Cross-Contry: East vs. West



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dgostnell

dgostnell

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I'm planning a coat-to-coast self-supported ride on my Gold Rush, between Oregon and Virginia. Does anyone have experience and/or an opinion about which direction is better? And any other words of wisdom about this venture?
 
dgostnell wrote:
>
> I'm planning a coat-to-coast self-supported ride on my Gold Rush, between Oregon and Virginia.
> Does anyone have experience and/or an opinion about which direction is better? And any other words
> of wisdom about this venture?

The general trend for wind in the continental US is west to east.

Tom Sherman - Planet Earth
 
The general trend for wind direction _is_ west to east. However, that is only a trend, and local
conditions plus weather systems can cause the wind direction to vary. I rode from Virginia to
Oregon, and the worst wind was from the south (in western Missouri, Kansas, and eastern
Colorado). Plus, if you start in the east, by the time you get to the Rockies, the snow is gone
from the passes.

Tim Storey

--
This look left intentionally blank "Tom Sherman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> dgostnell wrote:
> >
> > I'm planning a coat-to-coast self-supported ride on my Gold Rush, between Oregon and Virginia.
> > Does anyone have experience and/or an opinion about which direction is better? And any other
> > words of wisdom about this venture?
>
> The general trend for wind in the continental US is west to east.
>
> Tom Sherman - Planet Earth
 
The general trend for wind direction _is_ west to east. However, that is only a trend, and local
conditions plus weather systems can cause the wind direction to vary. I rode from Virginia to
Oregon, and the worst wind was from the south (in western Missouri, Kansas, and eastern
Colorado). Plus, if you start in the east, by the time you get to the Rockies, the snow is gone
from the passes.

Tim Storey

--
This look left intentionally blank "Tom Sherman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> dgostnell wrote:
> >
> > I'm planning a coat-to-coast self-supported ride on my Gold Rush, between Oregon and Virginia.
> > Does anyone have experience and/or an opinion about which direction is better? And any other
> > words of wisdom about this venture?
>
> The general trend for wind in the continental US is west to east.
>
> Tom Sherman - Planet Earth
 
Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> dgostnell wrote:
> >
> > I'm planning a coat-to-coast self-supported ride on my Gold Rush, between Oregon and Virginia.
> > Does anyone have experience and/or an opinion about which direction is better? And any other
> > words of wisdom about this venture?
>
> The general trend for wind in the continental US is west to east.
>
> Tom Sherman - Planet Earth

Although Tom's probably right, I'd heard somewhere that the prevailing wind is north to south... but
that's not helpful, is it?

Michael Wolfe and John (Rocketman) Williams rode from Portland, Oregon to Boston in July, 2002. They
did it in 27 riding days, averaging 125 miles per day. Here's Mike's journal:
http://www.ohpv.org/mea/intro.htm

Once your plans are solidified, email me or anyone at the OHPV. We'd like to get you started
off right!

Jeff Wills
 
[email protected] (Jeff Wills) wrote:
> Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> > dgostnell wrote:
> > >
> > > I'm planning a coat-to-coast self-supported ride on my Gold Rush, between Oregon and Virginia.
> > > Does anyone have experience and/or an opinion about which direction is better? And any other
> > > words of wisdom about this venture?
> >
> > The general trend for wind in the continental US is west to east.
> >
> > Tom Sherman - Planet Earth
>
> Although Tom's probably right, I'd heard somewhere that the prevailing wind is north to south...
> but that's not helpful, is it?
>
> Michael Wolfe and John (Rocketman) Williams rode from Portland, Oregon to Boston in July, 2002.
> They did it in 27 riding days, averaging 125 miles per day. Here's Mike's journal:
> http://www.ohpv.org/mea/intro.htm
>
> Once your plans are solidified, email me or anyone at the OHPV. We'd like to get you started
> off right!
>
> Jeff Wills

Prevailing winds in the northern hemisphere are definitely west-to-east. In 1974, my brother and a
couple of friends and I rode from Portland, OR to Boston, and the first couple of days along the
Columbia River the wind literally blew us up the valley and into Idaho. Those first few days were
crucial to getting us into bicycling shape for the rest of the trip.

Also, conditions for bicycling are generally nicer in the West and in the East. It's less humid and
things are more spread out. In 1972 I was on an AYH trip that started in New York City and ended in
San Francisco, and that one was much tougher starting out. We were in the Appalachians almost
immediately, and although they're much lower than the Rockies, a typical day in the Rockies tends to
be up ... up ... up ... up ... up ... up ... DOWN! whereas a typical day in the Appalachians tends
to be up down up down up down up down up down up down. On the 1974 trip, by the time we hit the
Adirondacks we had already been bicycling for almost 9 weeks, and the up down up down stuff was a
piece of cake by then. On the 1972 trip, I only made it as far as Illinois.

So I definitely recommend west-to-east.

