Where's the Joy? (June 4, 2012)

On a day like today, there are visuals that catch your eye and make you want to stop and just enjoy the beauty of it all. Varying shades of greens of lush fields versus the tall stands of forest trees ... wispy white clouds floating amongst the trees. Grey river water bubbling over dark brown boulders. Quite beautiful.

On a day like today, it is also one of the most miserable of experiences ... riding all day in the rain. While there is a certain joy in the solitude, there is constant cold and dampness inside the rain jacket and pants. Cold and wet that just does not go away.

On a day like this, there is very little joy.

Four summers ago I rode through this same McKenzie River Valley ... it was a beautiful warm day. Thus, very fond memories. One of the fond memories was stopping at the Takoda's restaurant near the McKenzie River Bridge on Oregon Route 126. Well into today's ride of 54 miles I was hoping to find that restaurant around each and every bend in the road. Finally ... finally the structure came into view. As an added plus, parked in front of the familiar structure was Frank's bike. We talked of the day's events (Frank and Roger took the day off at a nearby Forest Service campground). Frank had spent a good part of the day inside this restaurant reading and keeping warm and dry.

After consuming great amounts of hot coffee and a reasonably good sandwich, I headed for the campground only to find myself in one of the heaviest downpours and strongest windstorms I have experienced on any of my past summer bike treks. Whereas I had pretty much dried out at the restaurant, I was now completely soaked, cold ... and in no mood to camp.

I am now sitting in a small way-side motel, dry and warm ... outside it is still raining and the temperature is around 40 degrees ... this is where joy is.

A Biker's Paradise (June 4, 2012)

Eugene has to be one of the bike-friendliest communities that I have visited. Many, many bike lanes (roads are almost glass-smooth!!), and there is a wonderful bike/pedestrian path that runs along the Willamette River.

On Saturday I rode in from Corvallis (46 miles) and ended the ride on the river path ... probably eight to ten miles worth ... very nice (low stress) way to finish up a ride. Have spent the last day and a half with good friend Nancy O'Brien relaxing and enjoying the usual Eugene delights. As an aside, we went to a movie yesterday ... The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (thank you Nancy for correct name of movie) ... very, very good movie. I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys movies that do not cater to 18 year-old boys.

Today and tomorrow do not look to be at all enjoyable ... heavy rains and cold (low 30s at night). I will be meeting up with Frank and Roger this evening at McKenzie USFS campground. Tomorrow includes riding up and over McKenzie Pass ... snow???

Sure could use some (but not all) of the Tucson heat.

Extra Miles into Corvallis (June 1, 2012)

Not a real exciting day of riding, but warmer so that's a good thing. I did manage, through my seemingly timeless ability to not pay attention, to end up with just over 68 miles, versus the usual 54 miles from Grand Ronde to Corvallis. Sad thing is that if I had just looked at my map ...

The high point of the day had to be riding on a bike path that ran parallel to Hwy 99W for about 10 miles. Most enjoyable. 'Tis a shame that there are not more of these paths as the paths greatly reduce the stress factor. Friends who have toured in Northern Europe said there are many, many such paths for cyclist. As I say, most enjoyable.

Other than that ... not much to say about the day's ride. Frank and Andrew did catch up to us at the Benton County Fairground RV Park. We had to do some talking ... the camp host wanted $21 per tent! Unjust to say the least ... we got them down to $26 for a site and then we zero lot lined our tents (think condos). Today's ride takes us to Eugene. Here's a surprise ... it is overcast!!

A word of warning to some of you who live in Arizona. A number of people (two) have indicated that they wish to "live vicariously" via this journal. I may be wrong, but I believe the Arizona State Legislature enacted, and the Governor signed, a law making "living vicariously" illegal. I seem to recall that at the time only one legislator had heard of the word "vicarious", but did not know the meaning of the word. However this Preacher was pretty sure it is was immoral (he was heard to mumble something about "What's next, bestiality?") ... anyway, you may want to check the newly enacted laws prior to "living vicariously".

(If you have ever wondered if touring cyclist have too much time and think about odd topics ... I offer up the previous paragraph.)

