cgallagh

We are coming out to Texas and are looking for a good route from CC to Victoria. Will be Departing from the Calallen area and would like to take as much of a coastal route as possible. When I use google maps cycling routes It wants to take me way around and I can't get it to figure a route through CC to Fluor Bluff then across to Padre Island and then up the coast. Any suggestions?

gtragitt

If you go through Flour Bluff, you will take the inter-coastal waterway bridge and other bridges across passes up to Port Aransas. You can take a ferry from there. You will go through Aransas Pass and Rockport.

From Calallen it would be better to go over to Odem on 77, Taft on 181, and on to Rockport via SR 35. I wouldn't want to be on the intercoastal bridge on a bike. The big bridge from Corpus Christi to Portland can be challenging even on a motorcycle due to the winds.

If you are doing the trip in an auto, going through Flour Bluff will be more interesting.

StephenH

Looks like you could work FM 666 into the route. Given that the country tends to all look the same, that'd be as good as anything for conversation.

cgallagh

This is good information. I was doing some research last night after posting and found a route on Map my ride that starts in Flour Bluff and goes all the way to Dallas, through Victoria. I tried to calculate routes on google maps for bicycles but it would not let me go on 77 from Calallen nor would it route me over the intercoastal bridge. Do they allow bikes on 77? I grew up on in the CC area and know the area fairly well but that was from many years ago having lived in California for 25 years. I also never rode bikes much there. We will be on our tandem bike and since the prevailing winds are SE we should only have headwind for the leg from Calallen to Padre Island for the one route and more headwind for the other. If we leave early enough we can make the whole trip in a day. If not then we can always bail at Rockport then take up the trip next day. Thanks for the suggestions.

StephenH- Having lived the first third of my life in that area I know what you are saying. There is a poem called "Hell in Texas". It fits.

gtragitt

I don't think they prohibit bikes on any of the routes. I personally would not want to cross the big bidge over the Laguna Madre between Flour Bluff and Mustang Island. I think 77 would be the most appropriate route for a bike.

I rode motorcycles not bicycles when I lived in Corpus Christi.

truman

I know 77 from Waco to Refugio and I wouldn't bike very much if any of it. The shoulder is very intermittent, and the traffic travels 70-80 mph.

I'd recommend getting on 35 from Portland, past Tivoli to 185, then 185 to Victoria. Most of 35 has good shoulder, but beware of cars moving over onto it to let overtaking cars pass.

I've ridden over the CC bay bridge. But it was before 8 am on a Saturday morning. You have to to take the traffic lane, but it's doable. There are some big expansion joints that get slippery when wet.