Suggestions for next epic ride
02-20-17, 11:11 PM
#51
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Totally agree. But it has its own beauty, it is a fairly easy ride (except that darn hill out of Kaslo and the other one right before you get to New Denver 
) and plenty (but not too plentiful) places to stay along the way and or grab something to eat.
Did you ride the Galena Trail? That is the best highlight of the trip IMHO.
) and plenty (but not too plentiful) places to stay along the way and or grab something to eat. Did you ride the Galena Trail? That is the best highlight of the trip IMHO.
We did not get as get as far north as Kaslo and New Denver. You must have ridden further north on one of the other "Super Loops". The Galena Trail looked like a great side trip. I don't think we have finished exploring that country yet, and may just make it there.
Last edited by Doug64; 02-20-17 at 11:38 PM.
02-20-17, 11:56 PM
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02-21-17, 12:24 AM
#54
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I will recommend you Canadain trip. We have here a lot of beautiful cycling routes that you are sure to love. I have ridden in the waterfront trail in Ontario and it is pretty.
02-21-17, 11:42 AM
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Thinking ahead to the summer, anywhere from June to August, and trying to come up with an "epic ride in an awesome location" list. OK, that's a bit of a joke, but you know what I mean, hopefully. East coast of the US is my starting point, and the farthest I really want to fly is Europe or anywhere in North America.
The main constraint is time, which allows for about 9 days of riding, plus time to get there and back. Also, I don't really want to spend much time in urban areas, and prefer most of the time riding in beautiful surroundings (who doesn't, right?). Also, not into roughing it, dealing with bad weather or critters, or seeing some obscure locations. Easy to get there and back is a must. Cost is not a factor, but I do like camping, so at least an opportunity to stay in campgrounds some of the time would be ideal.
So far, I'm thinking about, in no particular order:
- going back to Switzerland and riding the eastern portion; rode in the western portion last summer
- riding from Munich to Bratislava along the Isar and Danube and taking the train back
- hill towns in Italy
- Loire Valley/Paris
- Erie Canal (a bit less epic, but on my list nonetheless)
- Ireland or UK
- somewhere out West?
I know that's a lot to choose from, and surely there are many other places that fit the criteria. What are your thoughts or suggestions?
The main constraint is time, which allows for about 9 days of riding, plus time to get there and back. Also, I don't really want to spend much time in urban areas, and prefer most of the time riding in beautiful surroundings (who doesn't, right?). Also, not into roughing it, dealing with bad weather or critters, or seeing some obscure locations. Easy to get there and back is a must. Cost is not a factor, but I do like camping, so at least an opportunity to stay in campgrounds some of the time would be ideal.
So far, I'm thinking about, in no particular order:
- going back to Switzerland and riding the eastern portion; rode in the western portion last summer
- riding from Munich to Bratislava along the Isar and Danube and taking the train back
- hill towns in Italy
- Loire Valley/Paris
- Erie Canal (a bit less epic, but on my list nonetheless)
- Ireland or UK
- somewhere out West?
I know that's a lot to choose from, and surely there are many other places that fit the criteria. What are your thoughts or suggestions?
02-21-17, 02:36 PM
#56
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Thread Starter
After looking at the map a bit, Calgary to Jasper with a side trip to Nordegg seems pretty epic, and is on my Official Epic Ride list. The Oregon coast would be really nice, and would bring me back to my birthplace. The Seattle, Vancouver and Vancouver Island area looks quite interesting, and the weather should be decent in mid-summer. An area that's a bit closer to home is the Canadian Maritimes, which could be reached from Portland, Maine by ferry. Still thinking about some of the European destinations (Danube, Loire, Amsterdam, Paris). Going to have to mull this over a bit. Probably have enough for at least the next 10 trips, so it's more a matter of prioritizing at this point.
02-21-17, 07:58 PM
#57
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Agree with you that cycling Mexico is a great adventure. I just finished riding 2.5 months from San Diego to the Guatemala Border. However, given that the OP is planning a trip for 9 days and also during the summer, I think some selection is necessary to stay higher in elevations (cooler). Perhaps highlands west of Mexico City or in south near San Cristobal?
02-21-17, 08:21 PM
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We did not ride the Loop in the conventional manner. We did not ride the Washington section, and a small portion of the Idaho section. We started in Sandpoint, Idaho and took the Lake Pend Oreille/ Kootenai River Super Loop, and then up to Creston, BC. From Creston we went to Crawford Bay and then to Nelson. From Nelson down and back to Creston, and then down to Sandpoint. We did not ride the entire designated Selkirk Loop.
