Recreational & Family - Our most excellent adventure ever, 13 year old son and Dad complete 1600 mile Tour.

This summer my 13 year old son and I began an unsupported bike trip beginning in Victoria BC. At the time we had no official ending date or location. Just that we would ride untill it stopped being fun. Early on my son started telling people we were riding to Mexico. And as we were then some 1600 plus miles away it seemed well quite impossible.

But mile by mile, challenge by challenge we ended having the summer of our lives.And indeed we ended up in Mexico. For me it was not only a great adventure but hanging out all summer with my son was so incredible. Mark was at the perfect age, where he could physically handle the trip but he is still young enough to think it was cool to hang out with dad.

He rode in the drafting position most of the way, and I loved to hear him just talk, all day. Stuff like hey dad did you know that....... sometimes he would just ride up along side me look over and say I love you dad. For the last 10 days of the trip we stopped putting up the tents. We slept under redwoods, under palm trees, under star filled skys, and we could hear the ocean as we would drift off to sleep.

We had no near misses or accidents, not a day of rain, no illness or injury. What we did have was 45 days of days I wish I could relive again and again. We biked all kinds of conditions, from nice highways with ample shoulders, to much of highway 1 with little or no shoulder, we biked some off road and even was routed onto the Ventura Freeway.

Along the way we met many awesome people and cyclist all the down the coast were willing to go the extra mile literaly to lead us thru some of the more challenging sections of the major cities. Such as San Fransisco and LA. We started to refer to them as our guardian angels.

Anyway I have posted our pictures in some albums at this address http://bikethewestcoast.spaces.live.com/ click on photos and then there are 6 or 7 groups of photos. If you are in a hurry one of my favorites is the folder titled Central California the lost coast. I'm still working on it so check back from time to time as we add things.

Wow that's and incredible journey and it sounded like a lot of fun. You should feel really proud of yourself and your son for having such a great summer together.

Wow, that's awesome! I hope to do a Hwy 1 trip up/down the coast like that someday. Maybe I'll be able to take my daughter when she's older. Sounds like it was a very cool trip. Nice pics, too!

Wow, what an accomplishment! People who don't have an adventure like this at least once in their lifetime are missing out on a lot!

Wow, what an accomplishment! People who don't have an adventure like this at least once in their lifetime are missing out on a lot!

Thanks and you're right. I am so glad I didn't think thru it all logically. If I had I'm sure we wouldn't even dreamed of such a trip. You see there is a little more to this story. I had done two shorter tours with my older son. The last one was when he was 19. And we went from Canada to the California border. We also had his friend and the friends dad come with us.

Well the difference is the distance was more than double. There is a big difference between 13 and 19. And I'm not much of a mechanic. I can adjust the seat and even that I don't do well. To be honest I've never fixed a flat tire. I had a hard time running the hightech stove. Ok I can't do it. So imagine undertaking such a trip with such limited skills and being responsible for my son.

Well fact is my sons are very mechanical. Mark did a great job with repairs. We only had one flat each. Mark helped me put my bike together and he did a great job operationg the dragonfly stove. And where most sons would have been watching dad do everything my son knew we couldn't do it without each other, Mark to do all that and me for ummmmm ok I have the VISA card damn it. :D

awesome

What a great adventure. :)

I'm so jealous...my dad would never do anything like this for me :(

This summer my 13 year old son and I began an unsupported bike trip beginning in Victoria BC. At the time we had no official ending date or location. Just that we would ride untill it stopped being fun. Early on my son started telling people we were riding to Mexico. And as we were then some 1600 plus miles away it seemed well quite impossible.

But mile by mile, challenge by challenge we ended having the summer of our lives.And indeed we ended up in Mexico. For me it was not only a great adventure but hanging out all summer with my son was so incredible. Mark was at the perfect age, where he could physically handle the trip but he is still young enough to think it was cool to hang out with dad.

He rode in the drafting position most of the way, and I loved to hear him just talk, all day. Stuff like hey dad did you know that....... sometimes he would just ride up along side me look over and say I love you dad. For the last 10 days of the trip we stopped putting up the tents. We slept under redwoods, under palm trees, under star filled skys, and we could hear the ocean as we would drift off to sleep.

We had no near misses or accidents, not a day of rain, no illness or injury. What we did have was 45 days of days I wish I could relive again and again. We biked all kinds of conditions, from nice highways with ample shoulders, to much of highway 1 with little or no shoulder, we biked some off road and even was routed onto the Ventura Freeway.

Along the way we met many awesome people and cyclist all the down the coast were willing to go the extra mile literaly to lead us thru some of the more challenging sections of the major cities. Such as San Fransisco and LA. We started to refer to them as our guardian angels.

Anyway I have posted our pictures in some albums at this address http://bikethewestcoast.spaces.live.com/ click on photos and then there are 6 or 7 groups of photos. If you are in a hurry one of my favorites is the folder titled Central California the lost coast. I'm still working on it so check back from time to time as we add things.


