Southern Tier Question

So my DH is leaving at end of February to ride across the USA along the Adventure Cycling Southern Tier route (San Diego, CA to St Augustine, FL). He has been avidly reading all the blogs he can find of others who have ridden this.

Do you have any links to good blogs about that area? Recomendations for places to stay/eat/explore? Places to definitely avoid? He retired in October so has no time limit, and is riding solo, so able to take any detours he wants.

I have lots of projects to work on while he is away, and training for our bike tour in July www.tourbc.net - so I won't be bored :-)

Any comments appreciated,
Thanks,
Edna

I think I read someone stopped at Carlsbad Caverns on this route? I have not been but I have heard it is neat. Fort Davis is pretty cool but I think the people I read about may have detoured. I do not know.

Do you know what route this takes across Texas? I live north of Austin and I always see touring cyclists. I might be able to give some food recommendations if I knew his exact Texas route, let me see if I can dig that up. :)

ETA- I found this on Wiki:

The ride along the Rio Grande River into El Paso, Texas, is a treat for bird lovers, especially during migration season, when the birds are flying north or south. Texas dominates this route, taking up an entire third of the mileage. Starting in El Paso, just across the Rio Grande River from Cd. Juárez, Mexico, the route follows the river southward before turning east and heading through the Davis Mountains, where some of the friendliest folks on the whole route reside. Riders pass the McDonald Observatory atop 6,800' (2070 meter) Mt. Locke. There's a visitor center with daily tours, and evening "Star Parties" three days per week. After the Davis Mountains, towns are few and the country desolate, full of sagebrush and tumbleweeds. As riders travel through central Texas, the terrain starts to feel like the Alps, but this is actually the famous "Texas Hill Country." This diverse area serves some great barbecue and was the training ground for Lance Armstrong, seven-time Tour de France winner. Riders taking the spur into Austin, Texas should make sure to go hear some of the diverse music available in the nightclubs on Sixth Street.

The observatory at Fort Davis is wicked cool, IMO. The Fort also is supposedly the best preservation but we ran out of time to see it. And if he is craving ice cream he could get some in the caboose but most of the food was just for fuel out there in my opinion. Also, is he camping or hoteling? The Davis Mountains State park is hands down my favorite campsite. Does he have his stops planned? If he is camping, we do that some and I might be able to help tell him if he picked somewhere that might be sketchy. Also tell him there is no exaggerating how desolate NM and West Texas will be. He cannot be overprepared to be alone out there, it is sparsely populated!

I know zero about touring other than reading some of Adventure Cycling's magazine. If you want to PM me his route through our hill country and ways out of Texas and I might be able to give my biased opinion of just being a tourist of points aroudn Texas. I can't help with much else but Texas. Also when he gets closer to leaving I can ask DH about giving our number in case of a mechanical or a crazy hill country thunderstorm. My husband is weird about that though so I have to get his okay. Since you are on the board he will probably might okay, unless your husband is a creepy ax murderer then no. :)

Tons of stories can be found here: www.crazyguyonabike.com

:cool:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mudgirl

Tons of stories can be found here: www.crazyguyonabike.com

:cool:

---

Hey Mudgirl! Good to see you on here. How's the riding in Ithaca been?

Can't help...but I'm jealous!

When I was out that way I regret not stopping at McDonald Observatory.
http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/

The ferry across the Mobile Bay at Dauphin Island is kinda fun.

In the Florida panhandle there are some spring-fed streams that manatee occasionally wander up, although probably not the time of year your hubby will be there. Canoe rentals/shuttles are pretty easy to find. I canoed down there in February and it was a neat time even though the leaves were off the trees and it was kinda cold.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mudgirl

Tons of stories can be found here: www.crazyguyonabike.com

:cool:

---

Yup, the Crazy Guy site has been the source of lots of reading material lately :-) I think he will be setting up his own journal there sometime in the next couple weeks.

So far, he's planning on following the Adventure Cycling route pretty closely, he's just not sure where his overnites will be yet - some will be obvious because of mileage and distances between towns. Others might depend on what to see and do in an area, or how strong headwinds or tailwinds are that day, that kind of stuff.

I'll take a look this weekend and write down the towns/cities along the route
Thanks for the comments, keep them coming. :-)
Edna

I don't have any ideas, I just wanted to wish him the best of luck on his adventure. I want to one day do the cross-country thing, and think it's really great that he's making this dream come true. :) When he gets his journal started on crazyguy- please post it. I'm a CGOAB junkie and I'd love to follow along on his adventure.

