Touring - Where are you planning for next year?

I suppose it only really applies to Northern Hemisphere tourers, but what wets your whistle?
I quite fancy Flanders. If I had the money, I'd choose Bodensee to Koenigsee, cycling by the side of the Alps the Salzburg in April when the blossom's out.

How about you?

well if all goes according to plan,its france for 3 weeks 1500 km,from ireland overnight ferry to roscoff down to bordeaux inland to tulle and basically back up to roscoff.but if that dosen't happen well i might do misen head to malin head ( end to end).or it could be somewhere in wales.

After the rainy season is over I plan to do a short tour down the pacific coast route from the Oregon border to SF. I will probably take about 10 days to do so I can take my time a bit.

My current plan is to ride from Oregon coast to Yellowstone, probably in July. I've just started looking at options but I suspect it will mostly be along the Transamerica route.

Ray

Possibly three weeks somewhere in Scandinavia. Far north, if possible, unless my research reveals that there are biting insects. Or Northwest Territories. Better start making decisions...

Wow, I like the sound of the Pacific Coast, and Yellowstone. Cycling through Yellowstone sounds wonderful.

Possibly three weeks somewhere in Scandinavia. Far north, if possible, unless my research reveals that there are biting insects.

I did 6 weeks of Scandinavia not so long ago and the mosquitoes were at there very worst in Lapland, absolute nightmare they were. Highly recommend Scandinavia though, if you can put up with the cost of everything.

China is calling me (Beijing to Kathmandu), if not probably Iceland, then across to Norway and whichever way the wind blows from there.

I'm not sure why this would only apply to Northern Hemisphere tourers ... those in the Southern Hemisphere should also be getting a "next year" in which to tour. In fact, the weather in the Southern Hemisphere generally allows for a longer season of touring than the Northern Hemisphere. :)

That said ...

My tentative touring plans for 2009 are ...

May - Golden Triangle in the Canadian Rockies (this is a 3-day organized tour I've done a couple times before)

August - Australia ... I'll be packing up and moving there to be with Rowan, and once there Rowan and I are planning to spend some time touring ... we haven't decided where or for how long yet. :)

This spring (May/June) we plan to take 4/5 weeks to...

Plan A - Fly to Malaga, Spain than head home to Holland.
Plus point, we love Spain. Minus point, it's long (+/-2800kms, we'll need min. 5 weeks).

Plan B - Tour Corsica and Sardinia.
Plus point, very beautifull (so we've heard). Minus point, for the cost of flying we can tour for over a week.

Plan C - Cycle streight south to Nice (via Col de la Bonette 2715m, if it's open). From Nice cycle along the coast to Genoa, than turn north heading home (via St. Gotthard pass 2108m, if its open).
Plus point('s), leaving and arriving home on bikes, high mountains and some coastal riding inbetween, distance just about right at 2400kms. Minus point, might be a bit early for the passes, but its the only time we have.

Early days yet, but we are leaning towards Plan C now.

in april i will start my round the world trip........the time is finally come after few years of preparations and long time planning!

Either a dash through Germany, France, Belgium, The Netherlands and Denmark, or a more humanely paced exploration of the eastern and southern parts of Finland. Option 1 would be very interesting and probably very expensive, option 2 could be fun and a great way to learn more about my own country... kind of hard to choose I say :-P

Bodrum, Turkey -> Azerbaijan -> Iran, fly home to Arizona.

May to Sept 2009.

Europe trip - may 2009 to september/october 2009.

How about you?

I am waffling between two alternatives:
a. Easy plan; ride the US from bottom to top, riding from Brownsville to Dallas over Christmas, Dallas to Cheyenne over Spring Break and Cheyenne to the Canadian Border late in the summer. I will at least do the Texas ride over Christmas.
b. More ambitious plan; ride from Samara, Russia to Urumqi, China by way of Chelyabinsk and Astana, Kazakhstan for two months starting in late July.

