Touring - 2013 - Your Short Tours

Short tours are great for those of us who can only spare a few days from our busy schedules to spend on a cycling tour ... or for those of us who want to do a quick exploration of the area where we live or an area we want to learn more about ... and for those who want to test equipment, bicycle setup, etc.

When you go on a short hub-and-spoke tour, overnight tour, weekend tour, long weekend tour, maybe even a week-long tour, or something similar, tell us about it here. :)

Where did you go? What did you see along the way? Would you recommend the area? What sort of accommodation did you use? What kind of bicycle did you ride? Did you learn anything new?

What short tours do you have planned for 2013?

Big Bend in far south Texas end of January. Deserts, mountains, rivers, southwestern culture, no rain.

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee436/jlharp617/047-DSCF0248.jpgTour buds in BB.



Salton Sea, Slab City, Salvation Mt., from Phx in late March, maybe on USS bent if I can figure out how to steer it. Desert in bloom, great wx.

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee436/jlharp617/01-DSCF0569.jpg

Salton Sea. Quickly adapted to the USS. Good ride.

Niagara Falls to Atlantic in June, Erie Canal Path, to finish 2nd x-country.

Utah in Sept.

Retirement is fun, but time does pass awfully quick.

Last year was all about aborted tours, whether due to work commitments or lousy weather conditions. So, this year has the same 2012 tours on the calendar:

June, P'tit Train Du Nord with the family on our tandems. Four leisurely days riding the trail at 35-40 miles per day (great for our soon to be six year olds). This one was cancelled last year due to work.

September, CT to DC speed tour through the NJ Pine Barrens and across the Delmarva. Did the first 100 miles to NJ in 2012 then aborted due to significant thunderstorms, tornados and 50+ MPH headwinds the next day. I had to make my daily mileage and wasn't going to ride until midnight to do it.

As with QueueCT, we had to abort or GAP plans last summer, we plan to retry the GAP this year with the last mile completed! QueueCT I'd like to hear more about your tandem plans on the P'tit Train Du Nord, we also tandem tour and the P'tit Train Du Nord is on our to do list.

I'm planning on the Pedal Across Lower Michigan tour (PALM XXXII) this year. http://www.palmbiketour.org/

I have been on two previous PALMs. Great planning, great people!

Live in SC Nebraska. One week trek to Breckenridge CO for my first tour in 2011 ( https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=10146&v=7z ). Took a 2 week tour to the Black Hills and back last September ( https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=11208&v=G9 ), For 2013 I need to go even further and thinking about either Glacier National Park or Grand Canyon, depending upon time of year and weather.

As a part of our big tour, we did a short hub-and-spoke tour in the Albany, Western Australia area. That is an area we'd like to return to. There is a path all along the beach ... both beach and path are lovely. And the roads in the surrounding area look good for riding. The ones we rode were good.

In addition to cycling, the beach and water are incredible. We had a couple good days of swimming there.

We've been camping, and the weather has been good for that.

We were a bit surprised to find that the Albany area wasn't as busy as we expected, given that it is school holidays. But perhaps it is just far enough away to be less attractive for a weekend getaway.

One of my favorite 50 mile tours is from Novato, Marin county where I live thru Sonoma county and Camp in North Napa Valley near Calistoga. The camp ground ( Bothe Napa Valley State Park) has a Pool and a great way to beat the heat. Usually stay two nights and use it as a base camp to do some tasting and visiting the sites. For a short trip its breathtaking.
Liam

Thinking about DC-Richmond VA & back mini-tour with my new Surly Disc Trucker--not too hilly AFAIK or remote, maybe some historical stuff to see.

@ QueueCT, Delmarva peninsula is great for touring (as you've probably heard)--nice roads, most have wide shoulders & low traffic. I assume you're going to cross the Chesapeake on the Bay Bridge--how are you planning to cross? I had to use the local van taxi service ($20)...tried to hitch a ride but that didn't work.
http://www.kentislandexpress.com/

Next up ... we have tentative plans for a weekend hub-and-spoke tour in the Mt Hotham area later in February. :) If we are able to do that one, it will include a lot of climbing!!

