Way back in 1991, I wanted to go to California. I had many crazy ideas of how to do such a trip and one of my my major ideas was to bicycle the coast I didn't have the ambition (or the good quality bicycle) to do that type of trip at the time. I ended up doing a 16 day bus tour from Vancouver. I admit that I had a great time on it and still have friends that I met on that tour. I had some adventurous spirit back then though, as I had a tendency to do my own things during the tour. I'd sometimes forget about time and end arriving back to the bus late, much to the chagrin of my fellow tourers.
Now it's 19 years later and I am revisiting the idea of bicycling California. I've got the bike, tent, camping gear, and other bike stuff needed for such a trip. I just need some good panniers.
I've got a year to research and plan such a trip, and I am looking forward to it. I've got contact information for a person who helped out in Tour De Jasper. He's biked from Vancouver to Puerto Vallarta a few times. I'm sure he'd know a lot about doing something like this and give me any advice.
Has any of you ever bicycled in California? I am thinking of bicycling between San Francisco and Santa Monica, but I've read that Highway 101 has no shoulders and would be busy with tourists. The only problem is that I can only really get Summers off, and I want to visit some friends in Santa Barbara and Burbank. I also know that it would be a very hot ride in that area..
How hard is it to pack bike for flight/train, and just HOW do you get a bike in a box to LAX after the trip?
I also wonder how difficult it would be to bicycle from Santa Monica to Burbank to visit friends? Just ideas right now, things can change....but thinking about it now will help prep me for another excellent adventure. I remember how beautiful the California (and Oregon) coastline was...Big Sur, Hearst Castle, Solvang, Monterey Bay, etc..all good memories!
Strangely enough, i was talking about the pacific coast with someone at work today... he says its indeed pretty busy and has lots of motorhomes and such, although I've read of books that direct you along less busy routes. I've also been reading up on the newly published Sierra Cascades Bicycle Route maps from Adventure Cycling Association, which I hear is less busy but is inland, and starts just east of Vancouver at Sumas.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/images/SierraCascadesMap.pdf
http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/sierracascades.cfm
I'll bet it had a lot more climbing though!
That's interesting about using less busy routes. I'll have to research. That's why I like planning for my trips so far ahead, it gives me time to work things out.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I like the mountains, I really love the ocean and I'd like to spend some time near it.
I am kind of afraid to ask the fellow tourers on Tour De Jasper to see if anyone is interested, but I should at least mention that I want to do it, maybe someone out there wants to do it too. If not, I'd do it on my own.