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Jul. 28th, 2010 11:50 pmSorry to the folks I also know on facebook, for whom this is a repeat.
So, I'm gonna brag for a minute. Total length of bike tour: 348 miles (over nine days of riding). Most miles in a day: 52.24. Fastest speed: 29.1 mph on part of Highway 101, a new record for me! All while carrying probably 50lbs of stuff.
I know that to some of my bike-y friends, those are pretty minor numbers, but I'm still pretty proud. I do think that after all this, I could probably do a one-day ride to Cape Lookout or Bagby Hot Springs and ride back the next day.
Also, there was one day where Shawn and I rode 7 (unloaded) miles that gained 1500ft. of elevation on a fairly crap road, hiked 5 miles round-trip to a hot springs, came back down, got our stuff, and rode another 20 miles, ten of which were shitty gravel.
Speaking of gravel: I fucking hate it. I hate chip seal too, but not nearly as much as gravel.
Other things I've learned:
The only town in Washington more depressing than Forks is Aberdeen.
Speaking of Forks: every single place within a fifty-mile radius sells Twilight stuff. ALL OF THEM. Crap gas stations with nothing in them have Twilight stuff.
National Parks and National Forest campgrounds never, EVER, have showers. Also, no hiker-biker sites, which means if the campground is full, you may end up squeezed in somewhere really weird. Like a service road.
Getting a front rack and panniers is definitely a goal before next year, as is getting a more compact air mattress and sleeping bag. What I have now works just fine, but the incredibly uneven distribution of weight, plus just the amount of space some of my stuff takes up, makes things difficult on occasion. Like, say, on gravel.
Highway 101 has some lovely scenery. It also has some really hideous clearcuts. UGH.
Shawn and I want to start backpacking. We're both big dorks about how much we love big trees and forests.
Wild blueberries often taste terrible. It's so sad. They look so tempting, but it only took a few times to realize that 95% of them are sour and awful.
So, I'm gonna brag for a minute. Total length of bike tour: 348 miles (over nine days of riding). Most miles in a day: 52.24. Fastest speed: 29.1 mph on part of Highway 101, a new record for me! All while carrying probably 50lbs of stuff.
I know that to some of my bike-y friends, those are pretty minor numbers, but I'm still pretty proud. I do think that after all this, I could probably do a one-day ride to Cape Lookout or Bagby Hot Springs and ride back the next day.
Also, there was one day where Shawn and I rode 7 (unloaded) miles that gained 1500ft. of elevation on a fairly crap road, hiked 5 miles round-trip to a hot springs, came back down, got our stuff, and rode another 20 miles, ten of which were shitty gravel.
Speaking of gravel: I fucking hate it. I hate chip seal too, but not nearly as much as gravel.
Other things I've learned:
The only town in Washington more depressing than Forks is Aberdeen.
Speaking of Forks: every single place within a fifty-mile radius sells Twilight stuff. ALL OF THEM. Crap gas stations with nothing in them have Twilight stuff.
National Parks and National Forest campgrounds never, EVER, have showers. Also, no hiker-biker sites, which means if the campground is full, you may end up squeezed in somewhere really weird. Like a service road.
Getting a front rack and panniers is definitely a goal before next year, as is getting a more compact air mattress and sleeping bag. What I have now works just fine, but the incredibly uneven distribution of weight, plus just the amount of space some of my stuff takes up, makes things difficult on occasion. Like, say, on gravel.
Highway 101 has some lovely scenery. It also has some really hideous clearcuts. UGH.
Shawn and I want to start backpacking. We're both big dorks about how much we love big trees and forests.
Wild blueberries often taste terrible. It's so sad. They look so tempting, but it only took a few times to realize that 95% of them are sour and awful.
