2024: What is on your bucket list?

[Mr. Coffee]

Well, as 2023 draws to a close I'm thinking about what big trips and goals I might have for 2024.

I've had my eye on this particular route, in one form or another, for a few years. Next year might be the one to make it happen:

Okanogan Highlands Loop

Based on OMTM routes - 147.2 mi, +15417 ft. Bike ride in Okanogan County, WA

ridewithgps.com

Probably realistic as a three day tour, or three days and an easy morning.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Also, this tour out of Burns, OR around the Steens Mountains: https://www.omtm.cc/steens-mountain

Steens Mountain Loop

Inspired from Thallheimer, et al... - 296.7 mi, +14423 ft. Bike ride in Hines, OR

ridewithgps.com

Also, check out:

Steens Mountain - OB Edition

This is one of the most beautiful rides anywhere, Oregon included. The desert, the magical vistas, the long expansive stretches of gravel, this ... - 276.1 mi, +10864 ft. Bike ride in Harney, OR

ridewithgps.com

This route is very challenging and in a very remote part of Oregon that outsiders seldom visit. Logistics and getting to and from the route are a huge part of the challenge, but once you get there you'll be confronted with very little water available on the route, very few services, and a narrow time window where the upper parts of Steens Mountain are accessible by bike but the lower parts of the route are not bone dry and baking hot.

 

[EMGX]

Both routes look awesome. My son who lives in Texas was planning to visit in May and we were going to ride the Old West Scenic Bikeway again (or the Palouse to Cascades rails to trails path) but instead of doing the same thing again one of these might be more fun. Thanks for posting, I'll keep them in mind.

 

[BlackHand]

I would really like to do Port Angeles-Hurricane Ridge/Obstruction Point.

I got myself there at the end of September on the off-chance that Obstruction Point Rd. would open back up (closed due to wildfires) and then if the federal gov shut down they would close the gates to Hurricane Ridge Rd.
But the stars didn't align, so it'll have to happen another time.

 

[indianajo]

Ride from summer property at New Market IN to a music festival in Madison, In. Then back again. 30 miles each way. Hilly off the state highway. I'll need a better seat (no pain) and a bigger battery. Building a seat since 6 others have not worked. I have a 40 AH battery USDOD surplus. BA defense systems logo. Maybe it will work. Will be too hard to steal, compared to a second 17.5 ah battery in the pannier which is thief bait.

 

[ChezCheese:)]

Hoping to try some of these: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLR-PVMofLyC8uXTDCD45QG1pVopeImqPx&si=bBVix_QsB5UHpj9l

 

[ChezCheese:)]

I would really like to do Port Angeles-Hurricane Ridge/Obstruction Point.

I got myself there at the end of September on the off-chance that Obstruction Point Rd. would open back up (closed due to wildfires) and then if the federal gov shut down they would close the gates to Hurricane Ridge Rd.
But the stars didn't align, so it'll have to happen another time.

View attachment 166561

We had driven up to Hurricane Ridge one year and my husband and a 22 yr old decided to ride their accoustics back down. It was absolutely scary to follow them DOWN. They had fun though. I would hesitate to go down on an ebike because of how much faster ebikes descend due to their weight, and because of loose gravel. Loose gravel is like riding on a river of marbles. And you'd have to be riding your brakes the entire way. As for the road to Obstruction Point, if I recall correctly, it is not such a downhell, but it is quite narrow, so it may be dicey if there are vehicles coming and going at the same time/place you are riding. But some people like thrills. Not me. Mind you, the view is SPECTACULAR.

 

[PSm]

2024 goal — 100 mile 10000 ft elevation ride with either my single speed ebike OR single speed analog bike

I’ve been trying to improve my fitness, FTP and climbing technique, but this goal might not be achievable for me. Too much of a challenge. So far, max has been ~100 miles 7000 ft with the SS e-bike, and ~60 miles 7000 ft with the SS analog bike. Might be the limit of my endurance and ability to take the pain

 

[EMGX]

I've cycled up and down Hurricane Ridge road a few or more times, mostly on regular pedal bikes including on a mountain bike, hybrid bike and once on an ebike (a Walmart Schwinn hybrid bike with tsdz2). Very scenic, paved not gravel and pretty safe for what it is. Many cyclists ride it during the summer and there is a yearly road closure cycling event for those who would like to avoid car traffic. Downhill can be a thrill with up to 35-40mph coasting but that's what brakes are for. Never done the Obstruction Point road but now it's on my list. Google maps has street view along Obstruction Point road, it doesn't look particularly dangerous for a bike ride.

My Walmart bike (unconverted for this particular ride) on a Hurricane Ridge ride. Did it again last year converted with a tsdz2, easier and more fun.

 

[Rome]

I'm 59 yo. On my bucket list is, how far can I kick the bucket.
I wants to see Australia on my Emtbs with my Toyota . Train Dingo for my road dog to fight off kangaroos.

 

[m@Robertson]

I want to get back to the Grand Canyon. I spent a week there solar-charging my Apostate and rode every day, sometimes twice a day. But I only traveled in one direction from camp. I want to travel in the other direction and explore thataway. Also I have off-road tires on the bike now so I can ride the unpaved trails this time.

