Hillbilly dogs

[staehpj1]

Just remember that our fears sitting at home are often far more vivid than on the road.

You obviously need to spend more time watching cable news.  Be afraid!  Be very afraid!!

FWIW, I have always thought folks fears of dangers on the road were overblown and that being home was often more dangerous.  This includes the riding part as well as the living on the road vs at home part.  I figure that my around town riding is typically far more dangerous than the more open roads I experience when on tour.  We don't tend to fear the stuff we do every day even if it is more dangerous.

Also there is danger and perceived danger.  I worked with guys who plated softball and did other "safe" activities.  Drinking played heavily in their activities.  They would always question how I could take the risks of racing off road motorcycles and road and mountain bicycles.  Also they thought my frequent whitewater kayaking trips were crazy reckless.  The interesting thing was that they seemed to break bones and sustain other injuries all the time.  They were always off of work with injuries.  I pretty much never was.

All that said I have stayed home during the pandemic.  I have done so as much because I didn't want to leave my wife alone during the pandemic as because I was worried about staying isolated myself.  I figured I could distance and mask as appropriate when on the road as well as at home, so I didn't think there was much more danger of being on the road than at home other than the risk of being sick in a distant city alone and unable to get home.

[HobbesOnTour]

Just remember that our fears sitting at home are often far more vivid than on the road.

You obviously need to spend more time watching cable news.  Be afraid!  Be very afraid!!

Cable news?
What's that?

[John Nettles]

I figured I could distance and mask as appropriate when on the road as well as at home, so I didn't think there was much more danger of being on the road than at home other than the risk of being sick in a distant city alone and unable to get home.

That is why I toured last year and will tour this year.  As you said, I think there is a higher chance of getting Covid at home due to the increased population I deal with vs. being on the much more sparse open road.  My only concern is getting somewhere and then a worthless lock down occurs thus severely hampering my efforts to get home perhaps.  That said, all my "covid" tours have been fine and even somewhat nicer as the crowds are down.  I mask up, distance, etc. when interacting with the public but otherwise, life is the same.

[staehpj1]

I figured I could distance and mask as appropriate when on the road as well as at home, so I didn't think there was much more danger of being on the road than at home other than the risk of being sick in a distant city alone and unable to get home.

That is why I toured last year and will tour this year.  As you said, I think there is a higher chance of getting Covid at home due to the increased population I deal with vs. being on the much more sparse open road.  My only concern is getting somewhere and then a worthless lock down occurs thus severely hampering my efforts to get home perhaps.  That said, all my "covid" tours have been fine and even somewhat nicer as the crowds are down.  I mask up, distance, etc. when interacting with the public but otherwise, life is the same.

I dunno that I'd find it nicer, I would miss rubbing elbows with the locals and other riders and even motorized tourists.  That is a major part of touring for me.

Not a full show stopper, but there is also still the concern of being sick on the road away from home.  I have had quite a few friends, relatives, and aquaintenances who have been quite sick with covid (and a few who have died).  Their experience is not something I'd want to deal with alone in a strange town.  No visitors were allowed in the hospital and when they got out they were not very well or ready to travel especially by bike.  Some were not really up to getting out to get food.  The logistics of just living when very sick and on oxygen in a motel could be pretty tough to cope with.

Some came home with oxygen and were still very sick and weak.  Dealing with that a couple thousand miles from home could be difficult especially if there were travel restrictions.  You may even have difficulty getting a room some places if you were obviously sick.  Granted most but not all of the ones who got very sick were unvaccinated, so vaccination would mitigate the risk pretty well.  Taking reasonable precautions like being fully vaccinated, masking, social distancing and so on reduces the risks to a very low level, but I'd probably still choose to tour closer to home than I normally would so I could be picked up by car if necessary.

In my particular case I have stayed home during the pandemic and continue to for several reasons which are not that I am in fear for myself.  Truth be told our plan was to be on the road in an RV during the past couple years, so I most likely wouldn't have been touring any way.

[Ty0604]

Of the 46 states I’ve ridden across, Missouri and Texas were the worst for dogs for me. I don’t worry about getting bitten as much as I do about them chasing me and causing me to crash. I do carry bear spray and several dogs have gotten it over the years. 3 times in one day in Missouri, twice in Texas and once each in Montana and Louisiana. But the sheer number of dogs in Missouri and Texas was astronomical compared to the other states.

I wouldn’t ever not tour because of dogs though.

