un taco con mi bicicleta por favor

I apologize for the lack of posting, but I have been busy!
This particular post is of a long stretch from Portland, OR to Los Angeles, CA!
Unfortunately, I did not ride a large amount of Oregon due mostly to the combination of weather and time. 
I have been in a rush to clear the united states because of high living expenses.



Brand new bike out of Portland!  Surley long haul trucker



I thought that it'd be alright if I bussed to Eugene (skipping out on about two days of riding) and then ride back out to the coast to continue my travels.  In Eugene I used my couch surfing skills and stayed at an awesome little housing co-op with Sarah, her roomie, and her roomie's beer brewing boyfriend, where I also stayed for Halloween costume and all.  That brings us to November the first.

On Monday morning, I headed along the wolf creek pass and succeeded to climb over the coastal mountains along the smith river.  I developed knee problems in the late afternoon, and even if it were not starting to get dark at that point, I still would have had to stop due to my knee at the time.  I had rolled into the smith river falls campground with a hunter as a neighbor.  I camped using my waterproof bivy for the first time, and found myself to be nice and dry.  My neighbor offered me the cover of his canopy in the rainy morning the next day.  I left that spot for an easy and incredibly beautiful ride to follow the smith river out to the sea, an soon enough I found myself in reedsport again with my knee bothering me a whole whack.  I proceeded to look for a place to get it checked out.  my search brought me further along the road to north bend and coos bay (really one town, but they like to call it two), where I booked an appointment for the next morning.. I camped in some nearby bushes warm and safe for the evening, and attended my appointment the next day.   regardless of pain, I rode about 200 km in those two days.

these are the folks I was hanging out with in Eugene

That road shown just below that picture of the yurt is Smith River Road -- it was beautiful, but very hilly

Smith River Falls?

suddenly there were cows on the road.  I thought I was in the mountains!

The sun started to come out as I descended to the coast

awesome pastures!  it was so cool to have mountains and then small pastures all around

The sun was not shy as I continued to Coos Bay

Huge dune!

 I had recommendations to stay off of my knee for a bit, so I made a plan to bus a little more  since the weather was not great, and my Quebecois friend was going at a speedy pace (she apparently was in SF already!!), I did not have much to loose in trying to catch a bus to California.  I did just this that evening, arriving in Crescent city, once again camping in the bushes.  in the morning, I used the nearby swimming pool to shower, warm up and shave.  I was warned that the 101( the road i have been generally sticking to) changed for the worse right after Crescent city( as in no shoulder, crazy winding, and fast) I met a fellow at the bus stop who knew of a bus to the place i wanted to ride, and a possible bypass of 20 some odd dollars.  my friend joined me to this park and we rode it together.  Prairie creek Redwood forest is AMAZING I have never seen anything like these trees, some of them are bigger than the old growths at home in Walbran Carmannah!!  really nice experience to ride through.  I was however most surprised that people still kept to the speed limit in such an area, not truly acknowledging the wondrous beauty they pass through.  I camped with the man, and also a girl that he had previously met who was traveling the same coast as I have been, but from Vancouver.  we had a nice feast in the evening; a collaboration of all our foods: apple pie, pasta, tuna, salsa fresca, cheese, candy bars  it was yummy!!
the next morning all three of us exited the park together and took a bus to the next town.  I then took the local bus as far south as I could get, to Garberville, in Humboldt county (need I say more?)

the fog let up for a moment to show a pretty point in crescent city

big 'ol trees!

a whole lot bigger than my bike!

