Day 57 Wednesday October 14th
We rode from Cottage Grove to Elkton, maybe 40 miles. The weather was fair, on and off sunny, drizzly here and there. We sat at a cafe and were directed to Joan, who worked at the winery across the street. Her and her husband Jeff took us in for the night, both commuters, tourists and Surly fans. We stayed in a loft above their bathroom house, they also had a bedroom house and a kitchen/living room house with little stone paths in between the three of them. It was really neat.
Day 58 Thursday October 15th
We went from Elkton to Charleston. It was a bit rainy and we rode 73 miles. We raced an extra nine miles to get to a park on the beach of the pacific ocean and catch the sunset but we missed it. Billy got himself a 40 of PBR for the night. He sat out and then once we were asleep I woke up to an awful scratchy noise. I heard my tire spinning and was afraid that someone was stealing my stuff. Paralyzed I woke Billy. He went outside to find two racoons having knocked my bike over trying to get in one of my back bags to get out the few dog bones I was carrying. He scared them away and a few hours later they tried again and he saved me from the vicious monsters again. I was still a little scared, mostly of potential rabies.
Day 59 Friday October 16th
We rode 30 miles to Bandon and stayed at a state park. We met a french cyclist, Baptiste. We did laundry and relaxed in the sun, it was a beautiful day. I saw and felt the Pacific Ocean for the first time in my 21 years of exsistence today. We collected rocks so I could make some necklaces. Billy climbed the big rocks and took photos.
Day 60 Saturday October 17th
It was drizzling when we woke up. We rode two miles from the park to Bandon and in doing so got completely drenched. We had to cross a bridge and the rain and wind were coming at us from the side with gusto. We tried to wait it out a cafe and decided to stay at a sea front hostel/motel and read and watched tv for the evening.
Day 61 Sunday October 18th
We rode from Bandon to Mount Humbug. We rode 35 miles and decided since alluminum cans we worth 10 cents each we should start cleaning up hwy 101. So I collected 40 cans during our leisurly ride. The day dragged on a little and when we padded through a town it was covered in a thick fog and we knew there was going to be rain tomorrow. I think I went to bed at 6pm.
Day 62 Monday October 19th
We rode 55 miles from Mt Humbug to Brookings. It was a decently hilly day and we met alot of people along the way, plus the sun came out and it was beautiful!
Lee: crazy old bike tourist
Al: bike tourist, also a little crazy
Mick: vegan hipster from Dallas, riding from VanCouver
Mary and Dan: Couple from Alaska who venture during the winter months. Riding the same bikes as Billy and I, Dan and I have the same color and size, Mary and Billy have the same color but shes like 2 feet shorter than Billy. Turns out they used to work at a resturant Billy did called Heaven City.
Sam: HItchhiking and backpacking from Washington to San Diego
A canadian carrying a broken BOB tralior and two girls who we saw yesterday as well and were equally untalkative.
We had smores on a beach fire with Dan, Mary and Mick and it was wonderful.
Day 63 Tuesday OCtober 20th
Happy Birthday Mom!
California!!(we got $6 for the cans)
We rode 35 miles to Nickle Creek. It was a pretty easy day except the last 6 miles wore on and on and on. It was a primitive site and we had to hike for a half mile with out bikes to get there. When we got there Sam was there with Lee, a new Lee, a french man traveling the US who picked up Sam. We were antsy for Dan Mary and Micks arrival, they were out favorites. Low and Behold, here they come! We all cooked on the fire and the companionship was welcomed.
Day 64 Wednesday October 21st
Rode 37 miles to Elk Prarie campground. This place was a ripoff. 35 bucks a site, 8 dollas a bundle of wood(we couldnt collect due to the rain) quarters for showers and no soap in the bathrooms! I saw my first redwood today. We rode all day with Dan Mary and Mick. We had two 1,000 climbs in one day, each of which we waited at the top for everyone and snacked before we rode down. We met Eric and Finn two scottish? riders touring the coast. Most of the day went by quick and was fun. It has been nice with the five of us riding together for a few days.