Last summer I went on a overnight trip to Mohican State Park in Ohio. I planned to go to a primitive campsite and it would require a quarter mile hike through the horse trail. It was a lot of fun, but it had it's struggles. I had no idea how tough the trail would be to hike through with a bike. So when I get to the trail head I had to cross a large creek.:notamused: It required me to take my shoes off, and when I got to the other side I could not set my bike down since I had a B.O.B trailer attached. So i walked the rest of the way barefoot. 30 minutes later and only walking quarter mile I arrive to the campsite.
It was time to get to work so I pitched the tent and started to work on the fire. But I had to get the matches first. To my disbelieve I forgot the matches at home!! I even recalled grabbing a pack of matches to throw in the handlebar bag. But I Left them on the table in the garage.
It screwed the rest of the night so I just went in the tent and read the book I brought along.
Leason learned= Double check your gear before heading off.

Short tours are great for those of us who can only spare a few days from our busy schedules to spend on a cycling tour ... or for those of us who want to do a quick exploration of the area where we live or an area we want to learn more about ... and for those who want to test equipment, bicycle setup, etc.

When you go on a short hub-and-spoke tour, overnight tour, weekend tour, long weekend tour, maybe even a week-long tour, or something similar, tell us about it here. :)

Where did you go? What did you see along the way? Would you recommend the area? What sort of accommodation did you use? What kind of bicycle did you ride? Did you learn anything new?

What short tours do you have planned for 2013?

We organized a three day ride on the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes in Idaho. Although it was only 70 miles, we broke into 3 days because some riders (14 total) were children and some were new to distance riding. We camped along the way, so my wife and I moved tents etc with two cars then would ride back to meet the rest on our tandem. One of the families was from Sweden, and they had a ball. It is a gorgeous trail with lots of wildlife, including moose, and several interesting small towns. The mining tour in Wallace is very entertaining. Highly recommended ride.

Late this summer, we plan on riding from Paulina Lake (south of Bend, OR), along the Twisted River hwy, through Prineville, OR, and ending at The Cove State Park. My Brother is going to leapfrog us with our pop-up trailer so we will be staying in campgrounds with that. I've driven along the Twisted River Highway but never biked. It is very picturesque. We will be riding our tandem which we've come to love.

Long range goal? I'd love to bike part of Europe before I'm too old to do such things.

Last summer I went on a overnight trip to Mohican State Park in Ohio. I planned to go to a primitive campsite and it would require a quarter mile hike through the horse trail. It was a lot of fun, but it had it's struggles. I had no idea how tough the trail would be to hike through with a bike. So when I get to the trail head I had to cross a large creek.:notamused: It required me to take my shoes off, and when I got to the other side I could not set my bike down since I had a B.O.B trailer attached. So i walked the rest of the way barefoot. 30 minutes later and only walking quarter mile I arrive to the campsite.
It was time to get to work so I pitched the tent and started to work on the fire. But I had to get the matches first. To my disbelieve I forgot the matches at home!! I even recalled grabbing a pack of matches to throw in the handlebar bag. But I Left them on the table in the garage.
It screwed the rest of the night so I just went in the tent and read the book I brought along.
Leason learned= Double check your gear before heading off.

Reminds me of the time we set off on an eleven day hike along the Boundry Trail in Washington. Just as we reached our jumping off point, we realized that we hadn't packed our hiking boots. We ended up buying boots in Winthrop before taking off.

For those planning to ride the Delmarva there are bridge alternatives. The ferries at Tangiers island and Delaware city give some additional planning options. The Three Forts Ferry, Connecting FT Mott in NJ with Ft Delaware in Delaware gives non bridge crossing access to the upper Delmarva. For Jersey thru riders it gives more routing options thru Jersey. There is excellent riding near the bay on rural back roads in Salem and Cumberland counties in Jersey or for those looking to make miles there are several options to move you north/south via the heart of the Pine Barrens. On the De side I like Rt 9, but it is shoulderless. Still, it's rural. There are excellent roads to Middletown and beyond. Pretty area on both sides of the river! BTW, The Delaware Bay is the Delaware River this far north.

The Tangiers Island ferries put us right in the heart of some of the best touring roads on the Delmarva. It's out of the way for those looking to do a straight shot to DC from Jersey, but for those who can make it fit, worth the extra distance.

