Bikepacking Route Planning

NGS asked me to really break down (into the nitty gritty, I think she said) the logistics for my trip. Since route planning is one of the things that takes the most time, I will start with that. Route planning is kind of a three step process: (1) prior to leaving, (2) weekly check ins/general routes (3) daily/last minute updates. 

(1) Prior to leaving. Before I left on my trip, I started by figuring out a general idea of how I wanted to do this. You would think it would be very calculated, but really for me, it went something like this. First, I knew that I wanted to do the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, which goes from Banff, Canada to Antelope Wells, NM (the Mexico border). However, instead of going "straight" there, which may have taken me through Nevada and Idaho before getting to Canada, I decided to visit some friends along the way. I also had winter to contend with so knew that I could not really go anywhere where it was still quite high in elevation or high in latitude. For this reason, I decided to stay near the west coast for a while, where it would hopefully be warmer. I also knew that when possible, I wanted to go on dirt instead of highways. 

To find routes, I used a combination of Bikepacking.com, other bikepacking websites and blogs, Komoot and Google Maps. Bikepacking.com has prearranged routes, with descriptions and maps that you can download. I chose to do the Oregon Outback through Oregon and the BC Epic 1000 from Hope, BC to Fernie, BC. To connect the two, I chose to use some of the BC portion of the Great Northern Bikepacking Route and then the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route from there. Then I used Komoot and Google Maps to fill in the gaps. 

For both of the above, they have maps that are usually made with the Ride With GPS site, and can be downloaded and/or exported to your navigation device. I have a Garmin Edge and so I then export the route to the Garmin for use on the road. You can also edit the routes on Ride With GPS, but I normally do my editing in Komoot. 

The Garmin Edge is like any other GPS navigation tool; it will tell you when to turn, how far you have gone, how fast you are going and what your elevation is etc. It also has a hill feature, where it will tell you data on each hill: how far it is from you, how long it is, and when you are on the actual hill, it will show an elevation profile. This is probably my least favorite aspect as it generally means I am struggling, but it is handy. 

Regular mileage/data screen

Turn by turn

Hills! Dark red is my enemy!

Komoot is like Google Maps, but it has options for dirt, gravel or road, and can also be used for hiking for the same reason. With this, you put in your start and end and then choose your method (road biking, mountain biking, gravel, touring) and it will figure out the best route for you. This needs to be taken with a grain of salt, as it often will take you on private or closed roads, or will go off the main route to get a more scenic route, which often results in more hills or more turns. However, it is a good start. Once the route is complete, you can save it offline into your phone, and/or you can export it to a navigation device. Note, this will also tell you your elevation gain and loss, total miles, time it will take, surfaces and way types along with an elevation profile. 

Google Maps was mostly used to look at city routes and to compare with the route that Komoot came up with to see if they or where they differ. However, I cannot export the Google Map to my Garmin, so before leaving, it was used more as a fact checker than anything else. So basically, before I left, I had the maps for my trip all the way to Antelope Wells, NM and I figured I would sort the rest out later. 

(2) Weekly check ins. As you already know, right from the get go, the snow caused me to have to change my route from California, as I had planned on going up and over some 6,500 foot mountains, but ended up having to take the lower, more flat, more road heavy route. This happened later a few times as well. What do I do in this case? I edit my existing Komoot maps, by doing a "save as" and I resave the existing route with a different name and then edit that accordingly. For example, my first iteration was Grass Valley to Klamath Falls via mountain, then the next was GV to KF via road, then the next one was GV to Redding via road! Every time I get into service and have a room, I double check the routes and the weather and update the route accordingly and re-export it to my Garmin.

Sometimes I can find a route someone else has already made on Ride With GPS and then I just use their map. For example, in BC I was going to do the BC Epic 1000 route, which goes over Gray Creek Pass. When I was in Vancouver, I posted on the BC Epic1000 FB group to see if people thought I would be able to get through and/or to get any intel on snow conditions, and I was told that I likely would not get through, so I searched on RWGPS for Gray Creek alternate, and found a map going around on a lower route. I downloaded that, exported it to my Garmin and I was ready to go. 

(3) Daily/Last Minute Updates. This does not happen a lot, but sometimes there is construction, or snow where I did not know there would be snow, or a road is closed and/or private. In this case, if I have service, I can make a new map and it will sync with my Garmin. If I am out of service, I just have to keep looking at the map, which is saved offline on my phone, in order to figure out where I may be able to go. I also always download all of my Google Maps to be offline in case this happens and even though I cannot use the biking directions when I am offline, I can at least see which route a car would take and how many miles/km it is to my destination. 

I also have to check the route every few days depending on what the accommodation options are. If I am in a national forest, this is easy, as I can generally camp wherever I want. If I am in civilization, often my daily mileage is decided by where the next place to stay is. I try to figure this out every few days so I am not doing back to back long days with no services in between. I also like to have a room at least once per week; otherwise I get cranky and hungry and stinky, so I may prepare my route to do a long day today so that I can have a short day of riding and a long day in town tomorrow. 

I know that is a lot, so here is the TLDR (at the end!) 

Bikepacking.com: tried and true pre-made routes (usually multi-day & more off road)
Ride with GPS: GPS routes that anyone can put online (may need verification) / can make own route 

Komoot: GPS routes that anyone can put online (may need verification) / can make own route

Google Maps: best for towns/roads/use offline for general area

Alternative tried and true sites: Great Northern Bikepacking, Bikepacking Roots, Adventure Cycling Association (fee required). 

Alternative mapping tool: Gaia GPS

What route planning tools do you use for your hikes/runs/bike rides/road trips? If you are going for multiple days, do you always plan out every day beforehand or do you have some days that are ad hoc? 

