Flying Through Oregon

-
It is hard to believe that our last blog was from Astoria, Oregon. So much has happened since then. Actually we have cycled through the entire state of Oregon since our last blog. So much has happened that it has flown by quicker than we can process it all. I will give a brief outline of yesterday and today to catch everyone up to the current trip status and for those interested, I will also provide a few of the hand written blogs that I have journaled during the last nine days. As of today we have officially crossed the California border and turned our backs on Oregon. We are leaving the Oregon coast with much experienced gained, many beautiful vistas, and much learned about each other. Yesterday we ran into some troubles when I forgot the guidebook in the campsite bathroom. This gave us a quick ten mile warmup before we even got the day under way. After arriving at humbug mountain state park we had nearly cycled 70 miles for the day. Today was much smoother as we awoke to a beautiful sunshine filled morning followed by our usual black coffee and oatmeal. We rode another 55 miles to the California border where we met Gillian's parents. We will be spending the next couple days relaxing and recovering from the trek through Oregon with them near Medford, Oregon.
 

Here are some tidbits of info that I wasn't able to squeeze into the blogs. We ended up staying at another KOA where we enjoyed freshly caught dungeness from Waldport Bay. We were able to see two whales along the coast surfacing to breather. Their backs and the blowholes were visible to see. During our last three days of traveling we covered 182 miles. Through Seven Devils Pass each of the seven hill climbs was marked with devel #1 through devil #7. THis was followed by some encouragements that was painted on the road, "almost there." Alse, on the 800 foot, 2.5 mile climb we were greeted at the top by another comment painted in the road which read: "bravo! Get stoked 4 Legget." To add some context, Legget is the hardest climb on the trip, a 2,000' climb in Northern California. That should definitely be a nice leg burner to start dreaming about.
-Colin

Comments

  1. anonymousJune 28, 2012 at 6:28 PM

    Hey!!, welcome to California :). Your challenges certainly have been part of your journey, and I'm sure they were anticipated to a certain degree, just not fully labeled. Good for both of you for persevering and moving forward. Glad to here you have a break for a couple days. Sounds like it's good timing. Love the pics and glad to hear of the friends you have made along the way. Continuing to uphold you in prayer. Love, Mom.

    ReplyDelete
  2. hansJune 28, 2012 at 10:09 PM

    I envy you guys. Lookin good in the pics.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Preparing For A Journey Builds Character

-
Image
Finally! The departure date is here and a train ride North has been booked with our names. Vancouver here we come! Getting to this point has been challenging, to say the least. We have agreed that getting this trip off of the ground could perhaps be the hardest part of the journey. Neither of us had any idea how difficult it would be to plan everything and get it all lined up.  Organization, we discovered, is an essential component. We have narrowed our lives down to four saddle bags each, and deciding what stays and what goes has been interesting. By interesting I mean its been downright thought provoking, creative, characteristically defining and emotional. Endless trips to REI, scouring bikes stores in multiple cities, attending used gear sales, countless checklists, first aid courses, grocery runs...LOTS has been done to prepare. Both bikes needed some modifications. We added pedal cages, relief seats, new tires, front rack, rear rack, speedometer, front and rear lights, water bott
Read more

We Made It To The Border!

-
Image
After 1,901.6 miles of riding, we made it to the Mexico Border! This last day of riding seemed surreal, it was exciting, but at the same disapointing that it was coming to an end. The last day's ride started in Cardiff (Gillian's parents house, thanks Pam and Steve!) and as we rode our way through North County SD and eventually proper San Diego, the miles seemed to roll by a little slower than usual. Having gotten used to finding the rhythm of logging 50 mile days, this was an unexpected change. It must have been the anticipation of reaching the finish line. This was really it. This was the final ride of the trip. Navigating the San Diego was a little tricky, which I remember as being a surprise. Being that we had just finished riding through Los Angeles, I didn't think San Diego would be very difficult. There were several route directions that we had to double check. It was surreal to finally arrive. Lots of determination, emotion and beautiful vistas
Read more

Libations In British Columbia

-
Image
Our week in Canada is finally coming to a close right when our anxiety is building to start the trip! Both Gillian and I are very excited to hit the road today. Unfortunately the forecast looks like it will be raining once again. This coupled with one thousand feet of climbing will make for a challenging day.  We were able to squeeze in a big breakfast this morning at Floyd's cafe and contrary to what the forecast says, we have clear skies so far. Maybe we will have luck on our side for the rest of the day. Looking back at the week, we look forward to coming stateside but we're definitely going to miss the seafood here in Victoria. We both agree that we have had some of the best seafood of our life. We are now topped off with the best cycling fuel and ready to sustain ourselves on the road. Onward we go! - Colin
Read more