Another Bike Trip

In 2009 I biked from Mountain View to Los Angeles. Starting this coming weekend I’ll be biking from Eureka, CA to home. I’m expecting 5 or 6 days of riding, around 60 miles per day. My goal with this post is to convey the logistics of this ride.

Preparation

Well I’ve been riding a lot, obviously. Almost every weekend for the past two months. I replaced my old, worn bike tires with new, shiny ones because getting a flat tires in the middle of nowhere sucks. I also replaced both inner tubes. I bought additional spare inner tubes. And a multi-tool. And knee warmers because it might be cloudy and chilly riding near the coast and my knees feel better when they’re not cold. I put my rear rack on my bike again. I’ll be using the same two rear panniers from my last trip.

The Route

I’ll be following Adventure Cycling Association’s Pacific Coast map again. It basically follows highways 101 and 1. My plan is to stay overnight in Eureka, Garberville, Fort Bragg, Anchor Bay and Bodega Bay. Motels in the first three towns and camping in the latter two. I’ll be taking a Greyhound bus to Eureka. I haven’t decided whether I’ll take Caltrain back home once I get to the Bay, or if I’ll spend the night somewhere near San Francisco and bike home the next day.

A Typical Day

Wake up whenever. I’ll be near the coast much of the route, so I’m not expecting it to get hot during the day, so there’s no need to wake up early. Eat a light breakfast–maybe some fruit, cereal or bread–then start biking.

I certainly won’t be trying to break any speed records. I like to take my time and look around. I also expect to have to stop and look at the map maybe every 10 miles. I’ll want to keep in mind the name of the next road I’ll be turning on and how far away it is. If I’ll be riding through a small town I might try to find a restaurant for lunch. Preferably somewhere casual, where people won’t be offended if I’m sweaty and wearing cycling clothes. Otherwise I’ll make a few stops throughout the day and snack on whatever I’ve brought with me.

Upon arriving in the destination town I’ll first check in to the hotel or campground. I’ll take a shower if possible and change into normal clothes, then find somewhere appealing for dinner. After dinner I’ll head back to hotel or camp, read a book and probably go to sleep early.

What I’m Bringing

In case you haven’t lost interest yet, here’s a list of what I’ll be taking with me.

• Bike
• Helmet with tail light attached to it
• Two rear panniers, and maybe a trunk bag
• CamelBak backpack with 3 liter reservoir
• Two water bottles
• Wind breaker
• Arm warmers
• Knee warmers
• Gloves
• Sun glasses
• Clear glasses (for riding in the rain or at night)
• Sunscreen
• Three spare tire tubes
• Patch kit
• Tire levers
• Hand pump
• A multi-tool
• Spoke wrench
• Sleeping bag
• Sleeping pad
• Tent
• Small pillow
• Small towel
• Flip flops
• Tennis shoes
• Bike shoes
• Two pairs of bike shorts
• Three bike jerseys
• 6 pairs of socks
• Underwear
• 1 pair of shorts
• 2 or 3 shirts
• Lightweight down jacket
• Phone
• Phone charger
• Map
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Contacts
• Contact solution
• Glasses
• Glasses case
• Gu
• Clif Shot Bloks
• Cliff Bars
• Maybe some apples or pears
• Maybe a loaf of bread or baguette

Edit: I thought of some more stuff:

• Sleeping bag liner
• Headlamp
• Toilet paper
• Neosporin
• Titanium spork
• Fruit cups
• Pen

I removed tennis shoes from the list–they’re too big. I removed camp pillow the list–it’s too bulky and I can just use my towel or some clothes.