PAC 98 EXTREMES

1998 EXTREMES

THIS PAGE WILL BE A BIT DIFFERENT FROM THE CROSS-COUNTRY EXTREMES PAGE IN THE SENSE THAT I INCLUDED OPINIONS FROM THE OTHER RIDERS ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES. FROM THEM I GOT NOT ONLY "EXTREME" INFORMATION LIKE WHAT THEY LIKED MOST, DISLIKED MOST, BUT ALSO WHAT THEY'D DO DIFFERENTLY, ETC. MY COMMENTS ARE AT THE END.

FROM KURT

best = riding across the Golden Gate bridge with all of the sounds and wind and cold and people and traffic and grandeur.

best = riding a bike through the redwoods and their grandeur dwarfing us.

worst = shoulderless roads near Crescent City hills, near Standish Hickey, and riding on 101 near Eureka/Arcata and Garberville

hardest day = Fort Ross area

steepest hill = just north of Tomales

funnest downhill = long gradual downhill in Prarie Grove State Park with the first glimpse of the redwoods

best days = screaming tailwind..ie. the day into Humbug Mtn

moment where the hairiness makes you laugh out of fear = tunnels in Oregon

fastest downhill = just south of Garberville

best campsite = hiker biker site on Eel River in Avenue of the Giants or SP Taylor

Cool road deli = across from Standish Hickey, water stop where Vilmar got shot at

If I did it again, I would take some WOMEN and I mean that seriously

I would get a bigger group and take a sag wagon, too and take turns carrying the gear. That way we could eat more normally at night

best beach = Harris beach

scariest bridge = north of North Bend

cool towns = Garberville, Scotia, Point Reyes Station

FROM DENNIS:

Let’s start with the positives.

I will never forget riding through the Redwoods in the morning with the morning fog clinging to the canopy.

Who can forget butt crack man ? Tricia and Bluey were a rare find. The coast line scenery north of Jennings and along Big Sur was stellar.

Remember Marta, dudes ? The one who got high every morning before she rode. Scott’s friend Lynn getting busted in Monterey is a keeper.

The kindness of the campers who loaded us down with enough of food to make it through the winter.

The Tonight Show in LA was very entertaining.

What would I change ?

I would start later in the year hoping traffic would be less of a hassle after Labor Day.

I would also end my trip or turn inland at Santa Barbara.

I felt the cycling south of Santa Barbara was too crowded.

The biggy would be to bring chicks. If nothing else they just smell good.

I would also bring a better camera. A point and shoot does not cut it along the coast.

FROM SCOTT:

The best, far above everything else, was just seeing everybody in the flesh and communicating the old fashioned way. My friendships keep gaining importance in my old age.

Also important was just reminding myself what is important in life, i.e. physical exertion, the sun, the wind, eating without guilt, women and, it bears repeating, friends. It's so easy to get caught in the
career, prestige, money trap.

The worsts include, as they always will: cars, exhaust, pollution, poor mental attitude, and anything else that detracted from my peacefulness.

A combined best and worst: biking southern CA is more like a vacation than a challenging bicycle trip.

VILMAR'S LIST

LIKES:

- all of Dennis', Scott's and Kurt's likes

- hiker biker sites

- no smoking in CA businesses

- hostels

- amount of bike paths

- San Diego

- San Francisco

-Arcata and everything associated with it

DISLIKES

- getting shot at

- fog

- the phrase, "you want change?' at swanky wanna-be restaurants

- traffic congestion from Malibu to San Diego

- hills

- perpetual cold/damp weather

TO DO DIFFERENT

- start at different time of year to avoid fog

- desperately try to convince some women to come along. It would temper our (MY?) language and make us act more civilized

EMAIL ME!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE 1997 COAST TO COAST X-TREMES PAGE

PAC 98 JOURNAL X-TREMES PHOTOS STATS PACIFIC 98