If you haven't already, you can fill out this form with any questions you want answered for my upcoming ask me anything post!!

This post is part of NaBloPoMo. You can find the rest of my posts for this challenge here. You can find the list of participants and their information here. P.S. This is a draft I started in September 2024! I am clearing off the dust here! 

Take Only What You Need to Survive

Have you seen Spaceballs? If not, let me tell you a quick story. The characters' flying Winnebago crashes in the desert and they have to walk to try to get help and the main guy (Bill Paxton) tells the princess that she should only bring "what she needs to survive." Later as he is trudging through the desert with a heavy box, he looks inside and it is a huge hair dryer. He admonishes her and she states that it is her "industrial strength hair dryer" and she, "can't live without it!" 

I stole this photo from my own blog, circa mid 2000s. 

The first time I traveled abroad, I carried two huge suitcases. Granted, I was going to live in France for three months, but looking back, I now know that I did not need a fraction of the things I brought. Oh well; you live and you learn, right? 

In early 2024, when I decided to get rid of everything, I made a list of the things that I "can't live without." Obviously these are different for everyone, but my list was actually not as long as I thought it would be. Of course, I then had to whittle everything down from a 1,200 SF house with a backyard and a garage to...just a bike, which I explain a little in this post. When I created this post, I had two funny comments. One was from NGS, who asked me to break down all of the clothing items that I had in my bag, and then after I answered, Jenny piped up to ask me to confirm that I only had one extra outfit aside from my riding outfit. So I decided to break it down even more and go over all of the clothes that I've had in my clothing bag for the last several months. 

First let's talk about base layer tops! 

From the top, L to R: (1) a tank top I just recently stole from my friend's outgoing Goodwill bag, because I was tired of wearing active tops! It will be going back into the Goodwill back soon. (2) a Smartwool mountain biking shirt, well used! Also I have a story about this! 

Bottom row, L to R: (1) I started this trip with just this one salmon Smartwool tank top! (2) Along the way I picked up the green Icebreakers top. 

A quick note about these tops; all three (except for the top L) are made from merino wool. This stuff is NOT cheap. However, I got all three on sale and they do live up to the hype in that they (a) don't smell, even after days (weeks?) of wearing them, (b) are lightweight and (c) wick moisture and/or dry easily! This was so nice to be able to rinse them out at the end of the day and have them be dry by morning. The only negative I have found is that the thinner ones don't hold up too well to daily outdoor use, but I will talk more about this at the end of this post! So, I may be a convert...but I still don't know if I can stomach paying full price (around $100+) for a t-shirt. 

Now let's talk about jacket layers. 

Top row, L to R: (1) Patagonia Houdini windbreaker. I talked about this in last year's gifts for active people post. I love this windbreaker. LOVE IT. It is a great extra layer when needed, or can be worn over a t-shirt to block the sun. (2) Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer. This is so light and warm, but actually have not worn it a lot on this trip (thankfully!!) I often wear it when I am doing laundry, as it is my only clean item! 

Bottom row, L to R: (1) Outdoor Research Aspire. Not really the color I would have picked, but this jacket keeps you dry! There is nothing worse than riding or hiking in the rain, and this actually made it bearable! (2) Uniqlo zip up sunscreen hoodie. This is basically my "nice" outfit at the moment! Pair it with black leggings and I am practically ready for prom! 

Last but not least, accessories and pants. 

Left panel, top to bottom, L to R: all of the accessories! Arm sleeves, cycling gloves, buff, socks, bra, waterproof gloves, neoprene socks, beanie, lightweight gloves. And yes Jenny, I only have one pair of socks and no underwear! :) 

Right panel, top to bottom: (1) cycling shorts, (2) capri pants. 

What have I used the least? (1) neoprene socks, (2) waterproof gloves, (3) arm sleeves. I am happy about this, as it means that it has not been horribly cold! What have I used the most? I wore the Smartwool mountain biking shirt pretty much every day for about 40 days, then the Icebreaker shirt after that for about two and a half months. Unfortunately, the Smartwool top faded a lot, so I emailed them and they gave me a refund! So now I have a credit to get something else, which I am very glad about, as that shirt is not really fit for going out in public! 

And there you have it; that is literally what I need to survive. You can of course find the rest of the list of items I carry here. 

If you could only bring an under the seat backpack on a weekend trip, what are your essential items? Do you own any merino wool items? 

This post is part of NaBloPoMo. You can find the rest of my posts for this challenge here. You can find the list of participants and their information here. P.S. This is a draft I started in August 2023! Better late than never! 

Where Do You Keep That?

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my Canadian friends!

P.S. I made this using AI. I know! I am addicted.

After seeing a lot of people (see some examples here for Stephany, Engie and Elisabeth) post about where they keep things in their house, I thought it would be fun to do this too! However, as you know, I sold my house and got rid of all of my things, and so most of the things on the list I no longer own or keep anywhere! However, here is the original* list, which before I sold my house, I could sum up into four main places: Did not own, kitchen junk drawer, bathroom drawer and garage. (*from Engie)

Kleenex | Medicine | Band-Aids | Heating pad | Nail polish | Winter hats/gloves/accessories | Scissors | Tweezers | Slow cooker/air fryer | Dirty towels | Tape measure | Gifts bags/tissue paper/wrapping paper | Library books | Bookmarks | Pens | Suitcases | Water bottles | Dog leash | Jewelry

Did not own: Kleenex | Heating pad | Nail polish | Library books | Bookmarks | Dog leash 

In kitchen junk drawer: Scissors | Tape measure | Pens

In bathroom drawer: Medicine | Band-Aids | Tweezers | Jewelry

In tote in garage/in garage: Winter hats/gloves/accessories | Gifts bags/tissue paper/wrapping paper | Suitcases 

The only things that could not be summed up was the slow cooker/air fryer, which was an InstantPot and was in the cupboard above the fridge, dirty towels which kind of seems like a strange category because....the laundry basket...and water bottles, which were in the cupboard with the cups/glasses. 

