Updates from the Phone
Route page update I've finally loaded all of the individual day data. Also you can select to load more data points on the map if you want to drill down to a turn by turn level. Next time I get a free night I'll link each day to a zoomed in map. Cheers, Ryan Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:49
Day 77 - Big Update Please read our latest blog entry Sat, 19 Sep 2009 13:02
Day 75 - Camp Pendelton, CA A little lunch, then La Jolla! Humvees keep rolling by - reminds us of our childhood on military bases. Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:03
Day 74 - Laguna Hills, CA Lots of stoplights leaving the greater LA area. As soon as we hit Huntington Beach it was easy sailing. Nice bike lane & pretty beaches. Coming a little bit inland - the temperature rose to levels that reminded us of Alaska. Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:33
Day 74 - Manhattan Beach, CA Off to Laguna Hills, then La Jolla the next day to see Troy & Jennifer! Yes! Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:05
Day 73 - Manhattan Beach, CA One more day off today while we swap tires, do laundry, write essays, and generally catch up on the stuff we never get to do while cycling. And of course - we'll be spending time with friends. Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:28
Day 71 - Manhattan Beach, CA We made it through LA! Pretty easy actually. Passed the Malibu triathalon, Sunset Blvd, and tons of beaches. Day off tomorrow! Sun, 13 Sep 2009 16:12
Day 70 - Mcgrath State Beach, CA It's quite evident that we hit SoCal today. Palm trees now line the roads and surfers pepper the warmer waters. We're excited to hit LA tomorrow, if for nothing else because we'll be done with the abismal California State Park System. But really we're excited to see multitudes of friends. Hopefully we navigate that city successfully tomorrow. Sat, 12 Sep 2009 22:30
Day 70 - Top of a mountain, CA Maybe our last jaunt over the coastal range? Been practicing a little Spanish on the way from Lompoc. Sat, 12 Sep 2009 13:31
Day 70 - Lompoc, CA Legs are ultra sore for both of us this morning. Should make for an interesting ride to Santa Barbara and beyond. Sat, 12 Sep 2009 09:18
Day 69 - Lompoc, CA Apparently the server was down all day. Sorry! Two 160+ km (100 mile) days in a row, ouch. Will be in LA in 2 days. We're tired, but we just met some cyclists that are going to take us out to dinner. After a great lunch + ride with Dr. Steve Vanscoy in SLO we didn't think the day could get better. But it just did. Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:46
Day 67 - Monterey, CA Chain snapped a few miles out of this fine town. That was a first. Put a new one on, road in to find out I needed further repairs. Thus - no Big Sur today, but we'll be riding those hills all day tomorrow. Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:51
Day 67 - Santa Cruz, CA Took an unexpected day off here. A simply fantastic town and we had the absolute greatest hosts to show us the ropes. More on the blog soon, just got to get a few apps submitted. Wed, 09 Sep 2009 01:13
Day 66 - Santa Cruz, CA Made it! Staying with Debbie and Larry - two terrific couchsurfers! More tomorrow. Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:34
Day 63 - San Francisco, CA Off to the Cal v. MD game. Will catch up on emails tomorrow + route to LA. thank you so much for all of the offers to help, sorry we're behind - gotta have some relax time every once in awhile. Sat, 05 Sep 2009 18:09
Day 62 - San Francisco, CA Just added some photos from the last few days. Off to get some of Bob's Donuts and then lots of emailing and phone calls to take care of. Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:54
Day 61 - San Francisco, CA We made it. Phew. It's windy on that bridge. Perhaps some blogging action will happen tomorrow. Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:52
Day 61 - Fairfax, CA Just met Pete who took off today from SF and is aiming for NC on his bicycle... Gonna be cold. Off to SF. Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:08
Day 60 - Bodega Bay, CA About 20 miles out we ran into Ed, a wall street guy who quit and decided to ride the coast. He was on the tail end of a hundo mile day and hurting. We guided him in - he offered us some beers in trade. Nice end to a rough day. Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:42
Day 60 - Hwy 1 between Ft. Ross & Bodega Bay Oh these hills. Will they ever end? We're taking a short day (110 km) on our approach to SF, and boy do we need it. We both feel beat up. We'll be there all day fri, sat, sun if you want to hang out. Call or email! Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:38
