Last post

All,
   thank you for reading. However I am finding it very tough to cycle and journal. Most entries take an hour to write when I figure in writing, editing, and searching for WiFi locations. Unfortunately I have underestimated the rigors of this ride and started out in very poor condition as compared to previous long tours. These make it tough for me to find time to enjoy the country I travel through.
    To compensate I will not be writing with an regularity for the rest of this trip if at all. Sorry to let everyone down. However my thoguht is what is the point of journaling if I don't have the time to seek out interesting things to journal about?
  Sincerly,
--Tim

9/6/2008 I saw cheese, and fish, and shore, and mist, and woods, and....

Four Winds Motel, Depoe Bay, OR
Miles Today: 71
Miles Done: 550
Miles Left: 1277

I got an early start today hitting the road by about 8:30 AM. However the first 7 miles was backtracking to the cheese factory I saw on the way through Tillamook. I am glad I did. The exhibit was a bit corny and the videos had a bit a pushy spin but being the fan of cheese I am I was thrilled to see the process of it being made. The factory had a elevated glassed in room that looked out over the factory floor. I was in awe of the 40 lb blocks of cheese that came in on a conveyor belt from the aging room. The had literally over a million pounds of cheese aging in the near by buildings. Aw...... I already had a load of cheese so I didn't buy any but I was happy just to see it. I ran into the American couple coming in to the exhibit just as I was wrapping up and heading out.
The morning had low clouds of mist that I climbed into as I ascended the the lush green treed in roads east of Tillamook. I elected to take a bypass route that avoided Oceanside as I had been hearing from bikers for day that it was a unpleasent and dangerous strech of road. If I had not I would have hugged the low shore.
After the bypass I did hug the shore. The shore flowed the contours of misty capes along the ocean. I heard the sounds of waves and could see the the rocky cliffs to my side, feel the stiff wind in my face, and see the waves angrily crash against the sharp rocky shore. It was beautiful.
Then I climbed again.The sun had finally burned off the fog and I enjoyed the warmth of the sun at last. As I descended from that climb I passed by a long dune that ran along the road. There dozens of people ran back and forth on the sand in poorly muffled gas
vehicles (bikes, buggies, etc). Other than that the dunes were beautiful with tall reedy grasses and pine trees growing out of dips in the sand.
The tide was out and I saw numerous groups trudging through mucky tidal flats digging for clams and oysters. I took a break and climbed down to the mud though since I don't have boots I stayed near the edge to keep my feet dry. I saw countless holes in the mud where clams drew in and out water to breath and feed. I also saw barnacles adhered to the stones on the shore. Since I couldn't explore much I could not see much more. I had hoped to catch sight of a crab.
In Pacific City I stopped for pizza and salad for lunch. I had been looking for pizza by the slice for days and never seemed to find anyplace that sold it so I finally paid 8 bucks for 8 inch pizza. It was good pizza but I think a bit expensive.
Back on the road I followed the shore. At one point I came across a Salmon Hatchery which a neat to look at. Also the had a small pond of Rainbow Trout, some as big as my arm! In Neskwin I barrowed some WiFi from a closed coffee shop to call ahead for rooms for the night. All the paces I called we over $120 per night being "resorts" finally I found a motel and that set me up for my goal for the night.
The wind had picked up and and the mist has started to gather back up making it much cooler. I put on a wind vest to stay warm and went on my way. The route sent me of highway 101 onto "Old Senic Highway 101". This was a fablous road. The surface was not great and there was a lot of climbing but minus the first mile the 10 miles of the side road were almost devoid of cars making for a very relaxing ride. I could spare some of my precious attention to scenery and the simple joys of pedaling rather then focusing on staying to the right.
I descended and made surpriseing time along the shore toward Depoe Bay. I wish I had not made the reservation as I am sure I could have made it to the next campground 5 miles farther. However the weather was cold so I was not sad to get inside and take a warm bath.
I finished listening to Michale Crichton's "Prey" I would say it was a OK book. I found my self seeing a lot of me in the main character, also an out of work programmer. Crichton did a great job making the book an action packed and suspenseful novel. The ending was great. However in then I am not sure why I didn't like the book more. I say it worth the read but not a must read.

