2013 has been a bumper year for bicycle touring in the Pacific Northwest. As of the July 4th weekend, we have already had 21 visitors. The Europeans know how to vacation, with quarter, half-year, or year-long sabbaticals to tour the world on a bicycle. Most of the Canadians and Americans so far have been on either college graduation tour, singly or in groups, or retirement celebrations. We’ve had one guest moving to a new job in California on her bicycle, BOB trailer in tow. All so far have been traveling north to south, but by different routes: some on the Adventure Cycling Pacific Coast route through Elma, Centralia, Castle Rock, and Cathlamet to Astoria, but the more adventurous have chosen their own routes, to brave the 6.5-Km long, 60-meter high Astoria-Megler Bridge. And some have taken the equally high but shorter Lewis and Clark Bridge between Longview and Rainier toward Portland, the bicycle capital of the Pacific Northwest.
Andreas, from Germany, touring Canada and the Northwestern U.S.Bastien, from France, touring Florida to D.C., Vancouver to L.A., Australia, and New ZealandBrendan, Canada: graduation tour (U. of Manitoba), Vancouver to San FranciscoErik, Craig, and Joe, friends from U. of Nebraska, touring the Pacific Coast. Erik’s disc brake broke, so we ferried him to Olympia for parts and repairs.John (from Virginia) and Tom (from Texas), buddies since the Peace Corps in 1970s, celebrating recent respective retirements with a tour of the Pacific Coast.MacKenzie, moving from Seattle to San Francisco to a new job, with a little help from mom, to reprise their Southern Tier tour of 10 years ago.Us with the “Penn State 5,” as we dubbed them, on a graduation tour of the Pacific Coast.Roze and Davy, from Belgium, finishing the North American leg of their world tour, which included New Zealand and Central AmericaSam and Ben, brothers from Montana, on a fund-raising tour of the Pacific Coast to follow up last year’s Montana-to-Key West tour.Lena and Nick, from Switzerland, touring Vancouver to Central America
