Just details

Day 18

I was sick and tired of being blasted by the wind so I woke up early and hit the road a little before 7am.  My plan was to stop in the first town I passed and buy some food, coffee and snacks for the road.  Weeeeelllll, the first three towns were essentially closed, no food, no water and nobody there.  I rode for three hours before I came to a town with any provisions!  I pulled up to Jenner, CA and ate two AMAZING eggs, drank coffee and inhaled water.  Then I headed out.  I was psyched and in a great mood.  I had big plans.  I figured if I was feeling good I would all the way to San Francisco in a day.  The night before leaving I was talking to a fellow road warrior on his way to Maryland (WOW) and he told me, "once you get to Point Reyes, you are close, then once you can see The Bridge…it's just details."   Just details.  I like that.  So with motivation excitement and the challenge of my longest day ever I rolled through town after town.  I stopped to eat two Lunchables® and kept pushing.  Riding along Tomales bay I found new strength with the wind at my back!  I was holding a 20mph pace up and down hills.  I arrived in Point Reyes at about 2pm!  I was psyched!  "You are close," I told myself.  I was, but I wasn't.  Point Reyes is still a 40 mile ride from my destination.  On Sir Francis Drake Rd. I realized why most people don't ride true road bikes when they tour.  I thought my poor bike was going to get ripped in half by potholes.  The road wound through towns for ages and I began to get tired, really tired.  I stopped a few times to finish my granola bars and the Snickers bar I was saving for when I really ran out of energy.  

Finally, I made it to Suasalito and got my first glimpse of the bay!  It was a beautiful sight…seriously I was awestruck.  I had only seen one Target in 20 days time, San Francisco was HUGE.  With the direction and help of a few commuters I found my way on to THE Golden Gate Bridge.  I could not stop smiling.  The wind was howling, I mean ripping across the bridge.  I would guess 30+ mph winds.  I biked slow and stopped a couple times to take in some views.  Once across the bridge I stopped by Planet Granite, the local gym to see if i could hop though the shower, but got no love.  I am not going to pay $16 to take a shower!  No big deal, I rolled my chipper self to Ghirardelli Square, dodging tourists and enjoying every second.  I met up with Ben Williams at Wattle Creek's incredible tasting room where I sampled wine to my hearts content.  By good fortune Laurel was headed to San Francisco that night for a Job interview, so I met up with her and her cousin.  We had a few drinks and then crashed at a friends house!  

It was the perfect ending to the perfect day.  I didn't take many pictures this day.  All I did was ride and ride hard.  When it was all said and done I had covered 120 miles and averaged 14.0 mph.  I had never even ridden 100miles in a day, so my first century was 120miles, on my 9th day riding culminating with a trip over the Golden Gate Bridge and an incredible night that followed.  

Here are a few stats I am quite proud of:

Day10: 77miles

Day11: 84miles

Day12: 78miles

Day13: 82miles

day14: 80miles 

day15: 65miles

Day16: 87miles and I climbed 8,641 feet on this day!!!

Day17: 65miles

Day18: 120miles!!!!  Including 5000+ feet of climbing.

Total ~735miles.  Miles/day~82.  Average speed ~14mph.

I have put together some of my favorite pictures from this past 9 days and posted them here:

PHOTOS

Also here is a movie I threw together.  I met a guy named Mike on the road.  We shared a campsite outside of Fort Bragg.  He is a nice kid and a great musician so I was treated to some good music that night.  I was able to snag a small sound bite of him singing and playing his guitar (which rode on the back of his bike).  In the movie the song that starts out is Dolly Parton, Jolene…then Mike takes over singing his version of the country classic.  Enjoy!

Day 15 and 16

Day 15

A big day!  

Today I set out from Hidden Springs CG and I had a plan.  I was going to ride 20 miles, eat.  Then ride another 20miles, eat, this would put me at the base of the Leggett Grade.  Then I would climb, drop down, climb, drop down then eat again.  That is pretty much exactly what I did!  All in all it was an 85miles day and I climbed over 3500 feet of hills!  I was psyched.  

The climbs were hard, but not too bad.  I just kept my head down and kept pedaling!  I had stressed about these climbs since I first learned of them.  I don't really have a lot to say other than I was quite happy to have made it!  

