I've been doing 100 plus miles a day which leaves me with no time to visit libraries to update the blog. However, I expect to be returning sooner than anticipated and I will type up my journal upon my return.

Portland continued...

Julien and I went out for a fabulous 50 mile road ride out to the Columbia River Gorge outside of Portland today. The weather has been down right phenomenal and so are the views. We made it out Latourell Falls where I seized the opportunity to take a quick shower. My legs felt terrible today and I even charlie horsed pretty bad when we got back. Nevertheless, I could have certainly pulled another slow 30 miles out and made it an 80 mile day which gives me hope considering today was far from a good day for my legs.

We head out for the coast tomorrow which is when my actual ride will begin. I've quickly become a huge fan of Fred Meyer (generic supermarket) calcium enriched orange juice and will be stocking up appropriately. I've also quickly reappropriated my camera mount, which has proven to be far to shaky to provide me with any usable footage, as a baguette clamp. $2 baguettes are sure to make many appearances on this trip that's for sure.

Portland!

Today started at 4:30am with a drive to Newark to catch my flight to Portland via Phoenix. Slept off most of the first flight, the second was delayed and a lady offered to buy me lunch to switch seats with her husband. I insisted she didn't have to, but i got some $4.50 crackers out of the deal.

I got to Portland around 2, where my buddy Julien picked me up. I had shipped my bike and gear out to him a week ago and we got it built up pretty quick. He showed me around his workshop where he makes belts out of recycled tires. He's kinda got this internet success story dynamic going on where he used to just sell his stuff through etsy until his business took off through blogs and word of mouth and now he's making a living just selling recycled apparel. Check him out at http://www.rebicyclist.com/ 

We spent the rest of the day zooming around Portland. It's ridiculous here. Hipsters hanging outside of punk-houses with unicycles and hoola-hoops, people chopping up cars with jigsaws, and bikes, tons and tons of bikes. Everyone and there mom is riding bikes. There's tons of bike lanes and the traffic is so minimal that even downtown is relaxed.

I've decided to stay in Portland until Thursday when I'll head out w/ Julien to the coast and start my ride. It's been a long day and I'm stoked to sit back and watch The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra.

Logistics

Solid: TransAmerica Trail  - Dotted: Still up in the air

 

So as far as my actual route goes, I'll be primarily following Adventure Cycling's TransAmerica trail. Originally I had intentions of starting in San Francisco and meeting the above route in Colorado via their Western Express route but opted against it in favor of the northern scenery. Nothing against the desert, the four corner region has by far some of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen, but I've spent 2 of my last four summers in the area and haven't been to Montana/Wyoming for about a decade. Around Kentucky, I'm planning to break off of the established route, which ends in Virginia, and head up towards New Jersey using state road maps as I go.

The decision to go west to east was primarily one of convenience. Although ideally I'd like the west to be the great reward at the end of my ride, doing so would require me to make flight arrangements ahead of time putting a time limit on my tour or during the trip which would be complicated. Either way, I've read many a journal in which the tourist was underwhelmed upon finishing their route without anyone there to congratulate them and celebrate their achievement. Coming home will be nice in the fact that there will at least be people waiting for me.

I'm hoping to come back in killer shape. Assuming that I still want to even look at bikes once I come back, I will have an amazing set of base miles under my belt which should set me up quite nicely for collegiate mountain bike season and cyclocross. I have intentions of going to nationals for both disciplines as a collegiate competitor for Rutgers University. and wrecking.

Here are some numbers to compare for a before and after:
Weight: 164 lbs (Been building up my reserves for the tour)
Thigh: 22"
Calve: 14 1/2"
Belly: 31"

Forward

Conscious attempts at self-discovery are futile and it is arrogant to even try. This trip isn't about "finding myself," it's about having a fantastic story to tell at the end of the day. I am riding my bike 4200 miles across America from Oregon to New Jersey alone and filming a documentary along the way because I can. This blog will serve as the written chronicle of my trip.