TransAm starting in mid Aug?

[ronnie421]

Hello, all.  My name is Ronnie. Semi-New to the cycling world and planning a TransAm HOPEFULLY next year with a good female friend.  I read that this route is best during May-September.  However, my work schedule will not allow me to start until Mid August.  We plan to ride East to West.  Is a mid August start a bad idea?  It will take us into November.  Has anyone (I'm sure someone has) started this route this late before?  Thank you in advance for your comments and suggestions.  Ron 

[johnsondasw]

NOvember in the western mountains is not a good idea.  I live in the Cascades in the NW and we get cold rain, snow, etc in October. Some years there is considerable snowfall in November as low as 2000 or 3000 feet.  The passes are higher than this.  If you could veer south about about the time you're getting into the western mountains and end up going down near the Southern Tier, it would be a lot warmer.

[John Nelson]

If you're starting that late, consider going West to East instead.

[staehpj1]

I agree that W-E makes much more sense if going that time of year.  November in the Rockies and Cascades sounds like a very bad idea.

[indyfabz]

Even if you encountered acceptable temperatures during the day, the nights could be very cold in places.  To give you an idea, accoridng to weather.com. the average daily high for West Yellowstone, MT in October is 52.  The average nightly low is 22. Missoula is 57 and 33, dropping to 41 and 35 in November.  Would make for some cold camping.

[psemler]

if you can start mid-aug and go 60 miles a day with one day of rest per week, which is what I did last year you can arrive in SF in mid-oct (or even later if careful of weather by taking the western express from Pueblo CO. it's a fantastic route and actually might be nice in the fall. If you could ride 70 miles a day, you'd be in even better shape.
You could also just do and if it gets too cold/wet, stop. There's no crime in that as long as you have a good time riding!!!

[ronnie421]

Thanks everyone, for your help.  We will take all these things into consideration and make adjustments .  We just wanna get out there! Thanks! Ron

[litespeed]

You should be able to cross the country in less than two months, putting you on the west coast by early or mid-October. Of course the further north you go the greater chance of hitting snow on the passes. If you go a little further south - say through Oregon - you will probably make it all right. I have done so late in the year and had no problems.

You could always make your plans flexible and cut a bit south if you approach the Rockies too late in the year but the chances are that the TA is doable until the end of October.