It doesn’t snow often in Parksville on Vancouver Island. So when it does, I rush out with a camera.
This is Top Bridge park. Fantastic for hiking and cycling.
Category: cycling
Lisbon, Portugal in November
I arrived Lisbon Nov. 2nd, 2021 — my birthday. During a pandemic.
My excuse was ESSENTIAL TRAVEL 😶 to get a dental implant done. Expen$ive — but excellent. And finished within 2 weeks. A dental holiday.
Click PLAY or watch highlights on YouTube. (3min)
I avoided museums and restaurant because PLAGUE — but ordered out from famed Time Out Market at least 6 times.
Tourists love Lisbon.
Fantastic street art for pretentious influencers. 😀
I stayed at Sunset Destination. Not the best hostel in town, but definitely the best located. On top of a train station transportation hub. AND they have a great rooftop patio.
I walked more than on a typical hiking day. There’s much to see. Many viewpoints to visit.
I really liked climbing the Christ statue at sunset.
I’ll be back in Lisbon next Spring to get my implant installed.
Cycling Portugal
I rode Portugal November 2021. November is considered off-season. There were very few tourists.
Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube.
Cycling Alentejo and the Algarve is very popular, especially with German tourists.
For me Alentejo was much better. Very undeveloped. Low population density.
The Algarve is overdeveloped. And not in any way more scenic.
Weather was good. But I did have one BIG rainstorm.
I mostly followed the EuroVelo 1 Atlantic Coast Route using an app called Mapy.cz recommended to me by two Polish cyclists. Other cyclists recommended RideWithGPS. I’ll try that on my next trip.
It’s not much signed. Not clear. The EV1 in France — by comparison — is well signed and much better maintained.
I was quick to go off route if something looked interesting either left or right. Ended up getting lost and having to backtrack quite often.
With a week long touring bike rental from BikeIberia here’s what I ended up doing:
Lisbon > train to Setubal > ferry to Costa de Gale
Night 1 – Small room beside a small town bar in Comporta
Night 2 – Great hostel in Porto Covo
Night 3 – Tenting near Odeceixe
Night 4 – Great hostel in Sagres (huge rain storm)
Night 5 – Sagres
Night 6 – Hostel Portimao
Night 7 – Great hostel in Faro
Cost was about 30 EUR (US$33.85) / day for 7 days. Cost / day is less if you book for longer.
That included a good bike, well maintained. Helmet, handlebar bag, 2 waterproof panniers, toolkit, spare tube, pump and lock.
BEST of all — you can drop the bike anywhere you want in Portugal and Spain at no cost. The company picks it up on your last day. Brilliant.
Click PLAY or watch an EV1 promo video on YouTube.
I’m already considering riding one of the Camino de Santiago routes in future. Perhaps Lisbon to Santiago along the coast.
I slept most nights in a hostel, the best of which was MUTE in Porto Covo, where I had started my Fisherman’s Trail hike the week prior.
I would have slept in the tent more often, BUT nights are long in November. And it was colder than I expected.
In general, I took the scenic route closest to the Atlantic.
Beaches in November are deserted.
I ate one restaurant meal a day.
Free coffee at the hostels. Or on the trail.
I’d detour to tourist attractions.
I easily finished at Faro within my 7-day rental. Probably the least charming town en route.
Small coastal villages are best for me.
I’ll be back to Portugal / Spain to rent AGAIN from the same Lisbon based company. This is the easiest way in the world to do cycle touring.
Tree to Sea Bike Touring Loop, Vancouver Island
I’m looking forward to exploring the northern half of Vancouver Island by bike.
Sometime.
I’ll do some variation of the Tree to Sea Loop, 1000-kilometres on gravel around the lesser-known areas on the north end of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. It’s 90% unpaved.
Highlights include massive valleys, oceanside villages, towering coastal mountains, and deep fjords via an impressive patchwork of forest service roads.
Right now the route requires a water taxi from Tahsis to Zeballos, which will be replaced by the Unity Trail that will eventually connect the two communities.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Birthday Party in LISBON
I’m 64-years-young on November 2nd.
I’ll be celebrating in Lisbon, Portugal. You know — the most vaccinated nation in the world? 😇
No quarantine. No covid test. BLAST. Connecting in Montreal, I was one of about 10 connecting passengers informed that we did need a Covid test before getting on the plane. I got a 20 minute test at the airport for $150. Very confusing as Portugal allows vaccinated passengers to arrive without a test on TAP airlines and others. I blame Air Transat for poor communication.
I’ll be hiking famed Fisherman’s Trail. And Seven Hanging Valleys.
Renting a touring bicycle from BikeIberia.
BUT if anyone asks, I’m there mainly looking to get some dental work done. North American dentists are the most overpaid in the world.
As usual, I’m flying to Europe on Air Transat. Cheapest by far — BUT they don’t have many flights / week.
As it happens, I celebrated my 53rd birthday in Porto, Portugal. So this is something of a re-do.
Yukon/Alaska – Packraft, Canoe, Bikepack
I’d love to do a trip like this.
Manuel Jutzeler put together an excellent video.
You must watch it on YouTube.
Weight of BIKE not important
When I started bike touring, I carried significantly more luggage than most on a somewhat heavier bike. YET I seemed to make about average mileage each day.
It’s not a race.
AND — if this video is correct — carrying 1 extra kilogram over 100 km results in only about a 2 minute time penalty.
SO — I’ll carry all the weight I want on future trips. I have a lot of capacity volume on my new bike.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Cycling Scottish “Bothies”
Alastair Humphreys likes to cycle to remote huts in Scotland.
The Mountain Bothies Association administers about 100 such huts.
“… No tap, no sink, no beds, no lights, and, even if there is a fireplace, perhaps nothing to burn …”
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Best GoPro Mounts
I’m using the GoPro Hero 7. Stabilization is quite good for an action cam.
I don’t need to upgrade to the Gopro 10.
I tried using different mounts while cycling.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
EASIEST is the handlebar mount. Turn on the GoPro whenever you might want to show the trail. Quickly remove it to use off the bike anywhere along the road.
BEST is the selfie stick. But you end up riding with only one hand. Or trying to connect a tripod to the bike.
I’m planning to use the Blendr system for the handlebar mount. Rock solid.
1st BIKEPACKING trip on my new Checkpoint
In 2020 I enjoyed 14 multi-day trips on my Ghost. The 15th in November … I didn’t enjoy quite so much.
In 2021 this is only my 2nd multi-day cycling adventure. About 90km return. Overnight camping on Horne Lake. 22 hours total.
Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube. A peaceful, windless September night.
My first overnight TEST of the Checkpoint ALR 4 with full load. Mixed trail, highway and gravel.
Checkpoint passed with flying colours.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Rick McCharles 