Originally Posted by
foamy
"None of my group was ever run off the road and I think we generally felt reasonable safe the entire way."
P, I believe young women and multiple riders got a much bigger break from drivers than a solo male rider. In fact, I'm certain of it.
I agree that young women and groups probably get treated differently than a solo male rider. We were what appeared to be a father and two daughters, so we were probably the ideal group in this regard.
OTOH, groups are harder to pass unless small and riding very close together.
Most of the riders we met along the way seemed satisfied with the route and seemed to be surprised at how courteous and friendly the people they met both on and off the roads were.
There was one guy we met who had problems everywhere he went, but he was the only one. He had problems with staff at motels, campgrounds, and stores. He met hostile people in most towns. We just figured he expected problems so he found them due to having that vibe. He was the only person we met who mentioned any such issues.
We met an a-hole here and there, but they were few and far between. Overall our impression of the folks we met on and off the road was extremely positive. We were actually surprised at how courteous and friendly most motorists and truckers in particular were.
Originally Posted by
foamy
I think solo riders pay the price for arrogant groups of riders. And there's a few, make no mistake.
Not sure I see what you are getting at here. Do you mean groups of tourists? Arrogant in what way?
Originally Posted by
foamy
"Out of curiosity, specifically what sections bothered you?"
The road to Stevensville is one. I was expecting to be hit at any time the entire lenght. Solid two-way traffic. Also, the road after Hazard Creek were there is no shoulder of any sort and it wends its way through a (fortunately) short canyon with double log trucks passing on either side. I got off my bike and walked it, as traffic allowed. I believe these were both in Montana. I'd have to consult the maps to be more specific. I will too, because I'm writing ACA about them. I know they love thier TA route, but this ain't 1976 anymore. There were other places as well, but those two stand out.
I don't remember the specifics of the road to Stevensville (Rt 93 right?), but I vaguely remember that being a pleasant day for us. We were going the other direction and may have been there a different day of the week or time of day, but nothing about the road really sticks out in my mind, so it certainly wasn't an ordeal to me.
I have no idea where Hazard Creek is. The only one I found was in Idaho, but didn't seem to be on the TA route.
I will say that we were generally lucky about hitting places at times when problem traffic just wasn't there. There were a number of times when locals commented that we were lucky to hit places at a time when the traffic was particularly good either because of day of week, or time of day. Sometimes this was by plan, but mostly it was by dumb luck.
The only place I really remember other riders complaining about the roads or traffic were in Yellowstone and the section on Interstate 80. The folks who complained about I80 didn't actually ride it but took a ride from a motorist instead. I80 seemed pretty safe to us although not very aesthetically pleasing. The guys who complained about Yellowstone rode through it on Saturday and Sunday morning. I have to admit that I was a slightly nervous about all the rental RVs in Yellowstone, but we didn't have any problems.