Machka 

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 throughout 2017.

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 2017?



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Past tours ...

2016 short tours:
https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/10...ort-tours.html

2015 short tours:
https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/98...ort-tours.html

2014 short tours:
https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/92...ort-tours.html

2013 short tours:
2013 - Your Short Tours

2012 short tours:
https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/79...ort-tours.html

2011 short tours:
https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/72...ort-tours.html

2007 short tours:
https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/25...ort-tours.html



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Some attempt at definitions ...

Short tours can include quite a variety of different sorts of touring including, but not limited to ...

-- day tours (usually taking up most of the day and including scenic or tourist destinations)
-- hub-and-spoke tours (cycling or driving out to a destination which becomes the "headquarters" or "hub", and then doing day tours off in various directions from the "hub")
-- overnight tours (cycling out to a neighbouring town, campground, national park, etc, staying overnight in a campground, hotel, B&B, or whatever other choice of accommodation is available)
-- weekend or long weekend tours or several days or week long tours (similar to the overnight tour, but longer)

These tours can be credit card tours where no camping gear is carried and the cyclist stays in accommodations such as hotels, B&Bs hostels, etc., and eats in restaurants, cafes, etc., or they can be camping tours, or some combination of the two.

They can have a variety of purposes ... travel and exploration, a desire to get away from it all for a weekend, visiting family and friends, or in combination with work, school, or other events.

Lots of options!



Longer tours/all tours of 2017: https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/10...you-going.html

.

Snuts

2016 was my first year as a cycle tourist.
In preparation for my goal, a month long tour. I did three overnight weekend trips.
The Saturday before my first trip. I actually wanted to set-up my new tent. So, I rode 10 miles out to a sub-urban community hall and assembled it (I wanted no surprises). It rained like crazy on my way back. I learned how I could improve on my rain resistant packing.
Well, I did my trek across the Canadian Prairies in 2016. Leaving my bike hanging in my Sisters garage. My thinking at that time was to continue to the Pacific ocean this coming summer. Well, now I realized that Canada will be 150 years old in 2017. Strongly thinking I would like to be in Ottawa on July1st. Then I might as well trek east to the Atlantic. Either way I plan on 4-8 weeks of cycle touring this year.

Oh, add that I am building an entry in the inexpensive tour bike challenge. That will be a week-end trip to a historical mining town 89 km away that I have yet to visit.

-Snuts-

MikeRides

Planning a week long, 600 mile tour through NYS in July to celebrate my 30th birthday. Starting in Buffalo, riding the Erie Canalway to Albany, then down the Hudson Valley to end in NYC.

indyfabz

Missoula up the Clark Fork to St. Regis then probably into Idaho then over Thompson Pass eventually to Libby, Rexford, Whitefish then a couple of days in Glacier then Bog Fork, Lake Alva and back to Missoula. Starting mid-June.

Machka 

There will be nothing for us till later in February or March. Busy season for Rowan.

spyguy

For a first tour, I had a plan for last year to take the train from STL to Sedalia MO and ride the Katy back to STL, utilizing BnBs for the trip. Due to an unexpected health issue (open heart surgery) two weeks before my planned dates, that had to be scrubbed. That's allowed me more time to plan and acquire equipment for a camping tour for that route for this spring. I'm not letting anything get in the way this time!

JerrySTL

I plan to ride the Katy Trail end-to-end starting in Clinton. This will be my 7th time doing it. I might even add a few miles by getting on to the newly opened Rock Island Trail at Windsor. It will be with this group: https://mostateparks.com/2017KTRide

antokelly

Ireland or parts of it ,basically over nighters going as light as possible ,carradice longflap and barbag which i still need to buy but no big hurry.
that's the plan .

fork crown

I biked cross country in '86, the entire west coast (Canada to Mexico) '91, and all sorts of smaller trips. Now with work and family its harder to take 3-5 weeks off. Do those while you are not committed to much...in other words WHILE YOU ARE YOUNG! I been bitten by the touring bug again and researching the Erie Canal trail. Looking to do in a week. In the panning stage now.

mstateglfr 

RAGBRAI for the last week in July.
A weekender each month with kids to regional campgrounds in May thru August or September.

And what im really hoping for is 2-3 daya to ride and explore the Mickelson Trail in western South Dakota. Thatd be in August, but as of now it would be during the Sturgis Motorcycle week, so that will need to change weeks for obvious reasons if its gonna happen.

tarwheel 

I am signed up to ride Cycle North Carolina's coastal (spring) ride in late April. That will be 3 days of hub-and-spoke rides, based out of Oriental, NC. Will be camping out along the waterfront. I've ridden this ride about a half-dozen times over the years and it's a lot of fun, alternating between Oriental, Edenton and Washington, NC.

Planning a 4-day hub-spoke tour in eastern Pennsylvania in early May, riding mostly on rail trails.