We did not get as get as far north as Kaslo and New Denver. You must have ridden further north on one of the other "Super Loops". The Galena Trail looked like a great side trip. I don't think we have finished exploring that country yet, and may just make it there.
We did not get as get as far north as Kaslo and New Denver. You must have ridden further north on one of the other "Super Loops". The Galena Trail looked like a great side trip. I don't think we have finished exploring that country yet, and may just make it there.
Speaking of riding in this area: Has anyone done a northern Cascades loop from:
Sedro Woolley to Omak on Hwy 20,
then north on Hwy 97 to Osoyoos,
then west on Hwy's 3 and 7 back to Sumas
and down Hwy 9 to Sedro Woolley.
It's about 800km's more or less.
That is another loop I'm considering because it goes right past my town of Abbotsford so no destination transport issues.
Last edited by Happy Feet; 02-21-17 at 08:24 PM.
02-22-17, 05:22 PM
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Agree with you that cycling Mexico is a great adventure. I just finished riding 2.5 months from San Diego to the Guatemala Border. However, given that the OP is planning a trip for 9 days and also during the summer, I think some selection is necessary to stay higher in elevations (cooler). Perhaps highlands west of Mexico City or in south near San Cristobal?
Ah sorry failed to note the short duration! And yes Mexico will be pretty hot during in this time plus frequent showers might be an issue in many parts of the country. Personally I think Mexico one of those counrties where you need a lot of time and maybe often patience to adjust to the weirdness and develop a gowiththeflow attitude.
02-22-17, 08:33 PM
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@Lanceoldstrong Sweet, I guess mundane Netherlands qualifies! Granted, I had to propose to get #5 and the four checks....
02-26-17, 08:10 PM
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After looking at the map a bit, Calgary to Jasper with a side trip to Nordegg seems pretty epic, and is on my Official Epic Ride list. The Oregon coast would be really nice, and would bring me back to my birthplace. The Seattle, Vancouver and Vancouver Island area looks quite interesting, and the weather should be decent in mid-summer. An area that's a bit closer to home is the Canadian Maritimes, which could be reached from Portland, Maine by ferry. Still thinking about some of the European destinations (Danube, Loire, Amsterdam, Paris). Going to have to mull this over a bit. Probably have enough for at least the next 10 trips, so it's more a matter of prioritizing at this point.
You've bike toured in Europe before, NW/BC seems to fit the bill of a rural but not adventure tour, eh? 9 days perhaps allows a couple of warmup days before the more strenuous climbs. Europe has a lot of history & stuff but seems like major tourist sites are swamped in summer. Dollar is supposedly strong vs Euro but I'd guess Europe is still going to be a bit expensive in the summer.
02-26-17, 09:32 PM
#62
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You've bike toured in Europe before, NW/BC seems to fit the bill of a rural but not adventure tour, eh? 9 days perhaps allows a couple of warmup days before the more strenuous climbs. Europe has a lot of history & stuff but seems like major tourist sites are swamped in summer. Dollar is supposedly strong vs Euro but I'd guess Europe is still going to be a bit expensive in the summer.
03-30-17, 09:44 PM
#63
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Thread Starter
Currently, top ride under consideration is flying into Portland, riding to Astoria, then down the Oregon coast to Florence. Then riding inland to Eugene, where I was born, renting a car and driving back to Portland, with a side trip to Lake Oswego, where I lived from age 1 to 5. An. interesting idea is to do a couple days of mountain biking at Mt. Hood. I can bring a suspension fork and knobbies to convert the World Troller to a hardtail.
Couple questions. There is a great resource for the coastal route. https://theoregoncoast.info/BikeRoute/Map.pdf, which shows all of the facilities and side trips. What is less clear is a place to overnight, camping or inexpensive hotel, between Portland and Astoria. The total distance is around 95 miles, so something in the middle would work great. Any suggestions? Anything along that route worth looking at?
Second, has anyone ridden at Mt. Hood? Looks like lots of trails and summer use of ski lifts to get up the mountain and ride down. Mountain Bike Mount Hood | Portland Mountain Bike | Mt Hood Adventure | Skibowl Adventure Park
Couple questions. There is a great resource for the coastal route. https://theoregoncoast.info/BikeRoute/Map.pdf, which shows all of the facilities and side trips. What is less clear is a place to overnight, camping or inexpensive hotel, between Portland and Astoria. The total distance is around 95 miles, so something in the middle would work great. Any suggestions? Anything along that route worth looking at?
