Day 1

Meeting our leaders and trip mates in the bustling Portland airport, it's easy to get the feeling that our adventure is already underway. We'll play games to get to know each other better and once everyone has arrived, it's a short journey to our first campsite on the idyllic Oregon Coast. On our first evening together, we'll enjoy a welcoming dinner and then crawl into our tents early in anticipation of the next morning's activities.

Days 2-3

These first full days of our adventure will be spent getting acquainted with each other, our new environment, our bicycles and the breathtaking scenery along the sandy Oregon Coast. We'll be traveling through some of the most scenic coastline in the lower-48, and we'll soon find that the best way to appreciate this wonderful environment is on our bicycles.

Days 4-10

While initially, we'll start out with short, introductory cycling days to allow our legs time to get in shape, our minds and our bodies will soon get used to the pleasures of bicycle travel. Pushing out from the sleepy, fjord-like tidal shores near the Columbia River, we'll come to our beach-side campsites each afternoon on the shores of the Pacific Ocean – enjoying the first of countless sunswept beaches that will greet us as we make our way towards the Golden Gate Bridge. We'll mark the end of each ride with afternoon swims, hearty dinners and sunsets over the Pacific as we make our way south.

Days 11-12

Stretching our arms a bit (and giving our legs a much deserved rest) we'll plunge into the exciting waves of the Pacific Ocean for an action-packed two-day surfing adventure. Learning to surf from the careful instruction of local guides, we'll have endless summer days of splashing, swimming and floating in these inspiring waters.

Days 13-17

As we make our way south towards California, the country becomes more remote and scenic – hosting lazy open fields of natural grassland and dunes that buttress up against the dramatic cliffs of the Pacific Coast. Of course, we'll take time out for rest days when we'll have an opportunity to take care of necessities like laundry and also take in exciting natural and recreational sites like the fabled sea lion caves and Oregon Sand Dunes National Recreation Area.

Days 18-22

Proudly crossing the border into California, we'll pedal into the dark forests of the fabled redwood empire. Once a center for the logging industry, the Humboldt region of Northern California hosts the last remaining specimens of giant, old growth redwoods. These fabled trees have the circumference of a small house. Many are large enough (and have been carved to allow) cars to pass right through them. On our bicycles, we'll pedal the breathtaking Avenue of the Giants which traverses through the most magnificent parts of these ancient forests. At night we'll sleep under the shelter of 1000-year-old branches.

Days 23-25

We'll notice our excited chatter centers almost exclusively on one thing: the Golden Gate Bridge. In fact the orange color of the bridge was selected by consulting architect Irving Marrow to represent the natural surrounding beauty of the Marin Headlands, through which we'll make our final approach (along Point Reyes National Seashore) toward this iconographic piece of architecture and the ceremonial conclusion of our journey.

Days 26-28

You'll feel every bit as proud, excited and happy as you imagined as you cross under the massive steel towers and over the second longest suspension bridge main span in the United States. While the anticipated conclusion of our journey ends at the San Francisco city limits, we'll spend the next day in this cultural capital, visiting important sites and celebrating that evening with our end-of-adventure feast before saying a tearful goodbye and boarding our flights home the next morning at the final conclusion of what is sure to be one of the greatest experiences of your life.