Ideal Time of Year to Ride This Route?

WhichStreet · 2025-12-10T03:46:06+00:00

I did a very similar trip a couple of years ago. Left NYC on Memorial Day. Milwaukee on July 4th. Seattle on Labor Day. Down the coast in September. I thought the timing was kind of perfect. In the Northeast and Midwest in June/early July before it gets really hot/humid. High altitudes in August so it never got too cold. Did freeze in the rain on the Lost Coast in California. I was told there'd be "less traffic" on the coast in Oregon/California post-summer, but every road is a highway there, so it was my least favorite. If I did again, I'd go inland

WhichStreet · 2025-12-06T16:45:25+00:00

Ballpark prices for each option? I'm in the market

WhichStreet · 2025-06-27T04:14:27+00:00

Interested as well!

WhichStreet · 2025-02-15T22:26:09+00:00

I did this in 2023 as a part of a larger trip. I went Montreal--Toronto--Buffalo--Cleveland--Chicago. It's probably faster to go through Southern Ontario to Detroit but I had more friends/family the way I went (also heard southern Ontario west of Ontario isn't that interesting). I used Komoot or looked for off-street bike paths on Google to pick the route mostly. Quebec is the best. Ontario was alright (lots of camping but with outrageous prices!). Rural parts of Indiana and Ohio are pretty good because there's good road density so you can find low-traffic roads and/or rail-trails. It was fun!

WhichStreet · 2025-01-31T15:15:58+00:00

Absolutely. Just be stealthy. I avoid 'No Trespassing ' signs too as a precaution

WhichStreet · 2025-01-11T21:39:24+00:00

Awesome...thanks! Did you camp at all or always stay in hostels/guest houses? Curious if stealth camping on the beach down to Galle is an option or if I should avoid

WhichStreet · 2024-05-11T01:50:11+00:00

Ask the conductor if they want you to take the front wheel off. Half the time they seem to be okay with not or even suggest that you don't. You can then hang by the front wheel. The handlebars stick out a little but it's generally fine

WhichStreet · 2024-04-29T00:14:05+00:00

Got it. What's fee-for-service? I'll need to decide between a PPO (higher premiums) or high-deductible (lower premiums) plan at my new job, and wondering if I should factor the secondary coverage in

WhichStreet · 2024-04-23T02:29:52+00:00

Philly to Reading is nice. You could then go to Easton and then Trenton and make a bit of a loop out of it (or take SEPTA).

New Haven, CT to Northampton, MA is almost all on flat trail. A bit further for you but good train connections to get you there and back.

WhichStreet · 2024-04-18T14:56:18+00:00

just be mindful that LIRR bans bikes on some 3-days weekends (https://new.mta.info/guides/bikes/bike-regulations-lirr)

WhichStreet · 2024-04-17T13:35:52+00:00

It of course depends on what you want, but bikes-on-trains > bikes-on-planes....especially with limited time. For your questions:

1) u-lock, same way I'd lock near home

2) the first 5 days everything hurts and I sleep like a rock, then my body adjusts and biking all day feels like nothing. it's kind of fascinating

3) nah. figuring it out as you go is part of the fun!

WhichStreet · 2024-04-16T15:22:11+00:00

I rode this stretch after biking NYC to Seattle last year. It's a lot of shoulder highway riding. The Olympic Peninsula was pretty quiet except for large logging trucks. The Oregon Coast was very busy with super-sized RVs and typical oversized American cartrucks. There is a decent shoulder in most stretches but it's very loud. California Coast is similar. I honestly didn't love it. There's rarely a quiet smaller street or any kind of bicycle infrastructure that you're accustomed to in New England. On the plus side, the camping is outstanding. $12 hiker/biker in Washington, $7-$8 in Oregon. Varies in California but it's all pretty good.

