chickonbike

Thank you for all the info Spinnaker! Much appreciated.

spinnaker

We are a friendly and helpful people.

A shame you do not have more time in the U.S. We have so many good places to ride including the Great Allegheny Passage and Chesapeake & Ohio Trail.

This is a bike trial that I can take from my house near Pittsburgh, PA to Washington, DC nearly 580KM. We have people coming from all over the world to fo this trail. I did the whole trail with several BF members in 2009.


But what made you decide to come to the US. There are so many good places to ride in Europe and you can leave right from your front door!

Dellphinus

Looks like a blast, and looks like you've got lots of good advice here.

Have you come across https://www.crazyguyonabike.com yet? If not, it contains LOTS of info you might find interesting.

chickonbike

I guess I'm just in love with the US nature and landscape - and the friendly and helpful people. I went there on a two-week roadtrip (by car) last spring and had the best time of my life. I realized quickly that it would have to be the first of many trips to the states. I've always wanted to see more of the south, which is why I want to ride the southern tier...

As for Europe, there is of course great landscapes and people here too, but I guess I've seen quite a bit of it already and I just want to go further. I'd love to cycle around the UK at some point too, and France and Italy... but for now, I'm super excited about the states!

chickonbike

Yes, for sure! Thank you.

D.B. Cooper

3 mos is more than enough time to make that trip, almost too much. My girlfriend and I biked from Seattle to Ft Lauderdale(5,100 miles) in 95 days. We are not triathletes by any stretch, and we had plenty of down-time for sight-seeing.

Yes, you would be better off leaving in September instead of August, but you would be MUCH better off starting your trip in San Francisco in August. San Fran is beautiful in August and the weather will get progressively cooler as you head south. I would much rather be in San Francisco than St. Augustine in August, and I would rather be in St. Augustine than San Francisco in October.

The southern states are brutally hot and humid in August and September and the mosquitos are like a plague from the bible . Sounds like punishment to me.

True story...In north Florida we were riding on a highway through swamp when my tire blew out just as it was getting dark(worst time for mosquitos). As I was fixing the flat, my girlfriend was feverishly swatting mosquitos that were biting me. There were at least 75-100(no exaggeration) on and around me. Now, I have lived in south Florida my whole life and I am used to mosquitos, but these were so bad I thought I was going to go insane. She could not swat them fast enough and I could not concentrate on what I was doing. We tried to flag down a car but no one would stop. I ended up gathering a bunch of pine needles and making a circle around us and lighting them on fire. This worked well enough for me to get the tire fixed, but someone called the sheriff on us
and I almost went to jail. We must have been some sight to people driving by.

Yes, you will have more headwinds going east to west. Personally, I would rather climb an 8% grade all day than deal with a 5mph headwind. I find headwinds very discouraging. But that's just me.

Bring your camping gear, you will need it.

You can easily do this trip without ACA maps, as you might want to see some sights
that aren't on their route, and with 3mos allotted, you'll have plenty of time for sight-seeing.

Good luck.

chickonbike

Thank you for the good advice! As it looks now, I'm planning to start in San Fran in September and head south, then east during october and possibly november. I know it prob won't take me 3 months, but that's the time I'm allowed to stay without a visa, so I figure I'll take it easy and see how it goes - no preassure

D.B. Cooper

I'm, jealous. If you need a bodygaurd for the trip, let me know. I'll work for food.

simplygib

Hi Anna - talking with you on your Slab City thread and realizing you are now planning on going east on the ST reminded me of a route detour you might be interested in considering. This would only be good if you do decide to bring camping gear along as there are almost no motels on this detour route.

The ACA ST route, section 2, starts at Tempe, Arizona, and goes east to Apache Junction, then turns southeast generally following the route of Hwy 60 which eventually gets you to the town of Globe about 50 miles later. The detour skips this part of Hwy 60.

To take the detour, at Apache Junction you would go northeast on Hwy 88 into the Superstition Mountains. This will take you past a couple of reservoirs and river canyons until you eventually get to Hwy 188 at Roosevelt Lake, where you would turn right, and that will take you back to the original route at Hwy 60 just west of Globe.

The detour will add about 20 miles to your trip but in my opinion it is vastly more scenic than the Hwy 60 route. There are several campgrounds, a couple of lakes you could cool off in, and some Anasazi ruins (cliff dwellings) along the way that you could stop and see if interested. There is quite a bit of climbing on this route, as well as a 22-mile (35.5 km) section of dirt road, but the dirt was packed and smooth both times I've seen it, and I had no trouble riding it on my first tour.

If that sounds interesting to you, take a look at pages 4, 5, and 6 of my first tour journal, which has a map and photos of that part of the route.

Good luck,
Gary

Edit: Detour map, including elevation profile

chickonbike

Thanks a bunch Gary! That sounds really cool

AdamDZ

Get tons of sunblock. Your skin will burn in under 30 minutes if unprotected. Also, have you practiced long distance touring? The climate shock can be signifant so you need to be in good shape. People warning you about the heat aren't kidding. You won't see anything like that anywhere in Europe and if you are not used to the heat it'll be hard. This is the kind of heat that can kill you, seriously.

Have you read related journals on Crazy Guy on a Bike to see what to expect?

The distances are great too:



There can be nothing for 200km.

