November 2007
An update on our bike travels since
the publication of the book:

In July, we flew to Vancouver, BC, and shipped our bikes. Instead of touring to Eugene, OR, as we had planned, we had to make some changes because of some health problems that I had. We decided to rent a car and do day rides out of some of the northern cities we had planned to ride through on the way to Eugene. Unfortunately, my bike did not show up, and I had to rent a bike in Vancouver, Anacortes, and Seattle.

We decided to buy a bike in Seattle because we feared that rentals might not be available in some of the places we planned to visit. We were driving from Gig Harbor to Pt. Townsend the next day when our bike rack fell off the car. A truck ran over my new bike, but Bob’s bike bounced across the freeway relatively unscathed. We returned to Gig Harbor and bought another new bike and had Bob’s tires trued up. From then on, things went smoothly.

We were so impressed with the beautiful bike paths of the Northwest. Particularly outstanding were paths we rode in Vancouver, Seattle, Corvallis, and Portland. We found little-used roads in Anacortes, Pt. Townsend, and Mt. Ranier. Good food, nice people, gorgeous scenery, and safe riding. Who could ask for more?

In late September we traveled with Vermont Bicycle Tourists to Croatia for a delightful two-week trip. We soaked in Roman history as well as more recent conflicts in that area independently, then joined our group for some spectacular cycling on the Dalmatian Islands of Brac and Hvar. Our group of 19 enthusiastic cyclists was lots of fun, and we enjoyed a quick dip in the Adriatic, which was a little nippy.

I had book-signings at the Booky Joint in Mammoth and at the Winning Wheels Bicycle Shop in Pacific Grove. A fellow who was hiking the Pacific Crest Trail stopped in at the Winning Wheels signing and added my book to his pack. That was a real compliment!

I will speak at the Presbyterian Church in Lancaster to the Couples Club about our ride on Friday, November 16. Other speaking dates will be for The Retired Teachers group at Camille’s on January 19th and for the Palmdale Women’s Club on February 14th.

We are riding about 4 days a week from 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. We seem to be too busy to spare more time for riding now, and we both miss it. We’re hoping to get back in our touring saddles in July of 2008 and ride from Eugene, OR to San Francisco, CA.