Northern Tier Questions
 

So, I have four full months off for my summer break in 2011 (May-August) and I was thinking of doing a cross country tour, and I like the looks of the Northern Tier route, but I had a few questions.

- How long is the route if you took the lake erie connector and North Lakes Route (both if you took the ferry across Lake Michigan or if you went around it)?
- How cold would the weather be if I left from Maine around first week of May?

I really want to take my time on the tour and go around 40 miles per day and have the option of going longer if I want. If I end up going faster I could even do some of the Pacific coast.

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated

first couple of weeks in May and you need a fleece jacket and probably sleeping bag if camping and synthetic pants with zipoff legs.

Mid may if leaving from the West could be problematic or no problem at all... Flip of a coin with Mother Nature. I was up on the North Cascade Hwy this June and it had only been open a few weeks. Some years it's open in April and well some years it is not.

As for the trip... 40 miles would certainly be a casual pace. I could see you doing that for the Western part of the route... all the mountain passes for the most part are in the first two weeks. After Glacier it gets pretty flat so doing 40 miles might have you done riding before lunch.

I'd suggest slowing down when you get further East again. As for the the connector.. I have no idea. If you have any specific questions feel free to PM me. Although I did the route in 08 I'm pretty sure not much has changed.

Also check out the photo's in my signature.. they start from the West and continue until I reached Maine.

Northern Tier + Erie Connector + North Lakes Route + both ferries = ~4000 miles.

In Maine in early May, the nights will still be chilly (we've even had snow in late April, although it doesn't stick around for more than a few hours).

40 miles per day does sound a little too leisurely. Some parts of the trip may warrant it, but on other parts you'll want to be doing a lot more to get through them.

/m

Ok, thanks guys. So, I don't think it will be too cold to start May 1 in Maine.

I've ridden part of the transam route and there was a lot of free camping at churches and parks. Is it pretty much the same with this route also?

Also, I forgot to say why I was considering the Lake Erie connector and North Lakes route. I heard that michigan was one of the best states to ride through, you get to see more of the Great Lakes, and also I heard that there can be tornadoes in Iowa in June/July.

If I had a choice.... I'd go West to East. I had to deal with some headwinds but not many. I passed more than a few heading riders heading West who didn't seem to be enjoying them much.

While not as pronounced as say the Pacific Coast winds going North to South... It is real from my experience on the route. I only remember one day of beating my head against the wind. I remember many days that I had a nice wind at my back.

If my math is correct, it's roughly 4200 miles, via UP and Lake Erie Connector. Using the Lake Michigan Ferry would shorten that some. Also, cutting out going into Alberta would reduce mileage also.

Our most expensive camping was in Maine. But, there is a variety of sites available along the route, from free city parks to commercial campgrounds.

I would guess that I paid for less than half my nights camping on the Northern Tier. Many towns are on the map with free camping mentioned. I took advantage of that being offered. I only stealth camped maybe 3 nights on the whole route... Not really stealth even.... just way out in the boonies and found a few great spots to rest my head.

Thanks for all the help.

I'm pretty set on going east to west so that I can start early and also do some of the Pacific Coast when I'm done.

I'll probably end up doing around 35-40 miles a day in the beginning and increasing the mileage as I feel more comfortable. The last tour I did, I tried to cover too many miles too quickly and I had to go home early because of knee problems.

I feel a strange kinship. I'm someone whose daily mileage totals are often pretty low. Sometimes it's because I dawdle so much in the morning that I don't start riding right away. This summer my latest start was 11:30, and I think I quit by 2:30 that day. I like to read, drink coffee, relax, stare peacefully into space, etc. I'm on vacation. Other times I find a really nice campground early in the afternoon and stop - so I can read, drink coffee.......

However, I usually get serious after awhile. (Getting started early is the biggest boost.) After a couple weeks I'm riding mostly 50-60 mile days. I also have to take it easy on my knees. Ibuprofen helps but taking it easy is better.

I'll bet you'll ride more than 35-40 overall, but I like your willingness to take it easy.

+1 - and couldn't ride again for 6 months because of the knee issues. I won't do that again. On subsequent tours I started more slowly, stretched the quads religiously, and took ibuprofen when needed. No more tour-killing knee trouble.

Planning a leisurely pace is smart - plenty of time for low-mileage days, days off, or deviations from the course, etc. If, once you're into it, the knee issues do not materialize, you can always ride more if you feel like it and then have plenty of time at the end for exploring the Pacific Coast, if you choose to do that (it's great). Good plan.

I did the NT a couple of years ago, west to east, and if I did it again I'd reverse it, the way you're going. All through the middle part of the country the winds were blowing out of the south and east. And the wind blows hardest in the plains states. I went a little later in the year though (July and August)

I've racked up my knees early in a tour several times. Mostly due to over-eagerness. Now I take it slow and easy the first few days and settle into a routine, and have no problems.

Lots of free camping along highway 2.

Not a specific answer to any of your questions but you might find Stuart Rosner's Journal on CGOAB to be useful. It's his 2009 NT tour (+ some extra add ons after). There are a lot of CG journals, but his a very good read.

Speedo