Touring - 2 months to kill; where would you ride?

Hi everyone. I've been reading the touring forums for a while now, and this is my first post.

I'm 19 years old, and I'm planning your run of the mill vision-quest/right-of-passage.
In March I'm going to start hiking the Appalachian Trail. This gives me January and February free, and I figured I would spend them touring. In addition to commuting, I ride a pedicab part-time, so I'm in pretty good shape. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedicab

I haven't toured before, but I did pedicab at two separate 3 day music festivals, which meant sleeping in a tent and riding a bike all day with a bunch of extra weight. :)

Shortly after new year's, I'm going to ride from Phoenix to San Diego (as practice). After that I'm open to any reasonable suggestions for a route.

So, any suggestions?

Sounds Lovely,
Phoenix to San Diego would be a nice ride, are you taking the Southern Tier route? This is probably the favorite, as described by www.adventurecycling.com (http://www.adventurecycling.com)
I lived in Tucson for a year and really love that area, the touring south of there is quite nice. Riding from Phoenix to Tucson felt like attempting suicide on those highways filled with construction vehicles building the phoenix-tucson MegaSprawl. If you speak spanish (or even if you don't) you could ride down to Hermosillo, check out the Copper Canyon, maybe even go down to the beach, and ride around southern arizona for a bit. I recently rode from San Diego to Tecate to avoid Tijuana on my way down the Baja and the highways around there are really, really intimidating. Fortunately, there are lots of other smaller highways that are quite nice. I recommend bright colors and a good mirror!
Enjoy.

If it were me ... I'd fly to Australia or New Zealand, and spend two months touring over there.

France

Go to Cuba!
Good weather!
Very friendly people!
Good roads.
Check out my trips to cuba below.
http://www.geocities.com/pathebikeguy/easterncuba.html

http://www.geocities.com/pathebikeguy/westerncuba.html

Go to Cuba!
Good weather!
Very friendly people!
Good roads.
Check out my trips to cuba below.
http://www.geocities.com/pathebikeguy/easterncuba.html

http://www.geocities.com/pathebikeguy/westerncuba.html
How do able is that for a US citizen?

From San diego, just keep going south through Baja - it's absolutely beautiful!! It'll only take you about three weeks or so to get all the way down, so then you can take a ferry over to Mazatlan and ride back up in the mainland! That part of our last year-long journey was a real highlight.

From San diego, just keep going south through Baja - it's absolutely beautiful!! It'll only take you about three weeks or so to get all the way down, so then you can take a ferry over to Mazatlan and ride back up in the mainland! That part of our last year-long journey was a real highlight.

This is an excellent idea. I lived in San Diego for three years and never got enough time off to do this type of ride. It's on my "to do" list.

Me? Drop me in Europe. Anywhere in Europe.

How do able is that for a US citizen?

As far as I know, Cuba allows Americans in freely. It is the US Government that doesn't allow Americans to go there. All you need to do is go to Mexico (or any other nearby country) and then fly in.

As far as I know, Cuba allows Americans in freely. It is the US Government that doesn't allow Americans to go there. All you need to do is go to Mexico (or any other nearby country) and then fly in.

I"ve heard that too. But - you can't buy the ticket in the US, right? So you fly to Mexico, then buy an onward ticket, and fly to Cuba. If you only have two weeks, it seems risky to me. What if you can't get on a flight for a while?

Thanks for all of the input! :thumb:

Baja California sounds like it would be a lot of fun, and the weather would probably be great; but I only speak a little bit of Spanish (cuanto dinero por la cosa?), and I'm not sure if I could convince my mother that I would be safe.

New Zealand/Australia also sounds like a good time, but that would mean an extra $1500 for a plane ticket. I can get the money, but it would mean digging into my savings big time.

My father suggested cycling Phoenix>San Diego>Los Angeles, then taking a plane to New Orleans and catching Mardi Gras. After Mardi Gras I could ride to Georgia, ship or sell the bike, and start hiking the AT. I like the idea, but I hear it's VERY rainy in California this time of year.

