There is an art to knowing which travel advice to embrace and which to ignore.

Every touring cyclist has had the experience of some local telling them that the road up ahead is flat, only to discover that it is hillier beyond belief. Or that the next town is just over the ridge, when there are three ridges to climb over.

The truth of the matter is that I'm a shy person. I'm a friendly person, I'm just shy. I feel nervous around new people, and it takes me awhile to think of things to say. Sometimes I blurt out really awkward things at first, just to top it all off. Needless to say, doing the traditional things new friends do isn't that appealing to me: sitting around over a cup of coffee trying to think of conversation topics is basically a fate worse than death.

In recent weeks I have come across a couple of indications that the hidden gem of a route known as the Allegheny Mountains Loop is growing in popularity. The route covers terrain both paved and gravel with grades ranging from 1 percent to a steep 18 percent. It also provides lots of opportunities to enjoy a more primitive style of camping, with regular indoor lodging stops available, as well.

Piggybacking on our pannier discussion of last week, I want to introduce a newer bag that's a little more urban. The Arkel Switchback is designed to take you from the office/school to the grocery store to the gym, in one fell swoop.

It's pretty obvious that the songwriter was speaking of unrequited love. But I'd like you to consider it written about you and your travel dreams.

Can you relate to the above lyrics when it comes to that bicycle trip? Always thinking, planning and dreaming, but never going? Are you one to always answer the call of the road with "perhaps"?

Based on some of the phone calls and emails we get, it seems the "Riding Conditions" section on our route network maps is often overlooked. Probably not on purpose; I mean, you just bought a map, right? So you open it up and are looking at the maps, and you can get engrossed in seeing where you are heading. However, reading the "Riding Conditions" is worth your time, I promise.

We're only a couple of months into prime touring season — and the weather's been less than hospitable for bicycle touring, at least here in the Northwest.

Pretty much once a week someone calls and says, "So, just lay it out for me. Which are better? Ortlieb or Arkel panniers?" If only it were that easy! First off, I'll start out by saying that Arkel (Canada) and Ortlieb (Germany) are both fantastic companies that stand behind their products. If you ever have any problems with them, you'll have no problem getting them warrantied or replaced.