Weather is an issue for me. If I’m going to ride a bike from LA to SF or SF to LA, weather is important. I checked my favorite weather map Wundermap, for historical highs and lows for the period September 12, 2014 to October 16, 2014 and found that, for the majority of the days of that period, the temperature at 3:00 AM for the coastal region from SF to LA had a temperature that ranged from the high 50′s to the low 70′s with temperatures primarily in the 60′s. This was along the coast and the temperatures were remarkably consistent. Daytime temperatures at 5:00 PM tended to be in the 70′s. The range was from the mid-60′s to the 90′s. It was uncommon that the temperatures got into the 90′s but it did happen a few times. The most common temperatures seemed to be in the higher 70′s to lower 80′s. Again, this was along the coast. Daytime temperatures were less consistent than the temperatures at night. It’s my belief that I could work with any of the dates during the period I researched. Then again, this was only for the year 2014. Who knows what the weather will really be like this year during that period? Also, it might be helpful to consider rainfall for the period which can be found here. September looks a lot better for rainfall than October, and yes, I do know there is currently a drought in the state.

Well, I’ve talked with John some more and we talked about taking about two weeks and heading to California by train then bicycling between Los Angeles (LA) and San Francisco (SF). Sounds like an adventure. So I Google “SF LA bicycle” and I find some sites that I liked:

Bicycling The Pacific Coast - Imagine this: a whole book on the subject.

ForumBike ForumsTouring San Francisco to Los Angeles - How about this: a forum that caters to cyclists and has a huge thread about going from LA to SF.

San Francisco to Los Angeles Bicycle Tour - Short and to the point with some good ideas.

I saw my friend John this morning and he asked me where I was going this year. I wasn’t sure. I don’t have any plans. But, spring will be here very soon and I know a one to three month Great American Road Trip is in order. I’m thinking south to Texas and then East to Florida. Maybe all the way to the Keys.

John also commented that we needed to take the train from ABQ to LA then ride bicycles to San Diego and back. We could then take the train back to ABQ. The more I thought about it the more it seemed like a good idea. I don’t plan on doing it tomorrow, but I have put it on my schedule, although the dates are in Limbo. I’m thinking later in the year. Maybe in the fall. This post is the start of my research. I’m a researcher at heart. Plus, I now have something to start writing about again. That’s half the fun. Maybe more. I read an article in the LA Times that said “Los Angeles to San Diego: The ultimate beach ride, this 140-mile journey is fairly flat, save an infamous hill in San Diego County. Although you’ll encounter traffic, you’ll often be on bike paths, residential streets or at least a road shoulder — rare for a coastal trip. Info: Adventure Cycling Assn., (800) 721-8719, http://www.adventurecycling.org. Its Pacific Coast Route Section 5 map costs $11.75 for members, $14.75 for nonmembers.” Hmmmm, I guess I need to get the map.

It’s time to go back to Albuquerque. It’s time for Balloon Fiesta. I’ve probably been at home far too long, but it’s really comfortable there. However, Albuquerque calls me. I need to get away for a while. The question that’s perplexing me is how I get there. I’d really like to catch a ride with someone. Yes, the local CS group in ABQ is holding a couch crash, but they aren’t doing a lot of promotion for rides. Yes, there’s craigslist and there may be a possibility there. But, I may simply have to drive. Do I want to? Sure, that would be okay. But, I’d be coming back to OKC with my friend John on the 9th of October. We’ll be riding in his car as we’ll be taking a canoe to OKC from ABQ. We’re also heading up to northeastern Oklahoma to see some friends from our high school days. I could drive my car to ABQ. It gets great gas mileage. On my last Road Trip, which was two months and 5,256 miles, I got an average of 35.12 MPG. But if I drive to ABQ I’ll have to go back to get my car. I told John I’d help him drive back to OKC. Will I get a ride to ABQ? I’m still looking.

I went to the hostel to check in and take a nap. They said I was too early. I couldn’t check in until 01:00 PM. They did tell me that I could come in and sit on the couch for an hour but they were going to have to charge me 50 leu, or about $3.50 for the privilege. I decided that I would spend the hour between 12:00 PM and 01:00 PM at a restaurant I saw a block up Continue reading →

I went to Herăstrău Park in Bucharest. At the entrance to the park was a bicycle stand where they give people a free bike to ride around the park for two hours. It was a really nice park. These are some photos I took in the park.

It was one of the best moments of the trip. I had checked out of the B&B. I was waiting for the boat to Genoa to start loading. I had a few hours. I went into a biblioteca (library) hoping I could just get to use a desk and a chair for a while to do a little work on my blog. I hadn’t had much luck getting into libraries in Spain and Italy. They seemed to be Continue reading →