Once I get consistent internet I will give you some stats on the climbing and milage.  But to give you some perspective…There is an elevation indicator in my book.  The 2000 foot hill and the 700 foot hill definitely register.  However at the end of the ride, ~mile 80, there was a hill about the size of Torrey Pines, it BARELY made a blip.  Now add 40 lbs to your bike, consider you have biked 500+ miles this week add a touch of a headwind and some rain…however I do stop and eat, rest my legs and my average speed for the whole day was 12.2mph.  Not sure if that helps give some perspective, but its all I can do from here. :)  At the end of the day I was riding on a high!  The Lost Coast of CA on my right and beautiful vista after beautiful vista kept me rolling to my campsite.  Twas a good day.  A good day indeed.  

I met up with Mike a fellow cyclist and we shared the hiker biker site.  He is a talented musician so I was lucky enough to have music in camp while we talked about our travels.  

Day 16

Remember all that stuff I mentioned about yesterday being long and hard…well I feel it today!  My arms are tired, my hands hurt, my butt is sore and my legs, my legs just don't wanna climb hills.  Today was tame by my current standards, a mere 65 miles and no major hills.  However, today turned out to be one of the toughest days I have had!  The prevailing winds today were out of the NW!  TAILWIND BABY!  But this was no gentle breeze the gusts blew me all over the road.  The panniers act like a parachute and the wheels are like wings.  I am the most awkward kite EVER!  It was nice to have good speed on the open flats and down the hills, but the drops were steep and the climbs equally dramatic, so I was never able to hit a groove.  My stomach was full, felt like air, cause I was hungry and weak all day long.  The story of Northern CA has been the businesses that are closed.  My guide book is out of date and the markets and restaurants it describes belong in ghost towns not on the lush coast of CA.  None the less, I have found great food and beautiful views.  Though challenging to day was another treat on the road.   

I am sitting in a coffee shop, the first internet I have found in a while, and relaxing a bit.  I am about a mile from camp.  I am going to eat something here in town then roll to Gualala State Park.  About 100 miles from San Francisco I can almost smell sourdough bread and chowder :) 

Here are some pictures from the last two days.  Once I make it to SF, I am going to take a day and work on pictures and video.  I will share the links to all those.  

Day…14 I think. (and some 13)

Yesterday (Day 13) was another hard fought day.  A slight headwind kept my speeds low and my heart rate high. I still cranked out 82 miles.  I stayed at the Eureka KOA.  It was a bit spendy for a Hiker/Biker site, but I NEEDED laundry.  So I payed the extra bit of money and had access to everything I needed.  On the road that day I met a young man by the name of Mike and a Girl named Amber.  Both of them are on similar paths, but we didn't have the same pace so shortly after meeting we parted ways.  It is always nice to have company on the road, even for a moment.  Prepare for a tangent….

I was thinking, I got nothing better to do…When I have moved to new places, after about a month in a place one begins to develop patterns, favorites, places you will NEVER go.  After about a month a place begins to become your home.  I am two weeks into this and looking back I have passed through countless towns and met hundreds of people,  each one for a moment or two, but no more than that.  I have seen sights, each one unique.  I have climbed hills, each one easier or harder than the last.  Each day I choose a place to sleep so I can leave it the next day.  The only single constant on my journey is the road.  It is hard, paved, unforgiving and long, but it is starting to feel like home.  I spend between 5 and 7 hours a day on my bike, the rest of the time I am eat, plan or sleep.  I noticed how much the road was my home today, because I took it easy today and I wondered, What will I do instead of riding till exhaustion?---Its like the road calls.  It tells you, HEY!  I'm not getting any shorter…you are just getting weaker!  Being awake and not riding feels wrong.  I leave the road and look at her thinking, WOW!  If that is my home right now, it is a harsh home.  The next day I begin rolling and mile after mile fades away.  I try to wrap my head around this new relationship I have begun to foster.  I have great appreciation for my new friend.  It is a cheesy quote, but has always been one i have liked:

"You do not conquer that which is your companion." ~ Lynn Hill (She has climbed a thing or two)  

Sometimes the harshest teachers are the best teachers.  Lets hope I have learned from the road.  She has taken sweat, skin, blood, pride, strength and so much energy, but she has given me confidence and a steady calm.  I feel the road as much as I watch it.  

