The part of Northern California that I was traveling through was full of Bigfoot references. Statues of Bigfoot, murals, and advertisements featuring the beast dotted the area. Whether locals believed or were amused didn’t matter. Bigfoot was part of local lore. On Day 3, I awoke to an empty campsite, though another cyclist had been …
Day 2 was the day of my tour when I had the least amount of riding planned. I normally covered about 50 miles a day. If I rode at that pace, I would pass through the redwood region without spending much time there. Riding less would make the day a sightseeing tourist day. Oddly, that …
Day 1 started as expected: in the cute coastal town of Eureka, with overcast, damp weather. I was pleased to find I hadn’t forgotten anything, which I usually do on bike tours. I would not be 100% sure until I made camp for the night, but it was “so far, so good.” I made a …
As I prepared for my trip to Northern California, it seemed like I went over my checklist about a dozen times. Each time I found something that I needed to pack or change. Somehow I ended up feeling confident that everything was good to go. I packed my bike and gear into a bike box …
This is a snapshot in time before my bike tour began. It is written from the perspective of the ride being in the future, which it was at the time. Enjoy! My tour of Northern California starts in less than a week. I will be riding from Eureka to Oakland along the Pacific Coast Route. …
Bike travel during a busy weekend means busy roads, campgrounds and everything else. But it also means more to see and do. The last day of my tour began at the very full Carpinteria State Beach campground on a Memorial Day weekend Sunday. I had a short ride planned that day to the Amtrak station …
Waking up at my campsite at Refugio State Beach on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend was a nice experience. This was day 8 of my 9-day bike tour. It had only taken me a few days to shrug off the hectic life of suburbia and work and embrace a nomadic existence. I was already …
I awoke to the luxury of a hotel room on Friday, day 7 of my 9-day tour. I was enjoying camping every other night, but the hotel was a nice change of pace. My room had clean clothes hanging over every available spot, and leftovers from the restaurant meal the night before sat in the …
Picture the plight of poor Pearl Izumi when it comes to marketing their X-Project shoes. These are race level, high-tech, top performing shoes. Pearl has figured out that even on a race shoe the entire sole of the shoe does not have to be so stiff that they make you walk like a penguin. X …
Day 5 of my 8-day tour would be a long ride through a wide variety of California terrain, but it started with me fixing my kitchen. Quick backstory: I thought my fuel canister was empty after very little use, so I pitched it and bought a new one. I was pretty excited to cook bacon …