Second, has anyone ridden at Mt. Hood? Looks like lots of trails and summer use of ski lifts to get up the mountain and ride down. Mountain Bike Mount Hood | Portland Mountain Bike | Mt Hood Adventure | Skibowl Adventure Park
03-30-17, 10:13 PM
#64
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Currently, top ride under consideration is flying into Portland, riding to Astoria, then down the Oregon coast to Florence. Then riding inland to Eugene, where I was born, renting a car and driving back to Portland, with a side trip to Lake Oswego, where I lived from age 1 to 5. An. interesting idea is to do a couple days of mountain biking at Mt. Hood. I can bring a suspension fork and knobbies to convert the World Troller to a hardtail.
Couple questions. There is a great resource for the coastal route. https://theoregoncoast.info/BikeRoute/Map.pdf, which shows all of the facilities and side trips. What is less clear is a place to overnight, camping or inexpensive hotel, between Portland and Astoria. The total distance is around 95 miles, so something in the middle would work great. Any suggestions? Anything along that route worth looking at?
Second, has anyone ridden at Mt. Hood? Looks like lots of trails and summer use of ski lifts to get up the mountain and ride down.
Couple questions. There is a great resource for the coastal route. https://theoregoncoast.info/BikeRoute/Map.pdf, which shows all of the facilities and side trips. What is less clear is a place to overnight, camping or inexpensive hotel, between Portland and Astoria. The total distance is around 95 miles, so something in the middle would work great. Any suggestions? Anything along that route worth looking at?
Second, has anyone ridden at Mt. Hood? Looks like lots of trails and summer use of ski lifts to get up the mountain and ride down.
Look at the little town of Rainier on Highway 30 (assuming that is the route you will be riding). I believe that there is a motel there. I rode it from Astoria to Portland, and it was not a bad ride.
Another option is to ride down to the Amtrak station from PDX, and take the Amtrak bus to Astoria.
Last edited by Doug64; 03-30-17 at 10:21 PM.
03-31-17, 08:53 AM
#65
Senior Member
How about the North Coast 500 in Scotland? It's a loop that starts and ends in Inverness.
We rode some of it last summer. Epic is definitely an apt word to describe the scenery.
We rode some of it last summer. Epic is definitely an apt word to describe the scenery.
03-31-17, 09:35 AM
#66
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Thread Starter
How about the North Coast 500 in Scotland? It's a loop that starts and ends in Inverness.
We rode some of it last summer. Epic is definitely an apt word to describe the scenery.
We rode some of it last summer. Epic is definitely an apt word to describe the scenery.
03-31-17, 11:14 AM
#67
Banned
[QUOTE]
Scapoose to Vernonia gets you off the Busy Hwy 30, then Or 47 at Mist connects to 202
which gets you to the Young's Bay side of Astoria, meeting US 101..
NB: You can take a train between EUG & PDX.. Also, northbound ... there is a Bus.
Currently, top ride under consideration is flying into Portland, riding to Astoria, then down the Oregon coast to Florence. Then riding inland to Eugene, where I was born, renting a car and driving back to Portland, with a side trip to Lake Oswego, where I lived from age 1 to 5. An. interesting idea is to do a couple days of mountain biking at Mt. Hood. I can bring a suspension fork and knobbies to convert the World Troller to a hardtail.
which gets you to the Young's Bay side of Astoria, meeting US 101..
NB: You can take a train between EUG & PDX.. Also, northbound ... there is a Bus.
03-31-17, 11:39 AM
#68
Senior Member
Thread Starter
[QUOTE=fietsbob;19480500]
That looks like an interesting route. Do you think Vernonia is the best place to overnight?
Scapoose to Vernonia gets you off the Busy Hwy 30, then Or 47 at Mist connects to 202
which gets you to the Young's Bay side of Astoria, meeting US 101..
NB: You can take a train between EUG & PDX.. Also, northbound ... there is a Bus.
which gets you to the Young's Bay side of Astoria, meeting US 101..
NB: You can take a train between EUG & PDX.. Also, northbound ... there is a Bus.
03-31-17, 11:03 PM
#69
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Portland is the capital of North America bike culture, eh? Custom builders on every block almost...
