Portland to San Francisco - Final Thoughts

The ride from Portland, Oregon to San Francisco, CA is in the books. We rode a total of 12 days and covered 792 miles. We were on the bike for 52 hours, 31 minutes and 7 seconds for an average of about 4 1/2 hours per day. Total average for the ride was 15.1 mph with a maximum speed of 46.3 mph. My average heart rate was 105 beats per minute and my max was 174. We climbed 44,214 feet with an average of 3684 feet per day. I will forever have many fond memories of the ride - from our start in Portland where we met Jerry who rode 85 miles the day BEFORE our ride started, to the time we all spent together traversing the highways down the coast. It is clear that time spent with friends and family on the bike, while traveling through some of the beautiful countryside on earth, is time well spent. The route was not easy - it had many hills and rarely any flats. The winds blew at our backs most of the days. We had no rain and only a few flats. We all arrived safely in San Francisco and had no major events. I'm glad I was able to show Daniel, the beauty the United States has to offer after he and Gary showed me the beauty of France last summer.

For those who wish they can do a ride like this or any other - please make it a priority. Life goes by us all much too quickly and there is nothing better to slow down and take it all in - than riding a bike. This route was not easy. Daniel and Gary both suffered and Daniel finished the ride in spite of the suffering.

We plan to take this experience to Europe next summer. Anyone interested?

Bodega Bay to SF and Done

Yesterday, Saturday, we rode from Bodega Bay to San Francisco - a total of 75.79 miles and 4796 climbing feet. We left early in the morning, fearing headwinds and late afternoon fog in San Francisco. All of our legs were feeling the effects from the past 12 days of riding, and our last days journey was going to provide us with no rest. We pedaled along the miles of rugged coastline along Pt. Reyes National Seashore and into the town of Pt. Reyes station where we enjoyed our first break of the day. After resting, we resumed through Fairfax, San Anselmo, Kentfield, Larkspur and into Mill Valley, where we stopped for lunch. Jerry had not yet begun to sweat, when we began to encounter several hill climbs through the last of the redwoods coming into Marin. Daniel, Gary and I swear that we all saw beads of perspiration dripping down Jerry's forehead. At this point, Daniel was finished, but we still had more miles to go. We stopped for lunch in Marin and mushed on into Sausalito, where we began our last hill climb to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Golden Gate bridge crossing is something you all have to experience. If you take 5,000 non-riding bicycle riders, put the them on a 6 foot wide trail with cyclists coming both directions and then add a 30 mph crosswind and suspend this all 400 feet above the bay, this gives you an idea of how it was to cross the bridge. Add to this maybe 100 of these cyclists who think this is the finish of the Tour de France and 200 more who think this is a mountain bike race - add 1000 absolutely petrified 5 year olds whose parents forced them on to a bike fore the first time on the bridge - you get the idea. After crossing safely, we wound our way down the Embarcadero, which was an experience in itself, to our final destination, the W hotel. We said our goodbye's to Dave and we headed to the bar for a celebratory drink (Gary had a passion fruit martini), which was a perfect drink for a finish in San Francisco.

The ride is done and the details of the ride will follow (as soon as I take a shower).

Gualala to Bodega Bay - Last Day Tomorrow

We made our way down from Gualala to Bodega Bay today, a distance of 49.24 miles and 3580 feet of climbing. I sat on Dave's wheel again today, as we experienced big headwinds and some steep climbing after the Fort Ross area. The fog was a welcome surprise and there was not much smoke today from the fires. The scenery was beautiful, reminding me of my Big Sur ride in many sections. We are staying on the coast in Bodega Bay at a hotel that has a hot tub with a view of the bay. As I lay here writing, I hear the fog-horn in the distance and the sea lions barking away. We rest today, in anticipation of our final day push in San Francisco tomorrow.

