Man and dog

I passed these two on the road earlier today.  I stopped to talk to the guy:

Me: "where are you heading?"
Guy: "Santa Cruz"
Me: "where did you start?"
Guy: "Santa Cruz"
Me: "Just out for a couple of days?"

Not quite.  Turns out this guy (and his dog) have spent the last 3+ years biking around the perimeter of the country.  The dog trots next to him as he rolls along.  They do about 20 miles a day.  I told him I was honored to meet him so close to his destination.  I feel like this trip has become my life and my job after only 3 months - I wonder what this guy will do after 3 years on the road.

Six thousand miles

Yesterday I passed 6000 miles.  I suppose with a more direct route I'd be arriving back in Boston at this point.

Wilderness still

"If the Pilgrims had landed in California, the east coast would be wilderness still."
- Ronald Reagan

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=39.14285773,-123.73227122

One percent

I've been on this trip for almost 1% of my entire life.  

At first that seemed like a big number.  How is it possible that I've only been around 100 times as long as this trip, which has gone by in a flash?

After some more thought, the number seemed small.  I've packed so much into this little bit of time - have I done enough with the other 99%?  They say that without evil, there can be no good.  Maybe without normal life, there can be no epic adventures?  If your entire life is a bike tour, aren't you just a hobo?

Anyway, I was surprised when I realized the ~1% number, even if I'm not yet sure of the significance.

$5.00 gas

Another bingo square.  I knew California gas prices wouldn't let me down!

California coast lunch

Yum Anchor Stream!

PCH

This is why they call it the Pacific Coast Highway.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=39.70952007,-123.80667151

Highway 1

This feels very Californian!

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=39.86834621,-123.71505336

Residents of Massachusetts grove

Umm, ok.  I guess these are my trees.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=40.27809975,-123.86305412

Bike-through tree

The same American spirit that allowed us to drive on the moon allows me to drive through a tree.  What a country!

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=40.26646546,-123.87282689

Palm trees

They may not be "wild" palm trees, but I'm finally starting to see them in decent numbers here in Arcata.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=40.86880424,-124.08616608

Giant talking Paul Bunyan

Passed this yesterday.  He could move his head and wink.  It looked like he could move his hand and jaw, but I didn't see it.  The best part was that he talked!  And not in some pre-recorded Paul Bunyan voice - someone inside the gift shop (or maybe inside the statue) was looking at the parking lot and having conversations with people.  Again, not in a deep, Paul Bunyan voice, just some guy speaking normally into a microphone.  I talked to him for a minute, then thought about it and laughed at the absurdity of the whole thing.

Elk

Tons of elk around here...

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=41.22332028,-124.09276431

Redwood forests

In this part of California, every time the road heads inland and uphill, I enter a redwood forest.  I've gone through a couple state redwood forests, and Redwood National Park is right around the corner (near Orick).  I want to take the time for a hike either today or down in Humbolt redwoods state park.  The Avenue of the Giants is down there.  Sounds tempting.

Notice that my bike is leaning against the tree in the last photo.  They are BIG TREES!

California!

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=42.05299922,-124.28601517

Thoughts while eating breakfast 6 miles from California

I'm really not sure how to feel.  I had similarly mixed emotions when I first reached the ocean in Cannon Beach.  Relief that I had reached such a big milestone, but less sense of accomplishment than I had thought I'd feel.  Even though I had technically "biked across the country", my trip still had 700 miles to go, so the euphoria I would have felt was seriously lessened by knowing there were still two weeks left.  Add to that the bittersweet feelings I have about my adventure winding down, and it's a big mix of emotions.
 So I feel very similar now, staring down the road at one of my last big thresholds to cross.  I'm excited to get to California, but I know there won't be a big feeling of achievement.  Will I get that feeling when I cross the Golden Gate Bridge?  Or when I go swimming in San Francisco?  Or when I roll into San Jose and I'm really, truly done?  Or will I be disappointed that the trip is over?

I think I'll finally get that joyous feeling while I cross the golden gate, then again in San Jose.  The ocean and the border are big deals, but I wouldn't expect any sort of "I did it!" sentiment until I'm actually done.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=42.05299922,-124.28601517

Crescent City, here I come!

