Shifting Gears

Season 3 Episode 3 (9/23): Long Island Sound meets Puget Sound –  9/23 Anacortes to Fort Casey for ferry to Port Townsend, WA. 38 miles 2144’ climb About ten miles into our ride, we crossed over the Deception Pass Bridge offering us spectacular views. The bridge (included on the National Register of Historic Places), connects Fidalgo Island to Whidbey Island, over water connecting Skagit Bay with the Strait of Juan de Fuca (all part of the Puget Sound). It required us to “take the lane” as there was no shoulder or bike lane. This means what it sounds like, that we ride in the middle of the lane like a car. It also means we feel the pressure of cars accumulating behind us. (It’s worth googling images of the bridge. We could not stop to take pics.) But this beauty was short lived. We soon cycled along a backroad where we saw a few hundred yards of what initially looked like a roadside junkyard of abandoned vehicles (cars, trucks and RVs). But as we got closer we could see this was an...

Season 3 Episode 2 (9/20-9/22): It’s “All” Optional –  9/20 Bellingham, WA to Anacortes, WA 43 miles 1520’ climb (ferry to Friday Harbor) Leaving Bellingham, we quickly were on a coastal bike path that was a prelude to a day of many water views. Bellingham, WA to Anacortes ferry terminal for ferry to Friday Harbor, San Juan Island. (SJI) Lots of water views! By the way, there is a single island called San Juan Island and which is one of several that make up a group called the San Juan Islands. We said goodbye to our WS hosts. Their environmental consciousness gave me much to think about how much better I can do. I loved their vegetable garden greenhouse fashioned from repurposed windows. Very Pacific Northwest! This struck me as very wise and can probably extrapolate other lessons from this sign. I looked for Larry’s Lattes next door, but there was none (for Curb enthusiasts!) Well, at least they warned us. It was actually the first time we ever experienced strong tailwinds, crossw...

Season 3 Episode 1 (9/18-9/19): May These Gates Never Be Closed! –  9/18 Arrive in Vancouver, BC and 10 mile warm up ride. Driving to Newark airport in the rain (and dark), we were thrilled it was sunny in Vancouver when we landed. A great start for our warm-up ride around Stanley Park, their version of Central Park but bigger and surrounded by water. I’d cycled around its spectacular Seawall Route many times before on multiple trips here from 1985-1998. Stanley Park, Seawall Bike Path. Oh Canada. It was great to be back. Our day started with the friendly Air Canada team at check-in who was excited to be part of our journey and assured us they’d take good care of our bikes. And yes our bikes safely made it! Gratitude! Using the cart on the escalator (against Heather’s warning to me) was not a smart idea. I nearly tumbled and caused a chain reaction with others behind me. That would have been a sad way to injure myself and not even start the ride (kind of Aaron Rogers like in NY Jet...

Welcome back to loyal readers of the Shifting Gears blog, and welcome to new readers! On September 19th, we start cycling from Canada to Mexico. We will ride down the Pacific Coast from Vancouver, BC to the USA-Mexico border. In all likelihood, we will not actually enter Mexico as it seems like a gimmick to spend all that border-crossing time just to head the few miles to Tijuana and turn back. A celebratory tequila in San Diego will be just fine. But Canada to Mexico sounds awesome!  In the fall of 2021, Heather and I cycled, by ourselves with paniers on our bikes, from San Diego, CA to St. Augustine, FL. The 2,970 miles cross-country journey took 46 days from the Pacific to Atlantic Ocean. We cycled a daily average of 72 miles on 41 days and rested 5 days. We faced many challenges and hardships including severe heat of 108°, dehydration, steep long climbing over the Continental Divide, painful “chip & seal” roads in Texas, hand numbness, saddle sores, and menacing dog chases,...