Originally Posted by
Lascauxcaveman
See, Jeff? This is why I keep telling you to get/build a touring bike of some kind. I know you love your skinny tires and 42/24 'bailout' gear, but that don't cut it for the long haul, with climbing
Come September-October when I'm (probably) unemployed, we should plan a 2-3 day tour on Vancouver Island or the San Juans or something. After Cino.
@
Spaghetti Legs was in the same boat, found a perfectly suited bike on CL in Portland for a very reasonable price. It's a good thing to have in your quiver. In addition, it gives you something to ride on crappy days when the weather's not cooperating. Get something with fenders on it and ride in the rain, you won't melt!
Originally Posted by
nlerner
A key element that @
gugie left out is the extensive advance planning that such a tour requires. Major kudos to him for taking care of all of the details, which meant our decisions mainly centered around what to order from the restaurant menu and whether or not to eat dessert. He even woke up the motel proprietor in North Bend, which was no easy task!
The pleasure was all mine! Almost all of the planning was done during Skype meetings at work - those one hour yada-yada-yada slogs that you only have to listen for your name, then give a vague, general answer, and get back to looking at hotels.
The North Bend hotel was a funny story. We got there, I went in the office and rang the bell. After a few minutes I rang it again. This was one of those hotels where the manager's office is part of the house/apartment they get as part of their compensation. After maybe 15 minutes of this, @
Spaghetti Legs motioned to me and pointed around the corner. There was an open window with a woman fast asleep in a rocking chair snoring. It took awhile to wake her up, and unfortunately, neither of us took a picture, so you'll just have to believe me.