well, I've prodded into blogging again. Seems that some of you are still checking to see what ridiculous things we're up to now that we're off the road . . . in bicycle heaven, I might add.
The last few weeks--really, all of July--have been pretty gorgeous here. Enough sun to warm things up, but if you start to feel the heat you can find relief in the shade. Where I spend most of my time (Old Town Chinatown), the breeze from the Willamette River keeps things cool.
Today I wandered down 1st Ave to Pine St., looking for the BikeCentral shop. The Bicycle Transportation Authority (BTA) bike shop list shows them on Naito Parkway, but they moved a few months ago to their new location in Old Town Chinatown. The BTA is a new Old Town tenant, too. They had been located near PSU, but TriMet needed the space and the non-profit was forced to look for new digs. They've moved into a space on 5th Ave--also in Old Town. BTA sponsors the "Bridge Ride"--ride all 10 bridges in Portland and end at the Bite of Oregon festival in Waterfront Park, and the "Night Ride", which starts (at dark) from Union Station and features glow-in-the-dark give-aways and entertaining rest stops along the way. I stopped in at their new space, and signed up for membership.
In case you haven't heard, my purple Cannondale--the one that I rode 6,606 miles across the country last year--was stolen in June. It was my fault, really. I didn't lock it up because I was headed back out the door within 30 minutes. But gollygeewhiz, whoever took it came up 3 flights of stairs and snatched it from my front stoop! In a city where bicycling is an easy way to get around, bicycles are a high theft item. Case in point: Netherlands. Population:13 million; bicycles:14 million; bicycle theft:10%. I have been using my spare bicycle that we had at Matthew's parents house, but that one was stolen about a week later. As a courtesy to our neighbor who is selling her condo, we moved our bikes from the front deck to the rack in the parking lot. Mine was locked with a cable lock, and the thief made quick work of it, leaving the sliced cable on the asphalt.
I wasn't really prepared to buy a new bike. I test-rode a really nice Trek at the Bike Gallery, and checked out a used one from Craigslist, but couldn't bring myself to make the purchase. I remembered that Matthew had a spare bike at him folks' house, so we brought that one back and I've been riding it around the last few weeks. I thought I needed a period of mourning for my old bike, but it turns out that I just needed a small dose of back pain. Matthew's frame is just too large for me, and it's stressing out my back. So now I'm in the market.
The guy at BikeCentral was nice, but not very trusting. Guess I don't blame him--I lost 2 bikes in less than 2 weeks! He showed me a nice commuter-type bike, but I was a little put off by his manner and so I didn't test-ride it. I'll have to do a little research into the KHS brand, the kind they carry. I'll head over to River City Bicycles next, to look at their Cannondale offerings.
On the walk back home, I stopped off at the New Market building and picked up a menu for the Mandarin House. It's a well-known spot in Old Town Chinatown, and we've been intending to try it out. As I crossed Davis, I met up with Merlin. I met Merlin a couple of months ago, when she became the volunteer editor of the Old Town Chinatown newsletter, The Crier. Her day job is with the city, as an Information Ambassador. Sometimes she has a pushcart of brochures for anything and everything you can do in Portland, and sometimes she spends time just walking around looking for people that need her. Information Ambassadors wear a uniform that makes it pretty obvious you're talking with someone who's job it is to KNOW THINGS. Besides which, Merlin is super-friendly in a very warm, encouraging way. When she uses the word "super", she really means it. Merlin and I are collaborating on taking The Crier into cyberspace, and I'm enjoying working with her.
Tonight we're heading off to the North Park Blocks to watch a friend's team play bocce'. The city hosts a league, and has something like 90 courts throughout the city. The one in the Park Blocks is great--cool and shady. Then we have to head down to the "vortex of evil"--so named because on one corner is a Ben & Jerry's, Cupcake Jones, TearDrop Lounge and the soon-to-be-open Bishop's Barber--Hair, Nails and Cocktails. Matthew has pre-ordered cupcakes for his office which we'll pick up tonight. Cupcake Jones features a monthly menu, everything made on-site, and "frosting shots". See you there.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
PINK
I've been needing a little bit of good karma, and what better place to find it than at PINK? PINK is an installation art piece, and although it feels like it was birthed in Portland, it actually originated in Autin, TX (the other weird place). PINK is in PDX as part of the month-long bicycle celebration known as "Pedalpalooza". Create your love note (or notes) to be delivered in Portland by a PINK bicycle messenger.
