Cycling Northern Norway

In June 2022 I flew to Tromsø, Norway for a reunion/bike adventure with my friend Dries, who I met in 2018 while volunteering on Quarantine Island/Kamau Taurua in New Zealand. It was cool to hang with his family before we hopped on our bikes for 13 days of cycling, hiking, and camping. I’ve been giving piano lessons to his son Noah for almost a year on Zoom, so it was awesome to jam with him in person, and of course Lucia wanted to show what she can play too 🙂

We rode from Tromsø to Sommarøy, Senja, Vestarålen, Andøya, and the Lofoten Islands. In this blog I’ll summarize highlights but let the photos do most of the talking. Norway is gorgeous and we had amazing weather almost the entire time. Very lucky!

Pre-Trip Days In Tromsø: June 21-24, 2022

• My favorite part of Tromsø is Telegrafbukta, a gorgeous beach/forest at the southern tip of Tromsøya (øya means “island” in Norwegian, so Tromsøya is the island Tromsø is on).
• Another highlight was the Bike Kitchen, a shop anyone can visit to work on bikes for free.
• Tromsø has lots of free things for sporty people. We visited Turbo, a volunteer-run store where you can rent camping/sports gear for free. We rented a camp stove and panniers for the trip.
• Noah and Lucia were excited to show me their school and town. That was fun 🙂
• Noah helped assemble my bike before the trip. He was a great assistant!
• Didn’t do much else in Tromsø before the trip…mostly worked online for my job since I was about to be unreachable for two weeks. Even sitting on the porch working with gorgeous scenery around me was awesome.

Day 1: June 25: Tromsø to Sandvika, ~50 km

• Dries, his neighbor Igor, and I kicked off the adventure in the afternoon, rode ~15 minutes…and Dries got a flat tire.
• After fixing the flat and getting groceries we continued and saw two reindeer! My first ever!
• The intention was to ride to Sommarøy, but given how late it was we decided to camp on the beach at Sandvika, just before the bridge to Sommarøy.
• In the summer the sun never sets in northern Norway, which was great. We would have been pitching tents in the dark if not for that midnight sun!
• At Sandvika I discovered that one of the beers I was carrying had somehow opened and spilled in my pannier. Ugh! Needless to say we drank all the beers we were carrying…no more spills allowed.

Day 2: June 26: Exploring Sommarøy, 10 km roundtrip

• Igor went back to Tromsø and we camped at Sandvika another night.
• We left the tents standing and cycled across the bridge to explore Sommarøy for the day. There are a few hikes at Sommarøy; we chose Hillesøya and were rewarded with beautiful views.
• Back at the beach we met Ben Coco, a French cyclist who had been riding for over two months!

Day 3: June 27: Sandvika-Fjordgård, 35 km

• Northern Norway = Ferries (free for bikes), tunnels (wear a hi-vis vest!), and horse flies (ugh). Most of the tunnels are fine for cycling, but wear a hi-vis vest and put lights on your bike.
• This was a day of bike issues: Three flats for me, one for Dries, and mechanical problems for both. Changing tires on the side of the road in Senja was horrendous; the flies kept biting! We patched our tubes and the mood was grim until Dries discovered a microscopic sliver of glass in my tire. Not sure how we’d have continued the trip if I’d gotten another flat; we were nowhere near public transit or a bike shop.
• We scored a nice camping spot behind the only store in Fjordgård and I acquired water by speaking French to a Norwegian guy. In these isolated areas of northern Norway people don’t speak much English, so you have to use other languages ;-D

Day 4: June 28: Fjordgård-Skaland, 30 km?

• When life gives you a midnight sun, go to bed at 8 PM, wake at midnight, and hike a mountain. This was my favorite part of the trip. We hiked Segla, a 639-meter ascent with a 45-degree incline. Getting to the top was intense but incredibly worth it. We reached the top around 2 AM and had the whole mountain to ourselves! I could have stayed on top of Segla for a long time; it’s the best vista point I’ve ever seen, and we could see the sun rotating around as we sat there. Amazing. Segla is not on the typical routes cyclists travel, but make the detour if you can. Every angle is a different perspective and it is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.
• We got back from Segla around 5 AM, packed up, and were on the road by 6 AM to reach a beach near Skaland for swimming and relaxing before continuing to an official campground at Skaland. This was a HOT day and the icy water at the beach was greatly appreciated.
• The photos for Segla are too amazing to put into a collage, so enjoy the slideshow below!

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  That’s Segla! We hiked all the way to the top 🙂

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  Segla, 639 meters

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  It’s a long way down!

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  Gotta love that midnight sun

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  Segla was incredible. These photos hardly do it justice…

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  After Segla we packed up and continued riding

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  Made a stop at a beach near Skaland to cool off

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  Gorgeous scenery as always

Day 5: June 29: Skaland-Bleik, ~50 km

• We took the Gryllefjord ferry from the island of Senja to the island of Andøya. On the way to the ferry we had an intense climb and a great platform viewpoint at the top.
• This was the only day it rained while we were cycling, only for ~30 min!
• Took a brief stop at a troll place…didn’t write the name but you’ll know it if you see it…
• On the ferry I befriended Sarah, a 23-y/o German studying and cycling in Norway. She was finishing a cycling trip, so we traded tips about the route and traveling solo as a woman. Good exchange 🙂
• We docked at Andenes and faced intense headwinds until finding shelter on the “nature path” near Bleik. Really cool place to stop! You can bike on the regular road in Bleik, or go up the gravel path near the cemetery to find the shelter.
• Dries chopped wood for a fire (according to him, you haven’t truly camped in Norway until you make a fire). When the fire burned out we stealthily set up our tents nearby, guy lines in place to anchor against the wind.

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  I love how the clouds seemed to make a hole in the sky at this spot

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Day 6: June 30: Bleik-Åknes, 46 km

• Breakfast at the nature shelter featured two young moose running by! Amazing.
• At lunch we spoke to a local cyclist who recommended continuing past Aknes on a gravel path that doesn’t appear on the map. If you cycle Andøya, definitely take the path to the bottom of the island. Maps make it seem like you can’t get there, but you can.
• The path led to a camping spot with a picnic table and fire ring near the skeleton of a beached whale. Cool place to camp and cool skeleton, despite the smell.
• En route to Aknes we found the most amazing bathroom I’ve ever seen. There’s a gorgeous window view from inside but no one can see in from outside. To find it, search “Natural Church” at Bukkekjerka. The natural church is referring to a rock formation, not the bathroom 😉
• I was happy to see some of those Norwegian grass roofs along our route today. The grass helps provide natural insulation. Very cool!

Day 7: July 1: Åknes-Sortland, 75 km?

• Continuing down the gravel path we explored the bottom of Andøya, meeting sheep along the way.
• We met a German couple who’d been cycling for a month, and a retired Dutch couple who’d been cycling for many months.
• We crossed a bridge to the next island and discovered an amazing place to camp: A tiny island reachable by a land bridge. Fitting for friends who met on a tiny island near a larger island to camp on a tiny island near a larger island. x-D
• We approached a house to ask for water and confirm that we could camp on the island. We shared it with just one thirsty reindeer and some birds, swam in the water, harvested mussels and snails, and ate a hearty meal on the white sand beach (I never would have thought to do this, but Dries quite likes mussels and got excited about cooking them). Still seems unreal that we camped there.
  • Some of the mussels were full of pearls! Apparently this is sort of a rare thing?

Day 8: July 2: Sortland-Svolvaer, ~70 km

• Went to a mall and had Norway’s version of vegan pizza for lunch. Expensive but not bad.
• We cycled hard to make it to the Melbu ferry but missed it by two minutes. On my tiny wheels the ride was intense; I drafted Dries’ wheel Tour de France style and was so exhausted by the end that I fell asleep waiting for the next ferry.
• Once we crossed to the next island – Lofoten! – we cycled to a campground near Svolvaer where I basically ate dinner, explored, and went straight to sleep. The scenery was gorgeous as usual, but I was exhausted!

Day 9: July 3: Svolvaer-Høv, 40 km

• I started this day by going for a walk and accidentally dropping my phone off a steep descent! Luckily I was able to climb down and rescue it. First-world crisis averted.
• On the advice of my ferry friend Sarah and an article I read, we went to Gimsøya and camped on the beach at Høv. I was grateful that this campground had a warm shower; such a treat!

Day 10: July 4: Høv-Gravdal, 55 km

• We started the day with the Hovel hike, recommended by the article I’d read. On the path we met a Norwegian/American couple who gave advice on places to visit on Lofoten. The view at the top was good, but not as impressive as Segla.
• We saw a sea eagle on the ride. What a majestic bird!
• Our destination a small town called Gravdal, near Leknes. Dries had a connection there through Lucia’s teacher, and we thought our hosts would be providing lawn space for camping. Imagine our surprise when we were given an entire cabin and told we could stay up to four days! The timing was perfect; the almost-constant gorgeous weather took a turn and I was grateful to stay inside watching stage 4 of the Tour de France as the rain came down. Go Wout van Aert!

Day 11: July 5: Gravdal Adventures

• Lots of mowing & weed whacking for our hosts in thanks for letting us stay, and they provided a traditional Norwegian fish dish in return. Yum! We decided to stay a few days and use the cabin as home base. There was more rain in the forecast ahead, so having a roof was much appreciated.
• Dries gathered rhubarb to make a crumble, cut his finger in the process, but still made a delicious rhubarb crumble and scones. Always carry a first aid kit on your bike trips!
• Later that day we walked five minutes down the road and discovered a sheep pasture with a hike up a mountain. It was all good until I descended the wrong side of the mountain and found myself completely turned around. After over an hour attempting to find my way (how does one get lost in a sheep pasture?!) I met two local Norwegians who saved me. I didn’t have a SIM card and didn’t have the address of the cabin. Luckily the Norwegians were able to call Dries to get the address, and were kind enough to drive me to the cabin after we walked around the mountain top. They were wonderful company and it was nice to interact with some locals who spoke English. Tussen takk!
  • Sidenote: Everyone in Norway seems to have a blue windbreaker jacket (even in the photos in this blog you see me, Sarah, my rescuers, Dries, Vanessa…all blue coats. And there were plenty more I didn’t photograph). Why is this a trend? Why blue? This does not help for locating your hiking buddy even in a wide open space like a sheep pasture.

Day 12, July 6: To Reine by bus

• To save time and because the route didn’t look great for cycling, we took the bus to Reine to hike Reinebringen, recommended by the couple at Hovel.
• At Reine we had some lovely tea & coffee, then met a Dutch couple who explained about the codfish heads drying in the area. I’m proud to report that I caught the gist of the conversation in Dutch without needing Dries to translate. The codfish in Norway are mostly sold to Italians, but the heads are ground up and exported to Nigeria.
• In the afternoon we climbed 1670 steps, 3 km, and 510 meters to the top of Reinebringen, arguably the most popular hike on the Lofoten Islands. The hike consists mostly of stone steps and became popular through social media. The view was spectacular, but the amount of people ruined it for me a bit. It drizzled on the way up and we were gifted with two rainbows at the top.
• After lunch at the top of Reinebringen we hiked further to a higher, more remote viewpoint. Goodbye crowds.
  • Worth noting: There are hikes on Lofoten we didn’t have time for that are less crowded and supposedly as beautiful as Reinebringen. Ryten (near Kvalika Beach), Munten, Svolvaer Fløya, and Festvågtind are all places recommended to us.
• Back in Reine we visited a photography museum, biked partly back toward Gravdal, and found a little museum and rorbu houses to hang at until we could catch the bus.
• That evening we cleaned the cabin and hung out with our hosts to say goodbye and thank them for their hospitality. The hosts didn’t speak much English, so Dries did most of the talking. If you ride your bike in northern Norway, go with someone who speaks Norwegian if you can, it helps a lot. 🙂

Day 13, July 7: Bus back to Tromsø

• This was a long day of busses, but it was cool to look out the window and see paths we’d biked on. We were on busses from 9 AM to 6 PM!

