Author Topic: Here is the trip im plannig on doing in Marcg of 2017. 6 Months after i get out of the army  (Read 4518 times)

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Offline privatesoldier13

            The maps for the Trip:

            Southern Tier Route
Section: 7                   
Miles: 425
Point to Point: St. Augustine Fl - De Funiak Springs Fl
Section: 6
Miles:  441.5
Point to Point:  De Funaik Springs Fl - New Roads LA ( stopping at Mobile AL )
Total Price: $31.50

            Underground Railroad Route
Section: 1
Milles: 401
Point to Point: Mobile AL - Fulton MS
Total Price: $15.75
            Great Rivers South
Section: 2
Miles: 455.5
Point to Point: Tupelo MS - Cape Giraradeau MO
Total Price: $15.75
            Northern Tier Route
Section: 7
Miles: 391
Point to Point: Muscatine IA - Stillwater MN
Section: 6
Miles: 262
Point to Point: Stillwater MN - Walker MN
Section: 5
Miles: 175
Point to Point: Walker MN - Fargo ND
Section: 4
Miles: 351
Point to Point: Fargo ND - Dickinson ND
Section: 3
Miles: 544
Point to Point: Dickinson ND - Cut Bank MT
Section: 2
Miles: 447
Point to Point: Cut Bank MT - Sand Point ID
Section: 1
Miles: 462
Point to Point: Sand Point ID - Anacortes WA
            Pacific Coast Route
Section: 1
Miles: 401.5
Point to Point: Vancouver BC - Astoria OR
Section: 2
Miles: 407.5
Point to Point: Astoria OR - Crescent City CA
Section: 3
Miles: 412
Point to Point: Crescent City CA - San Franciso CA
            Western Express & Trans AM East
Section: 1
Miles: 312
Point to Point: San Franciso CA - Woodfords CA
            Sierra Cascades Route
Section: 4
Miles: 557.5
Point to Point: Woodfords CA - Lake Isabella CA
Section: 5
Miles: 468.2
Point to Point: Lake Isabella CA - Old Highway 80 CA
            Southern Tier Route
Section: 1
Miles: 413
Point to Point: Old Highway 80 CA - Tempe AZ
            Grand Canyon Connector
Section: 1
Miles: 565
Point to Point: Tempe AZ - Cedar City UT
            Western Express &Trans AM East
Section: 3
Miles: 360.5
Point to Point:  Cedar City UT - Dolores CO
Section: 4
Miles: 360.0
Point to Point: Dolores CO - Pueblo CO
            Trans AM East
Section:7
Miles: 288.5
Point to Point: Pueblo CO - Alexander KS
Section: 8
Miles: 330.5
Point to Point: Alexander KS - Girad KS
Section: 9
Miles: 408.5
Point to Point: Girad KS - Murphysboro IL
Section: 10
Miles: 405
Point to Point: Murphysboro IL - Bera KY
Section: 11
Miles: 375.5
Point to Point: Bera KY - Christiansburg VA
Section: 12
Miles: 368
Point to Point: Christiansburg VA - Jamestown Beach Park VA
            Atlantic Coast Route
Section: 4
Miles: 382.5
Point to Point: Jamestown Beach Park VA - Wilimington NC
Section: 5
Miles: 348.5
Point to Point: Wilimingtong NC - Stateboro GA
Section: 6
Miles: 259
Point to Point: Stateboro GA - St Augustine FL
            HOME!


            


Offline jamawani

Howdy -

Well, I'm glad you're going to do something good for yourself when you get out of the army.
6 months is a long time - and you haven't indicated your aims or your experience.
From your other posts, it sounds like you have a few others interested.
But it also is a big trip - and some folks may not find it their cup of tea.

Your time frame for the loop you have posted is not the greatest - in some places just plain bad.
You've got yourself in the Northern Tier in late April/early May and it can still be pretty cold and wet.
Similarly, you have yourself in the Southwest desert during the hottest time of the year.
I'm sure you can survive it - but you've probably been "surviving" for the past year or so.
Not to mention that the Northern Rockies still have lots of snow in May/early June.

The route you have outlined works best with an early May start.
The time frame you have - March 15 to Sept 15 - works best if you start further West.
In fact, if this winter is rainy out in California - the deserts should be blooming in March/April.
Southern Tier/Route 66 to the Mississippi River then north and the loop to S.F. and Western Express.

It's hard to come up with a good loop starting in St. Augs in mid-March.
Either you go clockwise - i.e. west - and end up the wrong way on the Pacific Coast -
Or you get into chilly wet weather if you head north too soon.

Here's Prism's climate website with monthly temp and precip maps.
http://www.prism.oregonstate.edu/

PS - Nothing says you have to stick to ACA maps.
They are good - esp. at first - but no need to limit your possibilities once you get used to riding.

indyfabz

  • Guest
+1 on the part about the weather in the north. At 60 miles/day, you would find yourself in Cut Bank in early to mid-May, assuming some rest days. Earlier if you average more. No way you will be able to cross Logan Pass in Glacier N.P. on that schedule. In fact, if the road rehab project is still going on then, the pass might not be open until a set date in mid-June, regardless of weather conditions. Even mid-May could be dicey on the Marias Pass alternative, which is not nearly as scenic. The Alberta alternative might also be out of the question as Chief Mountain Highway might not be cleared. These are the highlights of that portion.

I have ridden the western most section of the Northern Tier (Mount Vernon, WA to Glacier N.P.) twice, starting in Seattle in late May, and the short section between Whitefish and Eureka another time. Except for the section between Winthrop, WA and Tonasket, WA, chilly, damp days were the norm. Experienced snow crossing some of the WA mountains in early June. Five years ago I spent a night at Waterton Village, AB, during the third week in June. The cold wind whipping off the lake made being outside pretty unpleasant.