DXchulo

XC 2015 Full - A bike ride in Pescadero, CA

What do you guys think of this route? Time is limited, so (A) I need to start close to Reno (5-6 hours drive maximum) and (B) I need to keep the route very close to the 3,000 mark.

-I'll be doing this credit card style with high daily mileage.
-Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia seemed the most difficult to plan out.
-I'm not 100% set on the start and finish location if there are better options. I chose the finish location mainly because it keeps the route close to 3,000 miles and it's close enough to the Jacksonville airport.
-Start time is August, so mountain roads should be open.

jamawani 

Well, you most certainly will be hot.
And in the Deep South - - sticky.

fietsbob

.. what a guy !

bikemig 

August is the worst time to do this in the deep South. The humidity and heat will be very bad. Long days in the saddle on days with high humidity are, IMHO, not a great combination. I grew up in Louisiana and I respect the weather there.

If you are going to do this trip, I'd get a camel back and keep it full of ice so that at least you are drinking cold water all the time. Also I'd get a good lighting system, wake up early and get my mileage done before 12. That way you can spend the afternoon in a hotel swimming pool.

jamawani 

DX - I've seen some of your other posts over the years. I realize that you like to do centuries - have some good equipment - have done some shorter rides - but I can't see if you've ever had the chance to do "The Big One". I suspect time is more of an issue than money - but you offer little info to go on.

I've ridden a good many miles of the route you propose - both east and west. Southern Alabama and Georgia are not particularly bicycle friendly - and I rode that stretch in February - not August. I did, however, spend a few Augusts in Alabama at my grandmother's growing up - - and she didn't have air conditioning. Lemme tell you.

The route you posted is 3000 miles. If you could do a 3000-mile route much further north that was relatively easy to start and finish - would you do so? I'm sure you could grind thru the route you posted - but if this is you first and, maybe, only cross-country ride, why pick something that is grueling if there are other possibilities?

I noticed you have posted on Mt. Hamilton before - and you have that road at the start. I'm not sure if that is essential. If you are in Reno, you can always ride the bay area almost any time. Not to mention that it will be pretty darn hot climbing in August. It's 2000 road miles from Seattle to Milwaukee - less than 800 from Muskegon to New York - with a fast ferry connector across Lake Michigan. There are some pretty direct routes with low traffic in the western section which don't add many miles over 2000. And you can ride to the Jersey Shore and catch a ferry into NYC passing right by Lady Liberty.

I've started a bike tour outside of Brunswick, Georgia after flying into Jacksonville. It's wasn't too tough - but I had a friend meet me in Brunswick. The hardest part was connecting from the airport to Greyhound - with bike, panniers, and stuff. The NYC metro would make getting back much easier. A more northerly route would still have some hot days in the Great Plains - but 5 to 10 degrees cooler than Oklahoma. The Pacific Northwest and Great Lakes states would have moderate summer temps.

Just a suggestion.

Photo - Shack Between Camden and Greenville, Alabama

Cyclebum

October would be SO much better for this. I bet the passes would still be open.

DXchulo

Yeah, that's my main concern. The thing is, I've done some riding in KY and TN and those aren't the best, either. GA has state bike routes (I used parts of them), but it's hard to find info on them.

jamawani 

DX - And the dogs - - packs of mongrel dogs running loose.
One time - when I had a hard time getting thru a pack of them -
I stopped at the county courthouse and complained to a deputy.
You know what she said? "Just shoot 'em."

Another time a couple of dogs came out from a yard threatening to dismember me.
The family was on the broken-down front porch laughing.
Any person over the age of 11 who still rides a bicycle is suspect.

Walter S

I live in Atlanta. I can normally manage high mileage days, but not during the dog days. If you have experience with it then so be it. Otherwise question your plan. The only way I could physically manage it would be to travel mostly at night and end the ride within a couple hours after sunrise.

staehpj1

I agree that route would be awful in August, at least it would for me, but I hate hot weather. I would be inclined to go in winter with a bit more southern route if you must keep it to 3000 miles or less. The ACA Southern Tier Route is about 3000 miles and was nice in February. I might ride a lot more on US 90 if I were doing that again.

I disagree with the comments about the south. I found the south to be just fine for bike touring.

saddlesores

don't take this the wrong way....but what's the point?
you seem to have a distance and time goal, but nothing else?
route is chosen simply to cover ground? in that case, why
not just spend the time on an indoor trainer? save the
trouble and expense of all those hotels!

what's the point of going cross-country other than to say
you did it? especially if more than half is simply spinning
the pedals through boring, dull, monotonous nothingness?

why not pick a bunch of interesting sights and make a big
loop, which just might total 3000km since that number
seems so significant?

sure, start in reno. cross nevada to utah, north to idaho
montana and wyoming before it gets too cold, then south
through colorado to new mexico. cross arizona, thru death
valley, and back to california.

your pictures that you'll show off after will be so much more
interesting....death valley, grand canyon, salt lake, sturgis,
los alamos, organ pipe, etc.

sure beats the heck out of:
....and here's a dead armidillo.
....and here's another dead armadillo.
....oh, and hey....here's an armadillo.

DXchulo

Have any advice on the route itself through GA? I used Bike Route 10 for the eastern portion, but I routed the western portion on my own based on traffic density.

DXchulo

Probably so. It's not fair to pick on the south. The truth is that most states aren't as bike friendly as we'd like. I wish every highway in every state the country had a shoulder, but that's not the case.

I've done some riding in GA, SC, MS, and LA that I thoroughly enjoyed. It's all about picking the right route.

