A surfboard nowhere near the coast..

I went on my first ride with the surfboard on the racks.  Had to do some more modifications to the racks such as tightening some of the lashings, cutting some off one of the posts, and adding some padding for the board to rest on. I rode a little more than 7 miles today.  After stopping midway, I noticed that some of the lashings had loosened and needed some attention.  When I finished for the day, everything had stayed tight.

This set up is a little top heavy, however I wonder what it will be like when the whole bike is loaded down with all the gear.  It sure was funny to see the stares of people as the drove by or as I passed them on the sidewalk.  I'm sure many of them were curious as to why I was carrying a surfboard 2 1/2 hours from the coast.  I went a little fast down hill with the extra weight, about 30 mph...but going up hill...that was a different matter.  I'm learning quick what a little extra weight does when pedaling up hill!

Whoops

Went to put my bike on the car today so I could ride around on it while my car got an oil change (with some other expensive recommendations...). I realized that the front pannier racks interfere with attaching it to the roof of the car.  Whoops.  Rode my mountain bike today instead-was nice to have a softer seat for a change. 

Things I've learned thus far

Okay, so I've just started training and getting this thing off the ground, but I've already learned quite a fair bit! 

Here are some of my findings as of recent:

1) Road bike seats are a lot harder than my mountain bike seat.
2) It's a 7 minute drive to work in my car.  It's a 15 minute ride to work on my bicycle.  I should ride more.
3) While still cold in the morning, it's nice to hear the birds chirping as I ride compared to listening to music and drowning out the world around me.  This is another reason I should ride to work.
4) Road bikes seem to feel every bump, need to go slower around corners, yet go a lot faster.
5) My average speed is around 12.5 miles per hour, with uphills and downhills. At this rate, I should only have to ride about 3 hours a day down the coast.  Granted this data is without the trailer attached.
6) If reading this blog on your phone, it may be hard to read.  You will need to view it as a web page (an option at the bottom of the screen.)
7) One of the most beautiful things while riding so far is seeing the cherry blossoms sprinkle off the trees like snow in the still chilly mornings. 
8) Due to riding, I feel super energetic in the morning, like I can take on the world.  I started thinking, maybe I could ride to Montana this summer as well... The afternoons however, are making me tired.
9) A big feat, No. But have I done it before, No...My goal was to ride to work and back everyday this week.  On day 3, I'm taking a sick day.  Boo... Maybe I can make it up on Saturday...
10) Blogging is fun.  I hope it's fun to read and I look forward to sharing more! 

Gatherings

Now that I have my vision, biking down the coast of Oregon this summer, I realized that I need the gear next.  While I have lots of gear for just about everything else, bike touring is not something that I have done before.  Inspired by my dad who has done many bike trips, I began to search for a bike-often checking with him with many different questions.  I chose a Trek FX 7.2 for the job-or at least a bike to allow me to start training.  It's a commuter/road bike hybrid-definitely entry level it seems, but is the right size and has the features that I wanted-plus got it cheaper and used from Craigslist.  I also bought a Bob cargo trailer.  It's an older model and was used on a couple of touring missions with it's previous owner. I'll use the cargo trailer and front panniers to carry my gear.

The next task was to figure out a way to create a surfboard rack for my board to accompany me on this trip.  As I said earlier, I had previously sought out different ideas from various people around the country.  Using these ideas I went to Ace Hardware down the street.  I went to the PVC section when I saw something out of the corner of my eye...bamboo!  While there are no fancy attachment pieces for bamboo, I thought it would look and feel extra amazing to actually cut, saw, lash together, and build a rack rather than just piece it together.  Two large pieces of bamboo later and I was set to begin this process.  Here is what I did using both my 9 foot longboard and 5'10" shortboard as rack models:

The bare bones: Bike, trailer, and marterials

My surf rack completed.  It took a few attempts, but this is the first model completed!

It holds the shortboard just fine!  Someone commented that it was elegant!  I've also heard that it looks like a table to eat on while camping and that is looks like an ironing board.

Beginnings

To start, I have to give you a bit of an idea as to why this blog is starting.  I had this thought, "What if..." Sometimes those thoughts allow me to chase something that I don't know is possible.  Here I am though, combining some of my passions in life; Surfing, travel, and biking all into one dream.  Because of this thought, I plan on spending a few weeks this summer biking down the Oregon Coast with my surfboard.  With my surfboard you say...? I will be trailering that behind me as I bike down, creating a custom surfboard rack.  I emailed people from all around the country seeking different ideas, finding plans, and testing out different verbal ideas.  This communication has led me to try something new, independent of what others have tried and I am currently piecing together this idea for Summer 2012. Please follow me through this adventure, and together I hope to spark new ideas and/or inspire some of your ideas to come to the surface to try.  Leave a comment, an idea...anything! If anything, this is a cool way to track this adventure in my life.