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And so it begins....Vancouver to San Diego, or Bust.

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And so it begins....Vancouver to San Diego, or Bust.

Old 11-02-14, 08:34 PM
  #151  
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Nice going, WNG. More great pics too!

Keep on pedaling, guy!
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Old 11-04-14, 11:20 AM
  #152  
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Thanks Jim and Jeff! @Velocivixen : Yeah, after 2 months on the bike, I was beginning to sport a mullet!
So I lopped my locks the next day in the bay area.

Leaving Santa Barbara today for Ventura/Malibu area. Will be in LA and Long Beach in two days!

Morro Rock in Morro Bay, CA...
IMG_3200 by WNG555, on Flickr
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Old 11-04-14, 11:51 AM
  #153  
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Add me to the long list of office workers living vicariously through your journey. I know you are probably beat, but could you continue the journey for at least another 3,000 miles east. I hate to see this trip end.
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Old 11-04-14, 04:39 PM
  #154  
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Utmost admiration for the physical feat of riding this trip solo -- before congratulations on the on-road connections and on-line inspirations.

Be careful - the auto density is greatest in the miles ahead.
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Old 11-06-14, 11:34 AM
  #155  
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Originally Posted by Wildwood
Be careful - the auto density is greatest in the miles ahead.
Wildwood, you are spot on! The drivers since Santa Barbara have gotten more aggressive and drive like I wasn't there. Even several locals in Santa Monica and Ventura told me to watch out for the cars. It was dicey last night on the PCH in Malibu, no shoulder at times and they passed me at speed in the same lane. I don't think some of them care about the new 3 foot regulation.

I'm leaving for Long Beach this morning and will be staying with forumite JTTDF there! Looking forward to meeting him, taking in the sights, and possibly a ride or two with him and his buddies.

And boy did it suddenly get warmer! Careful for what I wish for.

PS...Getting aware of the water shortage issue in CA....water isn't served unless asked for, and the McDonald's drink dispenser has its water button disabled....couldn't refill my water bottles these past few days. :-\
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Old 11-06-14, 08:55 PM
  #156  
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Great adventure so far Will, looking forward to riding with you again whe you get back in town.
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Old 11-08-14, 02:16 PM
  #157  
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Definitely Chris! Perhaps now, I won't get dropped on the climbs!

Enjoying the weekend weather here in Long Beach with JTTDF, we're about to take a ride through the area, downtown, the Queen Mary, etc. Nice place!

Can't believe I have less than 120 miles left to SD. @_@

EDIT:

In front of the Queen Mary...

DSC08462 by WNG555, on Flickr

His cat Rose, enjoying the attention...

Comfy? by WNG555, on Flickr

Pedaling south to San Clemente for my final two legs of my journey!

Last edited by WNG; 11-10-14 at 01:12 PM.
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Old 11-11-14, 10:39 AM
  #158  
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Will, it was great having you here and showing you around a bit. Congratulations on your achievement! I know, if all goes well, that you will be arriving in San Diego today and this part of your journey will be done. But as the song goes, "The road goes on forever and the party never ends." Looking forward to riding with you again soon my friend!

p.s. Rose is missing you!
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Old 11-13-14, 11:15 AM
  #159  
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I'll pick up where JTTDF left off...

I had the pleasure of meeting up with Will for some cups'o'joe and plenty of chat on the morning of Veterans Day. Will has been a great forum friend and it was fabulous to finally meet in person. I'm sure those of you who were able to get some face time with Will on his journey (our vicarious journey?) will agree with me that he is a top notch individual and a pleasure to be around! I'm sad that I was not able to head out with Will on his final leg from San Clemente to San Diego, that was my plan but a nasty mountain bike crash left me with a partially torn hamstring. Even without the ride it was a good morning, I'm happy we were able to spend the time visiting across the table instead of across the interwebs.

I'm glad you were able to pedal away the past and look ahead to the future, this trip must have been cleansing. Thanks for sharing your wonderful journey with us buddy, you've been an inspiration, I look forward to that future ride!