real tall

In Garberville, I chanced a ride to right to SF and a place to stay there from a really nice guy named Ajay.  he was headed to green fest and I thought, "well cool!"  I joined.  save the speakers, I was not overly impressed with Greenfest, it seemed to be a bit too much of a consumer fair.  Coincidentally I met up with Ian there, who I had met on the boat from Victoria to Port Angeles; we sported "Consumption is not Activism" duct tape.  that evening and the next, I stayed in the HI downtown SF for a rather unimpressive $32/ night, where I met many really nice and wonderful people.  I was at this point waiting for my good friend and cousin Denise to arrive, which she did and we hugged each other thoroughly!  it was real nice to see a familiar face again!
 After meeting a different girl, Jessica, rather randomly on the street on a bike, I was offered a place to stay in a very fancy apartment, it was very nice.  the next morning I decided to head out to LA; I was actually going to ride there.  I also made the decision not to pay for accommodations due to me feeling as though I spent far too much money in SF.

another view

Alcatraz!



check it out as a huge ship goes under!



My favorite picture of the bridge.  I took this and most of these after riding to the hills on the other side of the bridge from SF

I was watching a kite boarder go, it was siick!

 AFTER SF 



This map shows all of the camping spots along the way, save San Fran and Glendale proper (first and last marks)



I departed.

        It was almost immediately noticeable that I was on that famous agricultural coast and the forests were over, complete with my favorites: the fruit stands and the sea-side road.  That first evening I was headed towards pigeon point, a trek on which I met up with another cyclist headed in a similar direction named Ben.  Ben and I rode together for a little while, but my pace was unfortunately a bit faster than his, and I needed to get as far as light would permit to camp; however, Ben was in no rush, as he was planning to stay in the Pigeon Point Hostel.  Regardless of the time spent together, company was very much appreciated.  I ended up setting up camp at a state beach of sorts, sneakily sleeping where I probably should not have (see SPOT place # 2 on above map)..  At this spot, I realized how wonderful of a decision I had made in riding.  A beautiful evening and morning brought much cheer.



beautiful sea-side roads -- conducive to a very nice ride






a fantastic sunset and rise -- the best way to go to bed and wake up





The next day, after witnessing the sun rise, I made a simple day's goal to get past Santa Cruz.  This day in particular, was an endless ride of strawberry fields, including a stop at a fruit stand with the best strawberry jam I have ever tasted! (you might ask, "better than your mom's??" my mother's specialty is raspberry jam.  Never have I tasted better raspberry.  she does not do strawberry jam.)  When I say endless, I mean three to four hours of them; they aren't even the ones you would want to steal! they are anything BUT organic.  Finally I found Santa Cruz; a really cool little town, I hope to spend more time there one day.  perhaps another trip.  after a stop at "Spokesman" the local bicycle shop, to grab spare tubes, and a new pump (mine was stolen somewhere along the way..), I was off to the outskirts of town where I planned to duck away in the bush.  I got lost a bit and with the help of two different cyclists I met, eventually found my way to a closed campground near the beach (see SPOT place # 3 on above map), and again, I camped where I likely should not have done so.

At this point in time it came to me that the Pacific Coast Bike Route, though a wonderful and brilliant idea, is very poorly marked long the way.  I found myself getting lost far more than was necessary. (eg. suddenly finding myself on a freeway that reads "BICYCLES PROHIBITED", as there were no signs prior indicating bicycle routes)



the view of sunset as I approach my campsite for the night after Santa Cruz



Friday the 12th consisted of mainly coastal views, and featured few places to get lost as well as very little climbing until the coming of the end of the day as I approached Big Sur.  I rode a while with a trainer and two 'students'? I was very impressed that I was as fast and even faster at an even pace than these "super light" bikers.  I stopped at a camp ground (and again sneakily slept) very near Big Sur, as it is called.  I had a very enjoyable collaborative meal with Jana from Germany including rice, beans, cheese and other yummy things.  once again, I noted how wonderful it was to have to company.  we joined again in the morning to have my special porridge and eggs, as the both of us departed for the south.  Jana to LA airport, and myself to my next stop.

dig this green roof!!  reminds me of Coombs

probably the longest climbs on Friday brought me here, a nice photo-op

Golden -- that's how I felt too!

