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Diary
Day 1 (Sep 11th): Vancouver, BC to Bellingham, WA
I had planned to cycle to Mt Vernon today, about another 20 miles south o Bellingham. However, I did the Grouse Grind in the morning after not being able to do it the day before due to poor weather. Then, on my way back to Vancouver the bus driver forgot to tell me where to change (twice!) so I didn't start cycling until 2:15. It was really slow going out of Vancouver due to heavy traffic and endless sets of traffic lights. It took me more than an hour to cover the first ten miles but thankfully, once out of Vancouver, the speed picked up and I made fairly good progress to the Canada/US border. Unfortunately my map was not detailed enough to be of any use as I neared the border so I just followed signs. After ten minutes of questioning and $6 down I crossed into The United States of America. I was now on Interstate 5, which at this point cyclists are allowed on and there is a large hard shoulder so for the most part I felt perfectly safe. The only tricky times were when there was a slip road off the Interstate, which I had to ride across and hope that any traffic turning down the slip road would see me. If the traffic was particularly heavy or lots of cars were exiting the Interstate then I would also come off on the slip road and just rejoin straight away. I hadn't planned to stay on I5 but as it was fast (20mph+) I stayed on it. The numerous service stations along the interstate meant I was never stuck for food or water. About ten miles south of the border I stopped for my first American meal - a subway. These would become a staple part of my diet over the next few weeks - a footlong meatball sub packs over 1000 calories and only costs $5. I arrived in Bellingham just before 7pm and wanted to continue further down the road but unfortunately it was getting dark so I checked into a motel, ate, then went to bed.
Day 2 (Sep
12th): Bellingham, WA to Seattle, WA I woke early and had a huge breakfast - cereal, muffins, bagels and a cake. I may as well eat as much as I can when it's free! Before I left I confirmed a suspicion I had from the previous day. In Canada I knew distances on road signs were given in kilometres and assumed the US would be the same. This was not the case and explained why the distance to Seattle jumped from 200 in Canada to 103 by the time I was in the US. I thought I had made really good progress at first... I left just after 7am and followed route 11 along the coast, which was very scenic. After a couple of hours I rejoined interstate 5 for some fast easy miles. I followed the interstate most of the way to Seattle, except for some short stretches where bikes were not allowed on it. There would always be another way around at these points and I usually just asked someone for directions as my map was not detailed enough to navigate the smaller roads. It was hardly interesting cycling on I5 but it was fast. This section of the ride was never going to be the most interesting anyway so I wanted to just get it done as quickly as possible. It was really hot by 11:00am which made me feel a little sick - after a cold year in Britain all this heat was a shock to the system! I arrived in Seattle at about 3:00pm and checked into a youth hostel. One problem with riding on the interstate is that I got covered in grime from the road. Not only did it coat my legs but somehow got on my handlebar tape, turning my hands black. There were also lots of stones and bits of glass in the hard shoulder and this gave me my first puncture of the trip.
Day 3 (Sep
13th): Day in Seattle, WA
Day
4 (Sep
14th): Seattle,WA to Aberdeen, WA This was my least favourite day of the trip. Cycling out of Seattle was a nightmare due to very busy roads. I also rode through an industrial area which resulted in very poor road surfaces, lots of big lorries and lots of train track running at all sorts of angles across the road. It was only a few weeks earlier that I had crashed on some train tracks in the French Alps so I was very nervous about these and slowed right down for each crossing.
I followed route 99 out of Seattle then got onto Interstate 5. I was kicked off this by the police fairly soon after joining it as apparently cyclists were not allowed on the section I was on. So far there had been signs to say so but either there weren't any or I had missed them. I just kept asking people for directions to the next city on route to my final destination, Aberdeen. I ended up following S Tacoma way through Tacoma and then the Pacific highway, which rejoined I5 where I was allowed back on. I followed I5 to Olympia then turned off onto highway 101, then route 8 then 12 to Aberdeen. There was supposed to be a youth hostel in Aberdeen but nobody there, including the tourist information had ever heard of it so I ended up in a motel. The whole town looked very run down so maybe the youth hostel had long gone and the website I looked at was out of date.
