East Coast, Maine-Fl or Fl-Maine

[kalewatkins]

I'd like to plan a trip in fall 09 or spring 2010.
Is it better to travel North to south or vice versa. Obviously I want the wind at my back as much as possible. Any suggestions?

[Westinghouse]

In 1990 I started from southeast, coastal Florida and cycled to Bangor, Maine in 22 days with two of those days completely off the road because of torrential downpours. I remember that I did have following winds much of the time. Summer should give you plenty of tailwinds too. Of course, it can come and go from any direction, but the wind should favor you going south to north in summer.

[litespeed]

I've gone south-to-north up the east coast four times -twice following the coast and twice inland. I only had persistent headwinds once - in rainy 2004. North winds generally come with rain.

You might want to avoid New England in black fly season (roughly Mother's Day to Father's Day).

[kalewatkins]

Thanks so much for the info. Did you guys use adventure cycling routes or your own?

[Westinghouse]

I used standard roadmaps. I made a huge mistake getting onto US Highway 1 going up toward Washington, D.C. The Delmarva peninsula is a good ride.You might want to consider the barrier islands route. It is quite nice. Definitely check out Donna Ikenberry's route around the Big Apple. I cycled through the city three times, and it was not too bad, but on approach it was none too good either. There are plenty of campgrounds, but they are a bit pricey. Down in the Keys in FL expect to shell out enough cash for a small, hard, patch of terra firma to pay for a night in a nice motel in Georgia. But maybe you can get a deal somewhere in summer. In winter? Perhaps not.

[bktourer1]

I can get you through NYC fairly easy if wou wish.
Contact me off list for route

Ed

[litespeed]

I rarely use ACA routes but you might do so in South Carolina to avoid miserable (shoulderless, narrow, heavy traffic) 17 and 17A south of Charleston and Summerville.

Also in Virginia it's best to either follow the coast, ride the Skyline Drive or use the ACA route. Avoid US15 at all costs.

[Westinghouse]

Use coastal Florida barrier islands. In some places you must take causeways back to the mainland to get around inlets. You must also get off and return to the mainland to go around Cape Canaveral and NASA. I found one causeway bridgeside to be extremely cluttered by debris and impossible to cross without tire trouble. Generally, the islands route is pretty good, and it is preferable to using highway one which can be loaded with traffic at times. Some parts of one are ok to use. Farther south in FL it is a good idea to stay on the islands. It is pretty much solid city from West Palm Beach south to Miami and south to Homestead. If you go to the Keys, there is a paved cycling path starting around Miami and going a long way south. It winds along for quite a distance underneath the elevated tracks of metrorail. I believe it is called metrorail. It is good riding all the way to the Last Chance Saloon, if that is what they still call that place. Getting over to Key Largo is another matter. This road, US 1, has a nice wide cycling path connected to it, or at least it can provide room for safe cycling in places, but it has cat eye reflectors crossing it in lines at intervals so that you have to keep an eye on the reflectors to avoid running over them, or ride out in the traffic lane of this narrow, moderately to highly trafficked road.  An alternative which you can find on a road map is Card Sound Road which may be a longer way around, but safer and more comfortable.

Once you are in the Keys it is easy going with plenty of room on the roads, and many good sidewalks. There is a dedicated cycling path which runs right along the water on the west side. In some areas you would have the shallow water immediately on one side of you, and trees and bushes between the path and the roadway. There is a seven mile bridge, and several shorter bridges which will expose you fully to any sidewinds.

[Westinghouse]

I have read Litespeed's comments about some parts in South Carolina. Again, Litespeed has hit the nail squarely on the head. So it was not just me. Where I cycled in some parts of SC some of the motorists were nothing short of being terrorists on wheels. Even where there was plenty of room, some took the attitude that---He or she is driving in his lane, and not not about to shift an inch one way or the other for anybody on a bicycle, and they will warn with the horn, and if the cyclist does not get off the road, he is a dead man. Believe me, quite a few times it was really and seriously that bad. Deplorable, sinister, criminal attitudes. They deliberately ran me off the road several times, and if I had not run off the road I would have been killed there on the spot. You might think I am exaggerating, but I am not. I am understating the matter. That was a long time ago in 1994, but some of the motorists were absolutely terrorist, and criminally offensive, very very life threateningly offensive.

I had long ago forgotten all about those incidents, but Litespeed's comments brought them back to mind. I have some ideas about what to do about that part of the country, but it would be inappropriate to state them on a bicycling forum.