Day 59 - Fort Bragg, CA Left 101 because it's illegal to ride bikes on it. Gonna make our route to SF a little longer but twice as beautiful. Lunch here then another 35 miles. Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:53
Day 57 - Eureka, CA We ended up in Eureka at a friend of a friends (Thank you J-Ho!). Josiah and Jessica took us out to dinner at a local brewpub and we ended the night with a marathon game of Settlers. Man it's great hanging with complete strangers and becoming friends almost instantly. Today - we were lucky. Day off tomorrow. San Fran by the 4th. Sun, 30 Aug 2009 03:06
Day 56 - Hwy 101, CA Does anyone know anyone in Arcata, CA??? Apparently no camping in the vicinty for less than $25. Sat, 29 Aug 2009 18:45
Day 56 - Orick, CA Finally - phone service. In redwood country. Heading to Arcata tonight - if we find WIFI , we've got tons of photos for you. Sat, 29 Aug 2009 15:55
Day 54 - Gold Beach, OR Almost out of Oregon. We spent most of the day riding in a cloud. So much for seeing the coast. Some Germans informed us that the headwinds are supposed to do a 180 and help us out tomorrow. Don't we hope. Looking forward to CA - Hiker/Biker sites: $5 each. Yeehaw. Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:39
Day 54 - Bandon, OR A little food stop, then we're going to follow the winds (hopefully) down the coast. Route updates tonight. Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:52
Day 53 - Florence, OR Last night we camped at Beachside State Park. It was awesome. Got to love those Hiker/Biker specials sites and cheaper fees. Alex is out hunting for bagels as I fix the website. Then off to Coos Bay. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:01
Day 53 - Website Problems Sorry for the downtime. Need to upgrade the server. Perhaps tonight will be the night I get that done. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:00
Day 52 - Near Tillamook, OR Rain, rain go away. Slept in an hour and a half waiting for the rain to leave. Unfortunately, our lovely little GoLite tent refused to be waterproof last night. Nice. Tue, 25 Aug 2009 10:54
Day 51 - Tillamook, OR We finally made it out of PDX. We didn't want to leave but somehow it was necessary in order to get to Panama. Thank you Dena and Marcus for hosting us for so long. We loved every minute of it. Heading straight south tomorrow - to a place called Waldport. Now that we're back on the Pacific coast you can expect some rad pictures (we hope). More soon. Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:18
Day 51 - Portland, OR 1st Mail Drop is available! If you want to send us a post card, an edible treat, or something small - we'd be absolutely thrilled. No pressure, just in case. Mon, 24 Aug 2009 10:33
Day 51 - Portland, OR We're taking off in a bit for the Oregon coast. Should be about ten miles south of Tillamook tonight. We think that we will be in San Francisco on Sept. 4th. and then LA/SD sometime around Sept. 13/14/15. Mon, 24 Aug 2009 10:18
Day 50 - Portland, OR One last night. Dena bena mobina and the doc have us out at one last brewery. John Grubin and his gf Julia are out with us too. How will we ever leave the PDX?? Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:34
Day 50 - Portland, OR We just can't leave this place. You were right Seattle people - Portland rocks. In fact, Alex and I got our hair cut at a punk rock barbershop today: Bishops. And Marcus has talked us into Zoo bombing it tomorrow night. Yee-haw! Sun, 23 Aug 2009 01:14
Day 47 - Portland, OR Out with Dr. Marcus Kret for a four brewery tour. Deschutes, Rogue, Widmer Brothers & Bridgeport Brewpub = quite tasty. Thu, 20 Aug 2009 23:42
Day 47 - Portland, OR We made it. Woo! Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:19
Day 46 - Centralia, WA Eating lunch at a Carnegie Library, Yeah! free wifi + some history. On the way Oak River RV Park tonight. Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:54
Day 46 - Yelm, WA Oh you know - just stopped for construction. Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:14
Day 45 - Puyallup, WA A late start (1:30 pm) + a never ending suburbia killed us today. Only 70 km and we had to stop for the setting sun. Luckily we met Jeff, a retired sherriff, at a local coffee shop. He opened up his home to us just at we were plotting to set up camp at a nearby church. That means showers and cold milk in the fridge - you just can't beat that. Thanks Jeff. Tue, 18 Aug 2009 22:46
