Biking from San Diego to Boston

[Agentbolt]

My job has finally offered to give me the 2 months or so I'd need off to bike across the USA at a very casual pace. I had some questions for those of you who've done a cross-country ride before, and also a few questions on the route.

#1. How should I pick a route to do this? I definitely want to do San Diego to Boston, but that doesn't seem to be a very popular starting and ending point. I tried Google maps, but the "walking" option appears to send me through the woods at points (there's no road, at any rate) and the "avoid highways" option is also a little vague. When they mention avoiding highways, are we talking anything with a double yellow line, or avoiding only interstate highways, or what.

#2. Since I don't want to spend 1500 bucks on a touring bike, would I be better off with a road bike or a hybrid bike (basically a mountain bike with skinnier tires. A Trek 7000, for example)

#3. How does the camping work? I have no problem with camping and doubt I'd stay in a hotel short of a dire, dire emergency, but are there really campgrounds every 70-90 miles in this country?

#4. I think I'd want to do this from mid-August to mid-October. Anyone see any problems with doing it this time of year? I'd like to avoid the worst of the summer heat and hopefully end up in New England around peak foliage time.

I guess my main concern is the route. I want to stay on decently maintained roads, but don't want to be riding in the shoulder on a busy interstate either.

 

[zinfamous]

All I can advise is camping.

yes, they are everywhere. most are free....kinda....

 

[zinfamous]

oh, and why not pick a route like 66 or something? it's pretty well mapped...though i know it's not the exact route you're looking for, you can probably follow certain legs.

 

[theblackbox]

66 would be horrible for biking because some of it is too remote. great by car though.

take the route through utah to denver on 70... some of the best road biking and touring, period.

 

[Zebo]

Stop a lot if you get an endro type bike. I biked to every ball park in USA and had kidney bleeding problems e.g. pissing blood. I recommend a real road bike w/o so much vibration.

 

[theblackbox]

about the bike, depends on the geometry and the build.
a touring bike will suit you better then a road bike, esp. the gearing and the ride.
you'll have no problems finding places to camp. there are places everywhere.

 

[NoShangriLa]

Adventure Cycling Forum

Adventure Cycling Association routes

 

[Numenorean]

Originally posted by: theblackbox
take the route through utah to denver on 70... some of the best road biking and touring, period.

This would be a great response if the question was "How can I bike from San Diego to Boston and kill myself in the process?"

 

[blinblue]

I biked from Richmond, VA to Denver, CO in 24 days camping nearly every night. In terms of routing, I picked up state maps when I got into a new state (campgrounds almost always have free state maps), these maps mark most of the public campgrounds. Each evening I would look at the map, pick a spot about 100 miles away and find the nearest campground. The next morning I would head off on the most logical road, and when I got to a town with a library, I would then use their internet to go use google maps to make sure that all the roads I was planning on going on had enough shoulder, not much traffic, etc. This formula worked almost flawlessly, and every time it did, it made for a great story later.
I stopped at Denver because I was not prepared to deal with going over the rockies or dealing with expanses of desert. But with a little planning, you should do just fine.

Not a day went by where about 3 hours into cycling I didn't regret doing it, but it was the most amazing experience ever. With countless stories, pictures, and fun had.

Oh, quick tip, never underestimate water. Always make sure you have enough, getting lightheaded due to lack of water is a terrible idea when bicycling

 

[akshatp]

Wait. You mean bicycle bike? Holy crap SD to Boston on a pedal bike?? Who the f does this? and WHY?

How would this even work? How would you carry your belongings, where would you shower/sleep etc and all of these things come to mind...

 

[Agentbolt]

Originally posted by: akshatp
Wait. You mean bicycle bike? Holy crap SD to Boston on a pedal bike?? Who the f does this? and WHY?

How would this even work? How would you carry your belongings, where would you shower/sleep etc and all of these things come to mind...

I'm planning on pulling a small trailer. Panniers are the other option. Other than a tent, some spare parts, a gas stove and some extra clothes, there isn't much you need to bring. I'm going to be super extravagant and bring a laptop as well to blog about it for my friends.

As for why do it, I mean, why NOT do it? It'll be fun.

Stop a lot if you get an endro type bike. I biked to every ball park in USA and had kidney bleeding problems e.g. pissing blood. I recommend a real road bike w/o so much vibration.

Yikes, well I don't want to piss blood. When you say a "real road bike" are you referring to a light racing bike or a touring bike?

a touring bike will suit you better then a road bike, esp. the gearing and the ride.

I don't disagree, but again, the cheapest touring bike I've seen was 1100 bucks. I'm not sure it'll make a big enough difference to merit the huge price increase.

