Yesterday was, hands down, our toughest day so far and possibly one of the hardest of the entire trip. We took the 70-mile route through the Lost Coast, passing through a few tiny villages (Capetown, Petrolia, Honeydew), some of which do not even have drinking water. We got our supplies before leaving Ferndale where we spent the night, so that wasn't an issue. The big catch, though, was the hills.
And hills we did climb. We started with a killer-steep 2000 foot peak first thing in the morning. Our legs were feeling the pain as we didn't get to do any warm-up miles or stretching. As soon as we reached the top and went back to sea level along the windy mountain roads, we started climbing a 1000-footer, which, as we later found out, is referred to by the locals as "the Wall". After about four hours of riding upwards we reached Petrolia, our lunch stop. Needless to say, we were feeling pretty spent. Tomas and I actually bought a half-gallon of ice cream and killed it within mnutes.
We rested for a bit, then gathered the courage to finish the route and do the last peak - our highest yet - a 2500 foot tall, 8.5 mile long climb to the top of Cathey's Peak. It was a long, grinding climb with no dips to rest your muscles or stops to catch your breath (we have a rule against getting off your bike between the bottom and top of a hill). After about two hours, we reached the top, and stuffed our faces with beef jerky and chocolate, the last food resources we still carried on us. We were quite relieved to have finished the day, a cumulative 8500 feet climb, with no knee or back injuries, no accidents flying down those cliffs or avoiding the deer crossing the roads in front of us.
Apart from the pain and the pride, yesterday also had to offer some of the prettiest sights we have seen. Up there in the mountains, there is almost no civilization, just lush, rolling hills with grazing lands for cows and goats, and incredible views of the Pacific down below. The roads that seem to be going up into the sky and the hills sinking in the clouds, look like a scene right out of Lord of the Rings, and is impossible to capture in a photograph. We will post the new shots sometime later but you really have to be there to give it any justice.
We're taking it a bit easier today, riding just above 50 miles as our legs are stiff and our hands are blistered. We rode through the Avenue of the Giants, got a second breakfast in a village along the way, and will camp for the night at Standish-Hickey State Park. With only a little above 200 miles till San Francisco, this journey feels fast as hell but we've barely scratched the surface so far.
Leaving you with a quote from a guy we met passing through Eureka a couple of days ago:
"May your tires always be full of air, the wind always at your back, and your helmets totally useless!"
Friday, May 29, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Eureka, CA
First day of our second week; we're starting with an easy 40-mile day and stopping over at Eureka for lunch, internet and fingerprints (Joe needs the latter for his new job). The last few days have been truly amazing, with breath-taking sights along the Oregon coast and incredible Redwoods of Northern California. Just to give you an idea, here's a quick video shot we took two days ago:
Redwoods
About 750 miles into our trip and under 300 miles left to San Francisco, we are running a bit ahead of schedule. In other words, we are proudly overperforming and exceeding our own expectations and plans. We keep trying to take an easy day, but end up with 70 miles by evening anyway. Our enthusiasm is running as high as ever and our physical shape is getting better everyday.
Good for us because yesterday we had one of the most difficult days of our trip with two of the biggest climbs packed just a few hours of travel away from each other. Over 1000 feet of elevation each. Piece of cake, and that's all it was, although just two weeks ago such a climb would have killed us.
Difficult but also very rewarding those climbs were because they took us through two redwood national parks. These millennium-old sequoia forests were truly awe-inspiring, like our guide book put it. Each of these trees was as wide as the road that passed by it. And there were hundreds if not thousands of them. Riding by them on a tiny bicycle, surrounded by mist, with dispersed sun rays shining through, really felt like exploring a foreign planet. No words can really describe how impressive it was, so we took tons of pictures and even shot videos, which will hopefully eventually make their way to this blog. But even that will hardly come close what it felt like for us riding through these ancient trees...
Time's up their kicking me out of the library!
Good for us because yesterday we had one of the most difficult days of our trip with two of the biggest climbs packed just a few hours of travel away from each other. Over 1000 feet of elevation each. Piece of cake, and that's all it was, although just two weeks ago such a climb would have killed us.