cattle dot the field in the sunset

the light is catching only the mountain

Big Sur was a very VERY hilly day.  but amazing!!  the thing about climbing, you get to come down too (pleasurable granted you have brakes).  I probably spent 3/4 of my 8 or so hour day climbing, but it was so worth the views and the rides down!!  I finally arrived in Jagged Point pooped right out, and decided to reward myself with dinner at a restaurant that I found there.  If you are in to hiking or biking or any other physically demanding sport, you must know how pleasurable any morsel of food is at the end of a long, long day.  I had an option to stay at a hotel, however, after asking a few of the wait staff of a place to camp, I heard of one a kilometer or so down the road, and then found it (not an official camp site -- free).  I was fortunate to find fellow campers, and had a nice exchange of stories before slinking into my warm bivy.




good morning Big Sur!!!




this guy looked interesting.  Apparently it is a king 'something' snake, he eats those nasty rattlers
regardless, I took care to give it LOTS of room




coming to Jagged Point





this is what I got to see as I ate that wonderful dinner




this is the magical place where I got to camp.  right on the cliff-side

 I woke up to an equally amazing sunrise again, however, was hesitant to rise due to the fact that I was warm (rarely happens in the mornings).  I was headed to a spot some people had told me was just wonderful to see: Morro Bay!  my ride was down hill in the morning, and generally flat for the rest of the day.  asides from the odd fruit stand, I saw few other people this day.  I came to camp outside a bird sanctuary, it was brilliant!



just wonderfully picturesque with the rock out there




I have always loved to see boats in the sunset





If you can see, the cormorants were nesting right beside me.  It was really nice to sleep in this spot

 From Morro Bay, I knew Lompoc was a far shot, but I thought that I would try it.  I made it all of the way there, sustaining myself with three tacos which I had mid-day in the small and extremely Hispanic town of Guatelupe.  As it turned out, this was probably the day with my longest mileage yet, of about 130 km.  I did not really stop along the way because it was all inland, and for me, there was not too much to see.  thus I also have no pictures.  I camped in a suburban park where signs posted warnings of mountain lions, however, the only animals that I saw or heard were the owls that I think imitated my snoring.


The next morning (we are onto Monday here), I rode into Santa Barbara, and then beyond to Carpenteria (see SPOT #8 on the above map).
It was really amazing to me, the contrast of weather from coast to inland.  As I approached from Lompoc all hot and sweaty from the sun, I saw clouds falling over the mountains ahead of me like a waterfall (I was unable to capture this as I was in freeway).  After this sudden and drastic change from hot and sunny to cold and overcast/foggy, the weather held (fog did not dissipate) until Santa Barbara.
I learned of an apparently fantastic brewery, however, due to strict enforcement of liqueur laws, I was unable to try some at the brewery.  I instead met up with my camp mate Barry from the UK who was riding from SF as well.  I passed right out after eating a fantastic Thai meal for dinner.   I was finally caught by the park ranger, and had to pay a $10 camping fee (which I think is insane, especially since I am in a bivy!)

"Malibu Ho!! " I thought as I started my ride with Barry Tuesday morning.  I found that I unconsciously appeared very far ahead of Barry fairly often, so we decided to part ways an hour or so into riding.
I made it to Malibu no problem, and sat down at a Starbucks to use the Internet and confirm my place to stay in LA with friends of the family, after which I found a place to camp in the hills.  It was rather hard to find a spot with everyone so concerned with privacy (many somewhat famous people I think), I ended up camping at a well entrance of a house with an unreal view.  the word on the street is they have all sorts of tennis courts and things if you check it out on google earth (SPOT # 9)



although a little blurry, you can imagine what this might look like in the evening and morning
the camera was unable to catch as much light as my eyes.



