Going Touring…
My bike is packed in the livingroom as I write this. I’ve got a few more last minute things to take care of during the day then it’s all giddy anticipation. Laura and I are going up to the Great Western Bike Rally in Paso Robles and we’ve decided to ride back this year with some friends via an inland route that promises lots of small roads, mixed terrain and good stories.
I’ve scheduled a few posts throughout the week. I’m not quite sure how many hotspots I’ll be at to update the blog, so everyone hang tight for a week or so. I promise to come back with some killer pictures.
This trip is particularly special because I’m riding with a good group of friends. One of them is my touring mentor and this is a route he rode with his friends over 20 years ago. There’s actually going to be 3 generations of bike tourists riding back! It must do something good for your body.
I made a rough route, but you can never really tell. We have 2 days of leeway in the end so we may go shorter or longer depending on how good the scenery is.
So hang tight and I’ll try to update on the road with my iPod Touch when I can.
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This may be a more private question - but if you’re comfortable, I’m curious to know how you budget your regular touring, and foresee financing the Big Trip planned ahead. I’m not asking out of intrusive curiousity, but rather to get any tips I can for planning a similar adventure of my own. The nightly camping fees and greasy spoon breakfasts in the morning have added up in significant ways for me in trips past; and while I don’t expect to do it for free, I would like to think that there are cheaper ways to tour.
Love the blog & photos, by the way. You and Laura are killing me with every post about your preparations while I plod ahead with no foreseeable endpoint at work. The winter, in particular, was cause for jealousy on my frigid and snowy Canadian end of things as you folks took frequent tours under warm skies.
Cheers
Russ,
On your way out of Paso Robles I see your route down Creston goes right by our relatives’ Pistachio orchard. It is up on High Ridge Rd. on the North Creston rd on the South and Stage Coach to the East and Four Paws on the West. It is off of High Ridge actually ( see map about 8-10 miles out). I really enjoy Paso in the Fall of Spring and spent several afternoons watching the Sun go down over the hills up there in the orchard. There is an old house around that area nearby that was used during the filming of the “Grapes of wrath”. When I first saw it I thought I had seen it before, and I had in the movie. Deja vu is a funny thing. Look out for the Joad family (Ha-ha). Good luck on the trip home, enjoy the ride. Can’t wait to see the pictures and read the stories.
Carl