However, since Engie asked me about to provide a bikepacking packing list and I haven't done it yet, I thought it would be fun to go over where my CURRENT stuff lives and what it is! Here is Bob with all of his bags. 

                                             

The bags are as follows: (1) Handlebar bag, (2) Fork bag x 2, (3) Top tube bag one, (4) Top tube bag two, (5) Feed bags x 2, (6) Frame bag, (7) Rear bag, (8) Hydration vest not shown, (9) Fanny pack not shown, and (10) my body not shown. 

(1) The handlebar bag contains my tent and a pair of flip flops. I also strap my rain jacket to the daisy chain on the front of this bag for easy access. You may have seen in some photos that I also strap extra food on here from time to time. 

Fritos for later

(2) The fork bags are for food; the left one has my cook kit, coffee fixings and any dinner/breakfast foods and the right one has snack foods. 

Cook kit: stove, gas, pot, lighter.
Not shown: spork and Swiss army knife

(3) Top tube bag one has things I need right away and may use several times per day, like bug spray and sunscreen. 

(4) Top tube bag two has the snacks for the day, portioned out so that ideally I do not need to get into either fork bag during the day. 

(5) Feed bag number one has a one liter water bottle; feed bag number two usually has my phone in it so I can access it easily. Or if I put my phone in my fanny pack, I often will put fast action snacks like gummy bears, Twizzler nibs or grapes in feed bag number two. 

Cherries? Yes please!

(6) The frame bag has bike repair items (multi-tool, brake pads, lube, spare nuts/screws for my rack, zip ties, rag, tube repair kit), my tent poles, my bike lock and my water filter. I also sometimes keep extra water in here in a one liter foldable bottle. 

(7) The rear bag has all sleeping items including air mat, sleep sack and sleeping bag. It also has most of my electronics, an emergency/first aid kit, toiletries and any clothes I am not currently wearing (usually a puffy, spare bottom/top, underwear, but during summer, also includes a beanie, and waterproof gloves and booties, which live in my handlebar bag when it's cold out). I also have a spare/emergency credit card and an extra bike tube in this bag. 

Toiletries: no tweezers or scissors here!

All packed up!

(8) The hydration vest I wear, and it has things I may need frequent access to like Advil, toilet paper, a charger for my phone, my passport, a pen, post cards/stamps, emergency cash, gloves, buff, arm sleeves, and wind breaker. I also have a 2L water bladder for when I am in very dry places, but I have not had to use it very often. 

(9) The fanny pack stays on me at all times and has my wallet, headphones, floss stick (yes, I reuse it), Chapstick and two emergency tampons (since the rest are deep inside my big bag). I used to also keep earplugs in here, but to be honest, I have not needed them (knock on wood!) lately, so I took them out.

My wallet here only has two credit cards, an ATM card and my ID. I have an extra credit card, my Costco card (priorities people!) and my Global Entry card stored in a separate place, and I keep my passport on me inside my hydration vest.  

(10) On the top I usually wear a sports bra, a short sleeved merino wool shirt with a sunscreen hoodie if it is cooler, with options for the windbreaker from my vest if needed, or my rain jacket if it is especially cold or wet. On the bottom, I alternate between cycling shorts (chamois) and Adidas capris. If it is very cold or wet, I wear rain pants over those, and I wear socks and regular trail running shoes (not cycling shoes). A pair of cycling gloves and a helmet tops off my ensemble. 

Same shi(r)t, different day!! 

So, there is where everything in my current life lives! I guess from the original list, the only things I still have are: Medicine | Band-Aids | Winter hats/gloves/accessories | Pens | Suitcases (do my bike bags count?) | Water bottles. 

Do you keep your dirty towels somewhere besides the laundry basket? Feel free to pick a few other things off the list and tell me where you keep them! Does anything I carry (or don't carry) surprise you? 

Honk If You Think Helmets Are Sexy (And Other Random Acts of Kindness)

One of the things that I did on this trip was to have people come and meet me along the way. My friend K came with her girls to meet up with me in Canmore, and as we were driving around we would sometimes see people with bikes full of gear riding on the side of the road. I made them cheerily honk the horn and roll down their windows and cheer for the cyclists. They thought I was crazy but I tried to explain to them that it's the little things like that which sometimes make my day, and if we could pay it forward, why not? 

They did not really think about the long days in the saddle with nobody to talk to and sometimes the only noise you hear all day is the cars wizzing by, but why would they? So I am here to tell you ten things that I've experienced and have been very appreciative of so far, and probably no long haul cyclist would refuse or be upset by if you did them. 

A friendly honk. I have had people lean on the horn in an unfriendly way, but usually a quick toot toot is such a happy sound to hear as you are lumbering up a hill with sweat dripping down your face. 

Speaking of sweat, I will almost never say no to a cold drink. I told my Mom that even if it's a soda, which I rarely drink, or even diet soda, I don't care. If it's cold, I will happily drink it! Near Merritt, BC, after accidentally going over the Coquihalla summit, a guy offered me a zero sugar Sparkling Ice and let me tell you, it was the best drink I've had in a while. 

Cold(ish) drink! 

Coquihalla summit. Not fit for bikes!!

A wave, thumbs up, hang loose or any goofy hand or arm movements are welcome, with some obvious exceptions! 

I sat in a bar in Michigan talking to some bear hunters and when I went to pay my bill, one of them offered to buy my drink. How nice is that?

Somebody bought me these! Thanks! 