Each evening I would look at the map, pick a spot about 100 miles away and find the nearest campground. The next morning I would head off on the most logical road, and when I got to a town with a library, I would then use their internet to go use google maps to make sure that all the roads I was planning on going on had enough shoulder, not much traffic, etc.

Not a bad idea at all! I had no idea campgrounds were so commonplace. Also, I have no problems at all with doing some stealth camping, or just setting up my tent in the woods some random place. I was in Scouts from Tiger Cub to Life Scout, so I'm used to being pretty comfortable in any tent with a sleeping bag. I just don't want to get arrested either.

 

[akshatp]

Pulling a trailer??? On a bicycle? Wow man you must be in really good shape. What happens when you have to bike uphill? You must have some serious conditioning to be able to bikcycle across country. What happens when its too hot/rains etc. Or if you just get tired and you are in the middle of nowhere? Im curious!

 

[Agentbolt]

Originally posted by: akshatp
Pulling a trailer??? On a bicycle? Wow man you must be in really good shape. What happens when you have to bike uphill? You must have some serious conditioning to be able to bikcycle across country. What happens when its too hot/rains etc. Or if you just get tired and you are in the middle of nowhere? Im curious!

It's really not that bad. I plan on going maybe 70-80 miles a day, which means about 40 days of travel. Some people do it in like 30. If it rains, or is hot, or you get tired, you just slow down as appropriate.

A "trailer" weighs like 40 pounds, fully loaded. I think you're thinking of a different kind of trailer Bike trailers are usually very small.

 

[FoBoT]

Need Tips

take an airplane

 

[IronWing]

Given your time of year, getting across the deserts will likely be a challenge. The monsoons will be be full swing in Arizona and the heat will be intense in eastern California. Looking at the map I don't see any good options for getting through the deserts at that time of year on a bicycle. If you started in Boston and headed west at that time of year I could see it. I really would think about reversing your route or going in the Spring if you want West to East.

Edit: I looked at your profile and see that you are from New Hampshire. I don't think you want to come fresh from New England and hit the eastern California desert heat on day two or three of your journey. It could literally kill you.

 

[arrfep]

I did Virginia Beach to San Diego in the summer of 2004. Spent 67 days on the road, following Adventure Cycling maps from the Atlantic all the way to SW Utah. Then we took off on our own down through Vegas and into SoCal. I touched water at Newport Beach.

Overall, the ACA maps have pretty much everything you'll need to know about your route. They list essentially every single place to get food and water and where to sleep along the roads you'll be taking. The majority of the road are back-country roads and county-highways, very lightly travelled, reasonably smooth and well-shouldered. Near urban areas, the roads might get a little busier, but I think I felt endangered by the road conditions for maybe a total of 20 miles all the way out to Nevada. Then we got on I15 which was sketchy as hell, but that was our own doing.

I say get the ACA maps. They've got like over 35k miles of routes mapped, so you can put something together to get yourself from SD to Boston. Worst case scenario is that you don't like it, and you can improvise once you're on the road. But for the $100 or so that the maps will cost, you'll gain invaluable information. Plus it's kind of cool to stay on an established network because every day you'll run into someone cool doing the same thing as you.

Regarding equipment, I rode a Trek 520 with some component swaps and carrying panniers. My riding partner was on a mountain bike slicks, and pulling a BOB. He loved that thing, and I loved my panniers. You might as well argue Mac vs. PC. Both have their pros and cons. I loved being able to organize things in different bags, I loved the way the bike rolled with filled panniers. But wind resistance was a bitch, and it was a pain to ever try and fix a flat or roll into town on an empty bike. The trailer is harder to organize, gives you a different sized tire/tube/wheel to worry about, and some say it can make the bike unwieldy. But it's nice to be able to simply unlatch a skewer and be back on a normal bike, free from any cargo.

I'm rambling, so let me get to specific responses:

1.) ACA maps. Definitely. See above

2.) The Trek 520 can be found for around $1000 brand new, cheaper if you buy a previous year's model, and I've seen them go for ~$500 very lightly used by people who thought they were going to tour but never got around to it. Fuji Bikes and Cannondale are the other two (AFAIK) mainstream companies that make a dedicated tourer, both also around the $1000-1200 mark.

REI has a couple tourers made by their house-brand Novara, including the highly-regarded Safari. That bike might end up being the best bang for buck when buying brand new. Plus I think it has the most potential for use after the tour i.e. it's very versatile. It's $850, but usually if you become an REI member, they give you a single-use 20% off coupon, that you might be able to use on the bike. At the very least, pay the $15 for the membership and you get 10% back on your purchase to spend at the end of the year.

If all these are still too expensive, get yourself an old, sturdy mountain bike with a rigid fork , throw on some slick tires, and bob's yer uncle.