I did a 160 km 2 day trip as the first of my weekend hike and bikes. I'm planning on spending 2+ months in Hokkaido hiking and biking around but I need to be stronger. This isn't much of a bike photo but this entry level ($150ish) is about to be replaced by a new bike (maybe Surly). This bike is a KHS stock mt bike with Shimano tourney gears. Alright as a town bike (won't get stolen) but lacking for touring.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8476/8447260143_cfebe4731d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65712043@N05/8447260143/)
Deengorge bicycle trip, Taiwan (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65712043@N05/8447260143/) by abacus07 (http://www.flickr.com/people/65712043@N05/), on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8052/8447243351_68d42ddd4f_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65712043@N05/8447243351/)
Maolin, Taiwan (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65712043@N05/8447243351/) by abacus07 (http://www.flickr.com/people/65712043@N05/), on Flickr
Taiwan is still rebuilding from Typhoon Morakot 3.5 yrs ago.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8051/8446697616_f8775ceb52_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65712043@N05/8446697616/)
red base jezebel, Maolin, Taiwan (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65712043@N05/8446697616/) by abacus07 (http://www.flickr.com/people/65712043@N05/), on Flickr
I wanted to see the purple butterflies (winter migration) but had to settle for this guy.

My first post here. Seems like as good a place as any! I live in Seattle and have a lengthy list of short trip nearby that hope to make this year. Topping the list is a trip to Vancouver Island, via the San Juan Islands. It would be nice to parley that into a longer tour of the Marine Circle on Vancouver Island but I'm not sure I'll have that much time this year. Other short trips: Key Peninsula, Port Townsend... and more overnights closer to home. I'll likely have to pare back my ambitions a bit; my wife and daughter, while both cyclists, are decidedly NOT the touring type. Looking forward to spring!

Shawn
Seattle, WA

Have an overnight planned for this month to Warm Springs, Ga., where F.D.R.'s "Little White House" is located. Camping in the state park, taking in a museum, and eating some local food. This is a trial run for me. Hopefully, some more overnight destinations to take in some history, get some exercise, and depart from the routine.

April 9, 2013 - We finally did it. A 70 mile round trip from Newnan, Ga., to Warm Springs. Some monster hills on the way down, but coming back, we let the DOT take out the acuteness of angle by riding back on a State route. Everybody gave us plenty of room.

My Jamis Aurora did well. Loaded, it probably came in at mid to high 30s in weight. I was pleased with the way the Continental Cyclocross Speed (700x35) tires performed. I'm 6'5", 300 lbs., and they felt like a thinner road tire.

The people and sights you encounter touring give a refreshing departure from the routine ... well worth the effort to get out and explore. My mind is starting to think about the next such trip I can plan.

Probably something on the Delmarva area and Lancaster Penn Dutch country ( show the kid the original family farm)

So ... where are you off to this weekend? :D

Or do you have a short tour coming up in the next month?

So ... where are you off to this weekend? :D

Or do you have a short tour coming up in the next month?

We are in Nannup, Western australia this weekend christening our new mountain bikes. Great day today on the munda biddi and timberline trails including a swim stop at the Barrabup pool in the middle of the forest. Great weather and riding. Happy travels!!

We are in Nannup, Western australia this weekend christening our new mountain bikes. Great day today on the munda biddi and timberline trails including a swim stop at the Barrabup pool in the middle of the forest. Great weather and riding. Happy travels!!

Nice!! :)

We're on a sort of hub and spoke tour near Lake Eildon, Victoria ... we're came out here this morning and were thinking of doing some cycling, but opted to swim instead. Just a bit hot, again.

We're camping tonight, and if all goes well, we'll do some cycling tomorrow morning. :)

So ... where are you off to this weekend? :D

Or do you have a short tour coming up in the next month?

This weekend? Still riding on our trainers and dreaming. Just had another 5" of snow here in Wisconsin~ seems we are now stuck in a bad weather pattern. I did just get my Brooks B17 in and my wife's B17s should be here today so we can at least work on breaking them.
Keep rinding

We're on a sort of hub and spoke tour near Lake Eildon, Victoria ... we're came out here this morning and were thinking of doing some cycling, but opted to swim instead. Just a bit hot, again.

We're camping tonight, and if all goes well, we'll do some cycling tomorrow morning. :)

We did indeed get in a ride today ... 28.37 km.

Our camp spot was right next to a rushing river, so we slept to the soothing lullaby of the sound of rapids. That worked for me. :) And it was kind of nice to be back in the tent again ... especially since the campground was in such a pretty area and it was so quiet (aside from the sound of the water).

We packed up, drove to a little town just up the road, and then went for a ride. When we started, it was about 28C, and by the time we finished it was over 33C. Very hot today.

