Out of the Woods (June 12, 2010)

I feel quite the seafaring traveler these days.

After the 32 mile ride from Tacoma to Bremerton, then the 50 miles to Port Townsend, I am feeling quite like a traveler of the waterways. Yesterday, I rode the ferry from Port Orchard to Bremerton, then today I will be on the ferry from Port Townsend to Keystone (on Whidbey Island). Still have not suffered through any sea-sickness.

The ride from Tacoma to Bremerton was a very hard ride. In the first mile I had to go up a very steep street (think the car-chase on the San Francisco streets in the movie Bullet). I ended up pushing the bike up this hill ... first time in all of my travels that I had to get off and push. Later on, I was riding a nice bike path only to be confronted by a "trail closed" sign. Managed to navigate this closure after a somewhat tense moment. The rest of the day consisted of a lot of short climbs and too quick downhills. Yesterday's ride to Port Townsend was equally as "up/down", which can wear a person down in a hurry. The highpoint of yesterday's ride was that the sun actually broke through the seemingly ever present cloud cover for the last hour of the ride.

As I prepare to pack-up and get over to the ferry landing, there is not a cloud in the sky ... should be a wonderful day riding in the warmth.

Hope to catch some of the USA/England soccer match today.

Feeling good.

Why Travel by Bike? (June 11, 2010)

There are, I suppose, many many reasons to travel the countryside by bike. One reason I enjoy the adventure is that a bike rider sees and hears things that a person, in a car traveling at 70 MPH, won't see/hear.

The waterfall in the adjacent photo is on a side road north of Centralia, WA. It is a very small natural feature, but the sound and the beauty of the waterfall brought me much joy.

Riding the Backroads (June 9, 2010)

Oh, how nice it is getting off of primary highways. For the past three days, I have been riding some of the less traveled roads of western Washington. While these roads typically have a lot more short climbs than the major highways, they offer a much more scenic and less hectic day of riding.

On Monday, I rode the 35 miles from Cathlamet to Castle Rock (Gateway to Mt. Saint Helens). This proved to be a very hard ride ... lots of climbing. Tuesday's 42 mile ride to Centralia was a very nice ride. This ride took me through some very scenic valleys, home to many small farms and small towns. I even got the chance to see the world's largest egg (concrete statue) in one of the small towns. Wednesday's 52 mile ride to Tacoma was half good/half uncomfortable.

The first half of the day's to Tacoma was a joy. About 13 miles into the ride I discovered a bike/pedestrian (paved) trail that allowed me to travel parallel to the highway, without having to worry about cars and trucks. This 13 mile ride into Yelm, WA was very enjoyable, slight tailwind, slight downhill and no rain. Just as I came to the end of the trail, it started to sprinkle ... followed by one of the hardest rains I have seen in a long time. This storm was one of those types of storms where the rain drops are falling at a 45 degree angle ... the type of rain that you are unable to see 20 feet in front of you. I mean to say it was a major downpour.

Fortunately, there was a small cafe at the end of the trail, into which I entered during the sprinkling phase ... hot coffee and a dry spot to watch the storm made me think once again, life is good.

The second half of the ride into Tacoma was wet, cold and highly trafficked. I was glad when this day's ride ended.

Tomorrow I head toward Bremerton and Port Townsend. I will be meeting up with my ex-brother-in-law in Port Townsend on Saturday for a day of riding. I am looking forward to seeing Ned, as it has been a great number of years since we have seen one another.

Next Sunday, I start riding east on the Northern Tier route.

And the sun is supposed to be shining for several consecutive days ... something else to which I look forward.

The Yin - Yang of Long-distance Riding (June 6, 2010)

The days on the road are all separate, all days unto themselves. Some days have no distinguishing moments and some days are embedded in my memory for ever (or at least as long as my memory lasts).

For me the last two days represent the Yin and Yang of memorable rides.

Yesterday was a day of great beauty ... blue skys and sunlit shafts penetrating the dark roadside forests. A day of meeting other riders. A day started with a joyful conversation with the wife of a south bound rider (she is providing SAG support for her husband ... check out his journal at www.crazyguyonabike.com/billstone). The conversation with this lady was a great way to start the day.

Included in this magnificent day were some very challenging climbs that provided spectacular vistas. The only negative to the day was the headwind that blew for the second half of the 47 miles from Tillamook, OR to Seaside, OR. My legs were cooked, and these tired muscles overruled my thoughts of camping when I encountered the roadside hotels in Seaside.

