Trip Summary Trip Dates: Sep 02 - Oct 15 Start - End Locations: Bellingham, WA - San Diego, CA Days: 45   Level of Support: Self-contained Surface: Road Riders: 14 Type: Self-Contained   Meals: Shared cooking Accommodations: Camping Physical Difficulty: Intermediate+   Airport: Bellingham, WA/San Diego, CA Cost: $2699 Booking Status: Full

Are you a veteran bicycle traveler who has bagged plenty of long-distance routes, but haven’t yet ridden the Pacific Coast? Maybe it’s time to remedy the situation. This is perhaps the single most popular touring route in America, and with good reason.

Setting sail from Bellingham, Washington, we’ll flirt with the waters of Puget Sound for many miles, going from Anacortes to Whidbey Island to the Victorian splendor of Port Townsend, perched at the northeast edge of the Olympic Peninsula. After passing through the ship-building center of Bremerton, we’ll finally leave Puget Sound behind to trace a delightful series of back roads through an inland region of western Washington.

But not to worry, as the saltwater is never far away. On meeting the Columbia River, we’ll turn west to follow the mighty waterway to its mouth at Astoria, Oregon. If you’ve ever dreamed of leading the sea-going life, this hilly and historic city’s magnificent new (in 2002) Columbia River Maritime Museum facility could keep you off your bike for hours. You’d better not dawdle for too long, though, because some 400 miles of hilly Oregon coastline—featuring some of the most unspoiled beaches and finest state-park campgrounds in America—await your discovery. Not to mention quaint villages with salt-water taffy shops, quiet bays inhabited by loud seagulls and adorable harbor seals, and small cafes dishing up some of the best clam chowder and wave-watching you could ever dream of.

Entering California, we’ll hit Crescent City, then continue mostly along the ocean all the way to magical San Francisco—although we will detour inland to visit, among other attractions, Redwood National Park, where some of the ancient giants are 2,000 years old and over 300 feet tall. After cycling through that portion of the Golden State lying south of the Oregon border and north of the City by the Bay, you’ll understand why the residents here distinguish themselves as being either Northern Californians or Southern Californians. Settlements in the wild north have about as much in common with Hollywood as Paris has with Mayberry.

South of San Francisco things may get busier, but they’re no less spectacular. We have ahead of us the John Steinbeck country of Monterey, the incomparable Big Sur, and bewitching Santa Barbara. Farther south yet, a visit to RMS Queen Mary at her permanent berth in Long Beach will be a must-do. The trip ends in San Diego, a bustling and balmy city lauded for its extensive network of cycling routes.

This is a great ride to do whether it’s your first or fiftieth long-distance tour. The adventure provides a rare opportunity to lose yourself in the places where land and sea merge, and to enjoy a maritime smorgasbord for the senses: the sound of wind whipping sand into ever-changing dunes, and evenings spent watching the sun dip over the Pacific; the calling of sandpipers and curlews, and meditating on the hypnotic sound of ocean waves crashing; the ghostly groan of a foghorn on a foggy morning; the vitality of coastal towns as you head south from evergreen to golden beach.

For more detailed information, see Self Contained trip logistics.

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