HollandCT

Dams, dikes and dunes ... Touring in Holland.
On the access roads to Zeeland the holiday feeling begins. The salty air and the panoramic views give you a sense of peace, space and freedom- a unique holiday feeling that Zeeland can give you. Zeeland Delta Works are world famous and attract millions of tourists and hydraulic engineers. This unique construction of dams, dikes and sluices is Netherlands masterfully protection against flooding. The Zeeland landscape of green fields, polders, dunes and white beaches, is famous. And what about the authentic old Dutch villages where time stood still? A stay in Zeeland is without doubt a unique experience. And, above all, a perfect cycling experience.

groovestew

My work sent me to Prague last week, so I brought my bike along and rode up to Berlin over 5 days (about 550 km total). The cycling infrastructure was very good in both the Czech Republic and Germany. Most of what I rode on were smooth paved paths, but I also encountered a fair amount of gravel, dirt, rough pavement, and cobble stones. I followed a GPS track I found on someone's blog who followed the signed paths through Dresden and Wittenberg; not the most direct way to Berlin, but I had the time for a more meandering route.

Machka 

NA has a collection of long weekends starting last weekend and onward through the summer. Are you touring?

mrv 

Murray Lake Rustic: S24O

a nice Friday-Saturday ride this weekend. Left 4:30P, back home by 10AM. Beautiful weather.

tourbiker

Spent a wonderful Victoria Day weekend bicycle camping on Saltspring Island in the Canadian Gulf Islands with the Vancouver Bike Club. We took the BC Ferries from Tsawwassen (Vancouver) to Swartz Bay then over to Fulford Harbour on Saltspring for the short but very hilly ride to Ruckle Park. Two nights at my favorite campground, Ruckle Provincial Park, watching sailboats sail past during their Round Saltspring sailing race, a pod of Orca whales pass by, along with kayakers and BC ferries. Saturday included a ride into Ganges for lunch, showers and a stop at my favorite bakery at the base of the infamous Ganges hill. I swear there are more uphills on that island than downhills!

Machka 

Nice!

We're hoping to spend a bit of time on Vancouver Island when we go to Canada.

tourbiker

Lots of great cycling on the Island. I regularly ride the Lochside Trail from the ferry to Victoria, then west along the Galloping Goose trail. A few campsites that I like for cycling include the Living Forest south of Nanaimo, Newcastle Island (in Nanaimo's harbour) and Rathtrevor Provincial Park to the north of Nanaimo. You'll have a great trip no matter where you go on Vancouver Island. When and where are you thinking of going?

Machka 

We cycled up to Nanaimo in 2011, and enjoyed that.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/machka...57627943421118

I've also done some randonneuring there in the Chemainus area.

If we go this year, it will likely be in late June and at this point I'm really not sure where. I just finished a uni course, so tomorrow I can start putting together a plan.

I might like to go right into Victoria this time. And possibly over to the west coast ... to Sooke, or maybe a bit beyond. It will depend how much time we have.

Also we would not be camping ... we're travelling light. So it will be hotels or B&Bs.

saddlesores

2 month summer break coming soon! will take the
12-hour overnight ferry from hainan island to beihei
(guangxi province) then train to fangchenggang (on
the coast near vietnam border)

then about 6 weeks of karst mountains, following the
china-vietnam border (stopping at detian falls), then
along the china-laos border into xishuangbanna
(yunnan province).

Ban Gioc?Detian Falls - Waterfall in Vietnam - Thousand Wonders
scroll down to see the local landscape/scenery

mostly in the countryside, through minority villages,
and very few cities.

then will connect with last year's route where the
bike had a fatal rear end breakdown.....continuing
to dali and lijiang.

the end. train back to hainan island.

Machka 

We did a bit of a hub-and-spoke style thing on Vancouver Island. Lots of walking + a little over 70 km of cycling.

lurch0038

I have two short tours this summer. The first one is to ride from my house in Mass to the NY border, take a photo of me standing at the "Welcome to NY" sign right next to my bike...~150 miles one way over three to 4 days.....then ride back home. The second trip is to ride to Martha's Vineyard form my house, spend the weekend there and then ride home.....~120miles one way.

DropBarFan

Planning on a 3-day DC-Richmond VA round-trip. Initially thought of doing it as 2 day but suitable bike routes ~110+ miles each way which would be a big stretch for me. Not esp scenic but I'm curious just to see how the route would turn out. Have only seen a handful of cyclists posting routes from DC-Richmond. Legal but highly dangerous for cyclists to ride on Rt 1 which would only be about 90 miles each way.

Machka 

Did you go?

