Touring - Southern US Route Recommendations

Hey guys, I'm planning on going on a cross country tour next summer and basically I'm aiming to hit these places:

Start: Somewhere in GA, maybe Savannah?
-New Orleans
-Austin, TX
-Phoenix, AZ
-Los Angeles, CA
End: Santa Barbara, CA


Any road recommendations that you could give would be awesome. Obviously I have about 9 months to plan this so I'm hoping to glean as much as I can from people who are familiar with it.

Oh and I'm also not too into Adventure Cycling's map.

Well, my recommendation would be the ACA Southern Tier. If they have done the research, they why not take advantage of it. Having said that, if there are places off the route that you want to visit on your way through, then just get a state bike map and go for it.

ACA Atlantic route to get to the Southern Tier. Atlantic route is mostly US 17.

why in god's name would you want to ride that route in the summer? Do you have any idea how f***king hot it is in the southwest that time of year?

why in god's name would you want to ride that route in the summer? Do you have any idea how f***king hot it is in the southwest that time of year?

yes. yes I do.

and I desire to ride there in the summer because I want to ride there. And I can do it in the summer.

I figure if I can ride in 105 degrees with intense humidity here for 100 miles I can ride up to 110 in a dry heat for at least a few miles. I've also heard of people doing it and while they said it was indeed crazy they kept enough water to make it bearable.

Have you ever lived in the southwest? Because I honestly think that riding across the mojave in summer is borderline suicidal. I rode across that route in november and the 99 degree heat was borderline unbearable. We had to wake up at three in the morning and quit for the hours between 11am-5pm to get out of the sun.

ooh yeah nevermind **** that. I had my regions confused. for some reason I was thinking I would be skirting most of it to the south. maybe I can catch a greyhound into Phoenix and thru the worst parts of the desert then maybe to San Diego or something so I can still get some riding in California in?

I've known people to go North through Texas, into Kansas and if geography memory serves correct Colorado, Nevada, and California.

That is slightly more bearable desert I assume?

ooh yeah nevermind **** that. I had my regions confused. for some reason I was thinking I would be skirting most of it to the south. maybe I can catch a greyhound into Phoenix and thru the worst parts of the desert then maybe to San Diego or something so I can still get some riding in California in?

I've known people to go North through Texas, into Kansas and if geography memory serves correct Colorado, Nevada, and California.

That is slightly more bearable desert I assume?

You can also ride Northern New Mexico and northern Arizona through Flagstaff if you want cooler temps since the elevation is higher and skip Phoenix. Flagstaff is about 30 degrees cooler than Phoenix in the summer. You can't avoid all the desert heat though, you've got to cross it to get the California coast. Kansas can be unbelievably hot in the summer, average high in Hays, Kansas is 92 with an all time record of 117.

I would suggest if you do have to ride in a really hot day, to try to set up your towns where you can take good long breaks at libraries, stores, restaurants during the middle of the day.

You can also ride Northern New Mexico and northern Arizona through Flagstaff if you want cooler temps since the elevation is higher and skip Phoenix. Flagstaff is about 30 degrees cooler than Phoenix in the summer. You can't avoid all the desert heat though, you've got to cross it to get the California coast. Kansas can be unbelievably hot in the summer, average high in Hays, Kansas is 92 with an all time record of 117.

I would suggest if you do have to ride in a really hot day, to try to set up your towns where you can take good long breaks at libraries, stores, restaurants during the middle of the day.

Thanks for the advice. Ideally I would like to hit up Phoenix as a friend lives there and it would be cool to visit him as I did my cross country tour. (and to make good on his "you can stay with me if you need a place in Phoenix" deal = ]) I would like to cross some desert too but I suppose I'll have a better idea when I'm actually close to it and know for sure what weather and temperatures I will be dealing with.

Ah and the plan with the town stops was more or less what I had in mind. I rode about 105 miles in Delaware a couple years back and it was coinicidentally on a day with about 105 degree temperatures with humidity (I don't know if you've ever been but the coastal part of my state is more or less a giant humid wetland) and one of the hottest days of the summer. I was wiped out afterwards but I envisioned going FAR, FAR less than 105 miles through the desert in a day.

Cycle (or take Greyhound) from Santa Fé/Albuquerque to Durango and cycle to Cortez (Mesa Verde), Bluff (Oak Creek Canyon, gorgeous!), Mexican Hat, (Monument Valley) Kayenta, Grand Canyon, Flagstaff/Williams and ... (continue a part by Amtrak or Greyhound or...: no experience so no advice)).
I rode Durango - Grand Canyon - Flagstaff - Tucson last April/May and it was a good advice to stay away from Phoenix in summer!
Arie