Friday, October 30, 2015

Pacific Coast Tour 2015 - Epilog

Sunset at Cape Lookout

I've been home for a couple of months now..... the bike has been cleaned, inspected, adjusted, lubed and hung back up in the garage.  Looks kinda sad just hanging there after taking me to so many new and interesting places on the tour....  his garage neighbors (the road and mountain bikes) are getting to go out regularly, while he just hangs there waiting for the next tour.

You'll notice I referred to The Rig as "he".... somewhere along the way, I named the bike "Rocinante" after the horse that Don Quixote rode in the novel of the same name.    It was either that or "Randy"...... And, as Wikipedia explains: "In many ways, Rocinante is not only Don Quixote's horse, but also his double: like Don Quixote, he is awkward, past his prime, and engaged in a task beyond his capacities".  I think that sums up our partnership quite well.

Before my focus turns to the next tour (and I already have lots of ideas swirling around.....) I though it would make sense to put together a short summary of the tour.  It will allow me to get what's left  in my ever fading memory documented, and might serve as a resource for anyone else planning a similar trip.  Or a warning......  Just kidding.

Pelicans over Half Moon Bay


















Link to beginning of trip


Total distance:  1,948 miles

Total riding days:  32

Average Distance per day:  60.8 miles

Rest days:  3

Mechanical problems:  none

Flat tires:  (2)   I also completely wore out my rear tire - Continental Touring Plus Reflex (not too happy with how quickly it wore down).  I replaced both with a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires which seem to be the consensus "go-to" for touring.

Best campgrounds:
Oregon:  Cape Lookout - on a bluff right off the beach.
California:  Patrick's Point - HUGE hike/biker area in the best part of the park with a dedicated shower/restroom facility.
Washington: Elochman Slough Marina - camping right on the water and a laundry facility on site.

If i was going to plan a rest day, I'd definitely consider one of these places.  Also all  of the Oregon state parks have free showers (it's the little things....) and genuinely seem to want cyclists to stay at their parks - all of the staff were very friendly and helpful.

Worst campgrounds:  
Really only one:  The log Cabin "Resort" on Crescent Lake.  The resort is nice enough, but the campground was  crowded, dirty and noisy and populated by people who didn't seem to mind (well, except me).  And since it was a national park, I guess I just expected more.

Mackerricker State park
Things I got right:
  • Not taking too much stuff.  Despite sending a small load back early on (extra light jacket, iPad) my loaded bike was never too heavy - even after loading up on food (and I always carried extra food!).
  • Staying almost exclusively at state parks.  In addition to being in uber scenic locations, the freedom to roll up and get in without a reservation makes planning effortless.  Plus, the fee for hikers/bikers is greatly reduced ($5-7 in Calif and Oregon and $12 in Washington).
  • Using the Adventure Cycling Association maps - use the money you saved on camping fees and buy the whole set!  Of course you can get by without, but why?
  • Starting early.  I know, easier said than done for some people!  But if you can get on the road around 7:00 a.m. each day, you miss 3 hours of  tourist traffic and have the coast all to yourself.
  • Flying Alaska Airlines with a bike.  This was by far the most stressful part of the trip for me (no bike, no tour, eh?) and Alaska did an excellent job of helping me at every step.  I'll definitely use them again.
Things I'd do Differently:
  • I really enjoy the feeling of constant movement.  A lot.  So the single best aspect of a trip like this (for me) is that you get to spend a lot of time just pedaling.  In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I didn't stop as much as I should have!  Next time I will budget more time and somehow force myself to stop and smell the roses a bit more.
  • I carried a "good" camera the whole trip, but the iPhone 6 i had did such a good job of taking photos, that i might consider leaving it at home next time too.
Food:
I prepared all but 1 or 2 of my dinners in camp and was satisfied with how that worked out.  As the trip progressed my body started craving carbs (not surprisingly) so i made a lot of pasta or boiled red potato based dinners.  With some garlic powder, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, sun dried tomatoes you can make just about anything taste good!  The one place I would stop to buy a meal was Subway - never got tired of their sandwiches and breakfast stuff.  Plus they are in almost all towns.


Phone charging:
I was really happy with the Goal Zero Nomad 7 solar charger.  During the day, I would charge a set of batteries (Guide 10 plus) which would recharge the phone quickly and reliably.  The batteries are also chargeable via USB/110V so when i had access to a wall outlet i would always top them off. To increase your storage capacity you could just buy a second set of AA batteries (less than $10) so that a couple of cloudy days would not put you out of commission.
I used a couple of pieces of elastic cord to hold the solar charger in place - also created a great space for quickly storing a rain jacket 


Traffic:
There is a lot on this route, so being proficient at riding on busy highways is important.  Despite the high volume of cars and trucks i ran into (it was August after all!), I only had 1 or 2 cars come close to me and one was an Oregon state trooper who clearly knew what he was doing!  Most folks were more than courteous when i had to take the lane - which I did frequently on blind corners or on bridges.  I also did a lot of smiling and waving..... never hurts to let people know that you appreciate their sharing the road with you.


Final Thoughts:
This trip was much more fun than I thought it would be!  And rather than getting haggard as the days went on, I got stronger - both physically and mentally.  There is something uniquely satisfying about pedaling around on a bike with everything you need to live.  And you meet some wonderful people -not just other cyclists, but people who are interested in you and your trip and have their own interesting story.  During the trip i felt more alive and connected with the world -  i like that.

So of course there will be some more of this in my future - why not?





