Most of the trip has already been beautifully mapped out by the folks behind Central California Cycling. You may remember that we used their suggested route to go to Modesto and found it to be fabulous. I'm trusting their judgement again and we're riding to Chico. Unfortunately, Jose won't have enough time off to do something epic like this for awhile. I went back and forth about bringing anyone else into the trip and came to the conclusion that this is going to be mama and Big Brother time. The route is flat, we're breaking it up into two days up, two days back with a day of rest in the middle. It's close enough that if we have any problems, we can easily call for help. If we don't make it all the way, no worries, we're just doing our best. Big Brother is the most patient little guy I know and as long as we bring plenty of dinosaur books, he'll be happy. I'm not ready to try to bring both boys on my own yet but I'll make sure that Little Brother gets a little overnight of his own in the near future.
My bike of choice for this ride is the Mundo, of course. I already know that I can go long distances on it (90 miles in a day!) and it can hold plenty of gear (not that we'll need a ton since we're hoping to link up with Warmshowers hosts). The deck gives Big Brother two seating options: holding on when he wants to be involved and working, tucked into the Peanut Shell when he wants a rest/read a book/eat a snack.
We're basically set to go already (although we have some time). The only things I think we would need are another Baguette for storage and wheelskirt-like protection, finally installing a thick tube and tire liner for the front wheel (like the one already in the rear), one of these handy little Mundo multitools from Antload in Portland to deal with Mundo-specific repairs, and a quick tune-up from Tim over at Practical Cycle to make sure everything is tip top. We've already made contact with a lovely couple outside Marysville and hoping to hear back from someone in Chico to find a place to stay. It would be easier than camping in January and bringing extra gear and much cheaper than finding a little motel (although that's not out of the question, if needed).
I am so excited!