Day 65 Thursday October 22nd
Rode 50 miles to Aracata/Eureka. The sun came out for us after lunch. Had donuts and coffee mmmmmhm. We stayed with Dick and Kathy from warm showers. They had a beautiful house that Dick had built that was used recently in a movie called Humboldt County, about pot growing. They gave us all the apples we could eat and Billy and I got the bed inside. We stopped at a bike shop in Arcata and because I had broke part of my derailer we talked to the owners and they gave me the part I needed for free!
Day 66 Friday October 23rd
Day Off! Dick invited us to stay again although afternoon we thought Kathy mightve been disapointed. We decided not to linger and went into Eureka and wandered through the city. We ended the night watching Humboldt County. Throughout the movie Mick said, wow, this house in here looks really familiar. We thought he was kidding but aparently he didnt catch the story behind the movie so we teased him good for that. We really love our new family! We take it easy and expierence it all, espessially since its so beautiful on the coast and the redwoods. We have a little saying, NO Parents No rules! Which means if you want ice cream for breakfast, have it. Ha ha.
Day 67 Saturday October 24th
50 miles to Burlington State Park. We rode throught the Avenue of the Giants. Mick had two flats, Mary had one and Billy had one. So it was a slow moving day. We met the Post It boys, a group of "bro middle aged men" on a 7 day tour who are all engineers at 3M.
Day 68 Sunday October 25th
50 miles from Burington to Leggit. One flat for Mary. Lots and lots of hills. We called them devils. We landed at the Stanley Hickish campground and ate dinner It was a beautiful ride and a sunny day. We had a fire with the post it boys. They were not good company.
Day 67 Monday October 26th
Leggit to Fort Bragg. BIGGEST HILL EVER! and then more hills. By the end of the day I was so over it. Aparently the middle part of the coast, from here to LA is going to be hill after hill, up after down. Of course ten miles out of fort bragg it started to rain. We went to Roy and Marys house from warm showers and they hooked us up with a whole guest house where we dewinded. We had pancakes with Roy the following morning.
Day 68 Tuesday October 28th
Fort Bragg to Point Arena. Another day of hills. We however had mega wind at our backs. At one point I went coasted on a flat spot at 12mph. We went to a campground and built a fire, which we decided wasnt safe, the wind was blowing freezing air at 40mph and even though the wind wasnt warm the area was dry so we were worried about those pesky California wildfirea. We found a cheap cheap(too cheap)motel six miles away and cut out a few good hills out of tomorrows ride. The motel room came with a cute hungry kitten so Mary bought it food and it spent the night with us. Billy tried to use my head/legs as a pillow for a while. (He and Mick had brass monkeys=a forty with some OJ in it) so he was tuckered.
Day 67 Wednesday October 29th
Hills. Is this getting repetitive? Because it is for me too. Every pedal today was triumpant my body was telling me, please! dont ride anymore! WE only went 38 miles but it took all day long. We camped next to a party of retired San Franscico Fire Fighters and they gave us peanuts, salami, chips, salsa, bean dip and bread. I went to bed early and Dan and Mick joined the party and got to know the firemen and drank with them. They spread the word for me that I would like a ride into Frisco(two days to get there, 90 miles, way too hard) so I went to bed hoping!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Oregon Trail (Neither of us have gotton tyhoid fever yet)
Monday October 5th Day 48
We left Seattle, not before getting lots of free Via!(Starbucks instant coffee.) We rode 84 miles to Yelm, or near Yelm to stay with Barb(Spokane)'s sister Jennifer and her kids Emily and Nolan. We almost rode a little in the dark, we rode just about as long as we could have, we cranked out 16 miles an hour for one hour. We had pizza and met all Jennifer's cats, got cozy and warm and she made us little treat bags and PB&J sandwhiches!
