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Please help - Montana route
http://www.rasiel.com/bikingamerica/
hello, i'm an ijit who went on a bike trip. this ijit is now stuck in frigid casper, wy trying to figure out whether to give up or continue. my original thinking had been to continue from casper on i25 north to sheridan then billings where i would stay on the interstate all the way into seattle. the problem as i see it is that it's too cold and i'm ill-prepared for it. i have with me only my bike jersey and a windbreaker. i'm not a very good cyclist either and riding a 60 mile day up in these parts is an enormous effort, 40 miles is more reasonable. partly this is because i'm starting late in the day (say about 10) to wait for it to warm up outside. and then i like to be done by about 4-5pm. it doesn't help matters that i'm going broke and my bike (a fuji touring) is a piece of crap. what's the easiest, fastest, flatest route from here to seattle? many thanks, ras |
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#2
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Please help - Montana route
You need to take the Lewis & Clark return trail to the
Oregon coast then the Pacific Coast Highway north to Seattle http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journ...er&context=all Trip Journal: 2004 California McKinleyville to Florence, OR Oregon 1: Florence to Richardson Park Campground, Veneta 2: Richardson Park to McKenzie Bridge 3: McKenzie Bridge to Sisters 4: Sisters to Ochoco Reservoir 5: Ochoco Reservoir to Mitchell 6: Mitchell to Dayville 7: Dayville to John Day 8: Layover - John Day 9: John Day to Baker City 10: Baker City to Richland 11: Richland to Oxbow Idaho 12: Oxbow to Council, ID 13: Council to Riggins 14: Riggins to Grangeville 15: Grangeville to Lowell 16: Lowell to Powell Montana 17: Powell to Stevensville, MT 18-19: Layover - Hamilton 20: Hamilton to Sula 21: Sula to Wisdom 22: Wisdom to Dillon 23: Dillon to Alder 24: Alder to Madison River Cabins and RV Park 25: Madison River RV Park to West Yellowstone Wyoming 26: West Yellowstone to Grant Village (Yellowstone Park) 27: Grant Village (Yellowstone Park) to Hatchet Campground (USFS) 28: Hatchet Campground to Dubois 29: Layover - Dubois 30: Layover - Dubois (cont'd) 31: Dubois to Shoshoni 32: Shoshoni to Casper http://www.lewisandclarktrail.com/ wrote: http://www.rasiel.com/bikingamerica/ hello, i'm an ijit who went on a bike trip. this ijit is now stuck in frigid casper, wy trying to figure out whether to give up or continue. my original thinking had been to continue from casper on i25 north to sheridan then billings where i would stay on the interstate all the way into seattle. the problem as i see it is that it's too cold and i'm ill-prepared for it. i have with me only my bike jersey and a windbreaker. i'm not a very good cyclist either and riding a 60 mile day up in these parts is an enormous effort, 40 miles is more reasonable. partly this is because i'm starting late in the day (say about 10) to wait for it to warm up outside. and then i like to be done by about 4-5pm. it doesn't help matters that i'm going broke and my bike (a fuji touring) is a piece of crap. what's the easiest, fastest, flatest route from here to seattle? many thanks, ras |
#3
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Please help - Montana route
wrote in message ups.com... http://www.rasiel.com/bikingamerica/ hello, i'm an ijit who went on a bike trip. this ijit is now stuck in frigid casper, wy trying to figure out whether to give up or continue. my original thinking had been to continue from casper on i25 north to sheridan then billings where i would stay on the interstate all the way into seattle. the problem as i see it is that it's too cold and i'm ill-prepared for it. i have with me only my bike jersey and a windbreaker. i'm not a very good cyclist either and riding a 60 mile day up in these parts is an enormous effort, 40 miles is more reasonable. partly this is because i'm starting late in the day (say about 10) to wait for it to warm up outside. and then i like to be done by about 4-5pm. it doesn't help matters that i'm going broke and my bike (a fuji touring) is a piece of crap. what's the easiest, fastest, flatest route from here to seattle? many thanks, ras US 2 is a good route across Montana. It crosses the continental divide at Marias pass, which is only 5200 ft above sea level. The trouble is that US 2 isn't very good in Washington state. The flattest route there is the Columbia river gorge between WA and OR, generally I-84. But there's no easy way to get down there from US 2. And also, I understand that the prevailing winds through the gorge are decidedly westerly. Perhaps the best alternative in your situation is to take South pass across the divide and work your way over to the gorge. I don't know how that compares to what the previous post suggests. On my ride through there in 1996, we went west to east, took the gorge, and then veered northeast through WallaWalla and across the Snake River, eventually reaching US 2 at Spokane, which we then took all the way to Wisconsin. But that route has a lot of up and down west of Spokane. I'm not familiar with the South Pass route or the Lewis and Clark trail, or even with whether they're different. Don't be too intimidated by the big mountains ahead. Pick a good route and the climbs are long but not frequent. You do less net climbing than on the much lower peaks of the Appalachians. |
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Please help - Montana route
"Ron Wallenfang" wrote in message
