Day Three - Astoria, OR to Barview, OR

What a difference a state line makes. Today was incredible. It finally felt like I was on holiday. It's been tough going, but the views and the people I met have been great.

Got up earlyish to take advantage of the continental breakfast at the Best Western. I had some instant oatmeal with peanut butter in it. I like it, and before you say it's gross, I've seen videos online of Japanese people eating shit omelettes.

Biked 15 miles to Seaside and saw the ocean for the first time on the trip, not just a bay or a sound, as I had heretofore. Just past Seaside, and after a short climb is Cannon Bay with some breathtaking rock formations that loom over the beach from out in the Pacific.

Just past Cannon Beach, I stopped at an overlook at the top of hill and met four cyclists who I could tell were German well before I heard them speak. First the glasses, then the fact that their bikes and gear were almost uniform and very tidy. They said they had watched me coming up the hill and were impressed with how quickly I had taken it, adding that they were old men. I laughed and tried to liken my efforts on the hill to a Blitzkrieg. They smiled a bit but stopped short of laughing.

At the same wayside, I met a couple touring the coast in a rented convertable who, as it turns out, live only 5 blocks from me back in Chicago. Crazy. The gentleman ran off to the car before leaving and presented me with a bottle of beer "for the end of the day." Now that's midwestern hospitality.

Still ahead was the toughest climb I'd had so far, but it didn't phase me, if only for the vistas it offered. It's the part of 101 that runs through Oswald West State Park. It's helpful that there were pulloffs and viewpoints every 1/4 mile or so to give me a chance to catch my breath and enjoy the view.

Grabbed lunch in Nehalem and met a cyclist who recommended some campsites down the coast. I still feel like I'm a newbie at the whole cycling scene and it feels weird to be thrust into the community. Though it doens't take much I suppose; just get yourself a helmet and some gas-ass bike shorts and you're in. Hell, I could be a judge if I had a robe.

I ended up at Barview Jetty County Park (which was supposed to be the end of my 4th day) so I remain officially one day ahead of schedule. It was a short day, but I could use a long rest and I got in early enough to shower, set up camp and enjoy the sunset on the beach. Hot damn. It's nice to fall asleep to the sound of the ocean. Also, I think I'm going to move to Oregon.

For the Day:
Rolling Time: 4:14:00
Distance: 54:36 miles
Avg Speed: 12.84 mph

Day Two - Montesano, WA to Astoria, OR

I started late on day two, getting out by 10:30AM after packing up camp, and endured the worst 20 miles I'd ever biked. It was due partly to the fact that I was very tired from the day before, but mostly because it was cold and windy. I fought a headwind all morning through innumerable rolling hills. Slogged through it though, and made it to Raymond by 2:30, after which was a long stretch of nothing for maybe 30 miles. I had to stop every 5-10 miles for a break as my muscles are still getting used to this.

Finally I found a small gas station/convenience store in a town called Naselle. Good thing too because I was completely out of water. There I met a guy named Dave who rode a maroon Harley with dozens of peacock feathers fanning out from his seat on each side like the shoes of Hermes. Nice bloke. Dave, that is. I can't speak for Hermes. Turns out Dave is a peacock rancher and gave me a feather to adorn the back of my bike.

The last 15 miles to the Astoria bridge were beautiful, but it was getting dark. The bridge is long and narrow and windy as it crosses the Columbia and there is little room for bikes to fit next to the logging trucks. There's no real place to stop, though it's an exhausting ride. The worst part is that for the whole of this 2.5 mile ride you see up ahead a ridiculous climb (maybe 10 degrees for a half mile).

I promised myself that if I could do the three days in two that I'd get a motel in Astoria, so I pulled into the first place I could find. A Best Western which ended up being way more expensive than I'd have liked, but I lucked out and grabbed the last room available which was the jacuzzi suite. The nice young lady behind the desk, named Kelsey, gave me the room at a regular rate though. She said something about doing whatever it takes to make me happy, before realizing how it could be taken and was uncomfortably quiet for a while.

For the Day:
Rolling Time: 6:40:01
Distance: 82.11 miles
Avg Speed: 12.31

Day One - Seattle, WA to Montesano, WA

Mike's Cycling Tip #1:
When planning on getting up for a 7:35AM ferry to start off an 80 mile day of riding, it's not advisable to stay up drinking until closing time the night before.

