so i left leah today! what a trip! cant believe the journey ended already, i keep thinking i should be peddaling my bike off into the distance soon, but am also relieved to be relaxing in california wine country.... sipping local wines, beer, and local fare! perfect ending to an amazing trip.
we decided the best places we discovered in the last month were: the san juans, mainly orcas island with the incredible view, the entire oregon coast (especially the last 100 southern miles,) and the amazing humbolt redwood forrest in northern cali. it got so hot in the redwods we were forced (willingly,) to throw the bikes and jump into the river till it cooled down. life is hard!
im so happy to be able to share this trip with everyone, and im excited to be visiting most of you soon! im heading to San francisco on monday to get a bit of city pace, then back to seattle on the 15th! cant wait for my ireland return in august! leah is going to be osting continually on the rest of her trip to mexico. woohoo! send her some love! imy leggs stopped working on the constant up and down of the last 100 miles! but shes enduring!
yay to travel!
t
Friday, July 3, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
1,000 miles!
yeah! so we actually hit 1,000 miles yesterday, what a cool milestone. it also happened on the hardest day (i thought,) that weve had our whole trip. it started at 1100ft in the red wood forrest and quickly climbed through a small mountain road to about 2000ft to the top of legget hill. the ride included all sorts of traffic and road work along the 3.5 miles of incline. it was tough!
once we were over the hill the climate also went from sunny and hot, to muggy, foggy, and really cold. we were having 90 degrees for a good few days before hand, so it was a big shock to be on the cool windy coast again. weve definately mentioned how cool it would have been to have stayed in the mendocino valley, and drank wine everyday... but! we followed our guide book. so it keeps going!
after the 10 miles of downhill we reached sea level! yay! it seemed like an achievment ubtil more uphill for the next 2 miles, then the sweet california coast, speckled with capes steep downhills and no shoulder, logging trucks, steep uphills, and chilly pacific winds for a good 25 miles. it was hard!
we did still hit 1000 though and reveled in it for a quick minute. but we wanted the day to end so we hauled butt to camp.
we have been touring alongside a group of cyclists for awhile now, and last night we all got together and had a huge bonfire and shared stories of the road and our lives. it was a really cool evening with all sorts of entertainment. the pacific coast tour is a tour that attracts all sorts of people with all different goals and experience in biking. its cool to be apart of such a diverse traveling group. i think leah and i fall into the "young, no job, and a need for challenge group." other groups could be: "100 miles a day", "no where else to be and love to bike", and "no experience what-so-ever."
the computer im at wont let me upload photos! we'll try again next time! lets hope our tires dont fail before then, im riding one more day then its all walking for me! im meeting my friend sarah in the sonoma wine country where she lives to sample the local "terroir," then maybe friday getting to san francisco to see the city for a week! so excited, biking is tough. im read yfor the break. leah is heading to SF for a couple bike races, (she just cant get enough of cycling.) then heading south to the mexico border. fun times all around.
t
once we were over the hill the climate also went from sunny and hot, to muggy, foggy, and really cold. we were having 90 degrees for a good few days before hand, so it was a big shock to be on the cool windy coast again. weve definately mentioned how cool it would have been to have stayed in the mendocino valley, and drank wine everyday... but! we followed our guide book. so it keeps going!
after the 10 miles of downhill we reached sea level! yay! it seemed like an achievment ubtil more uphill for the next 2 miles, then the sweet california coast, speckled with capes steep downhills and no shoulder, logging trucks, steep uphills, and chilly pacific winds for a good 25 miles. it was hard!
we did still hit 1000 though and reveled in it for a quick minute. but we wanted the day to end so we hauled butt to camp.
we have been touring alongside a group of cyclists for awhile now, and last night we all got together and had a huge bonfire and shared stories of the road and our lives. it was a really cool evening with all sorts of entertainment. the pacific coast tour is a tour that attracts all sorts of people with all different goals and experience in biking. its cool to be apart of such a diverse traveling group. i think leah and i fall into the "young, no job, and a need for challenge group." other groups could be: "100 miles a day", "no where else to be and love to bike", and "no experience what-so-ever."