In New Mexico, on a stretch of about 90 miles and 8,000 feet of gnarly climbing with no water sources on a 90+ degree day, I was walking my bike uphill over some rocks when a man in a kitted out fourrunner stopped and asked if I wanted water. If I have enough, I will sometimes say no, but in this case, I was so happy that I could have hugged him. 

Warmshowers is a cycling accommodation swapping service, and the people who have hosted me have all been wonderful. However, in the New Mexico desert, there was no place good to camp and when I asked a man if there was anything around, he called a friend and she not only let me sleep in her yard, but she fed me and let me shower! Seriously, all I need is a small place to put my tent and a tree to pee behind, but she went above and beyond. 

The Toaster House in Pie Town, NM. Free, with donations accepted. 

To all the old men in Tim Hortons and McDonald's: I loved spending time chatting with you, hearing your stories, and learning about the local area.

I'm fact, to everyone at any bar or restaurant or hotel or just randomly on the street who has asked where I am going and why I am doing this and how I do certain things and have been so curious, it was really nice to chat with you too. You really made my day. 

So many cars have moved over to the left and have given me a lot of space when they can and let me tell you, that is so nice. Even big rigs will sometimes get all the way into the other lane on a two lane highway and man it really makes a difference. Side note and fun fact: did you know that if the big rig does not get over, they often create a kind of rip tide/vacuum of air after they pass that can nearly knock me over? 

Often if I am sitting on the side of the road having a snack or adjusting my clothing, people will ask if I need any help. While luckily I never did, I am so grateful to them, because you never know when you may need help. I always do the same too, except often they have just stoped to pee 🫣 or eat. But that's okay; it's better to check anyway!

I have really been impressed and touched by all of the random people who have made my journey better in some way, often by just doing something small, and maybe even sometimes not even realizing it! This list is not all inclusive; there were people who gave me rides, people who let me take my bike into the room even though it was not allowed, people in Montana and Colorado and New Mexico who have fed or housed me and other cyclists or hikers and want nothing in return except for us to pay it forward...the list goes on! 

What unexpected thing has someone random done for you in your life? What random thing has made your journeys in this life better? Do you feel that people in certain areas or walks of life are more likely to give or receive random acts of kindness? 

A Day In The Life

Happy Monday and Happy Memorial Day! I hope that if you have the day off you are having a great time and the sun is shining and the birds are singing and you are happy. If you are working today, I'm so sorry, but may your next day off be wonderful. This weekend brings me a little feeling of nostalgia, at is is usually my first backpacking weekend in the Sierra, and normally I would be in Yosemite or some other high rocky place, enjoying the views and loving it. However, this year brings a different sort of adventure, but it is interesting how we pine for the past even so! 

Yosemite: Memorial Day Weekend 2023

I thought I would do another day in the life, and may do this each month, as even though sometimes the days seem the same every day, they are actually often quite different. Last time, if you recall, it was in the 20s in the mornings and this time, I went through a few days in the 80s, only one month later! 

Monday, May 13, 2024

Hydraulic Lake, British Columbia

4:00 am: I wake to the sound of honking geese. This has been my alarm for the past few days, as I have been camping near bodies of water and they are very active in the morning. The other day, I could even hear them walking around near my tent, but when I poked my head out they skedaddled. They are noisy though! Luckily I fall back asleep. 

5:00 am: It is light! I wake up to the sound of the dawn chorus. Now this I can get on board with! I notice that they have the cheeseburger bird in Canada too! For those of you who are not familiar, this is a bird that I grew up hearing and the sound it makes kind of sounds like it is whistling "cheese-bur-ger!" When I was a kid, I thought it was just us locals that called it that, but apparently other people do too (this is what is sounds like). The actual bird is a chickadee. However, in BC, this bird sometimes has an extra syllable in its call, so it sounds like it is saying, "three-cheese-bur-ger!" 

5:45 am: I think about getting up. It is actually not too cold this morning, which is usually my excuse for lingering, and bonus, my tent is dry, as the site near the lake was windy and not too humid. I rejoice silently, as a wet tent is the bane of my existence. 

Hydraulic Lake

6:00 am: I do my normal morning tent routine of dressing and putting things away, with one critical addition. Before putting on any clothes, I put on sunscreen. I have learned the hard way that this is best done before everything else, while you are focusing and not in a hurry on the side of the road. Also, this way I can get that little strip near my watch, the backs of my hands, and the weird armpit-side-area that I sometimes miss when I am in a hurry. Also it's better to not be wearing my helmet and glasses and sleeves and cuffs etc. Preferably when I am at the beach, I would do this naked, as I always miss a spot when I do it after I am dressed, even in a swimsuit. Life lesson learned. However, I am not in the mood to get naked in the tent so I make do. 

6:20 am: I exit the tent. The lake is calm and the view is great. I heat up water for oatmeal and coffee. This consists of instant coffee and although I often drink it black at home, while traveling I like a bit of a treat, so I pilfer sugar and cream packets from any motel or gas station when I get coffee and I use a couple of those when I am camping. Normally I would scoff at any fake creamers, but currently I am happy to have anything! For the oatmeal, I put a couple of sugar packets and if I have peanut butter, which I do today, I put a scoop of that in there too. If I have extra creamer packets, I may even throw one of those in (decadent!!), but usually I do not have extras and today is no exception. 

While the water is heating, I break down the tent and load the bags onto Bob. After doing that, I eat breakfast while staring at the lake and watching the fish jump; dare I call this "meditating?" 

7:00 am: I get going. Today I would like to try to get 50 miles at least, but preferably 60 miles, as I have a town day planned for tomorrow and the more miles I do today, the less I have to do tomorrow. I like to have as much time as possible in towns, as I often have errands to do, administrative things to take care of and also would like to relax a little bit sometimes. Ideally, I would get to town right at or just before check in (around 2 pm usually) so I would have a few hours for errands, and a few hours for admin/relaxing. 

