Epilogue - Reflections from The End
Was it worth it and did anything change? I'm not sure yet, something has shifted under the surface already. I notice my responses are toned, my stress levels are down, and I feel internally content. Returning home to New York has not been the shock I was fearing - I am familiar with home again. The...
My Touring Setup - Bicycle, Bags, and Gear
Everything I brought and a blurb about why I brought it - including things I left behind and won't bring next time. At the end, some limited advice for touring. Bicycle • Trek Checkpoint SL 5 • This is carbon gravel bicycle. You can tour with any bike, it doesn't matter. My must-have-feature is lots...
Day 23 - Samuel P Taylor to San Francisco
This is it, last ride. At the moment it is hard to reflect and feel the full distance of this journey. At the start I couldn't fathom it either. There is something disorienting about riding everyday. Each day becomes it's own mission and the day before and the days to come don't truly exist until y...
Day 22 - Bodega Bay to Samuel P Taylor
Camping on the sand during a night rain coated everything in wet sand and drenched my clothing. I'll have to wear wet cycling clothes today. The riding today is through the parts of California I recognize and remember fondly: golden rolling hills, cattle, and ranches near the coast. My body is still...
Day 21 - Salt Point to Bodega Bay
Today's ride is steep. Lots of cliff roads and switchbacks with grade +9% or more. It was slow going but I have all day to do it. Only two more riding days after this until I am in San Francisco. My left hamstring starts acting up, funny how yesterday it was the right. I stop to rest and stretch thr...
Day 20 - Elk to Salt Point
Said my goodbyes to Judy and family for hosting me through the rainstorm: the forecast looks good today, no rain on the horizon, but coast weather is never certain. Judy is the postmaster in Elk and I stop to visit and mail some postcards before I leave. Around the corner from her counter is a door,...
Day 19 - Zero - Elk
As I fell asleep last night, the pitter-patter of rain hits the greenhouse I am sleeping in. In the morning, the roar of rain and thunder greets me. It stormed all night but I was dry, I am so grateful to Judy and her family who are hosting me for two days to avoid this storm. The sound of rain is p...
Day 18 - Standish Hickey to Elk
I rose early, the moon is bright in the sky and the stars are out. Everyone else is sleeping, I am awake making coffee and shivering. Today I need to climb to 600 meters of elevation, my biggest climb of the entire ride. I have been thinking about this for months. I am the first to leave the campgr...
Day 17 - Humbolt Redwoods to Standish Hickey
Sleeping amongst the redwoods is a special experience. The trees are so large and broad that you are blanketed in an awning of silence. Nothing makes a noise, time doesn't move, and sleep is swift and pleasant. Leaving is hard too, I had a cold night and frankly didn't want to leave, but I have to k...
Day 16 - Ferndale to Humbolt Redwoods
I woke up in a fog, mentally and physically. The entire valley was surrounded by a thick, misty, fog which soaked my tent, drying clothes, and bicycle. I didn't sleep much and can feel my nose and throat beginning a cold. My thoughts move slow like molasses. Even though I wake up at 6:00 AM, I don't...
Day 15 - Sue-Meg to Ferndale
I wake up and everything is wet, my socks, tent, shoes, even the air is wet. The fog rolled in and hug over everything. Mike is from Missouri and a "grey beard programmer". He walks over to to picnic table to talk while I make coffee and oats. We bond over being burned out from working in Software....
Day 14 - Crescent City to Sue-Meg
I wake up on the floor of a church and leave first thing in the morning to make my 400 meters climb up Mill pass. I don't know if I will be able to handle the hill, it's almost double the highest climb I've ever done. I decide that to motivate myself to tackle this big climb I should have a breakfas...
Day 13 - Humbug to Crescent City
I woke before sunrise today, the moon was bright enough to see clearly. The air is warm but my tent is wet from the morning dew. I am trying to get on the bicycle earlier today so I can make it into California. I will be greeted by the redwood forests when I enter. I feel like a million bucks, nothi...
