Having rode most of the southern Tier in sections, I am very partial to the Southern Tier western area for starting late February to the 2nd week in March. I live in Iowa and hate the Iowa winters. It is my "go to" area to do early season riding with my buddy Hal, who lives in Fort Davis, TX. The last time we time we rode it was pre-Covid era, 2019. I have only from Safford, AZ to Austin to have completed the entire route. In 2019, I drove down to his place, picked him up and drove over to Mesa, AZ. We parked at the long-term parking near the small airport there, and took off for the Southern Tier, which wasn't very far from our parking spot. While it was city riding, the roads weren't overly busy for us to get to the route, plus had plenty of room for bikes and cars to share when needed. We only made it to Globe that year, when weather turned nasty for us and we pulled the plug. While we camped most nights and only stayed in motels as needed, I would suggest checking into doing this route if the OP is limited on time and mileage that he could do. While our plan was to get over to Fort Davis, where Hal resides, the route has changed a bit, and doesn't go through Fort Davis any longer. I believe there are less places without services on the new route. Good if planning to motel it, or need to bail. But I would still suggest anyone riding it to carry at least a bivy, sleeping bag and sleeping pad in case they get stuck in between rooms due to weather, or anything else unforeseen. This year Hal and I are leaving Fort Davis the 2nd week of March, catching the route in Alpine, TX, and heading over to Austin. This will hopefully complete another section for me, leaving only about 500 miles yet to do. I am semi-retired, but have recently had both doses of the Moderna vaccine, as I work as a Paramedic on an ambulance part-time. But Hal is still waiting for his 1st dose of a vaccine. We're hoping his vaccinations start soon, as he is in the 1B group.
