Lake Ontario 2025 - Part 2
The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures
Release Date: 06/26/2025
The 2025 Holiday Spectacular
The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures
Shifty the Elf returns for the annual holiday spectacular! 2025 was... a year. And as Shifty and I pack up for Seattle, there's a bunch of things we're going through and boxing up as we bid adieu to the year! Happy Holidays and see you in 2026!
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Honolulu and Seattle
The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures
A walk along Elliot Bay to discuss the short trip to Honolulu and more on the transition to Seattle and all the bikey adventures to come. Honolulu and Seattle A walk along Elliot Bay Honolulu thoughts More Seattle impressions N+1 thoughts on bikes
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Pedalshift's New Basecamp
The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures
Big news for the show: The Pedalshift Project is setting up camp in a new city! This episode breaks down what that means for future tours, how this opens up brand-new riding possibilities, and why the destination may be a bit of a surprise and also not a surprise at all. My new home: Seattle! Why? This move is all about geography, access, and expanding the Pedalshift touring sandbox. Seattle places world-class touring terrain right outside the door and increases the show’s ability to cover more routes, more often. And yes—this is a return to the broader PNW. Think of it as a new...
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Best of Pedalshift 291: Working Remotely on Bike Adventures
The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures
It used to be that a bike adventure meant taking paid time off or quitting your job. Now that remote work is a reality for many of us, there’s a new option. But is bike travel while working remotely right for you? Originally podcast July 28, 2022.
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Thanksgiving Eve Live
The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures
A repodcast of our Thanksgiving Eve live show: following up on your comments on the state of bicycle touring, plus a bunch of great questions in an Ask Me Anything segment! Followup: Is Bicycle Touring in Decline? More emails on this than any topic in a while. Some selected thoughts from listeners: Regarding ACA Multiple listeners: Could ACA be losing older members in its attempts to expand into younger audiences, but worse… might not be succeeding on either front? It’s hard to do both, and that’s the challenge… you need to find what drives your constituencies and sometimes you...
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Is Bicycle Touring in Decline?
The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures
Bicycle touring numbers feel like they’re down—fewer loaded panniers on the road, Adventure Cycling Association facing major financial headwinds, and a lot of long-time tourers quietly aging out. But is touring actually in decline, or is it just shifting into something that looks different—like bikepacking, gravel, and shorter, more flexible trips? In this episode I dig into Adventure Cycling’s recent membership and financial update, talk through generational and economic trends, and explore whether we’re seeing the end of an era… or just the end of one version of it. Is Bicycle...
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Bike Adventure Goals Scorecard
The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures
Way back in January - and what feels like ten years ago to me - I set out a bunch of bicycle adventure goals for me in 2025. In a challenging year, I wasn't sure how I'd measure up but as I always like to do, I gave the goals a once over to see how I did. So on this episode we give it a scorecard treatment, but also a sneak preview of the final piece of 2025 adventuring that manages to check one of the boxes! 2025 Bike Adventure Goals Scorecard Celebrating plans already made, and taking care of yourself Sort of? A big ebike trip – maybe two. Taking the bike on a ride only the ebike can do…...
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Best of Pedalshift 249: Solo Touring Women
The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures
A chat with Sylva Florence, an experienced bicycle tourist and author of many things (including her blog The Sylva Lining) on touring as a solo woman, how people who want to be allies to solo women touring can do that without being creepy, and some of her favorite adventures. .
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The Ultralight Challenge
The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures
What if you could tour with just what fits in a single dry bag? No panniers. Just the essentials. On this episode, we take this as a challenge - borrowing from the ultralight backpacking folks, we cut off our toothbrush handles and weigh every gram for the ultralight bikepacking challenge! “What if you could tour with just what fits in your handlebar bag? No panniers. No rack. Just the essentials.” Why: curiosity, simplicity, nimble handling, testing limits for overnighters or credit card touring. Rules: one mid-size drybag (say 10–12L). No extra frame or seat bags. Trip assumptions:...
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A Game of Chance Revisited
The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures
We're bringing back one of the wackiest ideas in Pedalshift history — the Game of Chance! Using random number generators and the excellent Adventure Cycling Association routes, it's an unpredictable coast-to-coast bike tour from the Pacific to the Atlantic. When every turn is determined by chance the results are... surprisingly awesome? In This Episode: Revisiting the “Game of Chance” touring experiment from 2021 Using randomness to pick routes across ACA’s national network Riding (and re-riding) the Pacific Coast, Northern Tier, Lewis & Clark, TransAm, and more ...
info_outlineEpisode 404? Isn’t 404 a website error? Well part 2 of the Lake Ontario adventure corrects for the very serious 404 we had with the ebike. Still a mystery, but we’re recovering and adventuring by bike in amazing towns like Sodus Point and Oswego, exploring apple orchard memories and historic nuclear power plants in between.
Lake Ontario 2025 - Part 2
Abandoning the E-Bike Dream (For Now)
The electric bike project is benched due to reliability issues
Reflections on bike trust, touring logistics, and rethinking the approach
New trip plan: use the RAV4 Prime to support bike day rides
Pre-Booked Lodging Dilemma
All lodging was pre-booked and non-refundable
How that shifted priorities to maximize the trip by driving to each spot
The “acoustic” bike becomes the tour hero
Day One Route & Destination
Base: North of Webster, NY
Original plan scrapped; new mission: mini bike adventures in each locale
Exploring route options en route to Oswego, NY
Riding Past a Nuclear Legacy
Passing the Ginna Nuclear Power Plant on Lake Road
A personal memory and historical reflection on the 1982 radioactive steam release
Commentary on U.S. nuclear energy anxiety vs. European acceptance
Beechwood State Park to Sodus Point Ride
Decides to ride directly from Sodus Point due to better parking and facilities
Observations of the ride: comfortable unloaded, with scenic lake views
Reflections on Sodus Point, tiki bars, and surprisingly modern homes
A Sentimental Apple Orchard Memory
Flashback to camping with dad in a lakeside orchard
Emotional moment recalling powdered milk, childhood camping trips, and family history
Reflection on development replacing orchards with McMansions
Lunch, Tiki Bars, and Town Vibes
Tiki bar surprise: Jack’s Good Time Tavern!
Bike parking logistics and electric vehicle charging frustrations
Exploring local businesses
Bonus Ride to Sodus Point Beach Park
Beautiful weather, sandy beach, and kite-filled skies
Soaking in the views with the acoustic bike and good mic in tow
Ferry Fiasco Averted
Critical discovery: the expected ferry from Oswego isn’t operating
Realization: the whole trip could’ve collapsed if not for the car-based pivot
Learning: Always confirm ferry schedules
Oswego River + Downtown Bike Loop
Late-day ride along Oswego’s waterfront and Cahill Pier
Thoughts on Oswego’s economic history, SUNY Oswego, and bike-friendly waterfront
Scenic photo ops with a sailboat and lighthouse
Infrastructure Observations
Comments on visible power plants, nuclear and traditional
Reflections on energy production, environment, and how the infrastructure shapes the town
Memory-Making in Motion
How a disappointing start turned into a meaningful, flexible, and scenic experience
New appreciation for blending car support with bike touring
Looking ahead: next stop, Canada – via car, not ferry
Statistics
Miles biked 10
Nuclear power plants 2
Tiki bars in Sodus Point 2
Kite flying festivals attended 1
Misidentified rivers 1
Flats 0