So this ever-changing line, serpentining through the hills along the coast, is to be my home…good.  We have an understanding then.  

End tangent.

Were back at the KOA...The finest part of the KOA was the sunset! 

Late in the ride i began to notice  noise in my wheels and noted a compression piece coming loose on my cranks.  CRAP!  I tried to make it to town before all the bike shops closed, but failed.  Instead, I ate a fine bean and cheese burrito.  

Sunday morning I rolled in to Eureka and ate breakfast at a bakery then headed to a bike shop to have them take a look at my sick ride!  Turned out that my rear hub had pretty much ran out of lube…stupid rain!  A relatively quick fix and I was off.  A frustrating day lay a head of me.  Lots of little things.  Rude people, including a car that threw a cup of ice at me.  They missed, but it made me jump.  Back to my tangent though, previously I would have been furious, this time it seemed like a silly little thing.  Though the people I met in Humboldt county were little strange the Avenue of Giants did not disappoint.  I rolled through 25miles of redwoods and didn't even notice the time passing.  I decided to stop after only 60 miles today to rest up for tomorrows 2000 foot climb.  It was hard to force myself to stop.  I even called Laurel to have her look up RV sites or other campsites further down the road, but I stopped.  I am staying in Hidden Springs Campground, Myers Flat, CA.  After some more strange interactions, I had a Lost Coast Brewery beer, since they are brewed in Eureka, a turkey sandwich and one of those apple pie things.  Well rounded meal :-/  

Tomorrow I climb to Leggett and hit the highest point on the ride then rocket to the coast, dropping 2000 feet over 12 miles…I CAN'T WAIT! 

One of my better interactions with people today…

Lady at the check stand in Myers Flat:  "Oh what does the "= HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN" stand for on your debit card?  

I look to the window where a sign reads: "We believe in God, The Constitution and The Tea Party!"  

Me:  "uuuummmmm.  Equal rights."  

Lady: "Hm.  I see a lot of crazy credit cards."

Me:  "Thanks"  

Lady: "Don't mind the two dogs blocking the exit…they don't bite."

And thats how I bought my dinner.

California!

Day 12

Today was a difficult day.  I had to work for every mile.  Yesterday I got a little sunburned where my sleeve slid up, today I couldn't see 500 feet in front of me.  There was a slight headwind all day, except for the last ten miles.  According to the book I traveled past some of the finest beaches in OR, I couldn't or didn't see them.  I was either hyper-focused on the road due to bad conditions or obscured by fog.  The first 50 miles were full of rolling hills and small climbs, but the headwinds on the downhill and flat sections killed me.  I was actually climbing hill at a faster pace than going downhill or on the flats.  

I broke up the day into three ~25mile sections.  25 to Gold Beach, 29 to Brookings, 27 to Crescent City.  I was really tired in Brooking, but I had a salad and a wonderful cup of hot chocolate!  This plus the fact that I was a a mere 7 miles from CA was motivating.  After relaxing for a little while in the Beachcomber Cafe, I gathered my self, i jumped around, stretched, shook myself, rubbed my arms and eventually walked outside.  There was only one other table occupied by a family of three in the restaurant and I am sure they thought I was CRAAAAAZEEEEEE!  Shivering I hopped on my bike and hit the road.  The rain took a 10 minute break which helped me hit my stride for the last 27 miles.  

Quickly, I was at the border!  I snapped a picture and headed onward.  I arrived in Crescent City and took a warm shower and began the drying process.  I rewarded myself with one Sierra Nevada Pale Ale…CA beer ;)

I am a little bummed all the areas I have been today looked really nice and interesting, but I am just too cold to go out there and explore in this weather.  

I don't think it has sunk in that I am in California!  Maybe tomorrow.  I guess it is less of a big deal considering I am not even half way (will be tomorrow), but i have a lot of CA to cover…

Tomorrow, REDWOODS!!! 

This is my rain set-up.  Worked like a champ!

