Nine days, 12 Clif bars, and just shy of 500 miles later, I arrived in Los Angeles, CA with awkward tan lines and a new sense of confidence about the cross-country ride. While I was certainly looking forward to it before, now that I’ve actually done some bicycle touring (have I mentioned that prior to this ride I had never done an overnight bike trip… ever?) I know that not only is it totally doable, it’s also REALLY FUN. I honestly can’t wait to get back on the road.
There were some scary moments – between San Francisco and Half Moon Bay is a twisty, mountainous stretch of road aptly named “Devil’s Pass” where there is absolutely no shoulder and no bike lane. On my left, traffic whizzed by at freeway speeds and on my right, sheer cliffs dropped off into the sea below. I biked this portion on my very first day of riding, which was good because after that everything else was cake in comparison, even the biggest hills.
And there were some hills. Mountains, really. Crossing Big Sur involves four separate 1,000 ft climbs, some really steep, some miles long. But the most amazing part about biking is that if there’s a grueling, grinding climb, there’s always a wild downhill to look forward to. It’s an experience unlike any other, whipping down the side of a mountain on a bicycle. It feels like flying.
On the fourth day, I was joined by a pod of whales who were also traveling south. I woke up early to the hit the road by first light and when I looked out at the horizon line, there they were, blowing steam and occasionally popping a nose out of the water. The Pacific Coast route follows the ocean almost the entire way between SF and LA, and all day long the whales were there, miles offshore but parallel with me, like pacers. It was fun to have traveling partners for a day, even if they were terrible conversationalists.
At the end of each day, if I wasn’t staying with friends or family, I’d find a campsite, set up my tent and gather firewood before the sun set, go for a quick run to stretch my legs, hygiene, and then “make dinner” – usually a can of soup, a Clif bar, or, if I forgot to get food (which I did a few times) – s’mores. I’m going to need to pay more attention to the food situation when I start the cross-country ride, because s’mores for dinner, while fun in theory, is pretty disgusting three days in a row.
On the experience itself, meditative isn’t the word, because biking is too mentally active – you’re constantly scanning for rocks and holes, listening for runaway eighteen-wheelers and taking in the sights around you – but there’s something very zen about bicycle touring. The intentionality behind planning each day – what you will eat, where you will sleep, what you will wear and wash and how you will dry it – and being totally responsible for yourself in every way – it simplifies life into a series of logistical challenges that have to be overcome in a finite amount of time. If you’re going to make it from one place to another before dark, you just have to figure it out – no matter what happens – and do it. Otherwise you’ll be biking at night or camping on the side of the road or eating s’mores for dinner three nights in a row or something else equally unpleasant. Every action has an immediate and obvious consequence. It’s incredibly motivating, especially when my seat is sore and the hill seems endless. If real life was more like bike touring, self-discipline would be so much easier.
I’ve got about two weeks off, and then the official Cycle for Security tour starts from San Diego on February 7th. Stay tuned for an updated schedule and route map coming soon!
Share this article!