I would really like to do the more ambitious ride, but not certain if I can afford to spend so much time from work in one chunk and hence next year might be the easy plan with multiple week or week and a half vacations. If I can't do the ambitious ride for 2009, then will try for 2010.

My brother is getting married in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico in the Spring. I am hoping to ride to the wedding . . . down the Baja peninsula to La Paz, and then catch the ferry to Mochis. Not sure if I will have enough time for the return trip; if not, I'd like to spend a few days riding around Copper Canyon (Batopilas and Creel).

I've just moved to the UK, so I'm gagging to get over to continental Europe. There are so many choices to investigate, but it's likely to be Germany (Danube), France, or Netherlands. Plus weekend trips in England. The bike is still a work in progress, so we'll see what happens.

Where I go depends on when and how long my vacation will be. I have no plans but a few ideas:

- Newfoundland and Labrador during iceberg season.
- North coast of St-Lawrence and Anticosti island.
- South coast of St-Lawrence and dirt roads on the Laurentian hills.
- Canadian rockies
- Alaska

I really have no clue. I'd also like to ride fast and light from Montreal to Gaspé.

Well, I had been planning an two-ish week trip out through Death Valley around the New Year, but have since decided to put it off as I do not think I will be physically or financially prepared for the trip. Hopefully I will be able to do it next year, and maybe even talk somebody into going with me!

So, other than that... I plan on going on RAGBRAI in July, as living in Eastern Iowa I have always been interested in doing it, but never actually done it. I suppose it's not much of an adventure, but I suspect it will be fun none the less.

I bought most of what I need when I was planning for my Death Valley trip, so I hope to do some local weekend tours come spring.

Someday I would really like to ride down the pacific coast starting at around the US/Canada border and ride down to the tip of South America. Someday.

Starting January 6, 2009 I am doing 5 weeks through Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Laos and Thailand in the winter but probably not until January, so technically no tours planned for next year.:cry:

If I'm touring alone my plan is to fly to Great Falls, Montana and ride the Lewis and Clark Trail to Portland, Oregon, then take Amtrak home. (I'm even planning on splurging for a sleeper car!)

If I have any luck getting someone to go with me I may do the Oregon coast again, or even start in Vancouver, BC, and ride the coast down to Crescent City, or even San Francisco. I have a couple of potential first-time tourers who may want to go, and I think the Oregon coast is pretty good for a first tour - lots of campsites, lots of fellow tourers to meet, plenty of services, etc. If you get good weather it's hard to beat, at least in the US.

If I go alone I want to go somewhere I've never been. I'd like to do the whole Lewis and Clark trail someday because it intrigues me and I'm a Lewis and Clark buff. But I won't have time for all of it. (I need to retire one of these days. :thumb:)

St Paul to St Louis along the Mississippi and the Amtrak back home. I thinking a 10 day trip? Anyone else done this and if so how long did it take?

St Paul to St Louis along the Mississippi and the Amtrak back home. I thinking a 10 day trip? Anyone else done this and if so how long did it take?

Dann, may just catch up with you for part of that ride. We'll be doing at least the Illinois portion of the Great Mississippi River trail
http://www.bikelib.org/images/mrtoverview.gif

Tampa, FL to Providence, RI. I'm visiting a good friend.

If the economy doesn't completely tank, I plan to tour the Rhineland, and then on to Amsterdam via a couple of islands in Friesland. If I can't manage that, I'll just do Seattle-San Francisco and back.

I've just moved to the UK, so I'm gagging to get over to continental Europe. There are so many choices to investigate, but it's likely to be Germany (Danube), France, or Netherlands. Plus weekend trips in England. The bike is still a work in progress, so we'll see what happens.

Where are you from? Where do you live now in the UK? Have you had any experience of cycling in the UK, and what do you think of it? I always imagine non-natives must get a bit of a shock, but from the sound of it, you're not European, and I always get the feeling it's only really (continental) Europeans who have an easy time of it.

