USA: By bike
In general, cycling is a cheap and healthy way to get around all the big cities , some of which have cycle lanes and local buses equipped to carry bikes (strapped to the outside). For a $15 fee, Greyhound will take bikes (so long as they're in a box). Amtrak (for a $5 fee) asks you to reserve in advance and transport your bike in a container; space may be available for uncontained bikes. In country areas , roads are usually well maintained and have wide shoulders. A number of companies organize multiday cycle tours, with camping or stays in country inns; we've mentioned local firms where appropriate. The biggest nationwide organization is the not-for-profit Adventure Cycling Association (formerly Bikecentennial), 150 E Pine St, PO Box 8308-W, Missoula, MT 59807 tel 406/721-1776 or 1-800/755-2453, ), founded in 1974 to promote transcontinental cycle trips. It publishes maps ($11 each) of several 400-mile routes, detailing campgrounds, motels, restaurants, bike shops and sites of interest. Many individual states issue their own cycling guides. Backroads Bicycle Tours, 801 Cedar St, Berkeley, CA 94710-1800, ), and the HI AYH hosteling group also arrange group tours.For more casual riding, bikes can be rented for $15 to $30 per day, or at discounted weekly rates, from outlets that are usually found close to beaches, university campuses and good cycling areas. Rates in heavily visited areas can be much higher. Local visitor centers should have details. Before setting out on a long-distance cycling trip, you'll need a good-quality, multispeed bike, panniers, tools and spares, maps, padded shorts and a helmet (some states and localities have laws requiring them) but a very good idea). Plan a route that avoids interstate highways (on which cycling is unpleasant and usu ally illegal). Of problems you'll encounter, the main one is traffic - RVs driven by buffoons who can't judge their width, and huge eighteen-wheelers (or in the western states, logging trucks) that scream past and create intense backdrafts capable of pulling you out into the middle of the road.
The usual advice given to hitchhikers is that they should use their common sense; but common sense should tell anyone that hitchhiking in the United States is a bad idea . We do not recommend it under any circumstances.
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