for this week’s installment of cycle chic, i thought i might share some old photos from a bike tour i went on waaay back in 2007. though i should probably give you a disclaimer: i wasn’t very chic on this ride. just bike shorts, sandals, and tank tops on this ride. yep, this was before i started my blog and before i got a fancy digital camera. the photo quality isn’t the best, but i wanted to show you what a bike tour looks like! for this particular trip, me and my partner started our ride in arcata, ca near the northern border of california, and ended up in bodega bay, just north of san francisco. we would ride between 40 – 60 miles per day carrying all of our own supplies and stop at state parks to camp for the evening.
we began the trip in arcata, ca.
the world’s largest hammer.
we had planned to camp at the humboldt county fair grounds one evening. to our surprise, the humboldt county fair was in full swing. bonus!
weeee!
i loved you and your apple pies and beer in plastic cups and carnival rides.
aha, so that’s why they call it ferndale.
tee hee. cows.
we opted to ride along the lost coast for this ride. it was a particularly grueling and intense ride, but the views once we reached the short were worth it.
after a seriously hard day of riding, we were rewarded with freezing cold showers.
a morning cup of coffee is crucial.
and back up over another mountain. it’s a good feeling to get to the top.
it was particularly fun when we made it to the avenue of the giants. lots of fun tourist attractions!
after so many days of riding, sometimes you need to treat yourself to a junk food feast!
ah, the beautiful california coastline.
61 comments
Ahh! Looks like so much fun! This is something I'd love to do with Adam!! OR MAYBE I CAN COME TO CALI AND DO ONE WITH YOU!
I admire you for your adventurousness. I'm such a wimp. I need a bed and a shower or I'm whining. You look like a different person with long hair. (I like it both ways!)
ahh you look so pretty! these photos make me miss your long hair!
Such great photos! I would love to take a big tour of Northern California.
Looks like such an amazing trip, I feel so inspired to do something similar now!! your hair looks lovely too!
From Carys of La Ville Inconnue
I have driven through the Lost Coast countless times, and I cannot believe you biked through it! That's an incredibly grueling ride–even for a car.
I love Northern California and these photos do a great job to show how beautiful it is.
I look forward to more photos on your next trip!
i live in arcata!
aww! that's where i live! so cool to see you hanging out in my hometown.
it's so cool to see this other outdoorsy, athletic side of you. you're so pretty whatever you're wearing. i love to camp and hike too. usually comfy jeans and a tee is my uniform for outdoor activities. so i'm looking forward to seeing your tips for keeping it chic and practical for such adventures.
Looks like such fun, the photos are stunning, it looks so pretty there!
Carmen.xx.
Wow. That looks like such a wonderful trip; although the hills/mountains would personally kill me.
Nice trip ♥
Gosh, this multiplies my want to go on a bike tour by the tenfold. These are really lovely photos. Great documentation. You look really different with long hair but it's quite cute :]
earth vs. the wild heart
fantastic pictures!
I like to see you in long hair.
i've always wanted to do a intense bike tour like this! very cool, and i freaking love cali. pretty pretty pics!
alright, now I really want to do this!
also, your hair looks amazing for someone camping out on a bike tour!
oh i want to go on a bike tour so bad!
you guys were living dangerously with no helmets in most of these pics!
do not fret! many times we just took off our helmets for photo ops. other times, we were on deserted country roads with few cars (if any at all) passing. we were quite cautious, actually. ;)
Nice shots, despite the lack of a good camera. Also, love your hair long.
Nice shots, despite the lack of a good camera. Also, love your hair long.
Nice shots, despite the lack of a good camera. Also, love your hair long.
Nice shots, despite the lack of a good camera. Also, love your hair long.
Nice shots, despite the lack of a good camera. Also, love your hair long.
This is so amazing girl, and looks like SO MUCH FUN! I wish I could do something like that! and you look so cute!
i love the photos :) your hair was so cute back then too.
Looks like so much fun! My fiance and I are planning a bike tour at the end of summer. He's pretty experienced but it will be my first, so I've been training.
the bike tour is very admirable! lol. at first when I didn't read the post yet, I was thinking "how did your hair grow so fast!?"
Whoa, amazing. I can't even begin to think how I would manage to ride for so many days and miles, but I've wanted to do a bike tour ever since I read the book Catfish and Mandala where this dude rides up the West Coast and then he rides over 3,000 miles in a year in Vietnam and China and Japan (I think!) How did you figure out your route? Was it mostly roads without much car traffic?
xo Jenny
long hair! you look like a different person!
i love your short hair, its the best!
i love the cycle, even though i have no endurance.
my dad loved and still loves to cycle and it always impresses my the distance you can go on a bicycle and the sights you see.
come visit: afewsillylittlethings.blogspot.com
L
I kept looking for you in the pictures, but then I realized that you were in them and that you just had longer hair. haha. you look really good with long hair! you should do a post on all the essentials one would need for a trip such as this!