the computer im at wont let me upload photos! we'll try again next time! lets hope our tires dont fail before then, im riding one more day then its all walking for me! im meeting my friend sarah in the sonoma wine country where she lives to sample the local "terroir," then maybe friday getting to san francisco to see the city for a week! so excited, biking is tough. im read yfor the break. leah is heading to SF for a couple bike races, (she just cant get enough of cycling.) then heading south to the mexico border. fun times all around.
t
Saturday, June 27, 2009
850-something miles!
you know, i was so amazed with the oregon coast that i could have gone home right there and then happy. i felt accompished and ready to go home! oregons coast is actually unbelievably beautiful, i thought," how could it get better?"
weve been in california for 3 days now. the redwoods completely blew me away! i noticed myself being more grateful i did this trip with everymile. the trees are centuries old and so lush. towering over head with azaleas blooming and the ocean breeze wafting through the trees. loved it.
so yes, im glad i kept going! im glad my bike has yet to fall apart too. its over 30 years old and only has 10 speeds! ive passed people with 27 speeds on their bikes, and $1000 in gear, who have been amazed ive gone as far as i have. and you know what, its not that hard! (i think ive spent $300 in gear, mostly thanks to audrey for lending me her panniers! (they are looking great too!)) you just go a until u feel like stopping, then stop, check out the scenery and hang out till your ready to keep going. that said, my bike will probably start to fail on me,( its making a wierd noise once and awhile!) but im going to ride it till the end.
just 275 miles till san francisco too(about 5 days?!)! then im planning on leaving my bike, to a loving home, or someone who wants to give me money for it. : )
anyways! last night we stayed in the local county park and were unblissfully lulled to sleep by local partiers and their loud drum n bass music till 1 am! hey girls gotta have fun, right? why not go to the county park? it was a new experience, we wernt complelled to pay for the site... but promise to next time! so... NOW, we are in a really cool town called eureka, CA. its got an amazing historic district with huge victorian mansions and quaint cafes. (looking forward to some baked goods after this post!)
will be posting pics soon!
weve been in california for 3 days now. the redwoods completely blew me away! i noticed myself being more grateful i did this trip with everymile. the trees are centuries old and so lush. towering over head with azaleas blooming and the ocean breeze wafting through the trees. loved it.
so yes, im glad i kept going! im glad my bike has yet to fall apart too. its over 30 years old and only has 10 speeds! ive passed people with 27 speeds on their bikes, and $1000 in gear, who have been amazed ive gone as far as i have. and you know what, its not that hard! (i think ive spent $300 in gear, mostly thanks to audrey for lending me her panniers! (they are looking great too!)) you just go a until u feel like stopping, then stop, check out the scenery and hang out till your ready to keep going. that said, my bike will probably start to fail on me,( its making a wierd noise once and awhile!) but im going to ride it till the end.
just 275 miles till san francisco too(about 5 days?!)! then im planning on leaving my bike, to a loving home, or someone who wants to give me money for it. : )
anyways! last night we stayed in the local county park and were unblissfully lulled to sleep by local partiers and their loud drum n bass music till 1 am! hey girls gotta have fun, right? why not go to the county park? it was a new experience, we wernt complelled to pay for the site... but promise to next time! so... NOW, we are in a really cool town called eureka, CA. its got an amazing historic district with huge victorian mansions and quaint cafes. (looking forward to some baked goods after this post!)
will be posting pics soon!
