Bike tours and carfree vacations
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Little bit of a hub-and-spoke tour on the Easter long weekend.
We drove to the ferry, overnighted on the ferry, then drove to our "hub" in Victoria. Once there, the vehicle was parked for most of the time.
Friday - 40.52 km on old familiar roads in an area where we used to live. So nice to ride there again. Really nice! And it helped that the sun shone, the sky was blue and there wasn't too much wind. The high for the day reached 23C ... a hint of summer!
We also walked 8.5 km. 6.5 km earlier in the day when we first arrived, and then another 2 km to go to dinner.
Saturday -- 35.23 km on our folders up the local Rail Trail. The longest Rail Trail in Victoria runs through this area, and I've missed it!
Partly cloudy, 23C today.
I also walked 3.8 km around town.
Sunday -- 40.11 km on another part of the Rail Trail up to an old train tunnel and back.
Another nice day with a high of 23C again. A little more overcast, almost threatening rain at times and some wind. But no rain materialised.
The pictures are coming, slowly but surely, starting with the Devonport pictures in the middle of the second page of this album:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/machka...detail/?page=2
We drove to the ferry, overnighted on the ferry, then drove to our "hub" in Victoria. Once there, the vehicle was parked for most of the time.
Friday - 40.52 km on old familiar roads in an area where we used to live. So nice to ride there again. Really nice! And it helped that the sun shone, the sky was blue and there wasn't too much wind. The high for the day reached 23C ... a hint of summer!
We also walked 8.5 km. 6.5 km earlier in the day when we first arrived, and then another 2 km to go to dinner.
Saturday -- 35.23 km on our folders up the local Rail Trail. The longest Rail Trail in Victoria runs through this area, and I've missed it!
Partly cloudy, 23C today.
I also walked 3.8 km around town.
Sunday -- 40.11 km on another part of the Rail Trail up to an old train tunnel and back.
Another nice day with a high of 23C again. A little more overcast, almost threatening rain at times and some wind. But no rain materialised.
The pictures are coming, slowly but surely, starting with the Devonport pictures in the middle of the second page of this album:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/machka...detail/?page=2
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#77
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It's almost May ... the North Americans among us should have a long weekend coming up. What do you have planned? Where are you going?
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#78
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We're doing a kind of hub-and-spoke sort of tour thing right now ... enjoying summer and getting out riding.
Sorry, I don't have pictures yet, but they may come.
[HR][/HR]
But how about you all? I'd love to hear about your trips this year.
Sorry, I don't have pictures yet, but they may come.
[HR][/HR]
But how about you all? I'd love to hear about your trips this year.
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#79
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How about searching for those that stand, >or even better sit< 100% up to their word: "100% car-free vacation" --- as that begins from the departure of their property-line.
No contradiction.
No contradiction.
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Wednesday June 10 - Walk out of house, board trolley, transfer to subway to Boston bus station, board bus to Brunswick, Maine.
Arrive in Brunswick, walk about 7 minutes to Center Street Cycles (excellent shop!), rent bike, ride in weekly Ice Cream Ride organized by local cycling club, then to dinner and motel.
Thursday June 11 - Ride from Brunswick to Popham Beach, approx 55 miles r/t.
Friday June 12 - Ride south from Brunswick along coast to Mere Point, approx 25 miles r/t, return bike, walk to bus station, bus back to Boston, subway/trolley back home.
Total minutes in car: 0.
Could have easily spent several more days riding in this scenic and interesting area without repeating routes.
Also had option of riding my own bike to Boston Amtrak station (approx 30 minutes, mostly on MUP), putting bike on train, and going up to Brunswick that way. Easy as pie!
Arrive in Brunswick, walk about 7 minutes to Center Street Cycles (excellent shop!), rent bike, ride in weekly Ice Cream Ride organized by local cycling club, then to dinner and motel.
Thursday June 11 - Ride from Brunswick to Popham Beach, approx 55 miles r/t.
Friday June 12 - Ride south from Brunswick along coast to Mere Point, approx 25 miles r/t, return bike, walk to bus station, bus back to Boston, subway/trolley back home.
Total minutes in car: 0.
Could have easily spent several more days riding in this scenic and interesting area without repeating routes.
Also had option of riding my own bike to Boston Amtrak station (approx 30 minutes, mostly on MUP), putting bike on train, and going up to Brunswick that way. Easy as pie!
