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.