My lack of good karma has reduced me to riding Matthew's bicycle--probably reducing my karma even further by depriving him of riding during these oh-so-gorgeous days of June. Two (count 'em) bicycles have been unceremoniously stolen from me within the past week, so I'm feeling a little like a lost puppy ("have you seen my bicycle?"). I need some bicycle luv.
Matthew's bike is a little big for me, but if I adjust the seat down a couple inches, I can manage the short trip to PINK, and probably a follow-on stop at Whole Foods. I have to wear shoes with clips, though, since Matthew's pedals don't accommodate street shoes easily. No worries, I have sandals with the right clips, and it's a sunny day in Portland, with temperatures in the mid-70's. I grab a pannier for the post-PINK food stop, and head out onto Naito Parkway for the ride to 318 SW Taylor.
After crossing Naito and dipping into Old Town Chinatown, I turn south on 3rd. Along the way, my spirits are lifted by seeing the images of bicyclists that have been "personalized" by by our DOT staff. They've added hairstyles, hats and (happy) facial expressions to the standard-issue bicycle-lane bicyclist icons. The weather today, along with Portland's bicycle-friendly climate have coaxed dozens of riders to share the road with me today, and now I'm beginning to feel happy. Happy to be pedaling along with other cyclists, motorists and buses. Happy to smell the jasmine in full bloom as I pass the Portland Classical Chinese Garden on Everett.
I pass out of the Alphabet Streets (Everett, Davis, Couch, Burnside and Ankeny) and cross into the Arbor District (Ash, Pine, Oak). In no time I'm in the Presidential Borough, turn right on Taylor and start looking for PINK's HQ. Not hard to find, either. Pink a-frame signboards on the sidewalk alert passersby that this is the spot.
The location has been donated for the duration of the installation, but the storefront seems "Taylor"-made for PINK. Big windows across the front beckon all who walk past to stop, wonder and perhaps walk in. I'm immediately enchanted by the place, and as I step across the threshold, "Martini" greets me with a friendly "welcome to PINK!". I declare my intent to put my "love on the line", and am directed to follow the dotted pink duct tape line to "Reception". A lovely young woman in a white jumpsuit gives me a quick intro to how the process works, and I head down to create my love note.
I pass on the in-house poet, on hand to provide inspirational help for the prose-aicly challenged. I decide to wait for a manual typewriter to open up--how often do you get to use one of these? After typing out my messages, I mark the delivery address for the messengers, and pop my notes into pink-be-ribboned bottles and hand them to a PINK staffer. Above our heads was the "love line"--a hand-powered, clothesline and bicycle wheel pulley system. The staffer added tags, attached the bottles to the pulley, and we all yelled "love on the line" as my glass vials-o-love were sent up the line for delivery. Ah, love. I feel so much better already!
After the PINK stop, I head on to the Farmer's Market and join the throng of shoppers enjoying the day, the sun, and the fruits of someone else's labor. I restrain myself from buying everything that looks good (it all does), and come home with fresh veggies that will last me until the next market--which happens to be Wednesday night.
I find that my notes were all delivered in the next 24 hours, and am basking in the glow of requited love and PINK wishes. Is my Karma being mended? Will my own bicycle return to me? Stay tuned.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
New Update from our New Place
After a long (LONG!) hiatus, we are preparing to make daily (or near-daily) entries here on the Padded Shorts Blog again. A word or two of explanation is in order.
After completing the Scenic Detour, we spent a few weeks recuperating at the beach in Lincoln City, OR, before returning to Lawrenceville to retrieve our stuff. Putting the stuff on the truck was easy (we hired a mover); we had our car shipped separately. But when we got back to Portland, we found that the person renting our condo had not, as we thought, moved out yet. Fortunately, the mover delayed delivery of our goods until November 7, so we were good.
Unpacking. For those of you who have experienced a move in your adult life, that word is sufficient to describe the chaos that followed delivery of our stuff on a rainy Tuesday morning. For the rest of you, this forum is too short to describe the litany of emotions of that first day in a new place. Some boxes we would open, only to find a mind-boggling array of unrelated items - and we would then recall the mad last days of packing, when contents no longer fit neatly into one room or another, and we had just a few boxes left anyway.
Unpacking continues.
Meanwhile, we have begun the search for employment in earnest. Nancy has found several interesting prospects, and I have had a few interviews that, I think, went pretty well. Hopefully, I will be able to start somewhere before Christmas; all of the places I have interviewed with are, nominally and by comparison to the distances we covered during the Scenic Detour, within biking distance. Note: We didn't move to Portland, the number 1 Bicycling City in the US according to Bicycling Magazine, so that we could DRIVE to work. Nancy and I both intend to bike to wherever we end up working, even if it involves a ride on the MAX as well.
