Cross Country Trip

Go to Forum

Jon from San Diego on 12/30/2005 3:45:03 PM:

On April 15th 2006, two of us are leaving San Diego on bicycles, heading for Rhode Island on no particular route other than always trying to head north or east. We figure (based on no experience) that it should take us about two months for the whole crossing. We should be at the west end of the Katy trail sometime late May.

I'd appreciate any advice on riding the Katy Trail from west to east. Keep in mind we have not attempted anything even close to the magnatidute of this coast to coast venture before.

Any tips will be appreicated - Thanks - Jon

frank from festus,mo on 12/30/2005 8:24:58 PM:

just enjoy the trip. i admire ya'll for taking on this feat.

savage24 from KC,MO on 12/31/2005 5:47:07 AM:

Well Jon, With no experience, no route, and seemingly no plan I figure if you are tough and able to 'think on your feet' well enough to make it as far as Missouri, you will not need any advice from me!
Good luck and please keep us posted on your progress. Oh yeah...

Watch out for tornados in Oklahoma and Kansas in April/May.

Ray (webmaster) on 1/2/2006 6:49:45 AM:

What an adventure - good luck! When you say "no experience", do you mean no bike touring experience, or just no cross-country experience? I'd recommend reading as much as you can on the Bicycle Touring 101 website, to help fill in the gaps from any lack of experience you may have. Also check out Adventure Cycling, and consider getting some of their cross-country route maps. Even if you prefer to go without a planned route, it might be nice to have an Adventure Cycling route to fall back on for parts of your trip - they research these routes pretty extensively to find the roads that are best for bike travel.
If you're keeping a journal or blog of your trip, let me know so I can link to it or publish it on this website.

El Toro on 1/2/2006 1:55:46 PM:

Good luck with the trip. Sounds great. The KATY will be a good way to get across Missouri in my opinion.

How wide a tire will you be running on your bike? My experience says you want to probably look at something around 32cm, which is a bit wider than I would want to run on the roads, but it certainly can be done.

I would think about slowing down a bit on the KATY in terms of daily mileage and enjoying a couple of the stops and nice B&Bs along the way...kind of a middle of the country recovery.

Just my 2 cents. Have a great time. ENJOY and BEST WISHES.

The Dalton Boys from Austin, TX/Columbia, MO. on 1/4/2006 10:35:13 AM:

....and whatever you do stop for one night for sure at the KATY Roundhouse Campground in New Franklin, MO. Right on the trail, hot showers, very, very kind staff, very clean campground, and push comes to shove the local pizza place delivers to camp sites!!! Enjoy the Voyage...(I'm so jealous) Mark of the Dalton Boys

Anonymous from Columbia on 1/5/2006 7:32:04 PM:

I would recommend the Katy Trail Guidebook by Brett Dufur. I ordered it online from pebblepublishing.com. It covers the entire trail and has lists of bed and breakfasts, diners, etc. all along it. It's very useful, especially if you're inexperienced. Good luck! I hope you enjoy Missouri! :)

FEEDBACK! - Please let us know if you have suggestions, corrections, complaints, or ideas. Your input is valued and appreciated - thanks in advance!

More info: KT Home Katy Trail Map Trip Planner Travel Timeline Forum Towns & Services Mileage Chart Events Trail Merchandise Search Advertise Contact Us

By using this website, you agree to the Terms and Conditions.
how this website uses cookies
This information may not be copied or reproduced in any way.
© Copyright 2024 BikeKatyTrail. All rights reserved.
BikeKatyTrail and BikeKatyTrail.com are registered trademarks.