9/5/2008 Motivational Problem

Big Barn Marina, Tillamook, OR
Miles Today: 52
Miles Done: 489
Miles Left: 1338

Today was a very late start, about 1 PM. I got up nice and early, around 7AM but I seemed to get bogged down in lots of little things; calling home, journaling, packing, chatting with people. I never seemed to be able to get out the door. My original goal for the day was Cape Lookout which would have put me at around 60 miles for the day, my minimum goal for most days. As a result of my late start I have about 10 miles I have to make up if I am to stay on schedule.
On the up side since I left so late I had the opportunity to make some quesidillas on a the gas stove so I ate well for lunch. Also given how short my day was I managed to see a lot.
First I meet two separate couples who were headed on the same route as I. I meet them both in the hard climbing near Cannon Beach. The first couple I met while I was overtaking them on a long and exhausting climb. They were doing the US west coast and seemed a very friendly pair. They had a trailer with them to haul their gear but one of the welds on it had broken so all it could carry was a small backpack, they had the gear heaped up on the tail of one of their bikes to make up for the missing capacity. We cycled together for a while on the narrow shoulder of the road while the busy traffic rushed by our left sides. After a while I pulled ahead. Later in a notch between climbs I meet a French couple who were not just doing the west coast but were biking from Alaska to Argentina. That just boggles my mind. They had already been out for 3 months. They we very friendly and we chatted while they ate a huge lunch and I my snack. After a while I had to pull myself away if I was to have any chance a making miles for the day. The climbs had slowed me down quite a bit.
The route meandered near the shore during the climbs and I took frequent short breaks at lookouts to rest and take in the sunny day. Seabirds perched themselves at every lookout adding to the views of the ocean. I suppose the climbs acted as a balance to my urge to hurry making sure I took the time to enjoy the weather and views.
The route then turned inland where I presented with a quiet road with another serious climb though not as bad as the one earlier in the day. I worked my up and over and descended back towards the ocean. Finally I reached Tillamook which you might recognize from the cheese brand which is made here. It needed to stop to get some food and when I was done it was getting towards 7PM. I calculated the mileage to the next campground at about 10 miles. That left me very little safety room. If I should get lost or a flat tire I would be rolling in just around or after dark. I decided that with sun so low on the horizon I should take the site in hand and I pulled over at friendly RV campground just east of Tillamook. They have a nice grassy patch for me to pitch my tarp and a shower house but no picnic table. Still I am pleased I made it this far and I have plenty of time to relax. I think tomorrow I will take the opportunity to backtrack 3 miles and check out the cheese factory.

9/4/2008 Getting interesting.

Hosteling International Hostel in Seaside, OR
Miles Today: 67
Miles Done: 413
Miles Left: 1404

Today was not a fast day but it was a good day. I got miles done and got to take some time to relax too. However it started a bit unpleasantly. At 2:45 AM I woke to sound of loud country music. I assumed it was an alarm clock. It continued for at least 10 minutes before the discourteous owner turned it off. Being that I was awake and annoyed I decided to take a bathroom break before closing my eyes. I crawled out from under my tarp and walk along the Columbia River towards the bath house. As I did so I saw the safety lights of 2 very large ships on the darkness. One of them was moving at what I would call a respectable rate but not fast. The rate I am used to large ships going. The other, which was much bigger, I assumed was a barge and it was hauling butt. It moved quickly along the river in a impressive fashion, now that I think of it probably because it was heading down stream. What was more remarkable than it's speed was the smoke stack. It towered above the main cabin by 30 feet and from it a dim stream of glowing crimson embers emerged and trailed slowly off to the water stern of the ship. I can only imagine it was burning coal because I do not think diesel would make embers.
I suppose the loud music was to be thanked as I would not have seen that boat without it. When I awoke again I found a clusters of small boats in the river and the shore was lined with dozens of fishing poles. Salmon season is just starting and it looks like everyone was to get in on the action.
I packed up and head out.The my route flowed along the bank of the Columbia river to near it's mouth. The road was smooth allowing me to move more easily and I made good time. I crossed a bridge to Puget Island and made a quick stop outside the library to get my emails but since I didn't have much battery life left on my laptop I didn't stay long. At the south side of the Island I meet up with a ferry to cross the Columbia. My timing was just right so I rolled right on to the waiting ship and five minutes later we were off on the short journey. That is not to imply the Columbia is a small river, it appears to be nearly as wide as the Mississippi where I crossed though I have never seen the Mississippi south of Illinois so I am sure it gets bigger.
On the other side I entered Oregon for the first time. I pedaled though quite farm land and flood plains. A ways up the river I reached Astoria at the mouth of the river. I took my first pleasure break of the trip when I stopped by the Astoria Maratime Museum. It was a very nice museum detailing the history of the local area. I saw examples of old boats that were once used for fishing and read about the people who used to catch and can the fish. I saw pictures of how bountiful the Salmon harvest once was, it seemed limitless, and how it has declined since. The museum is located by the shore and they had an old lighthouse boat moored that one could climb in and see the quarters people used to live in. I was small but looked very comfy. The ship featured a bright light on a tall mast and they would anchor on the mouth of the river as a light signal where no island existed.
The trail circumnavigated the town and crossed a couple bridges. Next I reached the green wooded flat of Lewis and Clark National Park as it hugged the shore of the lazy Lewis and Clark River. After that the terrain changed dramatically turning into long exhausting climbs and fast descents through the steep hills inland. Disturbingly, several miles went through a clear cut section of woods. It was not just the trees had been clear cut but they, in most cases, have be torn from the ground in the process leaving the ground as a carpet of jumbled stumps and root balls.
After that a long decent brought into Seaside which I checked into the hostel after a little searching. I got the shower I needed from last night. I saved some money by making a Knorr/Lipton rice side dish among all the other residents who were making stir frys of fresh veggies. I was just too tired to got shopping so I settled on my crude highly processed dinner for simplicities sake.
The people here are fablously varied from all places and where had great wide ranging conversations on the likes of bio diesel production to cooking Italian food.

