A Very Nice Day (May 30, 2013)

Some days just fall in to the category of "nice day".  Today was such a day.  Nothing exceptional, just a nice day.

As is to be expected, I missed a turn coming out of Tillamook, so did not ride the full Three Capes route, but did cover quite a bit of the area (i.e., hills).  Had an early lunch in Oceanside ... what an incredibly beautiful beach town area.

The ride up and over the Cape Lookout area was extreme, but I felt pretty good upon reaching the summit.  Funny that it is only about an 800' elevation gain (minor when compared with the weekly rides up Mt. Lemmon), but quite the workout.  Throw in the game of proper attire ... put on the rain gear/take off the rain gear/put on the rain gear/take off ... and so it went.

Very exhilarating ride down the back side and a comfortable finish into Pacific City ... about 35 miles for the day.

Met two young ladies in Pacific City who are on a cross-country trek riding the TransAm route.  What an adventure they are on.  This is their first outing, and they seemed to have the common emotions of excitement and uncertainty.  I told them I would try to connect them via email with Patrice ... Patrice rode the TransAm last summer along with McKinley.  Patrice had put together a video of her trek, and I thought Haylee and Hayden (the two young ladies I met) might get some insight into what is out there in front of them.

Later in the afternoon I received a phone call from Kim ... was oh so good to hear her voice.  We shared memories and laughs about last summer's ride.  The conversation really brightened my day.

Speaking of brightening ... the sun is out.

In addition to gears being good ... the sun is also good.

Still Riding in the Wet (May 29, 2013)

Two more days of wearing rain gear ... jacket, pants, helmet cover and booties that do the job of keeping the cold rain from drenching my usual riding clothes.  Yes, the jacket and pants keep the rain out, but they also keep the sweat in.  Most uncomfortable at times to say the least.  One positive regarding the entire rain-gear ensemble is that the cold wind is blocked ... otherwise I would be more miserable than I can imagine.

 After the hard day riding into Astoria, and with more rain on the way, I decided to make an easy day of it by riding 20 miles to Seaside ... turns out it was not so easy as the rain was continuous and the head-wind was strong all day.  With heavy rains predicted for the rest of the day and night, I quite naturally headed into a motel ... wise call on my part.  It just does not make sense to me to subject myself to unfavorable conditions when favorable (warm and dry) conditions are available.  I am a real softy, with no shame what-so-ever.

Today I rode 50 miles from Seaside to Tillamook.  While I was fortunate in that I did not ride through any substantial rain, the roads were wet and the wind was blowing.  There are two relatively long climbs getting to the Manzanita area which are a challenge.  I feel as though I am getting comfortable and my fitness level is improving.  Arrived in Tillamook just prior to the start of mostly continuous rain through the evening and night ... need I say "motel?

I had an unexpected reminder of Tucson today.  At the few tunnels along Highway 101, there are buttons cyclist can push that alerts drivers to the fact that there are cyclist in the tunnel (not that affects the speed of any of the vehicles).  On the sign explaining the button pushing procedure to the cyclist there was a "BICAS" sticker.  Two friends from Tucson (Kylie and Troy) rode this route last summer, so I suspect they are responsible for the blatant act of vandalization.  If so, I thank them as it brought a smile to my face. 

So far the ride is going well, but have only seen four or five other touring cyclists out on the road.  Of course the fact that I have not been camping means I have not met others in the hiker/biker campgrounds.  Plenty of time remaining in this ride, so imagine I will be making contact with fellow riders farther down the road.

Tomorrow's ride will be out to the Three Capes area, which is quite beautiful.  There is a real test of a few substantial climbs, so will see how I am feeling about my fitness level at the end of the day.

Weather predictions call for a stop of the rainy days ... hopefully by tomorrow afternoon and then for at least a week I will be able to enjoy some dryer and warmer riding.

One can hope.

Whaja Spect?? (May 27, 2013)

 

Chapter 5; page 1.

I am off on this summer's bike trek ... left Portland, Oregon two days ago and have been riding in the rain for the past day and a half ... honestly, what did I expect ... sunny Arizona-esque weather?  This is the fourth summer I have started riding in either Eugene or Portland ... rode in the rain for many a day each time.  Memory of these rainy day rides seems to have been erased by the good weather during the remainder of the rides ... either that or I just may not be the brightest light in the marquee.

Woe-is-me aside, it feels good to be back out on the road.

Spent a day in Portland on Saturday retrieving my bike from the Amtrak station, then moving around the downtown area running a few shopping errands.  I would say "traveling", but that denotes certainty in route.  Never did figure out the street patterns nor the compass points of downtown.  Through sheer luck, I accomplished my missions and found my way back to the streetcar which enabled me to return to my motel.

Long-time friend Bill Burk, who has lived in-and-around Portland since the early 70s, gave me a car tour of the downtown area ... including such sights as "that used to be Kelly's Bar", and other such in-the-past landmarks.  Portland downtown is really quite beautiful ... I should try to spend a week just getting to know the downtown area (with map and compass in hand).

That evening, Bill and I shared dinner with my long-time nephew Sky and his girlfriend Min ... they live in L.A., but decided to visit Portland for the three-day weekend.  As good as the food was (and it was very good), the conversation was even better.  Great way to end an otherwise frustrating day.

Sunday I left Portland for the 62 mile ride to Lakeview, WA, then Monday I rode the 52 miles on to Astoria.  Rain, rain, and  more rain.  Cold, cold and more cold.  Lots of climbing in the late afternoon covering the final 30 miles in to Astoria.  As bad as it seemed, I realize that I am blessed to be able to do these rides. 

In lieu of my usual (and admittedly somewhat obnoxious) "Life is good",  I will end by saying "Gears are good".