john bono

I'm looking for tour ideas for this summer for a three week tour, probably in July. I've done one four day 200mi CC tour up rt 7 in CT and MA, and a 5 day 240mi (mostly)unsupported tour from CT to both Orient Point and Montauk Point in LI. Basically, I'm looking for the following:

1)somewhere I've never been (West of the Appalachians, preferably west of the Mississippi),
2)To the greatest extent possible, the terrain/weather should be a help rather than a hindrance,
3)if possible, I should be less than 50 miles from any services.
4)Of course, good scenery, etc.
Ideas?

raybo

The coast of California.

Speedo

Too short a time for the whole thing, but maybe a chunk of the Lewis and Clark Trail.

Speedo

Sigurdd50

Wisconsin, uppper penninsula of Michigan, or do a circle tour -- although souther Ontario can be pretty challenging and 50 miles between services

Bacciagalupe

Another vote for Seattle to LA. Well-traveled route, lots of cheap campsites, excellent food, top-notch maps available via Adventure Cycling.

cyccommute 

July is kind of the wrong season for it but follow the Santa Fe Trail from Santa Fe NM to Independence MO. About 1200 miles.

Or do the western third of Lewis and Clark. Great Falls, MT to Astoria is about 1000 miles. Wonderful ride.

Machka 

Come up to BC and Alberta!

staehpj1

The Pacific Coast Highway is hard to beat for a July trip. Oregon is especially nice. What could be better than great scenery, cheap camping, good seafood, and a tailwind if traveling south.

valygrl

Wander around in the Colorado Rockies. I did that for 3 weeks in July/August 2005, it was awesome. It would help if you could camp, gives a lot more options. Great scenery. Terrain alternates between helping and hindering, depending on your perspective. It's not very flat, which for me is a big plus. Expect afternoon thunderstorms every day, but only for a few hours, and just get off the passes by about 2pm and you'll be fine.

jamawani 

Did you say July?

My pick would be Jackson, Wyoming to Jasper, Alberta.
Six national parks in the U.S. and Canada.
Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Glacier, Waterton, Banff, and Jasper.
Going to the Sun Road, Icefields Parkway - can't beat it.
Incredible scenery, great camping, pleasant temps.

But bear in mind that the U.S. dollar sucks against the Cdn dollar.

Pic - Icefields Parkway.

john bono

Thanks for some of the ideas. I'm a little more partial to staying the US than going to Canada. I'm not against it, just looking to stay in the US and not have to worry about border checkpoints and such. I'm less interested in doing a loop. I'd like to be able to take in more varied geography, and in a 1000 mile trip, that can mean starting on the coast, riding through the rockies, and winding up in the plains.

The main reason for wanting no more than 50 miles between services is that I want to be no more than two hours ride from civilization or a greasy spoon. I have camping gear and I expect to be camping for at least half of the trip.

jamawani 

Northern Tier -

Anacortes (But do go out to the San Juan Islands) to Glacier N.P.
ending in East Glacier, MT (Amtrak) or Great Falls, MT (Airport)

valygrl

Lewis & Clark - Astoria to Bozeman, then drop down to Yellowstone/Tetons. ocean-river-mountains-high-plains-mountains

cyccommute 

Ick! Go the other way. It's downhill

valygrl

but upwind.

jamawani 

But hot - in July.
East of The Dalles can be brutal.
Pasco - mid-90s, often 100s.

On my first cross-country tour in 1987 -
I was heading east thru the Columbia Gorge -
And I had HEADWINDS!!!!

I asked an old Yakima guy and he said that by the end of summer,
there is sometimes a reverse flow from the heat of the interior.

Go figure!

cyccommute 

Depends on the day My daughter and I happened to catch a down river wind when we left The Dalles on our trip. It carried us for 2 days all the way to Rainier. Then it was just cold and soggy

The only day we really had wind was at Biggs to The Dalles.

brotherdan

I biked a loop around the lower peninsula of Michigan several years ago, and it was a rather nice ride. It was right around 1000 miles, including a a traverse of the southern boundary of the state, which isn't all that scenic. Of course, I'm rather partial to this state, as it is my home. But it's a very scenic trip, with a lot of lake shore riding. It's nothing compared to the Pacific coast, which I've also biked, but the terrain is a million times easier, if that's what you're looking for.

robow

I see that photo and can't help but hear this Canadian picking on his guitar, "Carefree Highways, Let me slip away on you"