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| Short shakedown ride on the LHT |
The epic route I’ll be following, which I’ll be starting in Bellingham WA, was developed by the Adventure Cycling Association. It hugs the Pacific coastline, climbing more than 100,000 feet as it rollercoasters through the states of Washington, Oregon and California.
The ACA’s Pacific Coast route is considered to be one of most scenic bicycle routes in the United States.
Part of route’s appeal to me is it is never so remote that a touring cyclist needs to carry more than a day or two supply of food at any one time, and potable water is readily available.
The route also passes dozens of state parks that offer cyclists low-cost campsites, and many of the parks have showers.
It’s been 50 years since I lived in San Diego.
In my tender youth during the 1950s and early 1960s, San Diego was a sleepy border town dominated by the U.S. Navy and a handful of defense contractors.
Now, it is the U.S.’s eighth largest city and home to Quaalcom and other major high-tech companies.
Its beaches, parks, zoo and pleasant weather are its biggest tourist attractions.
I am particularly looking forward to checking out our old family homestead in San Diego’s Clairemont subdivision.
Clairemont, one of the nation’s first suburban communities, was developed in the early 1950s by Lou Burgener and Carlos Tavares. It sits on top of a mesa overlooking Mission Bay, and was named after Tavares’ wife, Claire.
As I work my way southward along the Pacific coast, I look forward to walking along the ocean in the evenings after my daily rides, listening to the cries of the seagulls and the lapping of the surf on the shore.
After I finally make it to San Diego, I plan to celebrate by sipping a cerveza or two on the sun-dappled patio of a Mexican restaurant in the city’s Old Town district. With any luck, the bougainvillea and jacaranda trees will be in full bloom.
To begin the route, I’ve arranged to ship my bike to a motel in Bellingham WA and have booked the flight into town.
The evening I arrive, I will reassemble my bicycle of choice for this journey—a 2011 Surly Long Haul Trucker with rim brakes, stout steel racks and a serious can-do attitude—then pedal over to the nearby REI store to pick up two fuel canisters for my camp stove, chain lube, and other items that I can’t carry on the plane.
The following day, I plan to ride 26.5 miles to the Canada border for a photo op, then retrace the route back to the motel, for a total of 53 miles.
On day three, I will check out of the motel and continue south.
I’m thinking the entire ride to San Diego will take anywhere from 35 to 45 days, depending on how many rest days and side trips I take along the way.
Eat, sleep, ride (and relax) is the plan. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
