Cycling 1,000 Miles Down the Pacific Coast

When initially brainstorming epic solo adventures to complete in the month before Mel finished work, cycling the Oregon Coast was high on the shortlist. Over a couple of weeks, this idea expanded by changing the start point to Vancouver, Canada (adding ~450 miles) and then adding the Olympic Peninsula (adding another ~150 miles). Before I knew it, I shared this idea with enough people I felt compelled to complete it.

A few days after finishing work, I caught an Amtrak train to Vancouver with my bike, food, and essential camping kit. Over the next 16 days, I’d cycle over 1,000 miles, heading mainly south, crossing one international border, and visiting all three US West Coast States.

Rather than making this blog a dear diary entry, or should I say ‘dearest gentle reader’ as Bridgerton remains #1 on Netflix, I thought instead I’d share details of the route, a few stats (way more information on Strava for those data nerds), some high/lowlights as well as a few of my favorite photos from the trip.

Route Map:

My Route from Vancouver BC to the Redwoods in Northern CA

Stats:

• Mileage: 1,060 Miles (66 Miles/day)

• Duration: 16 Days

• Nights Camping: 13

• Bike Weight: 36lbs/16.3Kgs

• Kit Weight: 40lbs/18Kgs (without water)

• Bike Shop Visits: 5

• # of Flat Tyres (tires for those American readers): 5

• National Parks Visited: 2 - Olympic & Redwoods

• # Milkshakes/Choc Milk consumption: Too many to count…

Highlights

1. Miles & Miles of Epic Coastal Views - One of the advantages of traveling down the Pacific Coast (North to South), and the Americans driving on the right-hand side of the road, was the unobstructed view of the beach/cliff/sea throughout the journey. While not all of the route follows the edge of the coast, there are stretches of 10’s of miles at a time that parallel the beautiful sandy beaches or sit up on the cliffs where you can stare at the ocean far below.
   

2. Climbing Hurricane Ridge - For those unfamiliar with Hurricane Ridge, it is in the Olympic National Park and climbs ~18 miles from sea level up in the mountains to 5,242 feet (1,598 m). It offers panoramic views across the Olympic range and over to Canada. It was by far the biggest single climb of the trip. I’ve done it once before, but I was six years younger, had fresh legs, and was ~40lb (18Kgs) lighter. This attempt was slightly different; it was my fourth day of the trip, and I had battled a ~20-mile headwind before getting to the base of the climb. Fortunately, I had managed to drop my kit bags in Port Angeles (the town at the bottom) before attempting the climb. Even so, this climb was equal parts epic and miserable. Once I eventually made it to the summit, I was utterly spent. It was the first day of the trip I had really pushed myself to my limits, and this obviously showed as a random guy saw me and took so much pity, he offered me a slice of pizza that he had brought in Port Angeles and brought up the mountain. I’ve never been so grateful for a lukewarm, vegetarian pizza in my entire life. For those few seconds, it tasted like the best thing on the planet and did wonders for improving my spirits before the much easier descent.
   

3. Epic Camp Spots - I camped most nights on the trip. Throughout the trip, I camped right next to lakes, inlets, and on the edge of beaches. Each camp spot had its charms. The majority were at state parks or in National Forest Campgrounds. All the campsites had dedicated ‘Hiker/biker’ sites. Even if the rest of the campsite was full, people arriving under their own steam were guaranteed a place to stay. This allowed for ultimate flexibility, to add/subtract miles depending on the day and adjust where I stayed based on the recommendations from other people I met along the journey. These sites ranged from a whopping $7-12/night. Most had showers, and all the state parks in Oregon have charging stations for phones/lights etc. which was fantastic.
   

4. My Support Crew - For most of the trip, I traveled solo. However, for certain sections, I had company. Mel was kind enough to be my return Uber driver, picking me up from the Redwoods in Northern CA at the end of my ride (~7 hours from Portland) and my support over one of the middle weekends. She essentially spent the weekend running around after me (some would say she spends most days doing that anyway), bringing me food/drinks during my day on the bike, setting up camp in our van Dora, and doing an overdue laundry run (there is only some much sweat you can remove by rinsing your kit by hand). I was also lucky enough to have good friends John & Wendy ride with me for a couple of days. Having company on the road, someone to draft off of, and not carrying my kit for a few days was amazing, as it raised my spirits and allowed me to get some decent miles under my belt.

Lowlights

1. Headwinds - Luckily, the prevailing wind travels north to south, so most days, it was neutral to a positive as it was pushing me in the right direction. However, any section where I headed against the wind suddenly became way harder. I found these headwinds would quickly sap all my energy, made progress painfully slow, and any gusts would throw me all over the road.
   

2. Dexter Style Blood Splatter, but with Pink Tyre Sealant - Over the last couple of years, I have transitioned to a tubeless setup on my Road/MTB bikes, which means rather than running a traditional inner tube underneath the bike tyre and filling that with air, you use a tighter fitting tyre and fill the wheel with just air and a silicon sealant. The theory is that when you get a puncture, this liquid sealant sloshing around inside the tyre, seals the hole magically, and you continue. I say in theory as my front tyre hit something on my first day, then suddenly deflated, followed by the sealant that should remain within the tyre, being flung everywhere. Imagine a Dexter-style blood splatter but with pink tyre sealant. It had covered me head to toe, my bike, my bags, and the road for good measure.
   

3. The Occasional Stupid Driver - A lot of the journey was on Highway 101, which typically has a super wide shoulder. However, there are always pinch points, usually crossing bridges where the gap between trucks/cars and bikes narrowed. Although I didn’t see too much bad driving, there were a couple of incidents across the journey with massive RVs (always pulling cars) or logging trucks, leaving little room as they passed by. I was very grateful to be riding with a fancy Garmin light that has a radar in it, so as cars/trucks approached, I got an alert on my bike computer, but it’s not smart enough (yet) to warn how much room they are going to give you.

Final Thoughts

This trip definitely lived up to the epic adventure I hoped for and acted as an excellent hard disconnect from work. Exploring on a bike is a good mix of covering reasonable distances while taking in the landscape at a more leisurely pace. Although I think I took some fantastic photos along the way, they 100% don’t do it justice!

Throughout the trip, I met people from all over the US and the world who were making similar trips bikepacking down the coast. It reminded me how lucky I am to live in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) and to have this natural beauty on our doorstep. I was also amazed by the number of retired people I met doing the journey in their 60-70’s. Hopefully, I will remain fit enough to go on trips similar to theirs when I reach that age.

It will not be long until Mel finishes work and we start our travels together. Plans are still WIP, but the diary is starting to get filled with hopefully some exciting trips.

Signing off until our next time - Ben