3.) There are more camgrounds than you might imagine out there. Most of the time that means RV park, but it's still a place to put a tent. Lots of "camping" on the ACA routes through the Midwest is at city parks. Like, right next to the swing set and stuff. I've camped in plenty of city parks, on a courthouse front lawn, on a picnic table in front of a rec center, in the back yard of a fire house, etc. This is small-town America, where you will meet the kindest, most awesome people. I slept in multiple strangers's homes, people I'd met just that morning. You quickly develop a sense of what's legit and what's not, and the balls to sometimes care less.

4.) Careful going out too late. Getting into the Upper midwest and then Northeast it can be pretty miserable in late September and onward. I wouldn't rule out the middle of the summer just to try and avoid the heat. In fact, after a few weeks on the bike, you become such a hardened sonofabitch that you don't even worry about those kinds of things. I was in Baker, CA when it was 122 degrees out, and we rode right through that shit in the middle of the day. I was carrying a loaf of wheat bread and a jar of peanut butter with me. After a morning riding through that sun, the bread was all toasted, and the PB poured like milk. But I had a killer tan.

Overall: Read as much as you can, but don't fret about any one thing. The greatest thing about being on the road is that everything works itself out. I don't think I've ever been as carefree in my life as I was for those two months on the road. Best of luck. Any more questions, feel free to PM me.

 

[Agentbolt]

Originally posted by: ironwing
Given your time of year, getting across the deserts will likely be a challenge. The monsoons will be be full swing in Arizona and the heat will be intense in eastern California. Looking at the map I don't see any good options for getting through the deserts at that time of year on a bicycle. If you started in Boston and headed west at that time of year I could see it. I really would think about reversing your route or going in the Spring if you want West to East.

Edit: I looked at your profile and see that you are from New Hampshire. I don't think you want to come fresh from New England and hit the eastern California desert heat on day two or three of your journey. It could literally kill you.

I really need to update my profile. I actually live in Tucson, AZ so I'm VERY used to desert heat. I can't really reverse the route because half the point is to end up in my home town.

I've accepted travel through the deserts is going to be VERY slow and careful. I've had a lot of experience biking in 105 degree heat here in Tucson so again, I don't think I have anything to really worry about there.

 

[Agentbolt]

Originally posted by: arrfep
I did Virginia Beach to San Diego in the summer of 2004. Spent 67 days on the road, following Adventure Cycling maps from the Atlantic all the way to SW Utah. Then we took off on our own down through Vegas and into SoCal. I touched water at Newport Beach.

Overall, the ACA maps have pretty much everything you'll need to know about your route. They list essentially every single place to get food and water and where to sleep along the roads you'll be taking. The majority of the road are back-country roads and county-highways, very lightly travelled, reasonably smooth and well-shouldered. Near urban areas, the roads might get a little busier, but I think I felt endangered by the road conditions for maybe a total of 20 miles all the way out to Nevada. Then we got on I15 which was sketchy as hell, but that was our own doing.

I say get the ACA maps. They've got like over 35k miles of routes mapped, so you can put something together to get yourself from SD to Boston. Worst case scenario is that you don't like it, and you can improvise once you're on the road. But for the $100 or so that the maps will cost, you'll gain invaluable information. Plus it's kind of cool to stay on an established network because every day you'll run into someone cool doing the same thing as you.

Regarding equipment, I rode a Trek 520 with some component swaps and carrying panniers. My riding partner was on a mountain bike slicks, and pulling a BOB. He loved that thing, and I loved my panniers. You might as well argue Mac vs. PC. Both have their pros and cons. I loved being able to organize things in different bags, I loved the way the bike rolled with filled panniers. But wind resistance was a bitch, and it was a pain to ever try and fix a flat or roll into town on an empty bike. The trailer is harder to organize, gives you a different sized tire/tube/wheel to worry about, and some say it can make the bike unwieldy. But it's nice to be able to simply unlatch a skewer and be back on a normal bike, free from any cargo.

I'm rambling, so let me get to specific responses:

1.) ACA maps. Definitely. See above

2.) The Trek 520 can be found for around $1000 brand new, cheaper if you buy a previous year's model, and I've seen them go for ~$500 very lightly used by people who thought they were going to tour but never got around to it. Fuji Bikes and Cannondale are the other two (AFAIK) mainstream companies that make a dedicated tourer, both also around the $1000-1200 mark.

REI has a couple tourers made by their house-brand Novara, including the highly-regarded Safari. That bike might end up being the best bang for buck when buying brand new. Plus I think it has the most potential for use after the tour i.e. it's very versatile. It's $850, but usually if you become an REI member, they give you a single-use 20% off coupon, that you might be able to use on the bike. At the very least, pay the $15 for the membership and you get 10% back on your purchase to spend at the end of the year.

