Virtual Tours?

[EmilyG]

Well, our tour around Oregon and Washington (north from Bend on Sierra Cascades, south on Pacific Coast, and across to home on TransAm) was supposed to start this month, but we postponed it for next year due to the virus.  So many of the small towns we were set to travel through were shuttered, and we worried that many of the small mom & pop stores would not open back up. And now the virus is surging here in Oregon and Washington, so I think it was the right decision.

To keep me sane (or prove that I'm insane) I decide to do a virtual tour, recreating our trip across the country two years ago from Bend to Boston.  I started riding on May 16th, doing day rides from home and logging the miles and revisiting the travel journal from each day. I've found out that it's a lot harder to go across the country when you're living at home!   Work and responsibilities keep getting in the way. But I'm almost halfway, and getting to know central Oregon a lot better.  Have to say it was really handy when my bike started making noises to just put it on the stand and take a day cleaning and lubing though!   Just "made it" to Wisconsin today (though on the tour, we were in Ohio by now after the grand tour of Michigan on the Northern Lakes route).   

Anyone else doing a virtual tour this year? 

[froze]

What would be the point of that?

It's like the virtual TDF, what's the point of that?  I'm not the least bit interested in watching it, or worry about who's going to win it.

[EmilyG]

For me, the point was to have a goal and ride towards it, so I could end the summer feeling better than I started.   it's been super fun to re-live my ride of 2 years ago, look at and share photos again, while getting to know the backroads of my community really well.
But I get that it isn't for everyone.    I think if I hadn't had the goal of riding 4,144 miles this summer, I may not have done much riding.

[froze]

Let me know when you can go fishing during that virtual tour, or take a side trip and see stuff in person, enjoying the smells, the sounds, the feelings, sleeping outside, making food outside, waking up feeling great to be outdoors, etc, where's the fun? where's the adventure? where's the socialization with other like minded souls?  Virtual tour will give you about 1 percent of the live touring experience, no thank you, I stick to the real stuff.

Nothing wrong with having a goal, but for me doing a virtual tour just takes all the fun out of it.  I even tried Swift, I hated it.

Your a good rider Emily, doing 4,000 plus miles in 3 months is fantastic, was that all indoors?  At least you got great exercise. I have my own business so I have to work my cycling in around all of that, but I think I only did close to 500 miles on the touring bike, and about 1800 on the road bike.   

[EmilyG]

Maybe I didn't make myself clear. I am actually riding my bike, outside, in the weather and on the roads.  I do day rides here in Central Oregon. Pack up my food and water and ride. Go to see the amazing beautiful things in this area, wave at other cyclists on the road, watch how the snow slowly melts from the Cascades day by day.   Scout out great places to do overnights in when we can.   

[froze]

Ok, I thought you were doing those virtual tours and riding indoors.  Sorry for the misunderstanding.

[CWBurcar]

I live in a very rural area in Illinois. Although it is really easy to ride long distances an not have to worry about traffic since i travel by country roads it does get mind-numbing quite quick. I have recently packed a fishing pole in a backpack, bring bait, an only 1-2 hooks. I have been riding a few miles until i find a creek then fish for a little bit then ride to the next. While i don't always get a ton of miles its something to do to keep my mind busy. I look forward to when I can do a long tour(hoping 2021) an can see different parts of this amazing country. I intended to do a ride this year but the virus quickly put a stop to that. I work in the medical field so instead of getting some time off i got more hours than ever.

I find a virtual tour would be neat but I would want control over it in some aspects. I'll definitely have to do more research into them, thanks!

[froze]

Speaking of fishing, I have a backpacking take apart pole and a fly reel, but now I'm thinking I need to cut some weight, so I'm seriously seriously considering going reeless and getting a Tenkara Maxcatch rod, it's a fly rod without the reel, and it's adjustable from 8'3''/9'6''/10'6'',10'8''/11'10''/12'9'' and only 21" closed which is about the same length has closed telescopic jobs I saw but without the loss of sensitivity that those other telescopic ones suffer from, plus there are a lot of complaints about the other telescopic ones breaking, Tenkara makes the best ones if you don't want to deal with a reel.  And this rod is cheap, which is great for a tightwad like me.

