A DAY IN THE WASHINGTON WOODS

DAY 55

SATURDAY 28 MAY 2016

On Saturday morning we were collected by Tanja's cousin Jason and his wife Emily as we squeezed into the back of the people-mover with their 4 kids.

After a 90-minute drive to Portland's east, we crossed the Hood River toll-bridge and crossed onto the Washington side of the Columbia River, disappearing into the woods shortly after the village of Husum to go and visit Tanja's parents.

Joy and Kent have been living off the grid in a remote section of forest just north of the Columbia River since 1975 - from the point of parking the car, their property is a 20-minute hike in from the nearest road access.

Over the past 41 years, they have established what is to all intents, a self-sufficient way of living.

It was an eye-opening experience to wander around the property for the afternoon and see just how they have made it work by generating all necessary power via a gravity-fed hydro-electric system from a small pond just above the main residence.

From a junction pump at a lower section of the stream, water is pushed uphill under pressure where it drives a rack of 12-volt batteries stored underneath part of the main house generating the required DC power for lighting and refrigeration, with a standard inverter also converting to AC power.

Kent even took us down to see his sawmill which also provides an income by way of logging sections of the Douglas Fir forest that lie on their property.

Food, music and Uno were the main staples of the afternoon after we had completed the Cook's tour and lacquered up with mosquito repellent.

THE SAWMILL

THE TROUT POND

A MUSICAL INTERLUDE

THE WHOLE GANG.....

PORTLAND, OREGON

DAY 53

THURSDAY 26 MAY 2016

MCMINNVILLE TO PORTLAND

1125 - 1730

61.95 km (38.49 miles)
Av. Speed: 16.5 km/h (10.2 mph)
Max. Speed: 47 km/h (29.2 mph)
Time On Bike: 3h 44m 58s

Welcome to Portland, the microbrewery and food cart capital of the known Universe.

But first to farewell an old friend.

After something approaching 9000 kilometers, 2200 of which has been on this trip, my "two-wheeled terror" - the aluminium trolley I have towed behind for all of my previous 3 cycle tours - has decided she's had enough and will travel now no further than Portland.

I must replace her before continuing, an event which I am hoping will take place sometime in the next couple of days.

Limping into Portland last evening, the final journey of the poor old girl was timed to the minute as I showed up outside my accommodation for the next 5 days with the entire load almost dragging along the ground.

I simply couldn't have pulled it another mile further.

PORTLANDIA

I will be taking an extended stay in Portland of 5 days to have a good look around and take some of it in.

It will also be my first experience of staying with a Warmshowers host.

Tanja Olson and her husband Darren have agreed to host me as part of the worldwide Warmshowers hospitality network which specifically benefits travelling cyclists as a means of offering accommodation (and normally an input of local knowledge) in a particular place

In return, beneficiaries are given the option of playing host in kind when available.

So this, as it happens is a first time for both of us.

Darren whisked me away not long after showering up last night for a second division Portland Timbers soccer match at the main stadium in town, Providence Park.

We warmed up with a local brew in the northwest district before wandering down to the match.

The T2's won the day 1-0 but should have been closer to 3 if their aim had been a little tidier.....

HAWTHORNE BRIDGE, PORTLAND

SO LONG 101

DAY 52

WEDNESDAY 25 MAY 2016

LINCOLN CITY - MCMINNVILLE

1050 - 1630

81.74 km (50.79 miles)
Av. Speed: 19.7 km/h (12.2 mph) - highest of the tour so far!!!
Max. Speed: 51.8 km/h (32.2 mph)
Time On Bike: 4h 08m 09s

I left Highway 101 today.

Temporarily at least.

Portland is my next destination with a scheduled overnighter in McMinnville, en route.

I was tipped off in the hiker-biker campsite at JM Honeyman last week by a southbound cyclist called Carl.

He suggested taking Highway 18 into Portland and provided me with a great map to support his case.

Said map displayed every imaginable cycling route in and out of Portland, complete with gradient graphs and by far, Highway 18 looked to be the most direct and least hilly of the options on offer.

Even better was the fact that I could bank off just north of Lincoln City and start heading inland.

So today was the day.

Of course, 101 sent me off in fine style with a narrow, windy, shoulderless section of rubbish which could have easily had me pancaked by a freight truck before I even got to the 18 exit.

Dodging roadworks in addition gave me one last episode of grief before escaping to the relative peace and quiet of 18 East.

With prevailing westerlies off the coast, I was also looking forward to some wind assistance for the 50 miles through to McMinnville.

The morning proved to be a bit of a slow grind as the route was on a gentle incline for most of it.

Add into the mix some rain showers and continuing issues with my trolley and I had to factor in a couple of roadside repair stops into my schedule.