Fort Bragg to Gualala

Today we traveled from Fort Bragg to Gualala, a distance of 60.21 miles and 4365 feet of climbing. We enjoyed a very nice tailwind along the route which helped propel us to a top speed of 46.2 mph and an average speed of 16.4. The route took us past some great scenery which included the very cool Mendocino, Albion and Point Arena. I was able to rest today, thanks to my brother-in-law Dave. His fresh legs were a welcome site - I sat behind his wheel for most, if not all of the ride. When we arrived in Gualala, Gary and Jerry went out fishing, a favorite pastime for the two. A few hours later, after Dave and I had shared a bottle of wine, Gary came back and shared what happened on the fishing trip. Both he and Jerry caught some large steelheads with the rods they brought along. While fishing, a kayaking couple paddled by and scolded Gary and Jerry about fishing is "catch and release" only. Gary told the young couple that he was aware of this - but to their amazement, the couple paddled by again later in the afternoon and again chided Gary and Jerry about fishing being "catch and release" only. Long-story-short, words were exchanged and Jerry was so upset, he casted an anchovies towards the kayak and the anchovies came off the hook and landed in the kayak!Jerry could not reproduce the same move if he tried 1000 times!!. Later, after the fish stories were told, Daniel cooked steaks and pasta for all of us and we drank some wine and hit the sack early.

Garberville to Fort Bragg

Today was our toughest day. 69.26 miles with 5592 feet of climbing. The day started in Garberville which was filled with FBI and other law enforcement types away at "convention" We later found out that this "convention" was actually a yearly raid on the marijuana growers in the area. Funny...we still saw many folks who appeared high and our motel room seemed to have lots of residue seeds and stems...but I digress. We had a long tiring climb from Garberville up the hill to Leggett, about 3000 feet....then the climb began - another 1800 feet up the highway over to the coast - and down, which was arguably the nicest 11 mile downhill I have ever experienced. We traveled through redwoods and madrones and pines until we hit the coast. Along the way, we passed at least 5 spot fires which were being fought by water dropping helicopters. The air, as you can imagine, was a mixture of marine salt and smoke, or smalt as we called it. When we reached the coast, we were met by helicopters swooping into the nearby bay and picking up water to deliver to the fires.

After watching the heli for a few minutes, we limped the last 30 miles into our next destination, Fort Bragg, where we found the Colombi Motel and the Colombi market and the Colombi Laundromat. We knew that the day was blessed when we walked across the street to the Mexican restaurant and our hostess and waitress pictured above served us - a nun in full habit. She obviously knew we needed some help from above and we were all willing to take it - and she knew her beans.

Rio Dell to Garberville

Today, we relaxed with a 47 mile cruise down the California coast to Garberville. In order to get to our destination today, we traveled along the "Avenue of the Giants", a 35 mile cruise through some of the oldest and largest redwoods in the world. The ride was very cool - - we passed by multiple "peace camps" and I'm sure, many many marijuana groves (supposedly the largest cash crop up here). The road twisted and turned through the redwoods and into and out of the shade. We climbed approximately 2500 feet long the way. The air is filled with smoke from one of several fires burning in the area. Gsrberville is also crowded with CDF (California Dept of Forestry Fire) ready to be staged to go fight one of the fires. Our ride was easy today - we were helped by a strong tailwind that all of us hope will continue tomorrow as we begin our long climb up to Leggett, then down back to the coast to rendezvous with my brother-in-law Dave and sister-in-law Karol, in Fort Bragg. From there, it looks like another three days and we'll be riding into San Francisco!

Orek to Rio Dell

Today, Monday, June 23rd, we moved down the coast to the town of Rio Dell, a distance of 79 miles with climbing elevation of 4500 ft. Our original plan was to stay in Ferndale, but when we arrived, it seemed the town was booked on account of an FBI convention. We stopped half-way in Arcata and had coffee and ht chocolate on this cold, dreary day. This seemed to be one of the longest hardest days with just about 10 hours on the bike. The last 15 miles were especially difficult with many steep hill climbs. All seemed to be better once we had a dinner of pasta and pizza and tomorrow should be a short 40 mile sprint to Garberville where we will rest in preparation for the long 1500 ft climb the next day over Leggett to the coast and on up to Fort Bragg to meet Dave (my brother-in-law) who is driving up from the bay area. Daniel and Gary seem to be suffering on these long days and Jerry still swears that he does not sweat - he says he pees instead of sweats, a true specimen - Diane, can you please confirm?

Brookings to Orek CA

We crossed into California today - 69.24 miles averaging 15.4 mph and climbing 3469 feet. We climbed two serious hills, the biggest one being an 800 foot climb out of Golds Beach. We passed by some great scenery - sand dunes and lots of desolate bays and beaches and screaming sea lions. We past lots of places with "rock" in the name and we past Cresent City and Klamath - on to our stop in Orek - a really unusual town with one motel and one diner with lots of people that gave new meaning to counter-culture. We ate early and stayed in our rooms - the bike bar next to the motel made us nervous.

