Originally Posted by
staehpj1
Two ways to look at the extra miles that might justify opting for I-90:
- An extra 30 miles on what would otherwise would be a easy length day is pretty significant.
- That is 44% longer. If you do that very many times on a 4000 mile trip you may well run out of time to finish unless you are retired.
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We're all different in what we like on our tours.
We're even different, ourselves, from day to day and from one circumstance to another.
What might be a lovely, scenic ride on a beautiful day could be a nightmare on a rainy day with headwinds.
When the weather is challenging, I rarely opt for the longer scenic route.
But busy roads can also be extra dangerous in poor conditions - not to mention the spray.
Me and my bike look like a Jackson Pollock painting after one of those days.
On my trip this summer, I had a rear derailleur cable snap. (Fully-housed and impossilbe to jerry-rig)
So I rode part of the way on I-90 to have less climbing with only one gear (high) available for 80 miles.
But people here who know me know I almost always choose the back road, even if it means more miles.
I know what's around the bend on an interstate - a McDonalds's, a Motel 6, and a Cenex truckstop.
But who knows where the back road will take you?