Touring - Start in Florida....

As it's the lowest cost to get there on a plane.
Arrive with bike and tent in August 2005 with the plan of riding 45 miles a day or thereabouts. Camping and staying as cheap as possible.
Where do I aim for and what do I look at for ideas?
I hope to stay for two months in total and am not worried about where I fly back from as long as it is a main international airport but I would be happy to do a return from Florida.
Ideas, insults, large amounts of cash etc are all welcome.
The Key to it all is LOW COST! :)

Try this link:

www.bikeflorida.org

Through this site there is a link to many if not most of the bicycle clubs in Florida. Contacting them should give you all the information you need. My only advise, as a native Floridian, is to bring plenty of bug spray and sun screen. And, one other thing, don't swim in any water at night.

Where do I aim for and what do I look at for ideas?

California.

Check Adventurecycling.com for the Southern Tier route maps. You may need a bit more than 2 months, but that's up to you.

Howdy -
Florida? In August?? And you are from Lancashire???
Honey chile - I don't know, but I reckon you must be a little teeched.
But - - you get what you pay for.

Camping is hard to come by in Florida - and usually pricey. In fact, there is very little free camping east of the Mississippi unless you stealth camp - much harder to do in the east since it's harder to be unseen. You can camp for free along the C&O Canal west of Washington DC - plus if you stick to the backroads of West Virginia and Kentucky people in little towns would probably let you camp for free. In the U.S. - as elsewhere - folks are more and more reluctant to let strangers stop in and stay. Twenty years ago folks were much more welcoming - partly it's fear - partly it's an increase in "sophistication" whatever that means. When few people had cars - folks would give strangers a ride - now the only people soliciting rides are the chronically mentally ill.

Best - J

FYI - -
West of Denver you can camp on any public land outside of national parks for free.

I live in FT Lauderdale
You don't want to ride a bike here in August
Few or no hostels, campgrounds as rare, Heat not that bad but humidity in the 90s daily will knock you out, plus the ocassional storm which are totally unpredictable
Get a ticket to Vancouver,B.C. or Seattle, Wash.
Ride south thru Washington St,. Oregon will knock your sox off,Go as far as San Francisco, if possible,then next year return and do the ride along Pacific Coast Hwy from SF, to Malibu. You can buy an open jaws ticket that allows to to arrive in one city and depart another

Hi,
I agree with Travelinguy. You could also fly into the East Coast, or Atlantic Canada, and avoid the worst of the heat. You might fly into Montreal or Quebec, and then ride into the states. From Quebec you could ride down into Vermont, and then take the ferry to the Adirondacks. If you have onely a week or two, I'd start someplace scenic. Burlington, Vermont would fit the bill.

Here's another vote against cycle-camping in Florida in August...too hot, too humid, too stormy.

I also live in South Florida and while the summer heat generally doesn't bother me too much, I'd most always be off the bike before noon. Sleeping in a tent could be very uncomfortable.

Even in the cooler months, options for low cost, mystery camping are limited. Sleeping on the beach is prohibited and/or discouraged. Most sites are reachable more by boaters than bikers.

Scott

Another idea is to bike in Quebec, and the Maritime provinces, in Canada. There have been a few mentions of how fine it is, Route Verte?? Montreal, Quebec City are gems and so is the St Lawrence Valley

[QUOTE=Travelinguyrt]Another idea is to bike in Quebec, and the Maritime provinces, in Canada.
I could not agree more!

bike camping in florida? just because it's cheap? better to stay home
and poke out your eardrums with an icepick. it'll be just as interesting
and you'll have a funny story to tell the grandkids.

pay the extra fare to fly into denver or albuquerque or las vegas or phoenix.
you'll more than make up for it in free camping, and lower campground or
motel fees. oh, yeah...and there's stuff to see, too.

Thanks for the replies it iws surely making me think again!
I spent a few months in So California in the ealry 90's and remember the heat from then. I moved on the New Orleans and the humidity got me bad so maybe I should thing further North?
I'll look into the airports used by budget flyers and ask more questions later.
Thanks again all.

I met a fellow on the Blue Ridge Parkway last summer touring from Montreal to Atlanta. He had a great trip through Vermont down to N. Virginia where the Skyline Drive begins. From there it is 600 miles of awesome road down to N. Carolina. Finding a good way into Atlanta can be dodgy though.