The Spanish Biker wrote:Good job this topic just popped up again - I was wondering how Sam at TAT keeps up to date with such a massive number of changes along the way each year?
I know that the Vibractions guides are helped along by feedback from users bit I also know that this is quite unreliable.
I can't see in either case that the authors of the guides can keep on top just by themselves ... :whistle:
Another issue, what kind of budget do you need for accommodation, food, etc. I thin i remember Barcelona Pat saying this was big issue in his American Highway trip whilst he was in the States.
Regs
Simon
Hi Simon - I can't speak for the alternative 'guides' out there, but having met Sam Correro earlier this summer, he was just about to embark on a two week trip to Idaho to finish mapping and routing those new sections himself, and indeed, he physically rides all the sections of the official TAT route himself while planning.
As you say inevitably there need to be adjustments made over time - although on the whole any detours tend to be of a temporary nature, due to weather or road/trail closures for repair etc. - and Sam will be the first to suggest you consider the TAT route foremost a guide, rather than insist you follow it inch perfectly.
Certainly it is my understanding that no revisions are made to the official TAT route until Sam himself has ridden and recorded the new sections - although he does put up various 'Travel Advisory' notices on the main website when he has received feedback regarding the current status of various sections of the trail.
Sam spends a huge amount of his time riding, recording and updating the TAT maps, roll-charts and associated information to try and keep it all as current as possible, which is why I chose to support him and ride the official Trans-America Trail route - although as I point out in my report above, I chose to simply use the GPS tracks from him, rather than the paper alternative.
Regarding costs for completing the TAT, it very much varies on how much camping vs. motels you are planning/prepared to do, and subsequently how far off the official route you may want to stray to secure a decent bed for the night.
The full package from Sam includes suggestions for accommodation as you travel through each state, and on the whole the complete route can be broken down into manageable [daily] sections with suitable food, fuel and hotel/camping spots en route.
During the summer months, it is possible to ride the whole TAT in around three weeks - although if you can afford more time, and especially the option to take a day or two off every so often to explore/visit a few of the 'side-shows' as I like to call them, I think you'll have a more enjoyable time of it.
Similarly, you do need to allow for any mechanical issues, and just general bike maintenance - depending on the bike you choose you may need to schedule in an oil change (or two!), and almost certainly will require more than one rear tyre over the duration.
To recap, I took 25 days including the new sections up into Idaho, and that was travelling a lot of hours most days. I only had one full day off (in Moab, to get a new front tyre fitted and catch up on my ride report), plus a couple of shorter days - on the whole I was averaging around 250 miles a day, which I'd say is about as much as you'd ever want to do, otherwise things start to become a bit of a blur.
I passed any number of nice camping spots - some official campgrounds, others perfectly suitable for wild camping (especially the further west you get), which is a great way to travel with minimal extra costs, and indeed some will suggest it's the only way to do it... certainly it means you can stick pretty much to the route itself with minimum extra miles.
However, at the end of a long day riding I like a decent shower and a proper bed, so elected to stay in motels on all but two of the nights.
Motels tend to be a bit cheaper the further west you get - and sometimes you strike lucky with a good value independent, other times you basically have to take whatever is on offer and pay the price - I'd say you need to budget around $50 USD a night for a motel, and a little more if it's one of the larger chain hotels, especially further east where I was regularly having to pay $65 USD or more.
Food wise, there are any number of cafes and diners en route to set you up for the day with a decent breakfast for around $10-12 USD (remember in the US you typically tip 15-20% for food service), and you can always save a bit if you've strayed off the main route to a larger town that has a McDonalds or similar - although you'll soon get sick of that, and I'd say it's not really in the spirt of things... certainly one of the best places to people-watch and get a real insight into local life is a breakfast diner in small-town USA.
For lunch I tended to eat snacks (energy bars, trail mix or a subway sandwich I'd procured when getting fuel on my way out of town in the morning), or if the route coincided with a town around lunchtime, then perhaps stop for burger or similar. Depending on how hungry or late in the day it was, I'd usually look for something local when I stopped for the evening. You can eat cheaply in the USA, although a lot of it isn't especially good for you (it does tend to taste good though!)
I think you can comfortably travel (staying in cheaper motels) for around $100 USD a day during the TAT. Obviously that can essentially halved if you elect to camp instead, and if you forfeit eating out, less still...
There are a few towns with price spikes such as Salida CO, Ouray CO, and Moab UT, plus Ketchum in Idaho would appear to be the most expensive place to stay in that particular state! There are alternatives though, and this is why I also carried a light camping set-up, even though I only used it a couple of times.
Certainly I could really enjoy the TAT with a group of us riding, primarily camping and cooking simply for ourselves over an open fire, Mondo style... However, if you are travelling alone, or perhaps just in a pair, and fundamentally on a reasonably tight time schedule that most people are going to be - then it certainly helps to have a motel destination in mind, and to let someone else to the cooking and washing up!
Hope that helps - any other questions, fire away...
Jenny x
or I've been tempted to go and see Uncle Mike 54 and get one like yours 