Tuesday October 6th Day 49
We rode 75 miles from Yelm to Castlerock. We are following the STP route, thats 'Seattle to Portland', an annual ride. It was an easy enough day, pretty moss covered trees like an enchanted forest. A little cool for my taste I wasnt looking forward to camping. The STP map said there was camping in Castlerock but there must have been during the ride, like a set up at the highschool. At the bar we stopped at for help we met Joe and he sent us to his house to shower and stay in his RV. It had a very comfortable bed, we watched two and a half men with his brother and they had a tiny four week old puppy to play with.
Wednesday October 7th-Saturday October 10th Day 50-53
Wahoo, Portland! Jude, a friend of Matt and Cindy(who we stayed iwth in Seattle) met us about 6 miles out and rode us over to her house. We fot settled in and ate at a vegetarian type resturant. Her roomates Pancho, Heather and Niel were the humans and Iggy dog, and George the cat. They were all fantastic to us for the next few days. We went to Powells which is a five story one city block used and new bookstore which was cool. We did a little clothes shopping, Billy sold his pants and got ones that fit him...hes getting skinny...maybe too skinny. Jude tuned up our bikes, she builds wheels, fixed my wheel, gave us t shirts of her company, Epic Wheel Works and Billy put our new chains on! We ate like a dozen donuts each, while not biking in Portland. Fantastic, sugary donuts. We went to one shop, VooDoo Donuts, which is a punk rock donut shop with vulgar names for their amazing donuts. I got a sticker from the that says 'I GOT VD IN PORTLAND' haha.
Sunday October 11th Day 54
We tried to leave Portland. Before we left Judes house Billy had his first flat tire. We rode over to Dan and Anonas and we were going to just have coffee. We decided to get donuts too. It was already noon and we were leaving their house and Billys tire was flat again. The valve was cracked. So we decided to stay. We went and saw the movie the Invention of Lying. It was awful. Dont ever see it. We watched a bit of the office and ate ice cream.
Monday October 12th Day 55
80 miles today, no rain!!! We were going to go to Buena Vista but when we got there the ferry was closed so we had to go nine miles to Jefferson. We stopped at a cafe and met the owners who were very nice and we had pumpking pie and coffee. The sherriff deputy told us to camp under the bridge so we took our bikes down there and camped under the bridge like trolls! We then realized the other bridge next to our bridge was an active train track, and it was loud.
Tuesday October 13th Day 56
We made it to Cottage Grove! It was 78 miles. It drizzled on and off all day, it was drizzling when we woke up. When I came upon Billy at our rest stop after the first 20 or so miles I found him with a rim in one hand and tire/tube next to him. Another flat? Nope, he mysteriously bent two spokes and had to replace them. We were making great time having a great day but leaving Eugene we got a little lost, or more confused and unsure which was stressful and then it rained, not drizzled. It was another 21 miles to Cottage Grove where we knew a hot meal and warm hotel bed was waiting for us..thank you Bill and Jane! When we arrived(wet) it was great, the place was beautifyl, lots of gardens we even had a little garden patio out our back door. The dinner(which was included) would have cost us $73. WOW! And it was good, so was the buffet breakfast.
Wednesday October 14th Day 57
Rode just 40 miles to Elkton. It rained on and off and we had a bit of a head wind. The ride was pretty, lots of banana slugs on the side of the road, they are the size and girth of my middle finger. We went through a tunnel on hwy 38 where you pressed a button and a sign on top flashed and said bicyclist in tunnel, 30mph and it turned lights on in the tunnel for us. We sat at a cafe and townspeople directed us to Joan and Jeff, Surly(thats the type of bikes we have)fans, bike commuters and tourists who welcomed us into their home. Which is actully three houses, one with a kitchen and living room, one bathroom and one bedroom with a little stone bath in between! They fed us pizza and they even had a bike rack in the front of their house!