I'm planning a mini bike tour for the end of August, I hope you get some pictures up before I leave so that I can get some style tips! I haven't ridden a bike in about ten years, I've just ordered one which is set to arrive at the end of the month, so I don't have any experience with suitable riding clothes.
That looks fantastic! A couple of my friends did a similar thing here last summer, they took a train up from Sydney to the north coast of New South Wales, then rode pretty much the length of the east coast from there, and across to Tasmania on the ferry. Their photos looked amazing, and they also got really fit AND had a low-impact eco trip :)
I would love to do the same one day. Although I can be a bit wussy about camping. *blush*
renvintage.blogspot.com
i love this post! i totally drove threw there a month ago. did u go through jenner? its the cutest town everrrr :)
natalieoffduty.blogspot.com
You don't need to be wearing vintage beauties to be stylish Erin!
The style is there even if you're nakey! (spesh with your tats)
You're awesome.
-Ash
xx
http://www.synthetic-sleepers.blogspot.com
look like fun but i don't think i could survive a bike trip haha
http://lavie-amonavis.blogspot.com
these pictures are so gorgeous! thanks for sharing. also, your hair was sooo long! :)
this is so awesome! so many great memories for you!
i just recently started visiting your blog and i love it! what an amazing trip, makes me really want to get on my bike and ride!
this looks like so much fun and it's the perfect summer adventure! you definitely saw some quirky places :P
these are so amazing! I really want to do something like that with the boyf… I need to get a better bike, though. Did you get any flats on your trip? Also, you look sooooo cute in that photo pouring the hot water into your coffee mugs – although I love your pixie cut, it looks so lovely longer and framing your face in that photo!
loved this
Looks like you had such a fantastic time! I do like your long hair as well
awesome! gorgeous views… I want to do this someday :)
EPIC POST. I've never taken the time and effort to actually see the California coastline for what it is and I'd love to do it driving or biking sometime (although one would be a wildly different experience than the other!). It's great to see it in these photos, though, and makes me happy that I even live in this beautiful state!
wow you were biking quite a heavy looking load! You look so cute and I love your shoulder length hair. You really can pull any look off!
Looks like so much fun, a proper little adventure!
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I'd love to do a little bike tour but in the South of France. The best time would of course be the summer but I'm not sure whether I can withstand soaring temperatures and cycling energetically! Hahaha
Oh wow… this looks like so much fun! I love the adventure of it–and that you end up catching so many more things than you would if traveling by car. I just got a new bike this year (nothing fancy–just a little cruiser–so definitely not up to a trip beyond the local stops), and there is something really fun and romantic about the idea of using a bicycle to get around. ;)
Can't wait to read about your next trip!!! :D
♥ Casey
blog | elegantmusings.com
This just looks amazing. I cannot wait for your upcoming bike trip!!
this looks like it is really something that would touch a lot of people's lives to experience nature like that and living a bit minimalistically. Sounds awesome. I would love to do something like this. You look adorable even if you aren't all fashionable in these shots.
You look so clean and well coiffed for a girl on a bike ride! And those views are amazing, looks like fun.
I actually really like what you wore on the bike ride. I used to try and look cute and wear cute things while on bike rides but then I would run into something like my dress snagging, being uncomfortable/too hot, and finally decided to do what worked best for me and just wear the athletic gear :D
Looks like an exciting trip! I'm looking forward to cycling around the lavender fields when I trip to Hokkaido soon, and this post just makes me look forward to it even more XD
Also, I find it refreshing to see you in longer hair. I still like your current one better though, you look more pixie-ish :)
Wow! what an amazing adventure! This looks like such an incredible trip.. i'm so inspired by you right now. Alabama has some beautiful areas as well. I could map out a short trip. Thanks for this.. I want to go camping and biking this weekend now!
xoxo
I did a bicycle tour from Canada to California several years ago. The next year I did a tandem bike tour from Nevada City California to Angels Camp California (the old gold mining towns tour, it was a 6 day trip) now that was really grueling – with about two 15% grade hills a day (if you have ever been on HWY 49 from Grass Valley to cool you will know what I am talking about). The old gold mining towns are way cool though. You will have a blast on your trip through Portland (this is where I live)I love here!
That looks so amazing! I hope I have the opportunity to do something like that someday. The California coast line is one of my absolute favorite places ever.
Your post on the bike trip got me thinking, I need to do more holiday posts. I really enjoyed your pics and writing on it. A welcome surprise. I got all inspired and did a post on my trip to Sweden (post is up tomorrow), I was the same as you, not overly inspired by my attire, but happy with the trip :) Thanks for the inspiration.
omg you look so cute! baby calivintage!
Oh, hello dream vacation.
Looks like a fun trip, I love travel photos almost as much as style… ;-)
http://sarah-leighsstylefiles.blogspot.com/
xx
what a wonderful trip! I wish i could do that once:)
i really think you look so much better with longer hair…anything longer then the hair style you haven now… i love your blog but your current hairstyle is not so good