Cycling the West Coast: The Final Ride! [Day 33] Day 33 It was a bittersweet morning. Packing up and realizing today is going to be full of “lasts” was a tough pill to swallow, but knowing I get to finish my incredible journey in one of the prettiest coastlines had me stoked. I did my morning stretch, ate the last bit of fruit I had, and wheeled my bike […] Biking Luke Guilford | June 26, 2023 1 Comment
Cycling the West Coast: Happy Naps and Paninis! [Day 25] Day 25 This morning evolved at a relaxing pace, leaving camp and heading just a few miles down the road to Mendocino. We looped through the Mendocino Headlands State Park to absorb the beautiful views of the rocky coastline and wide open meadow. Related: Cycling the West Coast: Highway 1! [Day 24] – SnowBrains Much of my time looking out on […] Biking Luke Guilford | June 7, 2023 0 Comments
Cycling the West Coast: Highway 1! [Day 24] Day 24 It was only a couple of miles before we reached the start of Highway 1. My stoke for finally reaching the legendary highway pushed me up the steep climbs that were awaiting us. The first climb was around 1,200 feet and went for about five miles, and due to the steep grade, it meant a lot of waiting on […] Biking Luke Guilford | June 5, 2023 0 Comments
Cycling the West Coast: Avenue of the Giants! [Day 22] Day 22 I am not sure why, but last night was one of the best night’s sleep I have had on the trip. I feel so refreshed! And to make it even better, today was a short day, covering rough 23 miles or so. We didn’t have much of an agenda besides exploring the wonders off of the Avenue of […] Biking Luke Guilford | May 31, 2023 0 Comments
Cycling the West Coast: Fish Tacos and Scenic Drives! [Day 20] Day 20 I woke up feeling very refreshed, it’s the best I have felt in the last few days. After a breakfast of fruit and granola, we stopped by the elk to see them once more before we left. I sure love the calm, dark mornings in the redwoods, I’m not sure why, but it’s just easy on my soul. Related: […] Biking Luke Guilford | May 25, 2023 0 Comments
Cycling the West Coast: Climbing into the Redwoods! [Day 18 & 19] Day 18 I woke up around 3 am to a horrific, blood-curdling scream. The person was outside the church screaming in pain and yelling for the suffering to end. What I woke up to was someone overdosing, and paramedics quickly arrived on the scene to get him to help. Related: Cycling the West Coast: California! [Day 17] – SnowBrains I […] Biking Luke Guilford | May 24, 2023 0 Comments
Cycling the West Coast: California! [Day 17] Day 17 I woke up feeling not much better than the day before, but I had just under 30 miles to get into town to meet my father. Luckily, the road was very flat, and I could cruise into California. The weather called for non-stop rain, which, honestly, I enjoyed. At this point, I have been on the road long […] Biking Luke Guilford | May 23, 2023 1 Comment
Cycling the West Coast: Roadside Service! [Day 16] Day 16 Today was brutal: I progressively got more ill throughout the day. My body felt drained, and I had a gnarly headache, but I had to keep moving today since I am supposed to meet my father in Crescent City, CA, tomorrow. Related: Cycling The West Coast: Backroads and Burritos [Day 15] The day started out really gloomy, the temperature […] Biking Luke Guilford | May 22, 2023 0 Comments
Cycling the West Coast: Backroads and Burritos! [Day 15] Day 15 Camping with Flurin means starting the day jamming out to “On The Road Again” by Willie Nelson. I stayed around to check out the tide pools in the morning, and so did a school field trip. It was a nice reminder that I’m glad I’m not teaching kids or trying to herd them around. Related: Cycling the West Coast: […] Biking Luke Guilford | May 18, 2023 1 Comment
Cycling the West Coast: First Flat Tire! [Day 14] Day 14 I had an early start this morning to try and get into the Coos Bay area at a decent time. The first 15 miles went quickly, so I took a little break and read an informative sign on Jedidiah Smith and his explorations. As I read the sign, I heard a loud, sharp “pop!” I looked over, and […] Biking Luke Guilford | May 15, 2023 1 Comment