Does anyone here have experience cycling the California Coast or Louisiana in January/February?

As far as I know, Cuba allows Americans in freely. It is the US Government that doesn't allow Americans to go there. All you need to do is go to Mexico (or any other nearby country) and then fly in.


Just don't be looking for a job that needs a clearance anytime in your forseeable lifetime afterwards,

-R

Just don't be looking for a job that needs a clearance anytime in your forseeable lifetime afterwards,

-R

+1

Plenty of Americans go to Cuba using the methods described above (fly to Mexico, then go from Mexico to Cuba). You then ask the Cubans *not* to stamp your passport when you enter the country.

Of course -- if you're a US citizen -- more than likely you'll be violating a number of U.S. federal laws, and you'll be subject to fines and/or imprisonment if caught. If something happens while in Cuba (medical emergency, or crime) you should not expect the U.S. government to be particularly sympathetic to your plight. And on returning to the U.S. you're likely to be inclined to lie when asked, "What countries have you visited on this trip." Which is another violation of federal law.

I'm finding the conversation about Cuba very interesting. Among Canadians, Cuba is a very popular vacation destination for those who want to take a break from winter in January or February. I haven't been there myself, but I know a lot of people who have.

The AT certainly qualifies as a right of passage adventure. You could do a two-fer. Ride across the USA, and then do the AT.

Doing the southern tier in January and February would be quite challenging, but not impossible. Such a two-fer would deserve to be called "epic".

Speedo

I'm finding the conversation about Cuba very interesting. Among Canadians, Cuba is a very popular vacation destination for those who want to take a break from winter in January or February. I haven't been there myself, but I know a lot of people who have.

I know a fair number of Americans who have gone as well but it's not advice I would give someone lightly, especially a 19-year-old who has lots of other places to see without risking any legal problems.

The AT certainly qualifies as a right of passage adventure. You could do a two-fer. Ride across the USA, and then do the AT.

Doing the southern tier in January and February would be quite challenging, but not impossible. Such a two-fer would deserve to be called "epic".

Speedo

This was my original fantasy, the "epic journey". I'm fine with wearing lots of layers in the cold, but the weather patterns for the higher elevations along the southern tier look like they could be genuinely dangerous. While I'm okay with being cold, I'm not okay with my family seeing my picture next to a "cyclist dies in blizzard" head line.

This was my original fantasy, the "epic journey". I'm fine with wearing lots of layers in the cold, but the weather patterns for the higher elevations along the southern tier look like they could be genuinely dangerous. While I'm okay with being cold, I'm not okay with my family seeing my picture next to a "cyclist dies in blizzard" head line.

The good thing about the southern tier is that the storms pass through rather quickly. As long as you're OK with getting a motel for a night or two while the storm rages, you'll be fine. We are now in Del Rio along the southern tier - and it's been fine. We just rode through one front - with cold temps, but no snow. A couple weeks ago and front came through that was bringing snow - so we holed up in a motel. Just be sure to ask the local people what the weather forecast is so you know what to expect.

Have you thought about Hawaii? I've toured on the 3 main islands other than Oahu, though I did a few day trips on Oahu, too, and enjoyed it. The Big Island is indeed, big. Kauai has gorgeous scenery though a limited number of roads. You might want to consider hiking the Na Pali coast while you're there, one of the prettiest areas I've seen on the planet. Riding up Waimea Canyon is a good challenge with great scenery. The Hana coast of Maui is a great ride, too. Hawaii can be reasonably priced if you camp, though there are strict rules for permits in state park and county park campgrounds.