Then we spent a couple hours near a creek ... wading in it, sitting next to it, etc. It was cooler there.

Photos from last weekend's mini tour ...


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8517/8518658130_8bb8ee1b5a_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-bb/sets/72157632690960213/with/8518658130/)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8235/8507082692_a2a01a8bc0_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-bb/sets/72157632690960213/with/8518658130/)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8087/8505971989_46df55025a_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-bb/sets/72157632690960213/with/8518658130/)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8091/8507082428_b9b631dd45_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-bb/sets/72157632690960213/with/8518658130/)

We're coming up to a long weekend here in Australia (Labour Day), so Rowan and I are planning another hub-and-spoke style tour. We're booked at a campground in the Australian Alps.

Never toured before other than hopped out of the car and rode the 76km to the camp ground so this year will be my first real tour.

Considering the Beaver Valley Sally (http://www.georgianbaycycletours.com/2-day-tours-2013.html) in August as it will be easy for me to get to and appears to be a good start.

Hope I didn't already post in this thread.

My short tour for 2013 is a variation of my annual summer ride from the New London, Connecticut Ferry Terminal to either Westerly or Narragansett, Rhode Island. I've put together a new, longer route that I think is going to be much more enjoyable than previous ones, and I can't wait until July to hit the road.

Next month I'll be riding down the Pacific coast from Monterey, CA to LA. I have 6 days allocated for the ride with my folding bike. I'll be camping along the way much like I did with my Oregon coast ride last year (http://adventurelaus.blogspot.com/2012/08/oregon-coast-ride-reached-coast.html). I suspect that there will be fewer places to find food along the way which might be problematic since I can't carry that much. Hopefully the weather will be nice with me again. You can follow about it on my blog and via twitter.

BTW, Let me know of any good way to cross the northern part of LA to the south. I need to end up in Newport Beach and would like to some multimodal transportation through town (biking, riding train, bus, etc). I don't think I'll have enough time to ride through all of LA. Remember, folding bike, so even a taxi would be workable :thumb: although I would like to go on the cheap side if possible.

Never toured before other than hopped out of the car and rode the 76km to the camp ground so this year will be my first real tour.
You know, no need to ride 76km. Two or three are enough to use the hikers/biker sites at the campground. LOL

We're coming up to a long weekend here in Australia (Labour Day), so Rowan and I are planning another hub-and-spoke style tour. We're booked at a campground in the Australian Alps.

We're set up in our campsite, and if all goes well, we'll get some cycling in tomorrow morning or evening. It's supposed to be painfully hot this weekend, so we'll try to hit the pool or a shady spot somewhere during the middle of the day.

You know, no need to ride 76km. Two or three are enough to use the hikers/biker sites at the campground. LOL
It wasn't supposed to even be 76 km (I see the map (https://maps.google.ca/maps?saddr=Little+Current,+ON&daddr=Mindemoya,+ON+to:Kagawong,+ON&hl=en&ll=45.830235,-82.019119&spn=0.513851,0.688705&sll=45.861086,-82.218933&sspn=0.256783,0.344353&geocode=FTGbvQIdj-Ed-ynFNLj_7f4xTTED0Sr1mXLBEA%3BFTzSuQId8Tka-ymZG5eazw8yTTGibh7zgbUvKg%3BFeBgvAId8PYY-ylr0y0Uex8yTTGLQHKe0OTNMg&oq=kaga&mra=ls&t=m&z=11) has a different distance but I'm was sure that's what my cyclocomputer measured) but the entry for the campground in the GPS was wrong. We were supposed to go from Little Current (A) to Kagawan (C) but the GPS told us that the camp ground was near Mindemoya (B). My wife dropped the boys and I off just outside of Little Current and we rode to the West Bay (the junction) where the boys hopped back into the car and I followed her to Mindemoya only to discover that she had learned that the campground wasn't anywhere near Mindemoya (she was waiting for me). I had my cell phone and plenty of water and granola bars so I told her to go on ahead and we'll be in touch every so often.

At one point, I was travelling on the straight stretch north to Kagawan on the clear, 2-lane minor highway when a large tractor trailer passed me, by moving to the oncoming lane, giving me huge space (THANK YOU!!!) but a minute later, a pickup passed me so close, I was nearly clipped by the side mirrors (no oncoming traffic either) (IDIOT!!!).