Well, I had been planning an two-ish week trip out through Death Valley around the New Year, but have since decided to put it off as I do not think I will be physically or financially prepared for the trip. Hopefully I will be able to do it next year, and maybe even talk somebody into going with me!



I'll go with you, if you pay for my flight over there, and my medevac out ;)

Where are you from? Where do you live now in the UK? Have you had any experience of cycling in the UK, and what do you think of it? I always imagine non-natives must get a bit of a shock, but from the sound of it, you're not European, and I always get the feeling it's only really (continental) Europeans who have an easy time of it.

[Apologies for drifting off topic]

I'm from New Zealand, and I've moved to Cambridge, England. The only cycling I've done in the UK so far is riding to work and back. I've had a bit of a look at the countryside, and I love it. I think the English really undervalue the beauty of their country, with the quiet, stone-walled lanes. In Autumn it was extremely pretty.

I'm not sure I'm catching your meaning. What's the shocking part? Is it the crowdedness of the roads? So far I've only really experienced Cambridge, which is a cycle-based town so there are a lot of cycles lanes. My ride to work here is a lot safer than my ride to work in NZ was.

We're planning on 3 weeks in southern France during June. Start in Avignon, detour over Mt Ventoux, then through Langduoc and the Pyrenees to the Atlantic. Get in some of the famous climbs, Perysourde, Aubisque, Aspin, Tourmalet, Luz Ardiden, Marie Blanque etc. Gonna have to keep up the cycling over the winter I guess.

I'm doing a week long tour down to san francisco coming up at thanksgiving break. I'm also planning on doing Hamburg to budapest, but the feasibility of finding a route that would work out isn't down.

We should be south of the border by next year and will spend most of the year in Mexico and Central America. We will most likely head down into Colombia in August or September, but we'll play it all by ear as to when that happens.

I live in Oregon so I can easily ride the Pacific Coast Trail. I also plan to do quite a bit of off pavement touring on USFS/BLM roads in Eastern, Oregon.

I think I'm going to freak my husband out and go on the Sverigeleden maybe far enough to cross into Norway. He's not a cyclist, so the idea of me cycling that far might give him a bit of a shock. Sverigeleden is a route that goes all around and across Sweden with forks reaching into Norway and even Finland.

For the one who plans to come cycling in Sweden this year - Yes, lots of mosquitoes, particularly up in the northern regions (as another poster mentioned - Lappland). I'm fairly sure I lost a pint or two of blood on a camping trip up that way a couple years ago in July and you have to pity the reindeer that can't go into a tent to get away from them. Southern regions, not so bad, but you do have to worry about ticks and in the later summer (August or so) biting flies and wasps can be a HUGE pain.

But it's a beautiful country with a rich historical landscape if you keep your eyes open and friendly people, a large percentage of them speak English and do so quite cheerfully. Oh, and HUGE plus, all the drivers are accustomed to cyclists. I've been riding around here for 3 years now and not a single bit of road rage or being crowded off the road. I've even had a construction worker move his bulldozer out of the way so I could get by.

i'm hoping to do NZ in march/april '09. roughly this route in about 4 weeks:

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=d&saddr=Nelson,+Nelson,+New+Zealand&daddr=Lower+Buller+Gorge+Rd+to:Haast+Hwy+to:Te+Anau+Mossburn+Hwy+to:Tuatapere+Orepuki+Hwy+to:Dee+St+ to:-46.589069,169.431152+to:Dunedin,+Otago,+New+Zealand&hl=en&geocode=%3BFbYVgv0dhkQ6Cg%3BFZw1Y_0dWrUTCg%3BFVbMSf0dUjAACg%3BFdQIP_0dTkX-CQ%3BFcYPPP0dXsYICg%3B%3B&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=6&sz=8&via=1,2,3,4,5,6&sll=-46.233053,169.486084&sspn=1.93789,4.921875&ie=UTF8&ll=-43.528638,171.44165&spn=8.123511,28.037109&z=6

and i'm set to start this one on friday:

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=d&saddr=bunbury,+wa&daddr=Caves+Rd+to:McQueen+Rd+to:Caves+Rd+to:Vasse+Hwy+to:Vasse+Hwy+to:Pemberton+Northcliffe+Rd+to:-35.021,117.68692+to:albany,+wa&hl=en&geocode=%3BFXDj_v0dJJncBg%3BFfBE-v0dbrnbBg%3BFaDX-P0dDjPbBg%3BFYhx-f0dmHDmBg%3BFb5C8v0dVkXqBg%3BFdiP7_0dXsPrBg%3B%3B&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=7&sz=10&via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7&sll=-35.003003,117.539978&sspn=0.571444,1.230469&ie=UTF8&ll=-34.134542,116.345215&spn=2.309697,7.009277&z=8

Having never actually toured anywhere (or gone on a longer-than-10-miles bicycle ride, my plans aren't nearly as ambitious as many of yours.

I am hoping to take a long weekend (thinking Thursday through Tuesday) and ride 50 miles to a nearby state park (Ft. Macon, NC), camp for a few days and ride back.

Provided I survive that, I may shoot for next year's Cycle NC fall Mountains to the Sea ride (Last weekend in September 2009). It's a fully supported (they carry your crap) tour, but it seems like a good way to get into the longer-distance touring experiences.

Vermont. It's close enough so that we won't have to get ourselves to a start point there. We can leave from home.

I've been looking at some organized tours in Atlantic Canada too.

Speedo

I have two trips in mind, both would be self contained touring and most likely solo.

The first trip would be from Buffalo New York to Albany NY following the Erie canal trail. Five days, route selection easily available, leaving camping arrangements to be sorted out this winter.

My second choice will be a bit more complex. Albany New York to Philidelphia PA. This route will have more elevation, Cycle America maps from the east coast route are available for most of the trip. Riding time, using my rule of thumb as a days ride for each hour in a car, figure 5 and a half to 6 days.

What is the best way to find campgrounds?

Time will Tell

TomT[/I]

Having never actually toured anywhere (or gone on a longer-than-10-miles bicycle ride, my plans aren't nearly as ambitious as many of yours.

I am hoping to take a long weekend (thinking Thursday through Tuesday) and ride 50 miles to a nearby state park (Ft. Macon, NC), camp for a few days and ride back.

Provided I survive that, I may shoot for next year's Cycle NC fall Mountains to the Sea ride (Last weekend in September 2009). It's a fully supported (they carry your crap) tour, but it seems like a good way to get into the longer-distance touring experiences.

Good for you. Hope you have a great time. I'm sure you will.

Would like to do a Land's End to John o'Groats next summer, but the economy is likely to prohibit that. Back-up plan is to ride from Tuscaloosa eastward across Georgia and So. Carolina to Charleston, and then follow the ACA Atlantic Coast route from there up to the D.C./Baltimore area.

What is the best way to find campgrounds?



Go to:

1) Your local tourist information centre, and pick up tourist info for the area(s) you want to go.

2) AAA (American Automobile Association) and ask them for tourist info, campground guides, etc.

You will get two different pieces of info from those two places, with two different lists of campgrounds, but that can come in handy ... one might make it appear that there are no campgrounds in a particular area, while the other will list one. It just depends which organization the campground in question has listed themselves with.

probably Ireland, but still a bit up in the air.

I think I'm deciding on a different trip than pedaling into Norway next year. Circumnavigating Gotland (Sweden's largest island). Bare bones, it's 320-ish miles. I'd probably add at least another 50 for other spots off the coast I want to see and buying food, etc. I've wanted to make that trip for almost 2 years now.

[Apologies for drifting off topic]

I'm from New Zealand, and I've moved to Cambridge, England. The only cycling I've done in the UK so far is riding to work and back. I've had a bit of a look at the countryside, and I love it. I think the English really undervalue the beauty of their country, with the quiet, stone-walled lanes. In Autumn it was extremely pretty.

