sprocketss

Sounds good, I have the misunderstanding that Florida is just paved with asphalt at this point.

sprocketss

I've never heard of it, but I'm checking it out.

staehpj1 

On the pan handle you can ride miles and miles through pretty much nothing but tall pine trees between widely spaced towns.

bikenh

I will agree with this as long as you stay up off the coast. I remember riding FL200 and it was mostly wild. I was a bit surprised. The only thing about riding up there is to watch the big bridge crossings. If heading westbound you have to deal with lousy sign placement telling you that you have to cross over to the other side of the road and hop on the sidewalk to get across the bridge. They don't want to place the signs before you ever get to the crossover for the sidewalk, they want to wait until you are beyond the crossover. That became a big complaint of mine this summer. Every time I would get somewhere that bikes were prohibited or had to crossover to use sidewalks, etc they always wait so darn late to tell you that you have to do something compared to the norm. I had a couple of bridges that were the same way so when I came to Pensacola Bay Bridge and knew I was dealing with traffic I was wandering if I was allowed to ride the bridge deck or if I was going to get forced onto a sidewalk.

Walter S

I live in Atlanta and have lived all over the south. February is not great if you're camping. And if you forecast a 40F nighttime low based on a monthly average, be prepared for half that. The temperature swings are big. It can be real warm too. But when planning I don't bank on it.

Walter S

True. And for when the OP is going I'd recommend the Everglades. The cycling is great and full of natural beauty. If you want to have fun then ride your bike from the mainland to Key West on the biggest catamaran in the world and then ride up the keys back to the Everglades

sprocketss

So I couldn't fight it anymore, I have bought my airline ticket to Phoenix. I have three weeks to explore Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and perhaps New Mexico. Flying Delta, I found a good price, but I will be paying $300 more to transport my bike, there will be other checked baggage charges, but I'm not going to worry about that. I'm excited to explore all the national parks in the area, including the Grand Canyon National Park, Zion National Park and others as I draw up an itinerary.

I would value any suggestions, routes and offered links. I also would value any tips to camp in the backcountry. I understand I can expect a range of weather that could include snow.

Over the next several weeks I hope to draw up a plan. Since this will my first self supported tour, I do want to take it easy and enjoy the experience by minimizing the mishaps :-).

Cyclebum

The further north of Phx you get, the colder it'll be. With snow. Good luck with that.

Much more pleasant options toward S. Cali. I'd target Joshua Tree and the Salton Sea.

sprocketss

Ya, I am aware of the snow, thinking a day trip by bus to view the canyon. I will be checking out Joshua tree thou, thinking of doing a loop from Joshua Tree, then south and east to the Arizona Trail.

imi

I'd add Anza Borrego to that, it's sort of just over the road from the Salton Sea.

sprocketss

Checking it out

gpsblake

And a surprising number of hills also. I remember cycling west in the panhandle and I guess around Monticello, it was, ARE YOU KIDDING ME FLORIDA IS SUPPOSED TO BE FLAT********** Ocala national forest is flat and tons of roads both paved and unpvaed and so rural, you can't even get cellphone reception in most of it.

Buffalo Buff

https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/10...two-weeks.html

I don't really have any specific suggestions at the moment. I just wanted to pass this link your way. I recently rode through a lot of the states you're planning to ride, so if you think there's any questions of yours I could answer feel free to ask. I just made up my routes on the fly, so they weren't ideal by any means. I wouldn't really suggest the routes I took, except for the awesome coastal ride along Mississippi.

sprocketss

Enjoyed you videos, great tour, you have inspired me to video diary my ride.

staehpj1 

I did the ST in Feb-Mar and would choose that time again. Daytime temps were generally pleasantly cool. Overnight lows were fairly often cool enough for frost and only one night was really cold (18 F on my thermometer). I'd take the weather I had on that trip over hot weather any time. The farther north you go from the ST the more chance of cold weather and snow, so I would be cautious of planning on being much more north anywhere with much elevation.

Yeah, I moved to Tallahassee not long ago and it is surprisingly hilly in places. The hills can be pretty steep, but given that the state high point is only 345' at least the climbs can't be super long.

ColaJacket

If you want to do a lot of climbing in the South, then a lot of cyclists like to bike the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC and VA.

GH

jamminB

Hi, I was wondering why you suggested using 90 over the ACA route. I'm also thinking about riding a portion of the ST from Texas to Florida and then hopefully to the keys.
@sprocketss Good luck with your trip!

staehpj1 

I only mentioned it as an option. Personal preference may dictate one over the other and a mix and match approach is possible. I used US 90 some of the way on my ST and found it pretty nice.

I tend to like highways with the US designation. They are fairly direct and many of them are nice riding IMO. It would keep things simple to follow one highway rather than do a lot of navigating on little back roads. US 90 can be pretty remote in places, traffic isn't too heavy for a lot of it (some places you will see a car only every 20-30 minutes), it typically has decent shoulders.

ACA routes tend to go out of their way to take scenic routes that I fairly often find myself wondering what they thought was more scenic about them.

My suggestion is to be flexible in your plans and try some of both. Then adjust to ride on the one you find you prefer. Bear in mind that the choice may be different in different sections.

Ridefreemc

I'd worry more about rednecks and wild pigs. I wild camp all the time on state forest land and no issues though. Hammock here, as there isn't must flat debris free ground.

As far as traveling up the east coast of Florida I love riding there. Sometimes you can run across a lot of traffic, but I don't see it as much of an issue. You can ride up A1A for the coastal feel, or pop over to US1 (which you must in some places to get around inlets). Some parts of US1 you are riding for many miles right alongside the water. Ride though the Cape Canaveral area (wild camping along the way) and come in to the Daytona Beach area from the south on US1 and is a nice ride. Go over to A1A for the beach scene.

Anyway, very many options. If you want more specifics let me know. I have ridden that coast from the Keys to Georgia (and on to Savannah the day after high school graduation! - HS in Daytona Beach - the Fighting Sandcrabs!!).

stevepusser

Besides being wet in Southern California, strong El Nino events tend to generate cool and wet weather across the entire southern US, while the Pacific NW can be warmer and drier than average. Just something to be prepared for.

Rob_E

In February? I haven't been, but I sometimes keep an eye on the mountain area temps over the winter. It can get chilly up there.

Ridefreemc

The roadway (BRP) will be closed then.

DropBarFan

Rode from Ft Lauderdale to Jupiter, A1A is quite pretty even w/the condos & has bike lane for many parts. Drivers were nice since there was ample room for easy passes. I even like biking in Miami--one needs to watch out for bozos pulling out of parking lots but don't mind the Ferraris passing in same lane.