Originally Posted by
RedandBlack
I guess "deep wilderness camping" is the wrong term (then again, I'm from the Chicago suburbs so not having a RV 20 feet away is considered a good camping trip). I would say I'm looking to experience the mountains, old growth forest, and the ability to look off in a direction and not see powerlines. Even though there are paved roads, most of the SC is pretty extremely remote compared to what I'm used to.
FWIW, by those standards pretty much any tour in the West will be pretty remote at least in some sections. Even the Pacific Coast had places with not much development. I was kind of surprised how much that was the case. There were sections with no development for fairly long distances and there were even free range cattle on the roads in at least one place.
Originally Posted by
RedandBlack
Agreed. Hence the idea of taking the SC North, the TA or Lewis and Clark towards Yellowstone, up the Great Divide, the NT back to the SC, and then head South. I was thinking it over today and I'm now considering taking the Pacific Coast route South before hopping over to the SC and taking it back North. What are your thoughts on the PC North to South starting in April? We're giving ourselves flexibility to take time off for when we want to go explore a city or national park or just relax with new friends. The September finish date isn't set in stone, nor is the April start I guess. This is just what I figure is the span that the weather will be favorable enough to meander through the West.
I have not ridden the coast at that time, but think that could work. Do be prepared for wet weather if doing the Pacific Coast early in the season, especially in the PNW.
Overall I'd be inclined to think about setting the time limits later on both ends. It can snow in October in the mountains, but it usually doesn't last and you can typically wait it out for a day or two and be ready to go again.
Originally Posted by
RedandBlack
The Southern Tier or similar routes honestly don't appeal to me, though I can't speak for my friend. I am interested in Central and South America. However, I wanted to explore my own backyard (in a sense) first before trying to tour in foreign lands.
Fair enough, also I am not one to speak much about Central or South America since all of my touring has been in the US. Just me, but while they aren't my favorite terrain, I think that everyone should experience both the South West and the Great Plains at some point. The people were amazingly kind, generous, and open in the plains and it is worth experiencing the vastness by bicycle at least once.
The food (Mexican, barbecue, Cajun, Gulf seafood, etc.) and the people (lots of transplanted misfits that I found interesting and enjoyed hanging out with) were both worth doing the ST for. So, just a recommendation, but I'd suggest being open to doing both at some point even if they are out for this trip.
Similarly the Appalachians are worth considering at some point if not on this trip.
Any way, whatever choices you make have a great trip,