I am currently a college student and I wonder why my dad, an ex liutenant colonel in US army, did not do something like this with me. He basically know everything there is to know about building camp fires, predicting the weather, using a compass to track trails, etc. Maybe, when I'm a little older I'll invite him. I love my dad and I would love to do something like this with him. I hope Mark and you had a wonderful time. I love going through your blogg photos. I live in Northern California and rode through San Francisco very often so some of the roads in your blogg look very similar.:)

Ab-so-lutely freaking awesome! I hope to do something like this with my family some day. What a way to spend the summer! :)

I am currently a college student and I wonder why my dad, an ex liutenant colonel in US army, did not do something like this with me. He basically know everything there is to know about building camp fires, predicting the weather, using a compass to track trails, etc. Maybe, when I'm a little older I'll invite him. I love my dad and I would love to do something like this with him. I hope Mark and you had a wonderful time. I love going through your blogg photos. I live in Northern California and rode through San Francisco very often so some of the roads in your blogg look very similar.:)

Don't be to hard on your dad. Sometimes us dads just get too busy taking care of what we think is important. Maybe your dad just needs to know that you would like to do something with him. I would love to have my college age son call and say hey dad lets go on one more adventure.

I am currently a college student and I wonder why my dad, an ex liutenant colonel in US army, did not do something like this with me. He basically know everything there is to know about building camp fires, predicting the weather, using a compass to track trails, etc. Maybe, when I'm a little older I'll invite him. I love my dad and I would love to do something like this with him. I hope Mark and you had a wonderful time. I love going through your blogg photos. I live in Northern California and rode through San Francisco very often so some of the roads in your blogg look very similar.:)

Enjoy your Dad while you have him. My Dad passed away about a year and a half ago. I'd give anything to be able to walk across the street with him. Call your Dad, and tell him you'd love to have lunch; go for a walk, or whatever you want to do, just to spend time with him. Sometimes, it just takes someone to take the initiative to plan something for the two of you to do. I'll bet he'd love to spend time with you, too!:)

This summer my 13 year old son and I began an unsupported bike trip beginning in Victoria BC. At the time we had no official ending date or location. Just that we would ride untill it stopped being fun. Early on my son started telling people we were riding to Mexico. And as we were then some 1600 plus miles away it seemed well quite impossible.

But mile by mile, challenge by challenge we ended having the summer of our lives.And indeed we ended up in Mexico. For me it was not only a great adventure but hanging out all summer with my son was so incredible. Mark was at the perfect age, where he could physically handle the trip but he is still young enough to think it was cool to hang out with dad.

He rode in the drafting position most of the way, and I loved to hear him just talk, all day. Stuff like hey dad did you know that....... sometimes he would just ride up along side me look over and say I love you dad. For the last 10 days of the trip we stopped putting up the tents. We slept under redwoods, under palm trees, under star filled skys, and we could hear the ocean as we would drift off to sleep.

We had no near misses or accidents, not a day of rain, no illness or injury. What we did have was 45 days of days I wish I could relive again and again. We biked all kinds of conditions, from nice highways with ample shoulders, to much of highway 1 with little or no shoulder, we biked some off road and even was routed onto the Ventura Freeway.

Along the way we met many awesome people and cyclist all the down the coast were willing to go the extra mile literaly to lead us thru some of the more challenging sections of the major cities. Such as San Fransisco and LA. We started to refer to them as our guardian angels.

Anyway I have posted our pictures in some albums at this address http://bikethewestcoast.spaces.live.com/ click on photos and then there are 6 or 7 groups of photos. If you are in a hurry one of my favorites is the folder titled Central California the lost coast. I'm still working on it so check back from time to time as we add things.

And, you guys are fabulous!!!! Hopefully, this is the start of several wonderful adventures together! I love all the pictures! Ride on!

I'm expecting my first child (don't know the gender) in February. Reading the OP has me thinking that maybe my life ISN'T about to end.

Thanks.

Very cool!

That's fantastic! I'd love to do something like that with my two sons some day.

The AC/DC jerseys cracked me up.

That will certainly be probably the highlight of your son's life. Keep doing things with him and even as he gets older, I'm sure you guys can enjoy your time together. Great pictures -- loved them!

Wow! What an incredible story. Very inspiring! I hope to be as fortunate one day.

That's awesome. Your son will remember that trip for the rest of his life. My father used to be the pathfinder director (co-ed scouts for our church) when I was growing up. It wasn't so father and son oriented, but my whole early years of 4-7 or so are filled with camping and canoeing memories with everyone. It really enriched my childhood...would have been nice to continue those activities from 7 up...but hey. I've been thinking of inviting my dad on a multi-day canoeing trip or...this is a great idea...biking trip. He's getting a little out of shape and the cardio would do great for him.

Still, congratulations on making a memory.

Way to go, Dad and Mark! How very cool.

I took my 12 yo son mountain biking and camping near Santa Fe last summer, and as we looked at the view from the top of the ancient La Bajada Hill he told me, "Mom, I have the best life EVER!"

I hope I can live up to that!

Karen

I'm expecting my first child (don't know the gender) in February. Reading the OP has me thinking that maybe my life ISN'T about to end.

Thanks.

Life about to end?!? Man, it's just beginning. If you spend time with your kids, raise them well, and give them love everyday, they will bring you neverending joy. That's not a word I use in everyday conversation, but there's no other way to say it. Pure joy.