Machka 

Let's hear/see some more of your local areas ...

What is your part of the world like? Would you recommend your area to someone wanting to do a cycletour there? Show us some pictures, tell us about some interesting things in your area.

tcs

Here in Parts Unknown, we're a minimum of 500 kilometers to the nearest published bike tour route. We've never been mentioned in any bike touring book or article I've ever seen. Even the natives (since they've never been told by an 'expert' that the local cycling is any good) go somewhere else to ride every chance they get.

That pretty much leaves these roads to me:



It's almost a shame, but then I think about some of the wonderful wilderness areas I knew 40~50 years ago that are basically over-run theme parks today, and I wonder why I'd WANT to 'advertise' my local great cycling?

fietsbob

Rent 'the Goonies' Movie, the location shots were around here.
people come from around the world to see the Goonie house
in Astoria Oregon. Estuary of the Columbia River.
oldest American settle ment west of the Rockies .

Arnold .. In Kindergarden Cop is also a Film shot Location, here and in the studio in LA.

This is my friend's website, she is a Better photographer , maybe Buy a few of her pictures?
https://www.astoria-photografpix.com/..

Advertising is about selling things is it not?

It's not my stuff so within the forum rules , right?

Hundreds of cyclists travel the Oregon Coast.
The Canadians lead off the parade earliest in the 'summer'..

now my house is 2 blocks from the river , views out windows on 3 sides .

.. just not the broad panoramas of those who live on top of the ridge.

Machka 

We've moved to Tasmania, so I'll have to put together some highlights.

Erick L

I live in Montréal, named best cycling city in North America too many years ago by some magazine. Montreal has exported the Bixi, a bike-share program, around the world (Boston, NYC, London, San Francisco and Melbourne to name a few) I live at 9379 Route Verte #5 (no kidding), a cycling route network composed of trails and designated roads, named best bike route in the world by National Geographic. Québec doesn't have big mountains but we have hills steep enough to make a westcoaster weep and roads more remote than Alaska. All that in French, s'il-vous-plaît.

Oh, and we have the world's finest junk food, according to Sheldon Brown. If Saint Sheldon can't convince you, nothing will.

Ride with the wind along the St-Lawrence from south to north and west to east. Visit some of the oldest settlements in North America, eat actual food and test your wheels' durability. Go on a whale trip and watch French people swear at seals, camp on the sandy beaches of the lower north shore, eat a pie made of a single blueberry. Come in the summer for the world reknown Jazz Festival, Just For Laugh, the Francofolies, the F1 race (maybe not), the Summer Festival in Quebec City and the Gibelotte fest of Sorel. See how long you stay alive waving a Canada flag on june 24th. Come in autumn for the wonderful colors. Come in the spring for the blackflies.

Come to La Belle Province! It's just like France, but with a smile!

lurch0038

WOW! Great thread!

Chapman

Agreed, great thread.

pamaguahiker 

West Central Pa...2.5 hours from Pittsburgh, 3 from Erie, smack dab on I-80. Countless rails to trails, Allegheny passage, rural roads galore...ride, stop, take pictures, eat, buy some amish goods, enjoy the slower roadways. There is a ton of beauty all around me. Hit Elk county and see the rural highways and wildlife. PA offers great nature, nice state parks, national forests of beauty, extensive network of rails to trails, major biking routes. Allegheny River Trail, GAP, portions of other bike routes. The rural America is very much alive. Pa is also very hilly. Sometimes short and steep, others long and gradual and although none are torturous, they can be taxing after awhile.

Cons: ridiculously stupid official "bike routes" with some of them. Seriously some will take you through the worst traffic areas or worst roadways and hills, etc. But if you ride smart. You're Ok. Weather...winter comes early, and spring stretches onward. It seems we have shorter and shorter summers over the last few years. Another peeve...and although I have traveled by car all over lately, I can't remember if other states sport the lovely roadside tiny rumbles...they are to make drivers aware that they are moving over past the white line. Many of PA roadways do have these...often they are not on the white line. They are to the side, and never consistent. When you hit these while biking they shake you to the core. I hate them. I always want to propose that if they use them, there needs to be sufficient room to the right of them for safe bicycle riding. Just my opinion with that. Others may be able to re-enforce or dispute that. I can post some pics when I get home. Pa, as all states, has wonderful beauty, sometimes ravaged by coal mining!

SparkyGA

I live on the edge of the Canadian Rockies in West Central Alberta. Do I need to advertise anymore than that?

pamaguahiker 

A touch of Pennsylvania....





















Lots of cool stuff to see...

Cyclebum

We all can't live in the cyling nervana pictured in many of these post. NE Texas certainly is not one. More like adjacent Arkansas than what people usually think of Texas. Rolling, wooded, hills filled with Tea Party Republicans. The endangered pedaling few have to make do, riding Texas chipseal in humid, 100F temps. Does build character.

Thanks for the posts about Pennsylvania. Who'd thought.

localroutes

I've started a website called thelocalsroute.com, at which eventually you will be able to hook up with a local rider and he can show you the best rides that an area can offer. I found it difficult, when traveling, to find that perfect cycling loop, so I started the site to try and hook up riders who are exploring an area for the first time. Right now the sf bay area is the initiation point for the site. As it grows we hope to have guides worldwide. If interested check us out, thelocalsroute.com.

ct-vt-trekker

[QUOTE=Thanks for the posts about Pennsylvania. Who'd thought.[/QUOTE]

I live in Connecticut but I've ridden in over 25 states. Pennsylvania is number 1 in my opinion. It's on my short list of states to retire to mostly due to the incredible number of back roads with little traffic . Pennsylvania has over 40,000 miles of paved roads! Although I love the west too , Western Mountain states can't compare. In some places there are just a few state roads so you've got to ride the same roads every day. I'd go nuts there.

wheelinthai

If the touring bug bites hard during the gloomy season (November through April), please consider cyclo touring in Thailand. You don't really need your camping stuff, but they could come handy sometime. Cheap and reasonable accommodation abound. There are routes all over the country, and if wanted, you can even travel by bus, train or even plane. If you want to extend your tour to include Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia. It's easily done. You can even connect to Vietnam, Singapore, and even China easily.
BTW food in Thailand is cheap, so no need to bring your kitchen. I can ramble on and on, but I'll end now, and add more later.