Difficult but also very rewarding those climbs were because they took us through two redwood national parks. These millennium-old sequoia forests were truly awe-inspiring, like our guide book put it. Each of these trees was as wide as the road that passed by it. And there were hundreds if not thousands of them. Riding by them on a tiny bicycle, surrounded by mist, with dispersed sun rays shining through, really felt like exploring a foreign planet. No words can really describe how impressive it was, so we took tons of pictures and even shot videos, which will hopefully eventually make their way to this blog. But even that will hardly come close what it felt like for us riding through these ancient trees...
Time's up their kicking me out of the library!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Have bike - will travel
It's not the beautiful views or the pride of collecting miles that makes this bike trip so special, it's the thoughts you think and the sense of independence you feel as you follow the rhythmic mantra of pedalling - hour after hour day after day. No distractions, no petty materialistic comforts, no vibrating blackberry. Pure illusion of freedom.
And as I roll down the road of a steep hill I just climbed - wind blowing and my heart beating - I can feel the filthy absurdities that life threw at me during the last two years being cleansed away. One numb neuron after another, my body opens up to a new, more altruistic and compassionate future and I can almost hear my chakras cracking their seals and the healing love of the universe flowing in and taking over until my third eye props open and I become eternally one with the world.
Or something like that...
And as I roll down the road of a steep hill I just climbed - wind blowing and my heart beating - I can feel the filthy absurdities that life threw at me during the last two years being cleansed away. One numb neuron after another, my body opens up to a new, more altruistic and compassionate future and I can almost hear my chakras cracking their seals and the healing love of the universe flowing in and taking over until my third eye props open and I become eternally one with the world.
Or something like that...
Port Orford, OR
Finally, we are doing an easy day! After traveling 150 miles in the last two days, we decided to ease off a little bit and only ride for 40 miles today. We spent a night at KOA camp in Langlois and stopped for a leisurely lunch in Port Orford this afternoon. We'll camp 30 miles south of here if we can find a vacancy this Memorial Day weekend. And if not, we will have to trust Tomas's "stealth" camping skills again.
Last time we "stealth" camped like that was two days ago, at Umpqua Lighthouse State Park. We hid our tents in the bushes and put up with just cold water and no showers for the night. We didn't get caught or fined and we packed our tents promptly at 6.00 am and got on our bikes. We felt pretty good about ourselves being so smart and crafty. But about 50 meters down the road we saw a perfectly legal, fully equipped campground with hot water, showers, and possibly laundromats too. I can only imagine the reaction of a ranger who could have caught us that night...
We spent the first week going along 101 mostly and crossed the entire length of Oregon Dunes conglomeration of state parks. The area feels like a never ending city of RVs, with ATV and cross bike rentals and other entertainment for the campers. Although the weather was on the colder side and it was windy and cloudy, the scenery was very enjoyable. There were some cute towns along the road, such as Bandon, with its cozy old town, lighthouses and, of course, Best Coffee Shop and Restaurant, where we spent quite a bit of time thawing. As a sidenote, most of the towns along the way seem to have something that is either world's biggest, smallest, shortest or tallest. You have to find a way to distinguish yourself somehow, I guess. But bragging about "world's shortest river" is a rather interesting way of doing it.
OK, time to get rolling again. California, here we come (in a day or so)!
Last time we "stealth" camped like that was two days ago, at Umpqua Lighthouse State Park. We hid our tents in the bushes and put up with just cold water and no showers for the night. We didn't get caught or fined and we packed our tents promptly at 6.00 am and got on our bikes. We felt pretty good about ourselves being so smart and crafty. But about 50 meters down the road we saw a perfectly legal, fully equipped campground with hot water, showers, and possibly laundromats too. I can only imagine the reaction of a ranger who could have caught us that night...