I've read journals where people rode a couple of days between towns/services in the South. Heck, in New York State I rode 50 miles between towns/service at least twice. It was my first time and it felt um... weird and a bit scary.

So being stuck in such place with clear sky, no shade, no water sources and 115F temperature is not something most sane people would consider "fun"..

JimDDD

Re: "Would you say I'd be better off waiting an extra month and going Sept-Nov instead of Aug-Oct?"

I would add to the chorus suggesting a later start.

If you can travel Sept-Nov instead of Aug-Oct, then I would greatly recommend it. Many have mentioned the heat and humidity of the South East. I would also be concerned about portions of the trip in West Texas and southern New Mexico. (I lived for a while in West Texas and I'm quite familiar with the area.) The climate in this area, especially crossing the basins, is more North African than Mediterranean. Think brutally hot, bone dry and completely cloudless. The sun just drills into you, and the surrounding vegetation is way too short to provide shade. Heat in the South East is unpleasant, but heat, sun and low humidity in the South West is more dangerous. It is a beautiful area in the late Fall and Winter. Any time close to summer can be a significant challenge.

Have a great trip!

Jim

tcarl

I can't add much, but I remember the experiences of some friends of mine who did a west to east southern transcontinental ride during late spring - early summer 2010. In eastern Arizona - western New Mexico they had two days of extreme winds - blowing west to east at 50 mph, gusting to 70. They covered 70 miles in two hours, able to coast at 30 mph without pedaling. Granted, these were extreme conditions, but not something you could ride against. A friend from Albuquerque once metioned to me that a steady 30 mph wind out in the desert is a calm day (I don't know, I've never been there.) I think going west to east is the better direction.

Nycycle

Wind, yup we got wind...

chickonbike

Definitely not. I appreciate the warnings and I do intend to be very cautious and do my research. (I'm even looking into possibly staying a bit further North on part of the trip; something like this: https://maps.google.se/maps?f=d&sourc...4&z=5&lci=bike

which should keep me out of the worst endless desert bits... only thing is, all of the sudden we're talking average temperature highs of 60 (Oklahoma) instead of 80-90 (Texas), which is what various weather sites show for October. And then I will need different clothes and different hiking gear to withstand the cold during the nights... so I think I will need to give it a lot of thought.

ClemY

Have you considered riding the course from San Francisco to St. Augustine? With the prevailing winds on the Pacific coast from the North West, you would have a tail wind from San Fran south. Starting in August would be more compatible with starting in San Fran, then you would be crossing the warm southern border states in the fall after temps had dropped a little. Ride to FL and fly home from there.

chickonbike

I totally get that you don't want to read all the posts here, so just to let you know - that's what I've decided to do thanks to all the helpful tips! (I'll prob be starting in September though)

simplygib

Anna - It appears to be down at the moment, but maybe a little later check out the weather site Truman posted for various points along your route for the dates you expect to be there (the Reports tab). The reports are based on the past 37 years of data for each location. I ran a report for Niland, CA, and was surprised to see that the typical temperatures I gave you were higher than what would be typical for that time of year (mid 70s to high 90s). Yes, it can be over 100, but according to the site it is unlikely to be over 107 in late September, and more likely to be in the mid 90s or lower. If it does get that hot, however, you can ride early, or take some days off until it cools down some.

There is no doubt that high temperatures are common along the Southern Tier in early fall, but it also is not that uncommon for temperatures to be more reasonable at times. And yes, wind along some of it (strong at times) prevails from the west, but along other portions it prevails from the south or southeast. If you are prepared as much as possible for worst-case scenarios, in all likelihood you will be fine. Build some extra time into your route so you can wait out extreme weather, or other unexpected delays. Then go out and have a great tour.

chickonbike

I shall! Tack!

Pedaleur

Bliver det for varmt forslår jeg at den unge, svenske kvinde kører lidt mere nordlige...du er altid velkommen i Virginia...

chickonbike

Tack Pedaleur! Jag har planer på att börja i Augusti trots allt, men hålla mig mer norrut fram till Arkansas innan jag vänder söderut igen... (du kan se min tänkta färdväg på min blogg: https://www.chickonbike.com/2011/03/rerouting.html )

Men skulle jag vilja fortsätta på det spåret hör jag av mig

Är du från Norge?

Anna

AdamDZ

Did you keep elevation changes in mind? Temperatures can vary drastically by elevation within the same geographical area. Also, areas further inland will be colder than closer to the Gulf Of Mexico.

Pedaleur

Nej. Jeg er amerikaner der boede i Danmark i 4 1/2 år. Dog jeg tog på få ture i Sverige og Norge (de sydlige dele). Göteborg området var fantastisk -- især Tanumshede og bronzalderstenetegninger. Og Öland, selvfølgelig.

Ironically, I've never really toured the US; I'm curious to hear a foreigner's take on the differences.

-Pedaleur

twerney

Good luck keep us posted..

SlimAgainSoon

Great trip! Enjoy it, and congratulations for doing something a bit daring. That's good for everyone.

It was a good decision to move this trip to West Coast start, and later in the year. I live in North Florida, and August is, as said here a number of times, hot and humid. Even for locals, August is tough.

September is hot and humid as well, and you may be suprised how warm it is in October and into November. You will see a few days where the mercury hits 90 degrees in those months, too, but ... the brutality, as someone put it, is gone.

October is our driest month of the year — good for riding — and November is another excellent time to be on a bike down here.