Did I mention that the cable for my bike computer/speedometer was broken when I pulled the bike out of the box in Crescent City? Since I also left my Garmin at home (one less thing to have to charge on the road), I was flying blind on speed and distance the whole trip, relying only on my maps and road signs. So the daily distances I’ve reported are my best guesses (which checks out to 40.1 miles and almost 4000 feet of climbing, not bad!). Continue reading →

No one was in a real hurry to roll out quick this morning. It was overcast and a little misty, almost to the point of threatening to rain lightly overnight.  Also, we all had short riding days today – I was just going 40 miles to Olema, while the others were planning on riding to Samuel P. Taylor State Park, the last campground before the San Francisco metropolitan area.  In addition, this was a rest day for James and his group. Continue reading →

First, a couple of other things I forgot to mention from last night. The bolts holding my water bottle cages had loosened during yesterday’s ride. I had hand-tightened them during the ride, and then used blue thread locker (which I carry!) to make sure they didn’t wiggle out anymore. Continue reading →

One again I was the first one to leave camp today. Just outside of the campground, the route leaves US101 and heads down CA1. Continue reading →

I woke up with the sun, as I always do when camping, and I was rolling out well before any of the other cyclists had started packing.

I told Rex and Roger I’d wait for them at the restaurant in Myers Flat. But there was no restaurant there (ummm, maybe I should have checked inside the fancy looking inn…), so I scrounged up what I could from the market. Then the coffee shop started setting up, but after a “we’re not open yet” and “you’re in my way” I hopped back on the bike and continued south. Continue reading →

The route out of Trinidad is aptly named Scenic Road. It’s really narrow in parts… Continue reading →

The Curly Redwood Lodge was a nice place to stay for a town like this. Yes, it’s a little dated looking, but it was clean and otherwise OK for a town like this. The owners were really nice, and it was great of them to let me ship my bike there in advance, as it might have been too big to take on the small plane. Continue reading →

I got to the airport at 9:30AM for the 11:15AM flight to San Francisco. I breezed through security, and as I walked toward my gate, I passed by the gate for the 10AM flight. I asked if they had any open seats for the flight. They mentioned they normally charge a $75 standby fee, but since I’m a Continental rewards member, they’d do it for free this time. (I think the real reason was that flight was empty while mine was full.) Hooray, United! Continue reading →

With ten minutes to spare before my ride to the airport gets here, I’m all packed and ready to go! Continue reading →

Getting to the start of my upcoming bike trip involves flying the last leg on a small plane, an Embraer 120 (EMB-120) turboprop. Normally I take my bike on the plane so that I can be sure it’s with me when I arrive at my destination.

A former commercial pilot suggested I call the airline to make sure my bike would fit, since it may not if the plane were configured for more passenger seating at the expense of cargo. Continue reading →