Long Island NY to Minnesota

[viking man]

Me and my mom are planing to drive to minnesota from long island new york. I am 14 years old and wanted to know if there was any cool spots for me and her along the way. We might stop at a camp site to spend the night. We were also planning to bring 1 or 2 bikes but we had never used a bike rack before and wanted to know if it is safe and easy to do. Please respond if you have any tips or ideas for our road trip. Thank you.

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

There are millions of possibilities for things to stop at along your trip, depending upon what sort of things you and your mom are interested in. My first thought would be taking a detour to Canton, Ohio to visit the Football Hall of Fame.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or any one of the dozens of great museums in Chicago could also be fun stops that would be more directly on the way.

As far as a bike rake, it will depend to some degree what kind you get. There are several options, ranging from trunk to roof to trailer hitch mounted models. They shouldn't be all that difficult to use, although keep ease of use in mind when you are shopping for one. As far as safety, if the bikes and the rack can't easily be secured, you might want to take the rack and the bikes off at night. I wouldn't be worried about it at a campsite, but if you were at a motel where you couldn't keep an eye on it, they could be a target for theft. But that's really a case where common sense will be the best advice.

Good Luck and Have Fun!

[Mark Sedenquist]

We were also planning to bring 1 or 2 bikes but we had never used a bike rack before and wanted to know if it is safe and easy to do.

David Schaefer (who wrote this week's article on car top carriers) is an expert in desiging and building bike racks and other types of gear containers. You might find his article helpful and here is the section on choosing a bike rack that fits your car.

Mark

[AZBuck]

A couple of places along your route where you can get some excellent use of your bikes would be Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and Cuyahoga National Park, both of which are right off I-80. Roughly halfway between Long Island and Minnesota is Harrison Lake State Park in northwestern Ohio which offers camping and is just a few miles off I-80. One other just fun spot you may want to look at is the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin.

AZBuck