So much for the Yin. Yang (today) presented grayness and not much in the way of joy. Today's 51 mile ride from Seaside to Cathlamet, WA was, quite truthfully, the pits. Rain all day long, highlighted by the spray of thousands of vehicles returning from the beach-towns to Portland. Throw in several nasty climbs and you end up with a day impossible to forget. Again ... nasty, nasty day.

There was one event today that was enjoyable; to get across the Columbia river at Cathlamet, you have to take a ferry. The ferry ride lasted about 10 minutes, but was fun none-the-less ... and I did not get sea-sick.

By-the-way, Cathlamet rhymes with Willamette, which rhymes with well-dam-it.

While crossing the Columbia River on the ferry, I realized once again, that even though there are these days of grayness, life is still pretty good.

Just Keep Pedalin' (June 4, 2010)

Sometimes it feels as though some of these climbs go on forever. Sometimes it feels as though there is no end. Sometimes the legs hurt and the butt aches ... but the downhills are always rejuvenating.

Yesterday and today featured some nasty climbing, but unlike the previous days' rides, there was no rain ... lots of sweat-inducing humidity, but no rain.

Yesterday, I rode the 46 miles from Dallas, OR to Lincoln City, OR ... crossing the Coastal Range. It was an enjoyable ride, with several small climbs and one very challenging climb. Upon arrival in Lincoln City, I hastily booked a room (with a view of the ocean) and spent the evening watching large amounts of water fall from the sky. Once again, not gon'na camp in the rain, don'cha know.

The rain fell all night and into the early morning. Walking over to get some breakfast, I noticed the flags flapping in the wind ... pointing due south. Unfortunately, I was to be riding north. This does not make for a very comfortable feeling whilst eating breakfast.

Finally got motivated and started riding the 47 miles to Tillamook, OR.

A couple of personal historical notes: 1) several years ago, I had the good fortune to ride the Oregon Coast with a group of friends. We had a vehicle with us (thanks Peg), so we did not have to carry our gear on our bikes, and 2) In 2001, I participated in the Santa Fe Century Ride ... due to the prevalent and physically stressful riding conditions, I came up with a phrase worthy of a country western song, that phrase being "Hills and Headwinds".

The reason for noting these two items is that I spent a great amount of time riding up a long climb that I remembered "riding down" when we rode the coast ... and yes, today there were headwinds to go along with the upward slant of the road.

Best part of the day was seeing the blue sky this afternoon. No, I take that back, best part of the day was getting my tired legs and sore butt off of the bike.

Life is good.

The Price of Green (June 2, 2010)

Two days of riding through some incredibly beautiful green country. Left Eugene on Tuesday (6/1), and rode a mostly flat 47 miles to Corvallis. This was an excellent way to start this adventure ... light tailwind, and only about 30 minutes of light drizzle. Arrived in Corvallis just in time to watch the start of a steady rain.

Woke this morning to more of the same ... steady rain, so I clad myself in all of my waterproof clothing and headed out into the rain. In some strange way this was enjoyable, for the first hour anyway. After 32 miles of riding in the rain, I decided to cut the day short and get into another weather-tight hotel room. The wind and rain is really making the outdoors un-enjoyable, I suspect, for those unlucky enough to be camping. Guess I am just a wimp.

Tomorrow I am heading over to the Oregon Coast ... Lincoln City area. Weather projections call for "the storm of the decade" hitting the coast tomorrow night.

And so, the price of green ... lots of rain. Hope I can stay relatively dry tomorrow.

Coming Soon ... Chapter Two (May 7, 2010)

Ah, the lure of the road does call.

I will be heading back to the Northwest the end of May (flying this time!!), and starting this summer's bike tour the first week of June. Planned route includes the coast of Oregon and Washington, then linking up with the Adventure Cycling Northern Tier route in Anacortes, WA, north of Seattle. From there, east across Washington, Idaho, Montana and in to North Dakota. At Williston, ND, the road heads south on the Lewis and Clark route (again, Adventure Cycling ... http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/index.cfm) down to either Sioux City, IA or Omaha. The annual week-long RAGBRAI ride (insane ride across Iowa with 15,000 other cyclists) starts on July 25.

After reaching the Mississippi River, the route will then somehow (yet to be determined) head east to Massachusetts.

The bike is still hanging on the wall, so we will just have to see where the ride goes and ends ... but the road does call (and it is starting to get hot in Phoenix).