Post-Trip Days in Tromsø: July 8-12

• Tromsø welcomed us back with rain, which was fine by me. It was an excuse to sleep in and not feel like I needed to explore as much as possible with my limited time in the area.
• I spent one rainy afternoon at the Troll Museum. This was highly rated online but disappointing in real life. It’s small and not as informative as I’d hoped. Norse mythology is so interesting and this museum is missing an opportunity to share that with visitors. The coolest part was a small map showing different rock formations in Norway and folklore for each. I wish the rest of the museum had been like that!
• One of the highlights in Tromsø was swimming at Tromsøbadet. It was so relaxing to stretch different muscles while swimming laps for an hour and relaxing in the sauna.
• Another highlight was riding my bike over the bridge, past the Arctic Cathedral (the iconic building of Tromsø), and parking at the base of the Sherpatrappa (“Sherpa Steps”) to walk up to Fjellheisen. These stone steps were built by Nepalese sherpas. The stairway consists of ~1200 steps and goes up ~260 meters.There is also a cable car alternative; if you’re traveling with anyone who isn’t able to hike, they can buy a cable car ticket and meet you at the top.
• There is a cafe at the top where you are rewarded with not just great views, but also sweet treats like waffles and ice cream.
• You can continue walking for hours along the mountains at the top of Fjellheisen. I walked for a long time, reflecting on the trip and enjoying the views offered by my last few days in Norway. I went so high that I found snow!

July 10-11: Bonus biking adventure to Hella , ~30 km each way

• An unexpected highlight of these final days was meeting the town librarian, Vanessa. I saw her at the library, recognized her face on Couchsurfing, reached out, and next thing I knew we were meeting for a biking/camping adventure to Hella. Vanessa is just a little younger than me and we have a lot in common: She started a board game group at the library, does advocacy work around food waste and healthy eating in Norway, and we both dumpster dive. If only I’d met her sooner, we could have played board games and had a food rescue adventure. Next time!
• On July 11th when I woke up, I heard a peculiar sound outside my tent. Seagulls were going crazy as usual, but every so often it sounded like it was raining. Weird…my tent wasn’t damp…what was going on? Vanessa and I soon discovered the source of the sound: Fish! Every few minutes, the calm water exploded with fish launching themselves so forcefully that it looked and sounded like a rainstorm. It was an incredible sight and one of the highlights of my entire trip; like Segla, this was something I’d never experienced before. A local fisherman explained what was happening: The fish were trying to catch smaller fish in the water and the force with which they propelled themselves caused them to seem to jump out of the water. We came at the perfect time to watch the show.
• Vanessa took the bus back but I decided to bike, ending my adventure the same way it started. On the way I saw one last reindeer walking the road. A good omen I hope!

July 12: Tromsø-Helsinki

On the morning of July 12th Dries drove me to the airport, said goodbye, and I flew to Helsinki, Finland, for a 22-hr layover. I took advantage of that time by exploring Helsinki with Grace, a Couchsurfing host who showed me around and gave me a place to crash for my brief Finland tour. Some observations:

• Helsinki (and maybe Finland in general?) has a very different vibe than Norway
• It is SO EASY to eat vegan in Helsinki. We walked into one supermarket with a wall of yogurts; 1/3 of the wall was dairy-free! There were cheap vegan options everywhere. In the US vegan and vegetarian options are often expensive, but in both Norway and Finland I found many vegan things to eat that were similarly priced or cheaper than their meaty counterparts. Amazing!!!
• If you go to Helsinki, check out Suomenlinna Fortress. It’s a short ferry ride from Helsinki and a cool place to walk around (if you know NYC, it has a similar feel to Governor’s Island). Grace and I watched the birds, drank beers, and had a good discussion about cultural norms and lifestyles in Finland, the US, and Brazil (where she is from).
• Thanks to Grace’s tour I sampled traditional Finnish foods and drinks. Canned gin is quite trendy there!
• Grace was a great host for my brief time in Finland, and I was lucky to catch her just a few weeks before she was moving. I wish you success with your new adventures in Lithuania, Grace!
• The Helsinki airport is an interesting place. Check out the Moomin Cafe and the Christmas Cabin if you can. 🙂
• Sidenote: I am SO glad I chose Finnair for my flights. Many airlines were having strikes in Norway while I was there, and the one I almost chose, Scandinavian Airlines, went bankrupt the week I was leaving. They cancelled all their flights; I would have been stranded if I’d had a ticket for SAS!

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Summary/Recommendations for Cyclists

Northern Norway is beautiful and worth a visit. Here are highlights, and tips if you decide to go.

• Segla is amazing. You have to go through a long tunnel to get to Fjordgård (where the hike starts), but it’s worth the detour. This was my #1 favorite part of the trip.
• The wildlife was so cool. Reindeer, moose, sea eagles, all those fish…the only wildlife I did not enjoy were the mosquitos and flies. Be prepared to be bitten.
• In Norway you can wild camp almost anywhere as long as you’re 150 meters away from a building. Please be courteous about it. If you camp near a building, ask the locals if they’re okay with it. Norwegians are nice and will probably say yes, and they’ll appreciate that you asked. They’ll probably also give water if you ask.
• It’s helpful to learn a few key words and phrases in Norwegian:
  • Snakker du engelsk? | Do you speak English?
  • Har du vann | Do you have water?
  • Tusen takk | Thank you very much (the literal translation is “A thousand thanks”)
  • Ha det, Ha det dag, or Ha det brag | This literally translates to “Have it” or “Have it today” but it means more like “Have a good day”
• Cyclists: Avoid E10 on Lofoten. There are other routes to take; stick to the coast when possible. The views are better and there are less cars (but any road will seem empty compared to the US and the views are amazing everywhere, so if you wind up on E10 it’s not the end of the world).
• The Lofoten Islands are a popular tourist spot thanks to social media, but there are other amazing places to explore. I really enjoyed Senja and the parts of Vesterålen we explored, such as Andøya. The people were nice, it was easy to wild camp, prices were cheaper, and the hikes weren’t crowded. Lofoten is worth visiting, but check out the surrounding islands as well.
• Lots of shops are closed on Sundays, so plan ahead, especially for groceries!
• Norway is expensive. If you’re from a place that already has expensive food (like NYC…) it won’t seem so bad, but plan your budget. For those of you who are also from NYC the costs are mostly similar, except for the big difference that plant-based food is more reasonably priced in Norway.
• Bring an eye mask and ear plugs. Cycling under the midnight sun is amazing but you need to remind your brain when it’s time to sleep. The seagulls will chatter all night long, so ear plugs are a must!
• If you see that a road is “closed” due to construction, you can go through it! Make sure to do so before 7 AM or after 6 PM. We barely made it into the construction zone after Fjordgard. Would have been a much longer journey that day if we’d left even 15 minutes later!

I could write more, but I want to let the photos do most of the talking. Imagine that everything you see in the photos is 100 times more impressive in person. I didn’t take all the photos featured here. Some credit goes to Dries. If you’re interested in more details about this trip/route, email me, leave a comment here, or follow my Instagram @carolynventures.

Tusen takk Norway for the gorgeous scenery, and bedankt Dries for the cycling adventure.

Pacific Coast Highway: Summary

If you want to know about my trip but aren’t keen on reading the week-by-week entries with specific details, this is the post for you. Here is the sparknotes version, including stats and questions people ask.

Daily Miles

I started my West Coast adventure by flying to Seattle, visiting my friends Kiley and Tyler, then taking a bus, train, and another bus to Portland, Klamath Falls (stayed overnight with Warmshowers hosts Lorena & Dick), and finally Crescent City and the California coast. I didn’t use a bike computer or GPS, so bike mileage was estimated with Google Maps. I added daily destinations to a Google map (below). The map makes it seem like I planned a lot, but in reality I checked the Warmshowers map, contacted hosts 0-4 days in advance, and biked to whichever host or campground I wanted to stay at.

Key:
WS = Warmshowers; CS = Couchsurfing; HB = Hiker/Biker campsite; HAS = Host A Sister

For those who’d like to track specific dates, Day 0 was March 5, 2022.

Entering Redwood National and State Parks

• Day 0: Arrival in Crescent City
  • Lodging: CS/WS – Rachel & Dave
• Day 1: Crescent City-Trinidad: 61 miles
  • WS – Carol
• Day 2: Trinidad-Loleta: 44 miles
  • WS – Angela & Jamie (camping in their garden)
• Day 3: Loleta-Weott: 38 miles
  • HB – Burlington Campground (Humboldt Redwoods State Park), $5
• Day 4: Weott-Piercy: 37 miles
  • WS – Sam, Janelle, & Frankie
• Day 5: Rest day in Piercy: 0 miles
• Day 6: Piercy-Fort Bragg: 55 miles
  • CS – Jay’s guest house
• Day 7: Fort Bragg-Elk: 24 miles
  • WS – Judy’s barn

A view from one of the many long climbs along the coast

• Day 8: Elk-Gualala: 45 miles
  • HB – Gualala Point Campground, $5

• Day 9: Gualala-Jenner: 37 miles
  • Caught a ride for the last 6 miles
  • Jenner Inn, $200
• Day 10: Jenner-Valley Ford: 22 miles
  • Drove from Valley Ford-Sebastopol
  • HAS – Gabrielle (in Sebastopol)
• Day 11: Rest day in Sebastopol: 0 miles
• Day 12: Valley Ford-Sausalito: 52 miles
  • HAS – Dianne’s boat (Gabrielle’s friend)
• Day 13: Sausalito-San Francisco: 15 miles
  • WS – Miguel
• Day 14-16: Rest days in San Francisco: 33 miles
• Day 17: Redwood City-San Jose : 45 miles
  • CalTrain from San Fran to Redwood City, $6
  • Friend – Monica
• Day 18: Rest day in San Jose: 2 miles

Big Sur

• Day 19: San Jose-Aptos: 42 miles
  • WS – Alberta & Richard (camping)
• Day 20: Aptos-East Garrison: 36 miles
  • Friend – Phil’s uncle Mike
• Day 21: East Garrison-Marina: 4 miles
  • HAS – Karen
• Days 22-23: Rest days in Marina: 0 miles
• Day 24: Marina-Big Sur: 42 miles
  • HB – Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, $5

Bike & elephant seals

• Day 25: Big Sur-Big Sur: 29 miles
  • HB – Kirk Creek Campground, $5
• Day 26: Big Sur-Cambria: 44 miles
  • WS – Aimee’s guest cottage
• Day 27: Cambria-Los Osos: 27 miles
  • Friend – Tom & family
• Day 28-29: Rest days in Los Osos: 0 miles
• Day 30: Pismo-Guadalupe: 18 miles
  • Got a ride from Los Osos-Pismo
  • WS – Guadalupe Fire Station, camping

Bike lane on the beach in Santa Monica

• Day 31: Guadalupe-El Capitán
  • HB – El Capitán State Beach, $10
• Day 32: El Capitán-Ventura: 53 miles
  • WS – Dennis
• Day 33: Will Rogers State Beach-El Segundo: 16 miles
  • Caught a ride from Ventura-Will Rogers
  • WS – Hiromi & Kirby

• Day 34: El Segundo-Long Beach: 22 miles
  • WS – Ken & Kenny’s backyard (camping)

The view from Silver Strand heading to the CA border

• Day 35: Long Beach-San Clemente: 48 miles
  • WS – James & Kris
• Day 36: San Clemente-Carlsbad: 32 miles
  • WS – Gregg & Sang’s terrace (camping)
• Day 37: Carlsbad-Coronado: 46 miles
  • WS – Sue & Craig
• Day 38: Coronado-South Park (San Diego): 32 miles
  • WS – Chris, Alise, & Eleanor
• Days 39-40: Exploring San Diego
• Days 41-45: Return to El Segundo
• Day 46: Flight from LA to NY

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The view after conquering the Leggett hill

Totals

• Miles: 1,068
• HB Campsites: 5
• WS Hosts: 16
• Other Hosts: 6
• Inns: 1
• Nights camping: 11
• Flat Tires: ZERO! (Schwalbe Marathon tires ftw!)

