Food for 5, Beer for 1

It's been striking to me how little has been written on the Adventure Cycling blog about one of the key elements of bike travel: food! So much about gear, emotions, places — but what about the carbs, flavors, and recipes? It's been six weeks since we vaulted into our Pacific Coast tour and we've eaten well (this isn't Antarctica, after all) — but with three weeks to go, we're still hankering after some great meals to be cooked on a Whisperlite. We've come up with ideas for linguine with lemon garlic cream sauce and pasta calvafiore — but please post some new recipes!

I've gotten used to carrying about 24 to 36 hours' worth (or 25 to 35 pounds) of food for a family of five, but it is challenging — and doubly difficult to stick with my principled decision to carry bottled craft beer instead of canned mass-produced beer. Still, it's been an interesting experiment to see which beers taste best after warming for one or two days at about eight inches above the pavement in a Burley Nomad (winner so far: Downtown Brown from Lost Coast Brewery).

Just as important, food-wise, is finding great places to eat and drink along the way. The following list is decidedly random and subjective, but what the heck? Fire away with your additional comments.

Bakeries produce an important cycling consumption category. For you, dear reader, we have eaten many pastries, apple fritters, and breads to do the proper research. Our consensus so far is that four bakeries make the cut as awesome: Farm-To-Market in Edison, WA (all-time greatest cinnamon rolls, with decadent cream-cheese frosting); Tomales Bakery in Tomales, CA (pesto twists to die for, if you ask my daughters); Blue Scorcher in Astoria, OR (ethereal bear claws and a cool vibe, plus nice owner Joe); and Arizmendi in San Francisco (fantastic focaccia, and try the wolverine loaf or seeded baguettes dipped in the bakery's homemade hummus).


Same with breweries. I have gone to many (from Rogue Brewery to Pelican Pub; my daughters aren't involved here) and consumed plenty of brews. At the top of my list is the excellent Fort George Brewery in Astoria. I enjoyed their porter, stout, and Vortex IPA (it did suck me in).


So many more eateries and libations to describe, but the following are a few standouts. Best Mexican: La Fiesta in Crescent City, CA. Best farm: Swanton's in Davenport, CA (with outrageous olallieberry pie — and cyclists get a 10 percent discount when they ride in!). Best fish and chips: tough call, but my daughter Lucy says Bowpicker, in Astoria — set in a real "bowpicker" boat and featuring crispy albacore and impeccable fries. Overall, the family calls it a tie with Fairhaven Fish and Chips in Bellingham, WA. Best ice cream: tie (so far) between Tillamook for their big, sweet, honking all-American scoops and Humphry Slocombe in San Francisco for the most creative (I liked their "secret breakfast," made with bourbon and corn flakes).

Are you salivating yet? Please share your best eating ideas for the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route (especially south of Santa Cruz, where we happen to be), or for any dang place in North America. Our stomachs and taste buds will thank you!

Photos courtesy of Jim Sayer. Top: post-fish and chips at Bowpicker; Center: what was left of the cinnamon rolls from Farm-to-Market; Bottom: the beer selection at Fort George Brewery in Astoria.

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Jim Sayer is executive director of Adventure Cycling Association.