We left Seattle, not before getting lots of free Via!(Starbucks instant coffee.) We rode 84 miles to Yelm, or near Yelm to stay with Barb(Spokane)'s sister Jennifer and her kids Emily and Nolan. We almost rode a little in the dark, we rode just about as long as we could have, we cranked out 16 miles an hour for one hour. We had pizza and met all Jennifer's cats, got cozy and warm and she made us little treat bags and PB&J sandwhiches!
Tuesday October 6th Day 49
We rode 75 miles from Yelm to Castlerock. We are following the STP route, thats 'Seattle to Portland', an annual ride. It was an easy enough day, pretty moss covered trees like an enchanted forest. A little cool for my taste I wasnt looking forward to camping. The STP map said there was camping in Castlerock but there must have been during the ride, like a set up at the highschool. At the bar we stopped at for help we met Joe and he sent us to his house to shower and stay in his RV. It had a very comfortable bed, we watched two and a half men with his brother and they had a tiny four week old puppy to play with.
Wednesday October 7th-Saturday October 10th Day 50-53
Wahoo, Portland! Jude, a friend of Matt and Cindy(who we stayed iwth in Seattle) met us about 6 miles out and rode us over to her house. We fot settled in and ate at a vegetarian type resturant. Her roomates Pancho, Heather and Niel were the humans and Iggy dog, and George the cat. They were all fantastic to us for the next few days. We went to Powells which is a five story one city block used and new bookstore which was cool. We did a little clothes shopping, Billy sold his pants and got ones that fit him...hes getting skinny...maybe too skinny. Jude tuned up our bikes, she builds wheels, fixed my wheel, gave us t shirts of her company, Epic Wheel Works and Billy put our new chains on! We ate like a dozen donuts each, while not biking in Portland. Fantastic, sugary donuts. We went to one shop, VooDoo Donuts, which is a punk rock donut shop with vulgar names for their amazing donuts. I got a sticker from the that says 'I GOT VD IN PORTLAND' haha.
Sunday October 11th Day 54
We tried to leave Portland. Before we left Judes house Billy had his first flat tire. We rode over to Dan and Anonas and we were going to just have coffee. We decided to get donuts too. It was already noon and we were leaving their house and Billys tire was flat again. The valve was cracked. So we decided to stay. We went and saw the movie the Invention of Lying. It was awful. Dont ever see it. We watched a bit of the office and ate ice cream.
Monday October 12th Day 55
80 miles today, no rain!!! We were going to go to Buena Vista but when we got there the ferry was closed so we had to go nine miles to Jefferson. We stopped at a cafe and met the owners who were very nice and we had pumpking pie and coffee. The sherriff deputy told us to camp under the bridge so we took our bikes down there and camped under the bridge like trolls! We then realized the other bridge next to our bridge was an active train track, and it was loud.
Tuesday October 13th Day 56
We made it to Cottage Grove! It was 78 miles. It drizzled on and off all day, it was drizzling when we woke up. When I came upon Billy at our rest stop after the first 20 or so miles I found him with a rim in one hand and tire/tube next to him. Another flat? Nope, he mysteriously bent two spokes and had to replace them. We were making great time having a great day but leaving Eugene we got a little lost, or more confused and unsure which was stressful and then it rained, not drizzled. It was another 21 miles to Cottage Grove where we knew a hot meal and warm hotel bed was waiting for us..thank you Bill and Jane! When we arrived(wet) it was great, the place was beautifyl, lots of gardens we even had a little garden patio out our back door. The dinner(which was included) would have cost us $73. WOW! And it was good, so was the buffet breakfast.
Wednesday October 14th Day 57
Rode just 40 miles to Elkton. It rained on and off and we had a bit of a head wind. The ride was pretty, lots of banana slugs on the side of the road, they are the size and girth of my middle finger. We went through a tunnel on hwy 38 where you pressed a button and a sign on top flashed and said bicyclist in tunnel, 30mph and it turned lights on in the tunnel for us. We sat at a cafe and townspeople directed us to Joan and Jeff, Surly(thats the type of bikes we have)fans, bike commuters and tourists who welcomed us into their home. Which is actully three houses, one with a kitchen and living room, one bathroom and one bedroom with a little stone bath in between! They fed us pizza and they even had a bike rack in the front of their house!