 The next morning I met a guy named Ryan, who I hope to talk more to.  He is a Toronto born carny on his own tour, from his home to here (LA).  He admittedly cheated a bit, like me, but his stories make it easy to see why!  he had bad experiences of the south-east states.



this dog was massive!! it visited Ryan and myself while we were hanging out at Starbucks in Malibu
Irish wolf hound



8 days of riding brought me from downtown San Francisco, to Malibu, where I was picked up the next morning by family friends and Glendale residents: Jane and Peter.  I have spent three nights already with them (rebuilding my kit), and am leaving tomorrow by bus to Ensenada (avoiding the border towns so as to avoid getting shot), from which I will ride the length of the Baja California.

LA has been amazing thanks to Peter and Jane!  We have had great times with neighbors Geom, Matt, and Ned, including Dim Sum, and sufficient alcohol consumption.  You are all great and wonderful people with great attitudes, I love it!

I'm digging on my new bike.  It is a bit funny riding so high up and with such tiny wheels comparatively to what I'm used to, but it is as solid as the Berlin wall once was.  The only problem, I don't have a name yet... I've been thinking hard on it, but nothin' is coming.  We'll see.

Thus far on my trip, I have discovered that my favorite places are places that resemble parts of the Island area (eg Saltspring to Garberville CA, -- Clallam Bay, WA to Duncan -- Eugene, OR to Victoria,).  It may be familiarity, or plain good vibes that I seek out. 

who knows.

RDUBB signin' out until .. La Paz or Mazatlan.. or something

Hasta Luego Amigos!!

one rough week for the better right? -- Franchesqua dead??

From my last post, in Astoria, I rode in a direct head wind along with stinging rain to seaside.  What would have normally taken at MOST an hour, took almost three; after which, I was beat and soaked.  I finally got to seaside and I still had not heard from my host hopefuls.  So I ended up staying in a hostel for the night.

The seaside hostel was just awesome; perhaps it was just a combination of me finally being dry and full of delicious crab-poppers, needless to say, it was really nice to be both of those things.  I made heaps of waffles in the morning (to try to make up for the cost), and then prepared to bus to Portland.

I was previously doubting that I would be going to Portland at all, but this bad weather predicted to last a few days meant I would not make any headway.  I therefore decided to dodge the rain and wind by staying in Portland and checking things out.

Check them out I did as I looked madly for a place to stay.  After literal hours of searching and drinking hot water out of the oh-so-cool Backspace Coffee Shop, I not only had to pee rather badly, but too I finally found Justin and Ashley who warmly welcomed me into their "R"-filled home.
I spent near two full days with this rather enjoyable pair.  The night of my arrival was spent carving mighty pumpkins and eating mighty pizza (precisely the way any good Friday night should be spent).

right to left: Justin's, my own, and Ashley's    (I think Ashley's takes the cake)

 

 

 

 

 

Early the next morning Justin and I went on a sadly unfruitful excursion for mushrooms.  We returned to the homestead with lovely flowers for Ashley which seemed to make up for the lack of shrooms. The rest of that day was spent hanging about the house, and then we went for some awesome thai food for dinner.  I spent a second night there and after doing a quick shop at REI, planned to head to Tillamook in the afternoon of the next day.

I cannot thank you two enough for your incredible hospitality.  Though we did not do terribly much, your company ensured what I believe the very best possible Portland experience.




ride I did on Sunday afternoon, and made it to some slightly populated area where I camped in a covered picnic area after getting soaked in the bushes by wind and rain (while I was in portland, I swapped my tent for a bivy bag; however, I was still out of practice using it).  I then continued to Tillamook on Monday morning.  As I was coming to the end of my ride over the coastal mountain range, one of my rear spokes randomly broke, causing me to stop my progress and hitchhike/ walk.  After about an hour of walking my bike in the rain while holding out my thumb, I managed to get a lift from a young fellow going home from fishing.  I arrived into Tillamook to find only hotels and motels.  after much searching, I found the cheapest, grungiest hotel; yet the fee still came to over $60 dollars. ROUGH!! MOST MONEY SPENT IN A NIGHT YET!   I cranked the heat, and dried everything I have hoping that not only all of my things would dry, but also the hotel would feel the burn of having me pay so much come the next hydro bill.  The next morning I bought a new spoke, and re-trued my wheel, but I found my bike to still be riding funny, and suddenly noticed that the frame had actually broken!  Though not sure when/how it had happened, I had to get it welded to repair it, costing me another 35 dollars. bummer!

