Now that's funny but all too familiar

One of the advantages of touring with the same people frequently is you know where not to set up your tent or whom you don't want to room with

I have often made friends along the way and camped with them, but didn't typically ride with them. Sometimes we planned our days and met up each day for camp. Other trips it was more just bumping into each other when we happened to. When I planned to ride with someone at the start we usually rode together for the duration.

On the TA we knew other folks from various forums (mostly cgoab) and were excited when we happened to run into them unplanned. We also met and made friends with others. Then we tended to meet again and again along the way. Sometimes we planned to stay together for a while and sometimes the paces were not compatible.

On the TA I met a quite a few young riders many were recent college grads doing a post college trip. On other tours I think they tended to be skewed more toward older rider. I guess the Pacific Coast had quite a few youngish riders too.

Try to talk to people going in the opposite direction. They can be good sources of information about campgrounds, grocery stores, etc.

Yes, wave and stop. Share what you know with them as well. Mark stuff you learn on your maps. Some of what we learned was logistical info, but a lot was what points of interest were worth checking out wand what weren't.

And road closures, detours, road construction, etc.

The one instance that sticks out in my mind was in the infamous Jeffrey City, WY. There was a Dutch trio camping in the American Legion park. They weee heading west. I was heading east the next day to Rawlins and was planning to stay at the KOA. They had stayed there the night before and told me it was not nice. No shade and bordered by I-80. I checked it out when I arrived in Rawlins. Took one look and went to the center of town to score a room.

I have also traded maps.

Last summer I went to a KOA, I was going to make a short day of it and quit early after two ferry crossings that day. The KOA wanted over $80 for a RV site, they had no tent sites. I decided to keep going.

Your no shade site reminded me of a site I had last summer at a provincial park. Zero shade and of course not a cloud in the sky. Being a weekend when all campgrounds would be full, they only had one site available for two nights, all the other campgrounds nearby were already booked for the entire weekend. So, I took the last site they had for two nights.

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I was glad to get a site, but I could see why it was the last site available.

It gave me a chance to catch up on sink laundry with fast drying in the sun.

Stayed at a KOA just west of Memphis right on Interstate 55, one of the heaviest truck corridors in the country and the traffic noise was terrible. On top of that, it wasn't cheap but the only saving grace was that they allowed us to stick several tents on one camping spot which diluted the cost. Generally KOA's are not my favorite but sometimes you take what you can get.

Only $80? While planning my 2021 tour from VT home to Philly I looked into a KOA in Cuddebackvile, NY, which is in nowheresville. I had stayed there in 2018. Tent site by the river was in the upper $40s back then. In 2021 they wanted $105. No thanks,

I’m generally not a KOA fan, but I have stayed in a couple that were reasonably priced. I’ve started a few tours from the Missoula KOA. It’s close to the airport, very close (easy walking distance close) to the REI, where I ship my bike and pick up fuel, and they have 5 tent sites thst have both nice grass and cement patios, and they are partially covered, which is nice if the weather is wet. And the place is pretty quiet despite being large. Now the Mt. Rushmore KOA is a completely different animal. Combat camping at its finest, with hot pools filled with people drinking beers.

On ACA trips where ACA made the campground choices, I think I have stayed at two or three KOAs.

Generally, I avoid KOA but if there is nothing else available I will check with them. On Pacific Coast a decade ago two of us planned to take a zero day and stay at a site for two nights. Where possible we stayed at hiker biker sites. Stayed at a Manchester Beach state park hiker biker site, no shade, no showers, not much of anything. There was a KOA very close by. We checked with them and they offered a competitive price at a hiker biker rate, so we went there for the second night. It was not a designated hiker biker site, just a regular site, but they gave us a lower hiker biker rate.

Also on Pacific Coast, I do not recall exactly where, perhaps near Eureka, there was a long way between hiker biker sites. We chose to skip checking with the KOA and stayed at a motel.

I will wild camp where there is not any choice, but where possible I go to campgrounds. Hostels or motels instead if it is expected to rain. KOA is the only campground chain that is on my avoid list, I will check with them as a last resort.

Like many things, including state parks, KOA's can be hit or miss. The Missoula KOA is a convenient place to start a tour. It's 3 miles from the airport and literally around the corner from REI, where I ship my bike and can pick up fuel. Despite being large, it's pretty quiet. The owners run a tight ship and don't put up with nonsense. Another advantage is that they have five of these sites. Helpful to shake down gear after a long flight, especially if you encounter wet weather. Power and water included, although they are up to $69/night during high season. Last time I was there (2019), they were less than $50.


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The Mt. Rushmore KOA, on he other hand, was combat camping at its finest, including soaking hot pools filled with drunks swilling beers. And very little shade. I'd sleep under a bridge next time.


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2025 Summer Bike Tour — ACA Rtes TransAm>PPP>NT — Companions Wanted
 

I am requesting F/M touring companions for any/all sections of a 2025 W>E transcontinental unsupported bike tour from Florence, OR to Bar Harbor, ME: 4,500 miles. I will be utilizing the following ACA route sections and would be willing to make minor modifications per will of the group:

1. TransAmerica starting in Florence, OR;
2. Parks, Peaks, and Prairies starting in West Yellowstone, MT; and
3. Northern Tier starting in Minneapolis, MN.

Tour Dates: Jun 1 to Sep 15, 2025; actual start date could be closer to mid-Jun depending on riding partners’ availability; regardless, overall trip will be ~105 days. Will ride 50-60 mi/day, camp the majority of the trip, and plan to take 1 rest day (aka Zero Day) per week. Drop-Ins of a week or two are fine, but you’ll need to be flexible — young rider and LGBTQ+ friendly.

I am a married 66 yr old male, retired K-12 teacher (15 years) and retired botanist/conservation biologist (15 years). I’ve traveled extensively in Central and South America, but have never spent months on the road in the U.S. I am a natural history enthusiast and am looking forward to seeing the variety of biomes and landscapes across the continent. I am comfortable stripping and rebuilding most any bike built before 2010 - I’ve never owned a bike with disc brakes, tubeless tires, suspensions, or electronic shifters. For this tour, I’ll be riding a 40-year old Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo MTB that I put drop bars on with STI shifters.

Last year, I walked the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage from the French Pyrenees, across Northern Spain, to the Atlantic Ocean (540 miles). Bike touring experience includes two 500 miles rides in California in the early ‘80’s. I graduated from high school in 1976, and had planned to ride the original Bikecentennial with a high school buddy. Plans changed and we drove his ‘69 VW bus across the continent with our bikes strapped on top. This tour has been on my Bucket List for 49 years.

Please Direct Message me if you are interested. — Paul

Sounds like it's going to be a blast Bob! Enjoy every minute of it, time flies but memories last for a long time. You are going to see just how beautiful America and its people are! In 2022/23 I did a solo perimeter tour of the US. 10,520- miles, 323-days, and 400,000 feet of climbing, on a 1x gravel bike sporting 650b wheels. Going solo was the best decision I made. I was on my schedule and relied on no one but me. I learned more in that time than any other period of my life. Don't worry, you'll find other riders along the way. I rode with people from Germany, Belgium, France, England, and of course Americans along the way and we had a blast. I'm doing a quick 1,000-mile New England loop the first week of June, then another 10,000-mile interior US ride next year. I like going solo but I also like some company here and there. Good luck and keep pedaling!
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Man, I miss Montana.

Monitor the availability of federal campgrounds (e.g., BLM, USFS, NPS) if you plan on using them. Several of them in PA recently announced they won’t be open due to budget cuts.

Even if some are accessible, they might not have hosts, water, and/or bathrooms available.