indyfabz

Before that.

The simple fact of the matter is that you can either adapt or stay home. I would have liked to use the hot tub at one hotel I stayed at in September, but it was closed. I still enjoyed my ride. I would have liked to have a breakfast buffet the next morning, but instead I had to accept a grab and go breakfast bag. I still enjoyed my ride. I camped most nights and avoided using the restrooms at popular times, but I still enjoyed my ride.

If you wouldn’t enjoy a trip without being able to do what’s normal for you than don’t do a trip. Personally, I’d rather adapt than stay home and dream about what might have been because I couldn’t bring myself to make some changes.

Papa Tom

Yeah, that's what I did in 2020. If it's the best I can do in 2021, it'll have to be enough.

Doug64

I was 64 when my wife and I rode across the U.S., averaging over 50 miles a day for 74 consecutive days. We did this ride when we were still working. Our last long tour in 2019 was 1500 miles and I was only 76. We plan on finishing our ride across Canada,Toronto to Halifax, next summer. Since our retirement in 2011 we have have ridden about 22,000 miles of bike touring, riding through 11 countries.

I'm not telling you this to brag (well, maybe a just little), but to show you that you don't have to sell you bike when you turn 60-- buck up!

P.S. If your wife would be interested in riding a bike, design a ride that she would enjoy, and ride it together.

Papa Tom

Wow, am I sorry I made that comment about being 58 and seeing the end of my touring days! I totally understand that 58 is not the time to pack away the bicycle, and I hope I can ride until the day I drop; however, because of some commitments coming down the line that will keep me close to home for a number of years, I don't see my opportunities to get out and tour increasing any time soon.

Doug64

Yeah, some of us old guys are a little sensitive. Do the kinds of tours that your situation allows, and the ones you enjoy. Bike touring is a pretty self-centered activity, and there are many other priorities in life that are much more important. I'm sorry if I came across a little harsh.

I use a little different criteria for when I will quit riding. I'll quit when I forgot where I parked my bike. However, I do hope I "drop" before that happens.

imi

It doesn’t get harder, you just get slower

Papa Tom

Slow is fine with me. If I wanted to get home and get off the bike faster, I would just stay home in the first place!

Paul J

My wife and I are 66 and retiring this year. 10 years ago we got back into riding tandem. I felt bad about riding and her being at home. When our daughters were home they loved when I went out as they got to do stuff the three of them liked that I didn't do. After they married and had their own families I felt bad riding as she was home alone. We've been riding a good amount of miles each year and enjoy riding together as the tandem is the equalizer. We both add power and that combination moves us forward. This summer we are doing a piece of my dream tour by riding a portion of the west coast from SF to SD. About 1/2 of the full journey. We will be credit card touring.

Papa Tom

Cool. Have a safe, fun trip!

Ghazmh

I’m planning a 5 day 4 night credit card tour to Portland Me in May. I’m really hoping I can do it! I have a few other weekend overnight trips in the works for 2021. If I had the means I’d do a multi week tour, perhaps one day.

skookum

Wait until you get vaccinated. The risk from staying in hotels is low. Maybe stay away from trains if it bothers you.

KPREN

I am currently planning two trips for this year. One trip is a credit card tour of the Erie Canal. I belong to a group of older riders. Average age is about 75, Most are already vaccinated. Our sag wagon will be my diesel trawler that I have on Lake Erie. The trawler does about 40-50 miles a day and carries food and baggage. Riders will be free of burden and only need to average 7-8 mph on the trip. This trip is planned for a week in July.

My second trip is anything but a credit card trip. I will be riding from Tucson AZ north on the AZ trail, around the Grand Canyon and join the Wild west route north of AZ Bryce Canyon area where I will head east on the Plateau Passage route to Moab. From Moab to Fruita Co. then east to Summit County. From Summit county north to Laramie Wy. Then NE to Scottsbluff NB and ride the sand hillls east to the Cowboy trail. I will probably end in Norfolk NB. 90% is off road dirt with many very remote sections with scant resupply, let alone motels. The longest stretch without resupply is about 120 miles, for water about 60 miles. I will be doing this trip on my Fat E bike. over the course of about a month. I have one other nutty senior willing to join me. This trip is planned for spring.
I am currently 65, my riding partner 66. We have not yet decided to take a sag wagon or self contained.

Papa Tom

That's great KPREN, and welcome to the group!