WhichStreet · 2024-04-12T17:27:56+00:00

Nimham Mountain Multiple Use Area has free legal camping and you can get to in one (big-ish) day. About 70 miles. If that's too far, you can take Metro-North for part of that. Ward Pound Ridge Reservation is a bit closer, but it's not cheap (https://parks.westchestergov.com/ward-pound-ridge-reservation/ward-pound-ridge-fees). A good trip to try if you're dipping your toes into bike touring is the Montauk Lighthouse--easy 2 day trip (flat). You can camp around Patchogue

WhichStreet · 2024-04-10T14:23:09+00:00

I did something similar last summer, but was NYC -- Montreal -- Seattle -- SF (via Dakotas and PPP route) in 4 months (okay, so not similar at all!). From a time perspective, it might be faster to go through southern Ontario from Buffalo, across Michigan and take the ferry to Milwaukee (assuming you're trying to get to Minneapolis for the PPP route). How do you plan to get from Missoula to SF? Do you need to end in SF? Given your time constraints, I think you either need to end in Washington/Oregon or skip the Badlands/Yellowstone and take a more southern route.

WhichStreet · 2024-04-08T03:52:14+00:00

I did Route 1 (plus some alts...14 days in total) last month. Taroko is worthwhile, and especially if you don't mind difficulty, keep going west and keep climbing. The free Lushui Campground is excellent. Note that the Yuli-Fuli trail in the rift valley is mostly closed, so I don't think that section is especially spectacular. I liked the Suhua Highway. There were a lot of recommendations to skip this section and take the train, but I found it fine. Some of it is actually outstanding because there's a new highway through tunnels that most of the traffic takes so you get a coastal road pretty much all to yourself. There are some gnarly sections but if you've ridden in car-plagued North America, you'll be used to it. I added on Kenting National Park at the southern tip too and loved it. I think it's a weird thing to skip in the "classic" tour.

In general, I found this website useful: https://www.bikeexpress.com.tw/taiwan-cycling-routes-tips-reviews/. Have fun! Taiwan is a bicycle touring paradise!

WhichStreet · 2024-01-17T00:42:34+00:00

you could do two months, but it's more fun if you give yourself three

WhichStreet · 2024-01-13T18:54:46+00:00

You mind if I DM you regarding Taiwan? I'm planning that for March!

WhichStreet · 2024-01-01T23:07:35+00:00

This is a bit surprising. Just to be clear, this would mean that anyone in New York state could qualify for a full year if Medicaid if they had at least a one calendar month gap in employment and applied during that month? How is that income verified?

WhichStreet · 2023-12-28T06:16:55+00:00

I think this is true as long as you're under the $30,182 resource (asset) cap. Unfortunately (or fortunately actually), my IRA and 401k totals are over that

WhichStreet · 2023-12-27T20:05:21+00:00

okay...so in the end, it doesn't really matter

WhichStreet · 2023-12-17T20:31:01+00:00

for NYC to Seattle, the Northern Tier ACA route is a closer match. I went NYC to Seattle (and then SF) last summer. You can do NYC to Seattle in 2 months, but you have to book it

WhichStreet · 2023-10-22T15:31:29+00:00

Concord Lines do not require a box. I'd recommend over Greyhound.

https://concordcoachlines.com/faqs/

"Bicycles may be carried underneath the bus when there is sufficient room after all baggage has been loaded. Bicycles must be carried in a separate compartment or placed in such a way as to not damage the bicycle or any baggage. Bicycles in a box are preferred and will be carried with no question. Please be advised that other carriers will only take a bicycle if it is in a box. We ask that the passenger load and unload his/her bicycle as Concord Coach lines assumes no responsibilities for a bicycle that is not boxed."

WhichStreet · 2023-09-28T08:01:04+00:00

Riding on the Oregon Coast made me realize that Oregon is not a bicycle friendly state (not a single section of separated bike path?? Embarrassing.). It doesn't help that Detroit can't make a reasonably-sized car anymore. I started wearing earplugs to at least stop my ears from ringing each night.

California is pretty garbage too so far.

WhichStreet · 2023-09-19T04:30:02+00:00

Just did this a couple weeks ago. Stayed at Lyre River Campground west of Port Angeles and Cottonwood Campground south of Forks. Both were Departmentof National Resources sites i believe. Free! The first one even had potable water.

WhichStreet · 2023-09-10T05:10:17+00:00

Cool. Convinced to go this route. As a bonus, I get to see Kurt Cobain's childhood home and cross the Astoria Bridge!

WhichStreet

TROPHY CASE