by Steve Rubenstein

It is possible to ride a bicycle from San Francisco to Los Angeles wearing a single pair of bike shorts.

It might even be a world record. My teenage son and I did it. Seven days and one pair of bike shorts apiece.

"Where's all your stuff?'' my wife asked, as the teenager and I set off the other morning on our tandem bicycle, southbound on Highway 1. There was no time to explain. The less you take the more you leave behind, and leaving things behind is as good a reason for setting off as any.

It was an ideal time to ride a tandem bicycle to Los Angeles -- traffic was light, skies were clear and my son was 13. At that age, he is old enough to turn the pedals with vigor yet not too old to spend a week in the company of his old man. It was a key bit of scheduling, more important than reserving the motel rooms, even.

The scenery commenced immediately and did not let up all week.

Finding their rhythm on a Highway 1 tandem trip continued