Andrew's 2013 Bike Trip
Andrew will be undertaking a daunting and long journey which will enable him to see the wonderful Pacific Coast from his bike. His route is approximately 1750 miles long and primarily stays on the 101 in Washington and Oregon and the 1 in California. He will begin his ride on June 7th and hopes to be done by the end of June, or about 80 miles a day average. He will be carrying the entirety of his camping gear such as his tent, his sleeping bag, his clothes, and his cooking supplies. Andrew feels that his journey will be the ride of a lifetime and despite difficulties, he hopes it will be enjoyable overall. He wants to do this trip because he wants to accomplish something that signifies his independence as well as something that he can look back on and feel proud of. Feel free to check out some of the pictures as well as the handy link that will take you to a page that shows the recent location of Andrew. 
The Route
June 28, 2013: Day 22
Last day of the long ride. Got going about 5:30 am this morning. Nice ride down the coast. Had lunch with Mom and Peter at Chipoltes. Then stopped by Dad's work and said hi to him and a few people he works with. Continued down to the border and got there about 3pm. Mom and Dad met me there and we celebrated the long (and safe) ride. Stashed the bike in the van and then walked across the border into Mexico. Had an ice cream sandwhich there. Took me about an hour to get back across. On the drive home, the drive on the freeway seemed sooo fast compared to my bike pace the past few weeks. Great to be home, shower, eat and relax. Will summarize the journey through writing and pictures another time.


June 27, 2013: Day 21
Two days to go. Got a good start and entered the major region of Los Angeles beach areas. Rode past LAX and under the planes taking off. The great thing about riding through this area was that most of today was riding on flat bike paths along the ocean and beach areas. Made good time. Part of this section is what I previously rode in May during my trial overnight ride. Tomorrow is the last day and a long one.


June 26, 2013: Day 20
Had a special guest stop by the campground last night. Grandpa drove up to say hi and cheer me on my trip. Got up and going about normal time. Today was the day to decide whether to push through two scheduled shorter days and do in one day. Sure enough my body was strong and the pull to the finish is strong. Did about 80 miles today.  It was hard navigating through Ventura but made it to camp about 5pm. Two days to go.


June 25, 2013: Day 19
Last night in camp got word from other bikers about the french guy. He was a day ahead of me. Interesting how the bikers recall and pass along info about other bikers. A nice small community of people striving for the same goal. Got started before 7am. Today's destination is about 103 miles. The longest ride yet. But becuase the terrain was more flat and the weather better, it was an ok day. Got to camp about 5pm. My camp site is lterally abotu 30 feet from the beach. Pretty cool. Tomorrow's ride will be re-entry into massive population for sure.


June 24, 2013: - Day 18
Only 6 days to go. Woke up to fog and drizzle. Packed up camp. Ate a can of chili. Started out about 7:45. Within the next 22 miles were two significant grades. Was mostly pretty wet during the entire morning. Later as I crossed into the next county (SLO), the road became pretty course asphalt and made for some slower riding. Stopped to see the eleplant sea lions. Coming into the Morro Bay area, hit some strong head winds. Made it to camp about 6:30....a long day with 90+ miles.


June 23, 2013: - Day 17
Left the camp about 7:30 for a morning navigating the streets of small coastal cities and Monterey. One of the guys at the biker camp last night passed me about 10:30. He was the guy who said I was "sick" for being able to do so much mileage per day and to try and get to Big Sur today. About 11:45 was riding by Round Table Pizza and noticed they had a all you can eat lunch meal for $6.99. We they lost money on me. Ate several helpings of salad, alomst a whole pizza, some pasta and breadsticks. A few hills along big sur and some cloudy foggy conditions. Good thing had all that food to eat. Made it to a camp in Big Sur Redwoods. Cooled my feet in the creek next to the camp. Showered and got my bike all oiled up for the big hill day tomorrow.



June 22, 2013: - Day 16
Left the hotel about 7:45 and headed south. Made some good time overall since it was a fairly level day. Made it to camp at Brighton Beach State Park about 3:30. Eventually there were 10 bikers at this camp tonight. One guy had a motorized bike run on lithium batteries. He brought a steak to eat and a firelog to burn. Some other bikers are going to Mexico as well.



June 21, 2013: - Day 15
Today I made it to San Francisco. There were a lot of hills coming out of this morning but kept pushing. Made it to the Golden Gate Bridge over look and enjoyed the view of San Francisco and the bridge. Beautiful day. My cousin Christina and her husband were in town for the weekend and walked across the bridge to meet me. That was cool of them. It was great to see them and my dad who also flew into town. Also on the bridge were thousands of pink ladies doing day one of their 3 day breast cancer walk. Me and my neon green vest stood out pretty good against all the pink. Continued through the city and around to the coast and down to Pacifica where I got to stay one night in a hotel with dad. 81 miles today.


