Southern Tier in Winter?

[bmxt10]

I am planning to do the southern tier route in the winter, from St. Augustine, Fl to San Diego. However, Im not sure if this is smart, as it will probably be cold as hell in west Texas, ect. Has anyone done this? Is it possible/realistic?

[litespeed]

Texas weather is very unpredictable. I'd say your chances of hitting cold weather in winter (Dec.-Feb) are about 50-50. You could increase your chances of warm weather by deviating south from the ACA route where feasible. For instance, you could get off the route after Louisiana, scoot down to Galveston and go along the coast and on to San Antonio. Also, you could ride the shoulder or frontage roads of I10 and I8 in Arizona.
I once crossed southern Texas west-to-east in November and fought ENE headwinds and a surprising amount of rain all the way across. So you never know....

[MichaelTheWingN]

I live just north of New Orleans and winters can not only be unpredictable, but bitter cold as well through the Mississippi delta region...Winds are generally prevalent from the North and precipitation can range from spotty rain to sleet...I would say that for the eastern section of the Souther Tier, equip for 25F lows and be prepared for unexpected delays due to weather...Although last year I saw a thin sheet of ice once and had to run the cars defroster 5 times, it was a fairly mild winter for us...

As for the Western section, you are going over the continental divide and no matter where you cross that, it can be bloody well cold! Go to http://www.weather.com and enter the zip codes for post offices in El Paso, TX, Silver City, NM and Tempe, AZ for averages for the time of year you are riding over the divide...it would also be a good idea to look at Mobile, AL, St. Francisville, LA, and Houston, TX...Those will be the two coldest sections during winter...

Hope this helps some...

Have a good ride!

Get a bicycle. You will not regret it. If you live. Mark Twain

[litespeed]

The Continental Divide on Interstate 10 (between Lordsburg and Deming) is just a sign on a flat stretch of the highway - otherwise not even noticeable. I actually laughed when I passed it. Of all the times I have bicycled across the Divide this was by far the easiest.

[bmxt10]

In other words, doing the southern tier in winter, and camping every night is not possible i guess.

[mudmin]

I finished the S.T. route in May and it was cold as heck in March and April at times.  In fact, the day I finished in San Diego I was wearing a jacket. You can do it, but be prepared to be numb.  

[staehpj1]

I can't speak from experience on the ST, but I did talk to a guy on the transam who said he had done the NT and the ST.  He said the ST was his favorite and that February was the best time to start.  I don't recall which direction he rode and didn't get any other details.  I don't know if that helps or not, but I figured I would pass that on.

[mudmin]

I would also like to add in there, that I do regret not going west to east. I live in FL, so I thought it would be nicer to be a little farther from home every day, but the winds certainly prevailed from the west.  No doubt about it.  8 straight days with 30+ mph from the west.

[fredh]

i'm planning a trip from Houston to New Orleans and would like to cycle this in max 2.5 days. i have no clue about distance but by car via the I10 it should be no more than 550KM. Well I'm looking for easy and safe light traffic roads (and friendly people) the trip is planned to start in the weekend on the 27th of October 2007 at Houston. I have read stories on the internet riders folllowing the highway 90 but this seems to me not the safest route and to much traffic. how is the coastal route and if ride thru Galveston do i need to take a ferry and what time does this ferry start to operate in the morning. (any restrictions with weather)? what is the estimated distance in miles or KM from Hston to Nola. I have many questions and i hope one of you can answer. I have some experience with cycling in ALabama ( round the bay of mobile and many others rides in that area).my home base is Holland and i'm used to long distance rides as long as it is not to hilly.
thanks Fred H