Port Orford to Brookings, Or

Today, we made our way 62 miles down the coast to Brookings. The ride took us past rain forests, sand dunes, waterfalls and rivers - spectacular. We had fair weather, except for occasional strong headwinds. We climbed 3500 feet and one climb, a few miles past Gold Beach was over 800 feet - long and steep. Daniel had one flat tire and as you can see in the picture, if you are going to flat, he chose quite the place! The ride had many "rollers" and just when we thought we had finished one hill, another was just around the corner. We stopped at a motel (no casino tonight) at the edge of town and negotiated a price of $48 for the 4 of us in one room. It will be a little tight quarters tonight, but I'll make sure I get the "real" bed and not the roll-away. We hit the California border tomorrow (in 5 miles) and made our way into the sunshine state where it appears we are headed for bigger and nastier climbs. Tomorrow, we have the town of Klamath in our sites if all goes well. I also just found out that my good friend, Ron Rubenstein was involved in a bike accident this morning while riding in the regular group ride I do in Southern California. Ron is resting at South Coast Medical Center with multiple fractures to his nose and face. Please - anyone reading this keep Ron in your thoughts and lets all be safe out there!

Coos Bay to Port Orford

Today, we traveled 52 miles and averaged about 14.8 mph and climbed 2700 feet while moving down the coast to a small town on the Oregon coast. Port Orford consists of a few vacant buildings, a run down tavern, a small motel, where we are staying and a killer fish and chips place where I am now sitting. The day began at about 8:15 where we left the confines of the Mill Casino in Coos Bay. The morning was foggy and a bit dreary as we made our way along the busy highway south of Coos - we began the ride with a steep 6% 450 foot climb out of the bay. We rolled along with many ups and downs - there did not seem anyplace to rest. We are all feeling the effects of the ride yesterday and we "cut" our ride short to only 52 miles today. I am excited at the thought that tonight there will only be two of us in the room instead of 4. We are staying at the Shoreline Motel. The place is something out of a 1960's B movie - but it's clean and doesn't seem to smell. The manager is even washing our cycling clothes for us, an added bonus. The weather is clear this afternoon and we look forward to putting some miles behind us on the ride tomorrow. It appears that there will be a big climb after Gold Beach and with the weekend upon us, we will need to look out for weekend traffic. Gary and Daniel are both feeling a bit weak from the riding - they do not ride that often and I give them both credit for doing the hard miles so far. Equipment has been great - only one flat yesterday and I think this was due to the "mechanic" not properly seating the tire when he put the new one on Gary's back wheel. We are all looking forward to the ride tomorrow -

Walport to Coos Bay

Today, Thursday, we traveled from the comfort of our four-guy motel room in Waldport to the Mill Casino in the upscale suburb of Coos Bay, a distance of 83 miles. We averaged 15.2 mph and climbed 4106 feet. We had several unexpected climbs, thanks to our outdated American Cycling maps. Being an engineer, Daniel is most upset with the inaccuracy of the maps. We seemed to climb where we thought we would be descending and descended where we thought we would be climbing. The plan today was to stop at Reedsport, approximately 25 miles sooner than our 83 miles. Upon reaching what we thought would be our stop for the night, the town seemed more like something in the middle of Oklahoma than a beach town in Oregon. We did however, find a Mexican dive with great tostsdas, but Jerry would have none of the south of the border food and opted for a burger at the dairy queen. Along the way, we stopped at a bike store in Florence and the "mechanic" fixed the gearing on Daniels bike and Gary got a new tire. After stopping for Mexican food, we decided to continue to the Coos bay after realizing that there was a casino waiting for us and most probably, another all-you-can-eat restaurant. The only question was - - would they allow all four of us in one room with four beds???

It has now become apparent that this might actually be a cycling gambling junket - we have stopped at casinos two of the past three nights. I am alarmed that our discussion tonight has turned from how many miles we should ride tomorrow - to where is the next casino down the coast is. There is much to be said about a 12.95 all-you-can-eat buffet when four guys who have just ridden 83 miles comes walking in the door.

Today's route was long, but beautiful. We traveled past miles of desolate beaches and sand dunes. Everything in Oregon seems to be the "biggest" or the "best". Today, we traveled past the worlds smallest harbor and the worlds largest sea lion cave. Lets see what tomorrow brings....

