ran into him again at an event the following year. He told me he made it to somewhere on the left coast before packing it in.

Start in the south in early spring and follow spring north up the Atlantic Coast. Hang a left onto the Northern Tier at Damariscotta, ME, get to the west coast by late summer and then head south. Hang another left and cross the south at a time when it will likey not be as hot and humid.

[John Nelson]

There are quite a few journals over at CGOAB for this route. It seems to be pretty popular. I agree with Indy. Go counterclockwise. I think if you look into it, you'll find that that's what everybody else does. The timing of when and where to best start depends on how long you plan to take.

[bobbys beard]

i did AC, ST and PC in one trip a few summers ago. i went clockwise starting on the AC and would definitely choose to go clockwise if i ever do it again, but it's a matter of preference of course.

i think the weather is really the biggest thing to consider on this trip. when and where to start, what gear you would need for the conditions etc etc. i reckon you'll want at the very least least 6 months to complete the trip comfortably.....

one piece of money saving advice..l. i would say it's not necessary to buy maps for most or all of the PC. i just got a compass and headed north on as much of pch1/101 as i could. if you have a mobile device, it's easy to stop for a coffee somewhere and plot for a few days via google maps.

[Miller]

Has anyone ever done a circumnavigation of the U.S?  I speaking of following the Southern Tier, Pacific Coast, Northern Tier and the Atlantic Tier.  Thanks.

Here are some CGOAB journals.... http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/categories/?o=Sh&category_id=332&doctype=journal

[John Nelson]

I would agree that you don't need the ACA map for Oregon (use the DOT map), but without the ACA maps for California, I would have missed some of the coolest side roads I've ever ridden.

[litespeedlujak]

Thanks for the responses.  As usual, differing, yet still good advice.  Might HAVE to go counter clockwise.  I live in West Virginia.  If things go as I hope, I'll start in March or April, ride over to the Chesapeake, VA area and roll north.  THANKS

[Pat Lamb]

Thanks for the responses.  As usual, differing, yet still good advice.  Might HAVE to go counter clockwise.  I live in West Virginia.  If things go as I hope, I'll start in March or April, ride over to the Chesapeake, VA area and roll north.  THANKS

Minor thing, but if it were me, I'd be aiming for Washington, D.C. instead of Chesapeake.  If you're going to hit the TransAm, you'll be nearer D.C. than Chesapeake by the time you get to Charlottesville, so Chesapeake to D.C. will be back-tracking.  Also, you could take Skyline Drive northeast to Front Royal, and be within a day's ride of the C&O Canal, then within a day's ride to D.C.

(Unless it just rained hard, then it might be best to skip the C&O and hit the Atlantic Coast in Pennsylvania.)

[Westinghouse]

I have done the perimeter except the length from Fargo to Bar Harbor,but many more routes in and outside the USA, about 39,000 miles in 19 countries.

[litespeed]

I did a circumnavigation of the 48 states in 2004 - counterclockwise from my home in Florida. I did it in five stages. I get frequent flier miles from my brother so I did it in five one-month stages - storing my bike and flying home for two weeks between stages. Florida to New Hampshire; NH to Casper, Wyoming; WY to Florence, Oregon and San Francisco, CA; CA to San Antonio, TX; TX to home.

For various reasons I started too late and hit some cold weather on the last two stages but nothing I couldn't handle. I finished up in December. I didn't follow any planned route - just winged it. I recommend the ferry across Lake Michigan, US14 from Wisconsin to Yellowstone, US 26 and 126 across Idaho and Oregon and the coast route in Oregon and California. I cut inland at Guadalupe, CA because of the increasing number of pesky homeless bums in the campgrounds as I headed south. Also make sure you go along the Galveston waterfront as I did instead of going through Houston. Louisiana is a tough bicycling state. You might want to rigorously follow the ACA route there. The Gulf Coast is generally delightful but congested around the towns and cities. US 90 is an alternative but not nearly as pleasant and scenic.

2004 was a rainy year. It was the main reason I went to Ortlieb panniers and handlebar pack.

[etsisk]

What do you mean by "Louisiana is a tough bicycling state"?

[etsisk]

I'm planning to do this same ride, but I'm going to try and break it into thirds - Atlantic Coast Route, Key West to Maine, then across to Oshkosh Wisconsin. Then Osh to Seattle and down there coast a ways, then down the rest of the coast and across the Southern Tier and back up to NC. I'll do a third per year till done or tired of it... As long as it's fun....

[litespeed]

"What do you mean by "Louisiana is a tough bicycling state"?"

Well, Louisiana is loaded with heavily trafficked, high speed, shoulderless two lane roads - even worse than Alabama and Mississippi. You need to be especially careful to avoid them. Avoid US190 at all costs, except for the far western part.