stokell

Hello all,
I've been lucky enough to have been offered a teaching position in California starting in August. I've always wanted to do a cross-country but thought I'd have to wait for retirement. I'm shipping all my stuff except for my touring bike and camping gear.

If I leave from Toronto should I take the U-S or Canada route? I'd rather not say exactly where I'll be lecturing, but it is near Los Angeles.

Any hints would be helpful. I'm going to stealth camp and take a B&Bs or motels every 2 or 3 days.

eastbaybob

Dude, if you're going to be traveling in the Summer time it gets very hot, I mean like supper hot out in the desert, which is all of Nevada, most of AZ, most of Utah, and most every in g in CA east of LA, following the 395 North. I love the desert and all but riding across it in December sounds better. I think if you hit the coast and work you're way south along the coast it would be much better weather and a beautiful ride.

I live just north of LA, Ventura County, if you pass through let me know.

nm+

Try a northern route, then cut down the coast. A ride down the pacific coast is something you need to do once before you die.
Don't go anywhere near Nevada in the summer, I can tell you that

ken cummings

I have ridden or toured along many of the areas you might visit. Once you go over the first wave of the Rockies the climate gets nasty hot and water stops are dangerously far apart. As I did one May I rented a vehicle and went straight thru to western Nevada then biked south to LA. I still had heat stress near Zzyzx, CA. In May. Ride say to Grand Junction or Cheyenne or Missoula then bus your bike to the Pacific Coast and bike south. E-mail me when you get near wine country north of SF.

wsexson

That's a buzzkill!

How about which direction from LA?

nm+

Hope its not University of Second Choice/Spoiled Children
Even if you aren't you bound to get hit my one of thier BMWs someday in LA.
/LA sucks

valygrl

Beer is cheaper in the USA. ;>

Seriously, though, I would second that suggestion to stay more north, then southbound the PCH. I did the Adv. Cycling Lewis and Clark from Astoria, OR to Bozeman in August, and it was great - a few hot days, but not too bad. The headwind on the columbia river would be challenging westbound. Tetons/Yellowstone is a great place to cross the rockies. The Snowy River Range in eastern WY was one of the best (and hardest) stretches of my xc route.

On a different tour, I also rode the Icefields parkway from south to north, then crossed BC on ... I think it was Rte 5 through Hells Canyon to Hope. That was very nice too.

I don't have any recommendations on how to get across that big flat spot in the middle of the continent.... not my kind of riding.

Have a good one and congradulations on you new job!

Anna

stokell

I'm starting to think this might be a bit ambitious. I bike 42 kms to work, usually I travel 100-150 kms a day on an unsupported tour.

At an average of 80 kms a day, how long would it take to bike from Toronto to California?

nm+

Using my compolete lack of map skills and very rough distrances, I'm gponna say 90-100 days at 50mi per day (which is 80km in useful units )
This is based on a northern route cutting down at Seattle

valygrl

Stokell, do the super-rough math as follows:

1) Estimate Distance: add up the highway milage on a standard auto touring (AAA) map by following the route between your major direction-changes (i.e., toronto to seattle, seattle to LA). Add 30% for using small roads. Call that your base mileage. Or get the milage off the Adv. Cycling website's Nothern Tier plus Pacific Coast routes.
2) Estimate Pace (not counting total days off): You already have an average daily distance (100-150km/day). You could use a middle figure (110k/d was my average for a cross-country trip, but my tour averages vary from 90-130 depending on the terrain). These numbers include my super short days but not total days off (defined as no change of overnight location).
3) Divide Est Dist / Est Pace.
4) Add one day per week for a total day off that doesn't count towards your average.

Ok, now you know how many days it's going to take.

(If you want someone else's guess: 9 weeks to get to the coast, 4 weeks to get to LA.)

If you are sort-of close, remember that the last part of your trip goes through highly civilized areas from which it is easy to jump onto some kind of motorized transportation if you aren't going to make it in time.

If you are not-even-close, look at your route/other routes and pick a part of it that appeals to YOU. You don't have to go across the country to have a fabulous tour. Cherry-pick the good parts. For example, for me, if I was short on time I would start in the Rockies and ride west, because I don't prefer riding the plains.

HAVE A GREAT TOUR!

Anna