9/3/2008 I did it!

County Line Park
Miles Today: 76
Miles Done: 362
Miles Left: 1465

Today was the longest day yet of my trip. I did 76 miles total because it was left with a tough choice. There was about a 30 miles gap between places to camp, 20 to little or 10 to many. I decided to go long and as the day rolled on I assumed I was going to arrive fairly late. However the end of today was much faster along the fast flat road near the river. I am getting ahead of myself however.
The day started fairly normally with me pushing off around 10. I climbed and and ascended many long and tough descents. My legs are getting a bit stronger but hurt a bit more too. I am not sure what that means. My shoulder however is almost completely healed. It was seriously troubling me so I am very relieved to be free of the pain as it was near constant before.
In Castle Rock I stopped by the library to get online. I could not talk in the library but I updated my journals and check my email before heading across the street to the grocery to replenish my dwindling supply of food. I try not to carry much food so that I don't have to haul it up and down the hills. As a result I have to shop most days.
I cycled along numerous steep climbs and descents through wooded back roads working my way mostly south until is the later afternoon I reached the Columbia River. It is quite a river to behold with what looks like a broad swift current and numerous backwaters as I came up to it. However I made a wrong turn as as a result I started heading the wrong way initially along the river. After a couple miles I realized my error and with the help of some pedestrians I got back on track. I was annoyed for my mistake so late in the day but the road the I was on was a fast one and I made great time. Along the way I stopped a couple of times. First there was house selling fresh eggs and I bought half a dozen for breakfast. Later an elevated roadbed paralleled the road I was on. It appeared to be abandoned. At one portion where the slope of the riverbank to my right right was steep the engineers had to build a bridge/roadbed along it face to allow it to continue and some rather large trees were growing on top of that roadbed. I was quite a site to behold.
I am at the County Line park which is perched a narrow patch of sand between the river and the road. As a result traffic is rumbling 30 feet away from my campsite making for a noisy place to spend the night. However a couple sites over there were a couple of Australians how were also riding the coast, they had started in San Diego. We talked a bit but I got distracted by the nearing dark and so I hurried back to set up camp. The trees here are not at all right for my hammock so I pitched my tarp instead. As a result I will likely sleep much warmer tonight. Also the sand of the ground should be easy on the back. Oh, also this park has a bathroom but now shower. :(

9/2/2008 Getting better

Just outside Centralia
Miles Today: 67
Miles Done: 291
Miles Left: 1536

Today I got my start at 11AM. That may not sound like much but I have generally not gotten out until near noon most days. I still haven't completely worked out my morning routine. Part of it is due to the fact that I have been unpacking my bike completely at night. I need to organize to the point that I don't need to unpack the bike tools and like when I pull into camp.
The roads out of town quickly became hilly and a meandered through what I can only assume is cottage country. The road was quiet and and curved this way and that to run near small lakes with closely spaced driveways leading to boat ramps and houses near the shore. Occasionally I would come across a intersection named after someones wife or a family name. At one intersection I was at the meeting of "Dog Gone" and "Bear Trap" roads.
Along this stretch I came across a couple of other tourers. I was astonished at the volume of gear they carried, my whole load easily would have occupied their front wheel and they carried twice that on the rear. They were friendly and were heading to north Dakota. They had previously covered most of what I was to do. They encouraged me with statements that the route my map is having me take through Washington was rather dull but that Oregon would be an explosion of views soon enough. We departed ways I made surprisingly swift progress through the rest of the day.
I took several short breaks to rest my right arm which is very sore. I think I hurt it carrying my bike up the river bank yesterday. One of these breaks put me next to a large collection of blackberry bush. I have been passing blackberries frequently for the trip but I have only picked a few. This time I took the break to eat at least a pint of them. They were perfectly ripe and some, heated by the sun, had a exquisite sweet warm flavor that normally in only found in hot pie.
Just before my stopping place for the day I came across a large fruit stand by the rode and took another break to buy and consume a peach, nectarine, and refreshing slice of watermelon.
I was very pleased to be done by 6 PM today! I had all the time in the world to clean up. Also since I was at a RV park there was washer and dryer which I desperately needed. Hand washing may help keep me from reeking but there is only so much I can do. The laundry however required quarters so I unloaded and set up my site before doing the 5 mile round trip to get change and a quick hot dinner.
My bike performed perfectly minus a creak that appears to be coming from the cleats in my shoes. I think these "Egg Beater" pedals wear their cleats much faster than the ones I am used to. However I had no failures or flats today.
Today was just about perfect, weather was nice, I have a comfy place for the night, and I have clean clothes. What more could I want?
Oh, I finished a book called "Getting to Yes" which is a book on negotiation. I recommend it. It has a very easy to read tone. Despite some worries it might contain what I would consider manipulative or doggy material it was pleasantly principled and respectable in it's content.

