Bicycle Joy

My bicycle route roughly circumnavigates the United States in a counterclockwise direction. The route begins and ends in Austin, Texas. You can begin your trip at any point on the route, however, since the route forms a circular loop around the United States.

The route is organized based on the seasons. You will start pedaling in early April when the spring flowers begin blooming. You will “chase spring” all the way to Glacier National Park in northern Montana. When you get to that park, the snow on the Going To The Sun Road will have only recently melted and the alpine flowers will be just starting to bloom.

You will be in the northern reaches of Montana, Idaho, and Washington during the hottest summer months. You will traverse the Washington and Oregon coasts during the dry season. The cool fall months will find you in the desert South-West.

My bicycle route includes these magnificent destinations:

Natchez Trace Parkway
Great Smokey Mountains
Blue Ridge Parkway
Shenandoah National Park
Nebraska Sand Hills
Spearfish Canyon
Glacier National Park
North Cascades National Park
Olympic National Park
Oregon Coast
Avenue of the Giants
Yosemite National Park
Joshua Tree National Park
Grand Canyon National Park
Big Bend National Park

My bicycle route is divided into ten sections for individuals who might want to plan a shorter trip. These sections vary in length but generally span 2-8 weeks.

Click below to view the summaries of road conditions for each section of my bicycle route:

Austin to Natchez
Natchez to Pigeon Forge
Pigeon Forge to Waynesboro
Waynesboro to Spearfish
Spearfish to Sandpoint
Sandpoint to Port Townsend
Port Townsend to Yosemite
Yosemite to Taos
Taos to Marfa
Marfa to Port Aransas

Here are photos for each section of the route. “Preparation” includes photos of bicycle touring gear, photos of loading gear into bicycle trailer, photos of gear arranged inside tent, and photos of meals being prepared.

Click below to view photos:

Preparation
Austin to Natchez
Natchez to Pigeon Forge
Pigeon Forge to Waynesboro
Waynesboro to Spearfish
Spearfish to Sandpoint
Sandpoint to Port Townsend
Port Townsend to Yosemite
Yosemite to Taos
Taos to Marfa
Marfa to Port Aransas

Information

1. Route
2. Panniers vs. Trailer
3. Selecting a Bicycle
4. Fitting the Bicycle
5. Proper Riding Form
6. Safety Tips for Bicycle Tourists
7. Bicycle Maintenance
8. Flat Tires
9. Nutrition
10. Fitness
11. Saddle Sores
12. Leg Cramps
13. Egoscue Exercises
14. Overuse Injuries
15. Painful, Numb Hands
16. Camping
17. Gear Checklist
18. About Gear Checklist
19. Bicycle Shops on the Route
20. Test Ride
21. Budget

Inspiration

1. A Magnificent Machine
2. American Dreamscape
3. Bicycle Touring Paradise
4. The Great Affluence Fallacy
5. Books
6. Music
7. Movies
8. Art
9. New York Times Articles
10. Solitude
11. The Rational Animal
12. The Quality of Eternity
13. The Man Who Planted Trees
14. Wildlife
15. Rainy Days and Rainy Nights
16. Celestial Lights
17. Idiot Wind
18. People
19. Humor
20. My Lady of the Island
21. Song of the World

CHASING SPRING

Purchase the book “Chasing Spring: The Life Affirming Joy of Touring America by Bicycle” on Amazon in e-book format for $9.99 or in paperback format for $24.99. Your purchase helps Bicycle Joy promote bicycle touring!

If you plan to embark on a bicycle tour which follows my bicycle route, I recommend that you purchase the ebook edition of “Chasing Spring” so that you will be able to access the turn-by-turn directions and the summaries of road conditions even when you don’t have an internet connection. Download the eBook edition of “Chasing Spring” for FREE if you subscribe to receive updates!

The Walden of Bicycle Touring Books

I met Tom Lowry, the author of “Chasing Spring,” in Port Aransas, Texas while he was on his epic bicycle tour of the United States and while I was visiting Port Aransas on vacation from Winnipeg, Canada.

We hit it off right away because we both love hanging out at the community swimming pool in Port Aransas and because we both enjoy eating the wonderful seafood soup at Juan’s Mexican Restaurant in Port Aransas! We shared many a meal and enjoyed discussing the latest news as well as more philosophical subjects.

Read the “Interview with the Author” towards the end of “Chasing Spring” and you will get an idea of what it is like to have a conversation with Tom! Over the next several years, Tom emailed me each section of his book as soon as they were completed. I read each section with great interest and encouraged Tom to publish his book so that more people could enjoy reading it.

“Chasing Spring” is an indispensable guide to touring America by bicycle. The turn-by-turn directions, gear checklist, and safety tips are all solidly based on real life experience. Chapter 5, “Nutrition and Fitness,” is especially informative and inspiring. I recommend that everyone be sure to read this important chapter!

“Chasing Spring” is the “Walden” of bicycle touring books with beautifully composed essays on topics such as “American Dreamscape,” “Solitude,” “Nature,” and “Song of the World.” These essays provide a moving account of Tom’s journey, introduce some of the interesting and inspiring people he meets along the way, and sing the praises of the mysterious and enchanting “Song of the World.” As Tom puts it, “Each day of bicycle touring makes me a little more aware than the day before of how beautiful the world is.”

The parts of the book that I found most compelling, and this really surprised me, were the “life affirming” lists of books and music. As Tom explains, “A good list, brimming with possibilities, connects us to the future.” This is a book about the meaning of life just as much as it is a book about a magnificent bicycle journey. I found great joy in reading it and I hope you will too!

John McNab
Winnipeg, Canada

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MUSIC PLAYLIST

If you already have Spotify installed on your device, click below on “Open Spotify” to install the playlist “Chasing Spring” on Spotify on your device.

If you don’t have Spotify installed on your device, also click below on “Open Spotify” to install the free Spotify app on your device with the playlist “Chasing Spring” installed on Spotify on your device.

The free Spotify app will allow you to stream the playlist. If you wish to download the playlist onto your device in order to liberate your device from the streaming process, you will need to upgrade to Premium Spotify. Premium Spotify is free for the first three months. After the three month trial period, premium Spotify costs $10 per month. You can download the music onto your device with a single click. If you decide to download the music, make sure the Spotify download setting is set to “highest” quality before starting the download. The playlist “Chasing Spring” includes 2,500 tracks.

Once the music is installed on your device, open the playlist “Chasing Spring” and click on “Shuffle Play.” You will be spirited away on a musical journey every bit as transformative as your bicycle journey. Explore the roots of America’s music with the music of Blind Willie McTell and Robert Johnson. The sheer joy, exuberance, and peerless musicianship of Louis Armstrong mark the birth of jazz. The lilting, soulful singing of Billie Holiday will touch your heart. The spirituality of John Coltrane, the elegance of Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald, and the complex harmonies of Charles Mingus reveal an American music that is as vast, liberating, and deeply spiritual as America itself!

Click on the “play” symbol inside the Spotify link to preview short musical selections from the playlist “Chasing Spring.”

GEAR AND SERVICES

Click below on the names of bicycle touring organizations, retailers, and manufacturers to learn more about their cool bicycle touring gear and awesome services and events!

Adrenaline Bikes
Adventure Cycling
Warm Showers
Woman Tours

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