Grande Ronde to Waldport

On Wendesday, we traveled from Grande Ronde, in the Willamette Valley to the coast of Oregon. Today, we went 71.55 miles at an average speed of 15.9 mph and we were in the saddle for 4 hours and 29 minutes. We climbed 3283 feet and most of the climbing was early in the morning climbing up out of the valley, over the coastal mountain range to the coast. Once on the coast, we traveled along many many long and deserted beaches and cliffs where the surf pounded below. Daniel began to have trouble with his shifting and was only able to use two of his three chainrings. The ride became a little easier as the wind picked up and helped push us along. We finished the ride by lunchtime and ate at an all-you-can-eat fish and chips place. We all stuffed our faces and felt ill soon after. We found a motel that could accommodate all four of us in one room and checked in. Gary and Jerry went to try their hands fishing up the road, but first, Gary and I got our hair cut by a local barber - quite an experience. We also met a number of odd folks in town, one of whom told us that we should not fish in the local lake because it was filled with agent orange. I went back to the motel for a nap and later, Gary returned and promptly went to bed, claiming he had stomach cramps and a fever. Gary slept through the night and woke up the next day, feeling refreshed and ready for the new day.

Portland Oregon to Grande Ronde Oregon

After an uneventful trip up to Portland, we met Jerry Chessman, who flew in from Pittsburgh PA. Jerry, upon arriving in Portland felt it was necessary to ride 85 miles to "see the sites". Ahhh- to be young again (Jerry is 25). Daniel, Gary and I went to the hotel and unpacked our bikes - Jerry had already ridden so he was unpacked, warmed up and ready to go. After a good nights sleep, we rolled out the door at 7:00am for our first day of riding. The task today was to ride out of Portland south and then turn west towards the coast to our destination of Grande Ronde casino, a cheesy all-you-can eat Indian Casino destination in the middle of the Pinot Noir wine country of the Willamette valley wine growing region, a distance of 74.8 miles. We traveled today at an average of 16.1 mph and climbed 2400 feet, a flat ride by all accounts. We enjoyed a nice tailwind for much of the ride and enjoyed rolling through fields of grapes, hazelnuts and walnuts. Daniel did great, no major pains and Gary and I rode with no problems. When finished, we coasted into the Casino and checked-in. This is one day I think the Casino may have lost money on us - we headed straight for the all-you-can-eat buffet and ate ourselves sick feasting on lamb-chops, salad and desert. We'll go back to the room, watch the Laker game ands ready ourselves for tomorrow - a 60 mile day with approx 3500 feet of climbing.

The Little Thingy Fell Down Inside the Frame

Long story short - The Cervelo bike I ride has a very odd shaped seat post made of carbon fiber. The kind of rack I was going to ride attaches to the seat post, but will crush a carbon fiber post. I contacted Cervelo a few weeks ago and ordered an aluminum post to use in place of the carbon. On Sunday evening, as we were getting ready to pack the bikes, I attempted to replace my carbon post with the aluminum one. First problem was the aluminum post did not fit - so I used my metal grinder to grind off a few cm from the post. After about two hours of seat post wrangling, I was able to make the post work! Last thing to do was to take the post out to pack my bike. Simple enough one would think. As I loosened the post, a small piece of aluminum (about the size of a penny) came loose and fell down into my frame. Without the piece, the seat post would not be able to work. Nothing like trying to shake a piece of aluminum rattling around in a frame. Daniel, Gary and i worked on this problem until Gary and Daniel went to bed, and I continued to twist and turn my bike trying to shake the piece to freedom. No luck - the thingy was now entombed in my frame. I was now destined to ride with my beloved backpack for yet, another adventure! I packed my carbon post with my bike, sealed the box and was ready.

The Next Ride - Portland to San Francisco

This morning, I begin my next journey, riding from Portland, Oregon to San Francisco, CA. Riding with me will be my brother Gary, his father-in-law Daniel, who is visiting from Tours France, and Gary's friend, Jerry, from Pittsburgh, PA. Jerry will be flying in from PA today, direct to Portland. Daniel, Gary and I will fly from Orange County to Portland later today. Together, we start riding tomorrow morning.


Along the way, I'll be blogging and keeping those interested, up-to-date information regarding our progress. I have to catch a plane in a few minutes, so I'll add more later tonight. This should be a great ride - we'll be traveling through some of the most picturesque countryside in the world. Many years ago, I was fortunate enough to travel some of thee same roads - Astoria, Oregon to Eureka. Since this was so long ago, this ride will be like the first time for me. We've packed lighter than the last time, and have four riders instead of two. Hopefully, we'll have a strong wind in our back the entire way down the coast.

