Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

Route 66

It all started with Route 66. Ever since I was in my teens I had dreamed about travelling Route 66. Inspired, I think, by the television series of the same name back in the 60’s

Later, when I got into cycling and I got more proficient at it. I thought, having itchy feet for travel, I wondered if one day I could cycle it. 

That dream rested in my head for years. Until one day I decided I would look into it a bit further just to see what was involved. Investigating it , I discovered that lots of the route didn’t really exist anymore. It had been decimated by highways and diversions and as such it wasn’t possible to stick to that iconic original route as I had wanted.

Anything short of the real thing was not going to satisfy me. So I began to look further afield.

It was then I stumbled on the Pacific Coast of America. 

Cycling the Pacific Coast was a well-trodden route by bikers, campers and cyclists and so I decided to investigate the route further. Got many books and maps and scoured the coast from Oregon to Southern California. 

It wasn’t long before I was completely taken with the idea. 

Ever since I was young I wanted to, one day visit Vancouver. Someone where I worked in the early days, had fired me up telling me of the time he lived there and there the idea sprouted wings. Vancouver would be the place to start if I was ever going to take this on. And the Mexican border was the place to finish. And there lay the plan. Rummaging around in my head for years!

I had all the travelogue books. I had looked at the route down Highway 101. And I looked and I looked and I looked! For years!

That’s all it ever was. A plan!

One year I resolved to do it and half way through my training I crashed and damaged my knee. Which put me out of action for months. Another year gone.

Everyone who knew me, knew this idea was in my head and it became a subject of some comment when my friends,from time to time would refer to this imaginary trip. But I knew I was always going to do it. Someday soon!

Then one day in July 2008, I was in London visiting my daughter.  I was in the garden cutting her grass and my thoughts were on Highway 101. I asked myself why, after all these years of reading and planning, had I not taken the plunge and taken on this mammoth adventure. I wanted to do it, yes! I wasn’t afraid of the challenge, No. I concluded that as yet I had not really committed to actually signing up for it. Booking the flight was the key. I could talk about it ad nauseum, tell people what I planned to do. But I knew then; now was the time. 

 

 

 

With that, I stopped the mower and went inside and opened my laptop to book the flight to Vancouver. Going through the booking procedure there comes a moment, as you do, when you have to hit the ‘confirm’ button. And with a moment’s hesitation, I pressed the nuclear button. Now I was really committed. 

Called my wife and told her what I had just done. To be honest she wasn’t really surprised. She knew it would surface at some point and she would get the call.

Settled now, I set about the preparation. 6 Weeks would pass quickly