This is the first time I really looked at the Adventure Cycling maps. There are 7 maps that cover the Southern Tier. I don't think I'll list all the towns along the way. Would be too long a post.
1)San Diego, CA to Tempe, AZ 411.5 miles via Brawley, Quartzite, Wickenburg
2)Tempe to El Paso, TX 540 miles via Geronimo, Silver City, Las Cruces
3)El Paso to Del Rio, TX 451.5 miles via Fort Hancock, Fort Davis, Marathon, Langtry
4)Del Rio to Navasota, TX 431.5 miles via Leakey, choice of Austin or Lockhart, LaGrange
5)Navasota to St Francisville, LA 416.5 miles via Kirbyville, Oberlin, option for Baton Rouge
6)St Francisville, to DeFuniak Springs, FL 435.5 miles via Bogalusa, Mobile, Pensacola
7) DeFuniak Springs to St Augustine, FL 428.5 miles via Tallahassee, Wellborn, Gainsville

We have talked about me flying out to meet him in New Orleans for a long weekend. It would be a side trip for him, but it sure would be fun. Neither of us have been there before. We have to work out the details. And yes, Texas is spread over 3 maps. I knew TX was big, but that surprised me.

It would be fun to do this trip with him, but I can't take that much time off work and I've got almost 10 years before I retire. I wasn't going to make him wait. We figured it would be best for him to do this now, at 63, while we know he is healthy and strong enough for it. He might still be able in 10 years, but then again, he might not.

Edna

Edna! I'm soooo excited for Dave. Is he going alone? With a group? Did I miss that info somewhere?

A group from Pendleton is going to do the northern tier this summer using Adv. Cycling Maps. They asked me to go. I'd rather do the southern tier, but I can't be gone that long anyway.

Do keep us posted. Maybe you could start a thread with short accounts for those of us who just want to check in periodically.

Susan

I rode the Southern Tier from March to May, 2007 and my journal can be located at http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/annesoutherntier2007 I did lots of little "side" trips and highly recommend the route through Florida and a swim in the Springs at Itchetucknee and Wakulla. Both were beautiful. We rented Kayaks on the Wakulla River outside the park and got some great up close and personal views of the wildlife. It was such a wonderful trip and I have tons of recommendations but many of them are in the journal. He will love the route. It is so great. We did go South of Austin in the Hill Country but it was a beautiful, if very hilly, ride! Have a positively awesome ride!

I went with WomanTours and we did not stay exactly on the ACA route but did a few detours due to length of rides, etc. We stayed in motels every night. I am happy to answer any questions that Dave has. My email is anneandbenhike at gmail dot com. It is the most wonderful route and I highly recommend it for touring. We saw lots of people on the route and we had mostly good weather at that time of year. Good luck!!

The route for the entire ride is posted, by segment on http://www.bikely.com This site has routes everywhere in the country and my husband is using it for routing on a tour he is doing in May.

I am going to be away visiting family until the 28th, so I may not be able to respond to an email immediately but am pretty good about answering and would be glad to talk on the phone if there are questions...after the 28th of January.

...oh forgot to say, I see you are from Portland. I am starting a ride in Portland for 1500 miles on July 31st! It is also with WomanTours!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by AnnieBikes

...oh forgot to say, I see you are from Portland. I am starting a ride in Portland for 1500 miles on July 31st! It is also with WomanTours!

---

So will you be coming to town early for this - any extra days to be able to see the sights around here and maybe meet some of the TE ladies from the area? If you need anything, let us know - we'll see if we can help :-)
Edna

So planning is winding down, and packing is ramping up. Airline ticket to San Diego purchased, hotel booked for that night. Some contacts made, phone numbers and email addresses exchanged. Found out that a new job of a friend of ours takes him to close to DH's route in Louisiana 1-2 weeks each month. They are hoping the timing works to see each other there. DH got his blog set up this past week. http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/Slug if anyone wants to follow along.

We are planning a Bon Voyage open house for Feb 22, in the afternoon, after the Jack Frost Time Trial http://www.obra.org/flyers/2009/jack_frost_tt.html . I am hoping I'll have time to race before coming back home to host the open house. Recumbents are sent off first starting at 9:45am, so we should be done racing by 11:00am, I could be home by noon. Open house start at 1pm. Tell me I'm not nuts to try to do both :eek:

Edna

I saw his journal when I was on CGOAB yesterday, but I guess I didn't make the connection that it was HIM. Cool! I'll be following along on his journey.:)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Aggie_Ama

. Also when he gets closer to leaving I can ask DH about giving our number in case of a mechanical or a crazy hill country thunderstorm. My husband is weird about that though so I have to get his okay. Since you are on the board he will probably might okay, unless your husband is a creepy ax murderer then no. :)

---

Amanda,

I've known Dave and Edna for years. I can personally vouch for both of them. You couldn't find two more caring, generous, fun-loving people. Dave and I met on Cycle Oregon in 1999. We seriously bonded on a brutally long day, on a brutally long hill, after which he proceeded to save my life by giving me his jacket so that I wouldn't freeze on the descent. We still talk about that day! (Somewhere I have a photo of the two of us at the summit, triumphantly holding our bikes over our heads.)