I'm not sure I'm catching your meaning. What's the shocking part? Is it the crowdedness of the roads? So far I've only really experienced Cambridge, which is a cycle-based town so there are a lot of cycles lanes. My ride to work here is a lot safer than my ride to work in NZ was.


England can be Beautiful. I live in Manchester, which, while old and grimey (it was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution), we live on the edge of the Cheshire Plain. One of my favourite rises is a simple 30 miler to Alderley Edge, a rock outcrop famed for its witches and wizards which rises out of the cheshire plain and affords breathtaking views (in a flat kind of way), and yes, this time of year can be wonderful.

THe shock to which I refer is just the general state of things for cyclists in this country. While improving, the cycle network leaves a lot to be desired by European standards, and the attitude of drivers to cyclists, which is that we are a bunch of non-road tax paying parasites put on the roads to be insulted, ran off, and sometimes run over, occasionally killed; quite often with impunity.

2009 is less than a month away ... anyone heading out on a tour to start off the new year?

2009 is less than a month away ... anyone heading out on a tour to start off the new year?

I might do an overnight, weather permitting. Philadelphia is 32 miles from me, with half of them on a multi-use path. Lots of places to stay downtown.

Hmm, 2009. Here's what I'm planning on:

Week-long tour:
Bike Forums tour from Pittsburgh to DC, led by Spinnaker, June 13-20.

Long weekend tours:
Allegheny Trail, north of Pittsburgh.
Pine Creek Gorge Trail, the Grand Canyon of PA.
Delaware and Raritan Canal Towpath

Weekend tours:
to local campgrounds
to photograph covered bridges
overnights to Philadelphia, Lancaster, Green Lane, Quakertown, etc
NCR Trail from York, PA, to Maryland and back.

I'd love to do a cross country tour in 2009, but between the bad economy and my lack of economy, the money isn't there.

... I'm planning on ... Long weekend ...:
...
Delaware and Raritan Canal Towpath...

Hey, I live a mile from the half-way point on that, so if you're looking for a discreet place to try some 'stealth camping', let me know, and I'll mow you a nice patch into the meadow behind my shed! You can even use my charcoal grill. Seriously!

______________________________

Aside from a few overnight trips around eastern Long Island with one of my kids, I'm planning to ride to Niagara Falls with my son, who'll be twelve; we'll follow the Erie Canal to some degree, and take the opportunity to visit some relatives in Western New York. Possibly my wife and my daughter --she'll be ten-- will join us.

I'm also scheming to take a freighter from NY harbor to Halifax and ride around Nova Scotia for ten days or so, then a freighter back to NY harbor. The trick here is to negotiate the terms with my wife....

Hey, I live a mile from the half-way point on that, so if you're looking for a discreet place to try some 'stealth camping', let me know, and I'll mow you a nice patch into the meadow behind my shed! You can even use my charcoal grill. Seriously!


OK, we'll stealth camp with your full knowledge of my presence. And with my snoring, your neighbors will know I'm there too.

Hmm, 2009. Here's what I'm planning on:

Week-long tour:
Bike Forums tour from Pittsburgh to DC, led by Spinnaker, June 13-20.

Long weekend tours:
Allegheny Trail, north of Pittsburgh.
Pine Creek Gorge Trail, the Grand Canyon of PA.
Delaware and Raritan Canal Towpath

Weekend tours:
to local campgrounds
to photograph covered bridges
overnights to Philadelphia, Lancaster, Green Lane, Quakertown, etc
NCR Trail from York, PA, to Maryland and back.

I'd love to do a cross country tour in 2009, but between the bad economy and my lack of economy, the money isn't there.

Yeah the crappy economy is causing me to rethink my plans too. I would guess others are making changes.

Hi
Starting December 25, I am doing 6 weeks through Thailand,Laos Cambodia