#81
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Wednesday June 10 - Walk out of house, board trolley, transfer to subway to Boston bus station, board bus to Brunswick, Maine.
Arrive in Brunswick, walk about 7 minutes to Center Street Cycles (excellent shop!), rent bike, ride in weekly Ice Cream Ride organized by local cycling club, then to dinner and motel.
Thursday June 11 - Ride from Brunswick to Popham Beach, approx 55 miles r/t.
Friday June 12 - Ride south from Brunswick along coast to Mere Point, approx 25 miles r/t, return bike, walk to bus station, bus back to Boston, subway/trolley back home.
Total minutes in car: 0.
Could have easily spent several more days riding in this scenic and interesting area without repeating routes.
Also had option of riding my own bike to Boston Amtrak station (approx 30 minutes, mostly on MUP), putting bike on train, and going up to Brunswick that way. Easy as pie!
Arrive in Brunswick, walk about 7 minutes to Center Street Cycles (excellent shop!), rent bike, ride in weekly Ice Cream Ride organized by local cycling club, then to dinner and motel.
Thursday June 11 - Ride from Brunswick to Popham Beach, approx 55 miles r/t.
Friday June 12 - Ride south from Brunswick along coast to Mere Point, approx 25 miles r/t, return bike, walk to bus station, bus back to Boston, subway/trolley back home.
Total minutes in car: 0.
Could have easily spent several more days riding in this scenic and interesting area without repeating routes.
Also had option of riding my own bike to Boston Amtrak station (approx 30 minutes, mostly on MUP), putting bike on train, and going up to Brunswick that way. Easy as pie!
Your trip sounds like it was very well planned. How did you get everything--subway, bus, bike rental--to mesh together so well? Did you plan it all on the internet or something? Also, where did you sleep on the two nights?
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That sounds like a great little carfree trip! I also love that area of New England. You were smart to travel midweek instead of on the weekend.
Your trip sounds like it was very well planned. How did you get everything--subway, bus, bike rental--to mesh together so well? Did you plan it all on the internet or something? Also, where did you sleep on the two nights?
Your trip sounds like it was very well planned. How did you get everything--subway, bus, bike rental--to mesh together so well? Did you plan it all on the internet or something? Also, where did you sleep on the two nights?
Stayed in a motel in town on Route 1, not an ideal location due to heavy traffic and lack of shoulder, but just a few minutes from bike-friendly local streets and the downtown area, and we were able to keep our bikes in the room. Chose it because it was very reasonable and had good reviews on TripAdvisor & Yelp, which turned out to be on target.
Used Google and Yelp to find a shop for the bike rental. The proprietor was really friendly and gave us some excellent tips about routes, not to mention letting us know about the aforementioned Ice Cream Ride. It was really pretty simple.
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I took my first car-free vacation to the NJ shore last month. I had anticipated most, but not all of my needs, as I was staying by myself in a house for a week. I had wanted to try one of those car- sharing services. Lyft, uber, etc...but not being in a city the apps all said no cars were available from the nearest bus stop. It wouldn't be practical to ride the bike to the house, so I called a taxi to take me the rest of the way. Wish I would have called them first instead of wasting an hour and a half... Getting groceries and supplies for the house wasn't too difficult - I just planned out the bike trips. Better planning is needed for beer runs, though. All in all, quite a learning experience.
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My first vacation was car-free. I rode from where I lived in Inglewood up northward through L.A. to the Canyon Country area near Six Flags. I spent the night in my sleeping bag watching the stars and was up with the dawn and on the road. I pedaled about 50 miles into Ventura and got breakfast and holed up in a motel for the day. Next I pedaled up the coast to Santa Barbara and spent the night with my Mom at her apartment. The last day I took it easy, hopped on the train in Santa Barbara and rode it down to Union Station in L.A. and rode back from the station to home.
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Last edited by Artkansas; 06-29-15 at 05:34 PM.
#85
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My first vacation was car-free. I rode from where I lived in Inglewood up northward through L.A. to the Canyon Country area near Six Flags. I spent the night in my sleeping bag watching the stars and was up with the dawn and on the road. I pedaled about 50 miles into Ventura and got breakfast and holed up in a motel for the day. Next I pedaled up the coast to Santa Barbara and spent the night with my Mom at her apartment. The last day I took it easy, hopped on the train in Santa Barbara and rode it down to Union Station in L.A. and rode back from the station to home.
