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Archive for January 3rd, 2008

Eric on Jan 3rd 2008 Planning, Scoot 66

Temperatures across the country

My Scoot 66 trip is planned from May 4 to June 14 (give or take). I’m a bit worried that temperatures might be too cold.

Let’s take some example.

On the night of May 4, I should be at Harrison Lake State Park, Ohio. The average high is 67F. Not too bad. But the average low (which would be at night) is 45F. That’s a bit chilly (though I should be used to that by now).

Moving ahead a week, I should be in Tulsa, OK. 78F is the high, which is beautiful riding weather. 57F is the low. Not too bad, I guess.

How about Flagstaff, AZ. The high is 69F on May 21. The low is 35F. Moving the trip a month later, it bumps the low up to 43F. Still not all that hot.

Of course, two or three days later, in Needles, CA, I’m looking at average highs of 97F with the average low of 69F. Yep. The low in Needles is the same as the high in Flagstaff.

The return trip, however, is where things will get a bit frosty. By the time I get to Donner Pass, the average high will have climbed to 68F with the low being 35F.

I’ll roll into Bozeman, MT around June 5. Oddly, the low will be 42F. Not too bad, it’s clearly getting closer to summer. The high is 71F.

By the time I get back to Wheeling, the near-summer temps will be creeping up the thermometer. But some nippy mornings will great me along the way.

One of my fears is 40F and rain all day. That will suck.

Rain is another issue. May is rainy, especially on the east coast. I honestly don’t mind riding in the rain if it’s above 60F. Below that, it gets really old really fast.

Traveling in colder temperatures also means that I need to pack more riding clothes in order to keep warm. That takes up more space. Though, as I have it planned out now, I have a whole bag devoted to warmer riding clothes (the right saddlebag, if you were wondering). In that will live my windproof gloves, windproof jacket, rain gear and thermals.

This could get interesting. I’m going to need a warmer bag.

Oh, and the reason I’m not doing this in June-July is two-fold. First, it’s financial. I don’t think I can afford to be unemployed for an extra month. And two, I would like to be finished traveling by the start of summer. There are also a few other trips I’ll be taking in July.

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