Our new location, for those of you that have not received a change of address e-mail, is at the northern end of the Waterfront Park along the Willamette River in the McCormick Pier Condominiums. From our bedroom window, we look out onto the Steel Bridge and the historic Waterfront District. Portland's Union Station is nearby, and a rail crossing over Naito Parkway is also right outside our front windows. The train horns were somewhat obtrusive at first, but we are accustomed to them now. We are also treated to frequent river traffic, such as the ubiquitous tugs and barges, but also the occasional pleasure craft. In the spring, there will be some Naval ships, too; and starting tonight, on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the next two weeks, a small fleet of craft decorated for Christmas will be passing by.
This morning, at about quarter-to-four, I heard a loud noise (it woke me up, that is to say) that I surmised was the sound of a freight train coming to a stop. When the locomotive stops, all the cars behind bump in to the car in front of them, and it can be loud. This sound seemed louder than usual, though; and as it turned out, a couple cars had actually derailed, and Naito Parkway had to be closed until they righted the cars and cleared the crossing. That happened around 9 this morning.
Nancy slept through it. She claims to have heard it when it happened, so she disputes my assertion that a train could derail outside our window and she would sleep through it. Pfft. She was snoring.
Next time: the restaurants we have tried so far, and the ones on our list to try soon. Also, VOODOO DOUGHNUTS!
After completing the Scenic Detour, we spent a few weeks recuperating at the beach in Lincoln City, OR, before returning to Lawrenceville to retrieve our stuff. Putting the stuff on the truck was easy (we hired a mover); we had our car shipped separately. But when we got back to Portland, we found that the person renting our condo had not, as we thought, moved out yet. Fortunately, the mover delayed delivery of our goods until November 7, so we were good.
Unpacking. For those of you who have experienced a move in your adult life, that word is sufficient to describe the chaos that followed delivery of our stuff on a rainy Tuesday morning. For the rest of you, this forum is too short to describe the litany of emotions of that first day in a new place. Some boxes we would open, only to find a mind-boggling array of unrelated items - and we would then recall the mad last days of packing, when contents no longer fit neatly into one room or another, and we had just a few boxes left anyway.
Unpacking continues.
Meanwhile, we have begun the search for employment in earnest. Nancy has found several interesting prospects, and I have had a few interviews that, I think, went pretty well. Hopefully, I will be able to start somewhere before Christmas; all of the places I have interviewed with are, nominally and by comparison to the distances we covered during the Scenic Detour, within biking distance. Note: We didn't move to Portland, the number 1 Bicycling City in the US according to Bicycling Magazine, so that we could DRIVE to work. Nancy and I both intend to bike to wherever we end up working, even if it involves a ride on the MAX as well.
Our new location, for those of you that have not received a change of address e-mail, is at the northern end of the Waterfront Park along the Willamette River in the McCormick Pier Condominiums. From our bedroom window, we look out onto the Steel Bridge and the historic Waterfront District. Portland's Union Station is nearby, and a rail crossing over Naito Parkway is also right outside our front windows. The train horns were somewhat obtrusive at first, but we are accustomed to them now. We are also treated to frequent river traffic, such as the ubiquitous tugs and barges, but also the occasional pleasure craft. In the spring, there will be some Naval ships, too; and starting tonight, on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the next two weeks, a small fleet of craft decorated for Christmas will be passing by.
This morning, at about quarter-to-four, I heard a loud noise (it woke me up, that is to say) that I surmised was the sound of a freight train coming to a stop. When the locomotive stops, all the cars behind bump in to the car in front of them, and it can be loud. This sound seemed louder than usual, though; and as it turned out, a couple cars had actually derailed, and Naito Parkway had to be closed until they righted the cars and cleared the crossing. That happened around 9 this morning.
Nancy slept through it. She claims to have heard it when it happened, so she disputes my assertion that a train could derail outside our window and she would sleep through it. Pfft. She was snoring.
Next time: the restaurants we have tried so far, and the ones on our list to try soon. Also, VOODOO DOUGHNUTS!
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Stats, Part 2
From Lincoln City
It is starting to sink in that we are finished with this journey. So far, I've played 14 games of Scrabble with my Dad, and he's graciously let me win the last four in a row. Nancy has already put the finishing touches on a raffle quilt and has begun a project of her own; for my part, I've selected a very easy project for those days Jim works so I have something to do. Yes, I know how to sew. I learned how in the Navy, so that makes it manly.
