Urban Adventure League

A weekly ride all summer?

At first it sounded like a good idea, but whew! It has worn me out! I'm going to re-think the whole approach for the Pedal Potluck Picnic when summer comes round again. Besides the weekly rides, how come there hasn't been anything else from the Urban Adventure League in awhile? Well, PedalPalooza wiped me (and almost everyone else) out. And not only that, I am planning a big bike tour, one way more ambitious than the one I did last year! Yes, I'll be biking the coast!

I depart in mid-September. I still haven't figured out which route I'll use yet (and I may go south to Eugene first), but I will head all the way down to the Bay Area (just in time for the birthday Critical Mass!) But wait, there's more! From there I will head further south to Los Angeles! And after all that, I want to spend some time in Arizona again. It's gonna be a big trip!

So I've been doing a lot of prep work, but there is still more to go. I got a "new" (to me) road bike last month, and am in the process of outfitting it, racks, panniers, granny gears, and the like. I got a new lightweight tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag. I'm getting all the maps and such. I took a test tour out to the Gorge last week for three days. It's all coming together, but there is still lots more to be done.

In other news, Nate Beaty and I will be wrapping up production of the long-awaited, long-overdue-so-stop-asking-please,-thank-you update to the Zinester's Guide to Portland this week. I'm doing and have been doing some other bike artwork. Take a look at the ad I designed for 20/20 Cycles in Seattle. If anyone has any tips and advice for touring the Pacific Coast, I'm all ears. Please post in the comments. And happy Labor Day!