Anyway, it is on to Eugene.

Saying Goodbye ... (June 1, 2012)

Saying goodbye to the Pacific Ocean, and heading inland.

Yesterday's ride, while fairly uneventful, was a study in contrasting weather. As I had feared sitting in my tent yesterday morning and listening to the rain, it was a wet ride. For the first couple of hours along the coast, there was a continual light rain, along with very cool temps. Not a lot of fun. But just north of Lincoln City there is a side route that gets riders off of Hwy 101. This ride along Slab Creek is one of my favorites ... very little traffic and very enjoyable riding. Upon turning onto this side road, and heading inland the weather changed dramatically. Sunny and warmer, which gladdened my heart greatly. The remaining ride to Grand Ronde was warm and fairly easy.

Through the magic of cell phones, we determined that Frank was not going to join us in Grand Ronde, so Roger and I discussed sleeping arrangements for the coming evening ... Roger loves stealth camping and I love hotels. I trust Roger enjoyed his evening as much as I enjoyed my evening in a hotel. I may not have mentioned this before, but camping is not one of my favorite past-times. The reason I move my belongings into a self-storage for the summer is so that I can fore-go paying rent ... ergo, hotels from time-to-time are affordable.

The plan is to meet up with Roger, Frank and Andrew (a young guy Roger and I met at Nehalem State Park) in Corvallis this evening. Hope that happens.

Weather looks good today, and the roads are relatively flat. Dare I say it ... life is good.

Along Way from Portland (May 31, 2012)

Other than for 30 minutes during my ride from Lakeview, WA to Astoria, it has been a relatively dry ride. But this morning as I sit in my tent in Whalen Island County Park listening to the rain fall, I fear it will not be a dry ride today.

It feels so good to be back out on the road and putting in the mileage daily. So far my “couch training” method seems to have been sufficient. Granted the road has been fairly flat, but my body seems to be able to handle what few climbs I’ve had to get up and over.

Since last posting, I have put in four days of riding, and am now just north of Pacific City, OR. The ride from Portland to Lakeview (57 miles) was relatively uneventful … nice ride heading northwest along SR-30 with a nice gentle tailwind. The first 13 miles took me through Portland, east-to-west across town from the Airport area to St. Johns Bridge. If you are going to ride through a major urban area, there is probably no better time than a Sunday morning on a three-day weekend.

Lakeview to Astoria/Fort Stevens State Park (60 miles) was not an easy ride. I had had a conversation with a touring cyclist back in Stevenson, WA about the ride from Portland to Astoria. His comment was that there was one serious climb and then some rollers. Since the Portland-to-Lakeview (across the river from Rainier, OR) had been fairly flat, I knew I had a climb and some rollers on this leg. Just north of the bridge at Rainier there is a serious climb. Once cresting this climb, I figured the hard riding for the day was pretty much done … I was pretty much wrong. Add coldish wind and 30 minutes of rain and I was pretty much not a happy person upon my arrival to Astoria.

Astoria brightened my day. At the Safeway I had the opportunity to talk with Dee and Rog Sims. Dee and Rog are British and have been touring different parts of the world for the past two plus years. After completing my shopping, I headed for the Blue Scorcher Bakery. A friend in Tucson, Ian Johnson, had raved (yes, raved) about this wonderful bakery/restaurant that he recalled from his touring days. He was right … it was the perfect place to relax and enjoy quality food and a warm, comfortable atmosphere (think in terms of a bakery in Jerome, AZ). After achieving a high level of contentment, I headed on the Fort Stevens State Park and met up with Roger Simmons. Finally have to pull the tent, etc., out and camp … damn!

Roger and I rode down to Nehalem State Park (38 miles) along Hwy. 101, camped, then on to Whalen Island County Park (48 miles) … where I now sit listening to the rain fall on my tent. Yesterday we briefly met up with Frank Preston in Tillamook (the third member of our cross-county travel squad). I say briefly because coming out of Tillamook, Roger and I chose to take the scenic, non-climbing route … Frank opted for the scenic CLIMBING route. He was to meet us here, but unfortunately he managed to slice his finger somewhere along his route and returned to Tillamook for stitches. The plan is to meet up today.