Day 43 - Seattle, WA 3 dudes, 3 kilts, 2 days. What's going on here? Sun, 16 Aug 2009 19:42
Day 42 - Seattle, WA Here we are staying in a beautiful home on Capitol Hill. Thank you so much Julie and Rob. We're so excited to be exploring Seattle. When we settle down tonight, we'll put up more route info and hopefully a few blog entries. And thank you Max, Taylor, Sarah, and Caroline for visiting us from Vancouver to this fine town. We love it. Sat, 15 Aug 2009 17:18
Day 41 - Seattle, WA One more hitchhiking adventure, an island ride, short ferry, steady headwinds, and some marvelous Friday evening traffic, have landed us in our second city of the tour. A few days of exploration await us... Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:00
Day 41 - Deception Pass State Park, WA I think there is a bird fight just to the north of our tent. This seems to happen every morning. Argh. Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:37
Day 40 - Blaine, WA Off to Deception Pass State Park today. We've got two buddies from CO riding with us (Max and Taylor) - you can see photos of them on the photo page. Looks like we have a headwind in store for us. Nothing new right? Glad to be back in the US. Our phones work now. Somehow ATT lost all of my messages so if you sent me one over the last month. Please call again. ~ Ryan Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:02
Day 40 - Seattle Help! Does anyone know anyone in the heart of Seattle? Alex, Kristen, and I would love to crash on the floor of their place for the 15-17th of August. We'll be super low key I swear, we just want a great spot to explore the city from. Of course I need to write a few essays too... Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:05
Day 39 - Blaine, WA Back in the USA! Taking it easy this week, 2 days off in Vancouver and perhaps one here tomorrow. More soon! Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:36
Day 38 - Vancouver, British Columbia Have no fear - we found the best place to stay ever here in Vancouver. Our 2nd day off is really helping to heal the body aches and pains. Alex is out paddle boarding with friends and I'm at UBC writing some essays. It's so nice to be back in a city again. Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:29
Day 36 - Vancouver, British Columbia We made it! Now if only we could find a place to stay... Sun, 09 Aug 2009 21:50
Day 35 - Hope, British Columbia Back in hope after a lodging debacle - great story to tell on the blog later. Vancouver tomorrow. Sun, 09 Aug 2009 00:52
Day 33 - Clinton, British Columbia So we were supposed to 132 km today to a place called 70 Mile House. We should have known that there would be zilch there. The lady at the visitor center at 100 Mile House told us that we ought to go to Clinton. Well, another 73 km starting at 5:10 pm in the middle of some mountains was a hell of a challenge. But we rocked it out, climbing up to 1250 m before descending to 890 m, where Clinton lies. We ended the day with 166 km ridden. Should be in Vancouver in three days. Yeehaw. Now, off to reply to some emails. Thu, 06 Aug 2009 23:28
Oh yeah! We hit 2000 miles (I know that's not metric) today! Woo! And our route is complete different that two days ago. Wildfires have closed the road that goes by Whistler - so we'll be taking the canyon (entering Vancouver from the East). Also, we'll take 3 days off in Vancouver if we can manage to ride the 5 days straight. That will give me (Ryan) some serious time to dedicate to my medical school applications. I hope all is well where ever you are! Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:52
Day 31 - Quesnel, BC We made it. Nice tailwind, late start (2:00 pm), 120 km, tired, shower, tent, bed. Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:02
Still in Prince George, British Columbia But we're leaving! Ryan figured out his wheels to the tune of $250 for a new set. Might as well get it right, eh? Kayle, Kelly, and Zach have been the most gracious and giving hosts - we couldn't have done this without them. Off to Quesnel within the hour. Perhaps a tailwind is waiting for us... Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:42
Day 30 - Prince George, British Columbia Figured out our route today (fingers crossed) to Vancouver. PG to Quesnel to Williams Lake to 70 Mile House to Lillooet to Whistler to Vancouver. Today we're off to Quesnel where we'll take a day off and hopefully Ryan can get his rear wheel rebuilt. It you take a look at the photos - he had a broken spoke yesterday. That's two for the trip. Luckily we had the right tools and a good book to shakily patch it back together. Back to the road... Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:34