Monday, June 22, 2009
this land of the free
Made it to Coos bay today! the sun is shining and the outlook is optimistic. Oregon has the most amazing coast ive ever seen, rocky cliffs and sandy beaches everywhere. Also lots of capes, which translate to hills in the biking world. but totally worth it!
weve been through interesting towns that make me wonder why they ever came to be in the first place? small broken down, villages. then sprawling strips with walmarts and car dealers. a lot of contrast.
ive been reading "bury my heart at wounded knee," by Dee Brown on this trip. its about how the west was won (stolen really,) with first hand accounts from native peoples. a sad read, but eye opening. and being in the land that was once respected and cherished by natives is heart breaking when you come upon strip malls, and clear cuts. knowing that there were once buffalo and antelope in this country baffles me! its seems they were wiped out for only a couple reasons: greed and power. mostly during the gold rush times, no one really talks about what was on the land before we tore it up for gold and moved natives from the homes they had for hundereds of years.
and then i realize we are biking down the coast and not buring fossil fuels and dumping sewage from rvs. and i feel a bit better about all the work we are putting into the trip! totally worth it to have an exhaust free road trip.
so thats my reflection for the week! and one for my native homies.
hope everyone had a happy solstice!
california in two days!
t
weve been through interesting towns that make me wonder why they ever came to be in the first place? small broken down, villages. then sprawling strips with walmarts and car dealers. a lot of contrast.
ive been reading "bury my heart at wounded knee," by Dee Brown on this trip. its about how the west was won (stolen really,) with first hand accounts from native peoples. a sad read, but eye opening. and being in the land that was once respected and cherished by natives is heart breaking when you come upon strip malls, and clear cuts. knowing that there were once buffalo and antelope in this country baffles me! its seems they were wiped out for only a couple reasons: greed and power. mostly during the gold rush times, no one really talks about what was on the land before we tore it up for gold and moved natives from the homes they had for hundereds of years.
and then i realize we are biking down the coast and not buring fossil fuels and dumping sewage from rvs. and i feel a bit better about all the work we are putting into the trip! totally worth it to have an exhaust free road trip.
so thats my reflection for the week! and one for my native homies.
hope everyone had a happy solstice!
california in two days!
t
Saturday, June 20, 2009
more pics...
Oregon has some pretty cool stuff to see.... i love jelly fish, bridges, and lighthouses. so its win win win all the way! we figure about four more days in oregon then off to the redwooods, more pics for sure soon.
thanks for checking in guys!
t
things that go grrrsnorwwht in the night
so, if anyone is ever traveling through Lincoln City, they can go ahead and skip Devil's Lake State Park. The park is basically in the city and the hiker biker site literally across the street from a shabby residential neighborhood. And the lake isn't that great. In the middle of our night there Taylor woke me because of strange noises outside of the tent. It sounded kind of like a deep snorting carnivorous sort of noise, with a whiny 'i'm dying' sort of noise mixed in intermittently as well. Something was definitely being killed by something else practically right outside our tent. So what did we do? We clapped at it, of all things. Maybe we yelled a little too, but mostly clapping. It went away after that, whatever it was.
The next campground, South Beach State Park, was much better. We got there with plenty of time to bask in the sun on the beach before heading back to camp to fix some dinner (spaghetti with veggies - super yum).
yesterday we took a rest day and skipped riding through the drizzle and today we ride on (and on and on. . . )
The next campground, South Beach State Park, was much better. We got there with plenty of time to bask in the sun on the beach before heading back to camp to fix some dinner (spaghetti with veggies - super yum).
yesterday we took a rest day and skipped riding through the drizzle and today we ride on (and on and on. . . )
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Oregon Coast!
We've been serious gluttons since we got through the boarder, eating and snacking all the time, taking huge breaks....
who knew excersizing 5 hours a day would require so much food!
we noted that our days have been a little bit like this: wake up, eat, bathroom, cycle, break, eat, cycle, break, lunch, rest for awhile, cycle, break, and eat more food, then cycle to camp and eat, probably dont do anything after wards except lay around in the tent, sleep.
its pretty cool to be able to do this for awhile. had a great time in cannon beach, eating of course! gotta soak it up while it lasts! we might get to SF by the 4th of july?!
t
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)