It Starts With a Crazy Idea

Anyone thinking about doing a ride like this first has to come up with the crazy idea. When you do, you'll think of a million reasons why you can't do it. I remember reading Matt Kelly's PedalPanAm blog when he was cycling 17,500 miles from Alaska to Argentina. Talk about crazy! At the same time, I was awestruck. One thing I can tell you is that everything changes from the moment you say, "I'm gonna do it." Up until then, it was just a crazy idea. Since that point in time, I have been absorbed with thinking, organizing, daydreaming, and planning. My training rides on my new Vilier Izorad fly by because I'm so excited. Maybe some of my planning tips will help you with your crazy idea!
Travel Light

From the start I knew that I wanted to pack as lightly as possible. It helps that that I'll have ride support for 13 days of my trip and it also helps that I'm taking two short breaks where I return home. But my pack-light plan can work for anyone. After tons of research, I settled on the Topeak TrunkBag DXP. This trunk bag has panels that open into panniers and while I think I might have been able to avoid panniers altogether, it would have been tough. This bag clips right into the Topeak QR Beam Rack (V-type). I initially bought the Topeak Explorer Rack because I read that it was more stable than the beam rack. But the Explorer is not ideal for a road bikes like my Wiliar. My bike does not have rack mounts and it would have taken an act of God to make it fit. The beam rack looks better and seems plenty strong. After returning the Bushwacker Top Tube Bag (too big for a top tube bag), I bought a Axiom Adirondack Handlebar Bag. I need a front bag for my camera and a few odds and ends. This one is decent but I wish it was easier to open and close with one hand. Most of the places I am staying have a washer & dryer, so I plan to wash clothes at least every other day. I'm bringing 2 jerseys, 2 pairs of cycling shorts and I'll wear both pairs and rotate them the second day. For off-bike, I'm bringing 1 pair of shorts, 2 t-shirts, 2 pairs of briefs, and flip flops. For variety and/or as-needed, I'll mail myself a different t-shirt and shorts, along with a return envelope when I'm staying in places I can't do laundry two days in a row. My cycling windbreaker will double as my jacket. I'll need a few toiletries, sunscreen, smartphone & charger, GoPro camera, extra tubes, medicine, passport, money clip, route guides, and not much else.
Launching Point

Before you can plan your route, you need to figure out where to start and how to get there. This took me a longer than you might think. Most people cycle into the U.S.A. through Blaine or ferry through Sidney into Anacortes. If you're like me, you'll look at a map and figure you're cheating if you start in Anacortes. My initial thought was to fly to Vancouver and cycle the 30 miles to Blaine. That adds a day to your trip. I eventually opted to fly to Vancouver, then take public transportation to the Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay ferry. Once in Swartz Bay, I'll cycle (in Canada) 4 miles to Sidney and catch the 5:55 Sidney-Anacortes Ferry (be mindful that the 5:55 ferry only runs in the summer). The advantages of launching from Anacortes are that you avoid a congested day coming out of Vancouver and through Blaine, and instead you get to enjoy two spectacular ferry rides through the San Juans. Lest you still think it's cheating to start in Anacortes, it is a fact that Anacortes, Washington is NORTH of Victoria, Canada!
Creating a Route

