Saturday May 21, 2011

Culture, Boredom, Beauty 

Day: 2
Location: Monmouth, OR - Leaburg, OR
Miles: 88
Total:  203
 

I hit the road without breakfast at 8:40 this morning. I need to start getting up earlier... I got lucky this morning and happened to be passing through the city of Corvallis as they were having a farmers market/street fair! The atmosphere was so quaint and humble that I spent almost 2 hours there, filming and taking it all in. I'm actually super excited to edit the shots I got here together because I think they'll make a fantastic little sequence. I had brought a yo-yo with me on my trip in the hopes of getting really good at it in my down time, but I haven't had the chance yet. At the fair however there where two kids doing some monstrous yo-yo tricks trying to raise money to go to yo-yo nationals. In fact, there were tons of performers and street musicians that made the event really quite lovely. I felt pretty guilty for spending so much time there but I justified it with the fact that I was traveling and had all summer to be out on the road after all.

The next 40 or so miles were mind numbing. I passed through a the town called Harrisburg where I asked a local kid where the post office was and he responded, "I don't know." I asked, "Library?" and he said, "Maybe." This nasty little interaction left me quite bitter and found me interpreting everyone's actions as hostile. Headwinds and boredom set in and the magnitude of the trip was starting to dawn on me. Things were slow going and I just wasn't feeling it. Beside for the 1 mile I got to draft behind a tractor, I was bumming hard.

Around 4 in the afternoon I had only put about 60 miles under my belt and was debating where or not to ride into Eugene, which was only little bit off route. I stopped in the quaint little town of Coburg just north of the city and had by far the best burger I've ever eaten at Chief's, a local restaurant where the owner had taken a big interest in my trip and chatted me up for a little while. He explained that Eugene was where hippies went to die (an interesting sounding place if you ask me), nevertheless I followed his advice and ended up bypassing the city.

 I couldn't be happier with that decision. As soon as I left Chief's, the sun came out and everything seemed right again. At this point I was slowly approaching the Sierra Cascades which I would be crossing the next day. The ride up the McKenzie River Valley was simply delightful. Gone was the grogginess from earlier in the day, and I felt great pedaling through the wonderful scenery. I rolled in to a small village called Leaburg around mile 88 where I asked an old man who was walking his dog where a good place to set up a tent would be. He said that no one would care if I set up behind the Library, so that's what I did.

Today would be my first experience with just how dynamic my days would become. When you're riding 10-14 hours a day, things change. Almost everyday would turn out to be easily divided into clear cut sections based on my mood, the weather, and geography.

Friday May 20, 2011

First Full Day of Riding  

Day: 1
Location: Bay City, OR - Monmouth, OR
Miles: 115 
Total: 115
 

Last night was far from a good nights sleep. I'm was still a bit nervous about the whole free camping thing and slept with my bear spray and knife next to me. Fear, excitement, and anticipation kept me from any real shut eye but the real problem was the owl who, perched above my tent, began to blabber with his buddy across the gorge.

I got packed and hit the road around 8:40 (a time which retrospectively seems ridiculously late). An important thing to note here is that earlier in the western portion of my trip, my days would start much later as the climate was simply far too cold to facilitate an early start. The blistering heat of Kansas would of course soon change that.

My first official stop of the trip would turn out to be the Tillamook Cheese Factory. For the east coasters reading this, they're sort of like the Land o' Lakes of the west. I had originally had intentions of sending home post cards along the way but that plan, just like my goal of updating this blog from libraries along the way, fell apart. Anywho, I picked up some post cards and a big sample bag of cheese for snacking on along the way and it was good eats for a while coupled with a baguette from Fred Meyers but after 2 hours my tummy just couldn't take it anymore as the unrefrigerated cheese became steadily grosser.

So prior to embarking to Portland I had loaded up my Ipod with audiobooks to keep me company along the way. I began listening to Harry Potter (which I am sad to say I never fully read as a kid) this morning and it kept me entertained until up ahead I saw two touring bikes making their way up the winding road. I was stoked! These where the first people I had seen and I thought that maybe, just maybe, I'd have some riding partners for the rest of my ride. I sprinted up to meet them. As it would turn out, the two where from Alberta and doing a tour down the west coast. Although, I wouldn't be riding with them for very long, it was still neat to have someone to talk to for a while. I even got some great footage of them as we zoomed down a flowy downhill. I'd soon come to realize that the route down the Pacific Coast was packed with cyclists and I broke off of them and began riding with this dude Chris from Toronto until I began heading inland.

As the miles rolled by, I was shocked at how far I was getting. Two days prior I had been charlie horsing like a mad man after a 50 mile jaunt and was really worried as to what that would entail, but today I was flying and I felt great. Considering that I had anticipated to be doing around 80 miles a day, a 115 mile first day was insane! I felt like I could have kept on going until Jersey but restrained myself around 7:00 pm to find a place to camp. I ended up setting up in a field to the side of a pretty busy road after riding through one of the most bizarre things on my trip. All around me was a strange snow like substance falling from the sky, although it wasn't cold and resembled shredded cotton more than anything else. It was crazy! Tonight's campsite was freaking me out more than yesterday's because of its proximity to people and the fact that someone stored a boat trailer right next to where I had set up in the field.  Oh well.