9/1/2008 Bridge out!

Shelton Inn, Shelton WA
Miles Today: 67
Miles Done: 231
Miles Left: 1596

Last night was really cold. I found my self roused many times by cold spots in my hammock though I still seemed to have gotten a good nights sleep. The slow leak in my rear tire caused it to flatten overnight so I filled it while doing my morning checks. I got out the road and almost immediately I ran into another biker. We stopped and talked for few minutes. His bike looked like it would float off if he wasn't sitting on it. I know when this trip is over and I strip all the gear off my bike I will feel like a rocket to but for now I had to haul all my gear. While we were talking he looked at my map and suggested a better route, one with more to look at and less traffic. I asked him about bike shops just in case he might know a place open on Labor Day. He asked why and I told him about my lack of spare parts. He took pity on me and gave me a spare tube. I offered to mail him a thank you gift but he refused. Thank you whoever you are!
The route he suggested was certainly more interesting than most of what I had ridden too. It had nice views along quite roads and led me straight by a coffee shop with free WiFi. There I took in a few sweets and relaxed into journaling and made some phone calls.
After a long break I got back on the road. I was doing great until I came across a missing bridge. Some bikers on the far side shouted that the water was crossable. They didn't have 45 lbs of gear strapped to their bike though so it took me about 10 minutes of huffing and puffing to get everything across.
In Silverdale I was surprised to come across a open bike shop. I
excited bought my replacement parts, go some srub at Taco Bell, and got
back on the road.
I was doing fine until I reached the Bremerton. There somewhere I got off route. Unfortunately I could not find a person who knew enough about their town to tell me anything except on how to get to the expressway. Finally I found a sign for a road on my map. Unfortunately without warning that road feed into the expressway. One feature of expressways is fences they put on then to keep for people walking on or off so it was a mile or so until I could find a way out. Luck would have it that the road I managed to get to was exactly the road I was looking for and from that point on I managed to stay on route.
It was another a late day but that was not a problem as I am staying at a motel. There is a long strech here with no campsites. As a result I have the choice of doing a 30 mile day and camping or going a little over 60 and motel. I have been just barely keeping up with my miles goals so I elected to pay more and go long. As a result I have a comfy bed and got to eat decidedly OK Mexican food though it is far better than any I have had in Canada. Also I have WiFi so I and been able to catch up on some of my email.
Tomorrow I will try for another long day to make it a campground.

