Day 3 - 9 June, Monday - Concrete, WA - Diablo, WA (46 Miles)

     Today's route took me off the grid.  I didnt realize that I wouldn't have cell service.  I feel really disconected.  The ride today was beautiful but tough...the steep climbs were testing.  I am camping right on Diablo Lake...really nice campground but no showers.

                                                 Cascade Hwy

                                                           Gorge Lake

                                                         Bike Friendly Tunnel

                                               Colonial Creek Campground

Day 2 - 8 June, Sunday Mt Vernon, WA - Concrete, WA (35 Miles)

     Today I planned for a shorter day.  Yesterday I spent too many hours on the bike.  The ride was nice .  The weather was a little cooler than yesterday but very comfortable for biking.  I followed the Skagit River for most of the ride.  The Skagit River is very wide and a lot of water is moving with a pretty good current.

     The campground that I stopped at is called Eagle Nest Motel and RV Campground.  When I checked in for a campsite the manager said that the facilities were out of order so he would give me a room key to use the restroom and shower.  Not bad for $10....I am camping right on the Skagit River.  They have a gazebo to put my bike under in case of rain and a fire pit with wood.  The forcast does say a chance of rain tonight.

                               Break for a Protein Bar next to the Skagit River

                                                               It is Sunday

Day 1 - 7 June, Saturday Everett, WA - Mt. Vernon, WA (64 Miles)

     The excitement of day 1 was soon diminissed when I went to pick my bike up and found out the it was damaged during shipment.  It was my fault, when I took the handlebars off I didn't prepare the headset properly and it damaged the bearings.  Jason at Tim's Bike Shop was great and replaced it for me.  I was able to get the bike packed and hit the road by 10am. 

     The other problem that I had was that I needed propane fuel for my Jetboil stove (like I need more weight).  This stove is meant more for emergencies.  So I found out that I would have to take a 15 mile detour in order to get the fuel at Cabela's, a huge outdoor store.  I wish I had more time to look through the store, I could have spend a few hours there.

     Most of the day I was on the Centennial Trail.  This is a really nice trail that keeps you off of the roads.  It was a beautiful day and there were a lot of people biking, jogging and walking on the trail but know one caring as much weight as I was.

     My plan for tonight was to camp but I couldn't find a campground so I'm at a Day's Inn.  Probably a good idea for my first day that ended up riding more miles than planned.

                                         Fully Loaded Bike

                                             Stillaguamish River

                                                   Cenntenial Trail Bridge over Stillaguamish River

T-1 Day - 6 June, Friday Everett, WA

     I flew to Seattle today and am staying just north of Seattle near Tim's bike shop where I shipped my bike to.  The owner Jay agreed to meet me there tomorrow morning at 8am.  He should have my bike assembled and ready to go.  I will take my bike back to the hotel to pack up and then hit the road.

     Tomorrow the article in the Ventura County Star is scheduled to run.  I will try to put a link in tomorrow's post.  Also some very generous people have started donating to Brain Injury Center....Thank you very much for your generosity.

T-1 Week - Final Preps

     Well one week from the start of my trip and everything is coming together.  I shipped my bike to a bike shop just north of Seattle on Tuesday.  They will assemble it and have it ready for me to pick up next Saturday.  My final packing will be done this week and I fly to Seattle on Friday.
     The organization I am dedicating my ride to, Brain Injury Center (BIC), has contacted the Ventura County Star a local newspaper.  They will be doing a small article on my trip this week.  To find out more about BIC go to my about tab and to donate click the button on the right.

Oxnard to El Capitan State Beach Overnighter - 120 miles Roundtrip

This was a test ride for my big trip to make sure everything was working right.  The ride started at 8am from my house in Oxnard.  My bike was packed with 35 lbs of gear.  My first thought was that my bike was too heavy.  I think I need to reduce my load.  I probably can shave a few pounds if I make some tough decisions.

The ride started good.  I could really notice the weight on the back of my bike.  I was worried about a flat or a brocken spoke but luckly it was fine.  My problem was with the front tire.  I noticed at about 16 miles that I had a slow leek.  That pestered me the rest of the ride.

My ride was along the Pacific Coast so the elevation was pretty constant.  With all of the weight I was carrying any steep climbs would have been difficult.  My total elevation climb each way was about 1500 ft.

The campground that I stayed at was real nice.  Very clean with nice showers and a pool...I didn't bring my trunks.

After a shower I was able to relax with a beer by the fire. 

Oxnard to Ojai and Rtn - 50 mi

This last Sunday morning I did a training ride to Ojai.  This is a nice ride because 40 of the 50 miles are on bike trails. This is very relaxing to me since I don't have to worry about traffic. The ride follows the coast for the fiest 10 miles and the turns north up to Ojai.  The elevation change is about 900 ft. It's a gradual climb for 15 miles. On the way back it's pretty much all down hill. I did the ride in a little over 5 hours with a stop in Ojai for lunch at Liberty Park. 

Ventura Pier

Ventura River Bike Path

Ojai Bike Path