Costs:

Camping in Humboldt Redwoods State Park

• Food: $383.16 ($10.08/day)
• Lodging: $230 (darn inn…but worth it)
• Bike Repair: $112.83 (but Bike Friday covered it)
• Transportation: $175.24
  • Flight credit – NY-Seattle
  • FlixBus – Seattle-Portland
  • Amtrak – Portland-Klamath Falls-Crescent City
  • Clipper Card – San Fran buses
  • CalTrain – San Francisco-Redwood City

Bike storage on the CalTrain

• Ferry to Coronado Island
  • Trolley/bus in San Diego
  • Amtrak – San Diego-Los Angeles
  • Flight – LA-NYC
• Additional Expenses: $180.50
  • Postcards
  • Lighthouses
  • Museums
  • Zoo
  • FedEx (to mail suitcase from Seattle-LA)

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FAQs

Don’t you get lonely traveling solo?

Not really. One of the great things about traveling solo is that I can say yes to whatever I want, whenever I want. Sometimes I ride with other cyclists for a bit, like I did with Miguel, John, Ken, and the other Miguel. Sometimes I decide at the last minute to stay an extra day somewhere, like I did in San Francisco. Through Warmshowers I meet people regularly and can decide how much time I want to spend with them. If I’d done this route a little later in the season I probably would have also met more cyclists at campgrounds, but early in the trip I had the HB sites all to myself. If anything, sometimes I need a break from too much social interaction!

Did you ever feel scared? Were there sketchy situations?

I only had one sketchy situation, when the guy at Refugio State Beach told me I was going to have an interesting night and asked me about meds. I didn’t feel scared, just that I needed to act. I called the park rangers and was able to move to another campground.

I do feel that as a woman, I am more likely to encounter sketchy situations than if I presented as male. However, the same can be said even if I stayed home and never traveled. As long as I make smart decisions I can avoid putting myself at unnecessary risk, same as anywhere. A woman can absolutely travel solo and have an amazing trip, especially with so many amazing people reading to offer accommodation through groups like Warmshowers and Host A Sister. If any of you out there present as female and are concerned about how gender might affect your travels, I urge you to go for it.

What about sexism?

The cycling world is still very white and very male. You will most likely encounter more white men on the road than any other demographic, and sometimes they will mansplain things to you. Believe it or not, I do know how to adjust a derailleur cable. You’ll also get told how brave you are, and you might get called “sweetheart.” One man told me there are lots of ladies on the road, I’m just not noticing them because I don’t look for them like he does. I assure you sir, I am very aware of other women on the road, and I celebrate each time I see one. We belong out here too, and I don’t want to hear gross comments about how you look for them.

With that said, there are many awesome guys out there who are genuinely cool and supportive in the right ways. I met a lot of them. To each of you, thank you for being decent humans. You rock.

Did you encounter wildlife?

Yes! In northern CA I came face to face with a herd of elk. Luckily they were distracted and didn’t bother me. I saw tons of birds: Mainly ravens and vultures up north, then condors, cormorants, pelicans, and seagulls further south. Also spotted some wild turkeys in multiple areas.

SoCal also had lots of seals, sea lions, sea otters, and of course the elephant seals near Cambria. I almost stepped on a rattlesnake in Los Osos, saw a small shark when kayaking, and smelled/heard a skunk outside my tent at El Capitán. Raccoons got into my tent at Kirk Creek (but didn’t take anything), and pickup trucks zoomed by with dogs loose in the back of the truck barking their heads off at me multiple times in rural CA. And the Best WS Pet award goes to Yuki, the San Fran cat with two different eye colors.

What was your favorite part?

Impossible to answer, but I’ll try:

• The right mood! At the start, Rachel had the best reaction about my bike. I’m glad she was my first host; her enthusiasm, her help with assembly, and her stories and maps of solo travel set the mood for this trip. I’ve thought of her reaction often; I don’t know if I could have had a better first host to start this journey.
• Avenue of the Giants: Cycling and camping among the redwoods was incredible, and the Eel River scenery was so very gorgeous!
• My tent: I really like my tent, and every time I set it up I felt a sense of pride, and happiness that I’d get to camp in it. I don’t often get to camp, but on this trip I slept in my tent eleven times!
• Farmland: The farmland near Ferndale was wonderful; those hills were gnarly but cycling past cows and green pastures made me so happy.
• The Leggett Hill: There is something special about conquering the Leggett hill and coming around the bend as the coast suddenly reveals itself. Sam, my host in Piercy, prepared me well for that day, telling me it was going to be one of the best days of the entire trip. It was certainly one of the hardest – my pannier broke on the hill – but he was absolutely right.
• San Francisco: I had way more fun in SF than I anticipated, largely in part to Miguel and our adventures, especially the Midnight Mystery Ride.
• Marina: I loved hanging with Karen in Marina and participating in the community garden project. It was also a joy to find Karen and her friend cheering for me on the side of the road after I left. That was a wonderful surprise!
• Beach biking: I really enjoyed the bike paths in southern CA, especially around Santa Monica and Venice Beach.
• Warmshowers history: It was cool to stay with Ken, a former WS board member, and get the inside scoop on Warmshowers.
• Perspectives and stories: Since many hosts are cyclists, it was awesome to hear about their adventures, why they host, why they cycle, etc. Special shoutout to James; it was cool talking with him about the how and why of it all.
• Coronado: Coronado would have been great even as a day trip – especially biking down Silver Strand Beach to the border – but it was all the more special staying with Sue and Craig. I am glad we got to play cribbage, and I’m looking forward to reuniting when they are in NY next month.
• Chris and Alisa: I don’t think I could have had better hosts to wrap up my journey in San Diego. Chris and Alisa made me feel at home and provided a chill, welcoming environment for me to rest and celebrate my success. Every so often in life I meet people who I immediately vibe with, and it was great to find two of them right at the end.
• La Jolla & Amy: Amy is the woman I mentioned in my last post whose jaw dropped when I told her how far I’d cycled. It was cool to meet her directly after my journey and tell her specific details about my trip. She asked thoughtful questions and made me feel so proud of what I’ve accomplished.
• El Segundo: Hiromi and Kirby’s place in El Segundo was an unexpected haven. The first time I stayed, it was because I was mentally a little frazzled, physically worn out, and it was 100 degrees out. I met Lente and Marnik and almost stayed another night because I enjoyed hanging out with them. Little did I know I’d return ten days later when I was in a pickle figuring out where to go, and would stay for five more nights. Hiromi and Kirby are such generous people, and I am so glad I got to hang out with Lente and Marnik again; I was hoping to make genuine friends on this trip, and I did. It was a joy to watch them finally cycle off on their bikes before I left for my flight. Extra bonus: I think I’ve doubled what I can say in Flemish, so I’ll be ready when I visit them in Belgium! 🙂

Were there bad parts?

No trip is perfect , but I wouldn’t call anything “bad.” Here were some lower points:

• Saddle sores: I hate these. Whenever I bike too much it gets very uncomfortable and I stop having as much fun. I’ve done a bike fitting, a sit bone measurement, bought a good saddle, wear bike shorts without underwear, use Chamois Butt’r, etc.. and I still get these. Maybe one day I’ll figure out how to not get sores, but for now it’s something that sometimes makes trips uncomfortable.
• Lady stuff: This trip was 38 days and started with my little friend, meaning I got to have lovely cramps twice on the journey. Not too bad though, when I know what to expect. Another lady problem: The PCH is lovely, but there is a distinct lack of trees, bathrooms, or other places to relieve oneself away from the public eye. Some days I think I didn’t drink enough water just because I didn’t want to squat on the side of the road to pee! x-D
• Headwinds: I had one day where hills + the headwinds + no wifi to post a lesson for my students + not knowing where I was staying for the night + incoming rain = A Lot To Handle. Not my favorite.
• Sunshine: I love the sun, but I did not love it when cycling on a shoulder with no shade for 67 miles. That’s the day I ran out of water with 30 miles left, and the day I encountered the creepy guy at the campground. There were good parts of that day, but it was my least favorite.
• Racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, etc. It was always a bummer when someone would say something ignorant and/or inappropriate. Each time, I’d decide how much of the comment to address, and how deep to go into a conversation with a person I hardly know, often whose house I was staying in. This was not super common, but a bummer when it did happen.
• Never finding a volunteer opportunity. I purposely carried hiking boots and hiking pants in hopes of spending a few days or a week doing trail maintenance or some other outdoor volunteer work, to no avail. Despite contacting every state and county park on my route (literally every one), the best I found was the gardening project in Marina. So my boots were mostly just extra weight on this trip.

All things considered, the good far outweighed the not-so-good and I enjoyed this trip. As with all my adventures, I acknowledge what a gift it is to do a trip like this; to have the $$ to buy a bike, to feel safe biking in neighborhoods where I might not be as welcome with a different skin color, to have a body capable of the physical strain, no strict dietary needs to worry about, etc. That’s not to be taken for granted.

Do you have another trip planned?

Yes actually! This summer I will hopefully go to Norway to cycle the Lofoten Islands with my friend Dries. He is Belgian, so I will have more opportunities to practice Flemish. x-D

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The Gear

People often ask me about what I’m carrying so here is a list:

Front left pannier: Food

• Some food items remained constant: Protein powder, peanut butter power, nuts, dried fruit, bananas, Harvest Snaps, electrolytes (Gatorade powder, Nuun tablets, etc.), silverware, tea, hot water thermos
• Items I resupplied semi-regularly: Spinach leaves, apples, oranges, sugar snap peas, green beans, avocados, protein bars, granola bars, chickpea puffs, dark chocolate
• Sometimes when I went to a store I’d buy a can or two of soup and immediately eat it outside the store. Canned soup is a bit heavy to carry in a pannier, but it’s a cheap and nutritious lunch!

