2013 Bike Camping and Touring Plans? (Plus other travels.)

A year hopefully free of bicycle disappointment. But not necessarily free of Cape Disappointment.

2013 is a big blank canvas. What to put on it?

Though I've tried over the years, I'm not much of a "goals-oriented person". You shouldn't take this as meaning "I don't have goals", rather, I'm bad at making a list of goals and getting them all done. Maybe some will happen. And I don't like setting myself to a rigid schedule, one where it becomes less and less about enjoyment and more and more about endurance.

With all that said, I do have some small goals and big ideas of where I'm going to bike tour/camp in 2013. The one target I'd really like to shoot for is one bike overnight a month. This doesn't have to be camping in the traditional sense, it could be cabin/yurt camping, or riding to a friend/hotel/motel/hostel/Warmshowers type thing. But I would like to get some sort of overnight bike excursion a month throughout 2013. 2012 was  pretty good in this department, but no bike overnight happened in March, October, and November.

And like last year, I want to explore more "new" areas to me. There's still lots within a relatively easy reach of Metro Portland. And this year I want to do some dirt/gravel touring, bikepacking if you will. There is plenty of opportunity for that in the two National Forests (Hood, Gifford Pinchot) to the east of Portland and the two State Forests (Clatsop, Tillamook) to the west of Portland. I've got the Crested Butte and I want to test its abilities for bike camping.

She's waiting...and ready.

Speaking about specific bikes, I'd also like to get a bike overnight with the Raleigh Wayfarer. Maybe finally get around to arranging a big Three Speed Campout?

You too.

What about tours? Like I mentioned in the last post, I want to do at least one of the Wish-List 2012 Tours this year: the Cascades and surroundings in Southern Oregon (and Crater Lake), or in and around the Inland Sea of the Northwest (Puget Sound, Georgia Strait) with its many inlets, islands, and peninsulas. It would be really nice to do both! I hope to work in more eastern Oregon (and Washington) explorations too.

Also in the wish list is Finish the Cross-Continent Tour! We only got to Chicago, and there's still like another half of a continent to get across. I doubt that 2013 will be the year this happens, but you never know.

In not necessarily bike touring travel plans, I haven't been to California in like four years, so this year would be a good year to take Amtrak down south and visit the Bay Area and Los Angeles. Maybe early spring? That seems like a good time to get away from Portland. And yeah, I haven't been to Vancouver since 2011, so I need to hit them up as well, hopefully as pat of the Inland Sea Tour.

Yeah, a bit ambitious, but I'd rather have a big list and whittle it down. (Because we know that's going to be inevitable. What does everyone think?

And more importantly, where do you want to go on your bike in 2013? Please weigh in!