Day
5 (Sep
15th): Aberdeen, WA to Astoria, OR Today was a great ride. I set off at 7am with the intention of finishing early so I could wash my clothes. I did not follow the Adventure Cycling Association (ACA) route today but followed the 101 along the coast instead. The road had a very smooth surface which helped keep the speed up. There were rolling hills all day but nothing really challenging. I passed two other touring cyclists today (first so far) and it was nice to share a few stories. One had started in Germany and was the first to guess that I am English - I had had guesses of Canadian, New Zealand and Australia before that!!! I rode over a huge bridge to get into Astoria which took a good ten minutes to cross and finished the day mid afternoon. I ate a McDonalds, a huge sandwich then a pizza and went to bed. Being able to eat so much is one of the joys of cycling.
Day
6 (Sep
16th): Astoria, OR to Pacific City, OR
In the morning I took a walk up to Astoria column, which was really not worth the effort for two reasons. One it was cloudy so I couldn't see much and two, it rained as I was walking back so my only set of non cycling clothes were now wet. After a breakfast of bagels and cheese I set of in torrential rain. Even a £140 gore-tex waterproof jacket did not keep me dry. My bin liner kept the inside of my panniers though! Thankfully the rain stopped around lunch time and I had a warm sun for the rest of the day. I had planned on cycling to a state park near Tillamook today. However, when I arrived I didn't really like the look of the camp site so pressed on. The mornings were cold and damp and I was still wet from the rain during the day so I was not keen to spend the night in a bivi bag on soggy ground. I followed the ACA route all day today, except for a short section after Tillamook where I chose to follow the 131. I went through the first of two tunnels in Oregon today. The book 'Bicycling the Pacific Coast: A Complete Route Guide, Canada to Mexico' describes the tunnels as being a bit dangerous and hair raising. I did not find this to be true at all. There is a button for cyclists to press before entering the tunnel and this warns other road users that there is a cyclist in the tunnel. I had expected a great long, dark tunnel but it was neither of these. Once again I ended up in a motel tonight.
Day
7 (Sep
17th): Pacific City, OR to Searose Beach, OR As is very much the norm now I was on 101 all day. The morning was a bit cold but by midday it had warmed up and I made good time along the coast, reaching Newport by lunch. The terrain was flatter today and I had a relatively easy day before checking into another motel at the end of the day.
Day
8
(18th Sep): Searose Beach, OR to Bandon, OR Today I passed through some nice seaside towns as I made my way south along the Pacific coast. I made one deviation from 101 today by taking the Seven Devils road south of Charlstown. I'm sure I read somewhere when planning this trip that the seven devils were seven hills. It was certainly uphill for a long time but this resulted in some great views. The youth hostel at Bandon was full so I had to stay in another motel. I had a huge pizza for dinner but couldn't finish the last little bit so took these back with me and had them for breakfast the next morning.
Day
9 (19th Sep): Bandon, OR to Redwood Youth Hostel, CA
My original plan had been to get to Gold Beach today but due to the last few days putting me slightly ahead of schedule I set my sighs on a motel just south of Brookings. The weather in the morning was pretty miserable (cold and wet) and I was riding into a slight headwind. However, after lunch it warmed up and the wind changed direction to give me a tailwind. I reached Brookings earlier than I had expected so pushed on and eventually reached what should have been tomorrows destination, Redwood youth hostel after 123 miles. This was the furthest I had ever cycled in a day. The closest place to get food was 2 miles away so after showering I cruised down on my bike to get something to eat.
A new longest day today. As per usual the morning was cold and wet but it gradually warmed during the day. I cut off a few miles of the ACA route by staying on the 101 between Fernbridge and Scotia rather than taking a diversion to Ferndale. I initially looked at staying in Myers Flat but prices were extortionate here so I ended up pushing on to a motel in Garberville. I couldn't believe how far I had cycled today and still felt pretty good, even after a long day yesterday as well.
Day 11
(21st Sep): Garberville, CA to Ukiah, CA I cut inland today in an attempt to reach San Francisco a day early. I took a combination of highway 101 and some smaller roads. I hadn't realised but cyclists are not allowed on the freeway in California like you are in Oregon si I got stopped by the police at one point. I had to keep stopping to ask for directions to find my way and some people didn't seem to understand the phrase 'without using the freeway'. I don't think they believed I was cycling... This was a shorter and less scenic day than the previous few days but the heat had been unbarable (touching 40°C) and had made the ride very hard. At one point I ran out of water and was getting really dehydrated. From then on I always made sure I filled up at every chance I got. Another motel tonight.