I did more than my share of Google searching and discovered that pretty much everyone uses the Adventure Cycling Association Pacific Coast Bicycle Touring Maps and/or the book Bicycling the Pacific Coast, by Vicky Spring and Tom Kirkendall, to plan their routes. After skimming through the book and glancing at the maps, I pulled out both and plotted my route on MapMyRide. My daily routes are all linked on the Route tab of this web site. The book offers two primary paths through Washington and I opted for what they refer to as the Peninsula route. Where there were options to go off the main drag (which is Highway 101 for most of Washington, Oregon, and northern California), that's typically what I plotted on MapMyRide.
Deciding how far to go each day is largely a function of how far you want to go and partly a function of where you can find places to stay overnight. Because I want to take my time, enjoy my days, and be (hopefully) pain-free, I targeted a "sweet spot" of about 65 miles per day. On same days it just wasn't possible because towns are so far apart in the northern half of the pacific coast. When that was the case, I opted for a short day rather extending too far beyond my comfort zone. All told, I'm riding 60-70 miles on 10 days, more than 70 miles 8 days, and less than 60 miles 11 days. I'm also participating in two group rides along the way, the People's Coast Classic, a 5-day ride through Oregon, and the California Coast Classic, an 8-day ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. These are awesome, supported rides that benefit the Arthritis Foundation. I'll be camping each of those nights. The meals are great on these two rides and the camping is a blast. And it's all "free", but you need to raise about $5,000 between the two charity rides. For me, that was a no-brainer. Having a daughter with juvenile arthritis is a pretty good fundraising motivator.
Deciding how far to go each day is largely a function of how far you want to go and partly a function of where you can find places to stay overnight. Because I want to take my time, enjoy my days, and be (hopefully) pain-free, I targeted a "sweet spot" of about 65 miles per day. On same days it just wasn't possible because towns are so far apart in the northern half of the pacific coast. When that was the case, I opted for a short day rather extending too far beyond my comfort zone. All told, I'm riding 60-70 miles on 10 days, more than 70 miles 8 days, and less than 60 miles 11 days. I'm also participating in two group rides along the way, the People's Coast Classic, a 5-day ride through Oregon, and the California Coast Classic, an 8-day ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. These are awesome, supported rides that benefit the Arthritis Foundation. I'll be camping each of those nights. The meals are great on these two rides and the camping is a blast. And it's all "free", but you need to raise about $5,000 between the two charity rides. For me, that was a no-brainer. Having a daughter with juvenile arthritis is a pretty good fundraising motivator.
Where to Spend the Night

Yelp and Travel Advisor got quite a workout as I plotted out places to spend my nights. Ideally, I want to stay in quaint motels in small towns that are cheap, like this place. "Cheap" is difficult in the summer; most rates are at least 20% more at that time. When exploring options, I stayed away from places that had a lot of bad reviews. Admittedly I'm taking my chances in a couple of spots, so I'll share my findings from the road about all the places I stay.
Because I'm raising money for the Arthritis Foundation on my ride, I asked everyone for a discount. Without exception, everyone obliged. Most discounts were 10-20% but a couple offered 40-50% and one, the Dana Point Marina Inn, gave me a free room.
Because I'm raising money for the Arthritis Foundation on my ride, I asked everyone for a discount. Without exception, everyone obliged. Most discounts were 10-20% but a couple offered 40-50% and one, the Dana Point Marina Inn, gave me a free room.
Getting You and Your Bike There & Back

Unless you have someone driving you, getting you and your bike to Canada and then returning home from Mexico takes some creative planning. For the trip to Canada, I'm getting a cardboard bike box from Mike's Bikes in Los Gatos, and I'm probably going to have them pack it. They charge $100 to do it right but they may waive the cost given the charitable nature of my ride. I'll then check it as baggage and take it on my flight. I'm flying WestJet from San Francisco to Vancouver and the first checked bag is free. Since I am checking no other bags, my bike is my first bag. If the L+W+H is greater than 62", I have to pay a $50 oversized baggage fee. Stay under 80" or you'll need to ship your bike as cargo. On Air Canada, you pay a standard baggage fee of $25 for the first cheked bag, but it looks like there is no oversized baggage fee if your L+W+H is less than 115". Finally, United flies direct to Vancouver and bicycles over 62 total linear inches are subject to a $100 service charge. It appears as though WestJet and Air Canada are cheaper options, with Air Canada being the lowest. But your total cost will depend on what's available at the time.
After crossing the border into Mexico, my plan is o take the San Diego Trolley from the border to the Convention Center Station in downtown San Diego. I'll then ride 5 blocks to The Bike Revolution and have my bike boxed there. I'll then reboard the trolley, and take it to American Plaza Station. From there, I'll hop on MTS Bus Route 992 from America Plaza Station to the San Diego Airport. I'm flying back to San Jose on Southwest and they charge $75 if the L+W+H is more than 62".
After crossing the border into Mexico, my plan is o take the San Diego Trolley from the border to the Convention Center Station in downtown San Diego. I'll then ride 5 blocks to The Bike Revolution and have my bike boxed there. I'll then reboard the trolley, and take it to American Plaza Station. From there, I'll hop on MTS Bus Route 992 from America Plaza Station to the San Diego Airport. I'm flying back to San Jose on Southwest and they charge $75 if the L+W+H is more than 62".