Since I returned from cycling the Pacific Coast Highway in June 2017, I have been asked countless times if I had any more cycling trips planned. The answer was usually, ‘no, not yet, but I’ve had a few ideas!’ It was always going to take some time before I was ready to undergo a similar trip again. For a start, successfully completing my biggest challenge yet meant that my ambitions were likely to remain higher for future endeavours, and that required me to find a long enough window with which to fit my plans.
Another problem was that, since the America trip, my touring bike had had a fairly tough time of it. In January 2018, I was out for a short cycle not far from home when I changed gear to pedal up a steep hill and there was a loud crunch from the back of the bike. The chain had broken, the rear derailleur had snapped in half and bent the derailleur mounting point on the frame in the process. Not good. In the end, it turned out an absolutely trashed small chainring, from my 2000 mile sojourn, was the root of the problem, and it was really spring 2019 before it was back up and running properly.
Then it was time to start planning something…
Opting to go in January helped narrow the range of possibilities significantly, and in the end I was trying to decide between an End to End of New Zealand or something in South-East Asia. I decided to leave New Zealand until I was feeling less adventurous, so South-East Asia it was. I’d been to Thailand, so not there. A lack of tarmacked roads and a predominance of hills did for Cambodia and Laos respectively, and eventually, it was the lure of a 1000 mile stretch of well-maintained tarmac through rural farmland and stunning karst mountains that won it. So, as of the 4th of January, I’m heading for the Ho Chi Minh Highway – between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City – in Vietnam!
As I planned this trip, there were many occasions when I was concerned that I was attempting the impossible; indeed, for much of the route, I’d only hoped to get as far as Los Angeles, and I didn’t actually book my flight back from San Diego until I reached there. Before the Pacific Coast, my longest previous cycle tour had been 400 miles, and by the end of that I had been ready to go home. Physically I had still felt strong, but the mental strain of cycling solo through the Moroccan Atlas, sleeping amongst wild dogs and patronising shops in which sellers tried to sell me unwanted trinkets, had worn me down. I knew that if I was to enjoy the experience of testing myself on a longer route, I would need to travel somewhere that felt more culturally familiar. The fact that the US Pacific Coast Highway regularly featured in the top 3 on lists of the world’s best cycle tours helped to narrow my scope considerably.
Having decided on the US Pacific Coast Highway, I wanted to be sure that it would be possible with my given timeframe before I took any drastic steps – such as booking flights. The process seemed endless as I probed the internet for campsite opening dates to determine whether the trip would be plausible at all. As I worked through the campsites, results seemed to suggest that most of the campsites would be available, in fact, most of them were probably available throughout the year. As I spoke to US-based cyclists on the road, they seemed amused to find that I’d been worried about the accessibility of campsites – they clearly hadn’t arrived at a campsite in France at quarter to 7 in the evening, only to find that the reception was closing and security gates fastened into place. As the journey unfolded, I realised that much of my planning had been unnecessary, I was in the land of the RV and the road trip, on one of the most popular routes in the country. This was a route well served by amenities.
Many of the campsites I stayed in on the route were those recommended in the Bicycling the Pacific Coast route guide, and most of the rest I found in the official American Cycling Association maps of the route. I used them interchangeably at times, and was pleased to discover that – until quite far South in California – most of the campsites were excellent for my requirements, whether I’d seen them recommended or not.
It was much the same with restaurants, I’d spent weeks before I left researching potential food stops in guidebooks and jotting them down in a small notebook. Of course, I barely glanced at the notebook during my trip and, checking back afterwards, I realised that I hadn’t been to any of the places I’d planned out beforehand. When restaurant-hunting a quick glance at Trip Advisor had usually been my first port of call, and the next step was to assess individual restaurants, largely based on whether there was somewhere suitable to leave my bike.
During the 5 and a half week journey, I was on the limit in terms of keeping my bike on the road, punctures were a constant issue, especially when the weather worsened, and there were times during the ride where I was getting by with as few as two gears running smoothly, one for the hills, and one for the flat. I could coast the downhills. I went through brake pads quickly in the wet weather, and not being able to set up gears properly meant I snapped more gear cables than I should. Despite all this, I kept the bike rolling along.
Throughout the trip, the ever-changing spectacle of nature left me awestruck on countless occasions. Vancouver Island, Puget Sound, the Olympic Mountains, Deception Pass, Cannon Beach, Nehalem Bay, Boiler Bay, Cape Perpetua, Oregon Dunes, Pebble Beach, Elk Prairie Redwoods, The Avenue of the Giants, Pacific Grove, Monterey Wine Country, Lake Nacimiento, Point Mugu, La Jolla and Coronado were just a few of the natural wonders I witnessed.
When I think of all that I experienced along the way, I’m reminded of Gilles, the Canadian, who I’d met in the campsite near Santa Cruz, and who was cycling the Pacific Coast for the second time, 25 years after the first. I asked him how he was finding it after so long. ‘Oh, The same!’ was his response. Life had moved on, but the Pacific Coast Highway remained the same, a wonderful adventure waiting to happen.
So, the day is finally here! Tomorrow I fly to Vancouver, hoping to cycle down the Pacific Coast to San Diego. The route is around 2000 miles long, and I have 39 days in which to complete it. That would require me to cycle an average of 51 miles a day with no days off the bike. I’m working on the principle that to try and fail is better than to sit at home!
My route travels north out of Vancouver, then crosses onto Vancouver Island to start the journey south. I will then cross into America through the San Juan Islands, continuing south through Washington state, Oregon and, finally, California to reach the Mexican border in San Diego.
Making a hard task harder, It was brought to my attention, yesterday, that a major part of Route 1 – through Big Sur in California – has been closed for the foreseeable future due to landslides and the subsequent demolition of the Pfeiffer- Big Sur bridge. Fortunately, the American Cycling Association (whose maps I’m using) have released route data for an inland detour which only adds around 30 miles to the route.
For the trip I will be using my trusty Thorn Brevet touring bike and Bikehut panniers with a Lomo rack-top dry bag. I have a new Vaude Terralight tent (1.85 kg) to try out and I will be using a Garmin Etrex 20x for navigation.
My name’s Michael and I’m starting this blog to share my cycle-based adventures. I don’t think there’s a better way to travel the world than at the speed of a bicycle, and hopefully posting here will be helpful to others who might be tempted to set off on their own.
The adventure started for me when my brother and I travelled to Spain in 2008, to cycle from Malaga over the Puerta del Viento to Ronda, continuing through the El Chorro gorge before returning to Malaga. It was a wonderful trip although beset with problems. With no map, navigation was problematic, we spoke no Spanish so struggled with communication, and my brother’s Road bike had perpetual punctures. At only 200km it wasn’t a long trip, but throwing ourselves in at the deep end taught us everything we needed to know about cycle-touring: for me, that I loved it!
Countryside near Ronda, Spain
Since then I’ve enjoyed cycling in the Islands off the West Coast of my home country of Scotland – I’m particularly fond of the Isle of Mull and the Outer Hebrides. I’ve also looked to continue exploring further afield with trips to the Cote D’Azur in France and, in November 2016, the High Atlas mountains in Morocco. I’m currently planning a 5 week trip down the American Pacific Coast, I’ll let you know how I get on!
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