Tales of Bike Touring
Sep. 23rd, 2010 04:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aprilstarchildSaturday, on the way out to Cape Lookout (BTW: Second time biking over the coastal range. I am THE SHIT) it started raining. Oh, and getting windy. A rather long part of the ride consisted of the kind of biking where you're just pushing the pedals with an almost empty mind. There's no point in wanting to be somewhere else, because outside of hitchhiking, there's no way out of what you're doing. You just have to keep going.
When we got closer to the beach itself, the wind got ridiculous. One person unclipped from their pedals so that if she was blown over, she wouldn't go down with the bike. I was going, like, walking speed. Downhill. Pedaling in first gear.
Also, putting up a tent while it's raining hard? SUCK.
Sunday: A rest day, thank god. Some folks built a rack out of sticks and put it over the campfire, and we all carefully dried most of our clothes. It was fun to watch them steam. Most of the day was dry, with a few misty sprinkles, until the late afternoon, when the downpours + insane wind started again. Most of the people there hid in their tents, but I didn't want to get the inside of the tent wet from my clothes, so I hid in the gazebo in the day-use area. It was still wet there, just not as bad. The wind was kind of entertaining, even if it did yank out two of the stakes holding down the rain fly on the tent.
Four people (including Shawn) were coming on Sunday. They didn't show up until almost an hour after dark, and they'd biked a different route that was 85 miles and super hilly (the rest of us took a route that was shorter and easier, but has a lot more car/truck traffic). We fed them and tried to get them warm, and we all collapsed into bed.
Monday we were supposed to get to Beverly Beach, and most of the people did. Shawn and Matt and I ended up camping at Devil's Lake, which is right in Lincoln City. Which hates bicycles.
Not kidding here. Lincoln City hates bicycles. Oregon has an official state bicycle coast route, with standardized signage, plus Adventure Cycling has a route all the way down the Pacific Coast of the USA, and there's a popular guide to biking the coast. Thousands of people do this every summer. We ran into people from several countries and all age ranges doing the coast, probably around fifteen different people in the two days we were on the coast. Now, some cities have the signs everywhere, and their stretch of Hwy 101 will have a nice wide shoulder. Lincoln City has almost no shoulder for their stretch of 101. And we tried using a map to do the official route, which is off 101. And it's got a lovely view of the beach, but it's nothing but straight up and straight down and all sorts of odd turns. I got off my bike to walk steep hills no less than four times. Shawn and I had a minor hissy fit at that point (in front of Matt no less), I think we were both just cranky about our options, which sucked.
I've heard that one of the guys on the Lincoln City council has said flat out that they don't think cyclists are any kind of priority, that they prefer car tourism. That is so dumb. We stop more often than car tourists. Some of us have more expendable income because we haven't spent it on cars. We eat more than car tourists and we probably drink more beer in local pubs. We put very little wear and tear on the roads. We tend to be conscientious tourists. Why wouldn't you want to make life easier for cycle tourists?
Anyway!
Tuesday, Shawn and I took it fairly easy. We stopped tons to look at stuff. We went to Devil's Punchbowl, and Boiler Bay, and Depoe Bay. We went to Yaquina Head and visited the lighthouse and the tide pools and the interpretive center. Best of all: Every place we stopped, we saw whales! Grey whales are common off the Oregon Coast right now because they're eating a kind of shrimp that lives in kelp forests. None of them did that out-of-the-water flip thing, but we saw their backs, and their blowholes, and a few flippers. I think I saw....nine? different whales. There was some really gorgeous riding on that stretch of coastline, too. Just a wonderful amazing day.
At the end of the day, we met up with the rest of the folks, who were at the Rogue Brewery in Newport's "Historic Bayfront." We had yummy beer, and they were having a kind of party so we got free samples too. I got quite buzzed. Which is the state I was in, while going over the Yaquina Bay Bridge. Meanwhile, there was a spectacular sunset. In retrospect, I wish I'd walked my bike on the sidewalk instead of taking the lane, so I had time to enjoy the view. It's hard to look over your shoulder at the sunset when you're going fast, downhill, on a bridge with motor traffic breathing down your neck. And a beer buzz.
