djb

righto, then all I can say is that from someone who has biked on my own before (but sometimes met up with other riders and they travelled together) then it really comes down to choosing a route that hopefully matches up with campground daily distances (nice to shower at end of day) and that goes along more on quiet roads and hits small towns rather than cities, generally more enjoyable quiet roads and smaller communities. Smaller towns also means that folks are more friendly if and when you bring your bike into a store when food shopping, or leaving it in sight but with a lock just so someone wont roll it off, but then in a sleepy little town, the chances of this are so much more remote than in any city.

in the end its your decision, sounds like you've done all the hard planning stuff already though.

floyd0117

No, I don't. He just will be upset if I go without him, even though it's his fault, and it will be a much different experience than anticipated.

Plus, several annoying family members will take this as a sign that I shouldn't go do this trip that they've been begging me not to, and me going alone anyway will just convince them that their vision of me as a stubborn kid is right. *cough cough* mom *cough*. Which I think is quite annoying and stupid indeed.

indyfabz

He's talking about you helping him if he has to take the class over this summer.

floyd0117

Yep, that's generally the plan. We were going to stick right on the lake, but travel inland and stop at as many state parks as possible.

Rather than plan days that end in campgrounds, we've planned them to end at forest preserves/ state parks. We've always stealth camped on tour, pretty much exclusively

floyd0117

Oh, no I feel no obligation to do that. He didnt fail because it was hard, he always said how easy it was. He failed because he attended maybe 20% of the class sessions. It's on him, not me.

indyfabz

Some friend you are. He's better off going alone.

djb

all the best with your decision when you come to that point.

alan s 

Guarantee he would expect you to pull the entire time. Maybe even carry his gear.

gerryl

This is sooo simple. Wait a year. That way every time you two have a disagreement, you can remind him of the sacrifices you made waiting for him for a whole year. You would be the best touring partner ever.

boomhauer

better do it now before you're a working stiff.

wphamilton

I don't get it: why can't he just take an extra physics class next semester instead of waiting for the summer? 18-20 semester hours isn't that uncommon, especially for students finding physics that easy. If he's already doing that load, one class do-over out of sequence isn't something that would hold him back.

floyd0117

Because physics is a 3-quarter class. You cannot take the next one if you failed the previous, and try aren't offered off-sequence. He would either have to wait for summer or next year

floyd0117

Sure, but I have no idea where I'll be in a year. I have a position offered to me that would span a year, starting when I return from the tour. After that, I don't know.

Plus, if I do find time to go on a big tour next summer, then I'd rather just go on two tours rather than skip a summer and wait.

floyd0117

Percisely

Big Lew

Like I said, go...my workmate was, and is a very good friend as well.
He didn't seem to have any hard feelings....after all, he bailed, not me,
and he ended up riding on 2 different tours over the next years.

wphamilton

Weird if you can't just take quantum mechanics or thermodynamics, or anything like that, to free a slot later on to bump the sequence for that class. It all comes out in the end. Unless those are the basic prerequisite courses he's taking? In any event he screwed up so he, not his room-mate, has to deal with it.

"Mom" that's between you and her obviously - you probably shouldn't have brought that up One might do a lot worse for a lark than a bike tour.

B. Carfree

While not on a par with a big touring trip, a city I once lived in has an annual double century ride. Each year 5-10% of the city either rides or volunteers to help with the ride. A friend and I decided to ride it on my one-speed tandem. The night before the ride, he canceled. I decided to ride the tandem without a stoker. I put a "SAG Wagon" sign on the back and, sure enough, I came upon a crash and picked up a rider whose bike was no longer rideable. We had a great time and I made a new friend.

Go on your trip. Have fun. Meet new and wonderful people. Then do another trip with your friend.

mdilthey

I was the problem for someone else.

I met up with a cross-country tourist in Colorado. A very friendly guy named Mike. He invited me to tour along with him, and I happily agreed.

About 10 miles into our ride, I crashed violently in a tumbleweed-obscured pothole, at about 25MPH, and I wrecked my front wheel, popped my front tire, and lost a square foot of skin. He fixed my tire, but I have no memory of it- all I remember was the adrenaline rush. He was a mechanic so he had it fixed before I was done blinking the stars out of my eyes.

We rode to a nearby cafe a few miles down the road (in a very desolate area) and he ate while I scrubbed sand out of my hip, thigh, torso, elbow, and hands. One of the most painful things I've ever experienced.

Then, he trued up my front wheel as best he could (he did awesome, considering the damage) and we rode 96 miles to La Junta so I could catch a train home. I slept on the floor of the motel room there to keep from bleeding into the bedsheets.

Mike was a godsend. I hope my little crash was an interesting story on his journey, and not too much of a hindrance. At least I didn't do anything silly, like panic. I did bleed a LOT, though!

Doug64

So, if your friend can not go on the tour, nobody goes. Regerdless of the reason, he is the one that failed to live up to his end of the agreement.

I have met many young men and women who were riding solo across the U.S., Canada, and the Pacific Coast Route during the period between college graduation and work. It is an opportune time to do a long tour. Your route is straight forward, with campgrounds and other amenities readily available along the route.

A person old enough to be out of college should be responsible enough to make that tour. What are your family's objections and fears?

BigAura

Yep. You're good to go!

In the future, if anyone has any regrets it's more likely to be him, IMO.

Lucillle

If he didn't want the trip enough to do a little work for it, not only should you go by yourself but you should consider it a blessing.

bwilli88 

Any class is easy if you only attend 1/5 of the classes, attending classes is the easy part, knowing the information for the tests is the hard part. If this guy is a friend and this is his life style you either should jack him a good one or drop him like a hot rock.

McBTC

So, we talking about a tour starting in Chicago in the Summer of 2017?

floyd0117

yes

Rowan

This is some truly wise and considered advice.