At the time of writing these lines, we are enjoying the sun and warmth on Oahu, Hawaii. Couldn’t there be a better moment to look back before we move on to the second part of our journey?
Travelling by bicycle
Statistics
(Disclaimer: Only for the people interested in numbers and our riding performance!)
We generally opted to cover larger distances per day and instead profited from many rest days – for us, this was the ideal way of bike touring. Of the 157 days travelling, we therefore “only” cycled on 93 days. We totally covered a distance of 8768 kilometers, sat on the bikes for 435 hours and climbed 77471 meters. This results in an overall average speed of 20.1 km/h. Per day, we in average covered 94.3 km. The longest distance we cycled in one day was 180 km, while the maximal climb was 2257 m. The full statistics and our stopovers are enclosed in the pdf-file, which can be downloaded from the side bar. Simply spoken, the chosen route was ideal for us because of its diversity and scenic beauty; if we would start in Los Angeles again, we wouldn’t change anything! Equipment
We count ourselves very lucky not having had problems with our gear. Either it was shear luck or our preparations and research have paid out!
Our Trek 520 bikes were very reliable travel companions and we only had to undertake minor repairs, the worst being two broken spokes and a bottom bracket, which needed adjustment. Considering the heavy load and sometimes wet, dusty or even muddy conditions, this amazes us. Naturally, after all this kilometers there are several parts, which are worn out and need to be replaced (e.g. cassette, chain, chain rings, tires) or adjusted (e.g. wheels). With the exceptions of the inflatable pillows and one of the kickstands, not a single part of our gear list failed. It goes without saying that we are more than happy with all our equipment. Still, we would like to mention our favorites:
Health
Furthermore, we didn’t have any injuries. There was no need to touch the first aid kit and over all we have only needed one or two patches to cover blisters. The bike helmets, which we always wore while cycling, are as good as new (only much more sweaty now). It seems that the signatures of our families and friends protected us very well :-).
Traffic
Wildlife
Food
In some areas - including of course the remote North - it required more organization or coordination, but we have never needed to stay hungry a day. The main limiting factor regarding food was the two bear-proof containers. We already bought them in Los Angeles and even though it was a slight overkill most of the time, we actually liked this extra bit of safety and think it was a good decision; one we would definitely take again. After all, we were not only protecting ourselves from the bears (or other animals like raccoons, squirrels, raven etc.), but also the wild animals from getting shot once they get used of feeding on human food.
People
A standard conversation went like this: “Where are you from?”. “We are Swiss”. “Are you on bicycles?”. “Yes”. “Where are you cycling?”. ”Along the Pacific coast from L.A. to Anchorage”. “Are you kidding?”. “No, this is great fun”. “Awesome. Good for you. How long does that take?” . “5 months, more or less”. Here, the conversation normally stopped. Only the very interested ones wanted to know how many miles we cover per day, what we do back home or how it actually is to travel on bicycles. In very touristy areas we therefore started to think about either handing out pamphlets with FAQs or charging 1 dollar / 1 coffee / 1 banana per answer.
Camping
Weather
It took us by surprise, though, how cold it could still get in spring in California and how hot in Alaska’s summer! We had expected to use our down jackets in the North and bathing suits in the South - it was vice versa. In the end, we truly support the saying that there is always appropriate gear for all weather conditions.
Photography
Credits for the majority of our pictures taken go to Philipp. Fabienne concentrated on editing the texts. As you may know (or may have noticed :-)), our Ortlieb panniers were sponsored by the Swiss bike store Veloplus. Veloplus liked our photographs so much, that they will use a selection of our pictures taken in B.C., in the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and in Alaska for the winter decoration of their stores. So, if you happen to be close to a Veloplus store in winter, feel free to stop by and have a look.
After Hawaii, our next stop will be Lima (Peru) from where we will continue our Panamericana journey without the bicycles. Our stories and pictures from our backpacking adventures will be posted here.
0 Comments
Several hikes led us to impressive grand glaciers, abundant blue berry patches, through enchanted forest with manifold types of mushrooms, along rapid rivers with red sockeye salmon fighting their way upstream for spawning and to various lakes wherein the sky and mountains mirrored. The pictures sometimes look like kitsch, but the colors are indeed real! While hiking in the Chugach National Forest, we could even witness a bear swimming approximately 200 m in Lake Ptarmigan. Soon after, we encountered another bear along the trail; the black bear was so busy eating berries that we could observe it for several minutes.
Aside from the spectacular landscape, we have been enjoying opportunities to relax, to talk, to pick berries, to canoe and to get into the "Alaska holiday mood": bonfires and marshmallow roasting were part of it :-)!
|
Blog Archive
September 2016
CountersKilometers pedalled
Hours on the bike
Meters cycled uphill
Flat tires
Burgers eaten
Bears sighted
Day by day statisticsFor those interested in our day by day activities and statistics, please download the following document.
World Clock
|