Hank the Tank and I went on a couple short rides in the past couples days. We had some good talks and have made the decision to go for a nice long summer tour this summer. We are still working out the finer details, but for the most part the plan will be to start at the Canadian Border and head South. We have worked out a route on the map that we think would be beautiful and fun. The route planned goes all the way from the Canadian border South to the Mexican Border, but we aren't sure if we will ride that whole thing. After all we rode 1,372 miles of it five years ago. One thing that has always been on my mind since that ride five years ago was that I wish we would have started at the Canadian border. By starting in Battle Ground we cut off roughly 400 miles. So why not do it again, but add in the missing 400 miles? Five years ago the only riding we did was on the very first day when we left Battle Ground and crossed the Columbia River into Oregon. Then we were in Oregon for two weeks, and then California for three weeks. Adding Washington would only add 400 miles and one more week. That ride was one of those times in my life when I felt the best mentally and physically that I had ever felt, so if I enjoyed it that much why not do it again, but for longer? I don't know why not either.
There are a couple of unknown factors, well actually that are an infinite number of unknown factors in a bike ride that long, but there are a few important things to keep in mind. One is that the Highway 1 just South of Big Sur California has a fairly significant area of washout from a recent storm. The last I checked the expected date of reopening the highway isn't until the fall. So with that in mind what I will plan to do is ride at least to San Francisco. That will be roughly mid-July. By the time I get there I will have a better idea if riding past Big Sur is possible. If it isn't possible Hank and I could hang out in San Francisco for a few days and then rent a van and go do a ride I have always wanted to do, the road around Lake Tahoe! That would be gorgeous! So that's an option. Let's not forget that we are still in a pandemic, so as of right now most campgrounds are either still closed or only partially open. I suspect that as we get closer to summer they will be reopening. If they don't fully reopen I will have to use private camping arrangements. No biggie.
So we'll see how things shape up as the next couple months go. As for now Hank and I will be getting ready for a long summer of riding. Five years ago I didn't do any training. I just got on my bike and headed south for 35 days. My tour was my training. Those early days were filled with lots of pain and soreness. So this time I will be riding more to be a little more physically prepared. I rode a couple times this week, but both rides were very short, 10 miles today and 8.5 miles Tuesday. I would like to step that up over the next couple months and get to the 40-50 mile per ride range. My average five years ago was 42 miles per day with some longer days toward the end of around 70 miles. I'm not in a big hurry this summer, but it would be nice to be able to break a personal record and ride over 70 miles in a day once or twice. We will play it by ear and see.
I have already been tuning Hank up and getting him ready. I got a new saddle (seat). I also finally got a bike repair stand so I can properly work on Hank without breaking my back. I love it! I have already made a list of some things I need to get for Hank and for me to make this ride more comfortable. I already have pretty much everything from the last ride, but some things need to be changed. I am excited to be able to use most of my ultralight hiking gear on this ride. That will cut down my rolling weight significantly. Last time, including me, my gear, food, water, Hank, and everything else I needed my rolling weight was right around 320 pounds. That's a lot of weight to pedal up hills! Although I did lose 20 pounds myself by the end of the ride and mailed back at least 15 pounds of cold weather gear that wasn't needed in Southern California. This time I expect to start well under 300 pounds. That will help a lot.
Below is Hank on his new repair stand. He loves it and so do I! You can see I got the rear pannier rack back on him. I will get the front rack on eventually, but I don't need it on for now. I am planning to start riding to school each day and the front rack would just be added weight I don't need. I have been looking into getting a new bike for training and commuting, but bikes aren't cheap! It sure would make training and commuting easier. I wonder if Hank would be jealous though. I might have to talk with him about that. He likes his new stand so much that maybe he would like to be on it longer while I ride a different bike. I don't know. Seems weird to think about riding a different bike after Hank and I have made such a strong bond. We'll see.
I took four maps and made it into one huge West Coast map for my classroom, so my third graders could see my route. It turned out really cool and I have gotten lots of questions from students and teachers about it. As I plan I will add things to it like day/mileage markers and campgrounds and things. If you look closely you can see the red line going down the coast. That would be my route.