Nancy and I have ridden our bikes together just once since arriving here at the coast - a short trip around Devils Lake on East Devil's Lake Road to the outlet mall (where I finally got a new pair of shoes and a couple pair of jeans), and back home on 101, a total of about 12 miles. Last year, while visiting, we rode the same loop on the more upright, cruiser-style bikes we have here, and it almost killed us. We were WAY out of shape, and it showed. This time, it was easy. It's nice to feel fit again. We will be riding more frequently now that my behind has stopped aching.
Nancy rode down to the house of one of Suzi's friends today, about 9 miles each way, covering the distance in about 42 minutes. She's pretty studly.
We will be returning to Lawrenceville on the 16th, and will be there for the better part of 10 days as we arrange to have our worldly possessions moved to Portland. We are planning on seeing anyone and everyone who wants to see us, and even some of you who probably DON'T want to. I know 5 wants us to go to a Dawgs game; is there a Thrashers game we can attend in that time frame, 11? I'd love to have a big beer with you for old times' sake. Demetrios, Elaine, pick a night that's good for you and we'll go have dinner. Gunnar, Lisa, same thing. Bob, anything you want from the Nike campus while I'm in the neighborhood?
Here are a few more inane stats for everyone:
Total number of tortillas eaten: 128
Number of jars of peanut butter: 3.333...
Number of freeze-dried camp dinners: 12
Number of times we ate at a McDonalds: 3
Number of times we ate at a Tim Horton's: 9
Number of times our only food option was a hamburger: 34
Number of times we rode before actually eating breakfast: 11
Payday bars eaten: 116
Bags of Hot Tamales eaten: 11
Bugs (inadvertently) eaten: dozens
Nights spent next to a river: 47
Nights spent next to an ocean: 12
Nights spent next to a lake: 8
Nights spent next to a waterfall: 3
Nights spent next to a vinyard: 2
Nights spent next to a shipyard: 4
Nights spent in a hog barn: 1 (our anniversary)
Number of days with a headwind: 68
Number of days with a crosswind: 17
Number of days with a tailwind: 6
Number of days there was no wind (or we didn't notice): 43
Number of days we rode in the rain: 6
Number of days we rode in the hail: 1
Times we made camp/motel moments before it rained: 5
Oddest animal seen: zebras (in Kansas)
Number of cows seen: about a zillion
Number of times I "mooed" at the cows: about a zillion
Number of times it worked: once, causing a small stampede
Number of times horses ran with us: 4
Number of times cows ran with us: 1
Places we stayed that had hot tubs: 21
Number of those hot tubs we actually used: 6
Number of places we stayed for free: 9
Places we were actually not SUPPOSED to stay for free: 2
Number of air mattresses we used: 4
Air mattress that never leaked the whole way: the one 11 gave us after day 2
(It still works, 11; want it back?)
Times we rode on a water ferry: 7
Times we rode in a vehicle instead of riding: 2
Times we rode in cars, but not as part of the ride: 15
Number of books we read: 6
Number of books we bought for less than $1: 5
Number of shot glasses purchased: 16
Number of charms for charm bracelet purchased: 10
Items seen by the side of the road:
12 television sets
11 pairs of jeans
10 tupperware containers (food still inside)
9 telephones/cellphones (mostly complete)
8 hair dryers
7 board games
6 Neil Diamond tapes/8-tracks
5 guitars/ukeleles
4 Hawaiian shirts
3 silk demi-cup bras (one red, one white, one blue)
2 complete toilets
1 big, red, floppy clown shoe
0 large, overstuffed bags of money
Flat tires: 9
Broken spokes: 0
Broken chains: 1
Broken mirrors: 3
Broken flagsticks: 2
Broken trailer frames: 1
Lost sunglasses: 2
Lost locks: 2
Lost cotter pins: 2
Lost motel room keys: 2
Lost mind due to wind: 1 (that day in Kansas I was an IDIOT)
New friends: dozens
More soon!
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Stats, Part 1
From Lincoln City, OR.
