Category: Bike Touring
When I was a kid many years ago, we used to take family vacations to historical or cultural destinations. But what I really wanted to see were the roadside attractions advertised on garish billboards along the way.
Monkey farms, haunted houses, fireworks stands, and mummified human-remains exhibits beckoned to me from the two-lane highways, but we never stopped.
There are better choices today for those of us who are bicycle fanatics. Here are eight random roadside attractions with a bicycle theme that you can look out for as you drive with the family down the highway. Better yet, these can be pilgrimages you can make on two wheels.
Major Taylor statue — The first and maybe the newest attraction is the Major Taylor statue in Worcester, Massachusetts. The statue in his hometown memorializes the African-American who struggled against oppression to achieve the world cycling championships in 1899, among other honors …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/08/04/eight-roadside-attractions-bicycle-landmarks-to-visit-in-us/
National parks might seem like natural destinations for family car trips or RV excursions, but they also have many factors that make them ideal for bicycle travel.
The park scenery — be it desert sands, forests, or challenging mountains — can be enjoyed better from a bicycle saddle than from a car seat. And I've found that the National Park Service has afforded bicycle riders some advantages not enjoyed by those in cars.
Probably the biggest bonus for bicycle travelers is the existence of bike-in/hike-in campgrounds in some parks.
I discovered one of these years ago after a long slog into the Grand Canyon National Park. The Mather Campground offers shared campsites for hikers and bicycle riders
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/08/03/the-10-best-national-parks-for-bicycling/
When I headed down the driveway on my bicycle this afternoon, I was looking to cool off. While I was successful, I found many other people trying to beat the heat in ways other than bicycling.
With temperatures getting into the 90s this weekend, I found cool breezes and shady byways on my bicycle ride.
If you're looking for a good bike ride on Sunday, the most excellent 16th annual Tour de Kitsap is just a cool ferry ride away from Seattle. You can register at the Silver Beach Hotel from 7 to 10:30 a.m., or at the ferry terminal in Bremerton. See the flyer (.doc) for more information.
You can go for a bike ride on your own …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/07/26/a-few-ways-to-beat-the-heat-wave-in-the-pacific-northwest/
It's not uncommon to find wide varieties of sports supplements and high-tech training gadgets hawked at major bicycling events.
But a journalist for the Des Moines Register stumbled across a truly unique device for sale at an expo booth in Council Bluffs for the kickoff of RAGBRAI over the weekend.
Called FUDS — short for female urination devices, the product allows women to answer the call of nature just as men do, by standing up.
The funnel-shaped, silicon devices are sold by GoGirl, whose slogan is “Don't take life sitting down.” …..
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/07/20/enabling-women-to-stand-up-to-the-call-of-nature/
Bicyclists in the 37th annual RAGBRAI rolled out of Council Bluffs on Sunday morning to begin their 442-mile trip across the state.
Participants didn't have to go far to dip their wheels in the Missouri River to begin their trek. Crews pumped a spray of river water onto the deck of the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge so cyclists could just roll through it.
The grand-daddy of all across-state bicycle rides, getting its start in 1973, this one boasts 10,000 registered bicyclists and many more (as many as 5,000) who are just along for the ride ….
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/07/20/2009-ragbrai-starts-rolling-down-the-road/
The 30th anniversary of the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic might be remembered as the best of rides and the worst of rides.
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Those finishing the 200-mile course in one day on Saturday will note the warm sunny weather with friendly breezes into Portland.
The two-day riders will no doubt recall being greeted with cold wet weather as they started out Sunday morning for a blustery ride that was punctuated by thunder.
OK, that doesn't make it a “worst” ride, but it's probably not the kind of ride most people were thinking of when they signed up.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/07/13/2009-seattle-to-portland-bicycle-classic-recap/
Spirited Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic riders head south along Lake Washington at the beginning of the 200-mile bike ride on Saturday morning. This marked the 30th anniversary of the event put on by the Cascade Bicycle Club. More pics inside…
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/07/11/photos-of-2009-stp-bicyclists-on-the-road/
A mess of bicycles at first 2008 STP rest stop in Kent
The weather forecast along the 30th anniversary Seattle-to-Portland Bicycle Classic route calls for warm temperatures on Saturday and an increasing chance of rain in southern Washington and northern Oregon on Sunday.
One-day STP bicyclists who plan to ride the entire 200 miles by nightfall Saturday should be safe without raingear or fenders.
Those stopping midway, however, can expect to wake up to a 30% chance of rain in the Centralia area on Sunday and 30% chance thunderstorms in the early afternoon along the Columbia River.
Two-day riders should be OK stowing raingear in their bags for delivery to their overnight spot, then carrying it on Sunday.
The Cascade Bicycle Club is celebrating its 30th annual STP this year with a full complement of 10,000 cyclists. …..
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/07/10/stp-forecast-pack-raingear-for-second-day-bridge-delays-saturday-from-eastside/
Just like the Wright Brothers' first airplane that sits in the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum in Washington DC, some transportation marvels deserve recognition.
So it is with the triple tandem built by bicycling advocate and enthusiast Bill Bliss.
The bicycle carried Bill and his two daughters, Shannon, 8, and Heather, 7, on a 4,200-mile TransAmerica bike ride in 1976 to commemorate the nation's Bicentennial. It now adorns the entryway to the Adventure Cycling Association headquarters in Missoula, Montana …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/07/08/historic-tour-bicycle-joins-missoula-collection/
A couple of days ago I stumbled across a bicyclist who is preparing to ride from Vancouver, BC, to New York City with less than 35 pounds — including his bicycle.
This is no credit card tour, however. The cyclist, Igor Kovse, is geared for full-out camping with a tent, sleeping bag and a pad. He's also carrying tools, clothing for wet and cold weather, a camera and photographic supplies.
Whenever I'm bicycle touring, it's obvious that I'm in serious need of a gear diet. That's why I like to see how the ultralight half lives.
Apparently Igor has been traveling like this for quite a few years. He announced his upcoming transcontinental tour at the Ultralight Biking Yahoo group, and referred people to his Crazy Guy on a Bike touring page for a previous ride from Dushanbe to Delhi that lists all of his equipment …
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/07/01/the-incredible-lightness-of-being-an-ultralight-bicycle-traveler/
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