A life goal, a real long bike ride

Ever since I was a teenager back in the 80’s, the idea of touring long distances on a fully loaded bicycle has been on my bucket list.  I always had in mind two specific tours; the Pacific Coast Route and a Tour from coast to coast across the USA. Due to work and other obligations, these were some future, far off and maybe unattainable goals especially since either of these would take weeks or months to accomplish.

This year, my work situation has changed and I have the availability to put this idea into action. Who knows what the future holds or if my circumstances will change again. So why not do it now?  That’s what I decided, to take action and do it!

I settled first on taking the Pacific Coast Route (at least part of it). Most people tend to go from North to South.  It’s “downhill” after all.  But I’m aligning my route with other travel plans and will start inland in southern California.  The first segment will be extremely difficult, heading south through the peninsular ranges including San Jacinto Mountains and then to the USA / Mexican border.  After that, I will head up north sticking to the coastline of California and Oregon. Finally reaching Astoria, I turn inland to head back to Portland, Oregon. If I complete the full plan, it will total over 1800 miles with an elevation climbing over 108,000 feet. 

My planned start is May 16th 2022. Will I make it the whole way?  Who knows, but it will be an adventure.

If my internet connection, time and energy levels cooperate, I hope to provide intermittent blog updates along my way.

To track my progress; Bookmark the main home page.