Day 1: ¡Adelante!

 

Today's Route: Bellingham to Fort Ebey state park 

Distance:  61.8 miles

Wildlife sightings:  deer, bald eagles, Canadian geese  

Finally got to start pedaling today.  After passing out immediately upon hitting the pillow last night, I was up early and on the road by 6.  Got a chance to see downtown Bellingham without any traffic - nice town.  And they were (apparently) happy to see me:  

 

The ride along Chuckanut drive was quiet and scenic with occasional views out to Bellingham Bay:  

 

While taking break right before riding on the Padilla Bay Trail, I met a nice couple who lived nearby and told me all about the area.  Including the location of a large rookery (?) of Blue Heron.  He said he has counted as many as 200!

 

Next, was a busy section of HWY 20 that made it hard to enjoy the scenery. I did manage to get a photo going over Fidalgo Bay:  

 

After crossing Deception Pass, I met my first touring cyclists on the trip.  They were from Toronto and had started riding in Vancouver -  heading down the coast with an ultimate goal of San Francisco.

The rest of the day I had a great view of the Strait of San Juan De Fuca including this lunch stop:  

A bit of an uphill grind to get my campsite for the night (fort Ebey State Park), but the views are outstanding!

Pacific Coast Tour - Getting to the Start

Today's route: LAX to Bellingham, Wa
Well, getting the bike to the start turned out to be more effort than I had originally planned. Amtrak Express (plan A) turned out not to be a viable option (despite numerous phone calls where I was told it was possible). Of course I didn't know this when I hauled The Rig down to Union Station last Sunday to send it on its way to Bellingham. But I quickly found out when I met "Marge" the shipping clerk at Amtrak. Marge (who "has been doing this 23 years") made it very clear my bike was not going on a train to Bellingham. Bummer. Wish Marge had been at the other end of the phone when I had called previously. Note: You CAN Ship human remains from Union Station to Bellingham on Amtrak Express. Just not a bike. Ever.

Plan B would be to ship the bike via Fed Ex, but I really didn't have enough lead time to do that comfortably, and it would probably arrive a day after I did. So I went with Plan C: take it with me on the plane. First, I made multiple calls to Alaska Airlines to make sure I COULD do this (once again, I was cheerfully told "no problem sir,"). Then I scrounged up a used bike shipping box (thanks Bob and Shilo at Squeaky Wheel bike shop - you guys are the best!) and disassembled the rig so it could fit into the box. Racks, fenders, rear derailer, handle bars, seat, etc.... Needed to come off and then I played Jenga with all the parts trying to get them to fit in the box:

It all fits!

Rolled up sections of cardboard for lateral support. Extra points if you can guess the beer brand.

Mom gives me a ride to LAX in the morning (3 a.m. Blast off ..... ) reminding me (once again), That she is the best!

Mom an Larry giving me a proper send off:

Flights go smoothly except for a slight delay in Seattle.  Hats off to Alaska Airlines and their handling of the bike.  It showed up without a scratch, and the guy who DELIVERED it to me in baggage claim even helped me un box it and chatted me up about the ride.  

Reassembly in the baggage claim area was about as good as you can get.  Carpeting, a view of Mt. Baker, and a friendly person from the airport checking in on me from time to time.  I even managed to get it all back in working order (from this):

Rounded out the (long) day with some running around town to buy food, stove fuel, and mail back some stuff.  

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Bicycling The Pacific Coast

Planning.......lots of planning

I'm not sure when the idea for doing this ride first came to me. It might have been a couple of years ago when I was camping in Idyllwild and met a couple from New Zealand who were riding from Mexico to Canada via the Sierra and Cascade ranges. Impressive! I didn't know people did such things. They even had a set of maps designed specifically for the route - which to me, made the whole thing seem semi legit. Or it could have been when I was researching and preparing for a mountain bike ride from Durango to Moab last summer, and I started to understand that bike touring was a great way to travel and experience everything around you. But, by the time I started hosting cycle tourists at my house (through the Warmshowers organization) and hearing their amazing stories, I was well on my way down the rabbit hole.

Everyone I talked with said the Pacific Coast route would be the best tour to start with. The logistics are easy, scenery spectacular, camping plentiful and with its popularity, finding companionship along the way would be easy. So that's what I'm going to do. I fly up to Bellingham Washington on July 30th, and start pedaling south on the 31st. With any luck, I'll arrive in at mom's house in Oxnard around September 4th.

Here are some of the logistical details for those interested:

DISTANCE: Approximately 1800 miles without side trips and scenic detours (of which I hope there are many)

ROUTE: I'll start off by touring through the Olympic National Park (via the Olympic Discovery Trail), but will then stay pretty close to the pacific coast the rest of the way down
.
BIKE: Here's the rig I'll be riding. More detail can be found here

The Rig

ACCOMMODATIONS: Ideally I'll be camping every night, but may also use a Warmshowers host, hostel or (shudder) hotel.

FOOD: Self prepared and mostly easy to pick up along the way. Restaurants and coffee shops are also options and can have the added bonus of wifi and a power outlet for device charging (I will also have a solar charger).

GETTING TO THE START: I'll be flying, and The Rig will be going up on Amtrak the week before. Amtrak is by far the easiest and least expensive way to ship a bike (and the Amtrak folks have been very helpful whenever I have talked with them). All I have to do once I land in Bellingham is find the bike, put a few things back together (pedals and handlebars) and start pedaling.

NAVIGATION: The Adventure Cycling Association has an set of excellent maps that cover most of the route. I will also be following most of the Olympic Discovery Trail and utilized their website as a resource. If all else fails, I have an iPhone with all of its navigation firepower at my disposal...... Assuming I have cell coverage.

COST: Camping fees will be the largest cost, followed by food and then transportation (to Bellingham). I am estimating that the daily costs for the 35+ days will be ~ $35/day. This could bump up substantially if I discover a good pub or two along the way......

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