Front right pannier: Toiletries & miscellaneous items

• Clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, etc.
• Also my bike pump, important!

Back left pannier: Camp stuff

Me posing on a rock in Big Sur

• Enlightened Equipment Enigma synthetic sleeping quilt, 20 degree F
• Sleeping bag liner
• Thermarest NeoAir sleeping pad
• Travel towel
• Tent footprint
• Luci solar-powered lantern
• Rain jacket
• Warm jacket
• Thermal cycling pants
• Beanie
• Selfie stick

Rear panniers with bungee cords after one broke

• Chamois Butt’r
• Sunscreen

Back right pannier: Clothes/electronics

Mostly clothes, laptop, hiking boots (would have left those home, in retrospect), a book, and miscellaneous items.

Seatpost bag: Bike tools

Multi-tool, patch kit, bike lights, etc.

Handlebar: Tent!

Camping in Loleta, CA in a WS host’s yard

I have the 2021 Nemo Dragonfly 2P Bikepacking tent. I got it in the used gear section of REI and I love it 🙂

Other stuff:

• 2 water bottle cages (and bottles)
• Front light & back light
• Handlebar mirror
• Reflectors on the bike

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The Bike

Posing w/ the boat in Sausalito

I did this trip on a New World Tourist (NWT) folding bike made by the Oregon-based company Green Gear Cycling, Inc. (Bike Friday). The NWT is designed for long-distance touring; the wheels are 20 in./50.8 cm. but it feels more or less like pedaling a regular-sized bike. I had control going downhill, and the compact size prevented me from getting blown around by wind too much. I have 18 gears and the power to climb hills, especially after realizing how important weight distribution is on a small bike. When I moved my tent from a rear pannier to the handlebars, climbs were MUCH easier!

My bike, folded in the suitcase

One of the benefits of touring on a folding bike is, frankly, folding it. It fits in a regular-sized suitcase with my clothes, so no oversize baggage fees on planes. I took it on three buses, two trains, a truck, three cars, and a boat (where I slept in Sausalito). I wouldn’t have been able to do that with a full-size bike; the NWT expands where I can go and how I can approach bike touring. One day I commuted with WS host Emma for 60 miles to cut off a dicey part of the route; I would not have met Lente and Marnik in El Segundo if I hadn’t done that!

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Final Thoughts

The Pacific Coast Highway was not on my radar for cycling. When Omicron broke out and my plans for a Euro trip seemed uncertain, I’m grateful that my friend Khin suggested this route. Though I still think US cycling infrastructure has a long way to go, there are awesome places to ride in this country. This route was nice and simple; I could follow the coast without needing a GPS, and it was easy to find cheap or free places to stay the entire way. It was also easy to find wifi, a necessity for my digital nomad lifestyle, and it was even fairly common to find WS hosts with pianos for Noah’s weekly lessons. I hardly planned at all for this adventure, and it turned out great! The hills took some getting used to, but my body adapted as I went, and my bike and I handled the challenge.

If you are thinking of road cycling in the US, the PCH is a good route. Starting in early March is a good choice – before the roads clog with spring break RVs – and I was lucky that there were no fires, earthquakes, mudslides, severe droughts, or cold fronts. Going north to south was great; I had tailwinds almost every day and was on the right side for the best coastal views. Some people do this south to north, but I don’t think I personally would have enjoyed having headwinds all the time while also adapting to hill climbing and getting used to my bike. Plus, the Leggett hill is steeper south to north. x-D

Sometimes people tell me “This must have been life-changing!” I disagree. Long-distance cycling shouldn’t have to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and statements like that make it seem like this is a one and done sort of adventure. I met so many people on this trip who make cycle touring part of their lifestyle, and I aim to do the same. The trip was awesome but it was not life-changing for me, just a confirmation that I can live a digital nomad lifestyle successfully. Thank you to everyone who made this trip so cool, and to those of you who have been following along at home. Before this the longest trip I’d ever done was a week, so if you’re thinking “I could never do something like that!” think again. If cycle touring is something you’re interested in, go for it! Learn to fix a flat, then get out there and learn the rest as you go. Take it one day at a time, take breaks when you need, use Warmshowers, pack light, and remember that it’s okay to walk up a hill. Feel free to reach out if you’d like to learn more about my specific trip or want to chat about anything else. You can also find me on Instagram @carolynventures.

Here’s to more adventures ahead!

Post-trip bike photo, Bird Park in San Diego

Pacific Coast Highway: Week 1 (Days 1-5)

I’m writing from a beautiful home on 20 acres of land in Piercy, CA. It’s my first rest day, and I’m enjoying the solitude and sounds of nature around me. My Warmshowers host is Sam, a high school special education teacher with a love of gardening, so I’m currently sitting in one of his gardens writing this. There is an incredibly noisy squirrel in a tree nearby! 

Today is Day 5 of my bike adventure, a perfect time to summarize the trip so far: 

• Day 1: Crescent City-Trinidad, CA: 61 miles
  • Lodging: Warmshowers – Spare bedroom at Carol’s house
• Day 2: Trinidad-Loleta, CA: 44 miles
  • Lodging: Warmshowers – Camping in a garden at Angela and Jamie’s house
• Day 3: Loleta-Burlington Campground: 38 miles
  • Lodging: Hiker/Biker Campground, $5
• Day 4: Burlington Campground-Piercy, CA: 37 miles
  • Lodging: Spare room at Sam & Janelle’s house
• Day 5: Rest day in Piercy: 0 miles

Total miles: ~180, average 45 miles/day

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Day 1: Crescent City-Trinidad, 61 miles

My host Rachel made an amazing veggie omelette, we double-checked that my bike was in working order, then I hit the road! I’m glad Rachel and Dave were the ones to see me off; they were great hosts! 

Tip: If you bike the Pacific Coast Highway, there’s an enormous hill directly south of Crescent City. Rachel warned me, and I’m glad I mentally prepared for it. That was 15 miles/1.5 hours on a hill from hell. Glad I got that over with early!

CA is hilly, but nothing else that day was particularly grueling. My disc brake started rubbing at one point, but I fixed it. Then my chain started jumping and I didn’t have enough know-how to do more than adjust the derailleur cable on the road. So…I put up with a jumping cable for the last two hours of the ride.

The views that day were amazing! From coast, to redwoods, to farmland…everything was gorgeous.  Towards the end I saw lots of “Beware of elk” sign and then…a herd of elk! Luckily they did not charge.

Trinidad is sixty miles from Crescent City, quite the undertaking on day one, but I managed to pull into my host’s house just after the sun had set. Carol greeted me with an AMAZING plate of food; the best I’ve had so far! She was also fun to talk to; she lives a zero waste lifestyle, used to be a dancer, and did a Fulbright studying dance in Brazil. So cool! She recently bought an electric bike so she can keep cycling as she nears her 70s. As an added plus, she has a basket of information for cyclists, including some fun facts about Trinidad. My favorite:

• Carol’s house is just about halfway between Canada and Mexico. The exact halfway point is 40.89N latitude, and her house is 41.06N. As she wrote in the information booklet: “Each degree of latitude is approximately 69 miles or 111 kilometers apart. We are approximately 12 miles or 19 kilometers from the precise halfway point.

Day 2: Trinidad-Loleta, 44 miles

I got a late start on this day; I needed to rest after that grueling hill on day one. Luckily I had only 40 miles to ride. My first stop was a bike shop in Arcata to get my chain fixed. Carol showed me an alternate route I could take to Arcata; instead of Highway 101 I traveled through 15 gorgeous miles along the Hammock Trail, so this was quite nice despite the jumping chain.

In Arcata I’m pretty sure I got played. The mechanic used his chain wear tool to check my chain and reported that it was worn out to the point of needing to be replaced. What?! This is a brand new bike, and I hadn’t even ridden 100 miles! He explained that the chain was poor quality and that it wasn’t surprising that a low-quality chain would wear out so quickly. I spent $112 at that shop for a new chain, $80 of labor cost, and replacing four screws that had come out of my crankset (for this I am glad I went to the bike shop; I hadn’t even noticed that I’d lost them!). I’m not sure I truly needed a new chain, but my bike is running a lot smoother now and at the time I was going through small-town CA, so I didn’t want to take a chance in case I couldn’t find a bike shop in the miles ahead. 

That night I stayed in the backyard of Angela and Jamie in Loleta, CA. Jamie is a musician, so we had some great conversations about music and life. I set up my tent in their yard and spent a wonderful night camped out. I am grateful that they let me hang out the following day to catch up on grading before setting out. 

Day 3: Loleta-Burlington Campground, 38 miles

The ride from Loleta to Burlington was amazing. It started out with miles and miles of beautiful farmland. I love riding through farmland and saying hello to all the cows. There was also a crazy steep descent in Ferndale, but the view beforehand was gorgeous. Eventually I hit the Avenue of the Giants, an incredible paved, mostly flat ride through the Humboldt Redwood State Park. I really enjoyed this ride, and the campground itself. Cyclists can stay at Burlington for just $5! I was the only tent there; everyone else had an RV! 

Day 4: Burlington Campground-Piercy, 37 miles

I had a short ride ahead, so I started with a loop trail hike across the street from the campground. I can’t get over the size of these redwoods…they are enormous! 

Then I began what turned out to be the most picturesque ride of the day. I can’t even describe it, so I’ll let the photos talk. Aside from the Avenue of the Giants, most of this was along the Eel River and Highway 101. I also visited the famous Shrine Tree and took the obligatory selfie inside the tree x-D

Early in the ride I was grateful to meet my next host, Sam, on his lunch break from the school he teaches at, so I was able to put my panniers in his truck and ride 27 happy miles pannier-free. So light! 

Day 5: Rest day in Piercy, 0 miles

Sam and his wife Janelle live on twenty acres in a beautiful wooden house in Piercy, CA. I decided to spend two nights here and take a rest day to catch up on work. This was such a lovely rest and I was grateful for it. 

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What’s Next?

Tomorrow I’ve got a big ride; 60 miles to Caspar or 55 to Fort Bragg depending on what my legs are up for. I know that possibly the steepest hill of the entire PCH is coming up on this day, so we’ll see if I make it, or have to stop at a campground. My plan is to get to Point Cabrillo Light Station State Park for their gray whale festival on Saturday, so hopefully I’ll at least make it to Fort Bragg! Adventures ahead…

Hello From The Sky!

View from the plane; I got a coveted window seat and the clouds are so cool!

Hey! I’m starting a new bike adventure! I have a one-way ticket to Seattle, WA, my bicycle, gear, clothes, laptop, and I’m writing from high in the sky with free wi-fi on JetBlue. When did free wi-fi on planes become a thing?!  

It’s been a saga leading to this moment, so let’s backtrack to explore how I got here and why. 

Grad School…

I started my ethnomusicology PhD program in Fall 2014. In the beginning it was fine, but as time wore on I grew discontent; the PhD path was not for me, but how to escape? Rather than outright leave the program, I ran to faraway places and achieved lofty goals: Completing my first (and second, third, and fourth…) triathlon, joining a rugby club, directing a circus camp, volunteering on projects in Vietnam, New Zealand, the Bahamas, getting involved with my neighborhood’s community fridge…the list of non-academic feats I pursued is long. 

