My First 1000 Miles & 2021 Bike Plans
If someone had told me a year ago that I would become a long distance bike rider at the age of 61, I would have laughed and called them crazy. But, that is just what I’ve become.
On average, I log 30-40 miles each time I ride. Since the first weekend in April 2020, I have ridden my first 1000 miles. That averages to 100 miles each month for the past 10 months!
When I rode my bike last Saturday (from Auburn to Flaming Geyser State Park and back), I was just one mile shy of hitting my big milestone. No worries — I rode again on Sunday, doing the Hilly Chilly (light version) on Bainbridge Island. I got that mile and then some as I rode from my house to the ferry, did the Hilly Chilly, then rode back to my home for a total of 63 miles over the weekend.
I created this infographic to commemorate my milestone.
I have so many bike plans for 2021:
- March 20 – I plan to bike the West Chehalis Trail down near Olympia. It’s one of my favorites and I’ve done parts of it several times.
- April 17 – I want to bike the Cascade Trail. I’ve been wanting to bike this for some time, but needed to wait until it wasn’t as cold, wet, or snowy.
- April 30-May 2 – I will be entering my first bike tour, riding the Lake Chelan Lite. I will ride between 35-50 miles each day of the tour. I’ll be camping at Lake Chelan State Park during the tour.
- May 14-16 – While camping at Cape Disappointment State Park, I plan to ride the Discovery Trail and part of the Willapa Hills Trail.
- May 22 – I plan to ride the Foothills Trail again, but going in the opposite direction from last time.
- May 30 – While camping at Deception Pass State Park, I’m hoping to ride my bike around Whidbey Island.
- June 9 – While on my road trip to Pennsylvania, I’m planning to spend a couple of days at Niagara Falls, riding my bike from the hotel to the various scenic spots.
- June 12 – I have been to Gettysburg many times, but this time I plan to ride my bike around the entire park.
- June 14 – I want to ride one of the rail trails while I’m in Pennsylvania and plan to ride the Lebanon Valley Trail.
- July 24 – I’m going to explore the northeast portion of Washington state by camping at Curlew Lake State Park and riding the Ferry County Trail.
- August 21 – The Snoqualmie Valley Trail is another favorite of mine and I plan to ride it again.
- September 10-12 – I’m hoping to try something new and do a one-night bikepacking trip. This is where I will load my minimal camping gear onto my bike, ride to my overnight destination, then ride back to my starting point the next day. I plan to do this by riding the portion of the Olympic Discovery Trail that goes near Crescent Lake.
- September 18 – I want to return to Wenatchee and ride the Apple Capital Loop again since it was such a beautiful ride.
When I’m not riding my bike on the weekends this year, I will be leading some hikes near Mount Rainier and the Olympic Mountains.
A lot of people think it’s funny that I plan my year out so far in advance, but the older I get, the faster that year goes. Plus, if I have it on my calendar, I have something to look forward to and won’t be sitting on my butt at home!
