Southern Transcontinental

September 2006

We have used a number of different routes to traverse the southern United States over the years including 1989, 1997 - for riders over 50 years old only! - , 1998, and 2002.

This 2006 Transcontinental is a collection of our favorite routes across the southern United States. Some of these roads have not been ridden by PAC Tour since 1992. We have added about 800 miles of new roads to link together the remaining 2,100 miles of previous routes.

We begin our tour in San Diego, California. San Diego has the best scenery, airport, hotels, and logistics for beginning a tour. The first day we leave the city are out of the traffic after 20 miles. In the morning we climb over the 4,000 foot high mountains through the Cleveland National Forest. Near the 80 mile point we descend into the desert of the Imperial Valley. We drop down all the way below sea level into a mixture of fertile irrigated fields and dry dusty desert. The desert here has a special beauty of Ocotillo Cactus and 75 mile visibility.

During the first three days we cross this expansive desert over giant sand dunes and rolling road dips. The daytime temperatures will be hot over 100 degrees (35 C) during this section. Our support staff takes special precautions by keeping the reststops closer together and supplying lots of ice and cold drinks.

By the fourth day we begin climbing out of the desert into the pine forests of Prescott, Arizona. The days are much cooler here but the climbs will be challenging. Our route goes over several 7,000 foot mountains then drops into 4,000 foot valleys. The old copper mining town of Jerome, Arizona has a historic charm as a 130 year old settlement.

On day seven we enter New Mexico. The landscape changes again to wide open range country. We still have plenty of climbing ahead as we cross the Continental Divide at 8,000 feet near Pie Town. By day nine we are entering Roswell and will have time for a visit to the famous UFO Museum.

The next three days are the flattest of the tour. We descend gradually for 200 miles into Amarillo, Texas. What we lack in natural scenery we will make up for in interesting roadside attractions. Our route will follow Historic Route 66 for almost 250 miles. Sites such as The Midway Cafe, Cadillac Ranch, Big Texan Steakhouse, and National Rt. 66 Museum will be fun distractions along the way. Our reststops and meals will be planned to allow time to visit these unique landmarks of America.

After day 14 we begin crossing the hills of Oklahoma. The riding is interesting and a good change from the previous flat three days. On day 16 we ride the Talimena Parkway. This hidden section has been rated as the toughest 50 miles of road in America by past PAC Tour riders. Steep, handlebar bending 15% grades roll up and down along the ridge of the Ozark Mountains. We accumulate almost 8,000' feet of climbing during the last 60 miles of this day. Even though the daily total is only 115 miles, most riders consider this one of the toughest riding days.

On day 18 we ride through the lush pine forests of Arkansas. The roads are rolling, but not as steep as the Talimena Parkway. The routes twist and turn through a tunnel of trees the next three days. As we get near the Mississippi River we enter the flat farming region. Fields of fluffy cotton balls line the roads waiting for harvest. That night we enter the state of Mississippi and will sleep at a Casino on the river. This is somewhat of a bazaar hotel, but it has turned into a favorite attraction in the middle of no where.

Our final days across Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia offer good cycling through the history of the Southern States. On day 22 we sleep in Selma, Alabama which was made famous by the Civil Rights Protests. On day 24 we stay in Americus, Georgia near the prison camps of the Civil War. This route has a lot of interesting stories for the cross country traveler.

This new PAC Tour route is combining the best collection of roads and accommodations. We hope you enjoy the new 26 day format which will make the pace of this tour perfect for a September tour. The daily average of 112 miles per day should fit into an eight hour riding time for most riders.

Our tour capacity is about 60 riders and 40 motel rooms. We expect this to be a popular tour among PAC Tour veterans since we travel many new roads. This tour could be filled before February. We hope you are able to plan your 2006 season and join us on this new cross country tour.

Proposed Route
PAC Tour 2006
Southern Transcontinental

  Sat. Sep 9 Fly in to San Diego and evening banquet
  Date Start Finish Miles Climbing
1 Sun Sep 10 San Diego, CA El Centro, CA 127 7,500'
2 Mon Sep 11 El Centro Blythe, CA 104 1,600'
3 Tue Sep 12 Blythe Wickenburg, AZ 116 3,430'
4 Wed Sep 13 Wickenburg Cottonwood, AZ 114 7,000'
5 Thur Sep 14 Cottonwood Winslow, AZ 115 3,000'
6 Fri Sep 15 Winslow Springerville, AZ 95 3,300'
7 Sat Sep 16 Springerville Socorro, NM 158 4,350'
8 Sun Sep 17 Socorro Ruidoso, NM 105 5,050'
9 Mon Sep 18 Ruidoso Roswell, NM 102 3,030'
10 Tue Sep 19 Roswell Clovis, NM 110 2,000'
11 Wed Sep 20 Clovis Amarillo. TX 120 1,000'
12 Thur Sep 21 Amarillo Erick, OK 120 500'
13 Fri Sep 22 Erick Hinton, OK 100 2,800'
14 Sat Sep 23 Hinton Paul's Valley, OK 100 2,500'
15 Sun Sep 24 Paul's Valley McAlester, OK 105 3,500'
16 Mon Sep 25 McAlester Mena, AR 115 10,000'
17 Tue Sep 26 Mena Arkadelphia, AR 88 3,500'
18 Wed Sep 27 Arkadelphia Pine Bluff, AR 91 3,700'
19 Thur Sep 28 Pine Bluff Lula, MS 131 2,500'
20 Fri Sep 29 Lula Winona, MS 114 2,000'
21 Sat Sep 30 Winona Meridian, MS 130 3,000'
22 Sun Oct 1 Meridian Greenville, AL 149 4,700'
23 Mon Oct 2 Greenville Eufala, AL 109 3,500'
24 Tue Oct 3 Eufala Perry, GA 104 3,200'
25 Wed Oct 4 Perry Metter, GA 114 2,000'
26 Thur Oct 5 Metter Savannah, GA 81 1,000'
  Fly home Friday October 6

2,913 miles
112 miles per day
87,160 feet of climbing
3,400 feet of climbing per day