These adventures opened my eyes to alternative lifestyles, and I was confident I did not need a PhD to be “successful.” However, it was hard to tune out the voices of those around me saying “You’re so close, you’ve worked so hard, this degree is good for your future.” Maybe one day I’ll write a post about the ways graduate school can be toxic, but this post is not about that. 

In the process of running away I made a promise: Whenever I finally walked away or completed my degree, I’d reward myself with a big bike adventure, hopefully across Europe to explore the amazing cycling infrastructure there.

She Walked Away

In January 2021 – on my 2nd attempt – I passed my comprehensive exam, an intense and grueling experience. Passing it was big news; it meant I’d earned a Master’s degree and “All But Dissertation” status. The exam is supposed to be a stepping stone to the PhD, but I decided that whatever happened – pass or fail – I’d end my PhD journey after that 2nd attempt. I announced my decision, officially earned a degree in June, and happily left graduate school. I have no regrets. 

COVID raged on and a Euro bike trip did not and still does not seem responsible, so I did smaller trips, cycling from Brooklyn, NY to Providence, RI on the East Coast Greenway and exploring the bike hostels on Long Island out to Montauk (read about those adventures here and here). Now, with both my jobs remaining virtual, I’m embarking on my most ambitious bike pursuit yet, cycling the US West Coast on the Pacific Coast Highway. I’ll start by visiting friends in Bothell, WA, then decide whether to cycle the Olympic Discovery Trail and begin the Pacific Coast Highway in WA, or hop on a train and start at the top of CA, with an intended end point of San Diego. I’ll do a combination of camping, visiting friends, volunteering, and staying with Warmshowers/Couchsurfing hosts, save time for non-bike exploring, and seek wifi at least twice a week for teaching (my classes are asynchronous, so I never have to be online at a specific time). I’d like to return to NY for softball in May, so I have a lot of time to take it slow; if I feel like 10 miles I’ll do 10, if I’m feeling 100 I’ll do 110. 😉 

The Bike 

I earned extra money in 2021, so I decided to purchase a new bike for this trip. Cycling the East Coast Greenway made me realize that, while I love it, my road bike is not ideal for bikepacking/bicycle touring; riding dirt/gravel paths on the ECG was concerning for my tires. The bike did alright, but now that I’ve escaped graduate school I’d love to do a lot more bike travel, so it’s time to make an investment. 

After much research I settled on the New World Tourist (NWT), a folding bike designed for long-distance touring, handmade by the Oregon-based bike company, Bike Friday. I like that they are US-based, make custom builds, and design bikes for touring that happen to fold up to fit in a suitcase. My hope is that this bicycle will unlock possibilities for me, and since I don’t have large investments such as a car, house, or children, it seems like a justifiable purchase for my nomadic self.

I ordered my NWT in November (thank you Walter for your assistance) and the bike arrived in mid-January as promised. It’s impressive that Bike Friday was able to honor the promised build date, especially since bike parts are hard to come by right now. 

My new Bike Friday New World Tourist (before adding saddle and pedals)

The NWT has 20-inch tires, making it a reasonable choice over folding bikes with smaller tires, like the 18-inch wheeled Brompton. 20-inch wheels are common on mountain and children’s bikes, so it’s more likely to find tubes of this size than for 18”. It’s not the easiest fold, but as the company says, it’s a bike designed first for touring, second for folding; performance is prioritized. It folds fine, just takes time to get used to. My first attempt took ~45 minutes, but I’m confident I’ll get it down to as little as 15. 

When my bike arrived, I was sad to discover that it had the wrong tires! The company had a shortage on the Schwalbe Marathon tires I’d chosen, so they sent BMX tires as placeholders, then sent the correct tires a few weeks later. This delayed me putting the bike together, and when I finally did I was disheartened to discover that the crankset was warped! A bike’s chain turns around the crankset, which causes the wheels to move. No crankset, no ride. 

The company sent a new crankset, but unfortunately I wrote “Ave” instead of “St” for the address and it was returned to sender (nooooo!). The crankset they’d sent was their last available, so when it returned to the factory they promptly shipped it out again. Finally, 48 hours before my trip, the piece arrived. 

Adams Cyclery 

Here, I need to give a huge shoutout to the guys at the Trek Bicycle store in East Northport, NY, formerly Adams Cyclery. My dad and his brothers used to go to this bike shop as kids (it has been there since 1949!!!) and gave it raving reviews – now I know why. This was the best bike shop experience I’ve ever had; the staff was friendly, listened to my tale, and ensured that they’d get the new crankset installed and have the bike back to me in time for my trip. I am incredibly grateful that they got the job done in just four hours, giving me time to ride my bike before having to pack it. I cannot thank them enough! 

NWT, fixed and ready to ride!

After getting my bike fixed and taking it for a spin, I began the process of packing it into my suitcase the evening before my flight. To my dismay, I could not fit the bike into the suitcase with the pedals on, and I didn’t seem to have enough strength to take them off! Saturday morning – the day of my flight – I returned to the bike shop and they were able to take the pedals off. Also had a good chat about my bike with the staff; it was cool to share bike stories. Thank you guys for saving my trip not once, but twice, and being so cool! 

Above: Packing the bike, before and after taking the pedals off. Definitely an important step!

As I type this, my bike is safely stored in the cargo hold of the plane in a Samsonite suitcase I bought on FB Market for $30 (bargain!). As I rode to the airport earlier today I marveled at the fact that my bike was packed into the trunk of a car, along with the panniers I was using as carry-on bags and my helmet. At JFK I once again marveled that my bike fit into a regular suitcase without oversize fees; the packed case weighed 43.6 lbs, well below the 50 lb maximum for regular-sized checked bags. It’s amazing that I can fly with a bicycle and not have to pay additional costs. 

So…that’s the story so far. Stay tuned for updates as I go; who knows where this trip will lead, but I will embrace whatever experiences the journey brings. Here’s to adventure!

Long Island Cycling: Huntington-Riverhead-Montauk

I finally did it! I rode 100+ miles across Long Island and camped at two bike hostels!

Tuesday, Sept. 14th, 2021, 10:47 AM:

I’m racing up Flatbush Ave, two panniers of camping equipment and supplies clinging to my bike rack, doubt and determination battling in the boxing ring of my mind:

This train leaves at 11:05 – can I make it? Is this a good idea? Why not wait ’til tomorr- but the weather’s perfect and you have two days free and you don’t know when you’ll have this chance again and– what about the cats I’m watching? Did I leave enough food? Will they be oka- you know they’ll be fine and you don’t have any grading right now so this is the perfect time…(you get the idea).

I shove aside the two fighters in my brain and concentrate on the task: Pedal swiftly, smartly, and safely to Atlantic Terminal. I arrive, hurry to the elevator, and glance at the train schedule and time. It is currently 11:05:30…I have missed my train by less than one minute.

The Plan

When the pandemic made my “goodbye grad school” dream of biking through Europe impossible, 100 miles to Montauk became my 2021 summer goal. I’ve biked to Montauk quite a few times through Glen Goldstein’s wonderful, now-retired Ride To Montauk event, but my friend Genai and I volunteered at the Mastic-Shirley start line, so we never rode a full century. Then in 2020 I learned about Suffolk County’s bike hostels, where cyclists camp free. One bike hostel is in Montauk, so my goal changed: Bike to Montauk and camp at county bike hostels along the way. I had a week free in August when I could have achieved my goal but decided to cycle the East Coast Greenway instead, exploring unfamiliar territory. No regrets, but I still wanted to check out LI bike hostels and cycle to Montauk.

After weeks of postponing (bad weather, too much work, meetings, unanticipated COVID exposure…), I finally had a small window of time for the ride. The fall semester had started, but I could cater to my students and achieve my goal if I altered the plan for a condensed schedule. New plan: Take the train to Smithtown, bike 40 miles to Riverhead, camp at Indian Island County Park, then either camp at Cathedral Pines, return to Brooklyn, or continue 50 miles to Montauk County Park, depending on timing and weather. All good options…until I missed my train.

Rerouting…

I stared hard at the train schedule, willing it to show my Smithtown train on a track. Missing that train meant waiting two hours to catch the next one, time I couldn’t afford if I was going to make it to Riverhead. I reviewed options: Try again the next day – foregoing Montauk and exploring only one bike hostel – or choose a train going somewhere else in Suffolk and pedal hard from there. Having grown up on Long Island, I could always call family and friends if I wasn’t going to make it, so I figured it was worth a shot. I hopped on an 11:35 train for the next-best spot I could find, Huntington.

I arrived in Huntington at 1 PM, an hour later than I would have arrived at Smithtown and 10 miles further west. My route was almost the same, following NY Bicycle Route 25A, but I’d have to hurry to make it to Riverhead before sunset. No lingering at rest stops and no time for misdirections like on the ECG.

As miles rolled by my confidence grew; unlike the ECG, I’d traversed these roads many times by car, foot, and even some by bike. I mentally reviewed friends and family to call in a pinch; I had a safety net all along the route. I even chose rest stops based on prior knowledge rather than random time/place. First stop: Stony Brook Village for a late lunch with a beautiful view of one of my favorite LI places, Avalon Park.

My lunch view from Avalon Park

The Route

The ride from Huntington to Riverhead was wonderful from beginning to end. The signs for 25A were incredibly clear; at no point did I feel I might make a wrong turn. Even at forks where I was 95% sure which way to go, signs left little room for error. In Suffolk County, many bike routes run alongside cars, but the bike lanes are so wide that I never felt unsafe. To reach Riverhead I also explored paths away from cars, including the Setauket Greenway Trail and the not-quite-complete North Shore Rail Trail, formerly known as the Rails to Trails Recreational Path. The North Shore trail was the highlight of my trip, consisting of ten miles of flat, paved, beautiful bike path that I’d never ridden before. According to the July 2021 Suffolk County Legislature News Flash, “the project was first suggested over 50 years ago by local civic members, and re-introduced in 2001 by advocates of bicycle organizations, the Setauket-Port Jefferson Greenway Trail and community residents.” The trail is a secret paradise running parallel to 25A, and it was easy to hop back to Bicycle Route 25A when I reached the section under construction.

Indian Island County Park (Riverhead)

At 7 PM I rolled up to what Google Maps was calling the entrance to Indian Island County Park.

Tip to anyone interested in this ride: Google Maps is wrong! The directions say to turn onto Indian Point Road from Hubbard Ave. This is actually the back entrance, with a locked gate. If you are sneaky you can push on the gate and slip through (you might need to take a pannier off your bike…not that I’ve done any such thing…) but you can alternatively go to the front entrance on 105. To do this, after you pass the fire station on Hubbard Ave, turn right on 105. The entrance is not easy to get to since it is on the left side of a busy one-way street, but if you can’t fit through the gate, this is the way in.

