Touring - Smokey Mountains >> NC/OBX >> VA Tidewater >> DC this summer: Help a n00b.

I have decided that I am going to take off on my bike after I finish up with my summer classes in mid-August. As I am from the flattest (read boringest) place on earth, I decided It would be best to take a train to more scenic lands first. This route seems ideal given my time/budget constraints, (2 weeks on the cheap.) I wanted to get some advice on a number of issues.

First the weather. Do hurricanes preclude this trip entirely? I was thinking that since I am starting out in the mountains, I could just head north in the event of bad weather and proceed to the coast only if the coast (snicker) is clear. Does the weather in the mountains, get hairy when there are hurricanes? Will I be sufficiently protected?

Second the bike. I have a ~1996 Raleigh m30 "mountain" bike and a 2003 Marin Portofino. I would prefer to take the Marin, but only if the roads are sufficiently paved. Can anyone speak from experience on the condition of the roads in the area?

Lastly the route. Once on the coast, I can follow the Adventure Cycling maps which seem to be pretty reliable. So I am not concerned about that part. But what about in the mountains? I know the roads are very twisty and that the locals just fly through those corners. Safety is a definite concern here. Are there any good maps or routes that will keep me out of the way of traffic? ((I know this probably means taking bad roads. So comments on the feasibility of a road bike are welcome in this context as well.)) Will I be able to camp more nights than I have to get a hotel? I don’t mind spending a few nights indoors, but cannot afford to do this very much. Oh yeah. Just to avoid confusion I will probably take a train/bus across the meat of NC (west to east) to make for a less ambitious pace. So don't worry about those roads.

Thanks,
Stefan

PS: I will be by myself on this trip.

Also I was considering going to Colorado. Do you folks think I would have a more enjoyable experience out there?



And yes I know I can't spell. ;)

As to the weather that is approaching the peak of the hurricane season which is Sept. and luckily recent hurricanes have been heading to NC rather than Fl. but at least you won't have any real estate to worry about lol.Seriously don't let it bother you just keep an eye on the weather forcasts and you will be able to evacuate in plenty of time.
There are paved roads that route so a touring bike will be fine there are also however some nice mtn biking trails in those areas if you were to take a mtn bike instead the choice is up to you.
The narrow mtn roads are an issue and as i have lived in the mtns in that region and cycled those types of roads can tell you that if you are solo and keep to the shoulder or far right you should be fine on most twisting roads but I did usu avoided the real hairpin turn type roads.What is really dangerous is when large groups of inexperienced cyclists get out on those roads thinking it will be safe due to low traffic and take up the whole road on narrow winding mtn/remote roads.
As an alternative and to avoid the hairpin turn roads let me suggest you instead head up the Blue Ridge Parkway to near DC skirting around to the south then taking the eastern shore or northern neck(both would be very scenic) to the Outer Banks and finish the tour there instead.Taking the northern neck which is basically following the west shore of the Potomac you could skirt around the Hampton Roads metro area and also avoid the Bay tunnel bridge.
As to Colorado vs. this tour your choice both would be nice and are tours I would love to do .One thing to consider it will be warm and humid along the coast and piedmont regions on the east coast choice.

As I missed parts of your post in my first reply there are plenty of camping alternatives in the NC mtns and outer banks and along the BRP as well.Also as I see now you are planning to bus across much of interior NC you could just take the Blue Ridge Parkway to near Asheville then bus from there to the shore to avoid the bad roads.

woah, thanks.

As I missed parts of your post in my first reply there are plenty of camping alternatives in the NC mtns and outer banks and along the BRP as well.Also as I see now you are planning to bus across much of interior NC you could just take the Blue Ridge Parkway to near Asheville then bus from there to the shore to avoid the bad roads.

Where exactly in the Outer Banks do you guys feel safe riding? I'm going there next week but there's really only one main road there, and the traffic is pretty nuts.

Thanks

Where exactly in the Outer Banks do you guys feel safe riding? I'm going there next week but there's really only one main road there, and the traffic is pretty nuts.

Thanks

:lol: I don't think you can avoid the outter banks traffic unless you're traving them in the cold months. As I recall though I think they were widening things last time I went through there, possibly adding a shoulder?

By avoiding the bad roads I was refering to narrow twisting mtn roads with high speed traffic the original poster was concerned about(and using the BRP to aviod them).I have never cycled the obx and its been quite a few years since I have even been through that area by car(as a kid with my parents) and given the trendiness of NC now I am sure there is much more traffic now(particularly north of Mateo and the road into the area from Hampton Roads) .The original poster said he wasn't worried about along the coast though as he was picking up the Adv. Cycle route so I really wasn't taking that part of the ride into consideration with my comments.If those roads are a problem though I would think one could still find some remote roads just on the west side of Pamlico Sound headed north/south (as east/west would have traffic to the beaches).For the original poster this would have the benefit of allowing a wide path around Hampton Roads and avoiding the main road in from there (south from Chesapeake)which last time I was on was narrow with high traffic definately not cycle friendly.

As a matter of fact, I’ve never been to the NC coast. I wasn’t as concerned about safety as much because the roads are straight (well flat at least.) If there is too much traffic I can always turn around and head inland. Since I last posted I have started to consider spending all my time in the mountains, and avoiding the heat. As a newcomer to touring, I am trying to leave myself open to many options, and not get locked into too fast a pace or a less than desirable route. Besides I can never make a decision about anything until the last minute.

By the way, that tip about the Parkway was great RWTD. That’s exactly the type of thing I am looking for. I will definitely check out the roads west of Pamlico Sound too.