Dreams of California

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!

August Critical Mass

After missing July's Critical Mass, I was back at it!  Like the one at the end of June, it wasn't too big, this time there were 7 or 8 of us.  It's nice to see though that there are always some people showing up for it, and there was at least one other that has been to them regularly.  There were a few people that I missed, but maybe they are on holidays as it's still Summer.  Hopefully they'll be back in Sept. Critical Mass.

We biked around town for a bit..

Then we biked a big section of the heritage trail that follows the Fraser and the Nechako Rivers.  We stopped for a break near where the Nechako feeds into the mighty Fraser.  It threatened to storm, but never did.  I brought my rain gear just in case!

The lady with the orange bags with yellow stripes made those bags using old workers safety wear.  Looks pretty durable!  They clip on like most panniers which makes them very practical.  What a neat way to recycle!

Axiom Panniers

I am currently borrowing some Axiom panniers from the same friend who lent me the Serratous ones (MEC) for Tour De Jasper.  I had to return the MEC ones because that is the ones she uses all the time, and she didn't need them while I was on Tour De Jasper.  They were smaller, but were much better then the Axiom ones.  There is quite a pannier selection at the Axiom website, but I don't know how they compare to the pair that I am borrowing.

These panniers are bigger then my red ones, but I found that I didn't need big ones on Tour De Jasper because they carried most of my stuff!  I like that these have more room to carry stuff around town, but they are still not as big as my Basil Grocery bag.  I also find that unlike the MEC ones, the clips on top to not stay on the rack very well, and according to the lady I borrowed them from, they can detach if you go over a big bump/pothole, so you have to be careful when going over them.

The good thing about my Basil bags is that they are big!  The bad is that they have to be strapped on, no quick release brackets/clips like these type of bags, it is heavier then the touring type of bags, and I can't just have one side on the bike, it has to be the whole unit.

The good about the MEC or Axiom bags is that they come off easily so I can carry them into the store with me. Also, depending on what I need to do that particular day I can leave one or both on my bike.  The bad is that they are more likely to be stolen, especially if I don't take both off when I go into the store!

The clipping mechanism on the Axiom bags are not really that great.  I am not sure how much these bags cost, but not worth it I think.

I suppose that there is room in life for more then one bag, etc.  I have a choice of bags, baskets, and now a wood crate to put on the rack, so adding a touring set of bags would not be a big jump!  I am borrowing the Axiom bags for the rest of the summer as I was planning on doing one more bike camping trip, but now I am not sure.  I think it's good to test touring panniers out though.  A customer at work tried to sell me some cheap CCM bags that strap on, but why the heck would I want those?  (of course when I got my RM bike last year they asked me why did I spend so much, a $400 bike is just as good.  ROFL!! Yeh, right)  I would prefer ones that you clip on for touring so I can take off if needed...and I don't want cheap!  Even the Axiom bags were better then the CCM ones.

I do know that I want to buy red ones when it comes the time to purchase some.  And I've been told that Ortlieb are the best out there.  They are not cheap, especially the waterproof ones, but apparently they are worth the money.  Victoria used them recently on her ride across USA.

I want to buy a trailer too some time, and I think that would be better for touring, then to have front bags.  What's your preference for touring?  Front bags/back bags, or back bags and trailer?

Tour De Jasper photo by William G.

Now comes the photo swapping time for Tour De Jasper.

William G., who rode the Dutch bike with his wife took this photo of me enjoying a some ice cream at Mt. Robson.  It was a good place for a rest before the next big climb.  Many didn't stop here, but I am glad I did.  It's very rare to enjoy a view like this!

Paragliding with my Brother

I had an adventurous Summer Holidays. First there was Tour De Jasper, then there was paragliding with my Brother. Can it get any better?  There's a lot of waiting for the wind to be just right.  But when it's time, it's time to run like you've never run before!