I overslept and raced out the door to miss the ferry, but it afforded me the chance to sit down, eat something, and have a cup of coffee. I could have done this on the ferry too I suppose, but I'm only in Seattle for a little while and when's the next time I'll find a Starbucks?

Caught the 8:45 ferry and met up with some other cyclists, all part of the Boeing cycling club. Nice chaps. I hit Bremerton by a little after 10AM and almost instantly learned why everyone talks about gearing on bikes. Christ! Hills! I found myself a little too quickly on the lowest gear and feared the worst. I think I was just getting used to Isabella's weight. She's not fat, just big boned. (She ain't heavy, she's my sister? Anyone?)

I made the decision about halfway through the day (at a town called Shelton) to do something stupid. If I took a different route and pushed a bit further I could cover the ground I'd planned for the first three days in just two. It would ease my mind a bit about getting to L.A. in time, but ouch.

Got to Montesano around 7PM and hit Lake Sylvia State Park (gorgeous) by dusk. I got a walk in site for 10 bucks and bought a cord of wood, though I was too tired to stay up and enjoy the fire. It was cool, but it was nice to keep the fly off the tent and feel the breeze. Zzzzz.

For the day:
Rolling Time: 6:52:18
Distance: 85.01 miles
Average Speed: 12.36 mph

Seattle

I made it to Seattle. The flight was uneventful, and there were fewer snakes on the plane than I'd have liked, but there's always next time. My friend Tracy was nice enough to pick me up at the airport and drop me and my gear off at the the hotel , which like everything else in Seattle has a Starbucks attached to it. I put my bike back together and headed over to the REI flagship store. It's enormous and I could spend a lot of money there if I had any left to spend.

This is my first visit to Seattle and it's a beautiful city (in the summer.) A perfect day, with no trace of the dismal pall that fueled a generation of suicidal grunge rockers. Also, there are a lot more extremely steep hills in Seattle than I'd imagined. It's a shame though that they put stop lights right at the bottom, so you don't even get to appreciate the downhills. At least I found out that I reconnected my brakes correctly.

I had dinner with Tracy and then met up with her sweetie Tim for drinks in Capitol Hill. Burgers at Dick's then sleep.

Meet Isabella...

This is my bike all dressed up for the tour. Because she's Italian I gave her an Italian name. I call her Isabella. I bought her a couple months ago and have put on a few hundred miles and she rides fast and smooth. I did a two-day trip up to Lake Geneva, WI and back loaded with gear (less the front low-rider bags, which only just arrived this last week) and it took a little while to learn how to balance her. But after only a few miles it felt totally natural. She's a sturdy young thing. Strong like bull.

I have about another week to ride her before I need to box her up and fly off to Seattle. I have enough knowlege of bike mechanics to put her back together when I get there; still, I was hoping to stop by a bike shop to make sure everything is correctly aligned and tightened. As I've said in many other contexts: I've no problem riding her, but I don't know how all of her parts work. I called a place about a month ago to see if I could schedule a tune up and the gentleman told me to call back about a week before. I did so and he said they're booked for the next two weeks. Assholes. Every other bike shop I called seemed to have the same to say. I'm not as concerned about this as I probably be. We'll see what happens.

Nearly there now.

Safety first!

This video on bicycle safety is proving itself invaluable in preparation for my tour. Most importantly I learned that iPods are bad, and assault rifles are a no-brainer.

And knowing is half the battle.

At last...

Just what the world needs. Another blog. Coals to Newcastle.

This represents my first endeavor as a blogger (or is it "bloggist?") and it is for now event based, in that I'm hoping this will be a nice outlet for me to share the details (and sounds/images when possible) of a bike tour I'll be taking later this summer from Seattle to Los Angeles. I figure it'll be nice to let everyone [who cares] know where I am and what I'm wearing.

Of course (as with a Doomsday Machine), the whole point of a blog is lost, if you KEEP it a SECRET! Why didn't I tell the world, EH?! I figure, I'll get a little practice in now and get used to writing to a large faceless audience and playing with the different ways I can post, as I'll be hitting internet cafés when I can along the way and the rest will be done via phone. Also having some additional posts in the backlog will give this little journal a bit more of a vererable feel. You can think of it as me breaking in the jeans to make them more comfortable for you. You're welcome.

Also, I can deduce that if you're reading this or any of my "practice posts" written before I'd told anyone about it, then clearly you must like what you've been reading and simply can't get enough of my charming prose. Yeah, I know. I'm crazy about you too.