# Where should Miss M and I ride this winter.



## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

We usually take a week+ around Christmas and New Years to get away from it all and ride a bit. For the last three years we have gone to Florida and the riding has been good but we are feeling the need to go somewhere else.

Requirements;
Reliably warm weather.
A good chance of it being dry.
Lots of back roads to choose from.
Bicycling friendly (or at least not unfriendly).
Enough room that 100 miles a day won't repeat too many roads in a week.
Good food and a selection of accommodations that aren't crazy expensive.
We would like to stay in the same place for the whole trip but we could move a time or two if the riding was worth it

Fredericksburg TX might work and Hawaii (the Big Island) is on the list but that is one long flight from DC.....

Thoughts?


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## MSD (Jul 17, 2006)

Southern Spain. Great food, wonderful people, nice mountains, and the Alhambra is the single greatest thing I've ever seen in my life.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

MSD said:


> Southern Spain. Great food, wonderful people, nice mountains, and the Alhambra is the single greatest thing I've ever seen in my life.


Can we get by not speaking any Spanish?


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## MSD (Jul 17, 2006)

MB1 said:


> Can we get by not speaking any Spanish?


I can't speak Spanish at all. I speak the international language of pointing at things. Works great.

You do have to either consult the dictionary a lot or be willing to eat what comes. I used to consult the dictionary a lot until I realized that I'd enjoyed everything I'd eaten in Spain; at that point I began to order semi-randomly, which worked literally just as well (from the standpoint of satisfaction, if not predictability) as ordering with foreknowledge.


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## wooglin (Feb 22, 2002)

Somewhere in southern AZ.


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## the_dude (Jun 25, 2004)

the yucatan. baja. papua new guinea. zimbabwe.


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## yetisurly (Sep 30, 2005)

MB1 said:


> We usually take a week+ around Christmas and New Years to get away from it all and ride a bit. For the last three years we have gone to Florida and the riding has been good but we are feeling the need to go somewhere else.
> 
> Requirements;
> Reliably warm weather.
> ...


Arizona.


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## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

The way the weather's been the last couple years, I'd suggest Wisconsin... @#$ing global warming.


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## undies (Oct 13, 2005)

MB1 said:


> Can we get by not speaking any Spanish?


Oops. I was going to suggest SoCal. :idea:


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## bigrider (Jun 27, 2002)

The Natchez Trace

New Zealand is supposed to awesome


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## MikeBiker (Mar 9, 2003)

The pros go to South Africa.


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## SilasCL (Jun 14, 2004)

MikeBiker said:


> The pros go to South Africa.


Is MB1 avoiding the UCI vampires as well?

Maybe Cuba is the place to go then...


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*We've done the Natchez Trace.....*



bigrider said:


> The Natchez Trace
> 
> New Zealand is supposed to awesome


...didn't much care for it past Tennessee. 

NZ, doesn't that involve an even longer flight than Hawaii? OTOH I do like lamb.....:idea:


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

SilasCL said:


> Is MB1 avoiding the UCI vampires as well?...


We don't wear black.


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## hacker (Apr 2, 2007)

IMO southern New Mexico would fit the bill. Alamogordo would work if you like hill climbing - the route up to cloudcroft is impressive. But there are barely enough roads out of town to show you something new every single day for a week. Cloudcroft itself has more options. Las Cruces has both options enough for a full week plus good weather.


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## JohnnyChance (Dec 13, 2006)

why not do a good chunk of the southwest. 100 miles a day, you could cover some ground, do the camping thing, or just hotel to hotel. then if you find a place you like, next year, you could do the whole trip there.


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## M.J. (Jan 28, 2004)

Fedricksburg could be perfect but could be terrible - you could have great weather or snow and wind - the winter is variable and Texas is prone to fast changing weather systems, particularly in the winter - last November I was at my brother's in Austin - it was 80 deg one day and iced over 14 hours later

my vote in the US would be Arizona - more adventurous would be Baja or interior Mexico


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## Chain (Dec 28, 2006)

Sprito might put you up for a week, and maybe he'd share some chocolate cake.  It would be nice and warm down there.