8/31/2008 Bad bike day

Kitsap State Park
Miles Today: 60
Miles Done: 167
Miles Left: 1660

Today was a rough day. As mentioned in the title, my bike did not do me proud today.
The day started out, after a cold night, as a cool overcast morning. I got up, ate, and packed. I headed down to the bath house to shower before I headed out. After I was done showering and was putting the final touches on my packing the troubles began. In the morning I am in the habit of giving my bike a once over, feeling for the tire pressure and assessing the truesness of the wheels. As I was doing this I noticed a flaw in my tire, a small hole in the sidewall where the tube was starting to squeeze through. I knew that as I rode the tube would squeeze out the small hole forming a boil of sorts until the tube rubbed against something or thinned to the point of popping. I pulled off my rear wheel and started to go to work. I carry a spare tire to replaced worn out ones and mounted that. Since the tire was new it had yet to streatch out and mounting was a pinful and slow experiance. I kept the tube as it was still holding air when I pulled it off before. Then I pumped it up and got it pressure. As I pulled off the pump from the valve I heard the tel-tale sound of escaping air but not from the pump. I pulled the tire off again and examined the tube. Normaly I can patch any sort of hole up to about a centimeter in size. However this hole as where the value joined the tube. There is no way to patch that as it not smooth and not all made of rubber. As a result I had to throw that tube out and put a spare on. However that was the last spare I had oweing to the fact that I had lost my other spare due to another failure near the valve. Also my spare was a tube I replaced earlier because it has a very slow leak, one that takes 2-3 hours to notice.
All assembled I finally hit the road but I was worried. I now had no spare tires or tubes. It was Sunday so if another vale failure occurred I would have to wait until I could find an open bikes shop. To compound this Monday is Labor Day meaning I might have to wait two days.
After these two valve failures in a short period I am starting to think my bike tubes didn't like the long storage durung last year. Normally I replace all my tubes every year or two from normal wear and tear. I guess I should replace them regardless of their wear.
I got started with my ride for the day. As I rode I noticed my crank was lose and so I stopped to tighten that up. In a short while I made it to a ferry crossing. The schedule had boats coming and going every 45 minutes or so. After I paid my fare I wandered off to a nearby restaurant. Sitting in the parking lot I found a open access point and just picked up my email when I saw the boat coming in. I hurried by to the dock and loaded my bike. Helpfully the boat had ropes to lash my bike to banister so the it wouldn't get thrown on the waves. At the end of the ride I arrived in Port Townsend, a perfect little tourist town. I checked the bike shop and found closed for the holiday as expected. I did find a store that sold small backpacks. These are one of those very light weight bags that pack down to nothing but can hold a few books once you unpack from it's small pouch. It will releive me from the annoyance of hauling a bike pannier with my laptop, cash, maps, etc every time I want to got into a shop.
I started out of Port Townsend in the clear warm day along the shore of the bay. Then an irritating click on my drive train started bugging me. I had heard it yesterday and I assumed it was something like a piece of gunck knocking things out of alignment and ignored it as it was in gears I wasn't using much. Now it was constant as it was in the gear I needed. I stopped just out of town and put my bike in the grass to investigate. After a couple minutes I discovered the cause, a bent tooth on a front chain ring. Chain ring is the name to gears attached to the right pedal of a bike. I had to partially disassemble my front drive train to permit my pliers access to the bent tooth. The metal they are made of is very brittle and so when I tried to correct the bend and it broke off I was not surprised. Fortunately a missing tooth of few won't cause any problems on bike. I put everything back together I was back on my way.
I have not written much about what I have looking at along the way. It was not my intention but like hikers who complain they only see the trail as a biker I have generally only seen the road. I do look up from time but rarely I have seen much remarkable. The terrain is mostly rural feilds with small towns and occasinially limited views of a bay.
The day ended with a crossing of the Hood Bridge, a narrow affair with no shoulders, only two lanes, and fast traffic. I lie, in some spots there was room for a bike but for a sizable section I had to walk along narrow curb while I walked my bike in the road. Fortunately I made it and about 45 minutes later I was hanging my hammock.
After finishing "All the President's Men" (thumbs up) I am now listening to a book called "Scourge" which is a book detailing the history of small-pox. It is mostly a historical account of the disese's impact on the world but that is more fascinating than I have ever imagined.

8/30/2008 Long day

Deception Point State Park
60 miles today
110 Miles down

I woke up rested after have slept cold though the night. I am glad I brought my hammock but I am beginning to think I should have brought more insulation for the bottom. Still it is far more comfortable than sleeping on the hard and rocky ground found in the campsites I have been in.
Given how hard this tour has been I am feeling surprisingly good. Still I wish I had trained more in prep. In all the tours I have done in the past I think I may have had to stop twice on a climb, even in the Adirondack Mountains, but I find myself stopping several times a day, often more than once on a single climb.
A couple people, Russel and Karen, came by my campsite today. Russel is from Australia and is exploring the area and I assume Karen is a friend joining him for a stretch. Tell told me about a a nature program down at the beach that was happening in about 20 minutes. I hurriedly packed up and headed down to the beach to meet them.
There we all got a quick lesson on how to responsibly explore and then set lose. I had never been in a tide pool and the experience was simply amazing. I have never seen anyplace more full of life. Every surface was crusted with living things! Immediately obvious were mussels and barnacles. Looking more closely I learned about limpets, chitons, and saw more critters that I have yet to identify. Lifting up rocks showed even more life below. Thousands of tiny crabs could be found everywhere, most the size of my finger nails though some bigger. Finally the last thing I found was clams who stuck out large fleshy feet to feed on the water lapping over them. When I touched one it responded by sucking it's foot in and squirting a jet of water at me in the process. The depressing thing about my exploration was there was so much life growing everywhere that even though I chose my steps carefully I new every last one was likely causing peril to something unseen.
The sea gulls were also neat to watch. As I sat I saw them pick up mussels and fly a short distance in the air then drop them on rocks in an effort to crack the shells.
After that I started on my day late but not upset. It was worth every minute. As I worked my way away from the park I ran into another cycling couple, this time local who gave me a recommendation that put me near the water. It was a nice gentle route with rolling hills that ran me along the shore or a river. On the muddy sores of the river I saw a majestic Heron stalking it's prey. I watched it for a few seconds and before I could get my camera out it got spoked and flew on down the river.
Later I passed a feild where someone had a large radio controlled plane. They are doing all sorts of stunts that made me fear for the plane.
In Bellingham I found a marine supply store where finally I bought some fuel for my stove. It was beautiful city with lots fo cute stores. I stopped by the library to get grab my email and upload my journal entries. After that I caught the bike trail that meandered along the shore. It eveantually ended up on a causeway that parrelled the shore for what felt like half a mile or more. I got a good view of the horizon and bay before me.
The day ended with a hour of chilled biking. Road construction redirected the bike route over steep hills and then I had to cross couple very narrow bridges. Fortunaly Washinton State law sets aside a few campsites for bikers at every state park so even though it was almost dark there was still a biker site for me.
All in all today was good day, I made good miles, the morning rocked, and I found a good place to sleep. I look forward to getting and earlier start tomorrow though so I can set up camp before dark.
Oh, also I got no flats today!!