Update Days 10, 11, 12 and 13

I am sitting here in Humbug State Mtn State Park after an 83 mile day.  I had a wonderful tail wind for a large part of the day and averaged almost 16 mph!  I even had to put on sunscreen!  The last three days have been a story of covering ground.  I biked 75, 84 and 83 miles averaging over 15 mph everyday.  It has been fun to cover so much ground so quickly.  I am not the strongest cyclist on the road or the most experienced, but my set up is light and fast!  

Day 10: started by saying goodbye to Laurel at the coffee shop she had picked my up at 4 days earlier.  It was raining and windy and not fun, but the weather cleared up and I quickly hit my pace.  I covered the 75 miles very easily and would have gone further, but I was losing light since I started riding at 2pm.  I stayed at South Beach State Park, it was gorgeous. 

South Beach out side of Newport, OR

A perfect sunset after a long day. 

Day 11: was full of hills and unbelievable vistas from the top of each mini summit.  The rock gardens in the ocean are stunning along the coast and seem to get better and better as I go.  I stayed in Winchester Bay at the Umpqua Light House State PArk.  I was ROBBED!  by raccoons :)  The noisy little buggers found some Gu Gel packets I had forgotten about and I woke up to see one of them finishing of the last of 8-10 Mocha Gu Gels.  I had to laugh, thinking, there is one FREAKING WIRED raccoon out there right now!  That is a lot of caffein for a human.  The Best part of this story is, I met a couple of german fellows in the campsite, Uli and….(I can't recall).  Uli warned me about raccoons when you sleep in a bivy and told me he now ALWAYS travels with a tent just to keep the "Damn raccoons out of my stuff!"  

Umpqua Light House State Park

Day 12: I cruised some more, I checked the weather while I had a cup of coffee in North Bend OR and to my dismay the rain on the forecast hadn't gone anywhere.  What made it worse was that now a wicked head wind was expected to blow starting at about 6pm.  I wanted to make it as far as i comfortably could so I set my sights on Humbug.  Normally I pick small chunks and each time I reach a goal, I chose to go on or stop.  This time I had weather and time to beat, so it felt rushed.  I left the campsite at 7:30am and was in Bandon, OR by noon (50miles)  I took my time and had some food, then I took the long way around town and saw some sights.  

Bandon's sea rocks are fantastic.  

After Bandon I saw farmland for the first time since Skagit County, WA nearly 700 miles ago, it was encouraging, the landscape has changed…but that meant stronger gusts of wind.  The day ended with a couple of hills as I rolled into camp.  I walked to the beach and enjoyed my turkey wrap and sinkers bar dinner while watching baby seals play in the surf.  On a side note I also watched a kid ask his parents if he could drink the creek water that was mixing with the sea water…and subsequently convince them it was OK.  So there will be a kid in camp tonight with a MESSED UP tummy!  As I sat on the beach i could see some weather WAY off in the distance, but it was coming from the wrong way.  It was sunny and warm, it was really nice.  There is now way its gonna rain tonight, I thought to myself…I updated my loved ones on my whereabouts and headed back to camp, about a mile walk.  When i got back to camp I looked up just in time to see two weather fronts collide and spin over the valley.  SUPER COOL!  Damn, it is gonna rain :)  

Farmland outside of Bandon

Day 13:  I am only 22miles in today, and the weather is sub-optimal!  I booked a super cheap hotel in Crescent City, in part cause i am freezing and wet and tired, in part cause i will need a good nights rest before the hills i have to climb tomorrow, but mostly for motivation…now I HAVE to make it there tonight :)

Just a quick update.

After a 4 day break I jumped back on my bike and hit the road.  I passed though some spectacular areas along the Oregon Coast.  The Sand Dunes are so strange, but very cool.  I have seen sea lions, seals and a whale spout!  Last night I stayed in the Umpqua Light House State park.  The sunsets have been great and Oregon's Hiker/Biker camping is cheap, easy and has showers!

The last few days the goal has been to cover ground.  I have ridden 75, 80 and hopefully 80 more today.  Bad weather is headed my way so I am trying to get after while the gettin's good.

According to the weather reports tomorrow morning is going to suck, so I will most likely hold up in a coffee shop and wait it out for a while.  I will also update you all in much more detail.