We spent the first week going along 101 mostly and crossed the entire length of Oregon Dunes conglomeration of state parks. The area feels like a never ending city of RVs, with ATV and cross bike rentals and other entertainment for the campers. Although the weather was on the colder side and it was windy and cloudy, the scenery was very enjoyable. There were some cute towns along the road, such as Bandon, with its cozy old town, lighthouses and, of course, Best Coffee Shop and Restaurant, where we spent quite a bit of time thawing. As a sidenote, most of the towns along the way seem to have something that is either world's biggest, smallest, shortest or tallest. You have to find a way to distinguish yourself somehow, I guess. But bragging about "world's shortest river" is a rather interesting way of doing it.
OK, time to get rolling again. California, here we come (in a day or so)!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Florence, OR
It's our eighth day of riding - we're stopping for a lunch/library break in Florence, OR. Yesterday was our longest day on the road - we rode along the coast from Pacific City to Yachats, covering 78 miles. Funnily enough, it was supposed to be our "easy" day and we planned to only do less than 50 miles, then rest. However, while buying our groceries in Lincoln City, we met Dave and Kathleen and their kids, a family from Texas, who is staying at their relative's beach house in Yachats. An offer of a dinner and a roof for the night easily persuaded us to double the distance for the day and after riding for over 6 hours, we reached their their bungalow by the sea. It was definitely worth the effort - the clam chowder, the showers, the beds, and great company of Dave and Kathleen and their four kids ended up a nice little adventure - the kind of stuff you travel for in the first place.
All the way from Pacific City to Florence we have been riding along Highway 101, with small detours through bicycle paths. The views here are just stunning. Sharp cliffs, long desolate beaches, caves and rocks sticking out of the sea. Trees I don't know names for seem to have adapted to the wind, constantly beating against the rocks they are growing on. They have assumed these "aerodynamic" shapes, leaning away from the wind to protect their leaves, needles and fruit. This morning we saw sea lions resting by the packs on the rocks. We are told Oregon coast is migration path for whales, so we're on the lookout for any spouts in the horizon.
We've been getting a lot of tail-wind, which is a great help climbing the hills along the coast. Sometimes, you can just coast and the wind will push you along the flat road or even up a small hill - it is that strong down here. We're feeling lucky we didn't stick to our original plan of doing the west coast south to north, which would have quite painful with the constant headwind.
We'll be camping 30 or so miles south of Florence tonight, most probably around Reedsport. In just a few more days, we will be done with Oregon and enter California.
We'll keep you posted on how that goes. Thanks for stopping by!
All the way from Pacific City to Florence we have been riding along Highway 101, with small detours through bicycle paths. The views here are just stunning. Sharp cliffs, long desolate beaches, caves and rocks sticking out of the sea. Trees I don't know names for seem to have adapted to the wind, constantly beating against the rocks they are growing on. They have assumed these "aerodynamic" shapes, leaning away from the wind to protect their leaves, needles and fruit. This morning we saw sea lions resting by the packs on the rocks. We are told Oregon coast is migration path for whales, so we're on the lookout for any spouts in the horizon.
We've been getting a lot of tail-wind, which is a great help climbing the hills along the coast. Sometimes, you can just coast and the wind will push you along the flat road or even up a small hill - it is that strong down here. We're feeling lucky we didn't stick to our original plan of doing the west coast south to north, which would have quite painful with the constant headwind.
We'll be camping 30 or so miles south of Florence tonight, most probably around Reedsport. In just a few more days, we will be done with Oregon and enter California.
We'll keep you posted on how that goes. Thanks for stopping by!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Pacific City, OR
We are finally taking a rest day here in rainy Pacific City. We decided to stay completely off the bikes and spend the day doing things we haven't had the time for until now. I finally found a public library, which allows me to upload the pictures from my camera. Here are some snapshots of our first week of travels - Seattle, WA to Pacific City, OR: http://picasaweb.google.com/daumantas.mockus
Monday, May 18, 2009
and the road becomes my bride...
