Author Topic: Cross country leaving Southern California mid August - San Diego or Los Angeles?  (Read 4348 times)

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Offline lbernert3@icloud.com

Thanks in advance for any advice on this topic!

My son and I are planning a cross-country trip west to east beginning mid August. We are looking at the adventure cycling maps and starting to put together some routes on Strava.

San Diego is our ideal starting point. Unfortunately it looks like leaving San Diego in August would force us across the desert in hundred degree plus temperatures. Probably not ideal. Alternatively I looked at the Route 66 map which begins at the Santa Monica pier. Unfortunately it looks like the first day on that route would be riding city streets in Los Angeles. Also not very appealing.

Curious if any of you have thoughts on which of those would be best or if there is another route we should consider. Will eventually be hooking up with the Transamerica Trail finishing in Virginia Beach.

Thanks!

Offline Nyimbo

Others on the forum will perhaps give you more specific and accurate advice.  But I'll just start by saying that starting in Southern CA in August may not be wise unless you are very experienced and know how to travel well in heat and desert and even then probably not in August.  Starting in Santa Monica only delays the heat for a day or maybe two before you hit the desert. 


Without knowing any of your details I'll say this.  If you are arriving in LA for other purposes and therefore it is your default starting place, then perhaps you should take the train north to a cooler starting place.  San Francisco would be better by a small amount.  At least once you reach the desert in Carson City it is high desert and the elevation reduces the temp and is a bit cooler than in the southern NV and Arizona.  Further north is better you could depart the train in Eugene and start directly on the TransAmerica route.  If you require the ocean for a coast to coast it would be a 2 day ride to get to the ocean and back again to Eugene or a bus ride if one is available. 

Offline lbernert3@icloud.com

Good advice. Now I'm thinking I'll flip the route, depart Yorktown in mid August and roll into Southern CA mid October.

Offline jamawani

Neither.

Mid August is an ideal time to leave from Seattle or Portland and head east-southeast.