Day 29 - Prince George, British Columbia We finally made it. South from here! We're couchsurfing with a wonderful family. They made a fantastic dinner and then gave us the grand tour of the city. Complete with a tour of the courthouse and then strawberry cream pie! Off to Quesnel tomorrow, unless the legs are so dead we decide to stay. Sun, 02 Aug 2009 23:36
CANADA FYI Alex and I DO NOT have cell phone service in this country. Thus voicemails and TXT MSGS will not reach us until Seattle. So if you want to contact us - just shoot us an email! We'd love to get one. Sun, 02 Aug 2009 08:23
Day 28 - Vanderhoof, British Columbia Finally we're on a stretch of road where we can grab fresh fruit and milk often. Cereal for breakfast instead of PBJ. Yes! We continue to meet incredible people daily - if only we could tell each story, I just don't have the time. If the wildfires go away we should be in Vancouver by 10th or 11th. It's off to Prince George tomorrow. G'night folks. Sat, 01 Aug 2009 23:31
Day 28 - Fraser Lake We're sitting here at the Subway for a lunch stop. A few minutes ago this guy leaned over and said "Oh there's a laptop, do you have a printer with you, eh?" Hmmmm... You can imagine Alex's response. On a side note, if you're cycling along highway 16 in Canada - skip right over Burns Lake. The municipal campground, although free, is frightening. Apparently it's the hot spot to down a 12-pack, hiding from the RCMP. Off to Vanderhoof tonight. Sat, 01 Aug 2009 14:12
Day 27 - Smithers, British Columbia Yesterday we took an impromptu day off after our wonderful couchsurfing hosts suggested we stay longer. We worked on bikes, essays, website functionality, and sleeping. The Martineau's make wonderful food and provide fantastic conversation - two things we'll certainly miss on our way to Burns Lake today. Finally getting an early start to beat the heat (hopefully)! Fri, 31 Jul 2009 08:28
Day 24 - Leaving Meziadin Headed 160 km to Kitwanga on a sunny and hot day. Hopefully there are some creeks with water along the way. Yesterday we saw all sorts of bears and met great people. Check out a few pics on the photo page. Blog updates will come next time we have internet. So many great people up here! Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:08
Day 22 - Meziadin Lake Campground Ha! A campground with internets - go figure. Route, photo, blog updates tonight after the spaghetti. Sun, 26 Jul 2009 19:21
Day Something or Other - Bell II Lodge We're safe - no internet on this route. Headed to Meziadin Junction today. Hopefully day off in Stewart tomorrow to see Bears + Salmon. Maybe Al can grab one too! Hope all is well. Beautiful Here! Sun, 26 Jul 2009 12:44
Happy Birthday Mom! Thank you for everything you do for us, we couldn't be doing this trip without you. We wish we could be with you! Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:01
Day 20 - Dease Lake, BC Last night we finally made it to Dease Lake after 157 km of which 30 km was dirt roads. We haven't seen a flat stretch for weeks which is making the days long. Not much internet here on the Cassiar Hwy. Only one black bear so far in BC, sure to be more say the locals. Mama Z's bakery put us up for free last night and gave us a discounted pizza. Can't beat that. Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:56
Day 16 - Watson Lake, Yukon Territory Wow. Finally here after 3 super hilly days and 460 km. Day off tomorrow, gonna meet some locals, rest the legs, write some essays, and prepare for British Columbia. More on the blog soon. Mon, 20 Jul 2009 21:59
Day 14 - Teslin, Yukon Territory New Blog, new route data, new photos. Check 'em out. No internet tomorrow. Likely in two days when we get to Watson Lake. Sun, 19 Jul 2009 00:26
Day 13 - Whitehorse, Yukon Territory Our bikes finally got fixed this afternoon. In the meantime I've (Ryan) been working on my medical school secondaries while the family is out canoeing the yukon river. Off to Teslin, YT tomorrow, a 170 km ride. Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:21
Day 12 - Whitehorse, Yukon Territory The parents are in town and it's a day off for us. Perhaps even tomorrow too. Ryan is getting his bike repaired - a busted crank has been making noises since Palmer, AK. Depending on when the bike healing commences we will take off tomorrow morning or the next day. In the meantime - check out the route page - it's finally up and running! Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:07
