Morning Wayne and all -

My wife and I are going to be riding in the Texas Hill Country with Adventure Cycling in about a week and a half, and boy are we itching to get out there. We had so many plans cancelled last summer and have been really hankering to ride, especially on an event like this. We did arrange our own eight-day Covid Tour in Michigan last September which was a relief to do and break out of the pandemic routine, but we really enjoy taking part on multi-day rides with small groups of other people. We rode an ACA tour in Death Valley a couple years ago and it was excellent. Heavy on the riding and light on the "pampering." We drive down April 8th and the first day of riding is Sunday the 11th. The forecast high for Fredricksburg today is 81 degrees. Oh baby ....

I might do a tour starting next month, depending on whether I can get enough work done on various projects I've committed to for my customers.

John Egan has worked out a route for me starting on the Georgia coast and going through Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and ending in Southern California. Sort of an alternative to the ACA Southern Tier, which, from everything I've read, contains way too many busy, high-traffic sections for my liking.

At this point in my touring "career", I dislike planning much of anything, so I don't have a departure date, a return date, or a plan for how to return home after the tour. 

Prior to Sunday the plan was to ride the Transam - but that's ancient history as we now plan to ride the Northern Tier.  It probably sounds like we're a bit flaky - and maybe we are - but plans change and that's what we are doing!   I just now worked out a way to get the 2 of us to the start without flying (rather expensive 1-way pickup truck rental), I don't even have the ACA maps yet and have done no real planning for this route - so at the moment it's all a bit overwhelming - and that's how it should be!  So life is good at the moment, wishing the best for those of you preparing for your own tours,

Buddy

Buddy, I mostly do one-way car rentals for A to B tours. Enterprise Car Rental is my choice because it's the only company that offers 1-way rentals and pickup/dropoff in towns too small to have an airport.

Before my solo Gold and Silver tour I'm doing a 1 day, mid-size SUV rental from Roseburg, Oregon to Carson City, Nevada. After the tour is a 1 day, mid-size SUV rental from Merced, California to Roseburg, Oregon.

My short wheelbase recumbent is several inches longer than most upright bikes, but it fits easily in a mid-size SUV. It also fits in a full size sedan with the handlebar turned sideways.

Enterprise Car Rental is very flexible. It costs nothing to make a reservation. You can cancel or change the date/time at the last minute with no penalty.

Have fun on the Northern Tier route. I biked it in 1989 with a Bikecentennial group and still have many fond memories.

Hi Mike

One of my friends, Kitty Clark, is part of the ACA support crew on this ride - please give her a Cycle Blaze hello if you run into her.  Texas Hill Country should be wonderful this time of year - lots of spring flowers and not too much Texas heat. Enjoy the trip!

Hi Wayne,

I use one way car rentals a lot for bike trips as well, to get to start points and from end points.  I noticed that a lot of people don't think of it so its good you bring it up.  As you say, the flexibility is the best part.

It works especially well if the destination is a one day drive away, like your trip will be.

And bikes can fit in almost any car if the wheels are removed.  I even jammed my bike into a sub-compact once by removing the tires and putting the frame in the back seat upside down.....though if I have an option I choose full-size or SUV...

Karen

Susan, that is a "small world" connection! I'll be sure to pass along the "howdy" from you and the rest of Cycleblaze! Thanks for the heads up on this. Can't wait for that ride ... it will be our first riding trip in Texas.

Wayne we are well into autumn here DownUnder, and my plan is to reignite the TransOz ride plan and a journal which has been sitting idle here on CB for 12 months, while the world went a bit crazy.
If all goes well, in about 18 days I’ll be riding “Against the Wind” across Australia with a few old friends. 

in about 18 days I’ll be riding “Against the Wind” across Australia with a few old friends.

Hey, good luck with the headwinds, Graham.  I envy your opportunity, for sure -- tho' I have to say my inclination would be to take the train west and then cycle eastwards with a tail wind. 

No major tours this year for me, though I'm hoping to make a shorter ride, say two weeks, in late August.  A key personal first step happens tomorrow, Apr. 3 -- we're due to receive our first vaccination, with the second to come in a couple of months.

Safe journeys, mate,

Cheers,  John

Thanks John. I must confess that I’m feeling a bit anxious about this forthcoming tour. It is more ambitious than any tour since my wife and I rode from Turkey to England way back in 1989. Also the last two years have been wobbled by family bereavements, extreme drought, unprecedented fires, Covid and now toppled further with very severe floods here in SE Australia. We seem to lurch from one mess to the next.

One major positive in this context of ongoing disruption  is that Covid has been relatively well contained in Oz. I’m very grateful that state borders are now mostly open, and the quarantine control methods are working. 

Well done on getting your jab. Our covid vaccination  rollout has hit a series of administrative speed humps, so it’ll be a while before I’ll be queuing for the injection. Fortunately the vaccinations aren’t as critical here as in many other countries. Living in a country which is a low population density geographic cul d’sac has had advantages during a pandemic.