We stayed at South Beach last night. Oh my god. South Beach. It was dark by the time we got there, and I set up the tent but didn't do anything else before dragging Shawn out there.
South Beach used to be the place I went with Tyson's family for a few days every year. I think it was only the second beach in Oregon I visited, and for a number of years it was the only time I visited the ocean, going to South Beach with Tyson's family once a year. I hadn't realized, until I was standing there with Shawn, what an imprint that beach has made on me. It was the first beach where I just let my mind zone out while walked up and down, noticing things, feeling meditative and peaceful. There's just nothing like that beach, for me. Cape Lookout is beautiful, the Olympic coast in Washington is spectacular, but South Beach is what feels like home.
We got a late start the next morning (despite getting up at 7am) because I went down to the beach with Shawn again, and we walked to the jetty and back. I found a couple of holey stones on the beach. I kept one that looks just like a head of a kodama from Princess Mononoke--only one of the holes goes all the way through. I gave a different one (with two holes) to Shawn.
It was a long day of cycling--about 77 miles. Most of it, though, was just beautiful. We followed the Yaquina Bay, and then the river, all the way inland. There were two slightly less pleasant stretches, including a couple miles of not-too-bad gravel and eight miles on a busy road with no shoulder. But the weather was perfect and the road was my favorite kind, rolling, with some steep up and downs. We were mostly following a river, and there were forests and farmland almost the whole way. I would ride that whole day over again any time.
Oh, the farms! I saw lots of cows, of course. But alpacas! Once I saw a bunch of them and yelled "Hey! Alpacas!" and they all turned and looked at me almost in unison. Matt and Shawn and I (who rode most of the day together) stopped at one place where there were three sheep and three pigs. Sheep are so hilarious: we'd "baa!" at them and they'd "baa!" right back. The pigs didn't "oink" but one of them grunted. There was a stupid electric fence in the way, though; I wanted to touch them, and they were so friendly, coming right up to the fence. OMG! So cute! The pigs had a nice big field all to themselves, and they seemed healthy and happy. I know they're probably going to be ham and bacon some day, but at least they're living good lives.
It was dark by the time we biked into Corvallis, unfortunately. We took a really neat bike path (which would have been nicer in daylight, but oh well) through town and ended the day at the house of Ed's parents. Most of our crowd was camping in the big backyard, but some folks slept in the living room, and Shawn and I got a bed. Not long before going to bed, Chris brushed my hair. I recently found out he likes to brush hair, and having my hair brushed is one of my favoritist things ever, so I'd brought my hair brush along (instead of the travel comb I usually bring, which is lighter and smaller), but we didn't have a chance to use it until our last night! Now I'm tempted not to cut my hair off after all...or at least delay it until I can let Chris brush my hair a few more times.
And then this morning, Shawn and I and our friend Paul (who had to leave the trip early for medical reasons) got a ride into Albany and took Amtrak back to Portland. And I've been eating and eating. And I should get into a shower soon and change for chorus rehearsal, which is why I came back early to start with! Everyone else left on the trip (seven people) are day-tripping Breitenbush tomorrow, and I'm so jealous. *sigh* Eventually, I'll get there eventually.
Also: WTF is up with the raccoons at the coast?! They're downright aggressive! If you put your food in your tent it's safe (although, our tent is kinda small, so it becomes an issue), but anything you leave out is gone, and they'll go through your bags and chew on stuff to see if it has food in it. And they're not afraid of you. All three of the coast campsites, we had raccoons, packs of them, messing with our stuff. People who have cars can put their stuff in their car, but bike-campers are screwed. I plan to write a letter to Oregon State Parks asking them to please please pretty please put bear boxes in the hiker-biker sites. At South Beach they even knocked over Shawn's bike.
Last but not least: I'm seriously thinking of making a wordpress or whatever blog devoted just to bike stuff. I'd keep it PG-rated so I could have my family, including extended family, read it. But it occurs to me that most of this LJ has become bike stuff anyway. I'd certainly link the entries here, but hm.