I've always wanted to go tour New Zealand myself. 

Don't come to Colorado unless you want to do centuries on the trainer. Winter sucks - unless you ski.


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## Keeping up with Junior (Feb 27, 2003)

*Alabama Camp*



MB1 said:


> We usually take a week+ around Christmas and New Years to get away from it all and ride a bit...
> 
> ...Fredericksburg TX might work...


IIRC you have been to Hellweek, my wife and I enjoyed the Alabama Camp better than our week at Texas Hellweek. Aldo has as house just south of Montgomery that he runs the camp from and runs a week of camp around the holidays. Great Roads, Great Riding. Weather might be a little cooler than you are looking for but check the average temp history. 

The website seems to be down now. PM me and I can give you Aldo's e-mail and phone number. 



Keeping up with Junior said:


> Give Aldo a call at
> http://www.alabamacyclingcamp.com/
> 
> You may be able to get into this camp on short notice. Great week full of base training miles in gently rolling terrain. Coaching sessions in the evening. Very laid back and enjoyable. Talk to Aldo and find out if the camp fits your needs and if he has an opening for this week.
> ...


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## llama31 (Jan 13, 2006)

*Tucson*

We've been wanting to do a winter biking trip to Tucson for a while. Spent some time there 2 years ago in late May and thought it was nice. Might not be very cheap in winter though.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*The riding sounds fine......*



Keeping up with Junior said:


> ...a house just south of Montgomery that he runs the camp from and runs a week of camp around the holidays......


.....but I can just imagine Miss M in those domestic arrangement.

Hell hath no fury..........


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## Keeping up with Junior (Feb 27, 2003)

*The Ritz*



MB1 said:


> .....but I can just imagine Miss M in those domestic arrangement.
> 
> Hell hath no fury..........


Well it is not the Ritz. If interested you may be able to work something out with Aldo where you stayed at a real hotel in Montgomery and drove to Ramer each morning (15-20 miles). IIRC the rides rolled out around 9am and you could probably just leave your bike and riding gear at the camp. They may leave a bit later in Dec./Jan. to let things warm up a bit. There was the typical string of franchise hotels and restaurants along the interstate in Montgomery.

The riding is great, you can even make a long trip down to the Gulf. The lodging is as described and is not a romantic bed and breakfast. The little woman and I will be sleeping on the ground later this month in Iowa. I usually bivy but she does let me in the tent if it is raining (hard).


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## YuriB (Mar 24, 2005)

llama31 said:


> We've been wanting to do a winter biking trip to Tucson for a while. Spent some time there 2 years ago in late May and thought it was nice. Might not be very cheap in winter though.


Yup. There is some beautiful riding in southern AZ and a healthy road riding scene. Tucson, Bisbee, Patagonia, Tombstone, Sierra Vista.
Heck you could even check out the Arizona Trail.


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## Spinfinity (Feb 3, 2004)

*I enjoyed touring the Gulf Coast.*

Rode from NO to Daytona - 760 miles. 

The cities, except Mobile, are small enough to get through or around easily enough. Much of the coast has some tourist industry, so there are plenty of cheap places to stay in the "winter". Not many hills any bigger than overpasses so it would be possible to tour fixed. Once you're out of NO, the food quality drops precipitously.

Closer to DC you could go south from Virginia Beach along the coast for a similar tour. It seems very likely to me that you've done that at least once already.


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## MikeBiker (Mar 9, 2003)

Spinfinity said:


> Rode from NO to Daytona - 760 miles.


Did you do the ride after Katrina? A lot of the roads were washed away.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*Been there, done that. It was actually pretty good.*



YuriB said:


> Yup. There is some beautiful riding in southern AZ and a healthy road riding scene. Tucson, Bisbee, Patagonia, Tombstone, Sierra Vista.
> Heck you could even check out the Arizona Trail.


Sierra Vista, Bisbee (Miss M loved shopping there), Tombstone, Blythe, Wickenburg, Prescott, Sedona, Winslow.

Any nice way to ride from Tucson to Sierra Vista that you know about (I'd hate to rent a car just to do a ride)?


