trek520bikefan

Hi all,

I would like to cycle across America starting in the 3rd or 4th week of February. I know this time of the year is far from ideal but it's my only window of opportunity.

I'm wondering if there is any realistic way of traversing the country on a bicycle at this time of year and if yes, do ye have any recommendations. I have already attempted the Southern Tier and would like to attempt a different route.

Thanks.

Eggman84

Seems to me its just a roll of the dice what type of weather you will meet at that time of year on anything but the southern tier. I would think the further north you go the greater the chance of bad weather (snow) not to mention lower temperatures. Good luck.

jamawani 

Adventure Cycling - Southern Tier - is clearly the first choice - - but
(Saint Augustine, Florida to San Diego, California)
https://www.adventurecycling.org/rou...southern-tier/

If you have already done it -
I rode a little north of that in 2008 -
From the Sea Islands of Georgia to Del Rio, Texas
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/...c_id=3402&v=Jp

If there is any way possible - start on Sapelo Island - a magical place.
Jekyll Island is mega touristy, golf, condos, etc.
The counties of the Black Belt - because of the soils - are majority African American.
These GA, ALA, MISS counties are some of the poorest in the U.S.
Limited services - esp. camping - - but worth it.

I do not understand why the Southern Tier skips the Cajun country of bayou Acadia in Louisiana.
Stunningly beautiful, struggling after multiple hurricanes, incredibly friendly & generous.

There are 5 bazillion ways to cross Texas besides the Southern Tier.

<<<>>>

On other trips I have taken US 62 in West Texas via Guadalupe Mtns NP - very remote.
US 380 in southern NM is also an option - linking to US 60.
The latter is further north - can link you to the best stretches of Old Route 66 west of Flagstaff.
(Seligman-Kingman; Kingman-Needles; Goffs-Ludlow)
But the weather in March can still be quite wintry - esp. at higher elevation.

Just some ideas. - - J

Photo - Sapelo Island Live Oaks

fietsbob

ACA TransAmerica VA to OR, / OR to VA.. will be the route competed over, again in early June.. seeing who can finish it first..

Unlike RAAM, no support , all DIY. much like you would do, or those initiating the route in 1976..

Yes I said June, not January, but some Junes feel like Junuary..






...

alan s 

By “America,” I assume you are not limited to North America. Best bet would be Central America. Maybe Panama City to Colon?

fietsbob

Or Kodiak Island Alaska , to Ushuaia Argentina ?

alan s 

If you are going all that way, might as well start in Prudhoe Bay.

fietsbob

Follow Pipeline service road south?

markjenn

I'd definitely go E to W so that you're starting in the SE and aren't crossing the W mountains until late-March or later.

These sorts of adventures always hinge on how dedicated you are and how much you're willing to roll with the punch on timing. If you love challenges, are willing to endure considerable hardship, don't mind taking (some would say stupid) risk, and have enough time to hunker down for a patch of bad weather, it can be done. But if your motivation is simply that you're an average bicycle tourist who can't get the summer free, I'd wait until you can get a summer free.

There is no magic route that makes an infeasible trip feasible. The key is to avoid elevation as any route that gets above a thousand feet or so will be subject to snow, ice, and freezing temps in Feb and Mar. Once you get past Texas, your options to stay low diminsh so you need to watch weather closely and be willing to wait out bad weather. Unless you're really hard core and/or have a lot of schedule flexibility, I can't see any way to cross W TX, NM, AZ, and CA in late-March/April that isn't down in the I-10 and I-8 corridor..... tackling high passes at this time of year would be foolish.

- Mark

alan s 

Dalton Highway.

https://www.blm.gov/download/file/fid/14675

fietsbob

NB >It's Summer in South America<



I started a tour of Ireland and Scotland , last week of February in 1997, Dublin to County Kerry first section ,
then proceeded north from there ..

the Warming effect of the Gulf Stream waters, in the western coasts , there, is very significant ..

I mailed back quite a bit of clothing for colder weather.. once I was there and felt the difference..

I recommend you study the weather for the time you are planning to go where you plan to ride..




