Bugging out by bicycle ...

silverbullets said:
that is really cool, are you planning on posting pics daily of your trip, including of course the obligatory knife shots at camp :thumbup: I wish I was in a situation where I could take 2 months off work and take a giant road trip, enjoy it bud
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Watch what you wish for in this economy:foot:

Bike Monkey, I wished you had spoken up sooner, I have some gear I would've tossed to you since I sold my bike last year. If you want THE book on Bicycling the Pacific Coast I have a new copy for sale, PM me. I rode Across America 3 times roundtrip, Southern, Mid, and Northern Tiers; and rode the Eastern Seaboard roundtrip too. Did similiar trips on my motorcycles as scouting trips. All were memorable, and no matter how crappy the weather, were worth doing!:thumbup: You will probably quit your job when you get to the far end on your trip:foot:; and then turn and head East:eek: Don't worry it happens to the best of us:D I can offer you THE BEST hamburger you'll ever eat if you make it to NJ, on me! Pedal on, wishing you wind at your back Brother:thumbup:
 
Jeepnut22 said:
Love Surly's bikes too (planning on a Karate Monkey purchase sometime this year, or early next year).

Quick question... Lighting systems... Bringing any? If so, what are you going to use?
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Having now experience with this one, I'm really impressed with the price / performance ratio of my Surly bicycle. I would definitely look very closely at what they had to offer if I end up looking at bikes in other categories. To be fair, credit should go to North Park Bike Shop here in Victoria ... the Surly frame is great, but most of the stuff on it was their recommended and assembled aftermarket components.

I have a pair of basic bicycle lights ... a front white LED and rear red flasher, AAA powered. Nothing fancy, but enough to keep me legal and visible and provide enough light for the darkest conditions in which I plan to ride. If I don't have good street lights around, or at least bright moonlight, I won't be riding at night.

silverbullets said:
that is really cool, are you planning on posting pics daily of your trip, including of course the obligatory knife shots at camp :thumbup: I wish I was in a situation where I could take 2 months off work and take a giant road trip, enjoy it bud
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I plan to make a separate blog post for every travel day of my trip, although I may not be able to make those posts every day. It will depend on how frequently I can find WiFi access.
 
DM, hats off to you. I wish I could endeavor in such a great adventure!

BTW, if you find yourself looking for high output, affordable bike lighting, Dinotte lighting has some great deals going on now. Great light, decent price and STELLAR quality. :thumbup:
 
My friend Denis should inspire you. He does a lot of solo bike trips all over the place. You might get a kick out his website with routes and pics. How he does it, I don't know. I'd be worn out after just a couple of hours!

http://www.cyclingaway.com/home/CycleTours.htm

Disaster Monkey said:
Just thought I'd share my plans for this summer with anyone who is interested ...

I've bought a touring oriented bicycle - a Surly Long Haul Trucker - and a bunch of camping gear, and I intend to ride from my home here in Victoria, BC, Canada to southern California (if it hasn't been incinerated by the time I get there). I'll be taking the ferry to Anacortes, WA then tracking down to the Pacific Coast Highway. I plan to leave on Sunday. This is largely an experimental adventure, 'cause I've never done anything like this before. I hope, and expect, to learn valuable survival and bugging-out skills from this trip. And it sure as heck beats working.

lhtbeach.jpg


I plan to camp most of the time, but hit a motel one or two nights a week to keep it comfortable.

I took a test overnight trip last night to a nearby campground (at the top of a freakin' mountain). It poured rain on me all the way up there, and the whole time I was there, but overall, it worked out. When I got there, soaking wet, I had to start a fire and dry out a bit. There was a wood stove there, at the rifle range to which the campground was adjacent. Firewood was provided in the form of a few logs and a bunch of scrap 1x4's ... my Skinny ASH-1 which will accompany me on my trip turned it all into useful kindling with relative ease. I've never appreciated my Busse's as much before as I do now having put one to some really hard use. It will get all the hard use I can throw at it over the next couple of months during which I am traveling.

If anyone cares to follow my adventure ... or maybe just the abuses of my Skinny ASH-1 ... I'll be maintaining a blog here: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/5177

firewood2.jpg
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That Surly is the "Busse" of all bikes ..built to take whatever you can throw at it !!!combined with that skinny ash you are in "Full battle rattle" !!....There was a time when I would have.... stopped,dropped and rolled.....upon reading your post and started packing, hit the road and merged for at least the Oregon- northern Cal leg.
But, duty calls and now I will live vicariously through your stories.
Keep your kcal up and you will easily do 80+ per day...very cool trip...the coastal highway is one of the most bike friendly around...motorized and non-motorized !
 
Good luck and Godspeed. Keep us posted.
 
Nice ride surly makes a strong reliable bike, I like there single speeds for off season training.And nice knife,but a felony at the end of your trip.I live on the coast in CA. NO fixed blade carry.
But there is no size limit on folders.Good luck and have fun.
 
flipit said:
And nice knife,but a felony at the end of your trip.I live on the coast in CA. NO fixed blade carry.
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You may assume, then, that I will mail it home before entering California. Given that firewood is the primary application for which my Leatherman is inadequate, I'll not likely have much use for it in your super-flammable state anyway.

I'm leaving on the ferry tomorrow morning! They're forecasting nice weather tomorrow ... then freezing rain and hail to hit as I should be entering Seattle. Oh boy! :eek: I'm gonna find a hotel if the weather gets too rough ... this is an adventure, but I'm no masochist.
 
good thing you have a skinny Ash, a Fat Ash would be much too heavy for that much riding.
 
nate1714 said:
More details on ur plan would be great!
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Details? Plan? Like I say on my blog site, a plan is a list of things that aren't going to happen.

I'm gonna go via Anacortes, WA then find my way on to the route defined by the maps I got from the Adventure Cycling Association (a series of maps for bicycle touring from Vancouver, BC to Imperial Beach, CA). I'll probably stop on my first day at the first convenient place I find ... a motel, or state park campground. From there I'll take it one day at a time, following the advice of those who have come before me.

With luck, and a willingness to be flexible and improvise around difficulties, hopefully I'll not be killed, and maybe I'll actually make it to Ventura. :D
 
Bigfattyt said:
good thing you have a skinny Ash, a Fat Ash would be much too heavy for that much riding.
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I actually bought this knife, the skinny version in particular, specifically with this tour in mind. I was disappointed that the Busse Company Store didn't have any in stock with the green blade and tan micarta handles that would have better matched my bike.

Yes, I admit it, colour coordination is an important factor in the gear I buy. :rolleyes: ;) :D

Even this "skinny" version is one of, if not the heaviest single piece of equipment I'm carrying. But it's worth it to me to have something I know will not let me down.
 
Do you have a way to post on your epic ride.That would be cool to see.Have a great ride.
 
I like the idea of a bike for a 'bug out vehicle'. Though limited on carrying weight, when the roads are jammed with 'fleeing populace you can proceed either on or off road with the right bike.
 
I would hope that fellow Blade Forum members along your route would offer you shelter for a story during your ride. I used lots of Adventure Cycling materials and gear on my previous bike adventures. It was a great time, and, like yourself, I chose to use the maps as 'guides' for the route and not a 'pre-determined ride'. The route you are taking has some great side attractions that you will come across and hopefully enjoy.

If you still want to have a batonning tool, stop in a hardware store in California and buy yourself an 'electrician's knife'. It's essentially a bar of steel with one side V sharpened to be used to cut wires. I've used them in the past to baton firewood BC Busse ownership. It can't be illegal to have because it's a tool, and does not have a point on it. Wrap the handle with some tennis racket or golf padded tape if need be.
 
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