PedalingWalrus

Hi folks,

I thought I'd just throw the dilemma out here. Before I do, I just want to say that I am just throwing it out there and do not take my inquiry too seriously. I have extensive flexibility in decision making stretching in polar opposites of the median ... ;-) However, the vacation dates are the only thing that is set in stone, due to my wife's work requirements. She HAS to take her vacation during those dates. April 29 to May 17.

One good thing is: My wife is vaccinated already. Good.
One bad thing is: I am not vaccinated and most likely won't be by April.


Last May we were going to tour Scotland and had to cancel due to covid. Got credit vouchers from British Airways and here comes 2021. Early 2021 we thought we can do Scotland from April 29 to May 17, 2021. An now, at the end of January we are slowly seeing that it will, again, be difficult to execute. The British islands are increasing their restrictions.

So where can we go? We are in Maine. We do not want to tour in New England. We've done it and are doing weekend trips all the time.

We can tour GAP and C&O again. Yes that is an option. Driving to DC and bike to Pittsburgh and then bike back to DC. But we have already done those trails.
We can do the Erie Canal from Albany to Buffalo and back but we are usually camping or stealth camping ... I mean we can afford to stay at motels or hotels but we do usually do not appreciate those accommodations, especially during the covid time.
Since international travel needs to be covid tested we think that perhaps it is safer to fly international and some nations are kind of open to tourists. For example Tahiti, one can visit Tahiti islands with a total of 4 covid tests during the entire trip (2 on the way in and 2 on the way out) - but there is currently a curfew from 9pm to 4am.

What other country would You think wouild be good to tour that has somewhat practical covid restrictions during those dates?

cheers.

DeadGrandpa

It would likely be too mundane for you and your wife, but I enjoyed the Natchez Trace parkway from Nashville to Natchez, MS. With your time window, you could ride both ways, as the scenery looks different in the other direction.

Or the Mickelson Trail or the Katy Trail, or... even Alaska, though it might be a tad chilly that early. Or if you are the hardy sort, I've heard Iceland is amazing. But again, chilly at that time of year. New Zealand is also amazing but it's a long travel day to get there. I would choose the Natchez Trace, because it's fun, relatively close, and mostly bicycle friendly.

PedalingWalrus

Interesting. Although I have heard the name before I had no idea about this trail otherwise.

I will put it on the list.

Steve B.

Somewhat dependent on whether there are travel restrictions still in place in whatever state you desire to travel to. No way to predict or plan for that. May I would doubt, October more likely.

indyfabz

I thought a negative test was going to be required for domestic flights in the near future.

saddlesores

no way to reasonably plan around covid restrictions....now.
current vaccines will be ramping up production, probably
doubling output in the next month or two.
can also look forward to another dozen or so, at least,
getting approval for use.

might even get authorization in the usa for vaccines from
china and russia, maybe others as well.
(we got the first sinopharm a couple weeks ago, second
dose next week.)

hunnybunny and i are planning to return to thailand this
summer, as there are indications they may be opening to
international travel without quarantine if vaccinated.

best you can do now is make plan a, b, c....and be ready
for whatever opportunity comes up.

for something local, how about the blue ridge parkway,
about 450 miles total in virginia and north carolina.
if you drive to one of the endpoints, there must be
some public transportation to get you back to your
starting point, unless you return on a parallel route.

Tourist in MSN

Mickelson trail was mentioned, but I would skip that as it is pretty short for that long a drive. WHen I did that, we did that end to end and back in four days.

Impossible to say if Canada will be open by then, and if they are it is impossible to say if the Maritime provinces will still have their own Covid bubble established. If you planned on that, you might have to make a decision on short notice before the trip, thus driving to a start point might make the most sense. But you could consider New Brunswick, Bay of Fundy and PEI. Nova Scotia too if you wanted to drive a bit farther. You would have to research the possibility that they might open up or not, those provinces have tried very hard to keep Covid out so they might not let anyone in, even if you have a vaccine. This might be a good if-all-else-fails contingency plan if you got lucky and they opened up.

