Touring - Trans Am Route Weather (is it too late?)

well, i'd been planning to do the Trans Am route, going east to west & hopefully leaving A WEEK & A HALF AGO!!!, however due to a string of "all too human" customer service departments, i still haven't left yet, after reading catfish's recent travelogue & how he thinks he started too late (& he's already in pueblo) i'm kinda scared it might not be the best thing for me to leave at this point (couldn't leave 'till wednesday, the 24th, at best now) especially regarding snow on the passes. i've got cold weather camping gear, but my tires are 700x28 slicks & i just can't afford to change them out. I was planning 100mi days, & one rest day a week, as this trip was more about turning out the miles & actually moving to a new city, which i know a lot of you would consider sinful, but that's the style my current situation dictates, so even if i didn't leave 'till wed/thurs, i could make it to portland, OR, in theory, barring any "incidents", by mid october.

so what do you guys think?, how's the weather in your neck of the woods?

Great riding weather in Minnesota. What is your departure point?

oops, i'd be leaving from raleigh NC.

Generally speaking anytime after August 28th in the Rockies and you have a good chance of snowstorms at higher elevations.

Dave

I was worried about this for you. I'm glad you're taking a closer look at the weather.

I just checked their web site, and Adventure Cycling says that the TransAm route can be ridden May through September.

Have you considered taking a different route? You could take the Atlantic Coast route, hook up with the Southern Tier, and then take the Pacific Coast up to Portland. You might run into a little snow in the New Mexico mountains, but probably nothing like in Colorado.

found this page, might be useful for others, grrr. my prospects don't look to good...

http://www.cityrating.com/weatherhistory.asp

if you have to get to Portland anyway why not head out planning to take alternate transportation over the Rockies or other areas where you might experience inclimate weather.In a worse case scenario you could say ride to Pueblo/Denver and take transportation from there.

Just go, you'll have plenty of time to think about plan B en route.

Lucky... :)

Im with Erick. Just go! And like RWTD says, you can always take alternate transportation to get you through the rockies and any snow. You did say the trip was more for turinig out the miles than sight seeing anyway. . . Youve still got a month of heat in 90% of the country!

Steve

Yeah, I'd go man. Frankly, when little things go unaccording to plan (i.e. have to hitch over a pass instead of riding), the trip gets more interesting.

I'm with everyone else in saying that you should still go. It's definitely going to be cold in the rockies - My friend and I took the western express route across the rockies two weeks ago (aug 7-14). It was 36 degrees one morning, and another morning there was ice on the tents. This weekend there's a possibility of snow above 10,000 feet. Our ride was cold for under an hour each morning, then we had to peel off our long pants and jackets before we overheated. With luck and good preparation, you can probably ride the whole trip. Otherwise... I can store your bike for you over the winter and you can pick up where you left off in the spring. :)

Hi - I live in Wyoming - have done lots of touring summer and fall - and can say that you are taking your chances, at best. People die in Wyoming all the time due to exposure. You will be crossing the Rockies very late in the season - the roads in Yellowstone could be closed by then - you should expect significant weather delays - which means a late October arrival more likely. It's wonderful to bike west-to-east - - but if you're moving to the west coast I see your reasoning. I'm not sure where you are starting from - DC?? Bike trails (C&O Canal, Katy Trail) have a gentle grade and camping in the east and midwest. I'd cut northwesterly across Nebraska on Route 2 (except in SE Neb.) to Lusk and Casper, Wyoming to avoid the highest passes in Colo and save some miles.

Stay informed about weather changes in the West and be willing to wait a day or two.
Good luck and be very careful.

John

if you're leaving from nc, why not take the natchez trace south to link up with the
southern tier route? still plenty of summer down here, in fact hit 100 degrees today,
nightly lows of 70. you'll cross the conti divide near silver city, nm, at around
6000 feet, lower elevation still if through lourdsburg.

I would also recommend getting a small portable weather alert radio with you. We have been in the mid 40s at night here on the front range in Montana. We have had 6 inches of snow here as early as August 22nd. (~3600' ASL)

Why not give it a shot. It will certianly be an adventure.