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Messages - dennityrrell

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Routes / Re: First time Los Angeles to Vancouver
« on: December 09, 2012, 01:54:26 am »
I would agree with the advice given above. Start North and peddle South if you have the option.
I rode my bike from Vancouver to San Diego in May 2012.

I put my bike together by the pay phones in the Vancouver Airport and then took public transportation into downtown Vancouver.
I stayed at the Samesun Hostel on Granville St and they has an indoor bike storage location in the basement.
Vancouver is a GREAT city to buy bike parts (Mountain Equipment Co-op let me install my rain fenders in there store and the prices were half as expensive then American bike stores ... so load up on everything you need here).

Make sure you visit the San Juan Islands (picture below)



2
General Discussion / Re: Advice needed!!!
« on: December 09, 2012, 01:20:49 am »
My brother and I went on our first bike touring trip from Vancouver to Tijuana this past year without much preparation.
We did not do a "shake down" trip but if you have the time, I would recommend going on one. Within 3 days, we stopped at a post office and sent home a combined weight of 10 lbs. One week later, we sent another 7 lbs home. Go light.

One Other recommendation ...  if you dont know about the community already, check out www.warmshowers.org
Its set up like couchsurfers but it is JUST for bike tourist. Free places to stay, maybe even dinner.  Worth a shot.


3
General Discussion / Re: Bicycle Touring vs Backpacking
« on: December 09, 2012, 01:01:22 am »
This summer I left my job to do the following:
- Hiked 230ish miles of the John Muir Trail (3 weeks)
- Peddled the 1900ish miles of the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route from Canada to the Boarder of USA/Mexico (6 weeks)

Backpacking rules because there is no noise / light / garbage pollution, your not competing for shoulder space with distracted drivers, your days are simple, you can camp for free almost anywhere youd like, abundant wildlife and mountain scenery and you are surrounded by clean air and water. Although it does require a lot more planning, its hard to cover a lot of ground (10-15 miles is a decent days work) you cant really mail anything home that you dont need, you have to carry everything on your back and your more exposed if something goes wrong.  More experienced is required.

Bike touring rules because you can cover so much more distance in a day (50-70 miles is a decent days work), you can eat/drink whatever you want (ice cream x3 a day, why not? Or how about some espresso?) and you hardly need to pack anything in your panniers. If you have a rainy day - you can hole up in a hotel or just brunt riding in the storm knowing that you plan to stay in a hotel with a hot tub later that night.  Touring is more social and you get to have a lot more conversations with random people and hopefully inspire people to get back on their bikes.  Mechanical breakdowns suck, paying for hotels / camp grounds can add up pretty quickly and people giving you the finger for taking up a bit of space on the road sometimes can rub me the wrong way.  Really not much prior experience needed ... just get up and go.

Overall ... I wouldn't choose one over the other. Thats why in the near future I plan to bike 20 miles to a local backcountry trailhead, stash the bike and trailer and hike a few miles into the woods. Might even bring the dog along ...

 


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