Brian Ohlen

Pacific Coast

Home

Overview
Segment 1 185 mi Vancouver, BC
Segment 2 335 mi Bremerton, WA
Segment 3 522 mi Astoria, OR
Segment 4 710 mi Florence, OR
Segment 5 867 mi Crescent City, CA
Segment 6 1046 mi Garberville, CA
Segment 7 1105 mi Tomales, CA
Segment 8 1223 mi San Francisco, CA
Segment 9 1379 mi Monterey, CA
Segment 10 1490 mi San Luis Obispo, CA
Segment 11 1610 mi Santa Barbara, CA
Segment 12 1743 mi Long Beach, CA
Pre-Ride Prep 0 mi Home
Vancouver, Canada 387 mi Tillamook, OR
Portland, OR 328 mi Crescent City, CA
Crescent City, CA 276 mi Gualala, CA
Gualala, CA 190 mi Santa Cruz, CA
Monterey, CA 322 mi Venice, CA
Venice, CA 147 mi Mexico/US Border
Port Angeles, 148 mi Bellingham, WA
Forks, WA 175 mi Bellingham, WA
Olympic 150 mi Penninsula
Aberdeem, WA 207 mi Newport, OR
Newport, WA 122 mi Bandon, OR
Bandon, OR 178 mi McKinleyville, CA
McKinleyville, CA 152 mi Westport, CA
Westport, CA 261 mi Santa Cruz, CA
Santa Cruz, CA 164 mi Morro Bay, CA
Morro Bay, CA 300 mi Encinitas, CA

Pre-Ride Prep Just about a year ago, I stumbled upon the Blackburn Ranger website, and the idea of a bike-fishing trip down the coast was born. The time since being accepted as a Ranger has flown by, yet the trip has always seemed more of an idea than a reality. With less than two days until departure, things are starting to get real!

The bike is ready to go (I hope), with a few recent changes: plastic pedals are less of a heat sink than aluminum, pogies to keep hands warm and dry, a 38 tooth chainring for easier climbing up hills, new chain, and fenders because apparently it rains on the west coast. For the past few months, I've been working on the gear list. The list has now materialized into a pile occupying the spare bedroom. It consists of not only biking gear, but also an entire pannier of fly fishing gear that will enable me to steelhead fish as I travel down the coast.

It's been a long time since Dad taught me how to tie my first fly, but it wasn’t until recently that I’ve perfected some of the funnest bugs in my fly-box. I've enjoyed tying these huge, outrageously colored steelhead flies, and have been feverishly whipping up a whole flotilla of Intruders for the bike-fish trip. It's been a 2 year learning process, but I've finally improved my technique well enough that I'm pretty happy with the final product.

All this winter weather has got me a little worried about what I’m going to find on the coast. I’m prepared for rain, but snow and ice will be challenging. My web browser has been pointed towards weather reports and webcams on the Olympic Peninsula, and I’m hoping for the best. Looks like sunshine and rainbows tomorrow (one can always hope).

- Pre-Ride Photos -

- Pacific Coast Milestones -

Brian Ohlen

Gear List

- My Ride -

- My Favorite Blackburn Gear -

CENTRAL 700 FRONT $99.99 View Lights
OUTPOST FRONT WORLD TOURING RACK $99.99 Buy Now
OUTPOST C02 CUPPED INFLATOR WITH CARTRIDGE $22.99 Buy Now
OUTPOST CARGO CAGE $24.99 View Cages

- Brian's entire bike specs and gear list coming soon! -

Brian Ohlen

FROM: Cody, Wyoming
DOB: 2016-01-01
Married
OCCUPATION: Bicycle Mechanic

What was the genesis moment or inspiration for your upcoming adventure? Realizing that biking from Canada to Mexico along the Pacific Coast would give me the perfect opportunity to fly fish for steelhead. Why not bike-fish my way down the coast?

Have you traveled by bike in the past? Yep. Mostly off road and gravel tours. The best ones lead to a fishing stream or hunting destination.

What is your goal for the route? I'd love to catch a steelhead in each of the three state's I'll travel through. Three fish doesn't sound like much, but those buggers are hard to catch!

What do you hope to get out of this journey? This trip will provide the type of physical and mental challenge that I crave. One that leads towards the discovery of amazing places, people, and coastal streams.