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I'm a bad Boy Scout! (Conclusion to the Cali Tour)

Posted on 17. May, 2008 by Derrick in Bike Tours

One thing that I normally pride myself on, I’m always prepared for anything. When we go backpacking, I’m always giving someone in camp something out of my pack to borrow or use. When I go Mountain biking, I always stop to help out the guy that didn’t bring his pump or patch kit.

My father and 14 years of Boy Scouts hammered into my head the Boy Scout Motto, “Be Prepared”. I’ve spent the last 5 months “preparing” for our coastal bike tour. Planning long weekend rides for Summer and I, pushing hard to commute to work 3-4 times a week, gearing up our bikes, and route planning the trip. I had spent countless hours on our tour, and like always, I was confident that I was organized and well equipped.

I was dead wrong. Not only did I miss plan for weather (ended up buying two beanies, two sets of full finger gloves, two pairs of pants and two long sleeve shirts), but nothing can prepare you for the hills that the Pacific Coastal Highway will throw at you. Those days of cycling are some of the most grueling and amazing that I’ve ever done. Summer and I both agreed that the trip would have been a bit more enjoyable had we had more time. With such a short schedule, we were forced to ride on days that we should have rested to recouped.

With that being said, I had an amazing time. The views were gorgeous, and I got to experience one of the coolest places in the world (Big Sur).

I’ve also come back with a healthy dose of respect for Summer. Not only did she follow me on every stitch of road, but she suffered through physical aches and pains that most people would have given up on the first day. She endured a variety of crashes, allergy’s, fatigue, frigidity, and bossiness from me. She is a trooper, and she could have made this trip miserable, but she put her usual Summer smile on and hung in there. I’m truly grateful for that.

• Day 1
• Day 2
• Day 3
• Day 4
• Day 5
• Day 6
• Day 7
• Day 8

The route (warning, the full size is 8136×947 and 1.4mb)

The pics (click the pic)

Tags: allergy's, Be Prepared, Boy Scouts, crashes, fatigue, frigidity, Pacific Coastal Highway