If you want a individual pieces type of rod and reel set probably the best one for the price is the Okuma Voyager, this one packs down to about 15 inches, but there is no case to store a reel and lures, just a tube for the rod to fit into, and flies take up next to nothing in space.  Unlike a fly rod and reel, all you do with a Tenkara type of rod is fling the line out once, there is no need to go back and forth with the line to get more line out.  Also with a Tenkara type of rod you can fling out worms and other small bait, but lures don't work real well at all.

[staehpj1]

Speaking of fishing, I have a backpacking take apart pole and a fly reel, but now I'm thinking I need to cut some weight, so I'm seriously seriously considering going reeless and getting a Tenkara Maxcatch rod, it's a fly rod without the reel, and it's adjustable from 8'3''/9'6''/10'6'',10'8''/11'10''/12'9'' and only 21" closed which is about the same length has closed telescopic jobs I saw but without the loss of sensitivity that those other telescopic ones suffer from, plus there are a lot of complaints about the other telescopic ones breaking, Tenkara makes the best ones if you don't want to deal with a reel.  And this rod is cheap, which is great for a tightwad like me.

I own a 4 piece fly rod and a tenkara.  I initially thought the tenkara was a great answer for me since I am a gram counter, but found after using both that when I do take fishing gear I have I'd rather splurge on the extra 5 ounces of the regular fly rod.  That is just my preference and may be different depending on the person and the locale.

I should also say that I never actually take either on bike tours, but do use them a good bit when backpacking.   Bike touring, I am likely to be going through multiple states where different licenses are an issue and I am less likely to be somewhere I want to fish much of the time any way.  Also when I am I am likely to be somewhere that light spinning tackle might be more suitable.

[HobbesOnTour]

A lady in the UK had a similar idea a few months ago, riding a virtual end to end by cycling the daily distance, researching the route online and actually writing it up.
 
https://www.braintreeeasyriders.org/blog-1

I thought it was a fantastic idea;
Inspiration to get out on the bike
Real world research for an actual tour
A real world test of our capabilities (especially if you throw on some panniers  )
Easily customisable so we could complete a tour on weekends or take a long way home on the commute
It could be anywhere in the world....
The only limit is imagination!
I immediately thought of Spain and imagined returning home to a bottle of vino tinto, some chorizo and tapas! 

[froze]

Speaking of fishing, I have a backpacking take apart pole and a fly reel, but now I'm thinking I need to cut some weight, so I'm seriously seriously considering going reeless and getting a Tenkara Maxcatch rod, it's a fly rod without the reel, and it's adjustable from 8'3''/9'6''/10'6'',10'8''/11'10''/12'9'' and only 21" closed which is about the same length has closed telescopic jobs I saw but without the loss of sensitivity that those other telescopic ones suffer from, plus there are a lot of complaints about the other telescopic ones breaking, Tenkara makes the best ones if you don't want to deal with a reel.  And this rod is cheap, which is great for a tightwad like me.

I own a 4 piece fly rod and a tenkara.  I initially thought the tenkara was a great answer for me since I am a gram counter, but found after using both that when I do take fishing gear I have I'd rather splurge on the extra 5 ounces of the regular fly rod.  That is just my preference and may be different depending on the person and the locale.

I should also say that I never actually take either on bike tours, but do use them a good bit when backpacking.   Bike touring, I am likely to be going through multiple states where different licenses are an issue and I am less likely to be somewhere I want to fish much of the time any way.  Also when I am I am likely to be somewhere that light spinning tackle might be more suitable.

I was wondering about what you said too.  But can't you also fish with bait using a Tenkara?  Bait is the best way to catch fish...unless you're a pro bass fishing person, which I'm not.  I do use lures, but my success with lures is pretty low, flies seem to work a tad better then lures, but bait works the best.

The licensing thing sucks, they should have a federal fishing license for those that travel all over the country.  Some places, like rivers, are rarely patroled by state officials, lakes on the other hand are another story.

[CWBurcar]

anyone have any links to virtual tours already made up? maybe even have them separated by distance. I have recently slacked in riding, while the weather is turning it would be something nice to motivate myself to get back out there an get a few hundred miles under my belt.

[HobbesOnTour]

anyone have any links to virtual tours already made up? maybe even have them separated by distance. I have recently slacked in riding, while the weather is turning it would be something nice to motivate myself to get back out there an get a few hundred miles under my belt.

Well, this is the one I referenced above.....
https://www.braintreeeasyriders.org/single-post/lands-end-to-john-o-groats-week-1

Alternatively, CrazyGuyOnABike has got lots and lots of "real" journals that could provide inspiration.