04-18-17, 09:31 AM
#70
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So I'm pretty much decided on an epic Oregon adventure in late June to early July. Starting in Portland, then to Astoria, down the coast to Florence, inland to Eugene. Then by rental car to Crater Lake for a ride around the lake, which is 33 miles. Back to Portland and a day trip to Mt. Hood for some mountain biking. Bringing a suspension fork along for that, which I hope to leave at the hotel where I'll stay at the start and finish.
Spoke with a park ranger at Fort Stevens SP, who said there is almost never an issue with hiker-biker sites filling up at any of the state parks along the coast, and they don't take reservations anyway. If so, that is ideal, as I like to keep my plans flexible. I'll have five days to cover the roughly 200 miles north to south along the coast, with plenty of options for camping along the way. At $6 a night, it's a bargain.
Has anyone stayed at Crater Lake or ridden the route that can give any advice? Read somewhere that around then, the road is open to bikes, but not cars. There's a large campground, and a smaller one at Crater Lake. Is either better?
Spoke with a park ranger at Fort Stevens SP, who said there is almost never an issue with hiker-biker sites filling up at any of the state parks along the coast, and they don't take reservations anyway. If so, that is ideal, as I like to keep my plans flexible. I'll have five days to cover the roughly 200 miles north to south along the coast, with plenty of options for camping along the way. At $6 a night, it's a bargain.
Has anyone stayed at Crater Lake or ridden the route that can give any advice? Read somewhere that around then, the road is open to bikes, but not cars. There's a large campground, and a smaller one at Crater Lake. Is either better?
04-18-17, 09:52 AM
#71
Member
I biked around Crater Lake. It's a beautiful but exhausting ride because you climb then quickly descend. Then more climbing and another quick descent. Rinse and repeat.
Oregon is lovely, but I wouldn't call touring there "epic".
Oregon is lovely, but I wouldn't call touring there "epic".
04-18-17, 10:12 AM
#72
Senior Member
Thread Starter
04-18-17, 11:47 AM
#73
Member
Yeah, well people lie all the time.
The internet slang definition of epic:
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=epic
The more traditional definition of epic:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epic
The internet slang definition of epic:
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=epic
The more traditional definition of epic:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epic
04-18-17, 01:45 PM
#74
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Just checked the Crater Lake weather forecast site. They received a mere 44 feet of snow since October. Hope it all melts.
https://www.nps.gov/crla/planyourvis...-1-web-419.pdf
https://www.nps.gov/crla/planyourvis...-1-web-419.pdf
04-18-17, 02:35 PM
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Thinking ahead to the summer, anywhere from June to August, and trying to come up with an "epic ride in an awesome location" list. OK, that's a bit of a joke, but you know what I mean, hopefully. East coast of the US is my starting point, and the farthest I really want to fly is Europe or anywhere in North America.
The main constraint is time, which allows for about 9 days of riding, plus time to get there and back. Also, I don't really want to spend much time in urban areas, and prefer most of the time riding in beautiful surroundings (who doesn't, right?). Also, not into roughing it, dealing with bad weather or critters, or seeing some obscure locations. Easy to get there and back is a must. Cost is not a factor, but I do like camping, so at least an opportunity to stay in campgrounds some of the time would be ideal.
So far, I'm thinking about, in no particular order:
- going back to Switzerland and riding the eastern portion; rode in the western portion last summer
- riding from Munich to Bratislava along the Isar and Danube and taking the train back
- hill towns in Italy
- Loire Valley/Paris
- Erie Canal (a bit less epic, but on my list nonetheless)
- Ireland or UK
- somewhere out West?
I know that's a lot to choose from, and surely there are many other places that fit the criteria. What are your thoughts or suggestions?
The main constraint is time, which allows for about 9 days of riding, plus time to get there and back. Also, I don't really want to spend much time in urban areas, and prefer most of the time riding in beautiful surroundings (who doesn't, right?). Also, not into roughing it, dealing with bad weather or critters, or seeing some obscure locations. Easy to get there and back is a must. Cost is not a factor, but I do like camping, so at least an opportunity to stay in campgrounds some of the time would be ideal.
So far, I'm thinking about, in no particular order:
- going back to Switzerland and riding the eastern portion; rode in the western portion last summer
- riding from Munich to Bratislava along the Isar and Danube and taking the train back
- hill towns in Italy
- Loire Valley/Paris
- Erie Canal (a bit less epic, but on my list nonetheless)
- Ireland or UK
- somewhere out West?
I know that's a lot to choose from, and surely there are many other places that fit the criteria. What are your thoughts or suggestions?
Georgia Caucasus, Romania, Serbia, Kosovo, Albania, Armenia ....