"En Route ... with One Nuptial Detour"

The CanMexPac ride is just about to start.  Jim and Bill’s bikes have been delivered and they are on top of the SAG (Support And Gear) vehicle.  All the gear has been delivered to my place and I am almost packed.  I have all my bike stuff packed, but before Dennie and I head for the Canadian border, we first will be attending our nieces wedding in southern California.  I guess I need to find a tie, nice shirt and pair of shoes to pack along with the bike gear.  Dennie has told me that my riding bibs and an Iron Horse jersey is not considered appropriate wedding attire. 

I have gone over the check list that Jim provided:

Start ride on Sept 22nd and end Oct 30th (est).
Each bike should start with new tubes, new cables, new brake pads and new tires.
Jim will bring coffee pot and coffee; this will also provide hot water for morning oatmeal.
Each rider bring 4 bibs, jerseys and riding socks.
Rain gear, helmet cover, leg warmers and arm warmers.
Community laundry soap and softener and quarters for laundry.
First aid kit.
Snacks/water to be purchased on the road.
Jim to bring spare rear wheel with cassette, work stand, cables, lube, tools.
Windex, alcohol, cleaner and cleaning towels to wipe down bikes each night.
Two floor pumps.
Each bring four new tubes.
Each bring CO2 or frame pump.

I took my bike (Specialized Tarmac SL2) into High Desert Bicycles, Albuquerque, for the final once over before the trip.  Randy did a most thorough job going over everything on the bike.  The bottom bracket had just a bit of play so he replaced the bearings.  Also, he was not satisfied with the shifting but could not get it adjusted to his satisfaction.  Finally he discovered the rear derailleur hanger was bent ever so slightly (probably because I laid the bike on it’s side, chain side down, once and bent it), so he replaced it and now this bike shifts so crisp and the chain runs so quiet.  My bike is better than new.  I, of course, highly recommend High Desert Bicycles in Albuquerque.

We leave for the wedding tomorrow, and after the wedding we leave southern California and head north.  The plan is to pick up Jim and Bill, September 21, at SeaTac airport and then we start the actual CanMexPac ride September 22.  The general plan is to ride 60-70+ miles a day at a leisurely pace with camera and rest stops when we see anything of interest that would warrant a stop.  We plan on riding four consecutive days and resting the fifth day.  The entire ride is about 1900 miles and we expect it to take a little over five weeks. We will target our rest day locations to be areas we want to get off the bikes and visit (Cannon Beach area in Oregon; Napa Valley area; Half Moon Bay in California; etc.)  At this time my blog readers can send in their suggestions for ‘don’t miss’ areas to visit.

I am blowing my travel budget, though.  I estimated lodging costs based on my experience in Colorado, but I neglected to consider that we will be traveling the Pacific coast, a very desirable place for many to visit and of course, a bit more expensive.  But blessings and kindness abound, and I have two former colleagues (and current friends) from Intel that have beach houses and have volunteered to accommodate us in Oregon.  If anyone else knows of vacant beach houses that need a visit, let me know.

So, we are just about to begin.  I am both excited and apprehensive about the magnitude of this adventure.  I pray none of us get sick, or have an encounter of the worst kind with a moving vehicle.  We hope the weather cooperates, but we expect rain and are prepared for it.  I expect my next blog will be the evening of September 22 and will chronicle day one of our CanMexPac ride.