7:06 am: Since I was wild camping, I did not have a toilet, but I knew there was one a few minutes down the road. I never pass up an opportunity to use a real toilet, if you can call a pit toilet "real." It is much more real than digging a hole in the ground though, so I use it while I can! 

Do you see the sign on the wall? Dog poop bags?  Who does that?

8:00 am - 11:59 am: Yesterday I spent the entire day climbing up about 3,500 feet and today, I spend most of the day going downhill (aka losing what I gained, but such is life). However, I am on a rail trail and so it is a gradual 1%-2% downhill, and although you may think that this is awesome, it is not! The surface is gravelly and rocky and sandy and I actually have to pedal downhill most of the time in order to keep the flow going. Also, this kind of riding hurts the butt! If you are a runner, you will know what I mean. When the spectator says, "it is all downhill from here!" and you are like, "my quads are dead, downhill is NOT my friend at this point!" My butt is dead. Bring on the 5% incline (just kidding!) 

However, I do have the trail all to myself and it a nice ride through the pine trees. And it is not raining, which is another bane of my existence, so I am as happy as a clam! I am listening to Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena, which is entertaining. This downhill is perfect for audio, as steeper ones with more wind noise make it so I cannot hear well enough. 

Kettle Valley Railway

12:00 pm: I veer off track for a bit at Beaverdell, where there is one restaurant open that has pizza and ice cream. I eat half of a pizza and a scoop of ice cream, and wrap up the other half of the pizza for dinner later and put it in my bike bag. While eating, I charge my phone and sit for a bit watching the cars go by until I finally have to get back up and get going. At this point, I have done 35 miles so far. I am still aiming for 60, which would put me right near the Kettle River at a campsite there. 

Yes please.

Pizza in Beaverdell

1:00 pm - 5:00 pm: I ride near the Kettle river for a long time. There are a lot of gates, as much of this part of the trail goes through private land. I get tired of getting off the bike, opening the gate, closing the gate, getting back on the bike. I am ready to be done. 

5:00 pm: I get to the Kettle river campsite. It is $30 for a tent site. After having a lot of free sites lately, this seems like a lot (however, it is almost summer, so this will likely be the norm more often). Plus they only take cash and I only have $20. Poop. The camp host is very nice and she tells me all about the other campsites further along, as well as the possibility of ATMs. I ride to town, which is about 5 clicks away, the lady says. (side note: clicks are kilometers; however, the town was more like 7 clicks away, and those extra 2 clicks were felt). 

Spring runoff in the Kettle river

TCT

5:27 pm: I get to the second campsite possibility. The office is open from 9:30 am - 5:30 pm. I go to the office and it is closed. I peer in and it is dark. Poop. There is a phone number to call after hours. I call it, but nobody answers. Poop! Luckily there is another campground across the river. I know I should get cash before going to the third option, so I go into town and ask at the local pub, which I was told had an ATM. It is closed, but the man working outside directs me to the Petro Canada (gas station). 

5:45 pm: I ride to the PetroCan, but their ATM does not take my card. It keeps saying chip read error. I ride to the next possible ATM, which the gas station attendant told me was 2 minutes away. It takes me 6 minutes. I get cash! Yay. 

6:00 pm: I ride to the campsite. The building which has the name of the site on the roof has a "private" sign on the front door. I knock anyways. Nobody answers. The next building over looks like someone took a sledgehammer to it, or maybe it was a fire? There is a building that looks like an apartment building nearby as well, but nothing else. There is only one other person in an RV site, and I pass by him to see if he is a host, but there is no sign and I do not want to bug him. I decide to go and pick a spot and maybe someone will come to me for the fee. 

6:15 pm: I pick a nice spot right near the river. I eat my pizza, plus four coconut macaroons, while staring at the river in a comatose manner. I am tired. My final mileage is 70.73 miles, which beats my prior one day high for this trip so far of 70.28. 

Home sweet home

6:30 pm: I put up my tent, use the bathroom (NOT maintained, maybe this campground is closed?), and take off my bike shorts to air out for the night. There is not enough time to rinse them and let them dry, so I just flip them inside out so the crotch section gets some air. It is slightly gross, but such is life these days. I unpack my bags, spread out my sleep gear and put on my sleep shorts. I start my charging regime. My battery pack has two USB ports, and I have one mini USB with two, so I can charge two items on that one, and one item on the other. I then closely monitor them to see when they are full so I can swap them out with the next thing. Despite having so many electronics, generally I only need to charge my phone and maybe two other items each night. 

7:00 pm: I sit with the flap of the tent open and watch a bald eagle land in a tree across the river and try to get a video of him leaving the tree, but he just sits there for a long time. I wonder what he is waiting for. The river near me (still the Kettle) is very high and is moving very fast, so I doubt I will hear or see any fish here! 

7:30 pm - 9:00 pm: I read. I am reading Outlander, which I avoided reading for a long time, as it seemed like a bit of a fad. However, I am enjoying it, even though it is mostly just a romance novel. But who doesn't love a nice strong Norse man in a kilt though, you know what I am saying? Aye!!! 

9:00 pm: It is not quite dark yet, but I call it a night and am asleep in mere seconds. In hiker terms, this is called "hiker midnight." I guess it is the same in the bike world, at least for me! As soon as it is dark, it's lights out! 

P.S. Nobody ever came to get my fee, and when I left the next morning the office was still empty, so I ended up getting a free spot after all! 

Have you ever heard (or heard of) the cheeseburger bird? What is your favorite bird sound? What book are you currently reading? 

