kyo92

I am a 21 college student at the University of Illinois- Champaign Urbana and have been planning tour around the United States for a few months now. I have done a few short tours and one extensive tour in the past ( ~1300 miles from Chicago to Austin). My plan is to start early Jan. of 2014 starting on the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and loop all the way around starting south down route 1 to San Diego then head east towards Jacksonville, FL then ride north into Maine then kind of zig zag back west to Seattle and finally finish strong by going back on route 1 in Oregon south into San Francisco crossing the bridge as a symbolic "finish line".

Here is a rough map: https://tinyurl.com/lp8kewo

I am not looking for anyone in particular and all genders, ages, and experience are welcome. As long as you do not want to turn around at the first sign of adversity, I think everything will be fine and dandy =D

I am not a fast or hard a hard rider by any means and average about 70-80 miles a day.

I will be leaving early Jan. 2014 so if this sounds like a fun tour, and you can put 5-6 months on hold feel free to email me at dlam9@illinois.edu for more details!

fietsbob

You won't wait for the partner, to go on the trip, will you? It took me 20 more years to start , myself..

I went solo, to visit other countries .. , in Europe.. , myself..

ak08820

Your route is along the I-95 thru NJ which is perhaps the most bike unfriendly area in my experience. Check the ACA route for Wash. DC to NYC.

kyo92

I prefer solo touring Bob and plan on going with or without someone if the time rolls near. I just want to find a person to bike with so I can help keep my mother's mind better at ease.

kyo92

Thanks will do! The google map route was just a way for me to visualize a path from city to city/landmark. I hate having to bike on the interstate if I do not have to. I had to biking in and out of Memphis over the Mississippi because it was the only way across....scary stuff >.>"

Cyclebum

If you prefer solo and mom is worried, get yourself a SPOT device so she'll know where you are at all times. 'Course she'll need to be a little bit computer savvy. Not much tho. Have you posted your ad at www.crazyguyonabike.com's classified?

indyfabz

Um...You may not ride on I-95 in that area, nor would you want to.

Newark, NJ is the most densely populated city in the most densely populated state in the union. Unless you are familiar with that part of North Jersey, I recommend that you stay west of that area. Follow Adventure Cycling's Atlantic Coast route. The section through New Jersey is wonderful and includes the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, where you might see a bear. I ride in that area at least once a year. If you don't mind possibly walking up a very steep hill, you can go off route a bit and visit a wolf preserve near Columbia, NJ. There is also camping there.

indyfabz

And, BTW, if you really want to ride into Manhattan from NJ, the only way to do do by bike is via the George Washington Bridge, which is way up north. Otherwise, you have to utilize one of the several train or ferry options.

kyo92

Oh thank you I haven't thought about that option of being gps tracked. No I haven't but I have heard good things about that site through various of sources.

Thanks!

kaisersling

I agree with all the i95 comments in NJ. I just rode from the top of NJ to the bottom. We took a route on the western side of the state (princeton/long valley/etc) and I am glad we did. It was beautiful and had a lot less traffic then you will run into on the eastern I95 corridor..though it will be hillier.

kaisersling

Oh and if you get the urge to ride with other people in NJ, let me know.

gpsblake

Be prepared for the cold, especially when you climb out of San Diego.... Don't underestimate, it can get even bitter cold in Feb and March in West Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona as well as the higher elevations.. Sounds fun, you'll tweak the route.

indyfabz

Have you tried the river route through the Delaware Water Gap, Belvidere, Phillipsburg, Milford, Frenchtown, etc.? it's a great ride and not that hilly. You can take the D&R feeder canal path from Frenchtown to Trenton and then head back up the main path to New Brunswick. Here are a few photos taken this spring between Matamoras, PA NY and Upper Black Eddy, PA, across from Milford, NJ, with a detour to the Lakota Wolf Preserve:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/davez20...7633368316419/

The Delaware Water Gap Nat'l Recreation Areas is great in the spring, especially during the week. Almost no traffic except for fisherman and bird watchers. When I rode it two years ago I got to follow a truck that was stocking a stream with trout. Fun to watch. A few locals were following along to see where they were putting the fish.

kaisersling

I haven't ridden that route. Though I may do the Black Bear Century (thought the 10,000ft vertical is a bit scary) or just do your suggested route on my own. Great pics by the way. I dont think I have it in me any more to slog a bunch of miles then sleep on the ground. Kudos. I am tossing around the idea of riding to montreal in the spring, but i will be staying in hotels.

indyfabz

I have done the Black Bear the last two years. Not the century but one of the shorter routes. In the 80 mile range without the climb up to Hgh Point State Park. Beautiful ride.

I am firmly of the belief that the climbing figures are inflated. The first year I did it I ended up at the last rest stop with some guys who were doing the longest route that included High Point. One of them had a GPS device. There was maybe 12 miles left in the ride, Most of it was down hill or flat. The GPS device showed several thoudand feet of climbing less than what was advertised for the entire route. No way we climbed even 1,000' during that last stretch. The biggest "if" with that ride is the weather. When we rolled out of our hotel in E. Stroudsburg to ride to the start, it was about 32 degrees out. While it was mostly sunny,I never really got warmed up to a comfortable temperature.

kaisersling

you riding this year?

mdilthey

I'm going to Canada this fall, and assuming I make it to Vancouver before snow hits (October?) my plan is likely to head south into California. There's a very non-zero realistic chance I'll be in San Francisco in January 2014, and would happily join you.

I'm 23, I move about the same speed as you (MAYBE slightly faster if left to my own devices), I've got a 1,500 mile tour under my belt for experience, and my only consideration is maybe an hour of WiFi a night to write freelance articles and my book so I can keep buying food. Message me some info. At the LEAST I'd love to see how your trip turns out.

Name's Max. Happy riding!

P.S. If you feel like changing your plans, I am happy for company in Canada. You can head north from Illinois and meet up with me in a month or something.

kyo92

Yeah I definitely do plan on bringing a 20-30 degree bag with a liner with my tour. I more of a fan of ultralight touring but not to a point of credit card touring. However, I am not going to underestimate the weather in the winter even in the south west.