Now I eat breakfast and get ready for the next 60 miles of riding (already done 20 this am).

The week in review...

Sitting in a little coffee house/roaster across the street from the Tillamook Cheese factory, I took a shower this morning, slept really well, in the grass with no rain, I have had a nice cup of coffee while they roast their morning batch.  I am trying to think back on the last week and what it entailed, and it is strange…I am very comfy right now which is nothing like the first few days on the road!

The week began with flight and a very hurried day.  I hauled tail to the border, unsure of how fast I would be or if I could make it to my camp that night.  I made it to Canada and stayed with a friend.  The next morning I was met with the worst weather I have experienced thus far.  Headwinds up to 30 miles per hour, ALL DAY!  It was raining, not kinda, not a little, IT WAS RAINING!  I was trying hard to keep a decent pace, but eventually gave up and stopped looking at my speeds or the clock.  Just hoped that the rain and wind would subside long enough for me to actually cover some ground.  After winding my way down Padilla Bay, which I couldn't see even though it was feet from me, I turned onto SR20.  An old friend, I have driven this road countless times to kayak in the San Juans, visit friends or just to look at Deception Pass.  Furthermore, the change in the landscape and direction of the road provided a respite from the winds.  As I rolled down a hill, I sat up to stretch my back and hands, a gust of wind caught my handlebars and I went down, pretty hard.  I as probably rolling along at about 20mph, I hit my right side and slid.  Due to the slickness of the road I slid for a while, long enough I remember checking for injuries and watching my gear bounce down the highway before I had come to a halt.  I got up collected my things and my thoughts.  The tumble ripped one pannier off my bike, bent my shifters and water bottle holder, put a hole in my new rain jacket and bruised my ego, but I was fine.  A nice lady stopped and asked me if I needed help, I waved her on, and put my kit back together.  My planned lunch stop was only about 1 mile away, so I rode there.  

At lunch I ate a big meal, probably too big, but it made me warm and full, two very comfortable feelings to combat the pain on my hip and elbow and the fear in my belly.  

Day two.  

I just wrecked.

I am tired and I hurt.

What the hell am I doing?

I called family and their confidence in me gave me the strength I needed to get back on my bike.  

The weather didn't break that day till I rolled into camp at about 8 pm, after 70miles of riding, at which point I began to remember why I loved WA so much.  The water and the hills were perfect.  I showered for 50 cents at the campsite, met a couple of nice kids who were hitchhiking across the country and went to bed. 

The next day the weather was still terrible, but my psych was high.  I pushed hard through rain and wind.  Late in the afternoon I realized I was sick, not just tired, but sick.  So I stayed that night in a hostel in Port Angeles.  The Toadlily.  I took my bike into a local shop The Bike Garage, where I got a free tune-up and some lube for my rusted chain.  The guy fixed my bent derailleur and sent me on my way.  My bike has never felt so smooth as it did after that tune-up. 

Then a change!

As if by magic, I felt like a new man...cranking out 60, 70 mile days without noticing.  I found my stride figured out a system that kept me calorically happy and in good spirits.  I would meet Edgar Ortiz on the side of the road about to throw a tent up in the middle of a field.  I told him there was a campsite less than three miles from our location.  

Edgar is a 24 year old guy who is riding to raise money for his own charity, he is trying to recycle bikes for at-risk youth.  He has lost people very close to him from drug related incidents and hopes he can help kids avoid drugs through cycling.  When I get more info about his charity I will send it out. 

I rode with edgar from Forks, WA to Canon Beach, OR.  My bike rolls faster than his, so we would choose meet up spots and hang out for a bit, then meet at the end of the day for beer and figure out where we were crashing.  

Riding Washington was quite a treat, but I will admit dropping into the Columbia River Valley was quite magical.  It was foggy, but I knew Oregon was RIGHT THERE.  We made it to the Megler Bridge and 4.1 miles later we were in Astoria, OR!   

After leaving Edgar with a family friend in Canon Beach I rolled onto Tillamook, where I wait for my ride.  My lovely girlfriend, Laurel, is going to pick me up and we are going to my sister's graduation and to see family.  Dr. Andrea Harwell graduates from Oregon State University as a Dr. of Veterinary Medicine!  Congrats Dee Dee!!!

