• 60 miles a day, 6 day a week is a good rule of thumb for working out time frames/distances but it really depends what kind of shape you're in and what you'll enjoy (suffering vs fun). I wasn't doing that much at the start of the trip but was doing a lot more than that later on. I did stretches in Mexico where I rode over (sometimes way over) 100miles a day for a week or more straight and thoroughly enjoyed it but met other touring cyclist (in good shape) who wouldn't ride more than 50 miles per day because that's not what it was about for them.

    I think the most important thing with touring is not to set (unrealistic) goals for yourself and just to go with the flow.

    My staple foods were porridge, green tea and later in the trip (wish I'd done it from the start) eggs for breakfast, sandwiches during the day and quinoa with some kind of campfire curry or chilli for dinner. Supplemented by Cliff bars and Arizona ice teas, don't really know how to express my passion for those two products but trust me they're awesome! Both are sold in every grocery store, supermarket and gas station in America, both cost a buck and both come in loads of different flavours so you don't get bored. The coast route isn't so desolate that you have to stock up too much on food, there's a few bits in Oregon that feel pretty out there and Big Sur, south of SF, ain't exactly populous but I doubt you'll get your self into trouble.

    While I'm here, I would highly recommend AAA (an American insurance company, there's branches in every decent sized town) maps if you can get your hands on some. They're free (to customers) but you might have to sweet-talk (in your finest British accent) the employees into giving you some. They'll let you know where the state parks are and if they have camping facilities, and, in the sparse stretches, where gas stations are.

About

Avatar for Skant @Skant started