June 20, 2013: - Day 14
Faced some strong winds today. At times the winds were pushing me uphill to the extent there was no need to pedal - HaHa. Lots of up and down windy roads as well. About 68 miles in total today. Tomorrow I will be riding across the Golden Gate Bridge.


June 19, 2013: - Day 13
Got to sleep in a bit and got started about 8:30. Overall, a fairly good paced day with only one hill. Rode to a KOA campground today and arrived just before 3pm. Turns out this place is having a Wednesday night ice cream social with scoops at $1.50 each. Have not eaten much ice cream this trip so maybe I will get 5 scoops. Had to ride a half mile to get cell phone reception. Wanted to make sure I called home. Heck, what's an extra half mile. Nice to have a hot shower and do some laundry.


June 18, 2013:- Day 12
It always feels good to reach the halfway point towards a goal. Today was the mid point in the number of days and miles for the trip. Another trip highlight which proved to be a physical challenge was reaching the highest elevation point of the trip at nearly 2000 feet. Old legends of this section say there are several graves along the side of the road from bikers who didn't survive the greuling uphill ascent. I didn't see any. Happy to ride the downhill side later. Am going to bed a little hungry and weak since there were few towns along this section today. Stopped at a mom and pop cafe but the prices were pretty high. Decided to make do with some gas station food. Trying to keep to my budget of 300 dollars for the whole trip. So far so good. Besides, my Dad promised a buffet style dinner when he catches up to me in San Franscico later this week.


June 17, 2013: - Day 11
Took it easy getting up and going today. Said goodbye to Thomas. By the way, he grows the most unique types of mustaches. Never know what kind of beard or mustache he will have the next time you see him.  My beard is growing well but it is still well outpacing the upper lip hair. Started riding about 7:30 this morning. Stopped at Target in Eureka to buy some propane and then at a health food store. This region has a lot of unique natural food stores. Finished the rest of the day at about 2:30 and 80 miles total. Tonight am camping under some pretty tall redwoods. Overall good day and made good time.


June 16, 2013: - Day 10
Took the day off from riding today. First day with no mileage since the start of the trip. Spent the day with Thomas in the area near the campground. Got some supplies, made some stops to get food and ate out. Called Dad to wish him Happy Father's day. Nice to rest a bit. Tomorrow will be on the road again.


June 15, 2013: - Day 9
Started riding about 7am. The highlight of the morning was finishing Oregon and now entering California. Almost halfway done. Around noon, just beore Crescent City, the back tire picked up a 3 inch nail and thus experienced the first flat of the trip. Not too bad considering how many miles since Canada. Spent about 30 minutes unloading the gear and replacing the tire.  Stopped at Jack in the Box for lunch and later at the "Mystery Trees" gift store near the Redwoods. Made it the Patricks Point Campground about 5:15 and met Cousin Thomas there. He is camping here and will hang out for a day.


June 14, 2013: - Day 8
Got a good start about 7am. The French guy got up and we started the days section together. Found out he was a bit slower especially on the hills.  But in the end did about 85 miles. Very few towns to go through today and probably did not eat as much as should have for energy. Finished about 4:30 at a campground. Pretty worn out today and going to bed early. Talked to my Mom and Dad about logistics for the next few days. Only about 15 miles from California. Trying to hook up with a cousin somewhere tomorrow night and camp together. He lives in Northern California and it would be great to see him. Might take a rest day Sunday and spend it with Thomas hanging out and getting supplies and rest for the legs. Will know more tomorrow.


June 13, 2013: - Day 7
Woke up to hear rain on the tent but was dry inside. Decided to wait a bit before packing up. About 8:30 the rain slowed down. Packed a wet tent and took off riding about 9 am. The dad and his two boys were going shorter distances so the plans for riding together wouldn't work out. The guy from France caught up the last few nights but that guy sleeps in late -  so arrives late. Same distance different schedule. Nice day the rest of the day. Got a little muddy from the wet roads. Got to the Bullard Beach state park campground about 3:30. Was able to dry out the tent. About 72 miles today. Only about a day and half until the California border.


June 12, 2013: - Day 6
Last night at the campground, met a long distance biker from France. He was riding from Vancouver to Los Angeles and then to New York. This morning got a late start thinking that the other guy would take off and we could ride together south for awhile. Those guys from France must sleep in late. Decided to start the day off alone. Early in the day the radio on my bike ran out of power. Bummer. Its a pretty cool player made in Europe and has great sound. Will need to charge it tonight. Rode about 74 miles and ended the day about 6pm near the town of Florence. At the campground is a dad biker and his 2 sons. Will see if we can start tomorrow at the same time.


June 11, 2013: - Day 5
Was able to enjoy the morning with my host's family. This morning was raining lightly. Decided to modify the trip itinerary slightly to extend the trip by one day to allow for shorter mileage days for the next week. A little soreness of the achilles has been experienced. Left Tillamook about 10am and continued the journey south. At one point, diverted off the main 101 to ride the Old 101 giving a little easier riding terrain as the main 101 curved through a small foothill pass. Proceeded south and stopped near Lincoln, OR for some supplies at Safeway and then to set up camp at a State Park campground. In all about 60 miles today.