When we got closer to the beach itself, the wind got ridiculous. One person unclipped from their pedals so that if she was blown over, she wouldn't go down with the bike. I was going, like, walking speed. Downhill. Pedaling in first gear.
Also, putting up a tent while it's raining hard? SUCK.
Sunday: A rest day, thank god. Some folks built a rack out of sticks and put it over the campfire, and we all carefully dried most of our clothes. It was fun to watch them steam. Most of the day was dry, with a few misty sprinkles, until the late afternoon, when the downpours + insane wind started again. Most of the people there hid in their tents, but I didn't want to get the inside of the tent wet from my clothes, so I hid in the gazebo in the day-use area. It was still wet there, just not as bad. The wind was kind of entertaining, even if it did yank out two of the stakes holding down the rain fly on the tent.
Four people (including Shawn) were coming on Sunday. They didn't show up until almost an hour after dark, and they'd biked a different route that was 85 miles and super hilly (the rest of us took a route that was shorter and easier, but has a lot more car/truck traffic). We fed them and tried to get them warm, and we all collapsed into bed.
Monday we were supposed to get to Beverly Beach, and most of the people did. Shawn and Matt and I ended up camping at Devil's Lake, which is right in Lincoln City. Which hates bicycles.
Not kidding here. Lincoln City hates bicycles. Oregon has an official state bicycle coast route, with standardized signage, plus Adventure Cycling has a route all the way down the Pacific Coast of the USA, and there's a popular guide to biking the coast. Thousands of people do this every summer. We ran into people from several countries and all age ranges doing the coast, probably around fifteen different people in the two days we were on the coast. Now, some cities have the signs everywhere, and their stretch of Hwy 101 will have a nice wide shoulder. Lincoln City has almost no shoulder for their stretch of 101. And we tried using a map to do the official route, which is off 101. And it's got a lovely view of the beach, but it's nothing but straight up and straight down and all sorts of odd turns. I got off my bike to walk steep hills no less than four times. Shawn and I had a minor hissy fit at that point (in front of Matt no less), I think we were both just cranky about our options, which sucked.
I've heard that one of the guys on the Lincoln City council has said flat out that they don't think cyclists are any kind of priority, that they prefer car tourism. That is so dumb. We stop more often than car tourists. Some of us have more expendable income because we haven't spent it on cars. We eat more than car tourists and we probably drink more beer in local pubs. We put very little wear and tear on the roads. We tend to be conscientious tourists. Why wouldn't you want to make life easier for cycle tourists?
Anyway!
Tuesday, Shawn and I took it fairly easy. We stopped tons to look at stuff. We went to Devil's Punchbowl, and Boiler Bay, and Depoe Bay. We went to Yaquina Head and visited the lighthouse and the tide pools and the interpretive center. Best of all: Every place we stopped, we saw whales! Grey whales are common off the Oregon Coast right now because they're eating a kind of shrimp that lives in kelp forests. None of them did that out-of-the-water flip thing, but we saw their backs, and their blowholes, and a few flippers. I think I saw....nine? different whales. There was some really gorgeous riding on that stretch of coastline, too. Just a wonderful amazing day.
At the end of the day, we met up with the rest of the folks, who were at the Rogue Brewery in Newport's "Historic Bayfront." We had yummy beer, and they were having a kind of party so we got free samples too. I got quite buzzed. Which is the state I was in, while going over the Yaquina Bay Bridge. Meanwhile, there was a spectacular sunset. In retrospect, I wish I'd walked my bike on the sidewalk instead of taking the lane, so I had time to enjoy the view. It's hard to look over your shoulder at the sunset when you're going fast, downhill, on a bridge with motor traffic breathing down your neck. And a beer buzz.
We stayed at South Beach last night. Oh my god. South Beach. It was dark by the time we got there, and I set up the tent but didn't do anything else before dragging Shawn out there.
