Ups and Downs

I’m writing to you all from a commercial campground in Eureka, CA (about 100 miles south of the Oregon-California border).  The past few days can be summed up in three words: ups and downs.

The road has literally been going up and down quite a bit.  After our day-off in Crescent City, we had two 1,000 + ft. climbs in one ride.  Of course, rapid descents follow the steep climb.  Overall, these hills were not as bad as we had feared.  We climbed slowly but steadily and enjoyed great views of northern California’s redwood forests.

Off the bike, there have been some ups and downs as well.  On the plus side, we continue to have outstanding weather, something for which I am tremendously grateful.  In addition, I received confirmation that my good friend from college, Andrew Moore, will be meeting up with me in San Francisco to complete the trek to the Mexican border.  Sadly, Amelia will be departing at that point, though I am thankful she has put up with me for so long.

Unfortunately, we’ve hit some bumps off of the bike too.  My bike caught three flats today, and I ran out of tubes!  This meant walking my bike 3.5 miles to a bike shop.  Believe it or not, we were actually quite lucky.  Had this happened on nearly any other day this week, the nearest bike shop would have been a long, long way away.

Overall, life is still great on the trip.  I feel very fortunate that my biggest problem has been getting so many flats in one day.  We have a relatively level day of riding ahead of us tomorrow, though we will need to find another bike shop to replace my cleats on my shoes (the shop we visited today did not carry the cleats I need).

I know we can continue to count on ups and downs on the bike (including a 2,000 ft. one in several days!), but I am hoping for less excitement off the bike in the days ahead.

David

California!

Hey Everyone,

     First of all, I’m sorry for the delay between posts.  I’ve had more trouble accessing internet during the past few days than I expected.

     On a brighter note, Amelia and I reached California this morning.  Now, we’re in Crescent City, CA (the first city in CA across the border), and we’re planning to spend the rest of today and all of tomorrow here before getting back on the bikes this Saturday.  The day-and-a-half break comes on the heels of eight consecutive days of biking down the roughly 400 mile Oregon coast, and it feels great to have an opportunity to rest my legs.

     Our time in Oregon was absolutely wonderful.  The coast has some really neat rock formations, beautiful beaches, and friendly residents.  In addition, we met some more fellow cyclists/hikers:

-Tim and Cindie Travis: a couple that has spent the past 6.5 years biking around the world.  Check-out their web-site: www.downtheroad.org

-a former marine who is walking around the country to raise money for veterans

-a group of guys from Santa Cruz, CA who are biking down the Oregon coast and surfing along the way.  They have strapped their surfing boards and fishing rods to their bike trailers.  I’ll post pictures when I can.  It’s really cool stuff.

      After our down-time here in Crescent City, we’ll be facing some of the most challenging days of the trip in northern California’s redwood forests.  The hills are steep and long, certainly harder than what we had to tackle in Oregon.  Fortunately, we’ve had 600 miles of biking to get us in shape, and I think a day off will give us the rest we need to forge ahead during the next week.

      Overall, I am continuing to enjoy myself, though, as I said, knowing that I don’t have to bike again until Saturday makes me very, very happy!

 

David 🙂

Some Colorful Characters

I’m writing to you from the library in North Bend, Oregon.  We’re about 10 miles from camp after biking 44 miles this morning/afternoon.  This brings our total for the trip to just under 450 miles with the California border just two riding days today.

Last night, we stayed at Jessie Honeyman State Park, a space best known for its gigantic sand dunes.  I climbed to the top of one (a task that took about seven minutes) and read for a bit while soaking in the sun.  Back at camp, we met some colorful characters who are on cycling trips of their own.  They included:

-Nick: a recent graduate of Santa Clara University on his way to San Francisco

-Autumn: a Washington resident who is biking to school farther north

-Adam: a New Zealand resident who is biking to Argentina!!!

We built a fire, roasted marshmellows, and chatted with our fellow cyclists.

Overall, my spirits are high.  As I hoped, this trip has helped me to improve my fitness, enabled me to reflect a bit on what I want to do with the next few years of my life, and allowed me to see some beautiful scenery.  At the same time, I’m beginning to look forward to a return to the “real world.”  I’m finding myself missing my family and friends (particularly my friends from Quincy House at Harvard), and, after enduring our first rain storm last night, I can see the appeal of sleeping in something other than a tent.

However, the real world will still be there after another 1,000 miles of biking.

For now, ten more miles to camp at Sunset Beach!

David 🙂

Halfway through Oregon!

Hey Everyone,

      First of all, I’m sorry for being delinquent about updating the blog.  I’ve had very limited internet access during the past few days.  Unfortunately, I only have six minutes to write this post because the Sisuslaw Public Library only had a 15 minute internet slot available (I spent the first nine minutes in shock after reading the Patriots lost 38-13).

      At any rate, the trip is getting better as time and miles go by.  We just hit the 400 mile mark on the odometer, and we are now more than halfway through Oregon.  The coastline is absolutely gorgeous with lots of jagged rocks, nice beaches, and wildlife.

      Some highlights from the past few days:

      -spending an hour at an Indian salmon bake in Depoe Bay

     -running into a team of cyclists from an accounting firm doing a 650     mile ride to raise money for the American Cancer Association

     -loads and loads of climbing — I’m certainly working hard for these views.

     -SPECTACULAR WEATHER: Shockingly and thankfully, it has not rained on the trip, and the sun is shining today.

     We’re likely to take a half or full day-off soon.  Whenever that is, I promise a more detailed post.

David 🙂

Quick update

This is David’s Dad, filling in for David (he does not have internet access today). They’ve covered 321 miles total, which has brought them to Lincoln City, Oregon.  As they go down the coast, the views are getting prettier, and the climbs more challenging.  Overall, they’re having a great time, and they should be able to access the internet tomorrow with a more detailed post.

Living the high life!

Hey Everyone,

For the past couple of days, we have been living the high life (at least by the standards of cycling tours).  On September 15 (my birthday), we went out to dinner for the first time since we started biking, and we spent that a commercial campground instead of the typical state-park campground.  At commercial campgrounds, you don’t pay for showers by the minute.  Overall, the combination of a ten minute shower and a steak dinner made me a very happy birthday camper.

As if we had not already pampered ourselves enough, we decided to take today (the 17th) off from biking.  After five days and 227 miles of biking, we decided a little R and R would be a good thing.  I spent the day doing my laundry, shipping a package back home in an effort to decrease weight (mom and dad, look forward to spare bike parts and a frisbee arriving shortly), and reading.  The highlight though was the visit to the municipal pool and hot tub!

at the hostel

Despite partaking in so many luxuries, we have been working hard on the bike.  The most challenging part so far was the bridge we crossed on the Washington-Oregon border.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, it is 4.2 miles long, and, because it crosses the ocean, it is fairly windy.  On top of that, it culminates in a steep climb followed by a reasonably rapid descent on a ramp.  I was intimidated to say the least.  Here’s a pic of the bridge:

a bridge to no-where?

Tomorrow, we have a fairly tough day ahead of us.  Though the ride will only be about 50 miles, we have to bike through an uphill tunnel and have a stretch where we climb for 2.5 miles.  The tunnel has a button one can push that illuminates a sign that says “cyclists are inside,” but I’m still a bit nervous about it.  Similarly, the climb is supposed to be gradual, but, nevertheless, 2.5 miles is a long distance to climb.  Fortunately, at the end of the day, we plan to visit the TIlamook Cheese factory and enjoy some free samples.

Overall, I’m enjoying the trip and the challenges that accompany it.  Still, it is nice to partake in the high life albeit briefly.

David 🙂

Quick Update — In Oregon!

