Itinerary for Section I

High Sierra Bike and Hike: Sept. 4 - 11, 2003

Early September is a great time to join us for our second High Sierra Bike and Hike plus Climb of Mt. Whitney. This time of year has fairly stable weather conditions and an obvious lack of people in the mountains. Each day, participants will have the choice of hiking or cycling. For those who have the ambition and drive, we will culminate the trip with a hike up 14,000' Mt. Whitney, highest mountain in the continental U.S. We'll start our activities in Lee Vining and work our way south down the eastern side of the Sierra until we get to the town of Lone Pine. Cool Fall temperatures and stable winds will make almost perfect riding and hiking conditions. You will have the choice of staying in campgrounds or motels. You will find the hiking fun and the bicycle riding challenging.

Sea Kayaking Lake Chelan: May 21 - 27, 2004

Paddle the long glaciated Chelan Valley as we paddle our 3rd. Sea Kayaking Lake Chelan. The trip goes deep into the heart of the North Cascades National Park via 55 mile long Lake Chelan. We will start our journey on this ice cold 1400' deep lake at 25 Mile State Park and then paddle up and back camping along the way with possible overnight stays at the North Cascades Lodge. One layover day in Stehekin will allow you plenty of time for sight seeing and hiking. Highlights include pure drinking water, snow capped peaks, bear, mountain goats, crawly critters, and possible high winds. The small village of Stehekin offers the amenities of a café, store, and lodging. Trip is suitable for beginners with good endurance.

Sea Kayaking the Columbia - Chelan to Tri-Cities

Our home here in Chelan is located just a scant 4 miles from the mighty Columbia River. For years, we have given some thought to possibly paddling this mammoth river, starting out our own back door.…. And so now we are at last putting it on the calendar. Even though this is a river, it is not a fast free flowing body of water, except in the 51 mile Hanford Reach. The Columbia will provide us with many obstacles between Chelan and the Tri Cities Area. The most formidable set of obstacles is a series of 4 dams, each providing a different portaging problem requiring a fair amount of effort to deal with. As we approach the Columbia River Gorge, blasting winds from the west can prove to be quite daunting. Hopefully, by paddling in early Spring, we might avoid most of these brutal winds. Though the trip is not technically demanding, any paddlers contemplating joining us, must have a fair amount of will power and endurance.

Hut to Hut Hiking in New Zealand (South Island) Jan. 15 - 31, 2003

In this series of hikes on the South Island we will participate in 3 of the countries most famous Hut to Hut walks. After meeting in Queenstown, we will start with a warm-up on the well known Routeburn Track, continue on the world renown Milford Track, and finish off with probably the best maintained track of the three, The Kepler Track. . The kiwi's feel that the Milford Track is the greatest multi day hike in the world. Well … quite a claim wouldn't you say? These tracks all feature comfortable beds and cooking facilities so we won't have to carry tents or stoves. Hope you can join us for some delightful hiking "down under".

Cycling New Zealand's North Island ( 3 Sections ) Feb. 8 - Mar. 29, 2003

Early in 1999 we ran our "first ever" bicycle tour in New Zealand. The results of this first tour in The Southern Alps and a subsequent tour in 2001 were so gratifying that we are going ahead with definite plans to run a third tour where we ride around the perimeter of the North Island that is characterized by sub-tropical conditions offering us a vast range of challenging terrain and presenting us with almost countless beachside camps. Join us for any or all of the sections, so we can show you this remarkable country. New Zealand is a cyclists paradise. Friendly folks, excellent low cost campgrounds and accommodations, and unmatched scenery make this a trip you don't want to miss. We will carry your gear, provide maps, and pay for your camping fees. We can also book you inexpensive cabins.

Cycling New Zealand's South Island - ( 5 Sections ) Winter 2004.

Join Sue and me as we put on our fourth Cycling New Zealand trip, in a land of awesome beauty and friendly people. We have divided this ride into five sections … so you can ride any or all of them. The ride does a rough circle around the island in a clockwise direction starting and finishing in Christchurch. On this journey, we carry your gear, provide you with campsites and sometimes cabins, act as guides, and help keep your bikes running smoothly.

Cycling the Alps (Austria, Switzerland, Italy - 4 Sections) June-July, 2004

Three years ago, Sue and I did a solo "Cycling in the Alps" through Austria, Switzerland, and N. Italy … kind of a dream come true for us. The most incredible cycling scenery everywhere we rode … I had seen pictures of the Alps, but until we had the experience, it was hard to believe that anyplace could be so beautiful. We were carrying all our own gear and though it was a delightful experience, we often wished we had a van along to carry all our gear up all those mountain grades. Well, we have decided that if we get a bunch of riders together, we can do exactly that. In addition to the van, we'll provide route maps, campsites, and optional hostel lodging. You can sign up for any or all of the sections. We'll start in Innsbruck for Section I and follow the Inn and Danube rivers to Geneva. Section II has us following a southern route through rural Austria and features a visit to Hohe Tauern National Park. Section III puts us into Switzerland and a whole bunch of climbing. The highlight of this section is a visit to Grindelwald and the infamous Eiger. Our last section will be the most challenging and features a visit to Zermatt and the Matterhon as well as ascents of some of Europes most famous passes.

Cycling Mexico's Pacific Coast (Feb. 3 - Mar. 3, 2005)

Sue and I have ridden the Baja part of Mexico many times as part of our winter get-away from snow laden Chelan. We have enjoyed our trips in Baja, but have always wondered what it was like to travel on the other side of the Sea of Cortez on the mainland of Mexico. This year, we take the plunge by flying to the southern city of Oaxaca where we start our journey north to Mazatlan by first riding over an 8,000' pass through a mountainous region to the coast. After that, we hope to visit a series of coastal towns and beach communities, including the large resorts of Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta, alternating between camping and inexpensive hotel lodging. We will feed ourselves through a combination of stores, cafes, and cooking in camp. We have never traveled here, but from our research, it would appear that we can expect somewhat alternating tropical and desert conditions. Even though it is the middle of the North American winter, mild and warm temperatures should be the norm, due to our position in the southern latitudes. Sue and I have never been in this part of Mexico, so it will likely be a true adventure for all of us. There will be no sag support ……. all riders must be hardy individuals willing to carry all their own equipment.

Cycle the Eastern Sierra: June ?, 2005

How about an early season bicycle tour on the scenic roads of the Eastern Sierra .. This is a sag supported bicycle tour starting in Bishop, CA that takes us on a giant loop on little known roads to the North. We start this little adventure by heading to Benton Hot Springs for our first camp. From Benton we head west and then north for a stop in Lee Vining, the gateway to Yosemite. For those with still a little pep in their legs, Tioga Pass lays in wait. Heading north you will ride into an unpopulated portion of western Nevada and then back into California where we will encamp at Grover Hot Springs near Markleeville, home of the famous "Markleeville Death Ride." The ride from Markleeville takes us over impressive Monitor Pass, down to Hwy. 395, and then onto Bridgeport where we will camp under towering "Matterhorn Peak" at Twin Lakes. Our last camp will be at the mountain resort town of Mammoth Lakes before finishing our last short day to Bishop.