Cycling the West Coast: The Little Big Sur! [Day 11-13] Day 11 & 12 The Memorial Day weekend was well spent with family. Despite the rain dumping buckets the entire weekend, we were able to hit the beach, fly kites, explore tide pools, and check out some sea lions. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t itching to get back on the road. I feel like, I’ve had my fair […] Biking Luke Guilford | May 12, 2023 1 Comment
Cycling the West Coast: The Wet Coast Strikes Back! [Day 10] Day 10 I have been fairly good at timing the weather so far, but this storm was impossible to avoid… well kinda. I turned down my friend’s offer to give me a ride to Newport, OR and I paid for it. It was a downpour as soon as I left Lincoln City, with only a couple of short breaks of dry […] Biking Luke Guilford | May 10, 2023 0 Comments
Cycling the West Coast: On the Road Again! [Day 9] Day 9 I left Cape Lookout State Park early this morning to try and beat the rain that was supposed to hit in the afternoon. My day started with a gnarly climb that went up roughly 850+ feet, and it seemed to be my steepest climb of the trip so far. Related: Cycling the West Coast: Tillamooook! [Day 7 And […] Biking Luke Guilford | May 9, 2023 0 Comments
Cycling the West Coast: Tillamooook! [Day 7 And 8] Day 7 I woke up to Flurin jamming out on his concertina, which I didn’t know what it was, but to me, it resembled a miniature accordion. The concertina solo was followed up by a sing-along to the iconic “On The Road Again” by Willie Nelson. As funny and cheesy as it was, I was getting stoked to get on […] Biking Luke Guilford | May 3, 2023 2 Comments
Cycling the West Coast: Pasta, Wine, a Big Rock! [Day 6] Day 6 Today was my first true day biking along the coast. The north coastline of Oregon is a great vibe. Before reaching Seaside, I scooped a scone and strolled along a beach at Sunset State Park. I opted to bike through the neighborhoods parallel to hwy 101 since it was a little too busy for my liking. Related: Cycling […] Biking Luke Guilford | May 2, 2023 0 Comments
Cycling the West Coast: Welcome to Oregon! [Day 5] Day 5 I got moving around 6 am this morning in hopes of reaching the historic Astoria bridge that crosses the Columbia River into Oregon. From what I have heard, the Astoria bridge can be a little sketchy for cyclists, due to the lack of a shoulder and the long steep climb. The bridge is around 4.1 miles and has […] Biking Luke Guilford | May 1, 2023 0 Comments
Cycling the West Coast: Taco Bomb [Day 4] Day 4 The next morning, I packed up camp, but I couldn’t find my wallet, yay! After digging through everything, I realized I had left it at the campsite pay station, and phew, that was a relief. Nothing like starting your morning tweakin’. Related: Cycling the West Coast: Missing Bolts [Day 3] – SnowBrains I set off back into town […] Biking Luke Guilford | April 30, 2023 0 Comments
Cycling the West Coast: Missing Bolts [Day 3] Day 3 I left Shelton ready to hit the road for another big day! My route today took me down the backroads of rural Washington. This was a nice change of pace from yesterday, I hardly saw any cars and I sure didn’t miss the huge logging trucks zipping right by me. The terrain was mostly gentle, rolling hills in […] Biking Luke Guilford | April 27, 2023 0 Comments
Cycling the West Coast: Beautiful Gardens and Sloppy Grilled Cheese [Day 2] Day 2 I left my host’s place in Port Ludlow around 8:30 am, but not before having a delicious breakfast and some last-minute route planning. We debated two routes; one route taking me down the west coast of the Hood Canal and the other route sending me east of the hood canal. My hosts provided me with some insight into […] Biking Luke Guilford | April 26, 2023 0 Comments
Cycling the West Coast: An Adventure Begins [Day 1] Hi everyone, last summer, I spent 33 days cycling from Seattle, WA to Paso Robles, CA. All in all, I rode around 1,400 miles on my father’s old 1980-somethin’ Schwinn Peloton and camped in some of the most beautiful locations along the west coast. For this series of posts, I will be rolling out old journal entries from the trip […] Biking Luke Guilford | April 25, 2023 2 Comments
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