I Had gone to Tillamook hoping that the storm that I went inland to Portland previously to avoid had passed, so that I could continue riding along the coast.  It had not, and so I made plans to return to Portland and ride inland instead..  Having missed the last bus of the day to the city, I decided to stay in Tillamook again to catch the Wednesday morning bus; I was NOT paying that price again, so I camped in the bush (once again I got drenched by the cold and wet).
In the dark and early morning of Wednesday, I woke to be more than freezing!! I was still two hours early for my 8 O' clock bus, but had to get moving!! I was thinking I would go wait at a coffee shop for a while or something.  On my way to town from the bush camping spot, I was unfortunately hit by a car, and then went to the hospital to make sure I was alright.  Soon enough I found out what I had already assumed: I was heavily bruised.  It seemed at the time that the only damage to my bike was the rear rim: it seemed to have un-trued itself again -- annoying, since I had just trued it..  I tried to true it again at the bike shop, but I was unable.  I decided that I needed the advice of an actual bike mechanic, so I now NEEDED to go to Portland.  I had to catch the next bus which left at 1230 in the afternoon.


I arrived in at a bike shop down town to discover that I would not be able to continue riding poor Franchesqua.  I am forced to look for a new companion.


sorry for the lack of  pictures in this particular blog, but it was kind of miserable out.  I did not get to see anything really pretty asides from some pumpkins.

what a bummer of a week!

a few km later..

The past few days have been quite exciting!! including things like climbing mountains, staying in homeless shelters... the usual right?




Neah Bay ended very well, and I am very glad that I went there! On the morning of October 16th, the day after my last post, I rode my bike to Cape Flatterly (You will see on "Where I Am" a waypoint at the most Western point of Washington). From that point, I was spying on Port Renfrew!!! I thought that that was pretty cool.





You can see the Island behind me in the distance








It was not just the view of Vancouver Island that caught me, Cape Flatterly is a generally beautiful area!






rough terrain!! poor Franchesqua!






more beautiful scenery from the cape





While I was at the Cape, I met a girl named Lindsy, from Virginia on her very own adventures. It chanced that this girl Lindsy was planning on hitting Shi Shi beach next (where I, also, was going) and had a bike rack; I hitched a ride with her.

Shi Shi Beach was spectacular. A long beach ending in huge rock pillars and arches on either side.

Lindsy and I could not resist the temptation to sit down and have a nice collaborative lunch: smoked salmon, vegetarian chili, and rice. It was rather nice to have someone else to help experience the beauty of such an area.





one of those pillars I mentioned, this one appears to be sideways.









lots of pillars and arches on our right,









even more to our left; beautiful beach!









The muck we had to hike through to get there. It was very worth it!


When we got back to the car, we parted ways

Thanks for a great time Lindsy!

I rode back to Vicky and Francesca's house from the beach and, after packing up all of my things, I then made my departure by Clallam County Transit (in my opinion, best rural transit service ever!!) to Forks: Vampire Town!!




I was unable to get a-hold of my couch surfing contact in Forks, so I was thinking I might camp out; however, the bus driver, Doug, let me crash at his house for the night. We had lots of great conversation and in the morning, we had steak and eggs. Doug then sent me off with a safety vest and a rock climbing harness, off to Quinault Lake!

Thanks Doug!! You Rock!




After riding a whopping (in my opinion) 110 km, I arrived into Quinault, and made the executive decision to buy myself an actual dinner for the first time on my trip. It was a wonderful thing. I then proceeded to Willaby Campground where I was planning to spend the night. My initial impression of the campground was that it was empty, however, after a little search, I did in fact find some very awesome neighbors who gave me beer and more delicious food upon arrival.

