It's the time of the season.

[Westinghouse]

The weather man says the weather will cool down in a while, not that we need to be told that. My Schwalbe Marathon tires just arrived in the mail. My two wheels just arrived in the mail. How cool it would be to do the southern tier this fall-winter. My route on the ST is different from the one mapped by ACA, but also the same in some stretches. When it comes to scenery and quieter roads, ACA's route is better, and also quite  bit longer. I start from southeast coastal Florida, go diagonally across the state, take 19/98 to Perry, FL, take 19/98 to get to highway 20 to Pensacola, FL. 20 is south of 90, much less hilly, but lacking in motels and camp grounds. I get the Fort Morgan ferry to Dauphin Island, and then get to 90. I stay on 90 along the gulf coast. Where 90 intersects with 190 near New Orleans, I take 190 to Slidell, LA and get the Tammany Trace for 31 miles. The bridge over the Mississippi at Baton Rouge is a suicide road. I hitched rides to the other side. It is very narrow, probably built for 1930s traffic, with cars and trucks tearing along at breakneck speeds. I go through Houston to San Antonio. Then I take I-10 where permissible to Casa Grande, AZ, and I-8 from there to hysterical highway 80 into San Diego. Sure, there are variations along the way and other roads. One thing about this route, it is less hilly than ACA's ST. There are always plentiful opportunities for healthful nutritious food, unlike some places along the other ST route on which you might find yourself stuck with convenience store junk non-food for a day or two at a time. I am hoping all my plans for this season will come to fruition.

My Continental contact plus tires also arrived in the mail. They are 26 by 1.75 inches. If all goes well I will mount them on my MTB and do the Great American Rail Trail when the weather warms again. Probably starting in May 2021.

Anybody interested in paring touring gear-weight to the minimum, you would be well advised to check out people who hike the Appalachian trail. They manage to get by with 20 pounds total pack weight including three days food for six months of hiking. You can find them at www.youtube.com.

[hikerjer]

Where did you get your Schalbes from?  I'm having a hard time finding them anywhere.

Thanks.

[Westinghouse]

Where did you get your Schalbes from?  I'm having a hard time finding them anywhere.

Thanks.

Amazon

[LouMelini]

Westinghouse:  My wife and I hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2016; we did the TransAmerica bike route in 2018 (my second cross country ride) Going light weight is admirable. I always try but I am not always successful. On the AT I watched people hike over Mt. Rogers in shorts and T-shirts in a snowstorm on May 5th because they sent their cold weather clothing home in Damascus, Va (we were warm and dry in our rain jackets and pants on what unexpectedly turned out to be an 10-hour 20-mile walk that day). Many smelled badly from wearing the same t-shirt for many days. I watched guys eat Top Ramen after soaking in a zip lock back and cold water for 5 or ten minutes to save the weight of a stove. I also saw people with light weight packs sagging down to their butts,  irritating the skin of their shoulders, then claim their pack was less than 20 pounds. Despite what I just said, I will watch the video you posted. Thanks for sending.

[Westinghouse]

Westinghouse:  My wife and I hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2016; we did the TransAmerica bike route in 2018 (my second cross country ride) Going light weight is admirable. I always try but I am not always successful. On the AT I watched people hike over Mt. Rogers in shorts and T-shirts in a snowstorm on May 5th because they sent their cold weather clothing home in Damascus, Va (we were warm and dry in our rain jackets and pants on what unexpectedly turned out to be an 10-hour 20-mile walk that day). Many smelled badly from wearing the same t-shirt for many days. I watched guys eat Top Ramen after soaking in a zip lock back and cold water for 5 or ten minutes to save the weight of a stove. I also saw people with light weight packs sagging down to their butts,  irritating the skin of their shoulders, then claim their pack was less than 20 pounds. Despite what I just said, I will watch the video you posted. Thanks for sending.

I am not sure what your point is. Through hikers are sources of information for good, light-weight, outdoors equipment like tents, clothing and other things. I did not tell anyone to go through snow storms in shorts and tee shirts. I did not post a video. I gave a link to www.youtube.com. Anyone can enter Appalachian trail through hiking in youtube and get useful information. Obviously, some hikers you observed were unprepared and made mistakes. I do not see the relevance of your response to the subject of the OP. At certain times of year anyone can easily do the southern tier of states coast to coast by bicycle carrying twenty pounds of gear or less.

[LouMelini]

After reading my reply to you, I realized I could have done better to make my point. Without digging myself into a deeper hole I should won't belabor any further response. My eyes also deceived me as I thought I saw a link to a video, not just youtube. Thank you for your response. I should have done better. Your response is appreciated.

[adventurepdx]

Where did you get your Schalbes (sic) from?  I'm having a hard time finding them anywhere.

In the US you can buy direct from Schwalbe North America (based in Ferndale, WA, just north of Bellingham). They should have whatever's currently available. The last time I bought from them shipping around $10 via FedEx Ground.
https://www.schwalbetires.com/