Lessons Learned

I always learn things along the way. Many times, the things I learn relate to cycling and many times, do not. Even though the ride ended short of the planned ride, we rode. Time spent riding is better than any other time I can think of. Riding along some of the most beautiful scenery in the world with some of the greatest weather in the world is an added extra. Time spent with my brother, sharing each others company and sharing the experience along the way is even better.

We learned that 75 miles per day on this route was a bit much. On the flats or flats with moderate hills might be fine - but on this route, was too much. 50 miles per day was probably better suited for this ride - or 75 miles if we were supported with someone else carrying our backpacks. Speaking of backpacks, we learned that we needed to pack lighter - instead of a pair of jeans, we might pack a pair of microfiber sweats next time. I learned the hand pump I brought to pump my tires on a daily basis was worthless - go with air cartridges instead and save yourself the trouble. I learned that you need to make sure you are eating and drinking constantly when traveling 50 plus miles per day. You can dehydrate yourself very quickly if not careful. I learned the prevailing winds blow from the north to the south most days along the coast and the winds grow stronger by the hour after 11am.

Most of all I continue to learn that the journey is much more than the destination. It is all about the twists and turns along the way and the uphills and the downhills. It is about the adventure and what happens along the way - it's about the time spent riding with a wind at your back and the uncertainty about what the day will bring....

Pictures from the Ride

Here we are waiting for the train in Surf Beach station, about 8 miles west of Santa Maria. Here is where our ride endeHere we are along the climb from Santa Maria to Lompoc before Gary's injury.

Here I am after a downhill in Big Sur. We knew there was an uphill coming up in the next few minutes and there were no cars - so we rested in the middle of highway 1!

Gary taking a breather on a chair we found on the side of a cliff. This was at the halfway point on the Big Sur portion of our ride.

Here I am after climbing one of the hills in Big Sur. Notice the pain on my face as I try to catch my breath. Also, notice the circa 1927 guardrails which protected Gary and I from the 1500 foot cliffs.

Uncle Gary all wrapped up and trying not to get sunburned in the hot California sun. Notice the strap around Gary's waist which was used to help secure the backpack and took much of the weight off the back.

This is the red Cervelo I rode - all campy and about 16 pounds. I used Michelin Prorace 3's with about 120 pounds of pressure and two waterbottles. Campy Euros wheels and a Fizik saddle.

This is the backpack I brought - 14.75 pounds on my back for an average of 75 miles per day. Next time I pack a little lighter or use something else!

SFO to Lompoc- The End

Crap – I heard Gary yell from 20 yards behind me. I stopped and turned around and found him in pain on the side of the road. What happened I asked? It's a repeat of an injury I had a few years ago - it's my soles – the muscle that runs between my Achilles and my calf and it hurts. I knew our ride would be ending soon.

We left Santa Maria after having breakfast with my brother Larry who works at Fess Parker winery in Los Olivos, but had work in Santa Maria today. After a hearty meal of pancakes and sausage, we began our journey to Santa Barbara – a planned ride of 80 miles. After heading down hwy 135 to Orcutt – we headed south into the mountains over the pass into Lompoc where we planned to have coffee and rest. Halfway up the hill is when I heard Gary yell in pain – he wanted to keep it going, but I knew we would be ending our ride today. We limped up over the hill and down and over and across fields for another 13 miles and soon we were sitting at Starbucks in Lompoc.

I'm afraid Gary came up lame – my decision was whether to take him out back and shoot him, or let him live to enjoy another day. OK I said, you pay for business class tickets on Amtrak and we are done. Gary didn't want to stop, but he knew the last time he had the same injury, he was off his feet for 4 months. “This does not mean I can't stand at a craps table for three or four hours” he said. I nodded in agreement and we both agreed our journey was over – for this time. Gary has a sports doctor who resides at the Palms Hotel in Vegas at Craps table 6. Sunday, we fly in to have him examined.

Tomorrow, I'll add my post-mortum and things I learned along the way.

Into Central California We Go

Todays ride took us from the Blackbird Inn in Cambria to Santa Maria. We averaged 15.6 mph on this 78 mile ride. Even though Gary and have been using sunblock, we are both very red after todays ride. As most of the guys I ride with know, I don't drink much when I ride, even though I know I should. Today, I went through 6 bottles of water and Gatorade.