The UK is pretty tight for restrictions because the new variant there is quite transmissible. But the good news is that the UK is farther ahead of almost any other country on how many doses of vaccines have been administered. That said, I think your time period is way too early. I was thinking LEJOG in the fall, but that might not even happen this year.

Your time period is probably too early to have reliably good weather in Iceland.

Continental Europe is getting a very slow start on vaccinations, so I would not rely on them to open up southern Europe very quick. I did a fully supported trip in Spain and Portugal several years ago in late Apr and early May, weather was great, but with a late vaccination effort that would probably not work out.

gauvins

Read great things about the Empire Trail (NY). But I'd go in the Southwest for a variety of reasons (Utah, Arizona). We really enjoyed circling the Grand Canyon 2 years ago. Your dates are near ideal for something like that. (and I would ditch the idea of international travel)

PedalingWalrus

I would love to tour Utah or Arizona but it is too far of a car trip for the amount of vacation

Eggman84

Consider a loop around Lake Michigan; lots of good state parks in both Michigan and Wisconsin. If you want to avoid Chicago and developed south end of the lake take the ferry between Ludington, Michigan, and Manitowoc, Wisconsin Ludlow. Can extend it into upper peninsula to Lake Superior. Michigan has good regional maps showing all there road network, and Wisconsin has count maps with their complete road network (easy to stay off busy roads). Should be a very doable car drive.

PedalingWalrus

How is Lake Michigan late April/earlyMay?

mev

That would also be my sense.

I am looking at a week long trip through New Mexico the first week of May. A loop through both Rio Grande Valley and more sparsely populated areas further east. These can get hot mid-summer so May looks like a better time. However, these areas would be a long drive from the Northeastern US.

Too bad US/Canada border is as unpredictable (and if my reading is correct locking down a bit more recently), since if I were in Maine and I knew there was a moderate/high probability of opening up as well as becoming safer, I'd be tempted to find something in the Maritimes or Quebec.

fishboat

That time of year..open water is about 48 degrees, east of Milwaukee at least. Land next to it, depending on the wind direction will be about the same.

Many of the locales suggested here are going to be rather..fresh.. that time of year. If cool temps matter, then you may want to target regions south of 40 degrees N latitude.

Tourist in MSN

Near Lake Michigan Apr to May. Cool, very unlikely to freeze but that is possible. Some years can be wet. Should not be buggy, bugs come later. But I would carry a small bottle of repellant just in case.

I have not toured near the lake so I can't comment on routes. If I was doing that trip, I would probably bring a long sleeve jersey and a short sleeve. Some days I would expect to want long pants instead of shorts. The UP (Upper Penninsula of Michigan) would definitely be chillier.

I use this website to assess weather conditions in places I might go to. I picked Sheboygan as being about half way from top to bottom. You can pick other places on the map for more data.
https://weatherspark.com/y/14295/Ave...tes-Year-Round

Further inland, temperature will swing much more, as the lake buffers temperatures to some degree.

PedalingWalrus

Well


Tahiti is off the list 😬

https://thepointsguy.com/news/french...d-tourism/amp/

skookum

I don't expect the US/Canada border to open up this year. We are in a dire situation here with poor access to vaccines, so our populatiopn likely will not be vaccinated until the end of the year, if that.
Within Canada travel restrictions are increasing in some places. I'm not sure of the exact situation in the Maritimes, PEI is closed to travellers, the other provinces all require quarantine or are considering closing completely.
Keep your fingers crossed for 2022.

mev

Skookum, certainly understandable and hope vaccine rollout in Canada exceeds these expectations.

Look forward to the pandemic subsiding overall and chance to travel through Canada again.

balto charlie

Looking at your restrictions I would think the Delmarva area. Also know as the Eastern Shore of MD, VA and DE. I like biking there, flat, scenic and historic. Enough towns to grab a pint, little vehicle traffic, state camping here and there, ocean,rivers and bay views, pines, rural farmlands. Early May is a good time to go there.
Great sites:
Harriet Tubman museum and Freedom trail (mural!!)
Blackwater Wildlife Refuge (birders haven)
Assateague Island
Pocomoke River
Chincoteague
Prime Hook Wildlife refuge
Cape Henlopen
Trap Pond
Tuckahoe State PArk
BombayWildlife Refuge
And on and on.......