Tips For the Park:

I recommend calling in advance to make sure the campground is open. You can call the Suffolk County Parks main line at 631-854-4949 and/or Indian Island’s direct number: 631-852-3232. The office at Indian Island is only open until 2:30 PM, so if you miss getting to speak to a park employee, here are some tips:

• You don’t need to make a reservation or even tell someone you’re coming; you can literally just ride your bike to the campground and set up your tent (though I recommend calling anyway).
• To reach the bike hostel area, go straight from the office and turn left at the stop sign. Continue on Indian Point Road until you see a small sign on the right that reads “Bike Hostel Area.” You’ll find a [rarely used] bike rack, a few picnic tables, and plenty of space to set up your tent.
  • If you enter from the back, follow the only road you can (Indian Point Rd) until you see the bike hostel sign on your left. You won’t need to ride far; the bike hostel area is near the back of the campground.
• From the bike hostel, turn left onto Indian Point Rd to reach the nearest bathroom, up the road on the right side. There are a few outlets inside and a row of toilets, but no showers. If you continue on to the next bathroom you will find plenty of showers if you need.
• There is potable water outside the bathroom with the showers. There are also water fountains at the closer bathroom, but when I was there they weren’t working.
• If it’s still daylight, you might turn left out of the bike hostel area and continue up Indian Point Rd to a pavilion on your left, where you’ll find outlets to charge your devices.
  • Likewise, there is a path to the beach on the left you can check out as well!
• Bike hostel guests don’t have a set checkout time in the morning…leave whenever you’d like!

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Wednesday, Sept. 15th, 10:45 AM:

After a nice, restful night camping, I packed up and cycled to the office to say hello to the park ranger and learn more about the bike hostel. According to the ranger, the bike hostel is rarely used; it seems to be a hidden gem. It’s so much of a hidden gem however, that I have no problem sharing it here, and the ranger I spoke to was glad I’d be spreading the word. One thing to note is that the hostel area is fairly small; she told me a story of two bike groups showing up unannounced on the same day, which made the space quite cramped.

New Route

Cycling from Riverhead to Montauk was just as enjoyable as cycling from Huntington to Riverhead (maybe even more so, given that I didn’t have to rush). The route was admittedly less interesting, consisting almost entirely of NYS Bicycle Route 24E and 27E; no rail trail to explore. I did, however, make sure to pause for photos at The Big Duck, a Long Island landmark since the 1930s. You can read its full history here.

If it’s possible, I felt even more confident cycling this route than I had on 25A, having cycled parts of this path on The Ride To Montauk event so many times (kudos to Glen for finding nice back roads for exploration on the Montauk ride; I see how much planning that takes compared to this straight shot on 27E). I purposely stopped for lunch in Southhampton, a town notorious for giving Glen trouble with permits. I laughed as I sat on a pier eating my lunch, feeling like I’d somehow rebelled against the town. I even took a book from the Little Free Library on my way out.

From there, it was only right to stop in the town of Water Mill 15 minutes later to take a photo at mine and Genai’s favorite rest stop from Glen’s event. Then I continued, following signs for 27 all the way to Montauk.

Tips For Montauk:

If you’re planning to do this route, there are some important things to note:

• While most of Long Island is fairly flat, Montauk has moderate hills. Stop for food when you reach the town of Montauk; you will not want to backtrack from Montauk Point. I should have known this but didn’t think, so dinner consisted of my remaining snacks – almonds and an apple.
• Once again, Google Maps will lead you to the wrong entrance if you’ve typed “Montauk County Park” as the destination. Montauk County Park is large, so you’ll need to backtrack three miles to reach the entrance you actually want, Third House Nature Center. HOWEVER…

This time, I was grateful to Google for leading me astray. Google took me to the office for Montauk County Park (which closes at 4:30, btw), which is where I thought I should go. I arrived a little after 4 PM and met three jovial rangers who informed me that I was looking for Third House, off Montauk Highway. They also offered other useful information:

• Tick season is REALLY BAD in Montauk right now (let’s be real, tick season is always bad on Long Island…). They said I could sleep in the bike hostel area but probably wouldn’t want to; there were tick nymphs there. Have you ever seen a deer tick nymph? They are the size of a poppy seed and can give you lymes disease just like a full-grown tick. NO THANK YOU.
  • Sidenote: I ventured briefly into the bike hostel area later to check it out, purposely walking on tiptoes and staying in the middle of the path. Even from that trip, I came out with tick nymphs crawling all over my shoes. Without exaggeration, I flicked off at least thirty after that 60-second walk.
• There are no showers at this campground, but they offered to open a shed that had some large sinks so I could take a sort of sponge bath. Works for me!
• There was a chance of rain that night (this was a surprise; my weather app showed only light showers in the morning), so they recommended camping under the pavilion, complete with outlets, picnic tables, bathrooms nearby, and most importantly, cover from rain. The shed was close if I needed extra shelter and, in a super emergency, the staff houses were a short walk away.
  • If you visit this camp spot and need to contact someone, you can call the park office until 4:30 at 631-852-7879 or the on-duty ranger at any hour at 631-852-COPS. However, the staff recommend 911 for quicker emergency response.
• Given its location, this campground gets lots of wildlife. You may see deer, raccoons, foxes, possums, birds, bats, squirrels, and even frogs (I only saw birds and one frog on my visit).
• Because Third House is separate from the Montauk County Park campgrounds (Third House Nature Center is its own 501c3), the bike hostel stays open all year. You can visit any time, but perhaps call first.
• Third House is near Deep Hollow Ranch, the oldest US cattle ranch. The ranch was established in 1658 and is still active. It’s a great marker for finding Third House; if you pass the ranch heading east, you’ve gone too far.

The End

Have you ever seen those bumper stickers that say “The End”? They refer to Montauk Point, the farthest point east on Long Island. I’ve always felt that no one really earns that sticker unless they truly go to the end, and I was determined to do just that on this ride. Third House was only three miles away from the Montauk Lighthouse, so since I’d made such good time, I had plenty of daylight to reach my ultimate destination. 15 minutes and some minor hills later I was at the lighthouse, hoisting my bike in the air for that stereotypical cycling success photo. The lighthouse museum was closed, meaning I couldn’t get close to the lighthouse itself, but I got some amazing photos from outside the gate and down at the beach. What a great feeling it was to hoist my bike high in the air, talk to my kind photographer about my journey, and then sit on a rock on the beach watching the lighthouse, listening to the water lapping against the shore, and reflecting on my journey. Mission accomplished!

I cycled back to camp just as the sun was setting (at this time of year the sun starts setting around 7 PM in Montauk). I rested my bike against a picnic table, changed out of my cycling outfit, and washed off in the shed. Then I settled into my tent and started reading the book I’d picked up in Southhampton, a welcome addition to my gear. All was well, and soon enough I was fast asleep.

Storm!

At 5:30 AM, I was awakened by bright flashes of lightning and roars of thunder. I lay frozen, watching my tent light up and counting the seconds before each rumble. The seconds seemed to quickly devolve into milliseconds; the lightning was close. Fully alert, I considered my location: I was in a tent, under an open-sided pavilion, surrounded by metal tables(!!!), in a field of grass with a few trees and bushes here and there. Was I safe? I did not feel safe.

When you are outside in a lightning storm, the first step is to remain calm. The second step is to seek shelter immediately. If you hear thunder and are outside, you are not safe. I packed a bag of immediate items that could be useful: Book, phone, glasses, water bottle…okay go. I exited my tent, ducked low, and ran to the shed (it has a sink and lighting, so it has grounding mechanisms that make it more secure than a shelter without those features).

I sat on a chair away from the wall (always stay away from walls, metals items, and electrical cords) and listened as rain began to pour. Lightning continued, with cracks of thunder growing louder and more constant. I can’t be sure that lightning was striking close to where I’d been sleeping, but I know that staying under that pavilion – even if it hadn’t been surrounded by picnic table conduits – would have been a bad idea. I didn’t get any more sleep, but I am confident that I made the right decision.

Let’s pause here to make sure we all know what to do if you *can’t* get to a secure shelter:

• If you can leave the area, do so immediately.
• If you are among trees, find a cluster of trees (NOT a single tree) and shelter under the shortest tree. You don’t want to be anywhere near the tallest object.
• If you are with other people, split up until you are at least 100 feet apart. You don’t want to all get hit.
• If there is any depressed terrain, like a ravine, go there.
• If you are stuck completely out in the open, crouch down on the balls of your feet OR sit on your backpack. You want as little of your body touching the ground as possible.
• Make sure you are not directly touching any metal objects (even something in your backpack or pocket).

Stay safe everyone, and always check the weather before camping (in this case I did check the weather, but it was not an accurate prediction). If you do make it to a shelter, wait 30 minutes after hearing the last rumble of thunder before going back outside. Also, it’s fine to use a mobile device, but do not charge it during the storm!

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When the storm passed, I waited 30 minutes before venturing out (thank goodness I picked up that book in Southhampton, and thank you Kelly, Dad, Genai, and Dries for receiving all my messages as I tried to regain my cool…hooray for friends who wake up early or live in other time zones!). I discovered that all but one of the stakes had come out of the ground from my tent, and all my belongings had shifted to one side. My bike, which was near the edge of the pavilion, was a bit wet, but otherwise all was fine. A light, quiet rain fell for the next hour, so I charged my devices and continued reading The Three Musketeers. When the rain stopped I drew a big “Thank you!” in the dirt for the park rangers, loaded up my bike, and headed to breakfast.

Again, let me pause to stress that big thank you. If I had not met the park rangers, I would have assumed I should sleep in the bike hostel area, which looked very innocent. I would have no doubt been swarmed by tick nymphs, then would have had to run to the bathroom to shelter from the storm. My tent and bike would have gotten drenched in the rain even if I made it to shelter, I would have been covered in ticks, and my trip would have ended on a very sour note. THANK YOU park rangers for providing me with the means to avoid that horrid fate.

Breakfast, Train

I cycled a short three miles back to town and ordered breakfast to go from John’s Pancake House (if you are a veggie lover like me, you’ll be disappointed to discover that the hashbrowns taste like bacon grease, but if you’re as hungry as I was, you’ll let it pass and devour every bite). As I sat on a bench enjoying my omelette, a woman saw my bike and panniers and remarked to her companion that Third House has a bike hostel for camping. “Is that your bike? Did you come from Third House?” she asked me (I guess my disheveled/sporty appearance gave it away). “I hope you had a great trip!”

After breakfast I bought a couple snacks and my LIRR ticket, then happily laid down on the train platform to wait for the train. I snoozed for much of the no-transfer trip to Jamaica, recounting my journey when awake and feeling grateful to have had this opportunity. I always enjoy cycling in Suffolk County, and this trip reminded me that there is far more to discover. Adventure awaits!

Extra Details

My expenses, Sept. 14-16:

• LIRR ticket, Atlantic Terminal to Huntington: $12
• Snacks and meals: $45 (I brought some things from home)
• LIRR ticket, Montauk to Atlantic Terminal: $22
• Total: $79

My stuff:

• On bike rack:
  • Pannier 1: Tent, sleeping pad, travel towel, Vitamin Water, bike lock
  • Pannier 2: Rain jacket, Luci lantern & S hook, sleeping bag liner, packing cube of clothes (one short sleeve shirt, long sleeve underarmor, gym shorts, pair of socks, underwear, balaclava, bandana, reflective vest), toiletry bag (deodorant, hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, spare contact lenses, glasses, bug spray), bike emergency bag (spare tube, bike lights, patch kit, allen wrenches, tire levers), snacks, electronics (two external chargers, phone charging cord, earbuds, headlamp), sneakers
• On bike:
  • Tiny bike bag (sunscreen, snacks, hand sanitizer, face mask, wallet)
  • Phone mount & phone
  • Bike pump
  • Water bottle
• On me:
  • Cycling shorts
  • Tech shirt
  • Sunglasses
  • Cycling cap
  • Helmet
  • Cycling gloves
  • Sunscreen 🙂

For more information on Suffolk County bike hostels, click here.

