Biking the California Coast

January 1, 2010

My ears have always perked up at talk of people going on interstate bicycle trips. It seems romantic, but challenging; extraordinary, but humbling. I have always loved riding my bike, ever since I was a kid. When I was 12 my friends and I had a "bicycle gang" in the neighborhood where one of the activities on our weekend agenda was to ride around in a single-file line playing follow the leader. The first person would ride with no hands, for example, and then all of us would follow suite, lifting our hands off the handlebars, keeping our bikes in line just by shifting our weight slightly. And when I was riding on my own, I loved gathering speed down a hill, pumping my legs hard, hot Texas wind blowing on my face until I'd gathered enough momentum to coast. I was so confident and comfortable with a bike under me that sometimes I'd even stand up out of my seat at top speed, and lift my hands in the air, stretching wide while hurling to the next stop sign.

I'm no bicycle buff though. I don't know much about what's a good brand, and I can't fix anything on a bike beyond a chain that's come off its gear. These days, I ride in the summers when I have time, and even sometimes get up early enough to bike to the net town, where I work. But I still love it. Its certainly my preferred form of exercise. Running is brain-numbing for me, I get bored and impatient, and tired of course. But on my bike, I feel like I could go forever. I feel strong on a bike, and my scenery changes fast enough to keep me engaged. I don't feel bored, I feel inspired.

This weekend, at a brunch joint in Burlington, Vermont, we met a waiter who was quitting his job in a month so that he could fly to Arizona and ride his bike up to Vancouver. That's it! I thought, I have to do something like that. I'd been thinking about it anyway, because I have a big move coming up (from Massachusetts to Austin), which also means some time in between jobs. My boyfriend and I have been looking into different possibilities like traveling to Romania or Taiwan. But I want to DO something! I don't want to just buy a $1200 ticket to the other side of the world only to be a tourist. I want to accomplish something. I want to wear the same thing every day and be dirty and stinky and tired and meet new people (though I might not find anyone who wants to be my friend if I'm dirty and stinky and tired). And I want to see California. So riding down the California coast seems ideal.

I don't know if this is possible. I suppose I'd have to start training, and find a good bike, and research a safe path to take down the coast, and find out where we could stay along the way (a blend of campsites and motels). I guess I'd have to talk to people who have done something like this. I know a friend of a friend who biked from Massachusetts to Texas. I could start with her. I guess I'll have to make sure my boyfriend, Lyon, is on board, and figure out how much it all might cost. I think I want to do this though.