It's usually somewhat cheaper to fly from the US to Bangkok or Singapore, than to Australia or NZ. Once you get to SE Asia, it's dirt-cheap. It won't cost you much at all to tour there for 2 months. In most areas, you can get a decent room for less than US$10/night (in rural Laos, only $3 to $5/night), and wonderful food for less than it costs to prepare it yourself. Northern Thailand and northern Laos are superb for biking in January & February, because it's the dry season and the temperatures are considerably cooler in those months than in central or southern Thailand. The scenery is great, too, and people are exceedingly friendly. Don't worry about language. Many people you'll deal with speak a little bit of English, and bring a phrase book for those who don't. A smile goes a long way, too.

The good thing about the southern tier is that the storms pass through rather quickly. As long as you're OK with getting a motel for a night or two while the storm rages, you'll be fine. We are now in Del Rio along the southern tier - and it's been fine. We just rode through one front - with cold temps, but no snow. A couple weeks ago and front came through that was bringing snow - so we holed up in a motel. Just be sure to ask the local people what the weather forecast is so you know what to expect.

I am EXTREMELY interested in hearing more about your trip. What kind of shelter, layers, do you use, what has been your coldest day, etc...?



Edit: I just checked out your website, Nancy. THAT is epic.

I am EXTREMELY interested in hearing more about your trip. What kind of shelter, layers, do you use, what has been your coldest day, etc...?



Edit: I just checked out your website, Nancy. THAT is epic.

Once we got down into the southern tier, the coldest day we've had has been about 25 degrees or so - which is very doable with the proper layers. It almost always warms up into the 40's during the day. The good news is that those cold snaps don't last long here - if you can suffer through two or three days of cold, the temps will be back up in the 60's or 70's. It's not like Wyoming where you can go three months before you see water melt!

When it's that cold, I'm wearing a basic t-shirt, two thin long-sleeved wool shirts, a felted wool sweater vest, and my fleece jacket. If it got even colder, I could put my rain jacket over that, but I've never had to. I wear wool tights for my legs and that's always been OK. Wool socks (two layers) have kept my feet from freezing.

I've found the most important part of my clothing has been hats and gloves - I do the layer thing for that too. I've got two thin hats (one wool, the other fleece) that I can layer on depending on how cold it is. And I've got three pairs of gloves that I can layer together.

We camp out most nights - but will take shelter in a hotel if the weather is supposed to get very nasty. We have warm sleeping bags and have never been cold at night at all. It has been very windy several nights, so you have to some kind of tent that will somewhat shelter you from the wind - you absolutely NEED a way to get out of it!

Good luck with your journey - it'll be great whereever you decide to go!

For my money, if I were in San Diego I would just head up the Pacific Coast as far I could. Adventure Cycling has maps and there is at least one guide book dedicated solely to this route. It is incredibly scenic and it takes you through some neat cities in San Fran, Portland and Seattle. There is also a ton of cheap camping along the route. The campgrounds that I visited asked in the neighborhood of $5 per night, had hot showers and usually had a couple of other tourists to share info with.

I HIGHLY recommend this trip. Plus if you are in Seattle you could ship your bike from there and hike the PCT which I have heard blows the pants off the AT for natural beauty (a bit longer though =) ).

Whatever you do, have a great time! All the best!

Once we got down into the southern tier, the coldest day we've had has been about 25 degrees or so - which is very doable with the proper layers. It almost always warms up into the 40's during the day. The good news is that those cold snaps don't last long here - if you can suffer through two or three days of cold, the temps will be back up in the 60's or 70's. It's not like Wyoming where you can go three months before you see water melt! ...

Thank you so much for your responses, Nancy. May the wind always be at your back.

Does anyone else out there have experience doing the southern tier at this time of year?

Does anyone else out there have experience doing the southern tier at this time of year?
I'd urge you to go to crazyguyonabike.com, click on "search", then do a search on the words "southern tier january". You'll get about 22 hits. The majority of these will be for tours which were done in the spring or fall but whose journals were updated in "january". However, you'll find a half a dozen or so tours which were actually done in the middle of winter. To be honest, they don't sound like that much fun to me. However, you know your own cold tolerance better than anyone.