We thought some of you might be interested in some of the statistics of the journey -- miles, days, and so on. So, here is a start:
Total miles ridden: 6607.7
Number of days ridden: 134
Rest days: 22
Average miles/day: 49.3
Longest day, in miles: 96.45 (Powell Junction, ID, to Kamiah, ID)
Longest Day, in time: 7 hours, 42 minutes, 37 seconds (Lander, WY, to Dubois, WY)
Fastest Average Speed, one day: 14 mph (Powell Junction to Kamiah)
Slowest Average Speed, one day: 6 mph (Canon City, CO, to Guffey, CO)
Highest Plausible Speed achieved: 51.1 mph (Matthew, on the descent from Hoosier Pass)
Highest Speed recorded (not plausible): 86 mph
Milestone Points:
1000 miles: near a field in Virginia
2000 miles: at the entrance to the Lake Champlain Islands, Vermont
3000 miles: on a country road outside Bowling Green, OH
4000 miles: on the ONE stretch of road we had a tailwind in Kansas, north of El Dorado
5000 miles: nearing Lander, WY, with the Fab Four
6000 miles: entering Lewiston, ID
More soon!
Warm Showers Visitors
These three cyclists--Chris, Matthias and Tobias--are riding the Coast route
from Germany. Chris and Tobias are touring for just a few weeks; Matthias
is on a 3-year tour from Patagonia to Alaska. They found Suzi & Jim's house
on the cyclists' warm showers website, and we enjoyed talking with them and
seeing Matthias' pictures from Bolivia. More cyclists are due at the house
tonight!
from Germany. Chris and Tobias are touring for just a few weeks; Matthias
is on a 3-year tour from Patagonia to Alaska. They found Suzi & Jim's house
on the cyclists' warm showers website, and we enjoyed talking with them and
seeing Matthias' pictures from Bolivia. More cyclists are due at the house
tonight!
The End is Near
At an overlook by the ocean, a friendly tourist snapped this shot of us on
our last day of the Scenic DeTour.
our last day of the Scenic DeTour.
Princess Of Wales
Megan was dubbed "The Princess of Wales" by her fellow cyclists. We met her
on one of the last days of her trip as well as ours. She'd ridden from
Yorktown, VA to Florence, OR, and was heading up the coast to Astoria.
on one of the last days of her trip as well as ours. She'd ridden from
Yorktown, VA to Florence, OR, and was heading up the coast to Astoria.
Cape Mears
The lighthouse on Cape Mears sits at about sea level, though the road to the
park is uphill . . . both ways.
park is uphill . . . both ways.
The Saga of Bay Ocean
This marker tells the sad tale of Bay Ocean. No amount of engineering could
save the doomed development.
save the doomed development.
Dolly
At our stop in Tillamook at the Blue Heron Cheese Company, Matthew visits
with Dolly the Llama.
with Dolly the Llama.
Hug Point
This spot was named Hug Point not for its' romantic scenery, but because it
was so narrow that cars were forced to hug the road to keep from falling of
the cliff and into the ocean.
was so narrow that cars were forced to hug the road to keep from falling of
the cliff and into the ocean.
Fort Clatsop
Heading down the coast, we stopped in at Fort Clatsop, the site where the
Discovery Corps spent the winter. It rained on them 112 days out of 116; we
had beautiful weather. A beautiful spot for a park---or a fort
Discovery Corps spent the winter. It rained on them 112 days out of 116; we
had beautiful weather. A beautiful spot for a park---or a fort
My New Favorite Store
The Rain Store in Astoria has everything for a rainy day. They also have a
website: www.umbrellastand.com
website: www.umbrellastand.com
Family Dinner
While in Portland, we had dinner with Matthew's parents, Suzi & Jim, and
Matthew's twin sister Kim, her husband Ron, and their sons Garrett (who's 16
now) and Tanner. Our waitress was some kind of alien; she never wrote down
a thing, remembered every minute aspect of our orders, and didn't feel the
need to number us.
Matthew's twin sister Kim, her husband Ron, and their sons Garrett (who's 16
now) and Tanner. Our waitress was some kind of alien; she never wrote down
a thing, remembered every minute aspect of our orders, and didn't feel the
need to number us.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Road's End
Monday, September 25. Pacific City, OR to Lincoln City (Road's End), OR.
Due to the dog days of summer, and the Inn's policy about not installing a/c units, we spent a fairly uncomfortable final night on the road. It wasn't too hard to get up early, get breakfast, and get on the road one last time.
We had about 20 miles to ride before reaching Otis, where we planned to meet Jim & Suzi for lunch at the Otis Cafe. We continued on the Scenic Cape Route via Hwy 101 through the small burg of Pacific City, the bump in the road known as Oretown, and then into Neskowin, where we turned onto Slab Creek Road and the Old Scenic Highway 101. This route avoids the massive climb at Cascade Head, but is also a stunningly gorgeous meander into a primordial rain forest setting. Towering trees surround the road, scenting the air with cedar. Beneath them, glorious ferns carpet the ground. Everything is so lush and fertile here, that even cracks in the road surface are filled with bright green moss. We begin our ascent in the shade, but soon the effort of climbing warms us up and we stop to take off our jackets.
