Worst experience across the US was in CO

[johnsondasw]

I've spent some time in Virginia Beach.  It's potentially the perfect bike town.  Weather is fairly benign, albeit somewhat muggy in the summer.  It is absolutely flat in every direction you can see.  But you can spend a whole week there and not see one bike rider.  I saw no bike lanes or trails and most of the roads have no shoulders, even the ones out of the commercial areas. Just cars, cars, cars (and their attendant pollution and noise) everywhere.  It's such a waste of good potential.  This would be a good area to help cut our oil dependance, not to mention to increase local health metrics!

[Dr. John]

The lack of shoulders is VA seems to be problematic.  The number of times I've had to ride a 4-lane for a mile or so (to jump from one wonderful country road to another), only to find no shoulder, or just as often the road was repaved and the shoulder was left only passible with a full-suspension bike and a lot of swearing, seemed to be the rule.  And the 4-lane was heavy, very fast traffic.  Often I've ended up pushing the bike well to the right of what once passed as a shoulder.
The worst story I have heard was from an old spark a couple of years ago.  She commuted to college in Boston by bike.  One day she was struck in an intersection.  While laying in the middle of the road with her mangled bike, some *&^%$% was honking and yelling at her to get out of the way.  She ended up in the hospital for the night, and it took her months to mostly recuperate.
As for CO, there are easily two different Colorados.  The most disturbing is how often I have heard the "N-word" in western CO, after almost never hearing it in the modern South.  I will say from my experiences hiking out here, I feel the mountain biking community may be the most curtious I have seen - they almost always yield the right-of-way to hikers.

[johnsondasw]

[quote author=
As for CO, there are easily two different Colorados.  The most disturbing is how often I have heard the "N-word" in western CO, after almost never hearing it in the modern South. 
[/quote]
That's the mountain west. You meet the nicest people everywhere you go.  But I can't count the number of pickups I've seen in Idaho and Montana sporting the confederate flag (and roaring by with no consideration of leaving any room for the bike. ):

[bicycleadventurer]

Kremmling is a ranching town and the constabulary considers their job to protect the trophy land owners who have ranches near the community.  The State patrol has used it as a favorite speed trap, as well.  Don't fret, most of Colorado is pretty friendly.  Most ranchers are pretty friendly.  You just have to ask, and be prepared to move along if the answer is no.

Also, learn how to stealth camp. 

[pmhayden]

Most of my touring has been in the NW.  I have found rural areas to be very friendly throughout WA, ORE, ID, and parts of Montana.  One place I've had some issues more than once is with drivers on HWY 9 north of Seattle, up near Sedro Wooley.  Drivers there have repeatedly roared by without moving over at all, giving the one finger salute, and blaring horns.  I will no longer spend time and money there.

I live in Sedro-Woolley. We are fairly friendly, but I can definitely see that happening. Hwy 9 is one of those country roads that looks rural, but has urban level traffic on it. Its a mess north of Big Rock to Sumas. You can avoid most of it on backroads. The county bike map is good.
http://www.visitskagitvalley.com/biking/

[johnsondasw]

Thanks, PM.  I have found good rides in the area that do not include that highway. I esp enjoy riding north of you on the Whatcom County rural roads.  Sometimes, of course those rides include parts of Skagit Co.

[pmhayden]

Johnsondasw,

Favorite rides to nowhere include Big Lake School to Lake Cavanaugh, Sedro-Woolley to Bellingham via the network of roads between I-5 and Hwy 9, the Skagit Flats North to Samish Island and Edison, South Skagit Hwy to Darrington, and of course, the Flats out to Deception Pass. But Hwy 9 North of Sedro-Woolley is a short cut for Canadian truckers to avoid the scales on I5, and South of Sedro-Woolley it is a collector arterial for the much regretted pop. growth from Boeing employees who have moved up here and commute to Everett. I remember riding to high school every morning on Hwy 9, no problems.

As for the population, there is some resentment by the natives for the newcomers who brought changes. This place was once a sleepy hollow. Its now a bedroom community to Everett and Bellingham, and we are no longer left alone. Where can you buy moonshine now? You are getting the blow back from that (middle finger, etc.). I miss the past, too, but there is not much we can do about it.

[dayjack119]

I think you missed the boat in Kremmling, Co.  I stayed at that campground in 2015 and thought the $12 was well spent.  The tenting area was in shaded lush grass, they had all the amenities of showers, laundry, and even a reading/television room.  The owner even offered to take me into town to get groceries and later the maintenance man helped me do repairs on my bike.  ...I've learned that if you want to keep clean, safe, and have a good nights sleep, one should spend the dough for commercial campgrounds.  Granted, I bypass many because they are either crappy or way over priced.