Bike to Hike: Pinnacles National Monument

The stunning rock formations at Pinnacles National Monument once formed part of a volcano the size of Mt. St. Helens. This ancient volcano loomed over Southern California and, in the past 22 million years, it has migrated at a rate of ~1 inch per year north along the San Andreas Fault. Today, its eroded flanks lie […]

Pie-Powered Pedaling to Pescadero

The monthly barn dance at Pie Ranch is hands-down my favorite destination for a hoe-down. A bike camping trip to this tiny slice of a farm is easy as pie and just as wholesome. Check out the trip at-at-a-glance for route details. Day One: 45 miles to Pescadero from Menlo Park Caltrain Station Our crew of […]

Potluck and Barn Dance at Pie Ranch

The monthly barn dance at Pie Ranch is hands-down my favorite destination for a hoe-down. A bike camping trip to this tiny slice of a farm is easy as pie and just as wholesome. Trip at a glanceRoute: Pie Ranch is located on Hwy 1 just south of Pescadero. To make it in time for dancing, […]

Pinnacles Bike and Hike

Yoked to the slip-strike San Andreas Fault, the red-orange spires of Pinnacles National Monument have crept northwards for the past 22 million years. Today, Pinnacles lays 50 miles south of Gilroy, making it conveniently accessible by Caltrain for the weekend bike camper. I got off the Caltrain in Gilroy in full dark and headed south […]

Riding Home for New Year’s Eve — Part III, Conclusion

Continued from Part II. Conclusion Three weeks later, I’m recovering from ankle tendonitis and feeling very removed from the adventurer who found exhilaration, wonder, and the generosity of strangers on the road. Who endured fatigue and self-doubt on dark lonely highways. Yet, I can recover each day in sparkling detail. I can’t say that about […]

Riding Home for New Year’s Eve — Part II

Continued from Part I. Last spring, a friend rode from San Francisco to Bakersfield in less than a day. Chatting over chicken pot pies two days later, he said he was looking for his breaking point and mused, with a quiet sort of delight, that he didn’t hit it. Infected by this madness, I’ve been […]

Riding Home for New Year’s Eve — Part I

A couple days after Christmas, I went on my usual bike ride in the East Bay Hills and reflected on 2011. There was as glaring gap in the year’s activitides — I had forgone an epic bike tour! With four days left in the year, it was decided — I was going to load up […]

Return to the Planet of the Apes

Every hero has an origin story. So too, bike campers. I started this blog four summers ago, after my first ever bike camping trip. After re-reading my inaugural post, Half Moon Bay Overnight, I’m still chuckling at how riding dirt, burning pallets, and carrying a whole roast chicken on my handlebars that trip set the […]

Half Moon Bay Epic Overnight — Day II

Continued from Day I. The next morning, our crew prepared for the ascent of Tunitas Creek with a breakfast of bacon, eggs, greens and polenta. The slog up the shady redwood groves of Tunitas Creek is one of my favorites, and three of us chased a handful of roadies up to the top. Brian Gangelmonster […]

Half Moon Bay Epic Overnight — Day I

Three years ago, Half Moon Bay was the site of my first ever overnight bike camping trip. I returned to the scene of the crime this weekend, and not alone. Our crew started at the Colma BART 39 strong. We picked up number 40 along the way: Tim, a dreadlocked through-biker headed for Tuscon. Our […]