Edna & I can't remember when we met exactly, but it couldn't have been long afterward. And, I've had the pleasure of her company for 8 hours a day, Monday-Friday, for the past two years. She does all the accounting here at TE HQ, and the place wouldn't survive without her. :)

I'm so very fortunate to have them for friends. If Dave was a creepy ax murderer, I'm pretty sure I would have figured it out by now... :D

Susan

Alright Edna, I trust Susan if he is collecting "Oh my god I need help numbers" PM me we are in the Austin Metro. We are having really nice weather this winter, wonder what the spring will hold?

One thing I thought of, he is hitting Texas Hill Country when the grasses really start to bloom. If he is an allergy sufferer and has not thought of it Ragweed, Mold and pollen will be pretty high come March-May. Just something to keep on his radar if he is unfortunate like me and an allergy sufferer. :( I am sure he has put plenty of planning into emergency medicine or what not but then again I know absolutely nothing about touring. What all are they hiding in those panniers and trailers?

Edna, That sure was nice of you to offer help if I need it in Portland. I have not settled on any of my plans yet! Thanks for your offer.

Well, he flew to San Diego Tues the 24th and yesterday was his first day of riding, just in case you wanted to follow along on his log www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/Slug - now I have to get back in the habit of doing all the laundry myself, the dishes, the garbage, feeding the pellet stove, etc. It's been a long time sharing duties but I guess 3 months doing them solo won't be too bad. I think he's going to have a great trip, but I'll miss him.

Edna

Edna- I am kind of excited to "know" on of those touring cyclists we see out here in the spring. I will pop in on the blog. Enjoy your alone time, it will probably go faster than you think!

ETA- Hopefully he will acclimate to the heat as the tour goes on. The southwest is in a heat wave. :(

I know Edna and Dave, too. I met Dave on the WA Bike Ride a few years ago and then Edna when we all did a Wine Country Ride in SE Washington. They're great people. Wish I was on the ride.

If you want to see what towns he will go thru here is a link to the Adventure Cycling site, http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/southerntier.cfm shows the route divided into 7 maps, and if you click on "detail" shows the towns/cities he will go thru. Click on "addenda" for added notes or changes to the maps.

I think he spent last night somewhere between Brawley and Palo Verde, there is about 80 miles of limited services so my guess is he didin't have cell ph or computer coverage, and most likely dry camped somewhere along the way. If I remember right, he was going to take a rest day at Palo Verde.

Edna

I've been following his journaling on CGOAB. Sounds like he's having a great time! Are you lonely yet- and is he? I know I'll miss my DH when I go on a week long bike ride- a few months would be very tough.
I'm glad he's enjoying his journey so far. :)

Yah, I miss him. But I have talked to him almost everyday. There was only one day so far with no cell phone coverage, but he called just before 8am the following morning. Some talks have been only a few minutes and others have been 1/2 hour or more. In just over 30 years, the longest we've been apart before was a week at a time (some times travel for work, sometimes separate vacations) so this past week has not been unusual. The next 2 or 3 weeks will seem longer. I haven't thought much about past that.

Yes, he is having a good time. He keeps telling me "have I thanked you yet for letting me do this?". It never occurred to me to "not" let him do this. I have enough projects planned over the next few months, and training for a sprint-tri in May, and training for Tour BC in July, that I won't have much time to think about being lonely. I've got a great group of friends watching out for me (and family too).

Edna

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by evangundy

He keeps telling me "have I thanked you yet for letting me do this?".

---

That's sweet. :)
It's a once in lifetime adventure- one I hope to get to do someday. I'm glad he's getting the chance to do it, even if it means you couldn't come along with him. 30 years, huh? That's a long time, and quite impressive. :)

Edna, I'm enjoying Dave's blog, too. It sounds like he's having a terrific adventure. I also enjoy seeing his pictures. I hope he continues to update us daily. And---enjoy your alone time, too.

Quote:

---

I could make much better time if i didn't stop to read and photograph all the historical markers;

---

That is part of the fun of touring right? I make DH stop the car for historical markers, just wait until he gets to NM they have really BIG signs!

His blog is pretty funny at time. I keep snickering at the cacti reports because he is going to have a photo album full of them. I never paid much attenion to them until DH started selling plants for a living, now I realize we don't just have cactus in Texas we have lots of different types. Yucca and agave and cactus and more types of yucca and agave.

