Thistle,
I rode a bike from Myers California Hwy 50 out of Tahoe basin over to Pacific Coast HWY to Venice, California where someone picked me up, later rode back to Santa Cruz to stay with friends than got a bike box from a bike shop, dismantled the bike into the box, got on a Grayhound back to the mountains, Harras Casino use to give your bus fare back at the Casino~I think that's about 500miles the first leg must be at least 2-300 on the way back, not sure from Los Angles to Santa Cruz.