Good start

Birch Bay State Park
Miles today: 57


Today I woke up pretty early, 6AM. However that was 9AM EST so I suppose I was just jet lagged. I headed down to the cafeteria but they were not serving yet. I spent my time journaling and taking care of my email. I was still groggy and when breakfast arrived. I drank three cups of tea and then I felt a little better and gave Dana a call to tell her I had arrived and I am doing well.
I hit the showers and slowly packed up and finally hit the road. I made a bunch of stops along the way. First bike lube and gloves, then stove fuel and small luggage locks to keep someone from grabbing and running with my panniers. Also I picked a water bottle up after I left one in the airport in Calgery. Finally I made one last stop, lunch at a restaurant which also was serving a shouting paranoid delusional schizophrenic.
I started putting miles behind me slowly thanks to numerous hills. At a break a few hours in I ran into a couple aussies who were also doing the tour. However they were going to meet up with a touring group in a few days and then without all their gear they were palnning on finishing at San Diago on the 16th. They were riding on a couple folding bikes and more amzing was the case they had packed their bikes in converted into trailers which they were hualing.
I reached the USA border late afternoon and after waiting in line for about 10 minutes I was through and in Washington State for the first ever. Shortly there after I made it to a supermarket that I picked up some dinner at. The most amazing thing, to myself, was tortillas. Tortillas in Canada I tend to find of sufficient quality, not great, and expensive (30-50 cents per tortilla). I resisted the urge to buy a 30 pack for $3.50 and instead got 20. I also bought some cheese and veggie-turkey slices to put in the tortillas.
I left the route to find Birch Bay where I am camping for the night. It was several miles off route and after my third flat for the day (Arg!) I got there, shortly before dark. Fortunately they had saved a spot for bikers like me and I am settled in for the night. It took a while but I found a spot for my hammock in the back of the site. While I ate turkey cheese wraps I tested the fuel I had bought and found I couldn't light it.
Finally I took a shower and now I am headed for bed.

The secret of my success

Vancouver, BC, Canada
About 7 miles biked today
O Miles Done
About 1800 Miles to go

I will explain the title in a few paragraphs. For now I will describe my long day.

It started at about 5AM with my mind not letting me rest. Only anxieties coursed through my mind when I closed my eyes.
I took advantage of this to take care of last details of all sorts; writing email, printing directions, and working out immigration paperwork.
Dana and I recently celebrated three years together. However during that time we maintained separate households until I met her in Tucson on August 24 last year. This is important because I cannot work in Canada without a special visa called a work permit. Dana already has one and she has the privilege of sponsoring one for me as well as soon as we meet the "common-law partner" requirements. As of August 24th do with a year of co-habitation.
I spent the morning going through the paper work and as soon as Dana was awake we walked down to city hall to have a "Commissioner of Oaths"(think notary) witness our "partner"ship paperwork. With that done we packed up the paperwork and sent it to Canada Immigration. Hopefully in a few weeks we will have a new work permit in the mail.
After that Dana and I had scarcely a moment together before she had to go to a dentist appointment.
I always imagine days like this in some sort distorted reality where people say profound things and moments are enough to sustain someone through a war in a foreign country. Instead I find reality a lot more mundane; me packing and her going to the dentist.
Her appointment went a little long but she still got to the house in plenty of time to get me to the airport.

I am flying out of the small regional airport which has affordable flights to Vancouver. I breezed through check-in and we were left with a long wait until my boarding. Dana and I sat and walked together. I found my emotions building since my early wake up.
This is a trip I have been wanting to do for 5 years. However on the eve of the trip I find my mind filed with fear, no terror. Every part of my being wants to run away. The scret to my sucess on this and many of my other trips is telling everyone what you plan to do because I think sometimes all that holds me together is social pressure.