Day
12 (22nd Sep): Ukiah, CA to San Francisco, CA Expecting more severe heat today I set off as soon as it got light, just before 7am and was making good progress to San Francisco following a small road that ran parallel to 101. By lunch I had had two punctures then a third after lunch. As I was inflating this last one my pump broke although thankfully I had just enough air in the tire to contine. Another puncture would have ended the day though. I arrived in a foggy San Francisco after crossing a very Golden Gate bridge, from which I could see nothing. The youth hostel I planned to stay in was full so I had to go all the way across town to another one I had (thankfully) marked on my map.
Day
13 and 14 (23rd - 24th Sep): Days in San Francisco I felt better the second day so I got more inner tubes, a new pump, took a walk along Fishermans Warf and a tour bus around the Golden Gate bridge area, which was foggy again. I also booked youth hostels for the remainder of the trip (except tomorrow nights) as I felt I wanted a bit more structure for the final week. I also couldn't afford more motels.
Day
15 (25th Sep): San Francisco, CA to Marina, CA As expected my legs refused to cooperate at the start of the day and once again San Francisco was in fog. I was back following the ACA route today. It took a while to clear the boundaries of San Francisco but it was nowhere near as bad as getting out of Seattle and was actually quite pleasant once I got onto the coast. There was a brief period during the day when the fog cleared but it soon returned and reduced visability to about 100m for most of the day. I found this made cycling quite difficult as there is nothing to focus on. You can't see the road ahead so you have no idea what is coming (hills, long flats etc.) and there is nothing to look at to distract you from the hours in the saddle. The planned destination today was Santa Cruz but this was a youth hostel I had been unable to book online and when I arrived it was full. I just carried on cycling as I still had plenty of daylight left and motel prices around here would have been well outside my price range. I very nearly reached tomorrows destination, Monterey, but I was ten miles short when it got dark. Combined with the thick fog I decided it would have been unsafe to continue so I checked into a Motel in Maria.
Day
16 (26th Sep): Marina, CA to Monterey, CA As I had already booked the youth hostel in Monterey today I had less than 10 miles to cover. Tough day! I half wanted to cover some of tomorrows mileage but there were no youth hostels further down the road. So, I spend the day in Monterey and dipped my feet into the Pacific Ocean for the first time. Monterey is a really nice town and I was glad I had an afternoon there. I also fixed a puncture that I had from the previous day. It was a slow one so I had just been pumping up the tire every hour or so.
Day
17 (27th Sep): Monterey, CA to Cambria, CA
I had a scrumptious breakfast consisting of three large donuts outside a seven eleven then started the ride. I had the most climbing of the whole trip today and it started with a huge climb out of Monterey. Other than the final 10 miles into Cambria I don't think there was anything flat all day! This was also the first day which I was really struggling physically. Some days had been hard but up to today I had never really been pushed to my limits. I don't know if it was the cumulative effect of cycling day after day with little break or if it was because I had had quite a bit of time off the bike over the last few days and my body had shut down a little. It was foggy again today but other than the last few hours the fog stopped at the top of the cliffs so the sea to my right was completely covered in fog for as far as I could see. This provided some spectacular views. I saw loads of seals on the beach just south of Cambria and some of the males were fighting each other. I rode the last 10 miles with a chap who had started in north Oregon and was also going to Mexico. It was nice to ride with someone else for a change and we shared a pizza for dinner.
Day
18 (28th Sep): Cambria, CA to Santa Barbara, CA
I knew this would be a long day so I set off early. More fog and drizzle in the morning meant I just got my head down and rode pretty much non stop for the first three hours. The further south I got the clearer the weather got and by the time I was in Santa Barbara there were beautiful clear skies. The landscape is far more barren than it was in north California with little vegetation on the hills and palm trees lining the beach, compared to the lush green redwoods of northern California. Once in Santa Barbara I found the youth hostel then went for something to eat.
Day
19 (29th Sep): Santa Barbara, CA to Los Angeles, CA I had the best days cycling so far today. The ACA provides no elevation profiles for the section of the route between Santa Barbara and Mexico and I now see why. It was pancake plat all day with the exception of a few small hills around Malibu. I also had a strong tailwind, warm sun all day and I was cycling right next to the beach all day so I really enjoyed the scenery. It got very busy going through Malibu (I had been warned of this) and took a lot of concentration to avoid erratic drivers and people opening car doors without looking.
