Latest date for starting the Trans Am?

[pawlowski]

I feel like this is the year for me to finally do the Trans Am route starting
in the east and ending in the west, but can not leave until August first. Is
this too late of a starting date?

[staehpj1]

Are you the same person who asked this on Bike Forums?  If so excuse me for answering again.

Hopefully others who have started later will comment, but my impression is that it would make more sense to go west to east if starting late. You are likely to find snow on the passes if starting in the east and going at an average pace. It isn't rare for Mckenzie pass to close for the season in October (you can detour to Santiam pass, but still...). Snow is fairly likely on Hoosier Pass in September.

Assuming 9-12 weeks for the trip I wouldn't want to start in the east on or after Aug 1. Starting in the west Aug. 1 is about as late as I would start.

[pawlowski]

Hey staehpj1,

Yea I just asked this on bike forums but thanks for being kind enough to
answer again! I feel like august is the best opportunity for me to set out
on my trek, so I may have to do an alternate route, as august is really the
earliest I could leave. If the Trans Am is not the best idea to do this late,
any ideas on another route that could be done that would have me ending
in the west coast?

[MrBent]

Hey, Pawlowski:  August is a great time to start a TransAm.  With a long window to choose from, I selected an early August start.  It worked out great!  I began on the Northern Tier in Bar Harbor, ME, and went as far as Muscatine, Iowa.  From there I headed due south on the Great Rivers until I picked up the Katy Trail to cross Missouri.  At that point you have several options: Continue south along the Great Rivers or start heading west again, which I did. I eventually got to Salida, CO., about the end of the first week in Oct. and then started heading south again.  I ended up hooking through NM and crossing the Mojave desert in early Nov.

The overall trick is to keep working south to avoid the high passes and worsening weather in the north.  I avoided the worst of the summer heat and got to pedal through the glories of fall in the Rockies.  Can't beat that.  This is a great way to go.  You can read my blog here: Finding Home

Best of luck.  Go do it!

Cheers,

Scott

[MrBent]

Oh, one more point/consideration:  Do some research into weather patterns and histories on something like the Weather Channel site.  You'll find that in the West, especially the SW, Oct. is one of the driest months, and early Nov. is good too.

Cheers,

Scott

[staehpj1]

Mr Bent,
To me a TransAm means the TransAmerica route, not just any route across the US.  So August may be a great time to start a trip across the US, but I doubt that it is a great time to start a TransAmerica if going east to west.

Pawlowski,
I still think west to east would be my choice, but Mr Bent has a point.  It might be worth looking into whether  a TransAmerica and Western Express combination would work.  It sounds promising.   AC says the Western Express "can be ridden from mid-May through October, depending on weather".  Go farther south if necessary.

[pawlowski]

Hey Scott, amazing blog and photos, very inspiring. Do you have an email
address where I could contact you? I would love to talk to you some more
about the route you took.

You can email me at jpaw@mail.med.upenn.edu