Doug64

Another option-- switch plans completely, get a house/dog sitter, and take your wife on a bike tour of the Rhine Route in Europe. It would probably cost the same as some of the other options that were suggested. It is a route that would be very hard not to enjoy. Amenities are plentiful along the route, the terrain is relatively gentle, and at the end, or almost anywhere along the route, a train ride will get you back to the airport.

However, don't give up on your dream. Who knows bike touring is addictive, and your wife may just get hooked.

I am one of those fortunate people who has a wife that is a "hard core" bike tourer. We've completed several multi-month tours and have a bucket list that will probably out live both of us. I did a lot of solo tours before we got married, but I really think that if I were going solo today, I'd probably last a month. It isn't that I don't enjoy solo riding; it is just so much more rewarding sharing it with someone.

Machka 

Having just done the Rhine Route a couple months ago ......... it was not easy to enjoy. Rowan and I were not impressed. It's not too bad in The Netherlands, and you might get a decent day of cycling around St Goar, but other than that, it was actually pretty bad.

I would not recommend taking someone there for a first tour ... it could very well be the last tour!


However, if the couple were to go to Europe for a cycling tour, I'd recommend the Velodyssey Trail on the west coast of France ... MUCH, MUCH better.

Yumadons

An alternative to a tandem that might not have crossed your mind is an electric assist bike. That's how my husband and I did the TramsAm together, he's got COPD & lung lymphoma. Of course that means indoor lodging cuz you have to plug it in at night, but your wife will probably like that

Doug64

A little OT but,

Machka,

What was it about the route that you did not like? People's experiences are different. That is what bike touring is about.

The real point was to do a tour that both he and his wife would enjoy.

Machka 

1. Way too industrial.

2. Inconsistent paths with unclear directions which required constant focus and attention in order to avoid sustaining an injury while riding, and in order to stay on the route and not get lost.

3. Route which took us into some really unpleasant areas.

4. Unpleasant campgrounds.

5. Lack of scenery.


As I say in my story ... https://www.machka.net/RTW_2012/RTW_Europe_Main_2012.htm

"I'd highly recommend looking into ferries/cruises rather than cycling the entire route. Take a folding bicycle so that you can use trains easily as well if you want. Take the ferry from one scenic area to another, skip all the industrial stuff, and when you dock in a scenic area, either do a little day ride, or maybe cycle up or down river to the next town and then get back on the ferry. Less stress, more enjoyable."

I also summed up our experience on the Rhine Route after my August 19th entry in the story.


There are much better, more enjoyable choices out there.

The Moselle, for example, would probably be a better route from the bit we saw and cycled ... or the Velodyssy Trail ... or even parts of the North Sea Route in Scotland. Just a few examples.

Machka 

But bringing it back to the topic at hand ...

To the OP ... talk to your wife. Find out if she would like to do some sort of touring or travelling by bicycle or by some other transportation. Find out where she would like to go, and what she would like to see and do.

You could, for example, do a series of hub-and-spoke tours. Suppose she would be all right with being away from the house and dog for a month ... drive to a scenic spot and do a series of rides in different directions from there for a few days. If she wants to ride with you, she can, if she would rather take in some other sights while you cycle, that would work too. Then drive to another scenic spot, and repeat for the month. Then maybe you could do a point-to-point tour for the next couple months arranged so that she could join you on a couple weekends.

But talk to her and see what she would like to do.

Ranger Dan

Three months IS a long time to be away from your dog.

iheartbacon

I used to be big into climbing and it ended my marriage. One of my dreams was to climb Denali and the timing worked out that it was going to be right after I got done with a 7 month trip for work. Came back from the job, spent a tense month with the wife, took off to Alaska, came back and she was gone. Machka isn't kidding when she says it could end your marriage. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. What sucked most was she used a kitchen knife to stab the divorce papers through my autographed photo of Reinhold Messner.

Newspaperguy

I love touring and the idea of a trip like the one the OP is suggesting sounds wonderful. For a single person with the time and funds to make such a trip work, it would be ideal. But the OP is not on his own. Being married changes the equation significantly.

I realize every couple is different, but if it was me, I wouldn't consider so long a trip, and especially not if it would make my wife jealous. I say this as a widower. My wife died nine years ago. I've had some amazing bike tours since then — tours I would not have felt good doing when she was alive. Today, I've been planning a short winter tour. But if I could have her with me once again, I'd gladly give up bike touring.

NateDieselF4i

You're going about this all wrong. Get a sidecar, or perhaps one of those kid carriers, and bring the dog.

Find new wife on experience of a lifetime trip.

DropBarFan

Some folks have the bike bug, others don't. But maybe you can convince her it's a one-time deal that you have to get out of your system. Plus you going solo would seem to be better than her going along & not enjoying it. Saw a tv show about a family that sailed around the world together (dad's dream) & the rest of the family hated it. It got to the point where they were all at each others' throats & then the boat hit a reef, the mast broke & crushed dad's leg...he nearly died before getting last-minute medevac...the ordeal brought them back together.

Anyway, with smartphones etc you can keep in touch all the time. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder?" Good luck!

dengidog

If itīs just you getting a three month trip and your wife having to hold down the fort, then itīs selfish. BUT... hereīs another suggestion. It sounds as if youīre financially stable, so why doesnīt your wife take her dream vacation when youīre back and let you run the home and take care of the dog, etc?

The situation is reversed for me. Hubby is the one who has to stay home while I wander off on my bike. He has zero interest in traveling by bike or driving a SAG vehicle. Besides, we have household help for the garden and cleaning (this is Mexico, itīs affordable) so someone has to be at home on their work days and also to care for our 5 dogs. In return, he goes off on his "Old Fart Reunions" back home in the UK (Army reunions) or he goes to visit family. Heīs happy and Iīm happy. We often travel together, but we each have very different interests when it comes to travel so this solution works well for both of us. It also gives us some time away from each other which everyone needs every now and again.

DCwom

Not every couple can ride a tandem, and even fewer can tour on them. We've done tandem touring and a big issue is gear, you have the storage capacity of a single being shared by two riders. We've kept our tours short used a CC.

jimmyhughes

I don't feel qualified to give you any advice, I was married three times 8^(

The only consolation is that now I can ride whenever I want...

You've gotten some good ideas from others here. Let us know what you decide!