...

tcs

Gulf --> Great Lakes. Off the top of my head, starting in the neighborhood of Corpus Christi, ending in the neighborhood of Duluth?

pdlamb

Back to the original question, leaving the end of February, crossing the Appalachians might be possible, but iffy. Northern parts of the Rockies and Sierras will probably be closed until May-June. That narrows your choices to (1) W-E starting on or near the Southern Tier, or (2) E-W starting mid-Atlantic (Trans-Am?) or further south.


Southern Tier route, you could work your way up to Route 66 near west Texas, and pick up the Trans-Am.


E-W, you could start on the TransAm. I'd suggest heading W/SW from Damascus instead of going north into the Kentucky hills; but crossing Tennessee could be problematic. You might take the Natchez Trace south of Nashville, then work your way west of Natchez, or head north to pick up the TransAm again at Cave in Rock. You'd be flirting with late winter storm possibilities in the Appalachians, and the Ozarks if you go back to the TransAm.


Just guessing, you'd hit the Rockies 6-8 weeks after starting west. You'd want to avoid the Colorado passes, and might realistically be forced down towards El Paso, southern NM and AZ -- back on the ST. You might head north once you're in California, up through the southern part of the Central Valley, and end up on the coast somewhere north of LAX.

trek520bikefan

Would New York to Chicago and Route 66 down to Los Angeles be completely out of the question, if I was to start on 1st March. I would be open to starting at either LA or NY.

trek520bikefan

Well, I enjoyed the western portion of the Southern Tier very much and would welcome cycling it again, but I would rather avoid cycling the eastern section up to Eastern Texas. So if I could trace a route down from the eastern coast somewhere, maybe NY, then it might do doable.

bikenh

I would stay south for warmer weather...granted you will also be putting yourself in tornado alley as well. Just find a start point and a finish point and start hooking up points for overnight stays in between. No reason to follow an established route, make your own and go ride it.

Why not something like Savannah to San Diego. Go through southern GA/Birmingham/Nacodoches area to get across the deep south instead of sticking WAY south. Create your own route and go ride it.

saddlesores

i assume by "attempt" you've completed a southern tier crossing, and don't
want to repeat it. your selected time of year is not suitable for northern crossings.

any reason you need to do another usa crossing? you can do circuits and loops and
train station to train station in the south without going coast to coast. plenty of
interesting sights not on your original route.

guessing you have about two months available. why not go someplace warm?
flights are cheap, and considering the lower cost of living ex-usa, you'll more than
make up the difference in food and lodging over the course of your tour.

it's january 21. sitting here in my underpants in bangkok. 30 degrees celcius outside
and the AC is running.

daily expenses for cycle touring, staying in guesthouses, runs about $25. under $20/day
if you ride laos or cambodia. cheaper if camping of course.

staehpj1

Patrick's suggestions sound reasonable.
Most crossings of the Rockies in winter would not be something I'd attempt, so using a southern route in the west seems like the obvious answer. I think that I'd start in the west on or near the ST, then head northward as I got further east, that way you'd cross the Appalachians a little later. I'd be flexible about the route and decide where to head north based on how the weather forecast looked at the time.

If the forecasts at the time were terrible you could stay south longer. If they looked better you could head north sooner and more aggressively.

There will be a chance of freezing temperatures and snow even on the ST and the further north the bigger those chances. Personally I don't mind overnight freezes with cool daytime highs or even snow, if the roads are clear in a day or two, but the chance of real cold and lasting snow and ice is not something I'd want to deal with on tour.

I personally wouldn't consider riding the TA west of Pueblo anywhere near as early as a February start in the east would get me there. I assume that the WE and the NT would be similarly a problem.

gorob23

I started in MB ( About 3 mile south of LAX) Left May 30th

My journal can be found On CGOAB 'dads doing what" ?

I was in the minority for going West to East and it wasn't really a problem. I Like the idea of getting on the bike at home and riding off into the sunset, or sunrise as it usually is when starting.

I stopped in Dodge City because I wanted to have a reason for going bac the next summer. I THINK the toughest part was behind me but I will find out when I finally finish .. Maybe this year.

My advice Just go, when your tired sleep, hungry eat, if it rains you will get wet and if it pours stop, get dry and enjoy the moment

BBassett

Start in Seattle, ride down the Pacific Coast to San Diego, then turn left and ride into the rising sun till you hit salt water. 50s and 60s until you get to San Diego, you will love it.