Finally Dana and I decided that spending the last hour waiting in an airport was too stressful for both of us. We kissed our goodbyes and had a final hug before we tried to move our thoughts to anything but what we most cared about.
It may sound cruel, heartless, or just weird but finally separating helped reduce my dread. Although I we miss each other it is better that fearing we will miss each other.

When I travel I enter an alternate mental reality where I zone out and let the time pass. The flights we mostly unremarkable minus a very good landing and a brief delay while a crew tried to figure why they had an extra person on board.
At the airport the luggage seemed to take forever though I suspect I am grossly exaggerating. In about 45 minutes had my bike together and it seemed to have come through perfectly. After wandering around the airport for a while looking for water and change for a $2 coin I headed out to the buses.
I needed to catch three buses to where I am spending the night. The first two went perfectly. However the third bus was a pain. It cold and drizzling and after some waiting and asking I found out the bus route was re-routed. I got directions to the new stop which were wrong. At the new stop I got directions to near the right stop. I figured that out but then the advice on which bus I should take turned out to be in error. I sat an let the right bus cruise by and only found out when I tried the wrong bus and the driver corrected me. Finally after waiting some more I had spent over 45 minutes waiting a looking my transfer expired. I didn't have enough coins so I couldn't afford fair. However I had a good idea of where I was going from looking at maps in the morning. I put on my lights and helmet and headed out into the wet roads. It was much farther that I had anticipated. I originally had studied the maps to bike from the airport on a fairly direct route. However the bus system had me take a much longer route to get me to the connections I needed. As a result I pedaled for 30-45 minutes before I finally reached the hostel.
It is 1:30 AM local time but in my head it is 4:30 AM.

Practice Trip

This message has sat in the queue for a couple weeks. I originally wrote it on Aug 16th.
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Hello, any readers out there. Things should get much more interesting in a few weeks.

Tonight I type this from my campsite at Elora Gorge Provincial Park. I have decided (for now) to bring my hammock on my big ride so it is hanging up in some nice trees at the edge of the campsite. Camp sites here are expensive! I the states I feel like I am getting ripped off if I pay $20 for a site. Here I paid $27 and it don't have a shower or flush toilets. It is a bit of a change from what I am used to.

I am out here shaking down my gear. I have decided to switch from hauling a trailer to using racks and panniers. My thinking was that it would be easier at the airport (only one over sized box), cheaper or at least close (oversized box fees are pretty high), lighter (the trailer is pretty hefty). Anyhow I bought some racks and after some work got them bolted on. Next I need panniers. Dana has a old set that I was initially planing for the front. However my long feet would kick any bag I could find in the stores when I pedaled so I put hers on the back and I got some new ones for the front.

All in all they have worked out pretty well. I have to say the weight feels heaver in the panniers than in trailer even though there is less of it. Also I am worried about Dana's bags since they appear to wearing on account of their age and I had them get caught up in my spokes because the flex alot. I may end up ordering a set for rear bags after all. The newer bags have much stiffer back plates that I suspect are designed to avoid just this problem.

Anyhow I am finishing off dinner and I think it is time to call it a night. Tomorrow I plan to explore Elora, the gorge, and some of the small town charm that is only a couple hours pedal from my home.

I have my ticket to Vancover

Yesterday I bought my ticket to Vancouver. $369 from our regional airport including tax. Not bad. I will be heading out the evening of the 28th which will put me on the road August 29th. I haven't gotten my return ticket yet but I plan to spend 35 days on the trip including checking out some wine country and attending a wedding in LA. That means I need to get my ticket back for October 8th. Gee that really seems like a long time.

That is all for now. Keep tuned.

Coming soon

Hello all my loyal readers. I will be embarking on another trip coming the end of August. I will be biking from the Canadian border along the Pacific coast to Mexico. I will be bringing more computing power with me this time so will post pictures and movie clips as I take them. I haven't pined my departure day down exactly but it will be in the last week of August so keep tuned.

8/21 5/21 11:19 AM, 52 degrees, 5 mph winds

An end and a beginning

10.7 hiked today, 2174 miles N, 0 miles left

Travelodge in Bangor, ME

Today I woke up today at 6 A.M. and couldn't get back to sleep. The temperature was 44 and I wasn't ready to face that. I read my book some more and just relaxed and thought of how much I had seen, experienced, and what great things I can see for my future. Surprisingly I slept well last night which was a nice change as myself and other NoBo thru-hikers I have been talking to have generally complained of restless dreams and nightmares for the last few days. It is a lot like the anxious dreams I had just before I started.