Friday, October 2, 2009
Seattle!
So I got me some (almost)new mavic a319 rims on Francine(the name i've given my bike) and we spent a day off in Spokane. So that was 2 of 4 days off for Billy and 3 off for Manda. Kind of a lot, but hey we're on vacation. So we were going to go to the North Cascades, but it was a cold ride to Wilbur, Wa so we decided to rethink things. That day, Barb rode with us for about 17 miles to get us on our way which was quite nice of her. We got to miss out on the attrocity that is bicycling in Spokane(at least as far as I experienced it). We peddled onward and stopped at a diner and got veggie burgers, what a good find and continued on towards Wilbur. We didn't make it in till about dark and I had gone to check out the camping situation, and while I was doing that Manda had missed me and gone further into town. So I walked around for a while and then biked and found her at a gas station not too far away. So we threw up our tent in this guy's yard that said it would be ok, but Manda thought it was freezing cold so we got a motel. Then we decided to try and figure out how to get to Seattle as quickly as possible.
We thought we would take the train, so we found a close-by trainstation(~60mi) and biked there. It was in Ephrata, Wa and luckily we got to take an amazingly beautiful road. hwy 17 i believe from coulee city to soap lake. Its up there with my other two favorite rides of the trip, hwy 2 from east to west glacier and hwy 200 along the pond o'reille. The road just went down into a coulee(apparently this is a canyon with steep walls) and then through it for like 20 miles. We got a motel and found out when the train would leave and went to eat. We got up at 3:45am and went to the train station only to find out we couldn't take our bikes...great. So Manda decided we would rent a truck, U-haul to be precise and drive to Seattle. So we did. An interesting experience to say the least. I think we were justified considering the cold and rain in the cascades, we may have had some miserable days biking and frigid nights in a tent, so now we're in Seattle for the weekend and looking to enjoy the town.
We went to the university district already and explored a few thrift stores and then went to Starbucks for a drink, and heard Death Cab for Cutie playing while it rained outside...in Seattle. So we're at a hostel and hoping to stay with some warm showers people while we stay. We're hoping to visit the first Starbucks, go up the space needle and check out sub-pop records. Hopefully we'll have some good fun and then move on to Portland.
-billy
also we're working on the picture thing with a flickr account, only a few photos are up right now, so just give us some time to work it out
We thought we would take the train, so we found a close-by trainstation(~60mi) and biked there. It was in Ephrata, Wa and luckily we got to take an amazingly beautiful road. hwy 17 i believe from coulee city to soap lake. Its up there with my other two favorite rides of the trip, hwy 2 from east to west glacier and hwy 200 along the pond o'reille. The road just went down into a coulee(apparently this is a canyon with steep walls) and then through it for like 20 miles. We got a motel and found out when the train would leave and went to eat. We got up at 3:45am and went to the train station only to find out we couldn't take our bikes...great. So Manda decided we would rent a truck, U-haul to be precise and drive to Seattle. So we did. An interesting experience to say the least. I think we were justified considering the cold and rain in the cascades, we may have had some miserable days biking and frigid nights in a tent, so now we're in Seattle for the weekend and looking to enjoy the town.
We went to the university district already and explored a few thrift stores and then went to Starbucks for a drink, and heard Death Cab for Cutie playing while it rained outside...in Seattle. So we're at a hostel and hoping to stay with some warm showers people while we stay. We're hoping to visit the first Starbucks, go up the space needle and check out sub-pop records. Hopefully we'll have some good fun and then move on to Portland.
-billy
also we're working on the picture thing with a flickr account, only a few photos are up right now, so just give us some time to work it out
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