So there it is, I sit here with the overpowering smell of roasting coffee and a view of Tillamook Cheese, comfortably waiting for my ride.  I get a few days break, then I ride south.  

Here is a link to some of the picture thus far.

https://picasaweb.google.com/106465641989180429684/WeekOne?authuser=0&feat=directlink

And a little video. 

Day 7

OREGON!
Late in today's ride Edgar and I Crossed the Megler Bridge into Oregon.
This morning was tough, but after a lunchable and a mocha i felt MUCH better and the second half of the day was fantastic, despite the rain and wind!
Riding down to the Columbia River Valley was unreal, out of the forest into the water.  The Megler bridge was disappearing into fog.  We couldn't see the Oregon coast...  The weather got especially gnarly as the wind and rain picked up.  So the 4.1 mile bridge was especially interesting.
The weather was supposed to stay nasty all night so we split a hostel for $44.  We got fed and now I sleep.

I will do a week in review at some point. BUT I have done 424 miles and made it to OR!

Days 4 and 5

Days 5 and 6 were all about hitting my stride!
I Finally felt strong on the bike and I cruised 70 miles two days in a row, averaging about 15 mph both days!
I rode through the amazing Rain Forest.  It is unbelievably alive.  There is life and water coming from everywhere, but on this day only a little fell from the sky.

I got to see the Pacific ocean for the first time since I left SD.

I met a really cool guy named Edgar, who is doing a very similar route.  We have been riding together when we can.  It has been nice to have some company.

Edgar in camp.

We camped at lake quinalt and got to see an amazing sunset!

Sunset.

Today we rode another 70miles to Raymond WA where I met the new owner of a bar and motel.  He is remodeling and let us have a room for $20 bucks...BAM hot shower!
The place is called Top Notch Tavern and I HIGHLY recommend it and recommend Raymond as a stopping point.  It has been the most cyclist friendly pace I have been since Port Angeles.

The day are beginning to blur together, but I know that I only have one more day in WA.  And first thing Wednesday morning I will be crossing the Columbia River into OR.


Now I relax and you watch me set up camp :)

Berto

Day 4

Today went surprisingly well.  I was pretty under the weather yesterday.  I was so stuffed up i could barely breath.  So i decided to stay at The Toadlily hostel in Port Angeles, a beautiful facility!  Buuuuuuut my bunk mate was a very overweight guy who drank 15 Busch beers in about 2 hours and passed out.  No big deal right...NO he snored so loud!  At once he roused himself for his shower i moved to the couch in the common room and rolled around there till abut 8:30am.  Needless to say, I didn't sleep well.  So i spent the morning resting in a cafe and getting some supplies i might need.  I also got my bike tuned and headed out at about 2:30.  I was only planning on going to Fairholm Camp, beautiful location at the western tip of Lake Crescent, but i felt strong and I pushed on.  I ended up in Forks, WA, the Twilight capitol of the world...who knew.  I realized that once I stepped off my bike I was shivering and decided to consider a hotel.  I looked around and apparently a Twilight themed room can be yours for only $99 per night.  Not happening.  I ended up at the Tear Drop "motel."  The lady tells me, "the room is small and no TV.  Is ok?"
Me:  It has a bed, yes?
Her: Oh yes of course.
Me: Perfect.

I must have looked and sounded pretty rough as she discounted the cheapest room they have.  It is essentially a large closet at the end of a double-wide trailer.  The hot water works and my bed is comfy.

My voice is all but gone and my sinuses are so stuffed i get a bit dizzy when i look up.  Decongestants help, but I desperately need this good nights sleep.

This post has been me rationalizing my "hotel" to myself :)  I did stop more and take pictures and video today, so i hope to post those tomorrow.

How bout some stats:
59miles
13mph average
Head winds between 10-20 for the first two hours and 5-10 for the last two hours.
About 3 times as far as I was planning on going and i saw a baby dear.
Sleep well...