Day 11 - Whitehorse, Yukon Territory Alex and I made it to Whitehorse, YT today after pummeling through what seemed to be a be a never ending rain cloud. We finally have some internet so expect some blog posts and new photos later tonight. Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:25
Day 9 - Burwash Landing Oh man. Canada has been interesting because of the km's and km's of gravel roads. These road bikes aren't the best for that sorts thing. Alex and I bathed in a freezing creek & filtered water last night - both for the first time. We're off to congdon creek gov't campsite tonight, then through haines junction in the morning. Cheers. Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:40
Day 8 - Beaver Creek, YT We made it to Canada after spending the night near the border at the Tetlin Wildlive Reserve Visiting Center. No cell service until we hit Washington. And looks like no more updates until Haines Junction or even Whitehorse (the capital of YT) which could be four or more days. Hope all is well out there, we're having a blast despite a few aches and pains. Cheers! Sun, 12 Jul 2009 13:59
Day 7 - We thought we were robbed Last night we camped behind a gas station with Sabine and Uli, we both put our food on top of an out of commission trailer. When we woke the food was gone. Alex and I commiserated for a while about how stupid we were then uli poked his head out of his tent and told us he grabbed our food so it wouldn't get too hot. Phew. Sat, 11 Jul 2009 11:40
Day 6 - 1st day off Today we slept in, let our muscles (and rear ends) heal, worked on the website and chatted up locals. We spent the evening drinking beers and having dinner with Uli and Sabine, our new friends from www.pedalglobal.net. They are unbelievable people who have literally traveled the world on their bicycles. Check out their website! Off to canada tomorrow! Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:39
Day 5 - In Tok, AK Just arrived after two harrowing days in the netherlands of Alaska. Spend the night last night in the front yard of a "grocery" store and met a few great people. Will be updating blog and photos tonight - and hopefully a better designed homepage. ~R Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:34
Day 4 - Jeanies Java Joint 13 miles out of glennallen, ran into this place where the prices are higher than anywhere in the states. $7.75 for an espresso shake, damn good though. And Cambria, the 14 yr old from WA that made our shake (singular) hooked us up with the leftovers. Can't beat that. Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:23
Our Blog Until we have good wifi, these are the best we can do from Ryan's phone. We have some good stories though. Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:13
Day 3... Glennallen, AK We made it. Long day, and I think they'll keep getting longer. The forest fires have been killing our view of the mountains, but quite frankly I think we'll be glad if we never see mountains again on this trip. Nap time. Adios. Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:13
Day 2 = rough Just like all the locals told us, the day was filled with mountains and 2 miles of gravel. Alex fell asleep waiting for dinner, we slept 10.5 hrs. Hopefully our bodies are ready for the 129 k Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:12
Hay mantaņas grande 30 miles in, 30-55 more. Just depends on the legs. The bugs aren't bad yet and the views are to die fer. Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:38
Palmer, AK Camped in the boonies last night. Likely no updates for two or more days. We'll be glennallen in two nights then the AlCan hwy is ours. AK has a bunch of crazies but they're all friendly! Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:42
Anchorage Bicycle Path People Unbelievably friendly and helpful. We just met two families that guided us out of town + told us about the great Alaskan wilderness, noxious plants and all! Sun, 05 Jul 2009 15:51
The adventure starts now Fuel, compass, bear spray x 2 @ rei and we're off on hwy 1! Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:07
Anchorage seems sad We just arrived downtown. Nothing us open, it's hazy, and the people scowl. Al thinks it's because they're hungover. Could be, but a whole city? Off to Palmer, pop. 8,000. Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:28
Bedtime 4am Colorado, 2am Alaska. Gonna kick it in a cement hallway at Ted Stevens International Aeropuerto. Crook. Sun, 05 Jul 2009 04:09
Airport Camping Flight got in at 10:00 pm. Spent 2 hours putting gear together. Sleeping in construction wing. Will take off in the morning! Sun, 05 Jul 2009 03:28