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#87
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My first all night ride was an unplanned 140 mile nonstop from LAX airport to Pacific Beach, CA. It all began by arriving so late in LA that I could change into my cycling gear in the baggage area with no one to see a thing. From there, riding down Sepulveda Boulevard on a loaded tour bike in the middle of the night seemed like begging for an end-of-life experience. I scampered through Long Beach like a rabbit before the hounds, flitting past parked cars that seemed occupied. Seeing flames dance on the tops of towering smoke stacks was surreal: like riding through the cover of a Pink Floyd Album. After all of that things began look up and what I'd planned as a 2-day trip had me thinking along the way that it was too late to stop at a hiker-biker camp until before long I was watching the sun rise in Laguna Beach, taking a towel bath in open sight with the barking of seals the only sign of life at that time of the morning. That was about halfway home so -- why stop now? -- was the thinking at that point.
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We had a carfree segment of our current travels.
Got to Victoria (car, ferry, car), then parked the car and got around Victoria for the next two days by walking, cycling, bus and mini-ferry.
Got to Victoria (car, ferry, car), then parked the car and got around Victoria for the next two days by walking, cycling, bus and mini-ferry.
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#89
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And Victoria is a revelation for cycling culture. Anyone who says North America doesn't have a city with that culture needs to take a trip there. There were myriad riders everywhere, lots of bikes locked up on stands, and lots of older bikes converted to utility use.
The drivers also seemed to be remarkably patient, and there were quite a few bike lanes, although fewer paths. Bike routes were well marked, including the Galloping Goose and the coastal routes.
We've ridden Vancouver Island before, and it is what we consider to be an ideal summer holiday destination for cyclists. The ferries from the mainland are quite easy to board and disembark, and a person can island hop using the other ferries.
The main highway north to Campbell River has quite dirty shoulders and the last time we were there, I had several punctures. But there is the coastal route that parellels much of the main highway, and that is very pleasant indeed.
Out of all the locations where we have cycled, I would rank Vancouver Island with the West Coast of France (and, well, France and Belgium generally) for cycling holiday potential.
By the way, the little taxi ferries that run around Victoria's harbour are better known to the locals as Pickle Boats, because they look like dill pickles floating along on the water.
The drivers also seemed to be remarkably patient, and there were quite a few bike lanes, although fewer paths. Bike routes were well marked, including the Galloping Goose and the coastal routes.
We've ridden Vancouver Island before, and it is what we consider to be an ideal summer holiday destination for cyclists. The ferries from the mainland are quite easy to board and disembark, and a person can island hop using the other ferries.
The main highway north to Campbell River has quite dirty shoulders and the last time we were there, I had several punctures. But there is the coastal route that parellels much of the main highway, and that is very pleasant indeed.
Out of all the locations where we have cycled, I would rank Vancouver Island with the West Coast of France (and, well, France and Belgium generally) for cycling holiday potential.
By the way, the little taxi ferries that run around Victoria's harbour are better known to the locals as Pickle Boats, because they look like dill pickles floating along on the water.
#90
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And Victoria is a revelation for cycling culture. Anyone who says North America doesn't have a city with that culture needs to take a trip there. There were myriad riders everywhere, lots of bikes locked up on stands, and lots of older bikes converted to utility use.
The drivers also seemed to be remarkably patient, and there were quite a few bike lanes, although fewer paths. Bike routes were well marked, including the Galloping Goose and the coastal routes.
We've ridden Vancouver Island before, and it is what we consider to be an ideal summer holiday destination for cyclists. The ferries from the mainland are quite easy to board and disembark, and a person can island hop using the other ferries.
The main highway north to Campbell River has quite dirty shoulders and the last time we were there, I had several punctures. But there is the coastal route that parellels much of the main highway, and that is very pleasant indeed.
Out of all the locations where we have cycled, I would rank Vancouver Island with the West Coast of France (and, well, France and Belgium generally) for cycling holiday potential.
By the way, the little taxi ferries that run around Victoria's harbour are better known to the locals as Pickle Boats, because they look like dill pickles floating along on the water.
The drivers also seemed to be remarkably patient, and there were quite a few bike lanes, although fewer paths. Bike routes were well marked, including the Galloping Goose and the coastal routes.
We've ridden Vancouver Island before, and it is what we consider to be an ideal summer holiday destination for cyclists. The ferries from the mainland are quite easy to board and disembark, and a person can island hop using the other ferries.