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

Based on that post a few days ago, my vote is for Morocco.


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## theBreeze (Jan 7, 2002)

*a few thoughts*

Southern NM would have good weather, but there really is a paucity of roads, and where the riding is interesting (ie:mtns) there is likely to be snow/rain in an average year. 

Southern AZ is lower elevation, and there are more choices of routes, but you say " been there, done that." 

I really think you should consider overseas for this year. I have heard nothing but good things about New Zealand. A couple about you and Miss M's ages (just guessing here  ) that regularly attend my spin classes traveled there this past spring loved it.

Thinking ahead a moment here. This year they are holding the inaugural New Mexico Double Century. I have given my input on route details, but don't plan to ride it this year (Sept 22. and my coach wants me off the bike) However I plan to ride the route in a two day tour in August and will post such awesone photos as to make it impossible for you NOT to want to ride it next year. Would love to have your company and Miss M can pull us up all the big climbs.


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## the_dude (Jun 25, 2004)

somebody lure terryb in here to wax poetic about baja. 

new zealand would be nice, except for the travel time and jet lag significantly cutting into your week+. 

i'm going to cry if you choose to go somewhere in the states. that'd be weak.


pick up a coupla these, fixed, loaded down.....and head down the baja coast. dirt roads, no roads, beaches, small villages.....whatever. this bike could ride over it all. take lots of pictures. report back in mid january, thanking me for the suggestion, and sharing the awesomeness of the journey with us.


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## fracisco (Apr 25, 2002)

*Portugal?*

I don't know what the weather is like in Winter, but my wife and I had a great time doing tourist things this past May. There is a write-up on gvhbikes.com of that guy's trip across Portugal recently, too.

Only 6 hours by plane from the East Coast.


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## SantaCruz (Mar 22, 2002)

I'll voice another vote for Spain and/or Mallorca. In any of the cities English and German are widely spoken. Short trips up and down the coast yield a huge selection of rides. I remember Barcelona as a wonderful city (but we're talking 15 years ago).

However the SW USA would have more predictable weather that most of Europe.


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## teoteoteo (Sep 8, 2002)

MB1 said:


> We usually take a week+ around Christmas and New Years to get away from it all and ride a bit. For the last three years we have gone to Florida and the riding has been good but we are feeling the need to go somewhere else.
> 
> Requirements;
> Reliably warm weather.
> ...


I vote for Fred Texas....except this time fly into Austin instead, didn't you do up SA last time? In case you haven't seen the site here is a good base of info for riding around Fred. 

http://www.cycletexas.com/


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## kaotikgrl (Dec 14, 2006)

.....


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## kaotikgrl (Dec 14, 2006)

.....


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## kaotikgrl (Dec 14, 2006)

.....


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## kaotikgrl (Dec 14, 2006)

.....


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## YuriB (Mar 24, 2005)

*Yessir*



MB1 said:


> Sierra Vista, Bisbee (Miss M loved shopping there), Tombstone, Blythe, Wickenburg, Prescott, Sedona, Winslow.
> 
> Any nice way to ride from Tucson to Sierra Vista that you know about (I'd hate to rent a car just to do a ride)?


Jeez you've ridden here more than I have.

Old Spanish trail in Tucson to to 83 to 82 to Sierra Vista is one purty ride


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## zeytin (May 15, 2004)

WOW

Have you been posting ride reports that I've missed. That was mind blowing! Now I want to ride in Japan.

Z


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Thanks for the Japan pix. 

BTW Just because we intend to take a year end trip doesn't mean we won't take a few more trips next year.

BTW2 Yes, that is a pretty sly way to sneak in another ride report.

BTW3 WOW those are some nice photos!


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## joey1 (Jan 2, 2007)

the_dude said:


> i'm going to cry if you choose to go somewhere in the states. that'd be weak.


I haven't been on every continent but I've been to most. And let me preface this by saying, I'm not even a big fan of this country at the moment BUT.... My trip last summer across southern Utah was by far the most amazing one yet. The high plains deserts and beautiful mesas along with the endless canyons make for some of the most memorable days I think I'll ever have. It hit me on every level. Way better then the grand canyon area, more stars then the deserts of the middle east, more deep spiritual landscapes then Africa. If you like to be away from people and just get lost in what looks like another beautiful planet, this is the place. 