By The Numbers: April

It's May! As you may know, this is my favorite month! Bring on the spring time! I thought I would do a quick recap of the last "month" of travel, including some fun facts about ice cream consumption. I started my biking journey at the end of March, so this month will have a few non-April days in it, but here is what we have so far (through and including 05/01/24). 

Mileage Stats:

Total Days on Road: 40

Total Days Ridden: 29

Total Miles: 1,440

Average Miles Per Day Ridden: 49.6

Total Hours (moving only): 164

Average (moving) Hours Per Day: 5.7 (5:40) 

*my guess would be that average time on the road per day (moving + non-moving) would be around 8 hours. I take a lot of photos, potty breaks and food breaks! 

Sunshine Coast Highway

Accommodation stats: 

Established Camp: 4

Friend: 13

Motel: 13

Warm Showers: 2

Wild Camp: 8

Home for the night

Budget stats: 

*I will probably do this each month going forward, but this time, it will include all 40 days so far. 

Accommodation: $1,084

Dining Out: $275

Groceries: $310

Health: $234 (insurance premium)

Transportation: $79 (bus/ferry)

Phone: $81 (this is a family plan, but since I pay for it, I will account for the total)

Entertainment: $292 (bike repairs/satellite messenger)

Misc.: $17 (VPN, credit card fees, gifts)

Total spent for 40 days: $2,357

Monthly (30 day) cost: $1,767

This is good, as my thought was that I would shoot for about $2,000 per month, but I knew I may have to tweak it a little as I got more knowledge about what I was actually spending. I am happy with this, but know that some weeks I may be spending more on accommodation, which is my highest cost. 

Also, in the question form (it's not too late! You can still ask questions here), my friend Dr. G asked, "How has your spending changed? Do you spend 10% of what you did before?" Well, I do not spend 10% of what I spent before, maybe more like a third, but I think I will have a lot more clarity on this answer at the end of the year. It is hard right now, as I am still actually paying a lot for home things (repairs, inspections, upgrades) and so this cost above is really only my travel cost, and in all actuality, I probably spent more in the month of April than I have in a very long time (or ever). 

Peanut butter milkshake at Bend Burger!

Also, because I know you care, here are my specific ice cream stats: 

*I have put these in liters so that they will be consistent. FYI, a normal "half gallon" in the US is about 1.5 L (which is not actually half of a gallon anymore). 

Times I have been to the grocery store: 15

Times I have bought ice cream: 7

Total L of ice cream bought: 7.2 L (~5 half gallons)

Total cost: $22.56 (7.2% of grocery spend)

Average $ per L: $3.13 (~ $4.69 per half gallon)

Cheapest: Bremerton, WA / $2.10 per L (~ $3.15 per half gallon)

Most Expensive: Victoria BC / $5.83 per L (~ $8.75 per half gallon) (celebratory pint after good news! Totally worth every bite!)

Favorite Brand so Far: Trader Joes

Least Favorite Brand so Far: Crystal

Okay it's your turn!! How much did you spend on ice cream last month? How many times per month do you go to the grocery store? How much does a "half gallon" or 1.5 L cost in your neck of the woods? What is your favorite ice cream flavor? 

A Day in The Life

Happy tax day!? Did you do your taxes yet? I had to pay and I set mine up to pay on the 14th, as I am not paying any earlier than I absolutely have to! I hope that you got money back, or did not have to pay too much! 

I know I said I was not going to just talk about the bike trip. but Nicole's post about normal every day life the other day inspired me (plus Engie asked me for the nitty gritty about every hour of my day). I love hearing about other people's different days, so I thought I would do one for my current "routine." Each day is different, but on this day (April 7, 2024), I had wild camped near Lava Bed National Monument. I am going to do this day as a 24 hour period instead of the standard "awake" hours; you will see why in a minute. 

9:30 pm: After falling asleep while reading around 6:00 pm (oops), I wake up, thinking it is morning. Realizing it is not, I puff a few puffs of air into my sleeping pad (it seems to have a very small leak) and I go back to sleep. 

11:00 pm: Wake up, roll over. 

1:00 am: Wake up, roll over. Sometimes sleeping while camping is not fun.

3:00 am: Wake up, realize it's pretty cold out, put sleeping bag over head, roll over.

4:30 am: Wake up, hear snow hitting the tent, roll over.

5:00 am: Alarm goes off, hear snow hitting the tent still, decide to not get up yet, put on a podcast.

6:45 am: After listening to several podcasts, it is still snowing. Thermometer shows that it is 31 degrees inside the tent, so I can only assume it is in the mid 20s outside. After a period of hemming and hawing, I decide to get up and face the music.

Frozen tent

7:00 am: Mobilization tasks include (in this order generally): put on contact lenses, socks (in sleeping bag so they get warm), beanie, long sleeve shirt, hydration pack, buff (on neck), wired earphones (use to save battery, better if they are under jacket) and rain jacket. Take off sleeping shorts, put on hated diaper pants (bike shorts), and long pants. Deflate sleeping pillow (this is a new luxury for me), and sleeping pad and put in bag. Put sleep liner (adds about 10-15 degrees of warmth) in bag. Stuff sleeping bag in bag, filling all cracks. Lastly, put electronics, sleeping shorts and Kindle in the bag. 

7:15 am: Put on shoes. Exit tent. There is snow on the ground and on Bob. It is very cloudy and I am hoping that it does not snow all day. Pee in bushes, which involves removing two layers of pants, peeing, pulling up two layers of pants and tucking in two shirts. Brush teeth. Put on gloves, tighten wrist Velcro on jacket. The less wind getting in, the better. Eat a granola bar and skip coffee due to cold/snow and lack of extra water. Deconstruct and pack up tent. Strap bag with sleeping items on back rack. 

