Originally Posted by kyakdiver

I think 60 is a pretty relaxed pace. 70 was really comfortable for me last summer. It will really boil down to your group. It will not take long to get a feel for what the group finds comfortable. I solo toured last summer cross country. If I was riding a pace line with two others and taking turns pulling I'm sure 80 miles a day would have been comfortable.

I'm not in my 20's(early 40's for reference). Age really isn't much of a factor when touring. Being able to suffer for long hours is what's required. Some days are just going to be a big grind when it's raining or cold or big headwinds. I'm sure you'll have a blast and you will adjust your mileage based on the groups enthusiasm.

Good luck and have a great trip. Take lots of pictures and journal. You will be glad you did when your trip is over.

Originally Posted by EmmCeeBee

I think the suggestions here are good, but I like your idea of stretching the route from shore-to-shore. I hate to admit it, but this is what I talked my wife into last summer....

We started off from DC, rode down the Atlantic Coast route for three days to Ashland. Then cut over to Williamsburg/Yorktown on Old Church Rd. This is a nice route, except for a stretch on Hwy 249, which sticks in our memory as about the worst 5 miles of the whole summer...... but then that was only 0.1% of the whole ride.

The loop from Ashland to Yorktown and back (going back on the TransAm) is definitely worth it, if you're looking for history and easy riding -- kind of a good weeklong training ride for the Appalachians. You could do the loop in three days, if you want to do the miles; or four if you like history tours.

On the West coast, you could -- as said above -- hit Florence and turn south. But continuing on up to Astoria is possible with only a day of backtracking. The TransAm joins the coast route near Tillamook, which is a days' ride to Astoria. I doubt you'd be bored riding it both ways, since it has some of the best Oregon coast scenery (and state parks). In fact, the ACA route has you go inland from Garibaldi to Nehalem, for variety; on the way back south, just ride on Hwy 101 for a true beach experience.

On the other hand, if by the time you get to the Pacific you're looking for a way to tack on an extra four days of riding, I gotta hand it to you. Keep your options open, you might just want to finish the TransAm at Florence and turn left. Doing all the extra legs on both coasts seems pretty ambitious for 3 months -- but you'll know by the time you reach Eugene if you're on schedule.

Our ride was DC -> Yorktown -> Astoria -> Portland OR (with a bunch of diversions along the way). Clocked in at 5300 miles. We were headed to Portland anyway, so Astoria made sense. But I love that part of the Oregon coast.

-- Mark

Originally Posted by jamawani

Amigo -

You have the option of having the SWEETEST east coast riding possible.

Rather than bike down to Richmond, take the Greyhound out to Ocean City? Then ride out to Assateague National Seashore and camp there and watch the sun rise over the Atlantic.

Here's the bus info -
Select Departure Schedule for Thursday, June 25, 2009
Select Departs Arrives Duration Transfers Carrier Schedule
11:30am 03:00pm 3h, 30m 0 GLI 0951
05:00pm 08:25pm 3h, 25m 0 GLI 0971
d=day h=hour m=minute GLI: GREYHOUND LINES, INC.

Another option, depending on where your friend is coming from is to take Amtrak up to Philly and switch over to the Cape May bus. Then catch the Cape May to Lewes ferry. It gives you a nice "ocean" feel to the start of the trip and avoids having to take the "Greydog". The nice thing about Amtrak is that there are direct train stops at BWI station. It's only an hour and 15 minutes to Philly then three to Cape May.
http://www.capemaytimes.com/travel/n...ey-transit.htm

From Assateague I would ride across the Delmarva peninsula to Crisfield - then take the passenger ferries to Smith Island and Point Lookout State Park. The Smith Island Ferry is daily - the Point Lookout Ferry is Wed thru Sun. Call to confirm one-way and availability. Then ride up to Washington DC.

From Cape Henlopen, you can ride across the Delmarva peninsula to the Bay Bridge - which does NOT allow bicycle and does not provide a shuttle. (I have been kvetching to Maryland DOT for some time.) They do list a shuttle number that charges $35 per person - while the toll for two people in a car is $2.50. (I want to get arrested for trying to bike on the bridge - then sue to hold up their federal funding under TEA-21.) The best way to get across is to stop at the pullout just before the bridge and hitch. Then head into DC on the Annapolis to DC route.

From DC you can take either the C&O Canal Trail from Georgetown or the Washington & Old Dominion bike trail from Alexandria. The C&O Trail is fabulous - unbelievably parklike in the middle of a metro area. Plus there is free hiker/biker camping right on the river. It is, however, hard-packed dirt - that should be pretty hard by late June. The W&OD is paved - but runs right under a high-power transmission line. From Leesburg or Harper's Ferry, you can connect up with the TransAm by riding down to Front Royal and taking Skyline Drive along the Blue Ridge.



If you want more info - let me know.

John


Really, the Delaware/Maryland shore is one of the nicest places to start.

Originally Posted by JimF22003

I don't think riding from Baltimore to Richmond sounds like much fun...