One of the surprises of touring is what I call the “small world” event. Over the past three summers of touring, I have had several occurrences where an individual to whom I was talking turned out to know a person in my life. In Northern Utah I talked with a guy who went to high school with Sue McFadden … in the Michigan Upper Peninsula I talked with a guy who knew of my oldest brother from high school days in Scottsdale. This trip has already offered up such an event … riding south along 101, just north of Seaside, I saw a couple walking to their car from a store … thought I recognized the guy. Turns out it was Eric (last name does not come to mind), who I rode with many, many times with the Saturday morning riding group in Tempe. Very small world.

So, other than the current rain fall, it has been a delightful ride. We will be heading inland today toward Corvallis and Eugene, then on across central Oregon to Baker City (birthplace of the guy who founded the Air Stream Travel Trailer company … learned that several years ago when passing thru Baker City).

Wet day ahead.

Thoughts of Mt. Lemmon (May 26, 2012)

Day two ... Stevenson, WA to Portland ... 42 miles of spectacular scenery.

In early May, I decided to try a different approach to getting physically prepared for a summer bike trek. In the past I have put in two-to-three weeks of daily riding ... rides of forty to fifty miles, some without loaded panniers, some with. This year I decided to put in some serious "couch" time, with an occasional ride up Mt. Lemmon with the usual Tuesday group and with 300 of my closet GABA friends.

As it turns out (so far) my new training program is working. Upon waking this morning my body was relatively pain-free ... just the usual stiffness that this old body typically feels first thing.

Today's ride included a significant climb of approximately 900' elevation gain in about 3 miles. The elevation gain pales in comparison with the weekly ride up Mt. Lemmon; however the rides up Mt. Lemmon are on a bike that weighs approximately 18 pounds ... my touring bike, with loaded panniers, weighs around 70 pounds. But then I should also point out the gearing ratios on the touring bike allow for such weight. The picture with this post was taken at the top of the climb ... Cape Horn ... looking eastward up the Columbia River.

A quick note about this summer's trek, and why I am heading west along the Columbia River. This summer the plan is to ride from Astoria, OR to Maine by way of Central Oregon, Yellowstone, Iowa (RAGBRIA) and then on to Maine. I am meeting up with two friends in Astoria ... Roger Simmons and Frank Preston (actually due to current health issues, Frank will be meeting us in Tillamook, OR ... apparently cheese will cure what ails him). Both Roger and Frank rode across the country last summer ... experienced riders both.

As I am composing this it is pouring rain ... first night of camping still has not come to be.
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First Night of Camping (May 25, 2012)

The day after flying to Portland, OR on May 23, my long-time friend Bill Burke was kind enough to pick me up and give me a tour of the Columbia River Gorge ... spectacular to say the least. Included in the drive was a trip up to the Timberline Lodge at the base of Mt. Hood ... while my Tucson-area friends were sweltering in 100 degree temps, Bill and I were scurrying through a snow storm (or maybe just a flurry, but snow none-the-less). As is usual when Bill and I get together, we shared many a story which usually ended with great amounts of laughter. Bill has one of the great laughs ... even for an old codger.

On May 25, I started out on this summer's bike trek. This is the fourth summer in which I have traveled via my bike. I found I was not at all nervous about starting this adventure ... a very real calm. However at this morning's breakfast (and I think Bill will attest to this), I began to whine like a five year-old not wanting to start kindergarten. Quite pathetic, I am sure.

Just as responsible mothers get those five year-olds off to school, Bill pushed me down the road. This first day of riding was a short day ... 32 miles from Lyle, WA to Stevenson, WA. Riding in a westerly direction along the Columbia River provides a bike rider with a consistent, nay persistent, headwind. Other than the task of riding into the wind, it was a relatively easy day ... good way to start the trek. (On a side note for those in the Old Boys lunch group, the town of Stevenson was founded by a guy by the name of George Stevenson ...)

So, the trek has begun. As for the the first night of camping ... ain't happened yet.