7:45 am: Start Garmin Inreach (this is a satellite tracker and SOS messenger), start Garmin Edge (this is a bike computer that tells me which way to go), start Coros watch (this logs my miles, elevation, heart beat etc.) Plug headphones into phone, start audiobook. Drink water. Leave camp, start pedaling. 

7:45 am - 8:30 am: Pedal, take photos, beat my hands on my handlebars and feet on the pedals because they are cold due to snow and 28 degree temps (according to the bike computer, this may not account for the cold, cold wind though). On this day I go through Lava Bed National Monument, who most of you have probably never heard of, as it is kind of in the middle of nowhere. It is full of lava and caves and is probably pretty cool to explore, but I do not do it this time, as it is very cold and I need to get a permit from the (closed) visitor center to be able to go into the caves. However, check out Skull Cave; isn't it cool? It may be worth coming back someday! 

Lava

8:30 am - 10:30 am: Pedal, take photos. Am kind of glad when there is a small (read: small!) hill as it gives me a chance to warm up a little. I go through the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge, where I am sure there are normally a lot of birds, but today there is not much. It snows most of the time, but at least it is not rain! I am craving a coffee, and the road has been a bit straight and I need a break, but there is nothing! I have literally seen no services for the last ~ 80 miles. 

Still cold!

10:30 am: Finally, I get to the Oregon border and there is a liquor store/bar/market on the corner and I fling down the bike and go in! It reminds me of home; there is nobody inside but the bartender points me to the coffee machine and lets me sit in front of the fire. As I sit there, I hear the cook or someone in the back talking about his night last night and it is entertaining to say the least. I look at the map, book a room in Klamath Falls, and warm my toes. A few locals come in and sit at the bar and they start asking me where I am going, and upon learning that my next stop is KF, the proceed to give me advice on which route to take that is the most scenic (and flat, I hope!) I end up taking their advice, because why not!? 

My new favorite bar

11:00 am: I pay for my coffee and drag myself outside, where the sun has come out! It is probably still in the high 30s, but having the sun at my back is priceless. I can hear three guys in trucks admire my bike set up as I leave. I follow the route that the bar guy told me to take, and he was right! It is pretty and there are not many cars, and the ones that do come give me lots of space. 

Lower Klamath Lake Road

2:00 pm: I arrive at KF and after having a bit of a harrowing ride along the main drag in town (no bike lane, fast cars), I get to my motel and check in. They do not have a room on the first floor, or an elevator, so I drag Bob up the stairs. He probably weighs about 75 pounds without me on him. I get into my room and complete my normal room review. Does the room have: a coffee machine, a refrigerator, a microwave? In this case it has the last two, which means I can buy cold things from the grocery store! 

2:15 pm: Before leaving to get food, I do the following: remove bike shorts and wash, hang to dry (they are thick and need time), put on sleeping shorts, remove wet tent from bike and hang to dry, start charging my power bank, get my Chico bag. I walk to the grocery store and buy too much food. This is very common. I always have eyes bigger than both my stomach, and my bike bag capacity. I will figure out a way to make it work though. I do buy a salad and some frozen peas, which I will have to eat right away. The rest, even the cheese and brats, can be stored on the bike the first day, as the temps are supposed to be pretty cold the first day (25 - 45 degrees). My weakness is tortilla chips, AND they take up too much room, but I buy them anyway. I also buy ice cream, which I will eat for dinner later. :) However, to my credit, it all fits in the Chico bag! Not only that, but this food, along with a few other bars and things that I already have, need to last me for the next four days, until my next grocery store.

Grocery haul!

3:30 pm: I am back in the room. I remove all of my clothing and wash it in the sink, and hang it up in front of the heater, which I have put on full blast. Even without clothing on, I am sweating, but needs must! I need my clothes to be dry by tomorrow. I eat the salad and some peas, and repackage some of the food (rice, coffee) so that I don't have any boxes. 

Dinner #1

4:30 pm: Done eating. I swap my charging item. I only carry one square, so need to do one thing at a time unless there are USB ports in the motel. Luckily, this one has two of them, so I can charge three things at once! Yay. However, I have eleven items that need to be charged! Isn't that ridiculous? What ever happened to going out in the wild with a map and a compass and a hunk of jerky? Actually, several of these items will last a few days, or can be charged with the power bank, but I always fill them up when I do have power just in case. 

4:30 pm - 6:30 pm: I shower and put on the game show network. Who knew there were so many games that are just like Family Feud? Also, when did all of the hosts become so annoying? Also, clearly older people are watching this channel, as there are a lot of commercials for medications, some of which may give you pain or swelling in your perineum! Really? All you need for that is to ride a bike for several days in a row. I go through my route plan again for the next week, while eating ice cream. I note down where the water sources are, how far it is between towns, possible reroutes I may need or want to do. I check the weather for the next few days. It is supposed to get warmer, with highs in the 60s in a few days, but it is supposed to rain after that. I hope that the second part is wrong. 

6:30 pm - 8:30 pm: I do some administrative things (write a blog post, pay my property tax, make sure everything is running smoothly with the house etc.) since I have WiFi and probably will be camping in the wild for the next several days. I also download some new books from the library, and make sure they are usable offline, and back up my photos that I recently took. However, the WiFi is NOT fast, and it ends up taking over 12 hours to upload my recent photos to the cloud. Annoying, but at least I can get some things done. I have some nachos (tortilla chips with melted cheese - I love having a microwave!) for dessert. 

8:30 pm: Brush teeth, take out contacts, pee (in a toilet! Yay!). Get in bed to wind down. Send a few text updates to people since I may not be in service for a while. 

9:00 pm: Put on a podcast and fall asleep. 