-- Dave Strauss
 
It depends what time of the year you ride and what part of the country. In 1999, I road Adventure
Cycling Southern Tier Route, leaving San Diego April 1st. Once I got to New Mexico, I had a
consistent head wind from the SE. During the Spring, the prevailing winds are SE from the Gulf of
Mexico. Later in the year, prevailing winds are from the west.

Jeff
 
The wind is likely to be the least of your worries, IMO. The biggest obstacle is neither weather nor
geography, but ones self. Having said that, I'd recommend starting at the coast nearest home and
heading to the other. The sense of discovery, anticipation, and the magnitude of the thing can help
keep you going.

For example, if you live in the DC area, and rode from Oregon as far as Kentucky and were tired,
it would be possible to rationalize stopping because Kentucky isn't that far away, and you could
easily finish off the trip some other time. On the other hand, again supposing you lived in DC
but were heading west, by the time you get to the Tetons, you know that it will be harder to get
out there again to finish the job. This little bit of extra motivation might be enough to get
the job done.

Other arguments for starting near and heading far include the response you will get to the common
question "where ya' from?" The respect you get is roughly proportional to your distance from home (I
think Douglas Adams might have covered this in the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy?).

Also, problems of getting your equipment to the point of origin intact are greatly simplified by
starting near. Maybe it's a matter of throwing the bike in the back of the van and driving a day.
But if you have to pack it and fly/bus/train to the other coast, you run an additional risk of a
mission disabling hardware disaster. If the bike gets banged (bent?) up on the long flight home,
that's a drag, but in terms of the trip it's a non-event.

If you live right in the middle of things, say Hays KS or so, I'd recommend going east to west.
Stores/facilities are more plentiful in the east, and by the time you get to Wyoming you'll have a
pretty good idea of what 40-60 miles without facilities is all about. Further, you can (in theory)
hit the road just after the crack of dawn, but you want to be stopped before dark as much as
possible. It's cooler in the morning, there is typically less traffic too. By heading west you'll be
more visible with the sun behind you. Also, and this isn't a totally trivial thing, you get roughly
three extra hours of daylight by heading west. I've done each for a couple weeks at a time, and
personally, I noticed the difference. The psychological effect of getting up at 4:30 AM in eastern
Maine was real. YMMV.

As far as the prevailing winds...yes weather patterns do move generally west to east. However,
surface winds tend to move across isobars rather than along them. One solution (if you really are
worried about wind - but I wouldn't be, particularly on a GRR), would be to pick up an airport
facilities directory and examine the layout of small airports along your general route of travel.
With very few exceptions, runways are laid out per the prevailing *surface* winds. Although even
here there will be seasonal variations. Except in the high plains. Ask someone from Amarillo or
western Oklahoma what a compass tree is :) Or just sock your Rush.
 
>I'm planning a coat-to-coast self-supported ride on my Gold Rush, between Oregon and Virginia. Does
>anyone have experience and/or an opinion about which direction is better? And any other words of
>wisdom about this venture?

I've ridden across North America three times, all of them West to East. Here were my experiences
with wind: 1992, Oregon to Maine. Wonderful tailwinds up the Columbia River Gorge. Several days of
headwinds in the Great Plains. Overall, probably more tailwinds than headwinds. 1997, Alaska to
Newfoundland. Six days of headwinds in the Great Plains. Otherwise more tailwinds than headwinds,
particularly in the Canadian Maritimes. 2001, California to Florida. A few days of strong south
winds. Not clear if had more Westerlies or Easterlies.

I've also taken some shorter tours such as in 2003 riding from Salt Lake City to Memphis. A steady
set of winds from the SE during July. My overall conclusion: regardless of which way you go, expect
multiple days in a row with some tough headwinds. This is just part of the adventure. Otherwise, my
guess is slightly more winds from W than E and more winds from S than N.

However, I'm not sure I'd base the direction on perceptions of wind. Instead, I'd think more
psychologically of how you view the country and thus what makes sense. My experience is the Western
part of your trip will have longer grades but also more gradual than the Appalachians with some
remarkable and repeated shorter steeper hills. Depending on where you live, where you want to stop
by would bias me at least as much on direction...

--mev, Mike Vermeulen

p.s. An obligatory anecdote about headwinds from my trip across Canada. I noticed that peoples
perceptions of wind/hills was biased based on their surroundings. For example, one day riding
in BC I asked how many hills to the next town. The answer, "one...no maybe two or so...".
Meanwhile after the sixth hill I was wondering which they meant. In contrast a few days later
riding in Alberta, I was told by several people about "the big hill ahead". Turns out it was
fifty miles away! (but rest of terrain was so flat it stood out).

Similarly, when riding in Manitoba on my fourth or fifth day of headwinds...and the just hearing the
wind blow in my ears all day long...I was making conversation and remarked about the wind. The
person I was talking with paused, thought and remarked "oh yeah, I guess there is some wind...".
Persumably so common to at least have some prairie wind that they hadn't really noticed this at all.
 
