Southeast - Advice needed for Winter trip from Virginia to New Orleans

I dont have a lot of experience on a long distance trip but planning to leave next week with a friend from VA or NC to New Orleans. Has anyone done that trek this time of year? Thanks much in advance for any suggestions.

You might ask something like that over in the touring section of the forums.

Welcome to the forums by the way.....

New Orleans has been relatively mild for the last week. 50s-60s F. We've also been having a dryer than average year. For example the Pearl River to the East of New Orleans is well below flood stage after a couple of good days of rain just before Christmas. This means that a lot of rural roads will be decent, and not muddied by rising backwaters. (On a recent trip to Honey Island swamp near Slidell, LA I didn't experience any mud in the road at all, even the gravel parts.)

I would definitely plan to stick to a coastal plain route like the ACA Atlantic Coast Route and then pick up the Southern Tier Route. Stay out of the mountains. You could cut across south GA between the two routes.

You need good winter riding clothes if you are going to travel in cold weather. Insulated shoe covers, windproof tights, windproof gloves, etc.

If you are camping, winter gear would also be a good idea.

The weather is so variable in the SE. It could be in the 70s one day and 35 and raining the next. You need to be prepared for the worst of it which would be days in the 30s and nights in the teens.

Remember, too, that you are traveling in the shortest days of the years. If you wait for it to warm up in the morning you will cut your potential riding time significantly.