The main highway north to Campbell River has quite dirty shoulders and the last time we were there, I had several punctures. But there is the coastal route that parellels much of the main highway, and that is very pleasant indeed.
Out of all the locations where we have cycled, I would rank Vancouver Island with the West Coast of France (and, well, France and Belgium generally) for cycling holiday potential.
By the way, the little taxi ferries that run around Victoria's harbour are better known to the locals as Pickle Boats, because they look like dill pickles floating along on the water.
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This is interesting. I was looking up some information about Amtrak and saw this link on their site. It seems at least one city is now promoting car-free travel.
Santa Barbara Car Free
Santa Barbara Car Free
#92
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This is interesting. I was looking up some information about Amtrak and saw this link on their site. It seems at least one city is now promoting car-free travel.
Santa Barbara Car Free
Santa Barbara Car Free
A girlfriend and I took a winter vacation there one year. We took the train from L.A. to Oxnard. Then we rode up into the mountains and camped at Dennison Park. Apparently, at that time it was a local Lover's Lane. But it turned out to be a good choice because a heavy storm rolled in below flooding Ojai, but we were dry, because of our elevation. The next day we rode to Santa Barbara and stayed with my Mom. The third day was New Year's Eve and we rode over San Marcos Pass by Lake Cachuma and finished in Solvang. There was nothing happening in Solvang for New Years'. Even the liquor store closed up early. I think we took the Alisal Ranch Rd to Gaviota and returned along the coast. That, or we doubled back over the San Marcos Pass. From Santa Barbara we took the train back to L.A.
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Last time I went to the beach in Santa Barbara, there were blobs of oil on the sand that stained the soles of my feet. No, this wasn't a result of the recent oil spill, but the one that occurred in 1969. As over-reliance on petroleum leads inevitably to such ecological disasters, it's encouraging to learn that the city is promoting car-free travel.
#94
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Yes, it does seem like the people of Santa Barbara would be a bit sour on cars, or at least on fossil fuels.
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This is interesting. I was looking up some information about Amtrak and saw this link on their site. It seems at least one city is now promoting car-free travel.
Santa Barbara Car Free
Santa Barbara Car Free
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And Victoria is a revelation for cycling culture. Anyone who says North America doesn't have a city with that culture needs to take a trip there. There were myriad riders everywhere, lots of bikes locked up on stands, and lots of older bikes converted to utility use.
The drivers also seemed to be remarkably patient, and there were quite a few bike lanes, although fewer paths. Bike routes were well marked, including the Galloping Goose and the coastal routes.
The drivers also seemed to be remarkably patient, and there were quite a few bike lanes, although fewer paths. Bike routes were well marked, including the Galloping Goose and the coastal routes.
It's common to find permanent bike repair stands with attached tools and water stations along the Galloping Goose & Lochside Trails, and even some businesses are adding similar stations in an effort to appeal to cyclists. And you'll find all kinds of cyclists here - from roadies in full kit to families riding to one of the farmers markets or downtown for shopping and other activities.
You mentioned what I consider the biggest and most important change that's taken place over the last number of years: the drivers. Cycling is sufficiently normal now, so the drivers are remarkably patient and courteous on the whole: that wasn't my experience even five years ago.
As to the thread topic, I've done a couple of short getaways by bike so far this summer. One was just a weekend camping trip over to Ruckle Park on Salt Spring Island: it's a place that's within easy reach from Victoria, so with minimal planning I can grab my camping gear, load up the bike and arrive there by late afternoon. With the weather we've been getting I'm inclined to do this a few more times: the campsites on the ocean are spectacular!
My other vacation started out as a weekend getaway to Salt Spring, but some friends of mine informed me they were heading up to Parksville the following week. So I decided to continue on after my weekend at Ruckle Park. I rode across Salt Spring to the Vesuvius Ferry which carried me to Crofton. I only did a short ride that day and camped at a private campsite at Chemainus, primarily because they had a shower and I was in desperate need by that time! The next day I rode to Parksville and joined my friends. It was a terrific getaway!
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It is relevant if someone was interested in the residents' attitude towards cars and/or the rationale why one "city" is now allegedly "promoting car-free travel".
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It's not just one city, I discovered. There's a link on the site that takes you to similar programs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and a few other California cities.
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Makes sense for AMTRAK and the communities it serves to promote a mutually beneficial service.