Dave Strauss <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> [email protected] (Jeff Wills) wrote:
>
> Prevailing winds in the northern hemisphere are definitely west-to-east. In 1974, my brother and a
> couple of friends and I rode from Portland, OR to Boston, and the first couple of days along the
> Columbia River the wind literally blew us up the valley and into Idaho. Those first few days were
> crucial to getting us into bicycling shape for the rest of the trip.
>

Not to put *too* fine a point on this, but the wind is always very strong in the Columbia Gorge.
Hood River (50 miles upriver of me) is a windsurfing mecca.

Summer tends to have west-to-east winds, which makes the last few miles of our annual Gorge loop
rather difficult, since you're tired from a full day and you're fighting a 15 mph headwind. We do
this every year the first weekend of July.

Winter tends to have east-to-west winds in the Gorge, powered by Arctic air masses over Idaho and
Montana. Today was comparitively mellow- we had a 5-10 mph tailwind going away from the Gorge.
Fun... and not much rain.

Jeff
 
Howard makes some good points.

The psychological aspects could go either way; know yourself.

With respect to wind, I think the odds favor west to east but any week can be an exception in
any location.

With respect to the mountains, I found the passes out west at the beginning of my tour less
difficult than US 40 in Maryland at the end of my tour, when I was substantially stronger. On the
other hand, many people would have avoided those Eastern mountains by taking the trails between
Pittsburgh and D.C. So route choice is also a big factor.

On balance, I think starting from home, if possible, has the advantages of having the bike in good
shape and having help nearby for a day or two if something important has been forgotten, and west to
east has slight advantages of terrain and wind.

If the choice were absolutely clear cut, then it wouldn't be worth discussing.

On 15 Nov 2003 13:06:52 -0800, [email protected] (Howard Bishop) wrote:

>The wind is likely to be the least of your worries, IMO. The biggest obstacle is neither weather
>nor geography, but ones self. Having said that, I'd recommend starting at the coast nearest home
>and heading to the other. The sense of discovery, anticipation, and the magnitude of the thing can
>help keep you going.
>
> For example, if you live in the DC area, and rode from Oregon as far as Kentucky and were tired,
> it would be possible to rationalize stopping because Kentucky isn't that far away, and you could
> easily finish off the trip some other time. On the other hand, again supposing you lived in DC
> but were heading west, by the time you get to the Tetons, you know that it will be harder to get
> out there again to finish the job. This little bit of extra motivation might be enough to get the
> job done.
>
>Other arguments for starting near and heading far include the response you will get to the common
>question "where ya' from?" The respect you get is roughly proportional to your distance from home
>(I think Douglas Adams might have covered this in the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy?).
>
>Also, problems of getting your equipment to the point of origin intact are greatly simplified by
>starting near. Maybe it's a matter of throwing the bike in the back of the van and driving a day.
>But if you have to pack it and fly/bus/train to the other coast, you run an additional risk of a
>mission disabling hardware disaster. If the bike gets banged (bent?) up on the long flight home,
>that's a drag, but in terms of the trip it's a non-event.
>
>If you live right in the middle of things, say Hays KS or so, I'd recommend going east to west.
>Stores/facilities are more plentiful in the east, and by the time you get to Wyoming you'll have a
>pretty good idea of what 40-60 miles without facilities is all about. Further, you can (in theory)
>hit the road just after the crack of dawn, but you want to be stopped before dark as much as
>possible. It's cooler in the morning, there is typically less traffic too. By heading west you'll
>be more visible with the sun behind you. Also, and this isn't a totally trivial thing, you get
>roughly three extra hours of daylight by heading west. I've done each for a couple weeks at a time,
>and personally, I noticed the difference. The psychological effect of getting up at 4:30 AM in
>eastern Maine was real. YMMV.
>
>As far as the prevailing winds...yes weather patterns do move generally west to east. However,
>surface winds tend to move across isobars rather than along them. One solution (if you really are
>worried about wind - but I wouldn't be, particularly on a GRR), would be to pick up an airport
>facilities directory and examine the layout of small airports along your general route of travel.
>With very few exceptions, runways are laid out per the prevailing *surface* winds. Although even
>here there will be seasonal variations. Except in the high plains. Ask someone from Amarillo or
>western Oklahoma what a compass tree is :) Or just sock your Rush.
 
Here is an account of the trip you propose. Done on a Rans, much like
your GRR. I plan to leave Florence, OR, myself the first week of June:

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/?pics=small&doc_id=208&mtime=20031208192940

Steve

dgostnell wrote:

>I'm planning a coat-to-coast self-supported ride on my Gold Rush, between Oregon and Virginia. Does
>anyone have experience and/or an opinion about which direction is better? And any other words of
>wisdom about this venture?
>

--
Steve Fox McKinleyville, CA http://SoTier2003.crazyguyonabike.com

O \ _____,%) (*)-'------------(*)
 
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