Thursday May 19, 2011

The Oregon Coast

Today started of great with some tofu scramble that Julien threw together and only got better from there. After a final gear shakedown, we made our way out to the coast with Julien's friends, Jeff and Liz, along rt. 26 which was littered with huge empty plots of Forrest due to the local lumber industry. Our first stop was Canon Beach which happens to be the site of one of the scenes from the Goonies (which itself is set in Astoria just north of where we were).

I had intentions of leaving around 2:00 pm today but since everyone was heading south along the coast anyway, I figured I'd just stick with them. Our next stop was Hug Beach. This place was out of this world gorgeous! I got a bit soaked when I went to dip my wheel in the Pacific but it was no big deal because this place was amazing! At low tide, you can walk around a cliff face to a hidden cove where a freshwater waterfall empties into the ocean surrounded by huge and impressive coastal caves. It was, however, high tide so we had to do some delightful bushwhacking to get there. After a crawling through a ton of mangrove-esque undergrowth and scrambling down a steep cliff face, we made it to the most phenomenal cove I could have ever imagined! An immaculate patch of grass that seemed as though it had been meticulously manicured was placed right behind the edge of the waterfall and made for an incredible lounge area. Visually, the freshwater that dropped off its ledge blended into the ocean behind it the most spectacular fashion. What a place! I even considered making it my first campsite, but the day was still too young. So the gang and I moved further southward.

Now just when I thought I had seen the best that the coast had to offer, I was thrown for a loop. We pulled up to a tiny trailhead on the side of the road and started descending towards the ocean. Soon thereafter we broke off on a much overgrown and rarely trodden path, a path that would lead us onto an absolutely phenomenal peninsula who's edges dropped 200 feet vertically into the ocean below. As if the place wasn't majestic enough, it was flanked on either side with 400 ft cliffs. One of which was promptly climbed by Julien. The vast ocean before us sparkled and, in a phenomenon that I found most curious, was completely barren and devoid of ships. 

Our third and final stop together was a bit of a gamble. We stopped at a park called Manhattan Beach, a place unfamiliar to all of us, to check it out. Our first impressions where positive as the park had some of the nicest and best maintained bathrooms I've ever seen at a state park! Although not nearly on the same level of immense beauty that the places we visit prior where on, the deserted beach was a pleasant one who's erosion formed sand forms where a blast to play on. All in all, it was a great place to finish off an amazing day! But now it was business time, and after making my goodbyes, I finally set off.

Photo Cred: Julien Jaborska

Photo Cred: Julien Jaborska

 I rode down the coast for a bit looking for the perfect place to free camp on my first night on the road. It was getting pretty late so I wasn't looking to actually put any good miles down. I was still pretty new to the free camping game and decided to break from my route in hopes that some side roads would be more barren. Later I would come to learn that free camping is one of the easiest things ever and breaking from your route is hardly ever necessary. Nevertheless, I found myself a nice overground forest road heading up a mountain that looked as though it hadn't been used in years. A couple dozen feet in, the road opened up a little to what would have made a perfect campsite, but I stubbornly kept pushing my bike up the steep rocky hill. At this point of the trip I was still really nervous about the possibility of someone stumbling across my campsite during the night and hassling me. I would soon come to realize that its hardly that big of a deal and that, if your marginally savvy about where you set up, no one will even notice you or really care if they do. Nevertheless, my tenacity payed off and the road ended up leading to a small abandoned quarry carved into the middle of a hill. This awesome spot more than satisfied my desire for aesthetic coolness and I deemed it infinitely better than the more reasonable spot at the bottom of the mountain. 

This first night out I had executed exactly as I had planned out my nightly schedule would be. I cooked myself diner, tried to do a little reading, and even felt a little bored. Little did I know that this relaxed schedule would soon be ripped to shreds. 

My trip had started immaculately and in the best manner I could have ever conceived! Julien had been a fabulous host and the last few days had been a blast, especially today. I can't even believe how glorious the scenery out here is, and it hasn't even rained (the regions west of the Sierra Cascades are notorious for their gloomy weather and see about 100 inches of rain per year)! Tomorrow the real riding begins!

Golden, Colorado

Just a quick update with some teaser photos from my one and only rest day in Golden Colorado with my gracious host Andrew! I'm alive and well, aside from the monster belly ache I have attained from the pizza buffet I just visited. I'm ~1900 miles into my ride and done with the fun terrain. If all goes immaculately, I would like to be in Jersey by July 4th. Whatever the case, early July is the eta. I've been doing huge days in difficult terrain at high altitudes so I'm stoked to see how far I can go in the following days. Boy do I have a bunch of stories to write up when I get the chance! Thanks for all your support!