Originally Posted by
KPREN
You basically have about four good choices to cross the Appalachians with a bicycle.
I disagree, the Appalachians are not the monolothic block you portray.
{If} You don't know your geography and hit the wrong area following a compass and local directions to cross the Appalachians and you can be in for some real hair raising riding. There is substantial population on both sides of the Appalachians and not the may good roads that cross reasonably direct so the traffic is high.
On the other hand, if either you have some knowledge of the area, or else have some good maps and understanding of where you want to go west (or east), it's possible to develop some viable routes. Sure, you need to follow a few rules, such as avoid major roads going into large towns or cities at rush hour, or don't go near large parks around holidays or weekends. And if you're arguing that finding a good route is difficult with just a compass, I agree completely. But most of the Appalachians are covered in a network of lightly traveled back roads that are largely fine for bicycling.
I'm not sure a cellphone is a viable route planning tool for this backroads network. Leaving aside the question of cell coverage, Route 666 west, that lovely cycling road, may go east for a couple miles before it turns back west, and if you zoom out to see where it goes, it's a small road that disappears from the map. Better to plan ahead and lock in a route than to rely on a compass, with or without a cell phone!