Why is this sign significant?  It's the first sign I've seen that mentioned a city in California!

Highway blackberries

Woke up this morning and realized that the road through the campground was lined with blackberry bushes.  I picked enough to fill a water bottle, and ate about as much in the process.

Out on the road, the blackberries continued to be everywhere!  I stopped several times to eat a handful where they grew close to the road.  Notice in the picture above how they are growing up and over the highway guardrail.  What a treat!  How nice of US 101 to serve a free breakfast to southbound traffic!

Little blue dune buggy

I spent all day passing enormous sand dunes AND places to rent dune buggies....eventually I couldn't take it anymore.  I stopped at Spinreel state park, and while I technically was on an ATV, I'm going to continue to refer to it as a dune buggy.

I don't really need to mention that it was awesome, right?  I first followed an offroad path out to the beach - once out there you could open up the throttle and really fly.  The beach was also cool because it was deserted - it was off-road vehicle access for the most part.  Once back at the main dunes, I went up some big ones, rode along the ridge, then back down.  If you weren't careful you could fall over a pretty steep drop in some places.

The rental shop itself was kind of lawyer-driven in their rental policies.  They practically had a menu of all the extra costs that could be assessed - $25 for a rollover, $100 for a collision, a wet-sand cleaning fee if you went in the water.  It was enough to make me a bit uncomfortable dealing with them, but fortunately I checked out fine when I returned and they tore up my deposit slip.  Hooray for safety!

Oregon coast travel

Travel along the coast has been great.  To my surprise, though, I've been through some very different terrain and weather in the last few days.

The first two days were similar.  Bike along the beach, then go up and around a headland.  After that, drop back down to the next beach.  I like this type of biking a lot.

Yesterday the weather was cloudy and foggy and much cooler.  The towns were a bit farther apart, and were inland on bays instead of on the beach.  After the town of Yachats, the land became very rugged and the fog went crazy.  It was a lot of up and down, but usually within sight of the water.  I crossed several historic bridges that must have been a pain to design and built.  Beautiful, though.

Today the big thing is the Oregon Dunes.  The shore here has these big, tall dunes that stretch a mile or two inland.  They're over 100 feet tall!  Someone told me that Frank Herbert got his inspiration for the Dune books here.  Makes sense.  People ride down these things on sandboards - basically snowboards with foot-friendly bindings.  I was considering renting one, but they're no fun on wet sand.  It rained over night...too bad.

Hiker biker

There are hiker-biker campgrounds all down the Oregon coast, and they're inexpensive and fun to stay in.  Since most people here are heading down the coast, I get to overlap with the same people every couple nights.  Most of the crowd tonight is the same from Cape Lookout two nights ago.  We split between two parks last night, and rejoined tonight.

I particularly like tonight's site.  It's just a big clearing with a firepit in the middle, so after setting up the tent on the perimeter, I sat around the fire chatting with everyone.  Some people are interesting, some are boring, and a few are completely nuts.  A fun way to spend the night!

Oregon coast aquarium

A top notch aquarium.  I hadn't been to an aquarium in years.  They have some excellent sea otter and sea lion areas, plus the usual sharks and jellyfish and other fun stuff.  Two hours well spent.

Check out the picture of the otter and the kid.  I've never seen an animal interact with someone on the other side of the glass like this.  Both otter and kid were having a blast.

Marionberry French toast

From Fishtales in South Beach, Oregon.  Probably the tastiest breakfast so far.  

I had marionberry pie in Idaho; it was also delicious.  Is the marionberry a west coast thing?  Can you get them in Boston?  I had never heard of it until I had that pie.

Cape Lookout

My morning hike.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=45.33778305,-124.00670299

Lincoln City

"I want to go to the beach, but I'd also like to do some outlet shopping.  And maybe hit the casino.  I also love traffic."

Don't get me wrong, it's still stunningly beautiful.  It's just a little, umm, built up, is all I'm saying.

