ER minus 6

Oregon Coast Zen Rocks

Epic Ride minus six, final preps underway. The logistics have changed reflecting the dramatic failure of the marketing department to deliver even a single participant. Not one. Nobody. 

‘Cept me. 

Which is fine. The mission is now a video reconnaissance run, along roughly, the same coastal route, but ending (turning around) in San Francisco vice LA. It has also been shortened to ten days from the original twenty-one and my riding will average around fifty per day. Here are the adjusted broad strokes:

Depart after spin class on Saturday, Aug 3, approx noon. Drive to Hoodsport, WA on the Hood Canal and make camp. Ride up Lake Cushman to Staircase, hike and shoot video. Repeat procedure Southbound for ten days, ending in SF, approx 825 miles, with stops in Florence, Oregon and Crescent City, CA to visit and shooting B-Roll footage and interviews in Brookings, OR for the film screenplay. Two days on the return, choosing alternate Northbound routes as much as possible. Back Tuesday, Aug 13. 

The general outline detail includes shooting daily route video from both WF (forward facing) and bike-cam (rear facing) as well as daily updates using the Ten Day Intensive theme. Daily captures of atmospherics, sunsets, beach scenes, landmarks will also provide a strong video foundation for the trip documentary. I will also make a daily blog posting to both this site and link to the FB page, 2019 Epic Ride. 

I will also incorporate yoga, stretching,100 daily pushups and meditation as part of the trip. This in conjunction with the average riding mileage should affect overall BMI. Diet, (and beverage consumption) to be reduced, local whenever possible and featuring fruits and vegetables. One of the major selling points of the trip, as infomercial must show, is the ‘retreat on the fly’ aspect, meaning that the combination of adventure travel, exercise, diet and stress management are all key factors. One would think I should be able to capture this effectively with the Pacific Ocean as backdrop. I will create a daily schedule, or trip syllabus to better structure the ten days, which will, in turn become the promotional video for next years marketing campaign (the current director has been replaced). Perhaps ten days is more manageable for a broader potential audience than the original sixteen hundred miles and twenty-one days. I realize that is asking a lot and a major commitment for most folks. But we call it Epic for a reason. 

The basic infrastructure is done, WF is ready. Route mapped. My fire is stoked. The road beckons. As always, we’ll keep you up-to-date and advised of progress, changes to plans and/or, my personal favorite road trip inevitability; the unexpected paradox of adventure. Cue the intro. 

Epic Ride minus six, and counting.