The trailer issue seemingly was not going to go away and in fact was worsening.

Still, my ad-hoc repairs were apparently effective enough to keep the wheels rolling in the right direction although my nervousness was increasing.

From the top of 760 ft Murphy's Hill, I came to understand why the morning had felt a little cumbersome.

Once rolling down the happy side of the pass, things improved dramatically and provided my trolley held together, an early arrival in McMinnville was on the cards.

By 2.30, the sun was out and the highway had opened out into dual carriageway with a massive shoulder and booming tailwind at my back.

The afterburners burst to life and I was away, pumping along in excess of 40 km/h at some stages with an entire lane to myself and enjoying every last second of it!!

In fact, from a short rest break at 2 pm which had me at 37 km, I completed the remaining 44 kilometers into McMinnville in just 2 hours 20 minutes for a 4.30 arrival.

A GREAT PLACE TO TRY NEW THINGS

DAY 51

TUESDAY 24 MAY 2016

NEWPORT - LINCOLN CITY

1110 - 1800

49.48 km (30.75 miles) - (includes 2000 km total at Safeway, Newport)
Av. Speed: 15 km/h (9.3 mph)
Max. Speed: 59.5 km/h (37 mph)
Time On Bike: 3h 17m 46s

2000 kilometers ticked over first thing this morning as I wheeled out of Newport, so I decided to celebrate with a visit to Yaquina Head Lighthouse.

 WHERE BETTER ELSE TO RACK UP 2000 KM THAN OUTSIDE SAFEWAY IN NEWPORT??

Yaquina Head is known as an "Outstanding Natural Area", whatever this means although now having visited for about 2 hours today, I do understand why.

The Oregon coast is pretty well-known for its lighthouses - 11 in total - and Yaquina Head is one of the better known that is also still in working order.

Newport also has a lighthouse about 5 miles south at Yaquina Bay - the older of the two - which is no longer in operation.

On such a stunning day with only a 30-mile ride to get through, I was happy to take some time out and explore.

First stop was the excellent interpretive center, where I learned about all sorts of things to do with lighthouses, including Fresnel lenses.

The Lighthouse trail then led me down to the lighthouse itself which sits out on an impressive mile-long prominence and at 93 feet, is the tallest of the 11 Oregon lighthouses.

Bound for Lincoln City, I set off into the headwind at about 2 pm.

With only a relatively short distance to cover today, the headwind was neither here nor there.

The sun was out and even better, it was due to be my last day on 101 for just a little while.

Beyond Lincoln City, I had it planned to head inland towards Portland on Route 18 and a well-deserved break from the 101 onslaught.

EQUIPMENT ISSUES

I began experiencing issues with my trailer en route today, which is the only equipment problem that has reared literally since Day 1.

Any equipment issue should not really be taken lightly as they can be quite debilitating at best and completely disabling at worst.

My trolley is a very important part of the setup and it is not really in good shape at the minute.

A certain stainless steel bracket which is a vital part of the pivot operation has been permanently compromised, it would seem.

In the name of getting to where I'm going, I'm applying band-aid solutions which is utilising anything I have with me at the moment.

If I can limp everything through to Portland, more drastic action may be required.

GOD BLESS THE CABLE TIE....

LINCOLN CITY

The welcome sign for Lincoln City offers it as "A Great Place To Try New Things".

SEE, IT DOES.....

D RIVER, LINCOLN CITY

I felt embraced by this spirit immediately as I rode into town, given that I had booked to stay overnight in a Yurt at the Devil's Lake State Park.

Having never stayed in a Yurt before certainly qualified as a "new thing" and I was trying it.

In addition to this is the fact that Yurts are very difficult to book, even though a lot of the State Parks in Oregon do have them available, made me feel as though I was really meant to have a nice little time here.

Despite not hearing very favorable reports about Lincoln City from passing cyclists, I found it to be quite acceptable and Devil's Park is another of Oregon's lovely State Park campgrounds with great facilities and beautifully kept grounds.

And the Yurt was a beauty for a night. 

I really did enjoy it.

REST DAYS IN NEWPORT

DAYS 49 & 50

SUNDAY 22 & MONDAY 23 MAY 2016

REST DAYS IN NEWPORT

1 rest day has turned into 2 here in Newport.

I bunked in at the Lost Buoy Hostel for 2 nights, enjoying a day of rest on Sunday - blogging, laundering clothes and solving the world's problems in about 6 hours with some of the other hostel inmates.

Time well spent, in other words.

Once I had decided to stay another day in Newport, I found myself looking for a second venue in the town as Lost Buoy was full for the third night.

God bless the internet and I had no real problems tracking down a motel room for an extra night for a Tuesday departure.