... US 2 is a good route across Montana. It crosses the continental divide at Marias pass, which is only 5200 ft above sea level. The trouble is that US 2 isn't very good in Washington state. The flattest route there is the Columbia river gorge between WA and OR, generally I-84. But there's no easy way to get down there from US 2. And also, I understand that the prevailing winds through the gorge are decidedly westerly. Gorge winds can be really nasty. There's a reason why so many people do windsurfing through there. If you do take the gorge, is your goal simply the West Coast, or is it actually Seattle? If take the gorge and then you need a good route from Portland to Seattle, use the STP route in reverse: http://www.cascade.org/EandR/stp/stp_routemap.cfm The last time I was on Hwy 2, in an automobile, I was looking at the shoulder rather carefully. I've never ridden it myself, but I know people who have. It didn't look great, but I've also ridden worse. Lots of folks do use I-90. If you do ride I-90, there's alternatives as you get closer to Seattle to the actual freeway. I've even done these If you decide to go this way I can provide details. If you need a place to land in the greater Seattle area, let me know. I've read your adventures for some time, and would be happy to host you for a day or two. -- Warm Regards, Claire Petersky http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/ See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky |
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Please help - Montana route
wrote:
http://www.rasiel.com/bikingamerica/ I can't help much with the route. Since you're already in Casper, it sounds like sticking to or close to I-90 is your best bet. This time of year, it probably would've been better to stick to I-80, cut through Utah, then I-84 northwest. Here's good news. We're expecting better weather. By Thursday, you can expect warmer temps, and hopefully it will continue. Be careful with Wyoming, and heck, much of your remaining route. Take the time to plan carefully, as it may be difficult to find civilization every 40 miles, or even 60. There has to be a decent bike shop in Casper (probably just one). Look 'em up. Or, a truck stop. Ask the people who know the roads, though truckers aren't known for their knowledge of bikes. But they can help you pick a quiet route, with a minimum of hills, and regularly-spaced places to rest. Ras, I'm a much better cyclist than you. But I have never had the guts to attempt a coast-to-coast ride (yet). Be proud of what you've done so far, and FINISH it. We're pulling for you. -- Lynn Wallace http://www.xmission.com/~lawall I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the trust by exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my view, the most insidious of traitors." George H.W. Bush, April 16, 1999, |
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Please help - Montana route
Sorry to follow up on my own post. Since I wrote last, some other
suggestions have come up. If you take US 2 from Spokane, but would prefer the more gradual Snoqualmie pass over the steeper Steven's Pass, a couple of options: 1. Get on state hwy 28 at Davenport. 2. Get on state hwy 17 at Coulee City (scenic, I think) to state hwy 28 at Soap Lake From either, use hwy 28 past Ephrata with George as your destination. Go either directly on state hwy 283 (15 miles to George, hillier) or go via Quincy (22 miles to George, flatter) on state hwy 281. From George, use I-90 down down down (whee! but watch for trucks) to Vantage at the Columbia River. At Vantage, there's a road that parallels I-90 to Ellensburg, then you can use hwy 10 paralleling I-90 until Cle Elum. Then you're back on I-90 until the pass, about 30 miles. If you do this route, I have instructions from the top of the pass to Seattle, please contact me for details. Another option to the gorge to consider, if you're coming into the state from a more southerly route: if you're at Moscow ID, use state route 270 to Pullman, and US 195 to Colfax to state route 26 to Vantage, then follow as above. If coming in at Lewiston, ID (on, say US 95), please note that state hwy 261, some parts of that section of US 195, and state hwy 194 have no shoulders to speak of. Better to take US 95 north to Moscow, then continue as above. Too bad our local board is down -- I'd refer you there for more on-the-road experience than what I have relayed to you above. -- Warm Regards, Claire Petersky http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/ See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky |
#8
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Please help - Montana route
ras wrote:
http://www.rasiel.com/bikingamerica/ hello, i'm an ijit who went on a bike trip. this ijit is now stuck in frigid casper, wy trying to figure out whether to give up or continue. my original thinking had been to continue from casper on i25 north to sheridan then billings where i would stay on the interstate all the way into seattle. the problem as i see it is that it's too cold and i'm ill-prepared for it. i have with me only my bike jersey and a windbreaker. i'm not a very good cyclist either and riding a 60 mile day up in these parts is an enormous effort, 40 miles is more reasonable. partly this is because i'm starting late in the day (say about 10) to wait for it to warm up outside. and then i like to be done by about 4-5pm. it doesn't help matters that i'm going broke and my bike (a fuji touring) is a piece of crap. what's the easiest, fastest, flatest route from here to seattle? What size long-sleeved shirt would you like? And what general delivery post office will you be at next week? (if some guy can swap a red paper clip for a year's free rent, I don't see why those of us with spare stuff can't help you out.) HTH --Karen D. |
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