My question is specifically about the kind of bike tour that involves hotels, restaurants, and public transportation. If I wasn't such a mosquito magnet, I'd have probably taken up camping a long time ago and I wouldn't be questioning whether touring is feasible during this pandemic. I'd LOVE to be able to camp, but I can barely get from my car to my front door in the summertime without three or four skeeter bites!

KPREN

The Erie Canal trip is very much about hotels and such. The group plans on Bed and Breakfast accommodations or hotels along the way. Pretty easy as there is a town every 5 miles or so. The riding is pretty flat. The boat is not big enough to sleep everyone comfortably. The boat is really just the sag wagon and for riders whom get tired or don't feel like riding. 4 people are well over 80 and may not have the stamina.

Papa Tom

Sorry. I got wrapped up in the description of your SECOND trip and forgot that your Erie Canal trip involves hotels and such. So you are OK with staying in B&B's as early as July?

Comfort is King

Last summer until this early winter, I toured around the country. Stayed in a fair amount of hotels and used public transportation in several cities--and even on Oregon's coast--which is something I never did, Amtrak trains not withstanding.

The first time was the T in Boston. Because of the pandemic, it was virtually empty, so I used it several times. Everyone wore masks and stayed apart from each other. Decided to use the Boston area as a home base for several days and took the T out of town, went on incredible day trips, then took it back.

Even last summer, I had no trouble finding accommodations. I was at times inconvenienced with closed restrooms among other annoyances; however, lots of places restricted gatherings merely by closing off or curtailing parking. So, areas that would normally be occupied, were available. However, because camping and outdoor recreation saw huge increases last year, places that were usually available, were all of a sudden quite full. Very strange year.

Most places had restaurants you could eat outside--either they had them already, or did so because of Covid-19. This works great because that's where my bike is. Places that don't, often set up right at the entrance to handle takeouts. Again, this works great for the same reason. For every pandemic setback, their was a boon.

KPREN

Everyone in our group will be vaccinated by July. Two, its summer time and covid should be almost dormant by then. Three, we bike as a group all through the summer last year. Most in the group have more comfort with death than in waiting to long to do something. Most are stage four cancer survivor's. Half of those are survivors of high mortality cancers.

indyfabz

IKR. Last year I camped at 3 different places during 3 different tours that I had stayed at before on more than one occasion. All three were busier than normal. One place I had stayed at twice before at the same time of year. (The weekend after Labor Day.) The first two times the place was either empty or barely occupied. In 2020 it was probably 75% full, if not more.

When I took Amtrak to Pittsburgh last September to the start of a tour I paid extra for business class. At its most crowded I think there were only 7 or 8 people in my car on a Friday afternoon/evening. Stayed i a hotel the day before I started riding. Hardly saw any other quests. Never had to share an elevator.

Papa Tom

Now I'm not sure whether I'm rooting for the pandemic to end or...NAAAAHHHHH -- I want it to end!

Pratt

If I get vaccinated, and the Canadian border opens up, I will plan a credit card trip from Burlington to Montreal.
I would bet that the people you love, would love to see you go on more bike trips.
BTW, 58, bah! 'tis no more than a stripling youth.

Papa Tom

Do you live in Burlington? When I would travel to certain parts of Canada on business, I often stayed at a hotel a few doors down from Tucker's Marketplace on the South Service Road of QE Way...best buffet in North America!

Pratt

Not Burlington, across the state in Bradford. Both children live in Burlington. That is where a bike way starts North, then there are some easy looking connections to Montreal.
If indoor dining ever returns, I'll try it.

D@vid

I have a ride planned for Quebec to San Diego. Was planning to ride it in 2020 but now just waiting to see what happens. Will ride it when circumstances allow, until then, guess I won't. That's the great thing about touring, can just go when you go, book accomodation on the fly as you ride, even as you roll into town.

I live in the UK so may end up doing some UK trips instead, who knows!

djb

that's a heck of a long ride, diagonal like that. Must be 8000kms? 5000 miles?
vaccinations here are a fair amount behind the UK, so I'd be surprised if it will be possible for you, just as for me hoping to bike in Europe and UK, another summer bust is my feeling as of now.

pdlamb

Don't know about Canada, but the US CDC is now saying quarantine isn't required if you had your shot (jab?) or shot series between 2 weeks and 3 months earlier than potential exposure. Given that the UK is ahead of most of the US on jabs (except perhaps West Virginia?!), and Canada is doing its best to keep its citizens safe from US exposure, this year is going to be -- shall we say, interesting?