Brooklyn-Providence: Six Days on the East Coast Greenway

Wed., August 4th, 2021, 5:50 AM:

I slowly roll my bike out the apartment door, sunscreen slapped on my face and panniers bulging with everything I’ve thrown into them…even a last-minute item added minutes ago. I marvel at the uncanny stillness of early morning Brooklyn, the streets seeming to yawn and stretch as they take their first breaths of morning air.

I rest my Trek Lexa road bike – the best thing I’ve ever found on Craigslist – against the brick apartment exterior and snap a few photos in the dim light of the rising sun. “October Blue” is laden with two panniers carrying everything I’ll need – and hopefully nothing I won’t – for the next six days. Tent, check. Water, check. Route sheets, check. Adrenaline, anticipation, fitness, check check check. This is the longest, most ambitious bike ride of my life, and I am ready.

My bike, “October Blue,” packed and ready for six days of cyclotouring!

Flashback: January 2021

In January 2021 I walked away from graduate school. 6.5 years spent in a program I wasn’t enjoying, pursuing a PhD I didn’t need, still at least two years away from finishing. I’d promised myself that when I finally did either leave or finish my program, I’d celebrate with a big bike adventure, preferably across Europe. COVID disagreed, so I altered my plans and opted to explore some of the East Coast Greenway.

The East Coast Greenway

As stated on its website, “The East Coast Greenway connects 15 states and 450 cities and towns for 3,000 miles from Maine to Florida. We are fostering a safe walking and biking route through the country’s most populated corridor.” The ECG has been in the works for three decades, beginning with the establishment of the East Coast Greenway Alliance in NYC in November 1991. How fitting to start my ECG experience exactly 30 years after the alliance was founded, in the very city where it started.

My ECG plan:

• Day 1: Brooklyn, NY to New Haven, CT, an ambitious 106-mile pursuit. Why so long? To achieve my goal of riding a century in one day.
• Day 2: New Haven to West Hartford, CT (~55 miles)
• Day 3: West Hartford to Lisbon, CT (~40 miles, going off the route to reach a Warmshowers host)
• Day 4: Lisbon to Providence, RI (~50 miles)
• Day 5: Explore Providence! [Providence arrival if I’ve taken a rest day somewhere]
• Day 6: Trip to Rose Island, Amtrak back to NYC

More or less, my intended route from the ECG website

Along the way, I would stay with hosts through Warmshowers, a system similar to Couchsurfing but designed specifically for cyclists by cyclists. Warmshowers hosts know what cyclotouring feels like, since many have gone on extensive trips themselves.

The ECG is still in development, but enough of it is complete – thanks largely to preexisting bicycle trails – that it is possible to bike the whole thing…with the understanding that some sections are connected by roads without protected bike lanes. Everywhere I biked on this trip felt safe; if you’re considering checking out the ECG, go for it!

Day 1: Brooklyn to New Haven

This day started as planned:

• Cross the eerily empty Brooklyn Bridge (I usually avoid this tourist-laden bridge, but at 6 AM it was practically a ghost town).
  
• Ride the Hudson River Greenway – a beautiful path that is part of both the ECG and the NYS Empire Trail – from Manhattan all the way to the Bronx. Familiar territory which I’ve ridden plenty of times before.
  
• Take a few turns on busier roads to eventually continue along the Empire Trail until turning east…somewhere…
  
• …uh oh…getting lost…

After the Hudson River portion, things got tricky. My phone was dying and I couldn’t rely on it for directions; even the RideWithGPS maps I’d downloaded were draining the battery! Relying on cue sheets I’d printed in advance and the occasional ECG sign, I made it to the Mosholu-Pelham Greenway to continue up the Empire Trail (which spans 750-mile, across the entirety of New York State). Then came an unclear divide in the road; the Empire Trail went straight but a sign saying “Bike Route” pointed right. I asked another cyclist which way to go for the Greenway and he instructed me to continue straight. Many miles later it became clear that was the wrong decision; I was ten miles north of where I needed to be!

I used my phone’s precious battery life to check Google maps, which suggested turning off the trail in a few miles to reroute toward CT. I followed the route and then…trail closed?! With no indication of how to detour around the closure, I backtracked 3 miles (a sign would have been nice to know the trail was closed ahead) and was rescued by another cyclist. “Are you trying to get back to the trail?” he shouted. “Follow me!”

Graciously I followed my new guide – Ted – for three miles on the main road to reach a turn to head east to CT. As we rode, I learned that Ted is known as “the bike guy” in town; someone from his area once recognized him randomly in Greece because of his local bicycle fame. Ted explained that the Empire Trail is also a greenway, so the rider who instructed me to go straight probably misunderstood what I was asking.

Once back on track, the ride was long, tiring, but not terrible. My phone refused to stay charged despite two external battery packs, so I stopped too many times to find places to charge it. It didn’t help that the ECG markings were unclear in places, but from Norwalk, CT onward the signs became clearer and more frequent.

Eventually – seventeen hours after leaving Brooklyn – I reached New Haven and my host Demi’s house. Big shoutout to Demi, whose house was about to be sold the following week. Demi let me crash in the completely empty house despite not being able to actually be there during my stay. I arrived so late and exhausted that it’s just as well I had the place to myself; as soon as I’d showered and checked in with friends and family I fell right asleep!

Some highlights from Day 1, both good and bad:

• The Empire Trail. This was very pretty and relaxing. I’d love to return and ride it all the way up New York State.
  
• The kindness of Ted, Demi, and the places that let me hang out to charge my phone.
  
• Wednesday afternoon rest stop in Stamford, CT. My phone was at 5% battery, I was frustrated from the detour, the sky was gray, and I couldn’t find a place to get healthy food. Finally, I went to a pizza shop just to stop somewhere and, as I locked up my bike on a signpost, watched a man puke on the sidewalk across the street. I discovered that the pizza shop was doing takeout only because of COVID, so I sat on the curb next to my bike eating a dissatisfying pizza slice, feeling frustrated about my dying phone but grateful to have this experience at all.
  
• Norwalk. I didn’t spend much time here, but the charm of Norwalk and the improvement of the ECG signs were very welcome.
  
• Tired and out of water, excitedly coming across three girls selling lemonade on a residential street outside Bridgeport. I’ve never been so happy to find a lemonade stand!
  
• Biting into the cucumber I brought and feeling like it was the most delicious food on the planet. Maybe they’re heavy, but cucumbers are such a satisfying bike food!
  
• Cycling along the coastline near Bridgeport. Even though I was tired, the coastline was so pretty! St. Mary’s By The Water is gorgeous.
  
• Begrudgingly stopping for late-night ice cream because I needed to charge my phone again, then sitting on the ground outside the takeout-only shop enjoying every bite.
  
• Rolling into New Haven in the dark and rain, only to discover that the bridge I needed to cross was closed and I needed to take a long detour.
  
• Finally arriving at my host’s completely empty home after seventeen hours and collapsing on the floor.
  
• Sleeping as late as I pleased the next morning.

My first day of this trip was not exactly relaxing; I couldn’t track mileage, but calculating detours and wrong turns, I estimate that I rode ~130 miles. It was long and exhausting, but I knew this day would be challenging even if I were completing *just* a century. Day 1 was meant to be a challenge, and I conquered it!

Photos from Day 1:

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Day 2: New Haven to West Hartford

Day 2 was a vast improvement over Day 1. As I went to bed that first night, I considered whether I might take the train to Hartford the next day. However, I woke up to a message from my next Warmshowers host, Jack, suggesting his favorite route to Hartford, which cut out ~15 of the least bike-friendly miles of the ECG. 40 miles instead of 55? Okay, I could do that. I didn’t feel 100% recovered, but I could handle 40 miles.

I am SO glad I chose to bike on that second day. The trails to Hartford were gorgeous, some of my favorites of the entire trip. I rode sloooow, taking my time and stopping wherever and whenever I wanted/needed. I had all day to complete 1/3 of the distance from Day 1!

Day 2 Highlights:

• The Farmington Canal Trail. This trail continues to Northhampton, MA and I want to explore it all the way up. The trails around Northhampton/Hadley/Amherst are gorgeous; I bike there each summer while volunteering for The Farm Ride, and I’d love to return to explore when the leaves are changing colors in the fall.
  
• Initially missing the [very clear, I just was oblivious] entrance to the FCT and cycling up an INCREDIBLY steep hill (see photo of exhausted Carolyn after realizing mistake).
  
• All the graffiti along the FCT (see photos below).
  
• Stopping to splurge on a fresh peach and banana from farm stand, for a grand total of 55 cents!
  
• The CTfastrak Multi-Use Trail. What a cool thing! I don’t know why, but I felt very speedy on this paved path.
  
• Meeting my Warmshowers hosts Beth, Jack, and Moose. They were out on their porch to welcome me when I arrived, and I was so grateful for their hospitality. After a relaxing shower and an hour to settle in, I got to know them over homemade squash quesadillas for dinner. Jack in particular is an avid cyclist and has tons of stories about his adventures. Both he and Beth are also quite knowledgeable about CT history, which was great to hear about.
  
• Speaking on the phone with another solo female cyclist who had almost stayed that night, but hadn’t made it to West Hartford. She had been on the road for over two months, having retired from her job and heading out the very next day. What a feat for someone in their late 60s!
  
• Relaxing with tea and chocolate in Beth and Jack’s living room that evening. Even Moose came to hang out and get his ears scratched, apparently a rare occurrence when Warmshowers guests are around. Beth was working on an oral history project, and Jack and I swapped cycling stories while she worked.
  
• Two great pieces of wisdom that Jack shared with me: 1) “We pack our fears;” 2) “Are you a farmer, or a sailor?”

Just to stress this once more, I am extremely grateful for the hospitality of Beth and Jack. They are in many ways the perfect hosts for bikepackers and I appreciate their commitment to civil rights and history preservation as well. I hope our paths cross again. Thank you Beth and Jack!

Photos from Day 2:

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Day 3: West Hartford to Lisbon

I woke up on Day 3 feeling relaxed and well-rested. Beth and Jack fully open their kitchen to guests, so I made myself a delicious breakfast of tea, egg and hummus on toast, and a small bowl of Beth’s homemade granola with blueberries – yum! I sat on the porch and spent an hour enjoying my meal and reading a book Jack had mentioned, In The City of Bikes: The Story of the Amsterdam Cyclist by Peter Jordan. What a great way to start the day!

The night prior, Jack had showed route options on his laptop for my trip and offered to ride out of Hartford with me. At 11 AM we said goodbye to Beth and set out. As we rolled through downtown Hartford, Jack shared facts about the city, the Connecticut River, and stories of previous guests. He once hosted a cyclist from the Netherlands whose goal was to visit every US state capital. When he reached the capitol building of Hartford with Jack, he began to cry, explaining that reaching a new capital brought a sense of relief; he had made it to a new destination and could rest easy for the night. As I asked Jack to take my photo with the building in the background, I imagined the sense of euphoria and relief that same site had brought to the Dutch traveler.

