With only 1 month to go: Bicycle Blog #1 - the Beginning (09-06-2012)

With only one month to until departure, I thought I'd post my old bicycle blogs that began this whole adventure but never saw the light of day on "Perfect Circles." So, please enjoy them and keep in mind they are from 2012 and 2013. This is 1 of 5:

Bicycle Blog #1 – the Beginning

Bicycle Fever – It has struck me. To ease the confusion, I am talking about a mental sickness that strikes a once-avid cyclist that has gone a year with no bicycle interaction of any kind. My last good ride was in Houston, Texas during the first half of Summer 2011. I had a great time down there exploring different parks and dodging the often profane motorists who view bicycles as an oddity. Since then, my bicycle sat idle on the back of my car in the Yuma, Arizona sun before making its way up to Oregon where it is still sitting in my parent’s garage. To tell the whole truth, I did actually take it out for a spin once with my Dad last fall, only to discover the ailments my poor bicycle has endured. The chain is rusted and the gears make less than smooth shifting transitions making it very difficult to ride uphill. So, it sits collecting cobwebs and dust. It is sad because since I was 14, my specialized rock hopper has been a part of my family with well over 4,000 miles under its tires and logged onto its two computers. It has traveled in British Columbia thrice, along the Oregon Coast once, up to Seattle, Washington, around Redding, California, on a few rides in Indiana, around Lake Sammamish in Bellevue, WA and countless rides in the Willamette Valley.

I long to take it down from its hook, but I must face reality. And that reality is: I need a new bicycle. I am not sure this bike would hold up on another extended tour. I am seeking a new bike suitable for commuting around town as well as for touring. I have searched some on craigslist but to no avail…yet. I must confess I have not committed as much time as I would like to find a new or used bicycle. Nowadays bicycles can cost anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to upwards of four thousand. It all depends on what I am looking for. Obviously I am not willing or able to spend four thousand dollars on a new bicycle. That being said, I am open to even a used bike. That’s why craigslist can be a great tool. If you or someone you know can 

offer

 any suggestions or advice on purchasing a bicycle, please let me know! Later this weekend, I do plan on going to one of our local bicycle shops to get sized for a bike so I know what sizing I need to be looking for. Otherwise I am kind of shooting in the dark. While I am there, I may tell them what I would like in a bike and what I am going to use it for in hopes that they can offer some suggestions and much-needed advice. From there, I can move on to my next stage of bicycle searching.

With all that being said, I really do miss cycling. Jealousy overwhelms me whenever I see a bicyclist ride by me. I must clarify however. I am only jealous of the ones who look and ride like cyclists. Because let’s be real…most people I see riding a bike in this city break all sorts of laws and don’t care about anyone around them. I’ve even seen bicycle police officers break laws (i.e. riding on sidewalks, riding in the wrong direction, riding without a helmet – which is not a law given the age, but it should be because it is stupid not to wear a helmet, etc.). Regardless, I miss cycling a lot and wish I could join them on a decent road-ready bicycle, especially in the beautiful weather we’ve been having. My day will come, hopefully sooner than later! I am assured of this.

Let’s state the facts: I need a new bicycle, I miss cycling and the third fact is that I am planning, as of this week, an 11-week bicycle adventure next summer. It is only a tentative plan as of now because, as a person living life, I know things have a tendency to change. Obviously, step one for me is to find a new bicycle suitable for touring. But that has not stopped me from exploring some potential routes. Where do I want to go? I have eleven weeks (77 days). Even with an average of 50 miles a day, I could ride 3000 miles with 17 extra days. As the saying goes, “the possibilities are endless.” Well, yes and no. I have to narrow it down somehow. I have always enjoyed door-to-door tours. That will cut out any airfare or additional travel expenses. But that limits me to the west or at least in and around the area, because I have 77 days to reach my destination and return home. There’s always that return journey to keep in mind. So, the following are potential routes I have briefly thought about:

1. NORTH – Washington, Vancouver Island, Sunshine Coast, Inside Passage to Prince Rupert (with a possible extension to Alaska), across to Prince George and loop around back home.
2. SOUTH – California, Redwoods, San Francisco, Pacific Coast, San Diego and loop around back home possibly through the Sierra Nevada.
3. EAST – Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado and loop around back home via Utah.
4. NATIONAL PARK TOUR – Olympic, North Cascades (via maybe Victoria, BC), Glacier, Yellowstone and Grand Teton and loop around back home.
5. SOMETHING ELSE

Currently those are my options. In the next 9.5 months I could easily find a new route to do. But as of now, these are my options. And actually, I am leaning more towards NORTH or SOUTH, cold or hot. Those two appeal to me the most for various reasons.

Well, there you have it. As the months role on, more bicycle blogs will be written and more insight into my bicycle mind and the reasons behind this may or may not be revealed…

“Train for the tour or the tour trains you.”

(**First written & published on September 6, 2012**)