Tentatively planning another weeklong hub-spoke tour in Wisconsin in late June.

I would like to ride weeklong loaded tour somewhere in the eastern US but not sure if that will work out this year. My friends that I've ridden loaded tours with the past few years all have other plans so far, and I'm not sure if I want to do that solo. I've been researching Adventure Cycling tours and might sign up if I can find a nice one within driving distance of NC.

ever1ast15

2017 will be the year of my first tour. I plan to drive to Cumberland, MD, hop on the Amtrak train (roll on service) to Pittsburgh, and then ride my Trek 520 back to Cumberland (150 miles) over 4 days. This will be my first tour of any kind and I hope to build up to this ride with some day long rides. My plan is to ride this trip in September 2017 so it will give me plenty of time to build up my stamina and also time to acquire some paniers and a go pro camera to document the trip. My plan is to camp on this trip.

Machka 

Might be getting away for a hub-and-spoke tour either at the end of January or on the February long weekend.

Will Wheeler

The only one I am 80% sure I'm going to do, is taking a few days bikepacking trip to Notodden and Skien to relive childhood memories and visit my dads grave, who died of cancer in 2013.
The planned route is something like this:
Home, Oslo, Kongsberg, Notodden, Skien, Porsgrunn, Larvik, Sandefjord, Tønsberg, Horten (ferry ->) Moss, and then head home again.

This is of course in Norway in case someone wonders.

Machka 

That would be an interesting ... and moving ... tour.

Machka 

That'll be into northern Tasmania.

indyfabz

The Adirondack shelters at Connellsville are nice. I understand they built a few more since I rode the GAP in 2013 as part of a cross-PA tour. Now showers, but they are free and are within sight of a good grocery store.


Bring ear plugs if you plan to stay at Husky Haven Campground in Rockwood. It's a nice place with free firewood, but the train noise can be loud. Also, if you cook there is no real grocery store in town, only a small Dollar General or whatever it's called. There is what looks to be an inexpensive bar/café east on the main drag. There is no water or flush toilets at Husky Haven, but the camping fee allows you to use the bathroom and showers at the bunk house in town. There, the owner has plastic gallon jugs for water. You can fill one up, take it back to the campground with you and leave it there the next morning. The owner will collect it.


I started my trip from Pittsburgh the Saturday after Labor Day. It was a great time to go. Camped alone at both Connellsville and Rockwood. Not too hot during the day and good tent weather at night.

Papa Tom

See what I mean, Machka? Nobody here is talking about 30 or 40-mile rides. That's why I started my "Short Overnight Rides" thread (which basically crashed and burned after two dozen posts). I feel soooo unwanted

Machka 

So talk about 30-40 mile rides yourself! Have you done one recently?



BTW - this was our most recent tour. We like to get one in at the end of November before Rowan's busy season starts.
It's in the 2016 thread: https://www.bikeforums.net/19215644-post110.html

Papa Tom

No. I only do overnights during the summer, and it's pretty much the same basic rides (with a few twists) every year. I've probably posted the details at least once before on your "Short Tours" threads, but if you INSIST, I will bore you all again sometime in August or September!

Machka 

That's what we're here for!

indyfabz

I usually take a few 55 mile (each way) long weekends every year and have posted about them. I just don't mention them in advance because they are often spur of the moment trips based on good weather forecasts.

Stow the drama. Ride and post.

Machka 

Yeah, most of our short tours ... including the one we did at the end of November ... are planned a couple weeks in advance depending on how much energy we have, what else is going on in life, the weather, etc.

So I usually post the trips when I get back.

I enjoy reading about everyone's trips and looking at their photos.

Ty0604

We'll do our annual ride between July & October. The Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway.

The official starting point is Champoeg State Park outside of Newberg but we start from our house.

Day 1: Beaverton ---> Newberg
Day 2: Newberg ---> Independence
Day 3: Independence ---> Brownsville
Day 4: Brownsville ---> Coburg/Eugene
Day 5: Amtrak home to Portland/MAX to Beaverton

This year we may do it reverse. Taking Amtrak to Eugene and starting from there following the same schedule above in reverse order. Might feel like it's a new route.

Actual route is 134 miles but because we start or end at home and take side trips into a few places (Corvallis for example) we end up doing 200-250 miles.

Never really know when we're leaving until a week or so before. Always waiting until the 10 day forecast calls for sunshine

kcblair

Been a roadie for decades, lots of daily rides. It's been decades since taken a tour. 80's I did lots of tours, stats tours and toured while stationed in Europe.

So, I turn 70 this year and what to do something different to kick off my new decade of life. So I'm planning a 4-5 day camping trip, unsupported. travel will be in the area of 100 miles. Got out my ole touring bike and completed a full restoration . Dug out all my gear, now need winter to end , so I can get started testing. KB