Highway 101

[Kate Westcoast]

Anybody biked ?
Thinking about riding from Vancouver to San Diego this summer, might as well go to mexico for the day too..

 

[Odin]

kickass graphic there kate.

 

[janktoaster]

I haven't done it, but it'd be one hell of a trip... better than riding down 5, that's for sure

 

[Tude]

kickass graphic there kate.

Absolutely!!!!

 

[Matt Derrick]

yeah actually! i've been planning on doing this some time this summer as well. i have good touring bike and most of the gear i need already... i'm in seattle and would want to make my way down to la/sd going on the 101 pretty much the entire way.

the only exception would be that id really like to spend a few weeks in the bay area, since there's some kick ass urban exploration spots (massive abandoned military base, and some others) around that area i've had on my bucket list for a while.

anyways, if you're interested in a partner in crime, send me a pm.

 

[nvasv]

Kate and Matt, if y'all do this, (which I think y'all should) you both will have a place to stay in San Diego.

 

[Matt Derrick]

Thanks man, yeah that would be neat since I haven't been there in over a decade and don't really know any folks out there.

 

[MFB]

Did Aberdeen to Eureka last July. Took me less 2 weeks with a couple zero days. Sadly I dont think I could do the whole bit, it was honestly alot harder than I had anticipated to cover hunks of mile-age on a daily basis.

Being from the east coast the WA and OR coast was absolutely awe inspiring.
Lots of little pay camps to steal a shower in. I remember a really fun and crazy 4th of July spent in sand bunkers at the beach in Seaside, OR.

 

[Matt Derrick]

Just curious what was the hardest part about that trip?

 

[MFB]

For me it was being on the bike so fucking much. Not my legs/hips, or the pedelling aspect, but my upperbody and low back.

A bike has always been my main mode of transpo so I think I was well conditioned, but I suppose I naively thought 20-30 miles a day going here and there around town would translate to 80-100 mile days easier than it actually did.

I also admittedly (and stupidly) hadnt ridden much with panniers, and never with front panniers, which I used for that trip. I found myself riding in the drops far more than usual to compensate (Im a 50/50 rider) and got bad tendinitis in my forearm and my back was never comfortable after the first few days. It can be hard to have fun when you hurt. The last few days I was only riding for 5 or so hours.

It was my first 'bike tour'. In retrospect, I would have trained alot more with my whole rig, gotten bigger rear panniers and ditched the front, and started with smaller 40-50 mile days and worked my way up.