Sustainable living tour in Oregon
| country: | USA |
| location: | Oregon |
| trip type: | Introductory cycling holidays |
| departures: | 2008: 31 Aug |
| price: | From US $395 - US $1290 (8 days) excluding flights. Please contact us regarding bike rental if necessary. This Oregon cycling vacation can be combined with our 1 or 2 week valley trips, please contact us for details. |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Rugged Coast Sustainability Tour
Oregon's world-renowned Coastal Scenic Bike Route follows legendary Route 101's twists and turns. We will visit organic farms, a land trust, a visionary community school, camp along the ocean, and more!
The reality of host logistics makes it impossible to absolutely confirm an itinerary but we have a list of planned activities including working and sleeping under the stars at an organic farm, inspired by its visionary owner, and get your hands dirty working side-by-side with stakeholders at a coastal land trust.
On this sustainability tour we plan to join the incredibly hardworking staff at CARE, a Tillamook food bank, helping with community gardens and learning about the hunger problems that hurt small coastal towns. There will be the opportunity to go sea kayaking, visit the Sitka Center for Arts and Ecology (a unique refuge that bridges art, nature, and humanity in an inspirational, beautiful setting), stay at a community school in a former dairy barn (that will redefine your notion of schooling and education) and hike coastal trails viewing some of the most spectacular coastline in the world.
Route & mileage: Riders are shuttled to the coast, where we will ride south along the coast to Neskowin. From here, we will head east through the Coast Range and into the Willamette Valley before heading north to Portland. Shorter rides along the route will allow us to meet with hosts. The first few days will be low mileage (10-30 miles/day), with some non-biking days and shorter ride days between host locations. Mileage on the trips will increase, with the final days averaging ~50 miles per day. Total mileage ~210 miles.
Included with your tour package: A comprehensive training preceding the trip (which covers bike maintenance, safety, the areas we'll be visiting, and basic group dynamics), service projects with hosts working on sustainability & progressive thinking, and three balanced & nutritious meals daily that are mostly locally-sourced, organic and vegan during both the training and the length of the ride. Please note that we do stop at restaurants along the way to satisfy meat eaters & non-vegans! There will be a Support-and-Gear (SAG) vehicle that carries all group and individual gear except that needed on the road with riders (snacks, water, camera, patch kits, etc.) and comprehensive directions and maps of the route.
To see our valley route vacations, click here.
Our sustainability tour is unlike any other - the people, the places we visit, and the things we talk about. Intrinsically political, it nourishes a fire of hope, inspiring riders to work towards making their own communities thrive. Many of our past riders have called the experience 'sacred'.
Each tour starts out with a full-day training, that gets riders introduced, covers basic bike mechanic and touring safety skills, and provides other bits needed to make a successful tour. Bright and early the next morning, we hit the road, supported by a gear van that carries most of the riders' gear.
Our riders quickly form an impromptu on-the-road intentional community, with the facilitators provide very minimal group facilitation, letting things flow naturally. With the usual diversity, an incredible dynamic usually ensues together with campfire discussions where one is just as likely to hear about permaculture as a chat about situation in middle east or about the advantages of solar and wind energy.
On this tour, roughly a third to half the time is spent cycling, the other time spent at host sites, doing service projects, in discussions, and simply chilling out. We also offer a number of extra options on our tours, such as kayaking and various activities in Eugene. The group quickly comes to function as a self-sustaining pod on wheels seeking higher meaning, authenticity and community, as the ropes are learned.
Oregon's world-renowned Coastal Scenic Bike Route follows legendary Route 101's twists and turns. We will visit organic farms, a land trust, a visionary community school, camp along the ocean, and more!
The reality of host logistics makes it impossible to absolutely confirm an itinerary but we have a list of planned activities including working and sleeping under the stars at an organic farm, inspired by its visionary owner, and get your hands dirty working side-by-side with stakeholders at a coastal land trust.
On this sustainability tour we plan to join the incredibly hardworking staff at CARE, a Tillamook food bank, helping with community gardens and learning about the hunger problems that hurt small coastal towns. There will be the opportunity to go sea kayaking, visit the Sitka Center for Arts and Ecology (a unique refuge that bridges art, nature, and humanity in an inspirational, beautiful setting), stay at a community school in a former dairy barn (that will redefine your notion of schooling and education) and hike coastal trails viewing some of the most spectacular coastline in the world.
Route & mileage: Riders are shuttled to the coast, where we will ride south along the coast to Neskowin. From here, we will head east through the Coast Range and into the Willamette Valley before heading north to Portland. Shorter rides along the route will allow us to meet with hosts. The first few days will be low mileage (10-30 miles/day), with some non-biking days and shorter ride days between host locations. Mileage on the trips will increase, with the final days averaging ~50 miles per day. Total mileage ~210 miles.
Included with your tour package: A comprehensive training preceding the trip (which covers bike maintenance, safety, the areas we'll be visiting, and basic group dynamics), service projects with hosts working on sustainability & progressive thinking, and three balanced & nutritious meals daily that are mostly locally-sourced, organic and vegan during both the training and the length of the ride. Please note that we do stop at restaurants along the way to satisfy meat eaters & non-vegans! There will be a Support-and-Gear (SAG) vehicle that carries all group and individual gear except that needed on the road with riders (snacks, water, camera, patch kits, etc.) and comprehensive directions and maps of the route.
To see our valley route vacations, click here.
what's this all about?
Our sustainability tour is unlike any other - the people, the places we visit, and the things we talk about. Intrinsically political, it nourishes a fire of hope, inspiring riders to work towards making their own communities thrive. Many of our past riders have called the experience 'sacred'.
Each tour starts out with a full-day training, that gets riders introduced, covers basic bike mechanic and touring safety skills, and provides other bits needed to make a successful tour. Bright and early the next morning, we hit the road, supported by a gear van that carries most of the riders' gear.
Our riders quickly form an impromptu on-the-road intentional community, with the facilitators provide very minimal group facilitation, letting things flow naturally. With the usual diversity, an incredible dynamic usually ensues together with campfire discussions where one is just as likely to hear about permaculture as a chat about situation in middle east or about the advantages of solar and wind energy.
On this tour, roughly a third to half the time is spent cycling, the other time spent at host sites, doing service projects, in discussions, and simply chilling out. We also offer a number of extra options on our tours, such as kayaking and various activities in Eugene. The group quickly comes to function as a self-sustaining pod on wheels seeking higher meaning, authenticity and community, as the ropes are learned.
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.how this holiday makes a difference
 We believe that in order to affect sustainable changes, we must integrate our ideals into our daily lives. On this sustainable tour, by exploring Oregon on our bicycles, we will be demonstrating the use of the bike as a sustainable transportation alternative, while pedal-powering ourselves to communities that are actively living, breathing, and teaching viable solutions to environmentally degrading lifestyles. Our riders are exposed to a variety of diverse issues, from homelessness to organic farming, through hands-on service projects, and incredible forums with engaging speakers who are hands-on leaders of the global sustainability movement. We go to great lengths to source our food as sustainably and as locally as possible (mostly vegan and organic). Last summer, all of our food was sourced through a local food cooperative. We strongly prefer work with locally-owned small businesses for our sourcing and we work with local tour operators to offer optional day trips during our rest days. We contribute to the local economies in the areas where we travel by offering our riders a wide range of optional meals at local restaurants (emphasizing vegan options whenever possible). Whenever possible, we select support/gear vehicles powered by B-100 biodiesel fuel and in partnership with our hosts, we recycle and compost. "Leave no trace" ethics are used whenever camping. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |