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!