What route [strike]would[/strike] did you take on a Cross Country trip across the US?
Originally Posted by
jppe
I can't get this idea out of my head about doing a cross country cycling trip. I'd prefer to do a West Coast to East Coast trip, hopefully the wind will be my friend on most days. I know there other forums where I can get similar information but since we have a diverse group around the US I'd love your opinions of areas you think would be terrific and also areas to avoid at all costs. I know some of you like Vic have done something similar.
I will have the luxury of doing it supported, with my wife following along in our van which is very, very nice. I think I can do it anytime of the year from a scheduling standpoint. We would like to camp as much as possible just to pinch pennies…
Anyway, I'd love your thoughts and suggestions and any ideas you might have.
Originally Posted by
FBinNY
There's no best route, it boils down to what you like and places you want to visit.
In that case,
“So bend your ear, and listen to my version
"Of a really solid cross-country excursion”
Back in 1977 (one year after Bikecentennial, the forunner of ACA) my wife and I did a self supported cross country honeymoon ride from LA to Washington DC. We left LA in May 4, and had to be in Boston by July 1, We used state paper maps, and carried a USA road map to keep us on course. The Mojave Desert was pretty temperate that time of year, but did carry a gallon of water in the desert. In Goffs CA we were advised to avoid Las Vegas and steered through AZ. By the time we reached Colorado, we realized we were not making up enough time, so we veered to Washington DC.
We were from Michigan, and Day 1 was our very first Mountain Pass, As noted in a preceding post, the Rockies were not bad since the Federal Highways had gradient limits, and the stiffest hills were the secondary roads in the Ozarks, and Appalachians. We had one day of rain, in West VA, that kept us from entering DC on Sunday, but rather during Monday rush hour.
We naively rode French Road bikes with sew-up tires, and on two occasions had to hole up the bikes in a motel and hitchhike to a nearby city with a bike shop to buy more tires.
The major well-known points of interest were San Juan Capistrano, The Grand Canyon, Four Corners, Mesa Verde, Monument Valley, the Mississippi at St Louis, and eventually Washington DC. But also memorable were so many small towns that become so interesting on a bike.
That is a very brief description because the entire trip was of so full of adventures, I don’t have time to relate. Every May 4, I start to recall where we were on that particular day, and even hour on that trip. Because we were newlyweds, moving to a new city and careers, it was a watershed.
Even almost 30 years after our last tour, I still read the Touring Forum regularly. I note that a subscriber, @
jamawani is the go-to–guy for cross country advice.
Now though,
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
...One wild dream tour is to ride the perimeter of the USA (after I win a big lottery, with a luxury RV as my sag wagon, driven by my wife
)....