RedandBlack

Starved Rock, Glacier Park, and Apple River Canyon are on my list for this riding season. For Starved Rock I'm planning to take the Prairie Path - Aurora to Fox River Trail to 71 to the Illinois and Michigan Canal State Trail. How about your self?

robow

What's the condition of the I & M these days? It's been several years since we rode the length of it but there were parts that were in very poor condition. We were coming from the west, crossed the Mississippi and road the Hennepin canal trail, to the I & M, then onto Old Plank traversing the 250 miles as we swept over the width of the state.

Caretaker

Nine days Roscoff (Brittany) to Cherbourg (Normandy) in June arriving on the coast just in time for the 71st anniversary of D-day.

mrv 

Louisville to Detroit 5 Day.
About 380 miles or so. After getting out of Louisville, then out of the Ohio Valley, man does it get flat.
Day 4 was 100+ miles into a headwind, riding in a straight line. A few storms. A good challenge.

pacificcyclist

Good show Tourbiker. Your friend.

pacificcyclist

Enjoying life being unemployed and took the opportunity to do some needed cycle touring around Vancouver and finally completed the Pacific Marine Circle Route among other things off my bucket list!! Just came back home tired and dirty. Wooo Hooo! Who cares if my tour was longer than anyone; I just like to share!

The amazing thing was that, due to this year's forest fires and Stage 3 water restrictions enforced (at least in Shawnigan Lake), forest companies are forced to shut down. Which means the tight switch backs and no shoulders roads along the circle route; I DID NOT ENCOUNTER any logging trucks and very few cars for that matter. It was as if I was cycling in heaven (most of the time on the center lane) with the smell of Alpine air; whereas Vancouverites I was told had to contend with smoke and a red sky! Well, it was heaven as this was once in a lifetime break!

DropBarFan

It can be surprising how little traffic can be encountered when even not far off the beaten path. On a Blue Ridge Parkway tour there was so little traffic (late fall after leaves dropped) that sometimes was 15 minutes between seeing cars. Felt like riding on the world's best bike path. BC sounds like a great touring area; many US tv shows/movies filmed in Vancouver area. Amazingly (or not) most Yanquis have no idea about that. Producers disguise the Vancouver locations by using cars w/Washington State license plates.

pacificcyclist

Just saw a NYC cab driven with NY plates by a teamster this weekend.

Don_in_VA

I'm in Richmond and curious what route you took (or planned to take). My thought was to ride up to the C&O canal and possibly ride the GAP too then turn around and ride home. No parking issues.<g>

tourbiker

Hey Pacific Cyclist,
Good to hear about the Pacific Marine Circle Route. I didn't want to do it because of the logging trucks and narrow/no shoulders. Guess this is the only good news resulting from the fires/forestry shutdowns. Let's see if the club can come up with short (1-night) tour for those of us club members who aren't unemployed. Maybe someone will post ideas here. Don’t get too comfortable being unemployed!

DropBarFan

I bookmarked a couple of different routes that seem reasonable, the Greenway route seems more relaxed. Greenway route includes a short section of Rt 1 which is not great around Ft Belvoir (high-speed/no-shoulder there) but I think it's only about a mile. Bike path from Mt Vernon to Alexandria is pretty but slow w/many twists & hills. Thru Oldtown Alexandria one follows the street bike route, it would be a nice stop for restaurant or groceries before hitting the C&O. Also you could ride detour a mile or two on Rt 7 to ride up the hill where George Washington Masonic Memorial is--spectacular view of Alex/DC. Bike path resumes at north end of Alex & it's a pretty zippy ride up to Georgetown for C&O.

https://www.greenway.org/pdf/S300.pdf
https://www.greenway.org/pdf/S310.pdf

Fredericksburg VA to Washington DC Metro Station in Fredericksburg, VA, United States | MapMyRide
Fredericksburg-Richmond--7/20 edits in Fredericksburg, VA, United States | MapMyRide

Leebo

Just finished my summer outing. I live north of Boston MA. 270 miles of loaded touring in 4 days. Day 1, bike to Boston, take the train to Lakeville and then pedal to Horseneck beach, Dartmouth MA. Next day pedal across RI on mostly bike ( 45 miles +) paths. Hammocks work great. Day 3 was pedaling to Willimantic CT and then taking the airline rail trail up to the NE corner of CT in Thompson. The path was in various stages of construction. Lots of pave and stone dust, lots of finished dirt road. In between, mud , rocks, gravel, peanut butter type mud, ballast rock etc. A little pushing and some slow going. Some cussing as well. Chin up, pedal on. The last day saw some pedaling on the New England trunk line, mostly smooth dirt. Then suburban side roads home. Never a bad day on a bike. Dry salami, my fave new road food. And keeps in the heat too.