Port Angeles links

Here is the amazing Hostel I stayed at.  They have an organic garden you can pick from toe cook.  And they provide locally grown eggs every morning.
Toadlily Hotsel

This is the fantastic bike shop that gave me a quick tune and fixed a bent derailleur...for free!
The Bike Garage (only open 2 months)

Day two:

Wow.  The morning started with 3 hours of cycling directly into 20-30mph headwinds.  That was not easy.  The first part of my day culminated in me sliding to a halt.  I got a little road rash, but no big deal.  I had an amazing chicken sandwich and assessed the damage to my bags.  There was some damage from when I went down, but i fixed it in about 10minutes later that night.  I then crossed Deception Pass and hit the 100mile mark for the trip…1/19th of the way there :-/  After a few issues with the WA rangers i had made some new friends from TX, they are hitch-hiking around the country.  It was bed time, sort of.  Due to the Whidbey Island Naval Base, doing super low level flights I didn't get any rest till about midnight. 

 Deception Pass!

 Beautiful marsh at gold-o-clock

 Camp at Fort Casey, WA

Day three i wasn't feeling very good.  I am fighting a cold.  Regardless I felt strong in the morning.  I headed towards Sequim and onto Port Angeles.  In Sequim I felt very weak and very sick.  At this point I made the official decision to only go to Port Angeles tonight.  I found a fantastic Hostel, The Toadlily Hostel.  Very friendly clean and comfy, all for $25.  I hope to meet up with Travis and Heather, two of my oldest and bestest friends from Seattle.  After a nap and a cup of warm soup from Safeway I am feeling a bit better, but still sluggish.  I did realize that my gears are all gummed up and that explains why my bike was riding better into the rain and wind than it was with a dry tailwind.  I am about 1 block from a bike shop where I will get some chain lube tomorrow.  For now I am people watching at Safeway and enjoying the nice views of the Olympics!  I can't believe i am already here!

Also I climbed nearly 2000feet today.

Coupeville Ferry

Here is a video compilation (soon I will download some music and make these better).

The pictures and videos do not show you the feeling of this ride.  It is hard and cold and beautiful.  They don't portray the stinging sensation that never goes away on your face, even when you are not riding.  Or how LOUD the trucks are on the highway.  Nor do they let you know how it smells.  The Northwest was my home for 6 years, I have many great memories from there.  It is crazy I can come over a hill and the wind will whip up, as it always does at the top of hills and i can smell my freshman year at UW, or the walkways to class, or the Burk, or the many kayaking trips and adventures I went on.  What the pictures will never show is the feeling of euphoria of arriving at your final stop for the day.  The sense of accomplishment and the feeling that this and each moment leading up to it has been a gift.  I know I am only three days into this ride, but I have realized quickly how lucky i am to be here.  Thank you all for being supportive and patient with me on my journey.  I'm headed your way :)

Lessons learned:

One cup of chowder, though delicious, is NOT enough fuel for a 54 mile ride. 

At least one hand on the handlebars at all times.

Washington is made of rain and hills and WIND!  This is uncommon.

It takes me less than 10 minutes to change a tire, even in the poring rain on the side of the 101.

WA is beautiful.  

Home...tonight

Day one (recap)

EPIC!  Left San Diego 8am, flew to Seattle then Bellingham.  I put my bike together at Fanatik bikes, they were great! I met a guy named Joe who I followed to the local bike coop. The Hub. Then at about 2:30pm I pushed north to Canada.  Turned around and headed back to Belingham.  I ate at the Chuckanut Brewery and Kitchen...they advertised bike parking :)  then i stayed with Judie.  She was at work, but we had breakfast when she got home from her overnight shift.  It was great!
It was a busy, but amazing day.  And so the adventure begins....
Day two has been challenging and I will detail it later.

Day one stats:
56miles
1400 calories burned
average 14.7 mph



For now here is a little video of the flight over to Seattle.
https://vimeo.com/43582801

Send me warm thoughts and hope for less wind!

Proof i was there!

Welcome to Canada! Roaming data may be billed up to $2.05/MB per your plan. Turn-off data or use WiFi to avoid charges. VZW Support 908-559-4899.

Canada!

Day 1:  arrive in bellingham.  Put bike together. Bike to canada.  Bike back to bellingham.  Meet awesome people!  Eat a huge dinner and drink a cold beer!  This trip is going to be amazing!  I depereately need food tho.  So now I eat. 