Ideally, the SW (Utah/AZ)is best but a long haul in a car.

PedalingWalrus

That is a very interesting suggestion Balto_Charlie. Do You know what parts of can be biked like for example Assateague Island footpaths etc ... ? Are there any dedicated bike paths in any of the sections? I am assuming bikes are prohibited to do the bridge/tunnel from Virginia Beach over to Dellaware huh?

Thanks.

balto charlie

You can't bike the BAy bridge tunnel. But biking in that region is nice, Onancock is a cool historical town.

One of the coolest things to do down there is to paddle out to the deserted beaches in the Atlantic. Huge strips of empty sandy beaches. There's a kayak outfitter in Onancock.


There is a path on the western shore called Cross Island Trail I believe. It is near/on Kent Island.

https://www.parksnrec.org/wp-content.../05/trail1.pdf


Delaware beaches have a bunch, near Rehoboth and Lewes. Gordon Pond, Breakwater and a couple others.

https://www.cityofrehoboth.com/sites...each%20Map.pdf


Assateague path (last time I tried) started fine but turned into thick sand. I know some folks that pushed their bikes to camp in the dunes, so can be done. Doesn't look like fun. Might be best to bike at the water line as tide is going out. Sand is often nicely packed.


I like paths/trails but I have to say that the roads have few cars.


Delaware bike maps:

https://deldot.gov/Programs/bike/bik....shtml?dc=maps


There is also a Delmarva bike map but can't find the link.


There are a few ferries that make the trip interesting. Oxford and Whitehaven I think are their names or at least near these towns.

PedalingWalrus

in a rough outline. Where would You start and finish? (circumnavigation of something preferred to arrive back at the parked vehicle) Ferries are welcome.

indyfabz

I took the ferry out of Oxford during an overnight tour many years ago from Middletown, DE to St. Michaels, MD and back. Nice little ferry ride.

Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes, DE is a neat place to explore for the day. It's a former military base that was built to guard the Delaware Bay from Nazi invasion during WWII. When it became obsolete, the feds donated it to the state. Very bike friendly with some paths, including a really nice one through a tidal area. There are also some other paths/trails in the area. You can ride to Rehoboth almost completely on trails and roads with bike lanes. Lewes is home to Dogfish Head craft brewery. They have a companion inn. There is other lodging in town, and the park has camping. Reservations strongly recommended, at least for weekends. And there is a nice ferry ride to historic Cape May, NJ. Dolphins can often be seen during sailing. One time we met a first cousin of Louis Garneau. He struck up a conversation with my companion because she was wearing a pair of his cycling shorts. Camping also at Delaware Seashore State Park, but there is no shade there.

You might also want to look at this:

Tidewater Potomac | Adventure Cycling Route Network | Adventure Cycling Association

balto charlie

I have used Tuckahoe State Park as a starting point. Just told the ranger I was leaving my car. He told me where to park it. I will find a route or 2 and post for you.

balto charlie

Hey Walrus, Here is a ridewithgps mapping. I made it just for you. I have done a lot but not all of this. I tried to hit some high points and followed the heat map when I did not know the section.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35144...verlay=roadmap

I included some of the POI I listed previously. I did not include Chincoteague and a few others but did get most and you can always add them. Another great area is just north of Tuckahoe State Park near Chestertown and Rock Hall. One can ride all the way down to Eastern Neck Wildlife Refuge, VIEWS!! There used to be a ferry to Baltimore from this area. Some cyclists (myself included) tried to get Rock Hall Mayor to get it going again for cyclists. We failed but people are talking so you never know.

Edit: Rt 50, while high speed traffic is present there is a big shoulder so if you need to use it a lot more, do it. It can save you miles, lots of fast cars but might speed up some long days in the saddle

indyfabz

FYI...I read a post on ACA’s forum today that they’re coming out with a new route that starts in Philly and goes into NJ, DE and down into the MD eastern shore area and possibly elsewhere. Don’t know when maps will be available, but it might be worth checking into.