[johnsondasw]

I live in hillbilly dog country on the eastern slopes of the Cascades in WA.  For some reason, dogs seem to be much less of an issue in the past 10 years.  I rarely get challenged, and it used to be a regular part of most rides, even short day rides.  Our area has had a huge population boom in the past 5-10 years, woth a master planned resort in, literally, my back yard, and houses all over the woods and near all my classic old routes.  I think the huge increase in traffic has either killed off all the nasty dogs or discouraged owners from letting them out of the house. They also have dog catchers now that patrol the local towns more.  We have become a second home and bedroom community for the massive population centers of Seattle-Tacoma, etc, which are about 100 miles away or a little more.  These people are much more likely to have controlled dogs, often with shock colors.  Anyway, the problem is not so much of a problem here any more. In the old days, I could discourage most dogs just by yelling and kicking a leg out in their direction.  You have to be experienced to do this, because it can throw you off balance.  I took a 3 week trip down the Pacific Coast route in 2005.  I don't remember any negative dog encounters then. 

[zerodish]

Spray some pepper spray on your bags. Dogs dont like the smell. I also have several different kinds of mosquito and tick repellent sprays on the bags. Also spray on some perfume which is antibacterial and antifungal. Dog noses are 100 times as sensitive as ours. There will be something in the mix that will cause them to back off.

[rootchopper]

Here's an update on the dogs of the TransAm from May and June or 2024. I intended to ride what for me was the missing link in the TransAm from Ashland VA to Ash Grove MO. I made it as far as Hazard KY before giving up.

I have over 10,000 miles of touring experience in the US. I can only recall being hassled by a dog once, on the Northern Tier. It was an annoying lap dog. There were beaucoup dogs on the Wind River Reservation but the yards were all fenced. I had one dog run along side me but he was playful. Lasted about a half mile.

In 2019 I rode US Route 66 through Missouri. No dogs. In 2022, I rode the Katy Trail and some rural roads to connect to the TransAm in Kansas. No dogs.

As for this summer, I was attacked twice east of Charlottesville VA, once by a pair of corgis and again by a junkyard dachsund. (I am not making this up.) I out ran both.

In Afton at the Cookie Lady's house an eastbound TA rider said he had been attacked "about 20 times" in eastern Kentucky. He was unharmed but he was clearly distressed by the experience. I was told there would be no dog attacks in Virginia.

Wrong. I was attacked by two boxers east of Breaks Va. They came from at least 200 yards away at full speed. I couldn't believe how far and how fast they ran. They were nasty. I wasn't prepared but thankfully they broke off the attack when some cars came by.

In the town of Breaks, I passed a large, fluffy dog. He looked harmless and let out an almost comical "woof" as I rode by. Then I heard a snarl and he was biting at my right rear pannier, putting a small hole in it. He was strong enough to yank my bike to the side. I was so angry that I dismounted and went after the dog unarmed. He compelely freaked and immediately moved as far away as he could.

After enterring Kentucky, I was attacked again and again during the 70 miles to Hindman. I tried a dog whistle on one. It seemed to work. I tried an air horn in two other attacks. It worked on one but not the other. I told one dog to "get on the porch" and he did.

There were a couple of other attacks that I had to stop and wait for the dogs to calm down. I had to use pepper spray on one but I missed because it turned when its owner call for it. Pepper spray only works at very close range.

Just before Hindman a mid-sized dog attacked as I passed a family gathering down in the holler. The dog simply would not leave me alone. The owners made no attempt to restrain the dog. This went on for over ten minutes. I inched along on foot until a pick up truck came by and distracted the dog.

After Hindman I encountered a road closure. The detour put me on a busy highway. I didn't bother going back on the TA route for fear of still more dog attacks.

In Hazard I was told by a rental car agent that the dog problem between Hazard and Berea is the worst. The hostel host in Booneville, mid-way to Berea, advised me to get wasp spray or bear spray. She said the dog attacks are much worse in recent years. (Note: wasp spray contains a neurotoxin. It will permanently mess up the dog, and maybe the sprayer. It's cheaper than bear spray but go with the latter.) She said a cyclist was recently bit on the TA near Booneville.

Personally I tour by bike to enjoy myself. I was spending every moment from Breaks to Hindman scanning the roadside looking for vicious dogs instead of enjoying the scenery.

It's been over a month and I'm still stressed out by my experience.

Chemical warfare and rabies shots are not my cup of tea.

My advice is to avoid the TA east of Missouri. Ride from Yorktown to DC. From there you have your choice of routes to the west. The Eastern Express is one option. Or ride west to Route 66 or the Katy Trail and take that to the TA in western Missouri.