The ride took us through Morro Bay and into San Louis Obispo, where we rode down the same street the Tour of California finished last week. From SLO, we headed for the coast and we lunched at a great Mexican restaurant in Pismo Beach. After Pismo, we heaped through Grover Beach – which by the way – offers our first opportunity to hop on the Amtrak and head home – which we did not take. Gary was showing remarkable speed this afternoon. We both feel it was the extra beans at lunch – whatever, it helped him to propel along at a great pace.

We then headed inland and we came to a spot on the map that we could not figure out why we would not just take a road that appeared to be 5 miles shorter – until we saw a 1500 foot steeeep climb that the mapped route took us around. We gladly followed the map and went through some huge estates outside of Arroyo Grande. After Arroyo, we dropped down into the growing fields of the Santa Maria valley and stopped for some of the sweetest oranges I have ever tasted. We then took advantage of the 23 mph tailwind to travel the last 7 miles into Santa Maria – tired and starting to feel the effects of 4 straight days of 70 miles plus. I still am refusing to give Gary a massage. Tonight, we make a big effort to stay up past 8:30.

One of the Tougher Rides I've done

Today we began our ride after going to bed last night a 7pm – no tv and no internet and only my brother to talk with....The 73 mile ride began with a 1000 ft climb out of Big Sir – this would set the tone for the ride today. I think I remember that at some point on the ride, Gary commented about my shorts – my shorts had been worn and washed so many times, that he was now staring at what amounted to my naked rear end for miles on end. But I digress – this ride was spectacular – along the rugged cliffs of Big Sur. Curve after curve and hill after big hill – we must have climbed easily 5000 feet today. Two major climbs – the first one out of Big Sur and the next one soon after our lunch stop in Gorda – another 700 foot climb. In between were many many 300 to 500 foot climbs.

We climbed our way out of the Big Sur cliffs and down to straights of Pacific Valley and into San Simeon. We rode along the coast where elephant seals layed on the rocks and we smelled them as we cruised by. We climbed the last few miles into Cambria and found a cool small hotel at the edge of town. First thing I did was stop at a bike store and purchased new shorts – I had to spare my brother the agony of staring at my naked rear for the next 300 miles. I also purchased some chain lube – my chain was dry and my bike was making some awful noises! 73 miles at an average of 13.9mph and painful. All is not lost – the place we are staying has a tv!

Santa Cruz to Big Sur

We began our ride from Santa Cruz after going to bed a 8PM – exhausted from the day before's ride. Today, the ride took us through Soquel, Aptos, Moss Landing, Monterey, Carmel and up to Big Sir. We enjoyed fabulous weather with great riding through some hills after leaving Santa Cruz, then through the fields of flower growers and artichoke Farmers on the Monterey Peninsula.

After the hills out of Santa Cruz, most of the ride to Monterey was via farm roads and bike paths. All was well until we hit a huge hill climbing from Monterey to Carmel along hwy 1. After the climb, we enjoyed lunch in Carmel Valley, then struggled with the last 25 miles into Big Sur. The hotel Gary chose, was the Big Sur lodge which was located UP yet another hill in the National Forest. Great hotel, no TV, no telephone and no internet – thus the blog today one day late. 78 miles today and we both are tired.

San Francisco to Santa Cruz

So where are our bikes? This is the question we were asking the gate agent upon our arrival at SFO. After a nice flight on the very hip Virgin America Airlines (check out the purple and blue lighting in the planes), we were suddenly faced with the reality that our bikes might not have made the trip on the plane with us. After an hour of checking and re-checking, the bike boxes were finally located – apparently they had been sent to customs – so much for a hip airline.

The bikes, once found, arrived in good shape. Gary brought all of his measurements from his Trek in France and we used those to dial in his new bike – it fit like a glove. We pumped up the tires, changed into our riding gear and we were off by 9:30.

Todays ride consisted of climbing from SFO to the coast, which was a climb of about 800 feet with a headwind. Both Gary and I were flowing with adrenaline so the climb didn't see too bad. We had a great downhill to Pacifica and onto highway 1 and on our way down the coast to Santa Cruz.