Peace'fo'real,

-D-

p.s. I'm not one for photos, so I don't have one of Will and I like the other forum members have posted. That said, I'll let Will tell you about the cute girl that he rode out with from San Clemente. Let that be my proof that we did meet up that morning. Sorry to roast 'ya a bit my friend! Ha-ha
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Old 11-13-14, 12:40 PM
  #160  
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Originally Posted by WNG
Wildwood, you are spot on! The drivers since Santa Barbara have gotten more aggressive and drive like I wasn't there. Even several locals in Santa Monica and Ventura told me to watch out for the cars. It was dicey last night on the PCH in Malibu, no shoulder at times and they passed me at speed in the same lane. I don't think some of them care about the new 3 foot regulation.

I'm leaving for Long Beach this morning and will be staying with forumite JTTDF there! Looking forward to meeting him, taking in the sights, and possibly a ride or two with him and his buddies.

And boy did it suddenly get warmer! Careful for what I wish for.

PS...Getting aware of the water shortage issue in CA....water isn't served unless asked for, and the McDonald's drink dispenser has its water button disabled....couldn't refill my water bottles these past few days. :-\
I've been enjoying following your adventure! But I couldn't help noticing the comment about drinking water - not able to refill for a few days.... wow! Couldn't you just fill the bottles in the Mick D's or gas station restroom sink faucet?


(BTW: Have family in Long Beach and further down in beautiful Mission Bay. Looking forward to next summer and some riding there.)
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Old 11-13-14, 01:57 PM
  #161  
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@JTTDF
Thank you Paul, for the eye-opening good time and relaxing and recharging stay in Long Beach. I departed with enthusiasm and energetic, looking forward to my final miles. I couldn't help but chuckle and shake my head as I passed a road sign on the 101 stating under 100 miles!
And I miss Rose too!

A rest break in Laguna Beach. The proprietor of the Wayland Coffee Shop took my photo after meeting her. Thanks Krissie! You are a darling!

mms_img-1835806260 by WNG555, on Flickr

I made it to San Clemente, after a big 4 mile climb to end the 2nd to last day. Here, we are trying to get Dutch, the dog...to look into the camera!

IMG_4210 by WNG555, on Flickr

@neo_pop_71
It was a happy moment to finally meet you for coffee on my last day to push it into the big ring for the 74 miles to SD. Many here have been offering tremendous moral support these past 2 years. And Don's wisdom and words have been essential to my keeping the faith, and not allow myself to change.
And since you revealed that I met a nice young lady to share the road with.... I ran into Ariela along Huntington Beach, and again while meeting neo_pop_71 for breakfast. She's from Seattle, and was shooting for SD too. You folks will be happy to learn, she was riding a vintage Bianchi hybrid, that she has owned since 14 y.o. That morning, she needed to replace a broken spoke, and more than capable to do so herself. No C&V traveling repairman assist required this time. Just helped keep an eye on her gear as she walked to the LBS to borrow a crescent wrench to remove her cassette.

IMG_4218 by WNG555, on Flickr

I made it into SD Tuesday evening 6pm PST. I attempted to make it to a group dinner ride that my host Hans was leading to some great Greek buffet. Nice way to celebrate my finish.....BUT, I blew another flat in Encinitas, CA. A goathead thorn. GRRR! So, I missed the dinner ride.

I found Little Italy in SD, and was taking a few pics, when 3 sweet ladies asked me if I can take their photo. They asked the right shutterbug! They were out celebrating their new employment with Alaska Airlines. We got to chat and shared my successful finish, and my motivation for pursuing this endeavor.
They wanted me to go out drinking with them, and one wanted to fix me up with their girlfriend! LOL!
A fun and delightful arrival into SD!

