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?