Date: Tue, 10 Dec 1996 22:53:34 GMT Server: NCSA/1.4.2 Content-type: text/html Last-modified: Thu, 09 May 1996 04:49:31 GMT Content-length: 5647 Cycling Questa pagina è anche in italiano

Bicycle Touring

Let's get this clear right from the start: I love bike touring.

First off, I love to travel, and there's just no better way to see and experience the countryside than by bike. You see more than you do when going by car because -- let's face it -- you're going slower. It's also easier to stop to see those deer or take in that view. Additionally, you hear and smell things that you are oblivious to in a noisy, smelly car. Did I mention I hate cars?

Second, it's great exercise. Biking is low impact, highly aerobic, and easy to improve in quickly.

Finally, it's a great way to experience nature. When you're getting away from it all, you can leave it further behind if you don't have a car.

For those of you who care about such things, this is my trusty steed, a Fisher Zebrano hybrid that I've modified for touring. I've had it for a year, and put about 5500 miles on it.

The Great Pacific Coast Bike Ride

In August, I set out with some especially shady characters on a bicycle expedition down the Pacific Coast, from Seattle to San Francisco (I continued on to San Diego). These comrades-in-lycra were Marc Friedman, Ruben Ortega, and Jim Giordano. We camped out almost every night, and shared our campsites with wild animals, but we didn't let the harshness of our surroundings prevent us from preparing gourmet meals. We generally cooked breakfast and dinner, and went out for lunch. Despite eating on the bikes, we were generally very hungry by the time we stopped for lunch. Here's an abbreviated mileage log of our trip.

Day/Odometer/Location

  1. 000.0 Ferry from Seattle to Bremerton.
  2. 046.0 Shelton (City Center Motel)
  3. 120.3 Bruceport
  4. 189.1 Cannon Beach (Oregon)
  5. 244.3 Cape Lookout St. Park
  6. 281.5 Lincoln City (Shilo Hotel). Soaked cyclists seek solace in sauna.
  7. 348.5 Washburne State Park
  8. 428.6 Sunset Bay State Park
  9. 489.4 Humbug Mountain State Park. Ruben bent his rim. Quick & dirty repair, 20 mile ride to bike shop on wobbly wheel.
  10. 561.1 Ramblin' Rose's RV Park
  11. 632.0 Patrick's Point State Park (California). Alisa, Clyde and Craig were there. Then... Eureka! Cookies!
  12. 709.4 Redcrest Motor Inn. Avenue of the Giants.
  13. 767.5 Standish-Hickey. Great swimming hole. Hal was there. Leggett doesn't live up to it's reputation.
  14. 823.9 Russian Gulch
  15. 880.2 Gualala. No room at the Inn. 86 miles to a campground at...
  16. 966.3 Olema. Terrible wrong turn. Missed Sir Francis Drake. Highway 1 to Sausalito. Then missed the tunnel to...
  17. 1015. Marin Headlands (Hostel). Left Ruben & Jim in San Francisco.
  18. ????? Marin Headlands (Campground)
  19. ????? Mountain View.
  20. ????? Mountain View. Goodbye Marc, hello, Santa Cruz mountains.
  21. 1140. New Brighton State Beach
  22. 1180. Monterey! Quality family time
  23. 1223. Monterey! Met Jane!
  24. 1326. San Simeon State Beach
  25. 1387. Pismo State Beach
  26. 1472. El Capitan State Beach. Met Eddie Fitzgerald, alleged holder of world's record bike trip -- 130,000 miles, and still going.
  27. 1543. Ventura. Left Jane. More QFT.
  28. 1543. Ventura
  29. 1543. Ventura
  30. 1652. Huntington Beach (Colonial Inn Hostel)
  31. 1717. South Carlsbad State Beach
  32. 1754. San Diego. Met Randy.
  33. ????? San Diego. Sun, sand, bikinis.
  34. ????? San Diego. Sun, sand, bikinis.
  35. ????? San Diego. Sun, sand, bikinis.
  36. 1870. Seattle (via Reno Air).

Bicycling Resources

Cascade Bicycle Club Home Page
WSDOT Bicycling
Cycling the Pacific Northwest
State Shaded Relief Maps
GORP - Biking Resources on the Internet


kgolden@cs.washington.edu