Jesse, Stephanie, and Amic (said neighbors) were planning on going on a hike the next day, and I joined them! The four of us climbed Colonel Bob the morning of the 17th, and had an amazing time doing it! when we finally reached the top, I am pretty sure all four of us passed right out for at least a few minutes.





fire weed along the hike






real nice views






it was cold up there in the shade!






there I am, looking over the Olympics






(from left to right) Jesse, Stephanie, Amic, and myself.






After we came down, I hitched a ride with Jesse and Amic to Aberdeen, as they were already headed in that direction, and then I found myself in a strange predicament.





After arriving, I tried to go to the hostel in Aberdeen, despite the bad reviews. I was told that I could not stay there. Not because it was full, but because this particular hostel is the only one in the world (I'm pretty sure) that requires a reservation. So there I was, in the street of a grungy town as it was starting to turn to night. I was lucky enough to meet up with another Canadian who knew the area pretty well, and he suggested a place for me to stay: the local union gospel mission. I called them up and I stayed there on a top bunk. If you know me, you might know how different this experience was for me; however, it was free, and they fed me. When the early morning of the next day came, on I went further South huffing and puffing as I pedaled. I arrived into Raymond, my goal for the night after almost 90 km. But again, I had no place to stay due to the lack of Internet I had had the previous nights.





I was on a mad search for Wifi; I was lucky enough to have found a small coffee shop in South Bend (3 or so miles from Raymond) that provided Wifi, and checked out the potential surf spots. There was only one available place, and I hoped real bad that this person answer my emails! As it turned out, she, being Chanda, did reply with a yes!!! I caught Chanda as she was on her way to teach her yoga class, she invited me to join. My muscles screamed with joy!! All of that went well, and so did my sleep; so well I stayed a second night to recooporate from all my mountain climbing and biking.

The second night was even better: Chanda invited a friend of her's over, and I stuffed the three of us with a yummy dinner! Great fun!









How often do couchsurfers get to eat like this?


South Bend was a Beautiful Place, but I needed to try and keep up with the sun, so off I went.









The old Court House










nice views from the coffee shop










nice views from the coffee shop


We come to yesterday, where I rode some 122 km. Right from South Bend, to Astoria, Oregon.

I had planned to stay in Long Beach, however, my hosts did not get back to me in time. I was either to camp in Long Beach, or go right to Astoria. As it turned out, I made really great time and was able to check out Long Beach!



While on my way, I reached 500 km on my trip odometer,

I had to do 60 km before lunch





the view at 500





A mushroom was on the side of the road: Amic, Steph, and Jesse, what kind is this one?





same ol' mushroom





this is a crazy long beach





beautiful trail to ride at long beach!












views from the trail















When I reached the Astoria Bridge, I could not stop smiling and laughing.

that is a whole lotta' bridge!



After what seemed like ages on the Astoria Brigde, I arrived down town. Although I don't have any pictures, it was a beautiful little place. I got a place in the hostel, and slept soundly!

I am now headed to seaside, where I will decide whether to go to Portland, or stick to the coast.







I am done with that washington thing!!! this map below shows where I went. Dotted lines depict me getting a ride, and the solid lines represent what I did on my bike.























I have made a discovery. when someone tells me "it's only a few more miles", the word "only" is not appropriate. 3 miles is quite a bit more work than 3 kilometers.



Sprecial Thanks to

Doug: The best bus driver ever!!!!!

Chanda and Elijah: Thank you so much for letting me stay both nights!!! I really enjoyed my time spent with you guys! (too bad Chuck was not present!)

Stephanie, Jesse, and Amic: I had an absolutely amazing time with the three of you! thanks so much for feeding me, beering me, and bringing me along on such a nice hike! (I know I am spelling "Amic's" name wrong.. sorry!)