I almost didnt post,,/noticeing you were west///im east and if there is better bikeing than eastern Maine and Canada includeing the islands ill be surprised/but If I got a chance to go west Id go to the west Texas gulf and into Mexico/Kenneth

I agree Cuba could be a real sleeper destination for bikeing /Kenkayak

Shortly after new year's, I'm going to ride from Phoenix to San Diego (as practice). After that I'm open to any reasonable suggestions for a route.

So, any suggestions?

IMO a well defined rite of passage for a bicyclist, particularly of the USA, is to cross the country on a bicycle. Maybe not as exotic as Australia or New Zealand, but without the costs and hassles of international travel. On such a ride, even the mundane becomes memorable. I've corresponded with several BF subscribers just because they live where we had crossed.

IMO a well defined rite of passage for a bicyclist, particularly of the USA, is to cross the country on a bicycle. Maybe not as exotic as Australia or New Zealand, but without the costs and hassles of international travel. On such a ride, even the mundane becomes memorable. I've corresponded with several BF subscribers just because they live where we had crossed.

Coast to Coast would be great, and I would commit to it if I wasn't worried about arriving at Springer Mountain early enough to finish the Appalachian Trail before the fall semester of 2009. I would even wait until early spring to start riding. As it is though, this prospective tour is simply "phase one" of my adventure. If I do decide to take the southern tier, and I'm fast enough, I might go the entire length. If I'm too slow, I might take a train to make up some of the distance. I don't feel bad about taking "short cuts" like that, as the biking portion of the adventure is essentially an appetizer to the main course that is hiking.

San Diego, California to Panama City, Panama
http://www.cyclingforacause.com

My favorite part of my trip, can be done in two months
(Click Journal and start at "Day 59 - Loco!", have photos open in another window and start at "J - Baja Mexico")

Read a few days, I guarantee you'll be hooked!
I toured in the US as well, but touring in Mexico and Central America was way, way, way more fun
I've also done parts of the Appalachian Trial, this beats it too :)

Maybe not as exotic as Australia or New Zealand

I've never really thought of Australia or New Zealand as "exotic" ... I haven't been to New Zealand yet, but Australia reminds me a lot of a warmer Canada.

And aside from the amount of time it takes, travel back and forth between Canada and Australia is fairly hassle-free.

I've never really thought of Australia or New Zealand as "exotic" ... I haven't been to New Zealand yet, but Australia reminds me a lot of a warmer Canada.

And aside from the amount of time it takes, travel back and forth between Canada and Australia is fairly hassle-free.

I'm sure that doing Australia or new Zealand would be a lot of fun, but it doesn't fit the budget. I'd like to keep my total for non-bicycle transportation under $500.

I'm starting to lean towards the southern tier (east bound), but we'll see what I think after the trip to San Diego. What ever I decide on, I'll be sure to let everyone know!

Phoenix to Mexico City, and fly home. You will have the time of your life on a shoe string budget.

I'll say: head south, young man, to Mexico. The 'southern tier' to New Orleans would be nice, too, but too cold for me in January and February. So try for a compromise: the Mexico route to New Orleans. Head south from San Diego into Baja, down to Santa Rosalia on the gulf side (the Pacific side will be cool and wet in the winter). From Santa Rosalia, take the ferry across the gulf to Guaymas (http://www.ferrysantarosalia.com/), for around 40 bucks for a student. From Guaymas you can travel the main route south to Los Mochis or El Fuerte (the latter is better), then train over the Sierra Madre via the Copper Canyon railway, or you can pedal to the train on a more remote route, via Navajoa/Alamos/El Fuerte, or you can ride over the mountains all by your self, via Yecora, Sonora. In any case, once you cross the Sierra the plateau is pretty high and you'll want to mosey north to the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo on the Texas border, then hug the Gulf of Mexico coast to New Orleans and ultimately the AT trailhead in Georgia.