Walter S

Personally I would not hit GA where you plan. Coming thru Alabama, I think the ride thru northern Alabama is much nicer than mid-southern. I pieced together what turned out to be an excellent route IMO on this tour. That said, it is clearly designed based on my start/stop in Atlanta specifically. But this will take you thru the Alabama Bankhead National Forest and surrounding areas which I find to be much more attractive than further south. And it would be a shame to miss the Chief Ladiga and then joining Silver Comet Trail if you're coming this close.

Then for going the rest of the way thru GA it all depends. Are you specifically trying to end the trip where you show? My very first tour, a few years ago, I went to Beaufort SC and took a pretty good ride just using Google Maps bicycle function.

boomhauer

I don't disagree with this.....

I think living in Reno would be the ultimate starting and ending spot on any bike tour.
My best memories are the desert camping around that area. Maybe others won't agree but I sure wish I lived there just for the touring possibilities (on or off road) , not to mention the paved shoulders on almost all the roads.

The desire to cross the country is understandable but if you know you are physically and mentally able to do it .....
Maybe you are bored of all the spectacular scenery? Need something different I guess.

staehpj1

I do. Riding coast to coast is a worthy goal. Regardless of the route you will meet interesting people, see interesting things, and eat interesting food. I found the scenery on the Southern Tier mostly pretty boring, but greatly enjoyed the people and the food. The TA was pretty boring scenery wise in eastern Colorado and Kansas, but the people were exceptionally kind and hospitable. Also cranking across some long boring miles can be satisfying in a way that makes the highlights stand out all the more.

National parks and the like make great focal points during a long tour, but experiencing small town and rural settings and people is really seeing what the country is about IMO.

staehpj1

One thing that hasn't been mentioned...
I have found that for me it works best to get the flying out of the way at the beginning of the trip. It is easier to plan an exact date and time at the beginning of the trip than at the end. That way you have a bit of flexibility in the ride schedule and it will be less hassle if you get a day or more ahead of or behind schedule. So if I lived in Reno I'd strongly consider starting in the East.

indyfabz

Maybe that's fine for him. To each his own.

Jim from Boston

Well said, staehpj1. While “meeting interesting people, seeing interesting things, and eating interesting food” are germane to almost any recreational ride, a coast to coast tour is at the very least a major “cycling credential.” You must take whatever the Road brings to you, rather than what you take at your discretion on a chosen route.

I recently posted that comment to the thread, ”Emotional let down after tour ends” but the let down was more anticipatory of the Road ahead as we left the Rockies, but still two-third of the tour was still ahead of us, and we readily enjoyed the rest of the route, as you describe.

Besides the credential of the cross-country tour, we did actually have Boston as a destination for new jobs and residence, and started out as a visit to a friend in Laguna Beach. I like to tell people we moved from Michigan to Boston, on bicycles, by way of California (flew to LA).

As far as our photographs, taken with a cheap Kodak camera, we could not necessarily capture the grandeur as well as a post card, but the initimate “armadillo” photos mean so much more after the years.

axolotl

Those are reasonable questions to ask. After all, the OP asked us "What do you guys think of this route?" It appears to me that if the OP had attempted to find the least interesting route possible to cross the country, he couldn't have succeeded better. As for the notion that the people you meet is the best part of a trip, I would assert that you are just as likely to meet interesting people in a pretty area as in a dull area. If you've got a choice, why choose dull?

indyfabz

You think it's reasonable to equate riding across the country via the least interesting route possible with riding a trainer in the house, because that is the import of the passage you quoted?

Yes. The OP asked what people think of his route, so personal opinions about it are legitimate responses. But "If that's all you want to do, you might as well stay home and ride the trainer" goes beyond that. It is, after all, his ride. If he wants to cover miles for the sake of covering miles and/or wants to be able to say "I rode across the country" regardless of the scenic nature fo the route, so be it.

mev

+1

How important is it to go in August? How important is it to keep time/distance down e.g. 3000 miles (or some time equivalent)? What other flexibility do you have?

It seems to me if you are tightly constrained in time and it being August, then starting a little further north decreases amount of hot/muggy riding to be done. Riding a little further north does increase the distance - which might increase risk of not making your time budget. However, if you start on east coast and make last part of trip not too far from the Amtrak California Zephyr line cities - then if worst comes to worst, you take a train last little bit home and go back a little later an "finish" that last part of the trip. Alternately, if everything goes much faster than planned, then you are home a bit early.

jamawani 

Am I having hot flashes? Or is it getting a little hot around here??
Lawsy - - -

If the OP wants to ride on I-40 from Barstow to Memphis,
Then take US 78 to the coast - that's his business.

But it appears that he hasn't ridden cross-country before.
And that he wants to do a cross-country ride - albeit in 30 days in August.

He also asked for opinions on his route.
And I will stick by my call that there are way better options -
Even with the 30-day limit.

No, he doesn't need to stay at home on his trainer -
But why not opt for the best possible route and conditions?
That would make the experience far more memorable.

axolotl

You neglected to mention the last sentence that I quoted from saddlesores, and that sentence is important because it reinforces saddlesore's question about the point of what the OP is proposing.

The OP asked for our opinions and has gotten many. He'd probably get better and more useful feedback if he were to explain what he is hoping to do and why. At this time, all we can do is speculate. All we know is that he proposes starting in August, riding about 3,000 miles, and asked for feedback about his route. I certainly wouldn't want to ride those particular 3,000 miles in August due to the boring scenery and oppressive heat.

DXchulo

What's your suggestion to improve it? Is southern CO more interesting than northern NM? Do you prefer TN over MS/AL/GA? If so, why?

The first 1/3rd of the route looks far from boring to me. I did a little bit of riding on the Talimena Scenic Drive in OK/AR that I really enjoyed, which is part of the reason for the way the middle 1/3rd of the route is set up. The southeast may be boring for some, but it's a big difference from where I live, which is part of the appeal of riding there.