If all these are still too expensive, get yourself an old, sturdy mountain bike with a rigid fork , throw on some slick tires, and bob's yer uncle.

3.) There are more camgrounds than you might imagine out there. Most of the time that means RV park, but it's still a place to put a tent. Lots of "camping" on the ACA routes through the Midwest is at city parks. Like, right next to the swing set and stuff. I've camped in plenty of city parks, on a courthouse front lawn, on a picnic table in front of a rec center, in the back yard of a fire house, etc. This is small-town America, where you will meet the kindest, most awesome people. I slept in multiple strangers's homes, people I'd met just that morning. You quickly develop a sense of what's legit and what's not, and the balls to sometimes care less.

4.) Careful going out too late. Getting into the Upper midwest and then Northeast it can be pretty miserable in late September and onward. I wouldn't rule out the middle of the summer just to try and avoid the heat. In fact, after a few weeks on the bike, you become such a hardened sonofabitch that you don't even worry about those kinds of things. I was in Baker, CA when it was 122 degrees out, and we rode right through that shit in the middle of the day. I was carrying a loaf of wheat bread and a jar of peanut butter with me. After a morning riding through that sun, the bread was all toasted, and the PB poured like milk. But I had a killer tan.

Overall: Read as much as you can, but don't fret about any one thing. The greatest thing about being on the road is that everything works itself out. I don't think I've ever been as carefree in my life as I was for those two months on the road. Best of luck. Any more questions, feel free to PM me.

Lots of great advice, thanks! I actually already have a very reliable Trek Hybrid (7000) with a rigid fork but it's geared for being on the road. After searching a few forums I'm starting to realize this thing is basically a poor man's touring bike, so I think I'm just going to spend some money to modify it a bit rather than buy a new one.

ACA maps, check. I will check that out. Sounds like exactly what I'm looking for.

I'm getting more and more comfortable with the thought of just doing a bunch of stealth camping, but it's good to hear there's a lot of campgrounds too.

I still think mid-august is the best time to get out. New England in early October even is very very rarely uncomfortable cold. If anything, I might push it out even later to avoid being in the deserts in late August, because having experienced both for several years, I'll take new England Fall over desert late summer any day.

 

[sash1]

back in HS i did a bike trip from VT > Boston, biking about 70+ miles/day, camping along the way, and we hiked Mt Washington in the middle.

it was sweet, one of the best experiences of my life. definitely get a road bike, skinnier tires are better. the panniers will weigh you down, and the uphills burn, so be prepared. get a camelback for sure, remember to stay hydrated and eat plenty of food, you'll be burnin' a shitload of calories. and remember bike shorts, your ass is gonna be hurtin.

can't really help you with camping, since that stuff was already planned out for us, but there was definitely no lack of campsites along our journey, and i figure it's the same throught the states, you should have no problem finding places to stay. also, plan out your trip well ahead of time, and also plan a backup campsite in case weather gets bad/you're just plain tired/you blow a tire and it gets late, etc.

are you going solo or going with a small/big group? sounds like fun, man

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: akshatp
Wait. You mean bicycle bike? Holy crap SD to Boston on a pedal bike?? Who the f does this? and WHY?

How would this even work? How would you carry your belongings, where would you shower/sleep etc and all of these things come to mind...

adventure? have you ever lived without all of your TVs, internets, video games, etc? You'd be amazed on how little you actually need to sustain life, and have some real fun.

remember the member who documented his bike ride from Alaska to Panama? much longer distance than SD to Boston.

 

[speg]

Originally posted by: akshatp
Pulling a trailer??? On a bicycle? Wow man you must be in really good shape. What happens when you have to bike uphill? You must have some serious conditioning to be able to bikcycle across country. What happens when its too hot/rains etc. Or if you just get tired and you are in the middle of nowhere? Im curious!

Haha, you're a perfect representative for a forums of nerds

OP, good luck - it's been something I've been thinking about doing for a long time, but I think I might end up doing something on a motorbike over longer distances.

 

[skyking]

I'd try using google earth and "fly down" the various routes. That and some topographical data for grades and you should be able to pick the best set of route segments.

 

[dman]

There was someone here who did Alaska to mid-central america and blogged about it ( ATOT thread a while back). Was an interesting read and you can probably learn some things to bring, etc. There are, of course, others who've done similar adventures, just mentioning that one because it was posted here.

 

[goldboyd]

GL. This is something that's on my list to do also, but getting the time off is the problem for me.

I've done some research and I see people have already mentioned adventurecycling.com and crazyguyonabike.com. One more site I'd recommend is www.bikeforums.net Read the touring forums there, lots of good info and people to answer any question you may have.

 

[imported_Imp]

Please get a pace(?) van to block your ass. I've seen a number of stories about people doing cross-country biking, and getting run over by someone out on the roads.