It was a great weekend of camping although Kagawan Lake was cold and choppy.

Normally I just ride a radius of about 150 km around my home city (Winnipeg). Since I'm getting a new Surly LHT Deluxe, I'll be able to bring it with me when I go flying. I have a few tours planned, one in May in Germany (7 days from Frankfurt to Munich) and this summer, I'm planning to do some "remote" touring in the Canadian Arctic. Maybe Rankin Inlet - Whale Cove.

Normally I just ride a radius of about 150 km around my home city (Winnipeg). Since I'm getting a new Surly LHT Deluxe, I'll be able to bring it with me when I go flying. I have a few tours planned, one in May in Germany (7 days from Frankfurt to Munich) and this summer, I'm planning to do some "remote" touring in the Canadian Arctic. Maybe Rankin Inlet - Whale Cove.

Have you been cycling in the Winnipeg area long? I live there for 13 years, and cycled the whole time, but left in 2004.

Where do you like going? When I lived there, I did a lot of long daytrips, but only a few overnighters.

Next month I'll be riding down the Pacific coast from Monterey, CA to LA. I have 6 days allocated for the ride with my folding bike. I'll be camping along the way much like I did with my Oregon coast ride last year (http://adventurelaus.blogspot.com/2012/08/oregon-coast-ride-reached-coast.html). I suspect that there will be fewer places to find food along the way which might be problematic since I can't carry that much. Hopefully the weather will be nice with me again. You can follow about it on my blog and via twitter.

BTW, Let me know of any good way to cross the northern part of LA to the south. I need to end up in Newport Beach and would like to some multimodal transportation through town (biking, riding train, bus, etc). I don't think I'll have enough time to ride through all of LA. Remember, folding bike, so even a taxi would be workable :thumb: although I would like to go on the cheap side if possible.

You might check out Metrolink http://www.metrolinktrains.com/

Amtrak connects with their trains.

You can also call them for other connecting transport services and additional information.

Hello everyone,

I've been building up strength (and courage) to start touring this spring and am planning to take a weekend 160 km tour from the city of Athens along the south-eastern coast towards Loutra Oreas Elenis a bit past the Corinth canal. I've already reached 2/3 of the way there on a day trip, but that was a year ago, I was totally out of shape and the hills outside of Megara were torture!

Here's a map showing the -to- segment of the trip; with the return being identical.

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2216825

Short tours are great for those of us who can only spare a few days from our busy schedules to spend on a cycling tour ... or for those of us who want to do a quick exploration of the area where we live or an area we want to learn more about ... and for those who want to test equipment, bicycle setup, etc.

When you go on a short hub-and-spoke tour, overnight tour, weekend tour, long weekend tour, maybe even a week-long tour, or something similar, tell us about it here. :)

Where did you go? What did you see along the way? Would you recommend the area? What sort of accommodation did you use? What kind of bicycle did you ride? Did you learn anything new?

What short tours do you have planned for 2013?

I have been planning a short day trip to the center of the next county. But every time I re-map it, I come across roads that I would not want to be on. Because of the high speed limit(50mph), and/or no shoulder, and/or, bad road surface.

I have been planning a short day trip to the center of the next county. But every time I re-map it, I come across roads that I would not want to be on. Because of the high speed limit(50mph), and/or no shoulder, and/or, bad road surface.

You might have to use a very meandering route.

Or drive, bus, train, or fly to a nicer area.

We're set up in our campsite, and if all goes well, we'll get some cycling in tomorrow morning or evening. It's supposed to be painfully hot this weekend, so we'll try to hit the pool or a shady spot somewhere during the middle of the day.

Our long weekend away did turn into a bit of a hub-and-spoke tour when we got out for a 50 km ride on Monday along one of the rail trails. The rail trails in the area where we were are paved, and I believe that they are the only paved rail trails in Victoria. They're nice. :) I'm not a huge fan of trails for various reasons, but I enjoyed yesterday's ride.

We opted to start the ride in the morning, when it was cooler (only about 27C), but by the time we finished it was up around 40C. Yet another warm day in this part of Australia. I'm not used to exerting myself in the heat so I wasn't feeling so good by the end of the ride, but I was pleased we covered that distance ... longest ride in a while.

Our long weekend away did turn into a bit of a hub-and-spoke tour when we got out for a 50 km ride on Monday along one of the rail trails. The rail trails in the area where we were are paved, and I believe that they are the only paved rail trails in Victoria. They're nice. :) I'm not a huge fan of trails for various reasons, but I enjoyed yesterday's ride.

