Originally Posted by
i wish
This summer my brother and I are planning a trip from near Reading, PA to the middle of nowhere near Nashville, TN. Is there a recommended route or routes?
I've been using Google to help figure out routes, but they don't explain why they take me certain directions....
Here is the rather round-about route that shows up when I ask for bicycling directions from Reading to Nashville...
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sour...29&ie=UTF8&z=6
I was also considering this route:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sour...18&ie=UTF8&z=6 ...but even though it is more direct, it goes through all those mountains....
I don't have any maps yet...and don't know what ones would be best for this route...
Register at MapMyRide and plot your route there. MapMyRide has an elevation display, which is useful if you want to avoid, or seek out, climbing.
As for why Google Maps chooses the routes it does for bicycles, it searches out the nearest rail trail whenever possible. There are worse options than taking the C & O and Great Allegheny Passage. Yes, it adds 200 miles over the other route, but puts you on a near-flat traffic-free trail for 250 miles.
Your route out of Reading and across PA looks OK.