Edna, I am also enjoying his journal. I did the Southern Tier two years ago and my DH was awesome while I was gone. He was so supportive and very understanding. He loves to ride, too, and will do a long, self-supported ride starting in May so he has his turn on the road, too! Since we have family issues and one of us needs to be in town, we are taking turns, though I am way ahead, having ridden the Underground RR Route last year, and will ride a month in Oregon in August. We have hopes of riding the Northern Tier together in the not too distant future.

I will miss him when he does his ride but I know that he will have an awesome time and I will be taking care of the home front. After 35 years of marriage, we don't keep score and I am happy when he is riding, and he is happy when I am riding. We hate to see each other leave but that is life right now!!

Another family member is coming here for a week so that we can go to Bike Virginia together this summer...our 35th anniversary falls during the week. Won't that be fun!!! :)

...and yes, I do think that I am coming a few days early to Portland. I would absolutely LOVE to meet some of the TE people there. As it gets closer maybe we can communicate more....

Edna- I just got a chance to look at his journal since he was in AZ. He just went through some of my favorite area of Texas. :) Weird as all get out in Ft. Davis but if my husband would move out there I would go. When I was out there I saw plenty of collared peckeries (javelina). The rangers at the park said they can be mean glad his encounter wasn't too bad.

Oh and the chip seal, hate to say there is plenty more to come. Don't let anyone tell him, okay?

Looks like Dave is about to finish his ride. I've certainly enjoyed following his adventures on his blog.

I have enjoyed the journal, too, reliving my ST ride of 2007. It is an awesome thing he has done, alone. You should be proud of him, Edna. :)

Yes, when is "Captain America" coming home? Any festivities planned for his arrival?

I've been reading his tour diary, and I still haven't found a picture of him actually on the bike. I can't figure out how he rides it. Does his head stick up over the faring and out of the sock?

Karen

Well, Dave will finish his tour this Sunday. He could actually have finished today or tomorrow, but he's kinda hanging back so he ends when I can actually be there. (he's going to get a motel tomorrow so he can watch the Nascar race on tv - in air-conditioned comfort) Saturday morning is the Sprint Tri I've been training for( www.canbygators.com , click on the “Gator Grinder” tab (at the top of the page) and view the dropdown menu), should be home about 2pm, in time to finish packing and head for the airport for 5:30 flight to Orlando. Arrive there 6am-ish, pick up rental car and head to Anastasia (sp?) State Park in St Augustine, and get us a campsite for Sunday night. He'll meet me there :-) Then we'll pack his bike up on Monday and get it to the shop that is going to ship it back to Portland for him http://www.pcbike.com/ - he met Jake from there, the second day on tour. Jake & Marty's tour journal/blog is good reading too: http://wherearethoseguys.blogspot.co...1_archive.html
They did the ST in about 6 weeks - they were on a limited schedule so finished quite awhile ago.

Anyway, we'll get to spend a week checking out Florida, since neither of us have been there before, and end up in Miami visiting a friend who just had a liver transplant (Slo Joe Keenan - those of you on Bike Journal may know of him). Joe was going to surprise Dave and ride in the last couple days with him but the unexpected transplant kinda put a kink into that. So we'll go visit with him and Sue in Miama. Fly home on the 16th out of Ft Lauderdale.

Wow, I can't believe he's about done. It's been so much fun reading his journal and talking to him almost daily made it seem like he really wasn't that far away.

So far, the only welcome home party planned is a BBQ with family most likely the weekend after Memorial Day - we're busy all that long weekend with the Recumbent Races at PIR in Portland - I'm on the race committe and we both ride in it too. http://www.ohpv.org/HPC/index.html (if you're in Portland that weekend with nothing to do, stop by to watch some races and say hi).

I'm sure our group of friends won't let the opportunity for a party slip by. Something will get planned I'm sure :-)

Gotta go get stuff ready for the morning, and for Florida,
Have a great weekend everyone,
Edna

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tuckervill

I've been reading his tour diary, and I still haven't found a picture of him actually on the bike. I can't figure out how he rides it. Does his head stick up over the faring and out of the sock?

Karen

---

Let me find a picture for you - I know I have some good ones:
http://www.ohpv.org/HPC/Committee.html
if you scroll down about halfway, you'll see him during a wet, rainy race

Thanks, Edna. I just finished reading the whole journal, and I finally did see a pic of him on the bike! That is a cool trip. I think Captain America fits quite nicely!

It sounds like he had a wonderful time, with very few incidents of any kind. Unlike some of the journals I've read there!

I hope some day bike tourists will start making their way across Arkansas, too!

Karen