The climb continues for a long time, but the grade is fairly gentle. The road twists and turns; we pass the Neskowin Valley School and hear the happy shrieks of children out for recess in the schoolyard. We pass mile markers, but have no good idea how many miles we'll climb before reaching the 600+ feet to the summit. Finally, I call for a break, and we decide to stop just at the next turn. We haven't seen more than 3 or four cars since we turned onto Slab Creek Road, but as we're stopped we can hear a car approaching from the curve just beyond. Matthew says "I wonder if that's my dad", and as the car comes around the bend we can see that it is, indeed, both his mom and dad.
Hugs all around, then a few pictures (I think I know now how Lewis and Clark felt when the Indian tribes welcomed them into their villages). We had made it to the crest of the mountain, Jim assures us, and it's a downhill ride from here to the Otis Cafe. Jim & Suzi agree to follow us, so we can take the lane and not have to worry about cars passing us on the descent. My odometer reads 6597.9 as I start the descent, and I don't turn my pedals for the next 3 miles. It's about 5 miles total to the Otis Cafe, and we cover that distance in no time.
For anyone who's never been, the Otis Cafe is worth the stop in Otis. It's one of maybe 4 businesses in the entire town, which was sidelined when Hwy 101 was "straightened". It's one of our favorite places in the area, famous for their homemade breads and pies as well as for their German hashbrowns. We had to wait a while for a table--there are only 6 tables in the entire cafe--and that gave us a chance to come to terms with the fact that we were about 5 miles from Jim & Suzi's home on the beach in Roads' End. We left the cafe with a loaf of bread and a berry pie.
And then came the last 5 miles. We rode along the wide shoulder of SR 18 for a short while, and then were back on Hwy 101 for another mile or two. We took a right turn onto Logan Road, and made the short climb to the turn onto Roads' End. From the top of that hill, we had a clear view of the ocean and knew that it was, literally, all downhill from here. The Stovall B&B was about a half-mile away; the ocean just beyond their hot tub. We flew down the hill and were met in the driveway by our gracious hosts and Honey, their Malamut mix. We unloaded our trailers, and rolled down to the beach for the ceremonial wheel-dipping ceremony, which marked the official end of our trip. Within 30 minutes, we were lounging in the hot tub, a glass of Merriweather Champagne in hand, toasting six thousand, six hundred miles.
The journey ended the way it began--among family. No press, no fireworks. We talked last night about some trip highlights--the Columbia Gorge, the high deserts in Wyoming, the descent from Lolo Pass, Cedar Point Amusement Park, the Great Dismal Swamp are just a few of the fabulous sights we've seen on this trek. And seeing them from the seat of a bicycle is an experience totally different from touring any other way. Neither of us feel like Superman (or Wonder Woman), but we also don't feel like we couldn't have gone one more mile. I was intimidated by the Rockies, but now I see that they're just one more day of riding. As the saying goes, "Adversity becomes adventure after a shower and a couple of beers".
We'll be hanging out here at the beach for a few weeks while we collect ourselves and our things, then begin to make ourselves at home in our new home in Portland. Hockey season starts soon, and while Portland doesn't have an NHL team, but we hope that friends and family will visit us here anyway. Happy Trails!
Monday, September 25, 2006
I Looooove Capes!
Sunday, September 24. Tillamook, OR to Pacific City, OR.
We didn't even put our wheels to the road until 11am this morning, since our ride today would be less than 40 miles. Sunday morning breakfast at the Pancake House was just too inviting; we lingered over coffee and the Sunday Oregonian until the breakfast crowds were long gone.
We chose to take the Three Capes Scenic Route today, and almost immediately found ourselves in the middle of Tillamook's dairyland. These cows are famous--they're the backbone of the Tillamook Dairy cheeses, milk and ice cream. Jersey cows are the overwhelming favorite here, with good reason. Their milk has a much higher buttterfat content than their higher-profile cousins, the Holsteins, and produces better flavored cheese and ice cream.
Just before the Cape Mears State Park is a marker for the lost city of Bay Ocean. In the early 1900's, a Kansas developer came to the Bayocean Peninsula with dreams of creating another Atlantic City (Pacific City, presumably). Several town buildings were erected, residents moved into town, but when a winter storm eroded the foundation of the town's swimming pool, confidence in the foundation of the town itself began to erode. By the 1960's the entire town was washed away.