With every day cycling is become easier and more pleasant. Forgotten are the rainstorms and the cold of the first couple of days. Sunny sky, soft breeze from the ocean and gorgeous views have taken over. Our targeted 60 miles per day is becoming easier and easier, leaving some time to enjoy the espresso shops by the road and cook some gourmet food on our stove. I'm even starting to find 20 minutes here and there to sneak in some CFA cramming.
I keep making little adjustments to my bike. I tilted the seat forward for a more aggressive posture that allows me to move my weight from my butt to the arms and shoulders, making riding much more comfortable and enabling me to use my upper body more when pedaling uphill. I also adjusted the cleats on my cycling shoes forward, so I get more power from my feet and ankles. I readjusted my back rack, so the rear panniers wouldn't wobble as much. All these little changes might seem insignificant, but they add up to a make the ride much more comfortable and efficient.
I feel very fortunate that we haven't had any major technical difficulties, or physical problems so far. Besides the few falls that I had on the first day while getting used to my SPD locks, we haven't had any accidents. Ginger and Root Beer are treating us very well, and not giving us any major difficulties. Our muscles are getting used to the workload quickly and nothing is standing in the way of us fully appreciating this trip.
I keep making little adjustments to my bike. I tilted the seat forward for a more aggressive posture that allows me to move my weight from my butt to the arms and shoulders, making riding much more comfortable and enabling me to use my upper body more when pedaling uphill. I also adjusted the cleats on my cycling shoes forward, so I get more power from my feet and ankles. I readjusted my back rack, so the rear panniers wouldn't wobble as much. All these little changes might seem insignificant, but they add up to a make the ride much more comfortable and efficient.
I feel very fortunate that we haven't had any major technical difficulties, or physical problems so far. Besides the few falls that I had on the first day while getting used to my SPD locks, we haven't had any accidents. Ginger and Root Beer are treating us very well, and not giving us any major difficulties. Our muscles are getting used to the workload quickly and nothing is standing in the way of us fully appreciating this trip.
Tillamook, OR
Sixth consecutive day of riding has begun and we're finally feeling lke we're ready for an off-day. We crossed into Oregon by a ferry yesterday morning and reached the Pacific coast by night. Saw our first sunset while climbing the steep cliffs on the ocean; the views here are amazing and full of good energy, which is definitely useful for climbing the mountains that are getting taller and steeper the farther south we go.
At the end of the first day, when we left Seattle, Tomas and I ran into Joe, a recent college graduate from Alabama, who is doing a Seattle to San Francisco ride on his green Surly bicycle. We've been traveling together since and it's been a blast. Joe's experience working at the college restaurant is proving quite an asset. Combined with Tomas's cooking skills, we're getting to eat better food at our campsites that we did back home in London. Chicken fajitas, Chili con Carne, Spaghetti Bolognese, you name it. We also make A LOT of food each day. We even got made fun of by some other campers when they saw our two-stove, three-pot, full-pannier-load-of-fresh-vegetable arsenal of a kitchen. But hey, when you're doing 70 miles in the hills each day, you can never really have too much food.
In terms of camping and cycling equipment, we finally feel like we have everything we need. We got some fleece fabric at a Walmart, so Tomas and I no longer have to freeze in our super-light sleeping bags. We also got some rain jackets, which have proven life-savers in the first two days of continuous downpour. The new bikes are working out well. Only one flat tire incurred by me and a few entertaining-to-watch falls performed by Tomas, who is just getting used to clip-in pedals. My Brooks saddle is finally wearing in and my bottom is feeling less pain every day. We'd like to send a big thank you to Steve and Jane at Bicycles West in Seattle for setting us up so well for the start of our trip.
As fr the next few days, we're going to pick a beach town for our day off and some some reading, sightseeing and , some of us, studying (Tomas is preparing for his level II CFA exam, which he is taking in San Francisco in just two weeks). We will then continue following Highway 101 with some scenic detours, all the way into California. We might do some surfing at some point also :)
My time at the library is running out - we'll post another entry as soon as we catch some internet again. Thanks for following and best wishes from sunny Oregon!
