Riding a bike in USA

I don't know where you're aiming to go, but I would not ride through the Memphis ghettos as I value my life too much.

The number of meth towns that have appeared between the major metropolis centres, and the ghettos that emerged in the wake of the civil rights movement (when those with money - the white - moved away), have led to there being some very scary places in that part of the country.

I've seen up close what it looked like, and it's a poverty and desperation that I wasn't prepared for. Crazy motherfuckers, off their face, with guns. The people I stayed with all had guns, and answered their doors with them in their hands.

Nothing I saw in terms of poverty India, Thailand, Liverpool or Dundee ever came close.

Then add in the post-war freeway building policy which neglected to maintain the non-freeways, and you see that some local roads were just left to rot. This doesn't just mean poor road surfaces (mainly at the edge of the road where a cyclists would be), but poor infrastructure such as supply stores and watering holes en route.

I loved the USA (the land), and I loved cycling there, but a few very bad experiences in the South means I would hire a car and leave the bike at home. I'd definitely cycle in the North West, mid-West... would definitely not cycle in the deep South, and everywhere else would be an inbetween decision depending on the type of trip I was doing.

That sounds like scare-mongering, it's not meant to be. Cycle wherever you want. But forewarned is forearmed, and the risks are less the roads themselves or navigating, but beyond basic logistics (which you could plan for) the people and the South is the neglected underbelly of the US and you only need one desperate meth-head to make your journey turn to the worse, and you're fairly likely to meet quite a few of them in some places.