A fun night adjacent to the Happiest Place on Earth, but work to do on the final day of the adventure. A scouted ride to Orange County airport seemed easy, then challenging, then maybe easy again. But there's been a peculiar lack of drama on this podcast that tends to have unnecessary drama in the trips. I wonder… could we find some?

Statistics

Miles biked 27

Zippers broken 2

Yards of tape used by SNA TSA to seal the bike bag 3

Futile attempts to repair the zipper in Seattle 1

Flats 0

A flight to San Diego and operation get my bike to Seattle begins! Sunny Southern California lures me in with perfect… wait, what's that? Rain all day? In San Diego? That tracks. Day 1 of the experiment that is Minimal California has a soggy start and a magical finish, because all winter bike trips lead to Disney parks right?

Statistics

Miles biked 25+2=27

Busses 1

Trains 1

Water bottles needed to wash sand off bike brakes from beach side quest 4

Flats 0

Welcome back from Winter Break! I was busy while we revisited some classic adventures, and went off and had a brand new one. On this edition, we preview Minimal California, a pared down adventure with a purpose, a destination, and... would you believe things that went awry?

I should have shownotes but I'm still on winter break mode... it's a good episode and you should listen to it!

Enough of my tour journals, let's shake it up and bring in special guest star and longtime friend of the show, Pedalshift Society member Brock Dittus in on a tour of not the Oregon coast! Brock travels solo through some of the steepest riding in the state, fueled by fried spicy goodness. Would that be enough to handle the climbs and our old nemesis, wildfire smoke? Originally podcast July 13, 2023.

With my proper trail bike in the shop but a real need to get out for an overnight, I turned to a C&O newbie… my trusty 12″ wheeled, very orange Brompton as my chariot to an urban(ish) stealth camping overnight. Would the trail chew up the Brompton? Would my orange gear prove too, well, orange for stealth camping? If you can't get your adventure by the liter these days, may as well do it in sips… Originally podcast July 16, 2020.

In the second of a two-parter, it's Pedalshift Tour Journals: Vol. 9: Olympic Peninsula! Join me and my trusty Brompton for 4 days of transit-aided bicycle touring from Washington, DC to Seattle to the Olympic Peninsula and wrapping things up in Astoria, Oregon. This week features a more-challenging-than-expected short mileage day, a visit to Kurt Cobain's riverfront hangout, and a long bridge serving as a finish line. Originally podcast March 29, 2018.

In the first of a two-parter during winter break, it's Pedalshift Tour Journals: Vol. 9: Olympic Peninsula! Join me and my trusty Brompton for 4 days of transit-aided bicycle touring from Washington, DC to Seattle to the Olympic Peninsula and wrapping things up in Astoria, Oregon. This week features the machinations of getting from DC to a tent in the shadows of the Olympic Mountains (if there were, y'know… sun) and the first very soggy day of riding. Originally podcast March 22, 2018.

Every once in a while it's nice to look back on where it all came from – on this edition, we explore the evolution of bike touring gear from the beginning of the modern era in the 1970s through today's high tech enhancements to bikepacking and more. Plus, a nod to what the future might hold with new materials and tech to make bicycle adventuring more fun and accessible! Originally podcast June 22, 2023.