The peace arch on the US Canada border is in the background of the picture. 

In the air!

Apparently Alaskan Air has free wifi!  so i am sending this from 30,000 feet :)
I have been very lucky to have great visibility the whole flight.  I got a great view from nearly 10 Thousand meters above the Yosemite Valley!
here is a picture.

I land in Seattle in about 40 minutes, then to Bellingham to collect my gear.  My nerves are starting to build...what will be the hardest part?  Will i be fast or slow?  Who will i meet?  What will the weather be like?
I am not nervous in a bad way, probably more anxious, I have wanted to do this ride for a very long time and now I sit on a plane looking at Mt Adams, wondering what the next month will bring.   Long ago I learned never to expect anything and planning is fine, but

GEAR

The following list is the gear that I am bringing on my ride.  I have listed the basics of my bike and any modifications I have made.  The rest fits in the panniers as portrayed in the very first post.   

One note I would like to make here is that only one of these items was purchased from REI.  The rest of the gear was purchased through other venders such as Adventure 16 or directly from the company.  A-16 was especially helpful!  They had a great selection of performance gear and the pricing was comparable to REI.  What made A-16 irreplaceable was the advice I was able to get from their staff!  I talked to a couple of their staff who had been on long touring adventures of their own.  This is less common than one might think and unbelievably helpful!

Special thanks to Peter Muffoletto for all his support!

If you would like more information about the gear please let me know. 

PS: I will try and link all these items at some point so you can just click on the item to see where to buy it.

Gear List:

Scattante 650 

Gator Skin tires 

puncture resistant tubes

Tire repair kit

Chain kit

2 spare puncture resistant tubes

small pump

tire tools 

multi tool wrench

knife

2 water bottles 

Helmet

Shoes

2 Bike Shorts 

1 nicker bike pant

3 Jerseys 

Scatante Glasses

Nikon D3100

Sea Summit 4L, 8L, 13L and 2X20L

Panniers

Ortlieb Handlebar bag

Mountain Hardware Rain Jacket

Running funky tights!

Solio Solar Charger

Mac Book Air 11"

computer bag

Phone

ACA Maps and Pacific Coast Ride Book 

1 Fleece pants

1 Fleece shirts

North Face undershirt

1 Jeans

1 Shorts 

3 t-shirts

Compact bag for carrying shit

wool beanie

8 pair of socks

8 tighty whitey

CO-PILOT

puffy coat

Tent Tube

3/4 thermarest

bivy sack Black diamond

REI one man bug tent

The bike is en route! 

Yesterday I spent a few hours running in circles trying to mail my bike to Bellingham.  Here is what i learned:  

First and foremost,  make everything fit in the bike box dimensions.  I had a large bump on my box from my rack.  This bump prohibited me from shipping with FedEx, added nearly $100 at UPS and made my package too large to express at the Post Office.  After running around I ran home and took the rack apart and fit it in the box.  This made things much easier!

Next:

At the post office bike boxes are still oversized and cannot be shipped express.  

At UPS, stuff costs a lot!

FedEx Shipped with a guaranteed arrival date for $62.

The first picture is my frankenbox and then the subsequently resized box.  

The two lessons I learned are to make sure your stuff fits inside the "130inch" bike box and one week is barely enough time to have your bike shipped.  

_________________________________________________

Here is my plan for the bike:

I had the bike shipped to Fanatik Bikes in Bellingham, WA.  I called the owner and confirmed that this was OK and he knows to hold on to the bike for me.  I will arrive in Bellingham around 1pm, catch a cab to Fanatik, put my bike back together, then ride NORTH… I gotta tag the border.  Though I will have all the tools to put my bike together, if anything is wrong or missing or broken, I figure a bike shop is as good a place to be as any.  

A preemptive thank you to Russell at Fanatik! 

As for the rest of my gear, the plan is to pack everything near road ready, meaning in the a panniers and other bags.  I will then put all of that inside of a cardboard box and tie string or make a handle to carry it.  This way, when I get to WA I can collect my bag, hop in the cab, set up the bike and recycle the cardboard box I traveled with. 

Now I fly to New Mexico!  Yay branding!!!!!!!!

next post: GEAR