Four More Months To Go
Four months. Four months to go until Katelyn and I fly to Victoria BC, Canada--one way--and ride our bicycles all the way to the Mexico border. It seems like a long time to go but when you really break it down, it is a short window. In that amount of time, we need to make sure that we are mentally and physically ready for what is sure to be a grinding 29-32 days on bicycles...
So, I'm sure everyone reading this knows who we are. I'm Jerad--45 years old, 5'7", 180 pounds, fairly good health (depending on the time of year). My daughter is Katelyn. She is 13 years old but will turn 14 on June 17--somewhere around the time we should be pedaling into San Francisco. She does not have a ton of biking experience, but what she does have is an incredible amount of determination and a great sense of adventure. I still don't know if she realizes the magnitude of what she as signed up for but I am sure it will come to her soon enough--probably somewhere around southern Washington state.
Some people have asked why I have wanted to take this trip. I would have to say the reason is because of my Grandpa McPhee. When we were kids, he would take us on bike rides around the East Bay Area. He would be on a 10 speed and we would zoom around him on our BMX bikes, jumping up and down curbs and trying to find some dirt to ride in. I remember one day he told me that we should ride our bicycles up to Medford, Oregon where his son lived. I pictured the ride being similar to the ones around the SF bay--him pedaling slowly along and me on my BMX bike right next to him. As you can imagine, the trip never happened. It wasn't until I was an adult that I realized how impossible it would have been to try and ride a BMX bike long distance, but I also always felt some remorse that I didn't take that long ride with my grandpa before he passed away.
When I mentioned biking the Pacific coast to my daughter Katelyn, she was immediately on board. Knowing that this short window between middle school and high school may be my last chance to do something with her before Dad is no longer worth hanging out with, I started putting the trip together. My manager, work team, and customers were encouraging and allowed me to get the time off necessary--5 weeks in my line of work is simply unheard of and I am grateful to them for stepping up and allowing it to happen. Next, I had to do a ton of research. Disclaimer here: I have never done any bicycle touring. I do not know the first thing about it. So I have had to research routes, gear, types of bicycles, where to sleep, etc. I will probably use a little time expounding on some of these things later. I figured that in order to make this trip work, I will need to have all the details figured out and Katelyn will just need to make sure she can ride her bike--and ride it A LOT!
So this brings us to now. Four months to go and we have our route planned, most of our gear bought or on a list to buy, and Katelyn is doing her part. Each night she comes upstairs and hops on the trainer for an hour and rides. in another week, we will add more time to that and continue to increase it as we get closer to June. I love seeing her get on the bike without being asked and put in the time to make sure she is ready. Who knows? I may be the one who is going to be begging to quit before she does!
So, I'm sure everyone reading this knows who we are. I'm Jerad--45 years old, 5'7", 180 pounds, fairly good health (depending on the time of year). My daughter is Katelyn. She is 13 years old but will turn 14 on June 17--somewhere around the time we should be pedaling into San Francisco. She does not have a ton of biking experience, but what she does have is an incredible amount of determination and a great sense of adventure. I still don't know if she realizes the magnitude of what she as signed up for but I am sure it will come to her soon enough--probably somewhere around southern Washington state.
Some people have asked why I have wanted to take this trip. I would have to say the reason is because of my Grandpa McPhee. When we were kids, he would take us on bike rides around the East Bay Area. He would be on a 10 speed and we would zoom around him on our BMX bikes, jumping up and down curbs and trying to find some dirt to ride in. I remember one day he told me that we should ride our bicycles up to Medford, Oregon where his son lived. I pictured the ride being similar to the ones around the SF bay--him pedaling slowly along and me on my BMX bike right next to him. As you can imagine, the trip never happened. It wasn't until I was an adult that I realized how impossible it would have been to try and ride a BMX bike long distance, but I also always felt some remorse that I didn't take that long ride with my grandpa before he passed away.
When I mentioned biking the Pacific coast to my daughter Katelyn, she was immediately on board. Knowing that this short window between middle school and high school may be my last chance to do something with her before Dad is no longer worth hanging out with, I started putting the trip together. My manager, work team, and customers were encouraging and allowed me to get the time off necessary--5 weeks in my line of work is simply unheard of and I am grateful to them for stepping up and allowing it to happen. Next, I had to do a ton of research. Disclaimer here: I have never done any bicycle touring. I do not know the first thing about it. So I have had to research routes, gear, types of bicycles, where to sleep, etc. I will probably use a little time expounding on some of these things later. I figured that in order to make this trip work, I will need to have all the details figured out and Katelyn will just need to make sure she can ride her bike--and ride it A LOT!
So this brings us to now. Four months to go and we have our route planned, most of our gear bought or on a list to buy, and Katelyn is doing her part. Each night she comes upstairs and hops on the trainer for an hour and rides. in another week, we will add more time to that and continue to increase it as we get closer to June. I love seeing her get on the bike without being asked and put in the time to make sure she is ready. Who knows? I may be the one who is going to be begging to quit before she does!
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| Dad and Katelyn, many years ago. This kid has always been up for adventure! |
This is such an amazing experience to have with katelyn. One she will look back on and cherish always!!!! I look forward to reading your future posts!
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