After a cold and drizzly start to Monday, things improved on cue for a late afternoon stroll down to the historical precinct and beachfront for an epic sunset....

YAQUINA BAY BRIDGE, NEWPORT

NYE BEACH SUNSET, NEWPORT

BETTER TIDINGS AHEAD?

DAY 47

FRIDAY 20 MAY 2016

COOS BAY - JM HONEYMAN STATE PARK

1110 - 1700

72.37 km (44.97 miles)
Av. Speed: 15.9 km/h (9.9 mph)
Max. Speed: 61.8 km/h (38.4 mph)
Time On Bike: 4h 32m 24s

Numerous things had been going through my mind over the prior 48 hours or so - most importantly the consideration of continuing on this route by bicycle.

The difference between Oregon and California that I am now experiencing first-hand is that California provides a good range of alternatives to the main 101 north-south route through the state.

In some sections, this is entirely necessary as it is illegal for bicycles and pedestrians to use 101 in the zones where it is designated freeway.

For the most part however, California has simply got its shit together over the years and now provides wonderful and (mostly) safe access for cyclists and pedestrians via the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway or Highway 1), various side roads and fabulous coastal trails in many areas that are either absent of traffic completely or at least reduce the volumes of it that the more vulnerable road users have to deal with.

It's not 100% but in comparison, Oregon is still in the dark ages.

101 is THE only route that can be used in Oregon (and Washington ahead, I suspect) for the greater distance and from my initial observations, a lot of it is a deathtrap at best.

I have certainly been making enquiries about bus services and measures that I can take to minimise my contact with it.

The Best Western I stayed at in Coos Bay had a hot tub (Bless!!) so I jumped straight in and unwound for about an hour.

A lot of stuff was swirling around in my head - the upcoming weekend being foremost and a rest day already locked in for Sunday in Newport.

In the positive, weekends are mostly absent of trucks on the road, which on such a busy route as the 101 is a huge consideration.

In the negative, this weekend is the celebration of Memorial Day across the U.S which translates to huge amounts of "day trippers" out and about, which was no doubt contingent of the huge volumes leading into Coos Bay last evening.

Either way, in my heart I knew that taking a bus was a nice consideration but not really in the spirit of what I am doing.

So my conclusion is this: man-up and get on with it but don't be stupid 'cos its just not worth it.

Leaving Coos Bay presented its first challenge of the day only 3 miles up the way - the notorious Coos Bay or North Bend bridge, which similar to many of the historic bridges I've encountered in Oregon so far are excruciatingly long and provide absolutely no quarter for bicycles. 

I cringe to imagine what these bridge crossings must be like in pouring rain and/or when Oregon's famous headwinds are at full tilt....

My choice for better or worse, was to take the narrow sidewalk across to minimise the impact on the traffic and the traffic's impact on me.

As it was, it was probably the worst choice I could have made.

I inched precariously across, willing myself to lean to the right - if I was going to fall off, fall into the BRIDGE, not the TRAFFIC!

Things were looking OK as I approached the crest until I reached the downside and encountered workers on the sidewalk doing what they needed to do and rendering it impassible.

So of course, I had to wait for the traffic to pass before dropping my laden rig off the 2-foot sidewalk and onto the roadway, at which point the whole thing tipped over and lay prone on the roadway in front of now approaching traffic.

Sensing my predicament, one of the bridge workers ran up to help and between us, we at least got the rig back upright and ready to move. 

The traffic also had at least had the courtesy to stop and wait for me to get mobile and other than the stress, embarrassment and losing a hub cap off the wheel of my trolley in the kerfuffle, got to the end of the bridge otherwise unscathed.

For the first time since Monday as well, the wind had backed right off and riding conditions were significantly more favourable.

The sun was out as well, so what to complain about??....

And it was in the scheme of things, the biggest drama in my day.

I made it through to the Jessie M. Honeyman State Park within the Oregon State Dune Recreational Area by 5 pm for another night of camping.

DAY 48

SATURDAY 21 MAY 2016

JM HONEYMAN STATE PARK - NEWPORT

1030 - 1740

85 km (52.82 miles)
Av. Speed: 17.5 km/h (10.9 mph)
Max. Speed: 56.8 km/h (35.3 mph)
Time On Bike: 4h 50m 15s


Without doubt JM Honeyman was one of the nicest campgrounds I have stayed in on this trip.

It rates up with Harris Beach just a few nights ago and Standish-Hickey in California in the top 3.

The hiker-biker site was really secluded and quiet and the campground itself was similar to Harris Beach in that it felt more like botanical gardens than a campsite.

It also backs onto a massive area of coastal dunes which are all included within a National Recreational Area.

