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| Myrtle with new Burley trailer |
Cycle touring in the US is very different from any other country. The US is vast with many distinct regions. With each region comes a new landscape, weather and noticeable cultural changes. Even though this is my home country, I find the US to be the most difficult for cycle touring. Cycle touring in the US requires special preparations that are different from touring in other countries.
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| Map of TransAm bike route |
Aside from travel costs getting to and from a tour destination, accommodation is always the biggest budget item for any tour. This is especially true in the US. In most other countries, finding a hotel room for less than $30 a night is easy. I found this to be true even in France, Spain, Portugal and Italy. I always carry camping gear but prefer to stay in hotels. My last big tour was in Colombia, South America. I found an affordable hotel room every night for 6 months never needing my camping gear. Unfortunately, this is not possible in the US.
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| In the mountains of Colombia |
In the US, you have to expect hotel rooms to cost $100-150 per night. I can't afford to spend this kind of money every night and will need to camp as much as possible. Luckily, the US has a camping culture and finding a place to set up a tent is much easier than in countries that have no camping culture. Even camping on a patch of gravel will most likely cost $30 per night.
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| Forest camping |
I have trike touring friends who never plan where they will camp or stop for the night. They ride until they don't want to ride anymore and then pitch their tent. I know people who refuse to pay for accommodation. This is a big reason for why they tour. Anyone that follows Kathryn Mossbrook Zimmerman, who is older than I am, knows how much she loves her tent. She never pays for accommodation. I think she tours just to stay in her tent every night. She also feels safe wherever she is. For me, this is true freedom. I have never had the courage or faith to trust I will be safe where ever I want to stop pedaling. I have tried stealth/wild camping like Kathryn does and my imagination always gets the best of me and I end up not sleeping. I think knowing when you don't feel safe is an important consideration for any type of traveling especially for solo cycle touring.
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| Tent camping |
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| Touring with just panniers |
For me, being safe for the night is my number 1 priority. Every day that I tour, my objective is to find a safe place to spend the night. Getting a good night's sleep is very important. Touring is mentally/emotionally tough and being able to rest and recharge every night is vital.
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| Adventure Cycling Bike Route 66 |
I'll be using the Adventure Cycling routes as much as possible. These routes have maps available that give you all the information you need for cycling every day. Distances, markets, laundry, bike shops, hotels, camping and elevation profile is just some of the information provided on these maps. An important safety concern is knowing how far you can comfortably ride in a day. Riding on the flats and downhill makes it easy to cover big distances. How fast you climb is what will determine your average speed. It is very important to know how much climbing you are comfortable doing in a day. Maybe like me, you want to be at your destination by 3 pm every day. 3 pm is when people often start getting off work. They are impatient to be home. They also start drinking. I want to know I will be off the road by 3 pm. Through experience, I have learned my max climbing for the day is under 4,000 ft. Knowing this helps to plan my day's route with confidence.
Some of my other concerns for touring in the US is the heavy drug use, divisive highly charged political climate and actual weather.
At times, I will be touring in terrible weather. From my 3 years of RV life, I know the winds are strong all through the western US every day. I think my electric assist will be a big help so my speed doesn't suffer as much as it would without the e-assist. I'm expecting that camping will sometimes be very difficult because of the weather. Undoubtedly, there will be days I set up my tent in the rain and winds and will also be packing up a wet tent to carry on. It's yucky. There will be days I'm going to hate touring. If the weather becomes dangerous, I'll find a hotel. With weather apps on my phone, I should be able to keep track of weather for safety.
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| The American flag is highly visible, recognizable and evokes strong emotions |
Another worry is the drug epidemic. So many Americans are doing hard core drugs every day everywhere. I have never seen the level of drug use like we have in the US anywhere else in the world. Lots of people are driving intoxicated. I am planning to ride with 2 dash cams to record everything as I ride. I also ride with the Garmin Varia. This is a radar safety device that records every vehicle as it passes. This device records how fast vehicles travel as they approach and pass me on the road. It also has a bright red blinky and I keep it attached to the back of my helmet. We know that cyclist's witness accounts of altercations are not taken seriously or even believed. Video documentation and the Varia data is the only evidence I can present law enforcement of a crime or submit to insurance for claim compensation. Hopefully, I'll never it.
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| Garmin Varia radar with blinky on my helmet |
I have done 2 tours across the US. One in 2010 and another in 2015. Politics wasn't a concern or even a thought during these tours. This has changed. The highly charged political climate in the US is now a big worry. I really hate what politics has done to our country. Personally, I always vote but don't follow or listen to any political news. Unfortunately, I have had lots of experiences during my time RVing where other RVers simply see the Oregon plates on my truck and trailer which triggers them to angrily and loudly give me their opinion of the Governor of Oregon. Often, I haven't finished checking in or even got settled in a RV site. I have no desire to engage in any political discussion especially not with complete strangers. I have also had similar interactions at gas stations. People in other cars or RVs yell at me about Oregon being a communist state simply because I have Oregon plates on my truck and trailer. This happened in many different states. If license plates can provoke so much heated emotion, will cycling provoke more? On past tours, this was never an issue or concern but, now, in an effort to dissipate some of the emotions, I will be flying a 2x3 foot American flag. Even though the American flag doesn't have anything reflective on it, the flag is super recognizable and provokes a strong emotional response. I believe anyone that would hurt a cyclist would never hurt the American flag. This may be incredibly naive. I will also post a sign on my trailer saying to smile for the video camera recording.
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| I'll be attaching a GoPro to my trailer to record as I ride |
I also know that most people are good and nice and there are many, many wonderful people all across the US. I expect to meet lots of them. The beautiful landscape, scenery, challenge of riding while exploring different cultures continues to keep me motivated.
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| Beauty in the US makes the hardships worthwhile |
PS - I'm amending this post to say I'm in no way overwhelmed with fear. People are always asking what my concerns are and I'm simply presenting them here. I am still expecting this tour to be just as great as all the others. One more concern I forgot to add is ... I am hoping I can keep up with the blog and Youtube videos in a timely manner. It's possible my plan is overly optimistic. When the weather is poor will I be able to use the laptop in my tent? Will there be a covered structure, even a bathroom, I can go for shelter to use my laptop safely from the weather? Stay tuned!
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