3speed

Sounds like a lovely day to me.

Tajue17

this year I have more goals than last and hoping to really get bitten by the touring bug..

your absolutely right

alias5000

Currently working hard to have enough time for a tandem tour up form Montreal to Gaspe some time around June.

Leebo

...

Leebo

Can't be any worse than MA where I live. North shore and Cape are hot spots. Deet seems to work.

indyfabz

The touristy/developed parts are not.

mattbur

Indy,

Yes, I will keep an eye out for them and pass along the "Hello." It's a seven day ride so I'm almost certain to run into them somewhere along the way.

And you did Bonton?? I've looked, with some interest, at that ride. Is it pretty well organized? Do they do that ride in a different location each year. I've heard it is brutal with the killer hills and all.

Tony

WNCGoater

I plan on doing the same thing, getting my feet wet, though the "local" National Forest is about 50+ miles on the bike, pavement and gravel so the overnighter will be about 100 miles.

Kinda toying with the idea of a N-S Outer Banks tour, from Virginia border to SC border. Logistics...

indyfabz

Last did it in 2014. Yes. The routes do vary. Lately, however, they have been offering indoor accommodation options at colleges in addition to camping. You typically also don't move locations every day. This, in turn, has limited route options somewhat.


How hard any given year will be depends on where they go. Riding parallel to the lakes usually isn't that bad. It can get ugly when you have to cross from one lake to another. Overall, I would definitely not call the event "brutal," but you do have to accept some steep hills at times.

antmaster5000

Planning on riding down the West Coast out of Seattle, down Baja, and then maybe to Mexico City this summer. Been planning this trip with a close cyclist friend of 6 months now. Also planning on riding the John Wayne trail to Spokane in late May. Shaping up to be a good year for cycling

DropBarFan

Outer Banks sounds interesting though I can't recall reading about bike touring there. From what I see one can take the ferry from Hatteras to Ocracoke Island & then another ferry to Cedar "Island". One might want to check on prevailing winds. IIRC the Wright Bro's liked the steady wind for easier take-offs. Once camped near Hatteras & played Frisbee: missed a catch & the thing proceeded to roll on it's edge down the road, we watched in amusement as it continued for ~200 m before we gave up & grabbed it.

Hondo Gravel

2017 I rode Katy Trail, GAP/C&O and Mickleson Trail. I can’t say which one was the best if I had to choose GAP is hard to beat. The Motobecane Fantom CX bike didn’t let me down and the 35mm Schawlbe Marathon Mondials performed excellent. Luckily my family was ok with driving a chase vehicle so pit stops always had cold drinks and food. For 2018 I would like to ride Katy Trail East to West the opposite of 2017 also Acadia NP carriage roads sounds intriguing though it would be a long drive to get there. Was in Maine in 2012 and the Acadia area is awesome.

WNCGoater

Adventure Cycling Assoc. has a map and NC DOT has a bike trail that runs N-S from VA to SC. It is in the coastal plains and crosses some of the big rivers feeding the sounds. On the ACA map there is the Outer Banks alternate route. Yes that would include Hatteras-Ocracoke and Ocracoke-Cedar Island ferry crossings. But on the inland route there are also several ferry crossings.
I've taken a number of fishing trips down there in years past. It can be calm and placid or a brutal environment with unanticipated storms, constant wind, thunderstorms, nor'easters, torrential rain...not to mention hurricanes. And all that with very little shelter in any natural form. There are well spaced campgrounds but they are wide open to the elements, no shade/tree canopy available.
Probably the best time would be early spring. That would get you before the summer thunderstorms, hurricane season, or fall/winter when most of the nor'easters blow in. Also gets you there before full-blown tourist/summer vacation season.

mohamilton

Sounds like there are a few Ohio cyclist around! I'll be touring from Cincinnati to Columbus and back quite a few times this year to get in shape for some longer tours. There are a few campgrounds inbetween so i'll do some short weekend trips on the Miami trail.

I'll be going out to Utah late spring to do a few day MTN Bikepacking trip.

Summer is up in the air but i'm thinking about doing the adventure cycling route around Northern Vermont.

jurjan

Our plan for this year is Kyrgyzstan, maybe starting in Kazakhstan, doing a loop of around four weeks.
We haven't decided on the exact route, so any do see's and do don'ts are much appreciated.

5kdad

Planning a solo, self supported bike camping/WarmShowers trip this summer, hopefully for about 3 weeks. Have never done much solo touring. Hope to start at my door step (live in northern Arkansas), make a loop south through the central part of the state, then come back across southern Missouri, then back home.
I've done several across-state rides, including RAGBRAI twice, Oklahoma Freewheel once, and one ride north to south across Arkansas. Have done the Katy Trail.
May also try and squeeze in a ride from home to Galveston, TX.
The purpose of my planned 3 week ride, is to see how I handle a ride that long, camping by myself. I will turn 62 in December, and may start drawing my social security (I'm self-employed). If the 3 week ride goes well, I may try an "extended" tour of the US in 2019, riding until it's no longer fun, or I see everything I want to see.
Last year, 2017, was a "bust" for me, as some unexpected medical issues came up, and I did no multi-day rides.

stardognine

Me too. If you could ride or hitch hike to Hawaii, I'd have been there long ago. 😎 😁

52telecaster

want to do a great lake circle tour this year. last year i rode my longest day ever with full touring load. it was 94 miles in the middle of a 6 day tour. if i can do a 2 week tour perhaps i can do a century one day.

biketocamp

I try doing a trip a year. If it's a big one out of the U.S.A. that is. This year it's riding the Salt Flats in August.

Machka 

That sounds interesting!

jefnvk

Well the wedding is over and the wife's vacation plans have been submitted to the hospital for the honeymoon weeks, so planning for biking France in mid-late July has began!

jefnvk

Any lake in particular?

Dark Arrow

We are looking at Norway in the Lofoten islands around July,, Though we are struggling a bit with the plan so may opt somewhere else

Bear

jurjan

Yeah, we hope it will be.
We just booked our flight to and from Almaty in Kazakhstan, now we only need to find a nice hotel there for our first and last night.
After that: Freedom! Holiday!

If people have any suggestions for a nice hotel (where we could leave our (cardboard) bike boxes to be used again for the return flight) we would be grateful.
Also: any other do's and don'ts are appreciated.

52telecaster

probably lake michigan so i can start from my front door and return home. looks like it might take me a month.