DSC08470 by WNG555, on Flickr

Congrats! Alaska Airlines is fortunate to gain them....
DSC08465 by WNG555, on Flickr

I stayed with a very hospitable host in SD who is an artist and commercial fabricator. He has a great collection of C&V bikes, and is an advocate in town for bicycling infrastructure. The first Warmshowers night was one with a cold water only shower! His new hot water tank wasn't working. So, I took the initiative to see what I could do. He had a voltmeter handy and we diagnosed the wiring at the tank and breaker box. I rewired the breaker box, and we found a couple had tripped. Felt satisfied to be of assistance. After that was done, my host, Hans got a call from a biker that was in need of help. She got rejected from a campsite because she wasn't staying with an RV! So Hans offered his place even though I was already there. We finished up his errands and set off to greet her at the port. She was arriving by ferry. As she rode into view in the night, I'll be damned....It's Ariela!
What are the odds?! It's a small cycling world, I've been seeing the same folks over and over. And we met the same groups of riders down the coast.

Here's a shot of us the next morning!

IMG_4271c by WNG555, on Flickr

My friend is driving from PHX to celebrate and collect me today. I will be here to soak it all in and slow my cadence as my first bike tour concludes.

Stay tuned for more (the lost posts)...finally.

Last edited by WNG; 11-17-14 at 08:15 PM.
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Old 11-13-14, 02:30 PM
  #162  
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This whole thread just makes me happy. Kudos!
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Old 11-13-14, 03:31 PM
  #163  
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Wow. Just awesome to read. Uplifting. Words don't do it justice. Perhaps an icon will do:
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Old 11-13-14, 03:42 PM
  #164  
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Wonderful, Will. Thanks for sharing!
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Old 11-13-14, 05:52 PM
  #165  
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Congrats Will! What an accomplishment. Admirable doesn't begin to say it.
You will remember these times forever.
Thumbs up.
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Old 11-13-14, 06:12 PM
  #166  
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This was amazing! I'm sad to see it end though!
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Old 11-13-14, 06:25 PM
  #167  
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Will, congratulations! You made it. Looking tan & trim, too! I, too, am sad to see this thread come to its inevitable end. Thanks for taking us along on your fantastic journey.
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Old 11-13-14, 06:38 PM
  #168  
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Amazing trip! please stop by if your next trip is through Europe
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Old 11-13-14, 06:44 PM
  #169  
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Congratulations and welcome to SD!
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Old 11-13-14, 07:35 PM
  #170  
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Great adventure Brother Will. Good job.
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Old 11-13-14, 07:46 PM
  #171  
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Yay, Will - reading your latest entry allowed me to let loose a sigh of relief

I'm glad you made your goal - and safely, too. As noted earlier, the last part of the trip would've been the densest for car traffic.

I'm also glad you got up here a couple times during your odyssey and we got to hang out, cook out and ride some. I'll be in Phoenix December 23rd and will stay through February, so lets look forward to some rides and such soon.

You should be immensely proud of your accomplishment, but moreover, you sure had the experience of a lifetime. Good show

DD
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Old 11-13-14, 07:59 PM
  #172  
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Outstanding Will. Congratulations on completing your goal. Glad to see you are safe and happy. Will look forward to more photos and more posts about your adventures.
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Old 11-14-14, 01:01 AM
  #173  
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Morro rock pics, whoah!

So stoked to see documentary evidence of your having made it all the way down from Van to SD, Will!

A challenging, kickass ride, and I'm super happy to have met up (and chowed down, as well as grinding some mid-city gravel) at the northmost point of this epic journey.



p.s. I remember you mentioning an interest in seeing that Holland half-finished in my basement when you were up, once complete. I've got it fitted just about right, and just snapped some pics of the final build (but it's hardly C&V appropriate, so)...

Holland Ti...a tall one. Finally complete! - The Paceline Forum
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Old 11-14-14, 09:30 AM
  #174  
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I like how you last post ended , "as my first bike tour concludes", implying there may be more in the future.
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Old 11-14-14, 10:12 AM
  #175  
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so glad seeing such an awesome journey end safe, most of all.
thanks so very much for stories, photos and and inspiring us.
was always admiring your mtbs on AZ rocks in the photos, and this trip was ... wow.
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