"Would this be a one-way trip to get to school in the fall?"
Yes
"Do you have any touring experience or just commuting?"
Mostly just commuting...I have done some longer day rides and also am definitely planning on s a few small tours beforehand.
"Who's going to pay for this? (Terrible old-person question!!)"
As far as money, I don't think it would cost more than either a)me flying down, or b) parents driving me down. Here is a rundown of the costs I can think of...food, gas for stove, upgrading bike a tad(barends, front rack, and maybe derailleur upgrades), and the cost of shipping my stuff down.
"You would also need to plan your route carefully using traffic volume data from the various state transportation departments."
I have contacted the states' DOTs that I will be traveling through, requesting bike maps. I have WA, OR state map, Idaho is on the way, and don't know about Utah yet.
"PS - Didn't Mormon guys invent the bicycle?" Just gettin back to my roots.
Thanks J for the tips.
"You have that because it's a destination for you anyway, but it sounds a little artificial. Unless this is a trip you are dying to make regardless of college, why bother, pick out the best route for a bike trip and make the college trip a separate thing."
Here's the thing...I will be working ALOT all summer to get some money(I mean, I figure I might need to have a little on hand at college
). But I also want to do a tour. So it just kind of fell together that hey, I'm going to college and want to go on a bike tour...let's combine them! Much more efficient imo.
As far as itineraries go, I am used to that as whenever I go backpacking, they want a detailed route map and campsite description. So I should be good there.
Scott-thanks for the ideas...the mail drop sounds neat, and calling will definitely be happening.
As far as my bike and setup: It is a Giant Rincon '04 hardtail mountain bike. 26x1.5 in slicks, planet bike freddies, rear rack, pump, two water bottle cages...etc. It works really well on the road-use it for commuting. Like I mentioned earlier, bar ends, a front rack(OMM cold spring is one I've been looking at), and maybe some drivetrain upgrades should be pretty good. I have pretty much all the other stuff-full set of panniers, handlebar bag, bike clothes, and camping equipment(backpacker turned biker
)
And yeah, crazyguy has definitely been getting me pumped up!
Thanks,
Hiker