Worth mentioning now that I say that: Riding in the Grand Canyon is a jaw-dropping experience even if you are sticking to the road around the rim... especially since when I was there it was closed to auto traffic. The unpaved trails are nowhere near as desirable as you'd think because anything not circling the Canyon rim is just another mtb ride in the woods.

By way of example: See in the pic below how there's an edge a few feet behind the bike. Thats the rim of the Canyon and you will not bounce off of anything on the way down, roughly 3500 feet from that spot. Its not like they can put a fence around it, so you can walk (or ride) right around the edge. The trick is to stay far enough back so you can ride and look over and gawk at the view without rolling off the edge.

And there is none of this Class 1,2,3 bull$hit at this federally-administered National Park. The rules are simple: If you are off pavement you have to be pedaling. Nothing else matters, and ebikes are literally everywhere, including rentals you can acquire from within the park at the South Rim.

 

[Nvreloader]

My 2024 bucket lists is this ride, every time I planned on riding it last yr,
someone threw a monkey wrench into my plans, now the snow is flying,
so I'll wait for Apr/May of 2024, weather providing,
I wish I had a riding partner, hoping the Better Half will get the bug.

Tahoe-Pyramid Trail Sections Overview - Tahoe-Pyramid Trail

ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL TRAIL SECTION WEB PAGES Every Trail Section has its own web page where you can find the “digital” tools and digital maps to help you find and stay on the trail including PDF maps, Google Maps, RideWithGPS routes, and GPX files, specific to that individual trail section. For...

tahoepyramidtrail.org

 

[PDoz]

I'm 59 yo. On my bucket list is, how far can I kick the bucket.
I wants to see Australia on my Emtbs with my Toyota . Train Dingo for my road dog to fight off kangaroos.

Don't bother training the dingo - roos beat them in fights.

It'd be much more useful to train a kookaburra - they catch snakes . Apart from the obvious safety benefits, you can cook snakes on a barbie AND listen to the kookaburra laugh at your riding skills.

 

[BlackHand]

My 2024 bucket lists is this ride, every time I planned on riding it last yr,
someone threw a monkey wrench into my plans, now the snow is flying,
so I'll wait for Apr/May of 2024, weather providing,
I wish I had a riding partner, hoping the Better Half will get the bug.

Tahoe-Pyramid Trail Sections Overview - Tahoe-Pyramid Trail

ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL TRAIL SECTION WEB PAGES Every Trail Section has its own web page where you can find the “digital” tools and digital maps to help you find and stay on the trail including PDF maps, Google Maps, RideWithGPS routes, and GPX files, specific to that individual trail section. For...

tahoepyramidtrail.org

Yeah, I wouldn't want to be out on the Trail once the snow starts in that area. Donner Pass made a BIG impression on 10 year old me when we stopped on a family road trip.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

2024:
May 18th, Sudovia Gravel E-Sprint race. 80 km with 1000 m elevation gain on a single battery, no recharging allowed, a production e-bike as the requirement. A secluded area in NW Poland just several miles to Lithuania, epic hills, premium gravel roads.

June 16th, Mazovian Gravel 100+ race. So far, the demand is to ride a traditional bike but that might change

 

[Captain Slow]

I live in BC so those Washington State routes look good and not too far away. Maybe I'll try the first one, the second one sounds much more remote.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I live in BC so those Washington State routes look good and not too far away. Maybe I'll try the first one, the second one sounds much more remote.

That northern route in the Okanogan highlands has sections that don't fully melt out until May. I've ridden all but a few dozen miles of the route in late May, though.

And when I say "don't fully melt out" I mean that you'd probably find great skiing there until at least the second weekend of May. At least most years.

Probably a good time to ride this would be from about the last weekend in May until the first days of summer. I'd recommend scouting at least parts of the route before committing to the trip too.

 

[Avg_Joe]

I just want to go on a proper tour, on my regular (non-e) bike. I have been daydreaming it, and I hope anxiety doesn't cause me to bag the idea. Nothing grandiose, either GAP/C&O, Outer Banks, Ohio to Erie, something like that in the Mid Atlantic or near-Midwest (Katy and out west is too far away for me to go in 2024). Wife and I are planning an overseas vacation for 2024 since we didn't get to do anything for our 25th anniversary in 2020 (thanks COVID!), and this year is her 60th, so we're going to splurge. Which means time away from work and money are inhibitors for anything long/epic.

 

[Djangodog]

I had intended to ride the newly completed Lamoille Valley Rail Trail when it opened this past year, but just before the formal opening, we had flooding and the trail was closed. It is mostly open now, but a 14 mile section is still closed. They think that it may be fully open sometime in 2024.

The trail is 93 miles long and I intend to extend the ride to a little more than 100 miles. I plan to spend the night in Saint Albans Vermont and ride back the following day. I will have to bring my charger for the return trip. I will record most of the ride on my GoPro.

 

[old guy 666]

The Virginia Creeper rail trail.