This a follow-up post by Casey, Northern California climate educator and avid cyclist.

In just a few days I’ll be in Fortuna, the starting point of the Climate Ride California. Where am I now? Camping on the bank of the amazingly beautiful Rogue River in Oregon. As I write this, my trusty touring bike is taking a rest propped against an old Douglas fir tree next to our tent as pasta cooks on the camp stove.

My fiancé and riding partner, Matt, and I are cycling our way from the Bend area after attending a friend’s wedding last Saturday. We hatched this plan after realizing we would be driving from San Francisco to Central Oregon and back one weekend, then half as far again for the Climate Ride the next weekend. But what if we could just cycle the distance between them during the week in between those two events?

Grateful to get the time off we needed from our work at the Headlands Institute, we rented a car (ok, an SUV) one-way and threw our bikes and camping gear in the back. Considering that each mile driven in a car releases a little less than a pound of carbon dioxide, we calculated that we are saving about 800 pounds of carbon dioxide by biking to the start of the Climate Ride from Bend. While this sounds like a ton (literally it’s a third of a ton!) of carbon, you could save the same amount by avoiding just 15 miles of driving per week over the course of a year. Check out 2milechallenge.com and set up a quick profile to track how many pounds of carbon dioxide you avoid emitting every time you hop on a bike; it’s easy and helps nonprofits win grant money too!

Just as important as the environmental sustainability is the fact that we are having a load of fun exploring the backroads of our route. Traveling by bicycle allows us to notice the details of the surrounding landscape with all of our senses while moving slowly enough to soak it all in. Today I was keenly aware of the microclimates of the different ages of forest I passed through, as well as the unique scents associated with each. I never would have engaged my body and mind with the scenery in this way from the seat of a car. While cycle-touring, as it’s called, is certainly challenging at times, the sense of accomplishment I feel at the end of the day for the distance I covered makes it all worthwhile. I appreciate my destination more because I worked hard to get there.

During the Climate Ride, over a hundred other people we be coming together to explore the California coast from the seat of a bicycle. They will be making their own discoveries as well-about themselves, the environment, and bicycles. I can’t wait to meet my fellow Climate Riders and share this life-changing experience with them along the way. I hope you too will follow along on as I continue to write about my ride!