We opted to start the ride in the morning, when it was cooler (only about 27C), but by the time we finished it was up around 40C. Yet another warm day in this part of Australia. I'm not used to exerting myself in the heat so I wasn't feeling so good by the end of the ride, but I was pleased we covered that distance ... longest ride in a while.

Some of last weekend's scenery ... :)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8242/8560897977_5b5c37370c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-bb/sets/72157632734951550/detail/?page=2)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8531/8562003780_5b402694a6.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-bb/sets/72157632734951550/detail/?page=2)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8250/8562004458_fd208eebee.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-bb/sets/72157632734951550/detail/?page=2)

Planning on making a few S24O's out of the Virginia Creeper again this year with my son,and at least one S24O out of the New River Rail Trail with him come summer,being 40 or so more miles on him than the Creeper. "Big dreams" for this year would be north to south on WV's Green Briar River RT,and next year the C&O/GAP up and back down solo (600+ miles is a bit more than my 10 year old has aspirations for). I'd planned to train '11 and ride that in '12,but a house fire mid summer kinda kinked those plans,so planned to push it one year (to train '12/ride '13),then we got scammed ona lease-purchase house and had to move twice on the cheap (yes,they're in jail,no we didn't get any $ back).

Yes,I know typically one doesn't have to train a year in advance for a 600 mile ride (which would be my longest tour ever,BTW),but I'm kinda disabled and hit and miss with spinal injuries from '01,have to pre-plan and hope ;)

Our long weekend away did turn into a bit of a hub-and-spoke tour when we got out for a 50 km ride on Monday along one of the rail trails. The rail trails in the area where we were are paved, and I believe that they are the only paved rail trails in Victoria. They're nice. :) I'm not a huge fan of trails for various reasons, but I enjoyed yesterday's ride.

We opted to start the ride in the morning, when it was cooler (only about 27C), but by the time we finished it was up around 40C. Yet another warm day in this part of Australia. I'm not used to exerting myself in the heat so I wasn't feeling so good by the end of the ride, but I was pleased we covered that distance ... longest ride in a while.

Photos of our Labour Day ride on one of the best rail trails in this state ...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-bb/sets/72157633064830733/


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8385/8594118219_e3552db5ec.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-bb/sets/72157633064830733/)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8513/8595381258_dc050735b0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-bb/sets/72157633064830733/)

Planning on making a few S24O's out of the Virginia Creeper again this year with my son,and at least one S24O out of the New River Rail Trail with him come summer,being 40 or so more miles on him than the Creeper. "Big dreams" for this year would be north to south on WV's Green Briar River RT,and next year the C&O/GAP up and back down solo (600+ miles is a bit more than my 10 year old has aspirations for). I'd planned to train '11 and ride that in '12,but a house fire mid summer kinda kinked those plans,so planned to push it one year (to train '12/ride '13),then we got scammed ona lease-purchase house and had to move twice on the cheap (yes,they're in jail,no we didn't get any $ back).

Yes,I know typically one doesn't have to train a year in advance for a 600 mile ride (which would be my longest tour ever,BTW),but I'm kinda disabled and hit and miss with spinal injuries from '01,have to pre-plan and hope ;)

Live in VA & hadn't even heard of the Creeper nor S240 term! Creeper trail looks scenic, er...http://www.vacreepertrail.us/

307700

It is Easter weekend ... anyone doing a long-weekend tour?

The last few Easter's Rowan and I have done hub-and-spoke tours ... this Easter, we're moving into our 'new-to-us' house. Our first semi-permanent dwelling in over 9 months. :)

But we've dug our bicycles out of storage again (we have had our touring bicycles with us). :)

One of my favorite 50 mile tours is from Novato, Marin county where I live thru Sonoma county and Camp in North Napa Valley near Calistoga. The camp ground ( Bothe Napa Valley State Park) has a Pool and a great way to beat the heat. Usually stay two nights and use it as a base camp to do some tasting and visiting the sites. For a short trip its breathtaking.
Liam

Yeah, that area is hard to beat. Late in the summer before last I cycling from Sacramento to Clear Lake, traveling around the southern edge of Lake Berryessa, though wine country, Calistoga, and then through the mountains NE of there. Someday I'd definitely like to do more riding in wine country, it was spectacular.

