Quote Originally Posted by Xrayted View Post
Denise G Yes, I prefer to have a base to come back to. No major touring like you do. (Yet.) More than just cycling but I want to spend most of my days on a bike seeing the sites. Long or short jaunts. I'm a stop and take in the view kinda rider so mileage is of no great consequence to me. I'm trying to stay off the touristy path, if you know what I mean... I like all kinds of terrain like mountains and beach. (ok, still hate riding hills tho ) I'll probably be renting bikes and so I can change up what types of places I can roam. As for an area, I just want to see some of this wonderful country I live in - but not through a window on an interstate. I've roamed a lot on the east coast and some in the mid west. So, I guess, for a truly different experience, the west coast would hold a strong pull for me. As for the weather, it's spring and it's gonna rain and do God-knows-what no matter where I am. I'm ok with that. I prefer to visit a place in it's natural state. Some of the best pics I've ever taken have been during/after total downpours.
If you're planning on renting a bike, I suspect that you are limiting your destination somewhat. If you're traveling with a touring company, they usually provide decent quality bikes. But if you're going on your own you'll need to find a shop that rents bikes in the area you're visitng. Once you start to focus on a destination, I recommend calling bike shops in the area to see if they rent bikes - and if they do, find out what kind of bikes are available (as in mountain vs. road). For example, I mentioned Moab as a possible interesting destination. I know you can rent mountain bikes there, but I suspect that road bikes wouldn't be available.

If you don't like riding hills, you should definitely pick someplace that will allow you to mix hill riding and flat riding - as opposed to someplace that would see you rolling up and down hills all day every day.

On the rain front - I agree that you can get some beautiful pictures in the rain. And yes, it is possible to be happy riding in the rain. But if it was me, I'd try to pick a dry location as opposed to someplace that could be teeming with water (which was why I mentioned the southwest as a possbility). If you really don't mind cool and wet weather, then I'd add coastal Maine and potentially Nova Scotia into the mix of destinations. (Yes, I know that Nova Scotia is in Canada - but it's so close! And there are definitely areas in Nova Scotia where you could do a series of day rides. Unfortunately the ferry doesn't start running until the end of May, so it would be a longer drive or a flight.)

Southern Belle - I believe Denise Goldberg has used them and can shed more light. She's my personal biker chick hero so whatever she tells ya, trust her.
Nope, not me! But I believe that several of the women here have used them.

--- Denise