bokes

I'm living in Monterey, CA for 1 year, and there is a brilliant bike path that goes straight thru town, 20 miles long, and connects with 17 mile drive to make a fantastic 37 mile ride (one way). I ride this about 2-3 times a week, and on each ride I run into an average of 4 fully loaded cyclists who are riding the Pacific Coast Route. Yesterday I ran into a group of 12 loaded tourists that are riding from San Diego to Seattle. Oh my envy! I'm happy for them, but in general I'm so bummed out when I have to work and I can't tour. I'm guessing that many of you can relate. Anyways, altho this area is very beautiful, it's frustrating to watch all the thru cyclists ride by. Anyone else have this problem?
( in case you don't kno, ACA = Adventure Cycling, https://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/network.cfm )

imi

Gah! I work on a campsite all summer long... There are almost always a number of loaded tourers camping there... So I can certainly empathize with your feeling! Although I can always have a natter and see if there's anything I can do to help them on their journeys...

Did I say I long for the winter so I can go on tour?

benda18

i live a few miles from the UnderGround RailRoad route just north of Cincinnati. I've seen 2 loaded tourists that I can think of since 2007.

BigBlueToe

I'll bet I do, although I haven't checked. I'm in Los Osos, CA. I'm about 10 blocks from the west coast bike route.

aroundoz

I work in Okanogan WA which is right on the norther Tier and when I drive home to Nelson BC each weekend I am on Hwy 3. Nelson is popular for Cross Canada cyclists avoiding Kootenay Pass. I have seen at least 20 loaded riders so far and it is killing me. It has been a very wet spring so I can't say I have always been jealous especially seeing someone climbing the Blueberry Paulson in a rain storm. Then again, that would still be better than a good day at work.

nwmtnbkr

I live in the far northwestern corner of Montana, on the Northern Tier route. So far this year, I've not seen any cyclists riding through, but the weather has been very cold and wet (most of the rains have been heavy enough to trigger flood warnings and steams and rivers are pretty much at capacity at this point). We're beyond the mid-way point in June and there's no sign of summer approaching. I don't think I'd have any envy for touring cyclists this year if we don't warm up and dry up. Heck we didn't even break 50F yesterday. This may be a year without summer for the northwest, it's definitely shaping up to be a year to avoid touring by bike.

Quemal

I live within 5 miles of TWO routes. The Southern Tier and the Pacific Coast Route. I drive a company vehicle, so I really feel it when I see some fully loaded bikes traveling these routes knowing I still have work to do.

kayakdiver

Living on the North end of Whidbey Island in Washington.... I'm on the Pacific coast route and about 10 miles from the start of the Northern Tier.. Also pass my way on the WA parks route. So I see tons in the early part of the summer..... Not so many after August.

markf

I constantly see people riding the Trans-Am and the Great Divide routes, they can be fun to talk to sometimes. I've given directions to a few tourists and led a few people through confusing sections when they were going my way. I still laugh when I remember the Brit who complained to me that there were "too many bike paths to choose from" around here!

TonyS

I live in Springfield, MO, which is just southwest of Marshfield, which the TransAm runs through. We get folks coming through town every once in a while on their TransAm if their bike needs work. I keep offering that people can stay here, but nobody's taken me up on it yet.

I know *I'M* going to stay here on my way through...

B. Carfree

For some reason they have people going through Eugene on one of their routes. I have met a few people at the Post Office picking up their next batch of maps and folks on bike paths. After I met a rider on the coast who had all of his I.D. and cash stolen in Eugene (people will steal anything here), I watched over two brothers' bikes while they bought some toys at REI.
From what I can gather about the routes they offer, I would rather use my own judgment. They pick one of the most dangerous routes to the coast from Eugene and completely ignore a beautiful route that has nary a car on it. I really feel sorry for the riders who depend on their products. I see on the N. CA coast they have a Lost Coast loop, but they kick riders back out for the most dangerous section rather than show Usal Rd. Okay, Usal Rd is a dirt road, but it sure is a nicer ride than U.S.101 with no shoulder and speeding cars/trucks.

Neil_B

I live on the ACA Atlantic Coast Route and the PA Bike S Route, about 35 miles outside Philadelphia. I see bike tourists all the time. I've even hosted one - although since he posts here, perhaps he doesn't count.

raybo

I live in SF and ride over the GG Bridge a couple times a week. I often see tourists going the other way on the bridge but it is not a place conducive to stopping and chatting. I do try to talk with tourists when I see them at either end of the bridge or on another part of the route that I ride. I also carry local maps to show to people who are lost or looking for local routes.

Yesterday, I talked with a Norwegian who started riding in Argentina and had made it all the way to Sausalito (town just north of GG Bridge) in 10 months. We talked for over an hour and it really made my day's ride much more interesting. Since this was my first local ride after my own 1 month tour, it made me feel like I was still on tour!

Ray

Kip

I live along the Columbia River in Southwest Washington and at least once a week from spring through fall see touring bicyclists. They are typically following a variation of the Pacific Coast or Lewis and Clark routes, traveling between Seattle and Portland or using Astoria as a beginning (or end) point for a transcontinental ride. I enjoy talking with them and answering questions about routes and local services. "No, County Line Park doesn't have showers." On a couple of occasions I've invited riders home for a real meal, showers, bed for the night and sharing of stories. I've remained in touch with a couple from the Netherlands that I plan on staying with if I ride through that part of Europe.