At the end of the first day, when we left Seattle, Tomas and I ran into Joe, a recent college graduate from Alabama, who is doing a Seattle to San Francisco ride on his green Surly bicycle. We've been traveling together since and it's been a blast. Joe's experience working at the college restaurant is proving quite an asset. Combined with Tomas's cooking skills, we're getting to eat better food at our campsites that we did back home in London. Chicken fajitas, Chili con Carne, Spaghetti Bolognese, you name it. We also make A LOT of food each day. We even got made fun of by some other campers when they saw our two-stove, three-pot, full-pannier-load-of-fresh-vegetable arsenal of a kitchen. But hey, when you're doing 70 miles in the hills each day, you can never really have too much food.
In terms of camping and cycling equipment, we finally feel like we have everything we need. We got some fleece fabric at a Walmart, so Tomas and I no longer have to freeze in our super-light sleeping bags. We also got some rain jackets, which have proven life-savers in the first two days of continuous downpour. The new bikes are working out well. Only one flat tire incurred by me and a few entertaining-to-watch falls performed by Tomas, who is just getting used to clip-in pedals. My Brooks saddle is finally wearing in and my bottom is feeling less pain every day. We'd like to send a big thank you to Steve and Jane at Bicycles West in Seattle for setting us up so well for the start of our trip.
As fr the next few days, we're going to pick a beach town for our day off and some some reading, sightseeing and , some of us, studying (Tomas is preparing for his level II CFA exam, which he is taking in San Francisco in just two weeks). We will then continue following Highway 101 with some scenic detours, all the way into California. We might do some surfing at some point also :)
My time at the library is running out - we'll post another entry as soon as we catch some internet again. Thanks for following and best wishes from sunny Oregon!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Third day on the road and fifth since I landed in Seattle from Buenos Aires, and this trip already feels like a lifetime. It's impossible to put everything in this entry in the 20 min that I have, but here's my best attempt. Daumantas and I got our bikes and gear assembled on Tuesday and started the ride on Wednesday morning. It didn't take long to start raining and it took about two days for it to stop. We started with all new equipment and zero experience and the elements crumbled upon us straight away mercilessly with all their might. It poured all Wednesday and the first half of Tuesday. Fortunately, we were prepared for it. Our new rainproof jackets and fenders did an excellent job and the panniers didn't leak. We had clean and dry clothes to change to on Tuesday night and neither the rain, nor the cold, nor our miserably thin sleeping bags prevented our exhausted bodies from spending the night in a half unconscious half sleepy state. It didn't stop raining until the second part of the day on Thursday, but it didn't stop us from covering about 120 miles in those two days.
Now that the sun is back out and we are not drenched anymore it feels like heaven. We passed the first test and we haven't lost our spirit during the first two cold and rainy days, so the rest of the trip should be a piece of cake.
Now that the sun is back out and we are not drenched anymore it feels like heaven. We passed the first test and we haven't lost our spirit during the first two cold and rainy days, so the rest of the trip should be a piece of cake.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Leaving On A Jet Plane
I am about to board a plane from London to Seattle and meet up with Tomas, who is flying in all the way from Buenos Aires. The adventure is about to begin but there remains a lot to be done before the go time. Setting up the bikes, which we are getting from Bicycles West in Seattle, picking up lots of camping gear, figuring out the cell phones, and deciding on the exact route for the first week. There is surprisingly a lot to think about for what sounds like a simple journey on a simple means of transportation. It's also a bit of an experiment for us as we will be using a lot of gear (including our bike saddles!) that is brand new and unfamiliar. We know this isn't the best touring practice but we're optimistic that we will dodge the battle against the saddle sores. Speaking of which, I am bringing with me a brand new Brooks B17 saddle, which is a traditional piece of cycling equipment made in England since 1866. We'll see how that works out...
In any case, we thank to all our friends for their support at the start of the trip. We will try as much as possible to keep you updated on our progress, and please let us know if you are in the area as we're passing through. We'd love to catch up with as many people as possible, and better yet, have some of them join us for some touring.
Stay in touch!
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