June 10, 2013: - Day 4
Today was a 100+mile day. The longest of the trip so far. Had chili for breakfast. Today, late morning, crossed into Oregon via the long and steep Astoria Bridge. Great feeling to make it through a whole state. Made it to the coast and had some strong winds to work against. Ate lunch at Del Taco in Seaside and chatted with a worker there who was on break. He was interested in the trip. Headed towards Tillamook and got there about 5:15. Joined my Mom at her her good friend's house in Tillamook. Enjoyed a homecooked meal. 


June 9: - Day 3
On the road about 6:20 this morning. Rode mostly heading west on the 101 to get to the coast. Stopped at a Wal-Mart to get some food and supplies. Also stopped at Dairy Queen this afternoon for a break and some food. Made it to camp about 5:30. Enjoyed my first shower of the trip. Today was feeling strong.


June 8: - Day 2
On the road about 6:30. Needed to ride 30 miles to catch the 8:45 ferry. Just missed it by 20 minutes. Caught the 10:15 ferry to Port Townsend. Long ride today but good weather. Got to the campground at about 6pm. On track so far. On the 101 highway and this will be the route for most of the trip.


June 7: - Day 1
At midday, in Canada. Got the bike and gear ready. Say good bye to Mom. Ready to go. Took some pictures. Turned on the GPS tracking device. The trip now begins.......Made it through the US/Canada border. Took 20 minutes. The Border Patrol guy commented that it will take lots of energy to get to the Mexico Border. By the way, he grew up in El Cajon...small world. Made it to the first campground. Rode 60+ miles today. Missed one turn but caught it less than a mile later. A good strong day.

June 6:
The night before the big start. Spending the night in a hotel.

June 5:
All packed and ready to drive north to Canada to the starting point. Mom and I are splitting time behind the wheel on the long, long drive up north. Expected to take 22 hours of driving in the van with the bike on the bike rack.

June 1:
Completed the San Diego Century Bike Ride - 103 miles

May 31st:
Excited to leave and embark on this once-in-a-lifetime trip.
News From The Road...
The Route

Andrew's main route will follow the 101 highway through Washington to the coast, then follow the 101 as it travels down the Washington coast, the Oregon coast, and the Northern California coast. Near the drive-through tree in the Redwoods Andrew will split off from the 101 and take the 1 highway as it reaches the coast where it travels across the Golden Gate bridge, through Big Sur, down the middle of Los Angeles, and straight down to the Mexican border.

This is a table of Andrew's planned route and mileage, as well as a link to a Google Maps page which shows the days route.

DAYS    Mileage        CAMP
Day 1     63.6             Deception Pass State Park, 41229 State Route 20  - Completed
Day 2     94.5             Potlatch State Park, Shelton, WA - Completed
Day 3     86.5             Bay Center/Willapa Bay KOA - Completed
Day 4     102              Tillamook, OR - Completed
Day 5     79.5             S Beach State Park, Newport, OR - Completed
Day 6     93.4             William M Tugman State Park - Completed
Day 7     69.6             Humbug Mountain State Park, Port Orford, OR - Completed
Day 8     75.5             Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park, Crescent City - Completed
Day 9     83.1             Patricks Point State Park, Trinidad, CA - Completed plus a rest day
Day 10   82.8             Humbodlt Redwoods State Park - Completed
Day 11   84.3             MacKerricher State Park Fort Bragg, CA - Completed
Day 12   50                Manchester State Park, Manchester, CA - Completed
Day 13   59.7             Sonoma Coast State Beach, Bodega Bay, CA - Completed
Day 14   83.7             San Fransisco - Completed
Day 15   94.5             New Brighton Beach State Park, Capitola, CA - Completed
Day 16   77.5             Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, California 1, Big Sur, CA - Completed
Day 17   93                Morro Bay State Park, San Luis Obispo, CA - Completed
Day 18   104              Refugio State Beach, CA - Completed
Day 19   34.8             Carpinteria State Beach, Carpinteria, CA  - Completed
Day 20   48.7             Leo Carrillo State Beach, Malibu, CA  - Completed
Day 21   101              Doheny State Beach, Dana Point  - Completed
Day 22   82.8             HOME!!!  - Completed



For more news and pictures, click here
Pictures from Canada/US Border Start (click here)
Pictures from Washington (click here)
Pictures from Oregon (click here)
Video of Andrew riding (click here)
Andrew poses at the Mexico Border before crossing for a short visit
Pictures from Northern California (click here)
Video of Andrew setting up his tent (click here)
Pictures of Central California Coast (click here)
Video of Andrew riding in the N Cal rain (click here)
Watch a summary overview and video of the trip here