South Beach used to be the place I went with Tyson's family for a few days every year. I think it was only the second beach in Oregon I visited, and for a number of years it was the only time I visited the ocean, going to South Beach with Tyson's family once a year. I hadn't realized, until I was standing there with Shawn, what an imprint that beach has made on me. It was the first beach where I just let my mind zone out while walked up and down, noticing things, feeling meditative and peaceful. There's just nothing like that beach, for me. Cape Lookout is beautiful, the Olympic coast in Washington is spectacular, but South Beach is what feels like home.
We got a late start the next morning (despite getting up at 7am) because I went down to the beach with Shawn again, and we walked to the jetty and back. I found a couple of holey stones on the beach. I kept one that looks just like a head of a kodama from Princess Mononoke--only one of the holes goes all the way through. I gave a different one (with two holes) to Shawn.
It was a long day of cycling--about 77 miles. Most of it, though, was just beautiful. We followed the Yaquina Bay, and then the river, all the way inland. There were two slightly less pleasant stretches, including a couple miles of not-too-bad gravel and eight miles on a busy road with no shoulder. But the weather was perfect and the road was my favorite kind, rolling, with some steep up and downs. We were mostly following a river, and there were forests and farmland almost the whole way. I would ride that whole day over again any time.
Oh, the farms! I saw lots of cows, of course. But alpacas! Once I saw a bunch of them and yelled "Hey! Alpacas!" and they all turned and looked at me almost in unison. Matt and Shawn and I (who rode most of the day together) stopped at one place where there were three sheep and three pigs. Sheep are so hilarious: we'd "baa!" at them and they'd "baa!" right back. The pigs didn't "oink" but one of them grunted. There was a stupid electric fence in the way, though; I wanted to touch them, and they were so friendly, coming right up to the fence. OMG! So cute! The pigs had a nice big field all to themselves, and they seemed healthy and happy. I know they're probably going to be ham and bacon some day, but at least they're living good lives.
It was dark by the time we biked into Corvallis, unfortunately. We took a really neat bike path (which would have been nicer in daylight, but oh well) through town and ended the day at the house of Ed's parents. Most of our crowd was camping in the big backyard, but some folks slept in the living room, and Shawn and I got a bed. Not long before going to bed, Chris brushed my hair. I recently found out he likes to brush hair, and having my hair brushed is one of my favoritist things ever, so I'd brought my hair brush along (instead of the travel comb I usually bring, which is lighter and smaller), but we didn't have a chance to use it until our last night! Now I'm tempted not to cut my hair off after all...or at least delay it until I can let Chris brush my hair a few more times.
And then this morning, Shawn and I and our friend Paul (who had to leave the trip early for medical reasons) got a ride into Albany and took Amtrak back to Portland. And I've been eating and eating. And I should get into a shower soon and change for chorus rehearsal, which is why I came back early to start with! Everyone else left on the trip (seven people) are day-tripping Breitenbush tomorrow, and I'm so jealous. *sigh* Eventually, I'll get there eventually.
Also: WTF is up with the raccoons at the coast?! They're downright aggressive! If you put your food in your tent it's safe (although, our tent is kinda small, so it becomes an issue), but anything you leave out is gone, and they'll go through your bags and chew on stuff to see if it has food in it. And they're not afraid of you. All three of the coast campsites, we had raccoons, packs of them, messing with our stuff. People who have cars can put their stuff in their car, but bike-campers are screwed. I plan to write a letter to Oregon State Parks asking them to please please pretty please put bear boxes in the hiker-biker sites. At South Beach they even knocked over Shawn's bike.
Last but not least: I'm seriously thinking of making a wordpress or whatever blog devoted just to bike stuff. I'd keep it PG-rated so I could have my family, including extended family, read it. But it occurs to me that most of this LJ has become bike stuff anyway. I'd certainly link the entries here, but hm.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-09-24 04:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-24 05:22 pm (UTC)I think that's definitely part of it.
But I admit I really like the idea of having something that family, and people who don't know me at all, might find interesting.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-09 10:17 am (UTC)Raccoons: the teenage thugs of the animal world!
no subject
Date: 2010-10-09 07:05 pm (UTC)I did write that letter, btw. Turns out that the person who answered is also a cycle tourist, and has heard about The Raccoon Problem before. She plans to try and get help with the issue, but parks funding hasn't been great lately.