Whilst I had no intention of hiring a dune buggy and hooning around, I made sure I went for a bit of an explore after dinner on Friday evening and found it to be a great place to roll about in the sand and enjoy another rare sunset, reflecting a little on the drama of the past few days.

SUNSET IN THE DUNES

Saturday was the day to head through to Newport and I was looking forward to travelling without the likelihood of being run over by a log truck.

Even the prospect of heavy Memorial Day traffic was not as bad as it might have been if one was to assume that anyone who was going anywhere had done so on either Thursday and Friday and was now parked up somewhere.

So, the sun was out. Tick.

The road surface was good with a wide shoulder, especially for the the first 20 km or so. Tick.

There was only one scheduled climb of about 400 feet through Cape Perpetua. Tick.

I even had a decent tailwind. Tick, tick, tick.

With so little to complain about, it was a good time to put the stresses of the past few days behind and start enjoying the ride again.

And knowing there was a hostel bed and rest day waiting for me in Newport when I got there was all the more reason to pump the pedals faster.

It did also happen to be the one section of the Oregon Coast so far that was best served by things to do and places to see, most of which were all close at hand.

By the time the road started gripping the edges of the coastline on the other side of Florence, I knew I would be budgeting for time throughout the day.

Prospectively, there was close to 60 miles to get through and stopping every 10 minutes or so was not going to be a good strategy for getting in early.

Realistically, I could have probably spent 3 days travelling through this section of coastline but its only ever in hindsight.....

HECETA HEAD LIGHTHOUSE

CAPE PERPETUA VISTA

.

UNLOVED ON 101

DAY 46 

THURSDAY 19 MAY 2016

BANDON - COOS BAY

1100 - 1630

54 km (33.55 miles)
Av. Speed: 17.8 km/h (11.1 mph)
Max. Speed: 46.6 km/h (29 mph)
Time On Bike: 3h 01m 59s

Bandon Inn being located where it is directly adjacent to the Old Town was highly convenient for what I needed to do after checking in and taking a shower - get a feed somewhere.

I wandered down around 7 pm, still pretty rattled from what had happened and still very much on the lookout for anything untoward.

With the coast apparently clear, Foley's Pub looked to be exactly what I needed so I entered and went straight to the bar.

I'd struck up conversation with a couple of locals in no time and of course related what had just happened.

There was a unanimous vote of sympathy and clearly also an amount of embarrassment that there should be such a redneck freak living in their midst and that a first-time overseas visitor to the town should be exposed to their radical behaviour in such a way.

Still feeling pretty fragile, I was more than happy to take any sympathy or support that was on offer and made a point of enjoying both the company and meal a whole lot more as a result....

BANDON OLD TOWN

The sun was out on Thursday morning in direct contrary to the forecast.

So at least this was something, although as much as I didn't really want to get back on the road, I couldn't stay hiding out in Bandon forever.

And it was probably a good idea to try and put as much distance between myself and any further trouble as possible.

The worst case scenario was that old mate would be out on the highway the next morning looking for me so I came up with a plan to cover this and decided to get back on the horse (or Grasshopper in this case) immediately.

I'd received plenty of encouragement from the folk at the pub the previous evening so I ran with it.

Some of the advise dispensed over the bar was to drop into the bicycle store on the way out of town as they came highly recommended as local doyens of getting out and about.

Given there were about 3 or 4 potential routes available to me for the next destination, I thought this to be pretty sound counsel.

I also made a point of calling by the cop shop and notifying them of my plans.

Officer Lombardo was not about but I recounted my story to his colleague who expressed similar amounts of apology and embarrassment to what I had received at the pub.

Without further ado, I hit the road about 11 am and called in via South Coast Bicycles and was directed towards the North Bank Drive which not only followed (as the name suggests) the northern bank of the Coquille River but got me off the 101 for however long it took to get to the other end.

Sounded good to me, so this is what I did.

North Bank proved to be a great call.

Flat, scenic, peaceful and little or no traffic in the 2 hours or so it took me to ride it. 

Not to mention the blustering tailwind either.....

NORTH BANK DRIVE ALONG THE COQUILLE RIVER

VIEW OF THE COQUILLE RIVER VALLEY

Things were not quite so rosy at the other end of North Bank Drive when I reconnected with Highway 42 which in turn re-entered the fray of 101 a few miles south of Coos Bay.

Both roads are about as bicycle un-friendly as it gets - the southern approach to Coos Bay in particular is nothing short of disgraceful and utterly dangerous.

A deathtrap of the highest order.

The entire 21 kilometers was a very treacherous and unsettling experience which was no doubt compounded significantly by my experience in Bandon.

When I eventually pulled into Coos Bay at around 4.30 pm, I was almost as equally rattled as I had been 24 hours earlier in Bandon and feeling just a little unloved to boot.