I met some racing cyclists just outside LA so I put in the effort to stay in their draft for a few fast miles. It was nice to go at race pace for a change. Once in LA there was a bike path that ran through the beach, which I found a bit of a novelty, although the patches of sand on some corners made me a little nervous. It was dark by the time I got to the youth hostel, which was huge. Unfortunately the youth hostel was a 45 minute ride inland, so I would have to do the reverse of this the next day to get back to the coast.
Day
20 (30th Sep) Los Angles, CA to San Diego, CA I actually thought today was going to be about 95 miles but obviously I made an error whilst planning the route... Thankfully I realised this last night so I set of early. I did not enjoy the ride out of LA. Not because of heavy traffic but because the ACA route is hard to follow and I had to keep stopping to make sure I was going the right way. It looks simple enough, just follow the bike path along the beach then turn off down a specific road. The problem was I could not see the road names from the bike path and there were not the usual bike route signs so I ended up missing the turning. It took me a while to get back on the right road and then the route zig zaged out of LA. It would have been far easier to just get on route 1 from the start and the ACA route joins this just outside of LA anyway.
Once out of LA I enjoyed the cycling and with a strong tailwind I made good progress. Nearing San Diego I passed through the US Marine Corps reservation, Camp Pendleton. I got stopped by the guard at the entrance who told me I had to cover my chest. I had broken the zip on my jersey a few days ago so it was stuck open. This meant I had to put another top on over my jersey which made for a few hot miles. It was strange being passed by armoured vehicles and seeing warning signs for detonation fields and tank crossings. The most dangerous thing that usually crosses the road where I ride is a tractor! Just outside San Diego I could see two racing cyclists climbing what I was told to be a 1.5 mile hill. For some reason I decided I wanted to catch them but had to put in a huge effort given I was carrying all my gear I would have caught them had the hill been 100m longer, or I hadn't already cycled 120 miles... The effort left me very tired for the last 20 miles and I eventually found the youth hostel in the dark, shortly after nearly ending up in the Pacific Ocean when I didn't see a 90° turn in the bike path that ran along the harbour front. I can't believe I cycled 143 miles today after nearly three weeks on the road but I guess we can always do more than we think.
Day
21 (1st Oct): San Diego, CA to Tijuana, Mexico
The final day of my ride - a mere 15 miles to cross into Mexico. All the way down the coast I had heard that it was too dangerous to go to Tijuana due to wars between drug cartel and the authorities. I had a back up plan which would have involved going 45 miles to Tecate, a smaller town further inland but in the end I decided to just go to Tijuana. It wasn't really a pleasant ride because the roads were poor quality and the skills of the drivers were equally poor. I got a little confused at the boarder and didn't really feel safe in Mexico with my bike so I got a photo by a Mexican flag and left. I had expected the border to lead straight into downtown Tijuana, for which I had a map of but it didn't and I wasn't keen on finding my way there and risk getting lost. I spent more time queuing to get out of Mexico than I did looking around.
Final
Thoughts Unfortunately I got some bad weather in Oregon but what I did see of the coast was very spectacular. The redwoods provided the first true touristy places and I enjoyed cycling through these as it was a change to the remote and sometimes run down towns north of here. Northern California was very similar to Oregon but the conditions gradually became more arid as I continued south. The section from Malibu to the southern outskirts of LA were very heavy with traffic so care is needed when cycling through here but it is not too bad. There are numerous off road bike paths but navigating theses with the ACA maps is difficult as you usually can't see road signs so don't know where you are and the signposting was poor. There is nothing exciting about ending in Mexico although it was nice to cross the US boarder at the start and end of the ride. San Diego would have made a perfectly good end point though. So, in
summary, the scenery is amazing, you see some of Americas big cities and
the terrain is relatively easy. It is rolling for most of the route
with no really steep hills then completely flat for the last couple of
days. The route is certainly best done north to south due to the
strong prevailing winds that blow in that direction. I felt very
sorry for cyclists going the other way. I'd highly recommend this
route for anyone interested in touring cycling. |