We don't have anything solid on the calendar this year. It looks like we'll be lucky to get out for a handful of overnighters. I'm eyeing riding from where we live in North Seattle up to the Mukilteo Ferry terminal and then riding from the Kingston Ferry landing up to the Hansville Greenway & Adler Wetlands on our way to spend the night at the Kitsap Memorial State Park. I figured we'd make a loop out of it by rolling down onto Bainbridge Island the next morning, after stopping in Poulsbo for breakfast, then taking the ferry back to Seattle from Bainbridge and then home via the Elliot Bay/Terminal 91/Ship Canal trails.

Next month I'll be riding down the Pacific coast from Monterey, CA to LA. I have 6 days allocated for the ride with my folding bike. I'll be camping along the way much like I did with my Oregon coast ride last year (http://adventurelaus.blogspot.com/2012/08/oregon-coast-ride-reached-coast.html). I suspect that there will be fewer places to find food along the way which might be problematic since I can't carry that much. Hopefully the weather will be nice with me again. You can follow about it on my blog and via twitter.

BTW, Let me know of any good way to cross the northern part of LA to the south. I need to end up in Newport Beach and would like to some multimodal transportation through town (biking, riding train, bus, etc). I don't think I'll have enough time to ride through all of LA. Remember, folding bike, so even a taxi would be workable :thumb: although I would like to go on the cheap side if possible.

Be sure to check the rules for bringing your bike if you plan on taking their subway. When I was there in 2000 I got harassed by the police on the train as I didn't realize it was verboten to bring your bike on the subway. I think the rule may have only applied during whatever they considered "rush hour" though.

Live in VA & hadn't even heard of the Creeper nor S240 term! Creeper trail looks scenic, er...http://www.vacreepertrail.us/

307700

Oh yes,the Creeper is a nice ride! I did a couple of those last year with my son (Sub 24 Hour ;) ) and had a blast,though at 30+ miles in a day he was complaining,LOL! Other times,I did my first ever 50+ mile ride when I rode it from Abingdon to White Top and back,I did that a few times last year. You should check it out if it's an option :)

I did a nice 2 day trip through southern Taiwan before it gets too hot. I took a longer route on the way back past the southern tip just so I could take the following photo. I was hoping for blue skies and clouds but I guess this is alright also. Overall it was a 250km trip plus a 20 km (18USD) taxi ride at the end. I was still moving pretty good but I didn't want to overdo myself and wreck myself for the entire week.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8520/8607719925_a477e073c2_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65712043@N05/8607719925/)
Hengchun, Taiwan (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65712043@N05/8607719925/) by abacus07 (http://www.flickr.com/people/65712043@N05/), on Flickr
My Surly arrives in 1-2 weeks and I cannot wait to retire this bike to commuter bike only. It just doesn't have the gearing for the mountains in Taiwan.

Have you been cycling in the Winnipeg area long? I live there for 13 years, and cycled the whole time, but left in 2004.

Where do you like going? When I lived there, I did a lot of long daytrips, but only a few overnighters.

I haven't been cycling that long. I just got into bike touring about 2 years ago when I moved here. I used to live in Vancouver before and only really biked around Stanley Park, etc. I did some longer bike trips (40 - 50 km) when I lived in Calgary, but not really touring.

Here in Manitoba, I usually go to some sort of Lake. I've been from Winnipeg to Grand Beach (x2), Pinnawa, Lac du Bonet and Woodlands. This summer I'm hoping I can get more touring done, but it's so hard to enjoy Manitoba. I mean it's great, but after 5 - 6 trips, everything's the same. Usually I drag my wife out, but she's not too keen on biking with me. Where did you go?

I live in central Washington state and have finally decided this is the year to try out touring. I've had the notion to do it for awhile but a large family, work and kids sports activities always seemed to get in the way. I had a trip scheduled with my dad and brothers to S. Dakota planned for June that has now been cancelled. I'm still marked off for the time and figured that's the best time to finally start this. My wife's comment - "don't expect me to come get you if you have a tire blow out." (She'll still be working and the kids are in their last week of school for the year). I like the sounds of that - just me and the bike.

So, I'm starting to look at routes I can take here in the area for a 3-5 day tour to just get some experience doing it.

Assuming all goes well I'd love to try some north Idaho routes next year and even some northeast Washington. Gotta say I'm excited to get started and my thoughts are consumed by the possibilities every day.