Hey Everyone,

I’m writing to you from Seaside, Oregon, a nice resort(ish) town about 15 miles from the Oregon border.  After five days of riding, we’ve covered 227 miles.  Tomorrow, we’re taking an off day before getting back in the saddle on Thursday.  We’re spending the night at a hostel in Seaside, so I am about to sleep in a bed for the first time this trip.  I’m very excited.

I’m going to write a detailed post tomorrow (and hopefully upload pictures) but a few highlights for now:

-To cross the Oregon border, we had to cross a 4.5 mile bridge.  This was very challenging and scary.  I’ll post some photos tomorrow.

-I had a steak dinner for my birthday.  Absolutely oustanding.

-I have developed a serious biker tan but won’t post photos of that.

More to come tomorrow.

David 🙂

Amelia’s blog

Amelia has created a blog as well: leftcoastbike.wordpress.com

Animals, harmonicas, snickers, and more biking!

      I’m writing to you from the public library in Raymond, WA, where the folks in the library have been nice enough to let me access the itnernet. 

      First, a quick update on our route progress.  We’ve covered about 32 miles today (my computer on my bike is downstairs), and we have about 20 miles to go before we reach camp for the night.  From there, we have a 47 mile ride to the Oregon border.

      In addition to meeting fellow cyclists for the first time yesterday (see earlier post), we had our first encounter with the great wildlife of the northwest.  To be more precise, an animal stole a loaf of bread from us.  Every night, we tie a rope between two trees and hang our food from it (a technique called bear-baggin).  We put most of the food in a stuff sack, but we attached the bread separately.  Somehow, an animal got to it and dragged the entire loaf into the shrubs a few feet away.  Thankfully, we found a way to deal with this: we bought more bread.

      On another note (pun intended), harmonicas appear to be very popular among touring cyclists.  Amelia suggested that we buy harmonicas before leaving, and one of the touring cyclists we met last night (Peter from Canada) brought a cyclist too.  Go figure.  I haven’t played much harmonica yet, but Amelia is up to four songs.  I’ve spent more of my leisure time reading a novel called “The Broker” by John Grisham.  Slow going by Grisham standards so far.

      For those gamblers seeking inside information, I remain healthy and strong.  Tim, I would say the chances of the trip merely lasting 14-17 days are about as good as the Yankees making the playoffs.  Aside from a little sorness, I’m feeling strong.  

      I would love to post pictures, but, as far as I can tell, this library’s computer has restrictions that prevent me from doing so.  I promise to put-up pictures ASAP.  I have some nice action shots taken while riding, and the views as a whole are nice.

      Finally, I want to send my best wishes to those working on Wall Street.  I just glanced at the NYT homepage, and it looks like a very tumultuous day/week.  I hope that everything works out OK for everyone working there.

      I’ll post again within the next couple days.

The first challenge

Location: Westport, Washington

Day 3 complete.  Cumulative trip mileage 124.3.  Cumulative Avg. Speed: 11.9 mph.  Max speed: 33.1 mph.

Overnighting at Twin Harbors State Park – a gorgeous location with a great beach.  Tonight we ran into our first fellow cyclists, four in all.

Yesterday evening on the way to Lake Silvia State Park we met and overcame our first significant challenges.  After a full day of riding, about a mile and half from the camp we started to climb, and didn’t stop climbing for about a mile straight.  After completing the climb we started down a rapid descent straight into the park.  Unfortunately, half the way down my back blew out on a pothole hidden in the shadows.  To add insult to injury, my trailer started to fishtail and over I went.  Fortunately, no injuries were sustained – don’t get too excited whichever roommate bet on the trip ending in less than 3 days.  To add further insult, I managed to get a flat on my front tire this morning as we departed.  Ouch.  No more hand pumps.

Overall, rolling terrain and rather picturesque views.  Easy riding – the best is yet to come.

Tomorrow a 52 mile ride is expected to be followed by 47 miles to the Oregon border.

Off to take the first showers of the trip.

Much love to all.

David “Where’s Waldo” Tannenwald