500 feet above Manzanita

The Pacific Ocean

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=45.88678228,-123.9669549

Coast to the coast?

Could this possibly mean what I hope it means?  Am I done pedaling?

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=45.81335592,-123.48910872

Coastal Range

The Pacific Ocean is on the other side of those hills.

And slight change - I'm going to Cannon Beach.  It was independently recommended by at least three different people.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=45.48260658,-122.99111946

No, really, what's the rush?

After the decision was made to leave I got ready, filled the water bottles, and then....something felt wrong.  I have yet to second-guess my rush-rush-rush travel decisions so far, so I decided to pay attention to this nagging feeling.  It was already 11:30, and 72 miles could be a long day with the coastal range still in my way, and unknown wind conditions.  I had wanted to see the art museum and to poke my head into a few bike shops in town.  

So, I changed my mind.  I'm at the museum now, and on the way I walked through a farmers' market.  I'll find a park and read a little bit.  I may have sacrificed the ballgame in Eugene, but I still have time to go see that city if I want.

TOMORROW, the coast!

What's the rush?

Much to my surprise, I woke up this morning and wanted to get back on the road.  My pre-accident plan called for three full days here.  The post-accident plan was two full days.  Now I'm ready to leave after one?  What's going on here?

A couple guesses at what's going on:

1 - I'm subconsciously excited to reach the coast.
2 - I'm subconsciously excited to finish the trip.
3 - With the rest in Hermiston, I'd be looking at spending 8 nights in only 3 cities (Hermiston x3, Arlington, Hood River, Portland x3).  If I hadn't had a day off since Teton, which was the original plan, I'm sure the extra day here would have been welcomed, but now I've rested enough to be antsy.  Unfortunate timing and location of the accident...
4 - My friends/hosts left this morning, so I am feeling a post-hangout low.
5 - Leaving today allows me time to see Eugene, another nice-sounding town, and one with a bingo-worthy minor league baseball team.

All good reasons, right?  Off to Tillamook!

Level 4...clear!

Through the gorge and out to the west coast!

Getting to Hood River was pretty difficult.  The headwind was strong and never really let up.  The scary thing, though, was the occasional gust of cross wind.  Anything that blows you sideways is bad when you've got freeway traffic on one side and a river on the other.

Between The Dalles and Hood River I finally got off the interstate and onto the Historic Columbia River Highway.  This stretch really saved my day mentally, and gave me some views of the gorge I had been missing.  The HCRH had almost no traffic, and at some points was pedestrian only.  It wound 500 feet up to the Rowena Crest overlook, then down into the adorable village of Mosier.  It was pedestrian-only from there, including the Mosier twin tunnels, and a long, twisting descent into Hood River.  I got into town long after sunset, but since I was off the road my bike light was sufficient.  My only scare was a "recent bear sighting" sign, so I sang my No Bears song as I rolled through the woods.

Yesterday from Hood River to Portland was awesome.  Either because of topology or the simple fact that the road was now lined with trees, the wind was gone.  I did a couple stretches on the HCRH, including a visit to the Horsetail and Multnomah Falls.  I was so happy to have easier travel thought the prettiest part of the gorge.  And of course ending on a high note will leave me with fond memories of the whole thing.  I reached Troutdale, then it was city streets all the way in to Portland.  As expected, there were lots of well-labeled bike routes all the way in.

I'll be in town a few days, then off to the coast for the last leg of the trip!

I-5

And just like that, there is no more Interstate between me and the ocean.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=45.53766817,-122.66879158

Fancy Town

Hood River is very nice, but it's one of those fancy towns I've sometimes come across.  The kind of place where all the hamburgers cost $11 and the motels are all full on Sunday night, except for one so-so place that makes you feel dirty for paying so much for so little.  Dubois, Wyoming was my last fancy town; I think these guys collaborate on prices.

I'm currently at breakfast, sipping a fair-trade coffee, waiting for my organic egg omelet.  I think we all know where this is heading.

On the road again

I was glad to get going again this morning.  I actually ran into the doctor at breakfast, and she wished me well.  I stopped at the bike shop and thanked them for their help.  I went back to the hospital for one followup they wanted to do, and it came back ok.  I was off!