We enjoyed a lovely tailwind while we made our way down south. We had many small climbs and we stopped breifly at mile 25 to get some gatorade and cliffbars. We thought we would stop for lunch after Half Moon Bay, but we found nothing except beautiful wind swept coastline until mile 60, where we stopped for lunch in Davenport. 12 miles later, we were in Santa Cruz and our 73 mile ride was done at an average of 16.4 miles per hour. Both Gary and I are feeling today's ride and tonight, we go to bed early with thoughts of tomorrows ride from Santa Cruz to Big Sur.

Both bikes performed without any problems. The backpacks took a little getting used to – our backs and necks are feeling today's ride, but nothing a few pills won't be able to help. We will leave earlier tomorrow and plan to stop more often – thats the plan!

Gary Flys in Tonight

In a few minutes, I'll leave for the airport to pick up Gary. The bikes are packed and the backpacks are ready to go. I've packed air cylinders in my backpack and I'm not sure if I can check them thru or not - I'll let you know in tomorrow evenings post. It's off to SF first thing in the morning after a stay at the hotel near LAX. Our 6:30am flight will mean that we have to be at the airport around 5:30 and we'll have to bring our bikes on the airport shuttle to check them in. My information says that we will be charged $50 per bike, but experience has shown that they might not charge us anything, or try to charge us $100-$200 per bike - we'll see. I'm looking forward to Gary seeing his new Trek Madone 6.5 for the first time, then getting on the bike and riding 75 miles to Santa Cruz tomorrow. Glad I brought my tools to do some adjusting cause Gary is going to need a few adjustments along the way.

The Planned Route - In Detail

Many of you know my wife Denise. She is the ultimate planner and organizer. I, on the other hand, utilize what has become known as the "Schaffer method", which is basically - "I'll worry about it when I have to". When my Friend Steve and I rode across the US, nothing was planned and I remember we bought maps along the way and slept in some pretty interesting places, including a few cemeteries (It was quiet and we didn't need to worry about getting hassled by the locals)

Back to my wife Denise. When she learned of our trip down the coast, she knew that she would need to plan and organize and map our route. She needed to find a tool to help her and she found Google Pedometer. She has planned and routed each of our planned days below. I hope Gary and I don't deviate too much from her route - maybe - just maybe, I'll sleep one night in a cemetery just for old times sake.

Day 1 #1 - SFO-Santa Cruz
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1655780 2.68 miles - highest climb is 678.81 feet

Day 2 #2 - Santa Cruz-Big Sur
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1656153 75.78 miles - two climbs of 582.53

Day 3 #3 - Big Sur-Cambria
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1658756 70 miles - 3 climbs (979, 610, 600)

Day 4 #4 - Cambria-Santa Maria
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1660834 75 miles no major climbs - rolling hills

Day 5 #5 - Santa Maria-Goleta
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1659125 62 miles - 3 climbs (550, 1000, 1100)

Day 6 #6 - Goleta-Santa Monica
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1660483 95 miles no major climbs - rolling hills

Day 7 #7 - Santa Monica- Dana Point - flat city streets - final hill climb of 600

San Francisco to LA - The Night Before

It's the night before I leave for my trip down the California coast with my brother Gary. Gary is traveling from Tours, France to ride with me from San Francisco to Los Angeles. I traveled to France last year to ride with Gary in France. We will meet at the airport tomorrow night and catch a flight to San Francisco early Saturday morning.

I will be riding my trusty Cervelo Soloist Carbon and Gary will be riding a new Trek Madone 6.5 built with parts from my now infamous "garage wrecked" Colnago. I find that parts from an older bike sometimes make great parts for a new bike. I also passed on some Kysirium wheels that I know Gary will enjoy. I got two bike boxes from my local bike store and have the bikes tentatively packed and ready to make the trip Saturday morning on Virgin American. I always worry when traveling with my bike and having to rely on it for transportation when I arrive at my destination. Guess I will need to call my wife to pick me up if I arrive in San Francisco and my bike is broken.

I'm looking forward to seeing Gary tomorrow night when he arrives from France. The weather looks good for our trip and I've packed 3 tubes, 1 tire, 3 air cartridges, 1 multi-tool, 1 crash kit, arm warmers, leg warmers, 1 pair socks, bib shorts, short sleeve jersey, rain jacket. I will be wearing a pair of jeans, polo shirt, and crocks on the plane and will change into my cycling gear when we land. I'll bring a razor, shaving cream, deodorant, tooth brush and toothpaste.