{"id":2546,"date":"2012-11-24T17:26:20","date_gmt":"2012-11-24T17:26:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cycloexpeditionamericas.com\/?p=2546"},"modified":"2012-12-11T14:32:16","modified_gmt":"2012-12-11T14:32:16","slug":"united-states-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cycloexpeditionamericas.com\/en\/2012\/11\/united-states-report\/","title":{"rendered":"United States : report"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>A second country is over! Canada and United States were by themselves almost a third of the journey. English language is now behind me and I am starting a brand new step in the Latino-American world. I went from one extreme to an other in United States, from mountain to desert, from heat to frost, from pristine air to forest fire. Two months of travel with\u00a0J\u00f6rg<\/a>\u00a0finished near Yellowstone, and after a month by myself on the road, I am pleased to greet Pablo<\/a>, who is joining\u00a0for the next adventures\u00a0from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Thanks to Arkel<\/a> for contributing for a set of panniers for Pablo!<\/p>\n

Numbers and letters<\/strong><\/p>\n

United States
\nFrom August 31st to November 11th 2012
\n73 days which 48 of them spent on the saddle
\n4033 km, odometer’s total : 8579 km
\n37 crossings of the Continental Great Divide
\n3 flat tires
\n16 days waking up in a frosted tent
\n84 km per biked day in average (55 per total day)
\nAverage speed of 16,8 km\/h
\nBiggest day: 128 km
\nShortest day: 37 km
\nFastest day: 23 km\/h
\nSlowest day: 9,5 km\/h
\nMaximum speed reached: 73,5 km\/h<\/p>\n

Where to sleep?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>I only paid for about 15% of my nights, mainly on national parks campgrounds. In contrast to Canada, National Parks offer reduced price for cyclists and hikers, for the entrance fees as much as campsites. Even if the \u00ab\u00a0No Trespassing\u00a0\u00bb and \u00ab\u00a0Private Property\u00a0\u00bb signs are scattered everywhere, it is only needed to venture in the National Forests or the BLM lands (Bureau of Land Management), which the itinerary of the Great Divide Mountain Bicycle Route takes advantage of, to be able to camp about everywhere without hassle. Otherwise, a future new residential development or a stand of interpretative signs about the region in a rest area will do…<\/p>\n

I also had the opportunity to meet many people who hosted me, either via websites like Warmshowers or CouchSurfing, or simply by luck on the road. I actually spend about half of my nights in United States at local’s houses. This is what make you really experience the place you are at. Thanks you very much for those delightful moments!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>A surprise in Pie Town, New Mexico, awaits cyclist on the Great Divide Mountain Bicycle Route (GDMBR) and \u00a0the hikers of the Continental Divide Trail (CDT). Nita made a house she owns available to those adventurers. We couldn’t meet her personally, but everything is there to make your stay comfortable in Toasters House. It’s at the pie shop (it’s not called Pie Town for nothing), that we learned about this special place. The \u00ab\u00a0Pie Town’s vortex\u00a0\u00bb swallowed us and it’s after three nights that we went back on the road toward Gila National Forest. By the way, I want to take the time here to raise my hat to those \u00ab\u00a0thru hikers\u00a0\u00bb that are linking the Mexican and Canadian borders, walking over the mountains. I am amazed everytime I met those long distance hikers. We met Chad at the Toasters House, who, after doing the CDT from South to North, went back here to complete a six-day segment he missed as a forest fire was ravaging the area. Me too I wouldn’t be able to sleep well back home knowing that I skipped a part. And fortune made us meet him again at Gila Hot Springs (see below), on his side after six days of walking and on our side after 4 days of bicycle on a little bit longer route.<\/p>\n

What to eat?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Eating all the calories burnt in a day, this is not easy. I try to dip in oil, butter or mayonnaise about everything I eat. Bread got traded by tortillas more I was going South, which are easier to carry. The Canadian morning oatmeal was continued in United States, but with new flavor from the grocery homebrand: what a change! Cheese is really cheaper than in Canada, and I don’t hesitate to eat it with everything. I was amazed by all those new candy and chocolate bars, but nothing in those attractive empty calories worth my traditional \u00ab\u00a0caramel-chocolate-peanut-nougat\u00a0\u00bb bar that I will silence the commercial name and that pushes me for a few kilometers. I got used to the double-daily tea from J\u00f6rg, morning and evening, but I only kept the morning side of the process. A few times, a second quite American cheap and fat breakfast was a pretext to take a break at mid-morning to completely warm up from the cold night. Peanut butter is always calling present and I am wondering if I’ll still be able to eat spaghetti (and oatmeal) when all this will be over. But for now I always appreciate what I am eating, not being capricious when hungry.<\/p>\n

Interesting roads<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, by bicycle, you can’t see everything! A place an hour away from the main road by car worth a bike day to get there. I’ve still been able to create an itinerary passing by quite wonderful places. Here are a few hotspots of my itinerary, going through visit-worthy national parks or by breathtaking scenery areas.<\/p>\n

Great Divide Mountain Bicycle Route<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>In the end, I used nearly 45 % of this itinerary created by the\u00a0Adventure Cycling Association<\/a>\u00a0going along the Continental Divide through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. More details about this route can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Glacier National Park<\/strong><\/p>\n