Jack and I parted ways when we reached the ECG path out of Hartford. I thanked him once again for his hospitality and set out on what would prove to be another gorgeous and relaxing day of riding through Connecticut.

Day 3 Highlights:

• Riding around Hartford and the waterfront path heading east. Gorgeous!
  
• The Charter Oak Greenway and the graffiti art I found there.
  
• The Hop River Trail. This was my favorite part of the ECG – it was off-road, but I felt safe with my road bike thanks to well-packed dirt. It was meditative to ride along this trail for 2.5 hours.
  
• Reaching Willimantic, my end point of the ECG, and fueling up at the Willimantic Food Co-op, recommended by Jack. If you ride the ECG, definitely stop here for lunch!
  
• Meeting someone in the co-op parking lot who was considering riding the ECG to NYC. I was able to offer encouragement and advice. “Welcome to Willimantic!” he exclaimed as we parted ways.
  
• Reaching “Frog Bridge” and learning about Willimantic’s history as a textile town.
  
• Meeting my new hosts, Kristie and Ray, and their three dogs. Ray was kind enough to pick me up from Willimantic and drive the remaining 16 miles to their house. Then, after my warm shower and time to unwind, we got to know each other over a pizza dinner. Kristie and Ray have been Warmshowers hosts for over 20 years and have been cyclotouring for 35 years!

Kristie and Ray were wonderful hosts. They don’t get many Warmshowers guests since they are around 16 miles off the ECG, but they love hosting cyclists and were happy I chose to visit. Kristie has an infectious laugh that always makes you smile, and Ray is a cycling enthusiast who was generous enough to check my bike and offer small maintenance tips. Kristie and Ray have SO many stories of cyclotouring on their tandem bike all over the world. Many of their favorite spots are in Europe, a reminder that I would really like to cycle there! Thank you Kristie and Ray for your generosity as hosts!

Photos from Day 3:

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Day 4: Lisbon to Providence

I woke up on Day 4 and enjoyed a breakfast of homemade pancakes with Ray. Kristie made the batter in advance while preparing for a Zoom symposium for the polymer crafts she makes (her pieces are beautiful!). The pancakes were perfect fuel for the journey ahead, which started out with another edition of Carolyn Misses An Important Turn and Travels Many Miles Out of Her Way. Hooray! Eventually I got back on track after turning what should have been a 42-mile into a ~50-mile day. Not too bad.

Day 4 Highlights:

• Sleepy morning cycling in rural CT (before I missed my turn). It was nice to cycle through farmland after so much time seeing coasts and tree canopies.
  
• The moment I crossed from CT into RI. It felt like the scenery instantly changed, and my destination was so close!
  
• Discovering a real general store, and eating my leftover pizza for lunch outside 🙂
  
• The Washington Secondary Trail. I got to ride this trail for over 20 miles and it brought me almost directly into Providence. Very little need to check my phone for directions – hooray!
  
• Stopping for ice cream at Udder Delights, right off of the WST. Yum!
  
• Cycling into the downtown harbor area of Providence. At that point I was half a mile from my host’s place and felt like my journey was complete! I paused on the bridge to take in the view and celebrate my accomplishment.

Not exactly a highlight, but my Day 4 evening was quite unexpected. I arrived at the Corliss-Carrington House and met my Warmshowers host, Lorne, and his girlfriend Victoria. What a property they live on! After my shower I got to talk to them a bit, then their AirBnB guests invited us all to join them at a brewery with them. Next thing I knew, I was at not a brewery, but a house party next door. Ummm…okay…not exactly my idea of relaxing after having just ridden almost 300 miles, but sure, let’s do it. Then I discovered that they’d only be grilling steaks at the party – not ideal for a vegetarian cyclist who ate nuts, ice cream, and a protein bar for lunch. I went to a brewery across the street to order the only appealing food on their menu – carrot-based hot dogs! Admittedly these were amazing, but I didn’t have any desire to go back to the party, so Lorne was nice enough to drive me back to his place. Then he and his gf left for dinner and I set up my tent on their lawn. It was so nice to FINALLY sleep in the tent I’d been carrying across three states! #HappyCarolyn

Photos from Day 4:

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Day 5: Exploring Providence…Or…Backtracking West

I woke up the next morning very happy to have spent the night in my tent. Then, since Lorne doesn’t provide food for Warmshowers guests (hosts are not required, many just do), I walked to Plant City, a vegan food court where even the silverware is compostable. I passed a flea market on the way, then ate my breakfast burrito on a bridge overlooking downtown Providence. Not a bad view!

My friend Lindsay lives just outside Providence, so I had plans to meet her in the afternoon. In the meantime, I spent an hour casually walking around downtown.

—Interruption—

Let’s pause here for a moment. One of my friends was doing a bike trip while I was doing mine, and as I was walking, I felt my phone buzz. “Having a break after 100ks,” the message read, with a photo of a stunning Norwegian landscape. “Wanna see it live?”

Let me tell you, after hearing from Kristie and Ray that their favorite places to cycle are in Europe, hearing from Jack about his upcoming trip to cycle across parts of Europe (depending on COVID), reading part of a book about Dutch cycling, already wanting to do a bike trip through Europe, and then seeing a live view of gorgeous Norwegian landscapes and car-free bike paths…well, let’s just say I am still very motivated to cycle through Europe. I know I am 100% capable of doing long bikepacking trips, and when the world allows it I am making this happen!

Just a casual view from Norway. Whatever, my trip was still awesome x-D

Anyway…

As I wandered through the city I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled across Seven Stars Bakery, a place Beth and Jack said I must visit in Providence. Following their recommendation, I ordered a chocolate almond croissant; now I understand why they recommended it! Lindsay later confirmed that Seven Stars Bakery is amazing, and we returned there later in hopes of buying some olive bread. If you visit Providence, definitely go to Seven Stars Bakery!

Lindsay and I drove an hour west, passing signs for many places I’d just cycled through the previous day. How awesome it is to drive an hour and think “I just did this in reverse on two wheels.”

We ended our drive at Ell Pond Preserve to hike Lindsay’s favorite trail in RI, the Narragansett Trail. It was a great adventure, with lots of rock scrambling. It rained a bit while we were hiking, but that didn’t dampen our reunion! Following the hike, we returned to Providence to tour Lindsay’s old neighborhood and meet my college friend Dave for dinner. Not a bad day! Then Lindsay and I went back to the Corliss-Carrington House and explored the interior, including its wallpaper from the 1850s. The Corliss-Carrington house has a problematic history, but the negative parts of its story are included on its website. I will say it was weird sleeping on the grounds of such a fancy place; my tent felt a bit out of place!

Photos from Day 5:

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Day 6: East Bay Bike Path

I was really looking forward to Day 6 of my trip. Like…really, really looking forward to it. Three years ago, I went to New Zealand and spent time living on a piece of paradise called Quarantine Island/Kamau Taurua, one of the best places on Earth (read about my experience here). You can imagine my excitement when, the week before this trip, Lorne contacted me to suggest taking the Amtrak back to NYC from Kingston, RI instead of Providence, RI so that I could join him and Victoria for a trip to Rose Island, a tiny island in southern RI that reminded me of QIKT in its commitment to conservation work. Wow! How exciting, to end my trip in a place like that! I booked my ticket before prices got too expensive and happily anticipated the beautiful day.

So…Day 6, Rose Island Day. I woke at 6 AM to the sound of light rain and scrambled to pack my tent and move inside. Normally rain would be fine, but I didn’t want to carry a wet tent home. I was awakened again when Victoria’s dog – an enormous puppy – came barreling in. Good morning to you too!

As I recovered and got ready for the day, I heard Lorne open the stable door downstairs and call my name. He had not considered logistics of taking my bike in the car, so it seemed I’d have to stay behind. He and Victoria would leave at 10, so I had an hour to pack and figure out a plan. Well…great…

I considered my options:

• Leave immediately and frantically pedal to Newport, catch a ferry to Rose Island for an hour, catch a ferry to Jamesport, pedal another 15 miles to catch my evening train in Kingston.
  
• Skip seeing Rose Island, pedal to Newport, ferry to Jamestown, pedal to Kingston.
  
• Change my train to depart from Providence and spend a relaxing day exploring Lindsay’s favorite local bike path, the East Bay Bike Path.

Frantic pedaling, the chance of a flat tire or other mechanical mishap on my journey, and the cost of the ferries I’d take were not appealing, so I spent 30 minutes on hold with Amtrak, begrudgingly paid the necessary fees to change my train, and then departed to explore the East Bay path.

I don’t regret my choice. I was bummed about missing Rose Island and spending an unplanned $40 to change my train, but the East Bay Bike Path was one of the best paths I rode. It runs from Providence down to Bristol and is flat and smooth the entire way. I saw lots of birds, rode along beautiful coastlines, stopped at an Audubon Center, and even met two women embarking on their first bikepacking adventure that day. I had a relaxing, enjoyable time, and when I finished, I think I’d accumulated enough miles to bring my total past 300. Go me!

Photos from Day 6:

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Reflection

I stopped for a quick dinner near the Amtrak station and then hopped on the train. As I traveled, I reflected on my journey, marveling at the ability of a human body to take a person across so many borders. Some thoughts:

• I am grateful to have a body that can physically do this journey, the freedom in my schedule to take this trip, and the privilege that comes from being a middle-class white woman who can walk into a stranger’s house or set up a tent in their yard with no fear for how I’m perceived. I can likewise cycle through tiny towns with “Trmp” flags waving and not worry for my safety because of how I look. I had many discussions about inequity and cycling with Beth, Jack, Kristie, and Ray and it is heartening that so many Warmshowers hosts are thinking about how to make cyclotouring more welcoming and accessible for everyone. There is a long way to go, but hosts like that are a step in the right direction.
• Although the act of cycling itself is budget-friendly, preparing for a trip like this is not necessarily. I had to spend money on a long-overdue bike tune-up, a small bit of gear, some snacks, and my Amtrak ticket home. I was grateful to be able to borrow items like a small tent, sleeping pad, and even a pannier from my friend Genai, items that would have added a lot to my trip’s cost.
• Despite those expenses, once your bike is in working order, bikepacking can be very affordable. With so many Warmshowers hosts providing housing and food, it is possible to go on a journey without having a large budget. I could have even avoided the $40 Amtrak fee and rode down to Kingston, though I was grateful for the flexibility in my personal budget to be able to change that train, even if I didn’t want to.
• Apparently it’s pretty rare to come across a young female cycling solo. I hope that reading my post encourages more women to get out there and do it – you are capable and the rewards are worth it!
• Let’s normalize conversation about the uncomfortable parts of cyclotouring that typically get left off of blogs, such as dealing with saddle sores and learning tips for making your ride smoother. I’m grateful that my hosts were open to my answering my questions and offering advice. Thank you Jack for the tube of Chamois Butt’r and the tip about not wearing underwear with cycling shorts – that made such a difference!
• This was an amazing taste of cyclotouring. It wasn’t all fun, but it was worth it. I’m glad I did this, and I will certainly have more bike adventures in the future. Next up: Hopefully a small trip to explore the “bike hostel” campgrounds of Long Island.

Thanks for reading. Follow my adventures here and on Instagram: @carolynventures