Texas - Cross-post Oklahoma to Texas Spring Tour

Please take a look at this thread in Touring: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=507398.

I could use some local help for N. Tx down to Granbury (Hood Co.)

Thanks.

I've done Oklahoma Freewheel. I've worked in the oil fields along a lot of your route. I've traveled most of Texas. And, to be fair, I live just west of your route in Graham, TX.

But I recommend against the Bridgeport to Weatherford route you've picked. That's going to be 40 or 50 mile of sheer terror. The Barnett shale boom has slowed somewhat, but from Bridgeport to Grandbury is a lot of traffic, including big water hauling trucks, pipe haulers, pump trucks and gravel trucks. Bridgeport and the environs to the east and south of there is gravel truck city, where everything is hauled from to build roads in the Metroplex.

Swing west to Jacksboro, then Mineral Wells, then head east and turn south on some of the FM road between Weatherford and Mineral Wells, cross under I-20 and work your way on down. 281 from Weatherford to Granbury has a shoulder, I think, for most of the way, but it will be heavily travled.

Also, there are state parks in Jacksboro and Mineral Wells for camping.

If you want to take a little more time and swing further west to come down through Wichita Falls you can have the roads all to yourself, sorta.

Thanks Borracho,

Last time I was down in Weatherford & Granbury, there were tons of water tankers all over the place. I don't intend to stay on the major ways if I can avoid it. The farm grid will be our main routes. The map I linked to was just a quick point to point with automatic routing. It's evolving even now.

The big deal is setting a mileage we can both live with and a definite stop location where I know there's a legit campground. I'm trying to keep the distance in the sub 70 mile range and about a 5 day trip.

I'll keep

Check out http://www.texaspermanents.org/ and see if any of the routes go that way. It's a list of routes put together by various Texas Randonneuring groups. You might be able to put pieces together from different routes to go the way you need to go.

Steve

I haven't ridden them to see, but it looks to me like they seek out hilly routes for the randonneuring stuff- look at the climbing where shown on those rides. On the other hand, half their rides are in Granbury.

I haven't ridden them to see, but it looks to me like they seek out hilly routes for the randonneuring stuff- look at the climbing where shown on those rides. On the other hand, half their rides are in Granbury.

I think they have to be.. I went and looked and found in the RBA (Regional Brevet Administrator) Procedures Manual
"Elevation Gain
The general guideline when designing a brevet route is to include approximately 5,000 feet of climbing per 200km (or 4000 feet per 100 miles)."
*sigh* that is more then I thought but it explains all the hills.