Nothing weak about it.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

joey1 said:


> .... My trip last summer across southern Utah was by far the most amazing one yet.......


Got any route details? What do you think it would be like in the winter?

Right now Arizona is looking like the winner-fly into Tuscon, ride to Bisbee and base out of there.


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## joey1 (Jan 2, 2007)

MB1 said:


> Got any route details? What do you think it would be like in the winter?
> 
> Right now Arizona is looking like the winner-fly into Tuscon, ride to Bisbee and base out of there.


I'll see what I can dig up this weekend. I think my wife kept a bunch of the routes/maps/etc..

I've rode around the Tuscon area, nice but nothing like riding through Arches National Park at sunrise. 

I know it's rediculously hot in the summer but I don't really know what the temps are in the winter. Now that I think about it, being that it's high elevation desert area it might be pretty cold at that time of the year.


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## kaotikgrl (Dec 14, 2006)

.....<o>
</o>


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## kiwisimon (Oct 30, 2002)

bigrider said:


> The Natchez Trace
> 
> New Zealand is supposed to awesome


it is, how about SA?


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

kaotikgrl said:


> How's this for "sneaking in" a ride report


Nice pyramid pose.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

zeytin said:


> WOW
> 
> Have you been posting ride reports that I've missed. That was mind blowing! Now I want to ride in Japan.
> 
> Z


Heck I wanna go over there and eat!


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

Go the the Big Island. Fly into Kona. If you're not beach types, there are some nice upcountry inns you can stay at. Ride to Kohala and Waimea (Kamuela). When you get to Kohala be sure to check out the Pololu Valley lookout. 

If it's not too hot you can ride the Mamalahoa Hwy south to Na'alehu and maybe even Pahala on the SE side of the island. While in Pahala you can stop at Punalu'u black sand beach and check out the green sea turtles - if they're there. The Pahala cafe serves pretty decent plate lunch. 

On another day you can ride thru Waimea to Honoka'a. One of the MUST SEE's of the island is Waipio Valley. It's about 10 miles up the coast from Honoka'a. Just keep going on the Honoka'a road up the coast. It dead ends at Waipio Valley. This valley is the crown jewel of the Hamakua Coast and should not be missed. Tex's Drive Inn has good plate lunch and the best malasadas on the island. You know you want it. We all know you want it. You've been craving malasadas for months now. Do it! 

If you can make it to Hilo, Blaines' has the best plate lunches and good malasadas too. They have several locations there. Check them out. About 10 miles north of Hilo is Akaka Falls. Absolutely beautiful and another worthwhile diversion. From Hilo, the volcano is 30 miles to the south. It's a huge long (30 mile and 4000' alt. gain) climb up to the Volcanoes National Park from Hilo. You might want to drive it, though I'm sure Miss M will be all for riding it. 

Keep in mind the weather on the Hilo side is changeable. Passing tropical showers every once in a while.


To sweeten the deal I'll throw in this gratuitous malasadas pic


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*I know the Big Island well.*

Still Christman/New Years is the height of the tourist and rainy seasons and we would lose 2 full days flying.

We are thinking May would be better for that.


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## wooglin (Feb 22, 2002)

il sogno said:


> To sweeten the deal I'll throw in this gratuitous malasadas pic


I dunno. Those look like donuts to me. 

That's a long way to travel for donuts.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*Philistine*



wooglin said:


> I dunno. Those look like donuts to me.
> 
> That's a long way to travel for donuts.


Thems MALASADAS. Gods gift to the portugee and the portugees gift to Hawaii.

il Sogono is right. A trip to Hawaii is worth it for the malasadas alone.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

MB1 said:


> Still Christman/New Years is the height of the tourist and rainy seasons and we would lose 2 full days flying.
> 
> We are thinking May would be better for that.


True, December can be rainy. I was in Hilo in March of this year and it was absolutely beautiful


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