Like FBinNY I also started touring in my teens when I discovered the Potomac Area Council of AYH in Washington DC. I had a Schwinn Varsity which was soon upgraded to a Schwinn Paramount. I became active with the local racing scene but preferred touring activities. My first overnight trips were to the Seneca MD Youth Hostel accessed by the C&O canal towpath. A "Youth Hostel" club was formed at my high school and we continued to do bike trips out to Seneca MD and eventually we expanded our horizon to include road trips by car up to cycle the strings of hostels through the PA Dutch Country and also in VT. Along with my more serious expatriate racing friends we did a lot of hub and spoke day trip loops on the Skyline Drive using a hostel at Nethers VA as our base. My first long extended trip? A high school buddy and I rode from VA to Land 'o Lakes WI in 1968 as a graduation present from our folks.