That was the peak of the day.  I felt very jumpy at first whenever a car was near - a feeling I really didn't like, but one that I think will fade over the next few days.  The towns I went through (Umatilla, Irrigon, Boardman) were all pretty crappy.  After Boardman I faced Wyoming-strength winds the rest of the day - it took me 3.5 hours to go the last 23 miles, all on flat ground.  That's insane!  With no wind that's well under 2 hours.  Finally I got to Arlington, where I will be staying in the one motel in town (the doc wants me to stay clean as I heal, so no camping for a while).  All the restaurants and the grocery store in town were either closed for the night or forever.  The only open store was the gas station.  I just finished a dinner of a terrible turkey sandwiched and terrible dried apricots.  Didn't think you could make terrible dried apricots?  The Shell corporation can!

Ever the optimist, I offer several silver linings:
At least the gas station was open!
A lady gave me a free mini watermelon (called a sugar baby) when I bought a peach in Irrigon!
It is supposed to be less windy tomorrow!
My hip and back and various other owees felt pretty good all day!
Tomorrow I'm in the gorge!  People have been building this up for me for weeks.
I could see Mt Hood in the distance for most of the afternoon!  It's 80 miles away and over 11,000 feet high.  And like Mt Rainier, it's all by itself and looks terrifying and awesome.  I'm excited to watch it take shape over the next day or two.

Toilet lock

The gas station toilet in Irrigon has this huge lock because people kept opening it up and stealing toilet parts for fun.  This neatly summarizes my feelings on eastern Oregon.

The Austrian flag and me

According to legend, after a fierce battle during the crusades Duke Leopard V of Austria found his white battle dress drenched in blood.  Upon removing his belt, the cloth underneath was still white, and he was so moved by the sight that this pattern became his flag.

And in the same spirit, I will continue to wear my orange shirt; the holes and tears will be a reminder of the battle.

I was hit by a car

Two days ago, a few miles east of Umatilla.  I wasn't actually hit straight on - they hit my front left pannier, and possibly the sideview mirror hit me in the hip.  However it happened, I was thrown off the bike pretty hard (the car was probably travelling 50+ mph).  I was able to get up right away....just in time to watch the car slow down, then speed up and drive away.  The police did not find them.

I waved down another car, and the driver called 911 for me.  To be honest, I was hoping to jump in the car and go chasing after the guy, but this was probably the sensible thing to do.  The police and paramedics came, and I agreed to go get checked out at the hospital in Hermiston.  They did a couple X-rays and a CAT scan, and they came back negative.  Looks like I escaped with a good deal of road rash and a wickedly bruised hip.  They were ready to discharge me around 2:00 AM, but let me sleep until 8:00.

In the morning I got a free breakfast in the cafeteria, then the doctor called the local bike shop and had them come pick me up.  They checked out the bike (it's ok!  I can't believe it) and I bought a new helmet (the old one cracked!).  They gave me a ride to a hotel.  I checked in and slept all afternoon.

This morning I woke up and felt better.  I took care of any remaining bike things and did a couple errands.  I rode the bike around the parking lot and while it wasn't entirely pleasant, I'm definitely able to continue.  I almost left this morning, but decided to stay one more day, just to make sure I'm ready to go.

Despite the time I've sat around here I should still make it to San Francisco in time.  I was going to hang out in Portland for a few days, then have a leisurely time riding down the coast.  Now I either won't spend as much time in Portland, or have a slightly less-leisurely time going down the coast.  Either way, barring any other setbacks I should still be able to finish the trip!

My pannier was pretty beat up, and a lot of stuff went flying out or was crushed.  My cell phone charger was destroyed.  The phone itself ended up 20 feet down the road, but was otherwise unharmed.  Somehow it, and the 1900 pictures inside, survived.

And....if you suspect that my beard and hair and general appearance make me look like a crazy homeless person, you should have seen me limp around Rite-Aid wearing scrub pants with bandages around my arms.  I would have understood if they had turned me away from the hotel!

Oregon!