Day 12 - Zero Day
This day has been a long time coming. I think yesterday's headwinds broke me. I need to rest. I made it much further than I thought, and I am grateful for pushing through challenging days in Washington when I wanted to quit. Now it's time to sit by the beach, watch the waves break on the rocks and s...
Day 11 - Sunset Beach to Humbug Mountain
Arishto came into the hiker/biker camp at 7:30 AM for a shower. He slept in the woods last night, preferring that over sleeping inside a "civilized" campground. Immediately his warmth and kindness was clear. A fellow bicycle traveler looking for the good life. It took a moment but I realized he was...
Day 10 - Carl G. Washburne to Sunset Beach
I left Washburne beach and was immediately greeted with an orange sky. The air was hot and the light looked like sunset hour. A forest fire in Medford was raging, instead of blowing the fires to the East, the winds had reversed and the smoke was blowing to the coast (from the East to the West). I ha...
Day 9 - Beverly State Beach to Carl G. Washbourne
Today was the most beautiful part of the coast I've seen so far. When I was at home, dreaming of this trip, I had envisioned this type of scenic coastline Steep sharp cliffs, dropping into the ocean, the road barely hugging the side. Tall trees shadowing the path, and rolling hills with vistas. I wa...
Day 8 - Cape Lookout to Beverly State Beach
The tailwind today was unbelievable, I was sailing down the coast, hardly pedaling (15 meters per second I thin). It has exhilarating. Today was the first day of pure fun, no pain, no exhaustion. This ride was a blast, and featured some great descents. Take a look at the photo graphs for September 6...
Day 7 - Nahalem to Cape Lookout
I am sitting by the beach, in an alcove of trees. The beach is flanked to the left by a 200m cliff covered in evergreen trees. To the right is a sweeping beach three rock islands in the distance. The sun has just set and the golden-blue sky is receding as the moonlight pierces through the trees. Abo...
Day 6 - Astoria to Nahalem
Instantly I feel better, Oregon is breathtaking - Donna you were so right! The coast is totally untouched and the towns sprinkled in are quaint beach towns surrounded by forests. The cycling is great and I've picked up a tailwind finally. At behest of so many I have finally taken a 'rest day'. I don...
Day 5 - Aberdeen to Astoria
In Aberdeen I took a hotel to rest and recover, it helped immensely. Taking a hot shower and a bath does a number for aches. I made adjustments to my bicycle hoods to positions my shoulders and arms better. The difference was noticeable. The route today took me across the border into Oregon, if I c...
Day 4 - Kalaloch to Aberdeen
Luck was not in my favor again and I had another hard day. This time for time and endurance reasons. Something was off today, perhaps I slept too little, did not eat enough, or made my coffee too weak. Every pedal stroke was slow, simple hills felt hard, and I felt the seconds crawl by. In retrospec...
Day 3 - Fairholme to Kalaloch
This was my first hard day. I felt totally broken by the end of the day, my lower back, left side of my neck, and hamstrings were screaming in pain. I started to notice some possible causes... 1. My left hood was positioned much closer than the right, causing my shoulders to twist 2. My saddle was t...
Day 2 - Port Angeles to Lake Crescent
I learned a valuable lesson about late starts. Only getting on my bicycle by 11:00 AM felt terrible, I slept in too much and was not respectful of the climbing I would have to do in order to make it to Lake Crescent at 400 meters. Perhaps the adrenaline from the first day had worn off, but I feel mo...
Day 1 - Bainbridge to Agnew
First day on the bike was fantastic. I didn’t know if I would be able to pedal at reasonable speed with all of my bags, and I was worried that trying to do 110km was too much for one day - turns out I blew through the distance and had fun doing it. Despite getting what I thought was a late start, I...
Prologue - To See The World
I'm riding my bicycle, and writing a journal. Nothing will be edited, free-flow from my mind to keys, at the end of everyday, on 1800 km bicycle adventure, I'll write something. This is what is on my mind today. I’m not trying to be a good writer. Grit We never test our resilience. Life is comfortab...