Tomorrow I take Amtrak up to Oregon to start my ride.  I've read enough tour journals over the last couple months to know that the protocol is to begin with an equipment list, so here is mine.  Take it with a huge chunk of salt-- this is my first long tour.  The list of stuff and where it's packed is for my own benefit too-- if I can't find something, I'll be able to find it wherever there is wifi...

The stuff:



Left Column - water bottles x 4, assorted vegan Asian sweet potato noodle mix (could be yuck-- oh well,) mini sriracha sauce, tons o' Clif Bars, Oat o' Life Tangy Lemon Chick'n Oatmeal, dehydrated fruit, MSR Pocket Rocket backpacking stove and two bottles fuel, pot and cookware, camera, Dell Mini 9 netbook,  electronic adapters, Garmin Forerunner GPS (for tracking, not loaded with maps.)

Middle Column - Thermarest mattress (stuffed), sleeping bag (compressed), REI Half Dome HC Tent (compressed), footprint, extra stakes and line and poles, SOG knife, head lamp and tent lamp, first aid kit, books and maps.

Right Column - packable bike jacket, jersey, long and short sleeve technical t-shirts, bike shorts, fleece pullover, gym shorts, gym pants, camp towels, SPD shoes, helmet, gloves, sunglasses, extra tools (pedal wrench for train, etc...) that don't fit in seat bag and extra parts (tubes, master link..)

Packed Up:



Ortlieb Bike Packer Plus Rear Panniers

Right -  clothes (in a compression sack), food (in a stuff sack), first aid kit in outer pocket.

Left - computer (rear inside pocket), sleeping pad (in stuff sack), stove/cookware/fuel, extra water bottles, books (outer pocket).

Ortlieb Medium Rack Pack (bungeed on top of rear panniers) - tent, sleeping bag, footprint, stakes and poles.

Ortlieb Sport Packer Plus Front Panniers

Right - tools, daytime food, camera.

Left - personal items, electronic adapters, maps.

The Beast:



Surly Long Haul Trucker 54cm - mostly stock except Nitto Noodle bars, old Shimano M-747 SPD pedals, Selle SMP Extra saddle, Surly Nice Rack front rack, Tubus Cargo rear rack, Schwalbe Marathon Racer 26" tires, Planet Bike Acadia fenders, Rivendell Brand V vegan handlebar and seat bags, "All my heroes have FBI files" sticker.

The Begin:

I will Amtrak from San Luis Obispo to Klamath Falls, Oregon.  Amtrak has a big bike box that doesn't require you to remove the wheels-- you just loosen the bars and remove your pedals.  On some trains you can just wheel your bike on without packing, but not the Coast Starlight.  From Klamath Falls, I'll take a bus to Medford and then load up and ride about 15 miles to Ashland.  I plan to spend the day in Ashland looking around and remembering my parents who really enjoyed it there.  I'll stay in a hotel and then take off in the morning for the journey.

Loaded and Ready

I've been planning to tour the Pacific Coast by bike for a while now and I start next week.  Tomorrow, Leonard and I head up to the Central Coast to babysit Penelope Pitstop for my sister.  Then I'll pack my bike and Amtrak up to Klamath Falls, Oregon.  From there I will either bus or ride to Ashland, home of a Shakespeare festival that my parents enjoyed.  I'll do something there to remember them and then head for the California Coast and back down to Cambria and then east to Paso Robles.

I'm packed to do it self-supported, camping the way down, but I can't rule out an occasional cheap hotel stop.  Most of my days look like they are in the 60-75 mile range. which allows time to see the sites.

One of my challenges is going to be finding enough good vegan calories to keep me going, but California in the early fall shouldn't present too many barriers to fresh veggies and such.  It better not, actually, because I'm already about as skinny as I can be without really freaking people out.  I am packing my camp stove and some oatmeal and noodles that I've grabbed in advance but you can't really pack enough food at once to do more than supplement what you buy on the road.  Before I leave Paso I'll have to research decent vegan options at fast food places along the way (yeah right).  At least I've already packed a mini bottle of sriracha sauce which should last me at least 3 or 4 days.  A recent analysis of my diet revealed that it's 40 percent hot sauce, mostly Por Kwan sriracha and Bufalo Chipotle.

I'm taking my Garmin to track my route and if I can keep that, my camera, and my netbook charged and find some occasional wifi, I plan to post updates on here.  My camera is a little big for my handlebar bag but as long as I figure out a convenient place to pack it in my panniers or on one of the racks, I should be able to document some of the experience.

For a really good blog about a much longer trip, check out Scott at powercycle.net.  He's doing a truly epic trip and he documents it well.  Dude got rid of all his stuff, packed his bike, and left Florida for Alaska.  When he got there, he headed south for parts unknown. Also, he's a good guy and he corresponded with me and answered some questions.  I've read through his whole trip and have been both fascinated by the journey and blown away by its scope.  Check it out, seriously.