The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Pacific Coast Ramble 2017

September 7th to September 27th

Ride Director: Albert Balingit
Ride Co-Director: Jacquolyn Duerr
Ride Driver: Ben Satterwhite
Report by: Susan Dubuisson

PACIFIC COAST RAMBLE, September 7-27, 2017

As our group gathered at the Hotel Vintage in Seattle for our first happy hour and briefing by leaders Albert and Jacquie, we were promised an adventure, and that promise was fulfilled when we crossed into San Francisco on a gloriously sunny day after 16 days of riding and 3 rest days.

The adventure began after a brief ferry ride to Bremerton, where we immediately encountered the beginning of an endless succession of hills, some short and steep, some longer with more gentle inclines,that would define the profile of our ride down the coast. We followed the iconic scenic route along the edge of the continent as we passed through Washington, Oregon and California, mainly on Highway 101 and California Highway 1, with bypasses where possible.  These provided welcome relief from the noise and traffic, which to some of us seemed to consist disproportionately of logging and freight trucks and massive RVs, a few of which were not “bicycle friendly.”

Although the unusually warm and dry September weather helped fuel the wildfires threatening some of the towns we rode through, it benefited bike riders, and rain only caught us for a few hours the entire trip. We also were lucky that the smoke advisories had been lifted just days before we passed through.

We enjoyed sparkling ocean vistas and other highlights along the way, all of which cannot be included in this report, but some of them were:  crossing the historic Astoria bridge; watching seals, otters and sea lions cavort in the waters at Otter Rock and hearing their barking way below us; riding through stands of enormous redwoods along the peaceful Avenue of the Giants; eating the best pie in the world at Otis, Oregon; gaping at the huge Oregon  sand dunes; climbing the memorable Seven Devils Road near Port Orford; watching elk browsing at our cabins at Elk Meadows; stopping for a late breakfast at Trinks Café in Gualala; glimpsing miles of road unfolding ahead of us along the magnificent Mendocino Coast; stopping at Fort Ross for an educational exhibit of early California history; visiting lighthouse after lighthouse; sampling every local version of clam chowder and of course, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on a rare windless and sunny fall day.

Many of our group took advantage of additional opportunities to explore hidden coves and trails off the route, along with visiting historical sites, including areas traversed by the Lewis and Clark expedition, and locations settled by early native American populations and European explorers.

In addition to providing plentiful and healthy happy hour drinks and snacks, which we took turns setting up each night, our leaders chose a variety of lodgings, from modest motels, to comfortable cabins and houses, to more upscale hotels, and even a couple of casinos. We looked forward every day to a hearty meal, hot showers and comfortable beds. Being able to do laundry on the rest days was very welcome, since we had a limited luggage allowance.

As we gathered one last time for a fabulous meal at Cioppino’s Restaurant at Fisherman’s Wharf, our group of 18 riders, now bonded by common challenges and triumphs, all healthy and uninjured, reminisced about the adventure we had just shared, and thanked our great leaders and best-ever support vehicle driver Ben for providing each of us such a special experience.