Even though we're within spitting distance of the ocean, the route begins to climb away from the shore and up into the Coast Range. The peaks of this range are considerably smaller than the Cascades or the Rockies, but the roads here are graded more steeply. As we climbed, I found myself peddaling along in my granny gear, wishing for an even grannier gear. Once we got to the top of the climb at Cape Mears, we descended into the Cape Mears Park to have a look at the Mears Lighthouse and the Octopus Tree (a really old, really huge Sitka Spruce). We'd both been here on a previous trip to the coast, but it seemed like a worthwhile side trip. Just as we were about halfway up the lighthouse staircase, Matthew remembered that he'd left his Camelback at the top of the hill, near the park entrance. We cut short our visit to the park, and were about to make the climb back up the hill when a woman approached Matthew and asked if he'd lost his Camelback. They had seen us come in, and on their way out of the park had noticed the pack. They picked it up and brought it down to the parking area to search for us. "See, there are nice people in the world" was their comment as they handed the pack back to Matthew. If they only knew!
Back on the road, we descended out of the Coast Range and headed to Oceanside and Netarts. Riding along Netarts Bay is beautiful. A picturesque body of water on one side of the road, a rocky mountain on the other. The route along the bay turned back toward the mountains, and we climbed back up over 800 feet to the Cape Lookout State Park. For anyone who's considering this route, I offer the following information. The roads along this part of the route have no shoulders to speak of, although there is a bike lane on the southbound side of the climb up to Cape Lookout State Park. We are riding in the off season, so traffic was generally light and well-behaved. The road surface itself is patchy, and the dappled, shaded sunlight made it difficult to tell where the rough spots were. If you were to add either bad weather or heavy traffic to this mix, I'm not sure you'd have a very enjoyable ride.
Anyway, the climb to Cape Lookout is about 2 miles of climbing, and fortunately for us, we had the bike lane on our side. As we came down the descent, I was surprised to see that the landscape changed from majestic forests to open sand dunes. It was as though we'd been plucked out of Narnia and spit out into the sands of Arabia. And that's when we met the Princess of Wales.
Megan, who is actually from Wales, was making her way up toward Cape Lookout as we descended. I crossed over to her side of the road, astonished that we'd run into at least one more cross-country cyclist. Megan began her journey from Yorktown, VA about the same time that we left Lawrenceville, and she'd made it to Florence, OR, just a few days ago. Her plan is to finish riding in Astoria, then ship her bike back to the UK before heading down to LA for a "proper holiday". She'd thought about touring the US with an RV, but decided she didn't want to spend months watching the road. So she put up her house for rent, quit her job, and found her way to Virginia. She'd only ridden about 200 miles with her bike "Jimmy" before deciding that this was something that she could do. I asked her what she was returning to in October and she replied, "the house is let until June, and of course it's winter in England but summer in New Zealand". That's the spirit! We wished her good luck and continued down the mountain to Pacific City.
The last few miles of the day's trip was on Whiskey Creek Road, a road which is more of the same shoulderless patch job that we'd ridden earlier in the day. Because the road also has a lot of twists and turns, the posted speed limits are 25-35mph. And even though we were having to hunt and peck our way around potholes and patches, the majority of the traffic was patient with us and waited for oncoming traffic to pass them before they passed us. Except for one. There's always one. And this one was a big RV, who honked at me (since I was riding sweep) before angrily passing. Matthew stopped short and turned back around to see what the commotion was all about, and when the RV passed us and we could see a cluster of bicycles clamped on to the back of the vehicle, he lost it. A blue streak came spewing from his mouth as he churned his pedals to catch up with the behemouth. The RV hanked at us again and lumbered out of my view, although Matthew did chase him for a little while longer.
It was just a few more miles to Pacific City, where our accommodations at Cape Kiwandah are a good prep for staying in the Princess room at the Stovall B&B in Lincoln City.
Down pillows? Check. Feathertop bed? Check DVD player? Check. Ocean view? Yes, but only from the balcony. At the B&B, even the bathroom has spectacular ocean views. And here at Cape Kiwanda, the rock feature just off shore is known as "Haystack Rock". Funny, that's what the rock feature at Cannon Beach was called, too. But that one has little rocks all around it called "The Needles". Cape Kiwanda's rock doesn't have any needles. Cape Kiwanda's rock needs a new marketing director.