Will your mother approve? So long as you promise her that you'll stay off the busy highways, and when you can't you'll hitch/take a bus.

I should admit that I've never pedaled this route, but I've been along most of it, and think your chances of survival are simply wonderful.

Good luck.

My mind is changing on this every couple of days. I'm beginning to think that the pacific coast in California is a much safer (and more comfortable) option. In addition to being warmer, I'm pretty sure I could use the Hennessey Hammock that's been in my closet for a month and actually be more comfortable than my current sleeping arrangement.




The record lows along the Californian coast are in the twenties (F), while they're some times in the ones or negatives along the Southern Tier.




Also: Baja would be grand, but I'll save that until I improve my Spanish.

If you're going to try a U.S. tour in January and February, do your homework and find out what kinds of weather you'll encounter. Don't just look at the major cities along your route; look at the smaller towns, especially those in the mountains and along the passes. See what you can find for past weather for January and February, but if you can't find that, then look at the current weather forecasts. January will be much the same as December and possibly colder. For U.S. locations, go to weather.gov and look for past weather or climate information. This will give you information on the larger centres.

My mind is changing on this every couple of days. I'm beginning to think that the pacific coast in California is a much safer (and more comfortable) option.

Live a little on the daring side my friend :) The California coast was the easiest and possibly most boring part of my ride



Also: Baja would be grand, but I'll save that until I improve my Spanish.
Nah, you'll be fine. When I entered Tijuana I barely knew any Spanish at all, and I had never even taken it in school. You'd be surprised how fast you learn a language when you have to!

Does anyone else out there have experience doing the southern tier at this time of year?

Well, I live in "the Southern Tier" and ride year-round? Does that qualify? (I've also hiked much of the AT and all of the Long Trail in VT.)

Currently I live in North Carolina, but I grew up in Georgia. Winter weather here can be quite unpredictable -- ranging from snow and ice storms to balmy days with highs in the 70s and 80s. Really cold weather USUALLY lasts just a few days when fronts come through, but if we get snow/ice storms that has a way of extending the cold. Many cities/towns/counties in the South do not plow roads when it snows because it is so infrequent, so roads can stay in very poor conditions for many days and sometimes weeks after a bad storm. Then again, we don't often get bad snowstorms.

I bike commute year-round in NC. Typically I cycle to work 3-4 days a week, and my total mileage in winter is usually 500-600 miles/month. But I pick and choose the days that I ride. I generally don't ride when it's raining, sleeting or snowing. I do ride when it's cold and dry (or damp) but I have plenty of cold-weather gear.

BTW, be prepared for some very cold weather, snow and ice on the AT -- even leaving in March. Weather in the Southern Appalachians is significantly colder than nearby areas at lower elevations. Eg, it often snows in the N. Georgia mountains while it is raining in Atlanta. Sometimes these snows can be significant -- I can remember several times where they've 2-4' of snow in the mountains of WNC in recent years.

I have several friends who have hiked the entire AT, and I considered it myself when I was about your age. One of my friends attempted it twice but stopped early both times due to poor weather. The last time it rained, snowed or sleeted something like 29 of the first 30 days, before he finally had enough and quit. However, my friends who hike the entire AT and succeeded consider the adventure of their lifetimes.

I had to "settle" for the Long Trail because I didn't have the money or time to hike the whole AT. That took me about 6 weeks including a week off in the middle. It was quite an experience, but also lonely at times. The trips into towns to restock with supplies were the high points in many ways. The last 3 days approaching Canada, I only saw one other person and they were hiking the other way. At the US/Canada border, the trail just stops, with no sign or anything to commemorate the journey. The last shelter was in a clearcut forest, and it was a 15-mile hike to nearest town.

The decision has been made. I'll leave Phoenix on Jan. 31, and head west to San Diego, then north to San Fransisco. Thanks everyone for all of your help. I'll try to upload some pictures in the near future.