Another Adventure - Canada to Key West

We are beginning preparations for another long-distance biking adventure traveling this time from Canada to Key West, Florida. Jay will ride alone and Helen will provide SAG support.  Sadly, our beloved Polish Hound, Nando, who joined us on our 2018 Seattle to Savannah ride, will not be with us having succumbed to cancer. 

This coastal bike ride will follow East Coast Greenway, Adventure Cycling, and some self-designed routes. The East Coast Greenway maps bring us to the South Street Seaport in New York City where we will catch a ferry to Highlands, NJ.  The self-designed routes are then followed to have a real “east coast” ride in New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, and North Carolina.  After riding the Outer Bank Islands we rejoin the East Coast Greenway in Morehead, NC and then follow the Adventure Cycling routes from Wilmington, NC to Key West.

 

Technical Issue 

There was a need to address a technical issue regarding which phone navigation app to use.  Jay has great praise for Bicycle Route Navigator from Adventure Cycling.  Sections of the Adventure Cycling routes can be purchased and downloaded to your phone.  The route map is then offline (no need for mobile service) and GPS provides a convenient location dot. Keep dot on route. It's that simple. The problem was finding a phone app that supported East Coast Greenway and self-designed routes.  Ride with GPS (RWGPS) was the solution.

 

Jay became a Ride with GPS subscriber and after some trial and error became sufficiently proficient at route planning. Using the web-based Route Planner and various map styles, Jay was able to develop his self-designed routes.  The OSM Cycle map shows roads, bike paths and the East Coast Greenway route.  The Satellite view is handy when you just want to see the actual road or bike path.

Jay then used Ride with GPS to map our routes on the East Coast Greenway (ECG).  The ECG has a downloadable file for a Garmin device, but no Ride with GPS option. It was a bit tedious tracing the EGC route to the RWPGS app, but it was time well spent.  Jay was able to adjust his route to avoid off-road paths and select options, such as the New York City route, that suits our needs.

 

We are packing our camping gear but hotels will be used frequently, especially in the more urban areas in Connecticut and New York.  We have concern over the east coast hurricane season but with a SAG vehicle we will take precautions as they arise. 

 

We plan to leave our home in the Atlanta area in mid-August.  We will drive to Calais, ME, cross the border (assuming it will be open) and begin riding toward sunny Key West.  We will keep you updated with periodic posts on this site.