We crossed the street and headed to the Pelican Pub for dinner. The Pub also houses a microbrewery, apparently good enough to win medals at several beer contests. Matthew sample the Doryman's Dark Ale and pronounced it "pretty good". Also "pretty good" was tonight's sunset, dipping into the ocean and painting the sky with a thin orange line at the horizon.
Tomorrow is our final day of riding, and we'll end our trip (appropriately enough) at Road's End, where the Stovall B&B is located. I guess tomorrow's blog will be coming to you from the hot tub. Check. On the beach. Check.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
We Brake for Ice Cream
Saturday, September 23. Cannon Beach, OR, to Tillamook, OR.
We left the window open all night; we could just barely hear the surf, which was nice. Maybe too nice - we almost overslept, and finally got on the road around 10, after going over to Mo's for breakfast (who knew?). It was warm enough that tights were not necessary, which hasn't been true for many, many days now; and we even shed our jackets soon after the first descent.
As might be expected, todays route was replete with incredible views at the several overlooks along the way. And, as might be expected, getting to those overlooks involves climbing a good bit - and the profile shows some utterly dramatic climbs. Of course, that meant that those climbs were not as bad as they were depicted. True.
We arrived at Hug Point State Park, and had to get a picture in front of the sign there (yes, we were hugging); but we didn't venture down to the parking area. Too steep.
We passed through one more tunnel equipped with a button-activated light warning system, just past Arch Cape. Even with the lights flashing (I presume they were still flashing), cars entered the tunnel at speeds that made me worry. Of course, we made it, but being passed by a semi and then an RV INSIDE A TUNNEL is a harrowing experience.
We are ocean-side of the Coast Range mountains here; the slopes are lush, green, and subject to slides. We came across several places along the roadway that showed evidence of those slides - new asphalt in half-moon shapes abutting the downslope side. It's not hard to imagine that driving on this road would require more attention than usual after heavy rain. Fortunately, it's been dry a day or two now, so we didn't have much to worry about in that respect.
Oh, and we had a TAILWIND all day. And clear skies, too; and it was warm without being just BAKING. We struggled to recall a day so perfect for riding in the direction we were going (we've had days that would otherwise have been perfect but for the heat, the ferocious head- or crosswind, or the rain). We fairly sailed through the towns of Manzanita, Nehalem & Mohler before entering the lush Foley Creek valley. A more direct route to Bay City than 101, and probably safer, by all accounts, the road followed along Foley Creek (a tributary to the Nehalem River) up to a shallow pass before descending the other side along the Miami River. We kept waiting for the awful climb depicted on the profile, but never reached anything so bad.
Bay City has places to eat, and we expected to have lunch there; but we rode through without finding a suitable lunch spot, and before we knew it, we were just 5 miles from Tillamook. So, because we needed a break, we stopped roadside and had a snack on the southern outskirts of Bay City, not quite within sight of Tillamook Bay.
Lunch, we decided, would be at the Blue Heron in Tillamook. It was one place where we could get sandwiches made with Tillamook cheddar and finish with a scoop of Tillamook ice cream. It is also at the Blue Heron that you can can meet Dolly the Llama, and when you have that brush with greatness, you can feed her an apparently yummy mix of oats and stuff. The goats will also clamor for some, but they aren't nearly as enlightened.
After lunch, we stopped for an extra tube for my trailer at a sporting goods store. I have found my trailer tire flat twice in recent weeks but have yet to find a leak; so we picked up a replacement tube for the next time it happens, if it happens, in the next two days.
The Marclair Inn, our stop for the night, is centrally located in downtown Tillamook (I just like saying Tillamook). We were able to take a quick walking tour of about 6 downtown blocks, scoping out a spot for breakfast tomorrow, before heading back for dinner at McClaskey's, the restaurant attached to the motel; it was the best available option from among a surprising number of them.
Tomorrow we will embark on the Three Capes Scenic Route, visiting Cape Meares, Cape Lookout, and Cape Kiwanda, before stopping at Pacific City for the night. From there, it will be a 20-mile ride on Monday to the Otis Cafe for lunch, and then a 6-mile, all-smiles ride to the finish. The weather is supposed to hold like it has been, which we could not have even hoped for.
Sure, we could probably make it all the way to Lincoln City tomorrow, but we want to arrive on Monday so my Dad can be there to have lunch with us and help us celebrate reaching the Roads End, both figuratively and literally. Since he will be working late Sunday, we'll wait for Monday when he will be home. Just two days left!
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