Thursday, September 3, 2015

Day 35: A Quiet Last Day

Ride:  Refugio SP to Oxnard
Miles:  66.4 miles
Total Trip Miles:  1,948 miles

Relaxing with my #1 supporter and (as I've said before) the best mom in the world (sorry everyone else.....)

Today was the last day of riding and it was nice and quiet.  A perfect ending to a great trip.  In fact, I didn't even take any pictures - I just wanted to enjoy the pedaling.  

In the next week or so (once I get all caught up on "normal life" stuff). I'll put together a summary with an emphasis on  resources for anyone considering this ride.  And if you are pondering this ride, stop pondering and start planning - you won't be disappointed :)

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Day 34: Dag Gummit, I'm Gonna Miss This

Ride: Grover Beach to Refugio state beach
Distance: 71.2 miles
Total Trip Distance: 1,881 miles

Note: that is not a selfie of me after eating gas station cuisine for a month- (for those who don't know), it's the one and only Hoss Cartwright who frequently used "dag Gummit" to make a point.......like if Hop Sing was late with dinner or someone had trespassed onto Ponderosa Land.....But I digress.


Tonight is my last night camping, and tomorrow will be the last day of pedaling, and I have to admit that I'm going to miss it dag Gummit!

I won't miss this:
That is the yard sale that transpires when you get a flat and (of course) get to fix it. This happened in Guadalupe (next to a lovely lettuce field) , but it's the same mess wherever it happens..... On a positive note, I improved my repair time by 7 minutes (from 31 down to 24), so I may have a second career with NASCAR.

The first 25 miles of riding today were quite forgettable. Although I was once again impressed with how much food is grown in California. Once I turned onto HWY 135, things got more scenic and enjoyable. Not Big Sur scenic, but pleasant riding.

Then I tackled one of the bigger climbs of the tour: Harris Grade Rd. reminded me of some of the climbs at home: steep, twisty, and sustained - I thoroughly enjoyed it!

At the top of climb looking down into Lompoc:


A fun descent into Lompoc:

I topped off my water in Lompoc because I knew I had another good climb to get back to the 101 (my old buddy!). This one was longer, less steep and into an annoying headwind. I didn't enjoy this one as much - It was as if my mojo had developed a slow leak..... Fun at first...... Less fun..... Ok, where the hell is the summit..... I was really stoked to see this sign:

Then it was a quick ride back to the coast where the good old afternoon tailwind pushed me into camp. Mojo restored.
Refugio has the hiker/biker site right off the beach which is AOK with me :)


So I think I'll mosey down to the beach and enjoy my last sunset of the trip. And remind myself how lucky I am to have been able to do all of this :)

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Day 33: This Space For Rent (couldn't think of a title....)

Ride:  San Simeon to Grover Beach
Distance:  69.4 miles
Total Trip Distance:  1,810 miles
Today I rode through Cambria, Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo and Pismo beach - all places that I've spent time at before and that bring back good memories.  Was fun seeing them again from a bike - it adds another dimension of appreciation.  And I gotta say, I'm really liking this traveling by bike gig ...... Gonna miss it when it ends.  

Misty climb out of Cambria:

All of us who are fans of aunt Rosie will appreciate this one:

Raccoon update:  I haven't had any more problems, but I have been a DEFCON 5 since Oregon:
Ha!  Try and get that you crafty little bastards!!

Others, it would appear, feel similarly (found inside a food storage locker:
For the record, I'm not on board with the baby seal comment.

Saw more agriculture and started dreaming of spinach......aaahhhhh spinach:

And of course there was more beach :



By the time I got to Pismo beach this stop was mandatory:


The highlight of the day is the place I am camping at:  the Doty Ranch in Grover Beach - what a place! Ocean views and all sorts of nooks and crannies to keep you interested.  It is primarily an airbnb site (2 or 3 very cool, unique rooms) but us Bike tourists are welcome too!  I'm camped on a lawn in a fruit orchard - here are some pics that will do a better job than words:



One of the rooms:

Shower house:


Wine cellar 




Returning to the real world is gonna hurt..... :)

Monday, August 31, 2015

Day 32: Lets Do That Again!

Ride:  Big Sur to San Simeon
Distance:  70.0 miles
Total Trip Distance:  1,740 miles
When I turned off of HWY 1 into San Simeon state park, I had one thought on my mind:  I wanna do that again!  It had been 70 miles of perfect cycling.  One of those days when everything just felt right. Like a perfect ski run, or a pitch of climbing where everything just flows and your hands and feet effortlessly find the holds - and you just don't want it to end.  So once again, the pics are scarce because I was having too much fun to stop
The morning started off cool and dry - perfect for the medium sized climb right out of camp.  
There was also very little traffic today - and lots of "thumbs up" and cheers from the folks that passed me.
What makes this stretch so perfect for a southbound bike, is that you spend 90% of your time with a complete view of the ocean - here's sorta what it looks like
That rock wall is the guardrail
Oh, and today was a jackpot day for whale watching- I must have seen 50+ in one short stretch north of Lopez Point.  Including what looked to be a mother and her calf in a cove close to shore.




When the wind came up it was directly at my back so the last 20 miles were almost like cheating.....

Here's a flower from in front of the Big Sur library where I was using some free wifi (pro tip:  even if the library is closed, the "magic wifi machine " is likely still on and accessible.  

And some more food:
Camp tonight is at San Simeon State park - not the most scenic, but after today's ride that's quite alright ....:)