Is your normal morning or evening routine the same every day? What is the most random national park or preserve that you have been to and loved? 

Episode One: Plan G

You know how there is plan A and then plan B etc.? The last few weeks have been a lesson in always having a backup and/or being willing to go with the flow. I feel like I am currently on plan F or G of my trip already. The original plan had been to start from Grass Valley, CA and head over the Sierra toward Klamath Falls, OR, where I would meet up with some friends for about a week near Bend, OR before heading back to Klamath Falls to start north again. 

Things were looking pretty good for a while; the snow was melting and Punxsutawney Phil had said that spring was coming early, which I was a big fan of. However, about a week before I had planned on starting, there was a big snow storm in the Sierra and things started looking bleak for me. I told my Dad that his ski season was going to need to be cut short, but in the end, he got lucky. This was not a horrible thing; it just meant that my plan to try to stay on dirt paths for the bulk of my trip just went out the window, and instead of going over the hills, I would need to take the road around through the valley. However, this did not mean I did not need to go through the mountains still; I would just do it in a lower place instead. 

Country road, take me home...(table mountain in the distance)

In the next couple of days, I got to Red Bluff via backroads, and then cut east to head up and over the mountains. Well, this day it started raining, then snowing and then I actually hit snow at about 4,200 feet, which is a bit lower than expected. So I tried to plod through it for a while, but ultimately it was very hard and it was uphill and my feet were getting cold, so I decided to head back down the hill to regroup. I was going to try to hitchhike to the town of Burney, but nobody would pick me (a very wet person) and Bob (a very wet bike) up. Luckily, I found a feed store that was on the side of the highway and I went in and begged Sonny, the owner (we became good friends), if I could use his heater to warm up and asked him if he knew anyone with a truck who would be willing to give me a ride. 

After reviewing the weather in Burney and surrounds, I determined that the upcoming snow would make this journey a bit unpleasant and possibly dangerous, so in the end, I decided to go back to Redding, which is along highway 5 and wait for my friends there instead of in Klamath Falls. Luckily Sonny's friend was headed to town and he gave me a ride right to my motel! Thank goodness for friendly folks. After a week in Oregon, I was back in Redding, but ironically, though it had been nice for the last five days, it was set to snow again in the mountains! I decided to take a bus to Burney and start from there rather than trying to go up the snowy slopes of the highway. 

Yup, those are my tracks (and a bunny)

The pass I wanted to avoid

This turned out to be a wise decision. The highway (299) to Burney was uphill, windy and had very little shoulder and there were a couple of snowy passes. In the end, I skipped about 7 miles, but I am okay with that. I started off in Burney and headed east and then north again. However, lest you think it was easy, it was uphill, snowing part of the time, and in the 20s in the mornings! But I made it to Klamath Falls safely in the end. The weather is still supposed to be a bit hit and miss, but this week's lows are supposed to be in the 30s and highs in the 50s/60s so that is much better than 20s! I have spent a lot of time looking at weather, routes, and webcams lately, but hopefully things will become more (and stay more) spring-like after this. 

View of Mt. Lassen from highway 299

A few stats --> Dead animals seen on side of the road: snakes, squirrels, cat, deer, vole, birds, lots of unidentified bones. I have also seen lots of cans (but not as many as in Washington), cigarette packets, and beer bottles. Good things I've seen: many farms/ranches/live animals including goats, donkeys, ponies, horses, sheep, ducks, geese, hawks, unidentified birds, dogs & cats, many sunrises, many empty roads, fun small towns.

Now the fun part, the Q&A! If you haven't gone and asked any questions yet, you can do it here. Don't be shy! It can even be anonymous if you want it to! I thought I would answer a few in each post, except for some of Engie's questions, for which the answers will likely be an entire post! This time, I will answer a few logistic questions that I have recently been asked. 

Where do you sleep? (Michelle and various other friends) - I am doing a mix of wild camping, established camping, motels and staying with friends. Most of this will not be planned in advance, as I will not really know how fast or how far I will go each day, but my expectation is that I will likely try to have a warm bed and a shower about once a week. If it rains or snows on me a lot, this number may increase. [edited to add: given the snowy conditions, I have so far stayed in a motel 4 nights and wild camped 2 nights, but I am hoping to do a lot more camping over the next week.]

Wild camping in Modoc County, temps around 40

What do you eat? (Michelle and various other friends) - I carry enough food to get me to the next town, which will likely mostly be only a day or two's worth of food. However, there will be sections where I will need to carry several days worth of food or several liters worth of water. What I carry will be similar to backpacking food, like rice, beans and oatmeal, but I will also be able to carry some heavier things or fresher items like peanut butter, bagged salad and fruit/veggies. I will also stop in towns and eat real food from time to time! My favorite grocery store foods in town are ice cream, cheese and meat, but I will also be splurging on an omelet or a hamburger sometimes. I also do carry a stove and so I can have hot food like instant rice, oatmeal and coffee. 

Typical snack food

Coffee maker (aka the stove)

Where do you use the bathroom? (My friend K's 10 year old daughter L) - This really depends on where I am. The first few days I was in small towns or rural roads. If there is no traffic and/or I can hide, I usually just pee in the bushes. If I am in a town, I may use a park restroom or a gas station restroom, but I don't really like leaving my bike out too long. If I am camping, I will go in the bushes. If I am in a motel, I will use a toilet! 

Will I carry a weapon? (My aunt and my friend G) - Not this time. I am going to leave my Glock at home, but will likely get bear spray when I am closer to or am in Canada. 

Progress report: 352 mi / 563 km | 7 days | 42 hours (6 per day) | gummy bears eaten: 76

How was your week last week? Did you get any snow? Is it cold where you are? What do you do to warm up when you are cold?