After sitting in bag for a little while I finally got up and started packing up for the last time. After months of practice I was packed up in a matter of a few minutes and starting on my breakfast. Yesterday when Dent and I hit the Abol Campground we agreed to purchase a shared breakfast. I bought chocolate chip cookies and he doughnuts which we spilt. I hit the trail before anyone else at the shelter site. I became focused and all my efforts were directed towards climbing Katahdin. I walked back to where we had turned off yesterday to get to the shelter and started up the trail; a road leading through the Katahdin Stream car camp ground. It felt very odd because it was obvious most of the people had no idea I was thru-hiker. They were just out enjoying a couple days camping and there was this person with a big day pack strolling by. I signed in the trail registry and at about 8AM started up the mountain. I made very good time and passed many other hikers. The climb feels like it was effortless but I know that it was the most demanding climb of the whole trail. Some of it is very technical with very challenging scrambling. At places it felt like I had to place my foot next to my ear for the next foot hold. The trail was rather poorly built over large segments of it's length where it is composed of deep eroded ruts trails, poor grading (though there were switchbacks at some points), and inattention to avoiding natural features (we walked through a large amount of the flow run of Throu Spring). Still I marched up it.

I had spent months wondering what would go through my mind, how would I feel, what would I do. All that time I couldn't hazard a guess. I realized I would have to finish to find out. While I hiked I tried to mentally document my climb but now that I am done I think can see myself more clearly. I was expecting a welling of emotions and what I have found was almost perfectly opposite. What I found was focus. My mind never strayed for long from looking at the path ahead. When it did I thought of the people I had met, the scene around me and below, and how much I looked forward to being "Home".

The climb happened in four major stages. The first followed the path of Katahdin Stream as it flowed down the lower reaches of the mountain. It was in the trees. A deeply rutted trail with boulders that in some cases were bigger than cars and took serious consideration to get around. Next I arrived above tree-line to a near cliff of rock. The rock has eroded into giant imposing blocks with hard edges and angles. Due to the strong-willed rock the trail is not so much built as it navigates where the rock permits it. Even with this submission to the mountain the trail still comes across occasional obstacles which require more that I have. In these places a helpful piece of re-bar has been cemented into the rock, always it seems about 6 inches higher than I usually like to put my foot. It was here I ran into Green Hornet. I had seen a register entry that he had started at 6:45AM. I assumed I would see him up top but he was summiting with a friend and her pace had slowed them down. We enjoyed the view and took a rest together. Then I continued up. After the rocks I arrive at Tableland. Here there is a grand shoulder of the mountain. A large hardy and mostly flat pasture of rough grasses with small wildflowers extended ahead of me. Still over a mile from the summit I could see the sign just a short distance above. It was easy going through here with the most trying obstacle being the flow of water through the trail from Throu Spring, the highest spring of Katahdin. Finally the last few feet were rocky short climb to the summit.

I walked up to the finally blaze, the sign, and the summit. These I had seen thousands of photos of. When seeing the sign it was as I had always seen it, battered by weather, defaced by thoughtless humans, and simple in it's design. I just stood there for a moment before reaching out and touching it. Then I bent over I placed a finger on the weathered final white blaze painted on a rock holding up a leg of the sign. I was now done. 

I turned around a found a spot nearby to place my pack and sat down. I got up a few minutes latter to capture a photo of the sign and blaze and then sat down again. My thoughts came more slowly and I found myself looking out into the horizon musing over what had just happened. I have plenty left to do before I would sleep but I was not interested or concerned with that. I mused over the transition I am going through. When I started at O'Hare Airport in Chicago I had grown. I had started as a simple backpacker only know to those whom hands I had shaken. As I hiked that swelled as people meet me. First it was answering questions of people stopped at a sign in Georgia. Then was chance encounters with day hikers who were stunned to realize just how much trail they had left to explore. After that I made friends on the trail and in town. I had grown to a celebrity often being know by people before I had met them. I was a thru-hiker. People were excited and interested. They occasionally asked to take my picture. Many expressed and interest in doing the same some day though most also expressed the doubt that they would ever get the chance.

It sounds like I am bragging and perhaps I am but I am also speaking the truth. I have proclaimed to anyone who cares to listen that I am not special, exceptional, or unique. I have just managed to keep focused.

As I have approached the end my fame has diminished. I have met more poeple face to face now. The populations are smaller and people less frequent. In the hundred mile Wilderness the people I met all knew of my journey and many were on it themselves. As I hiked through the campground my small hiking pack probably caused most people to assume I was a day hiker. Finally at the summit I was sitting alone amongst the 20-30 other people milling about.

Do not misread me. I am not expressing loss, regret, or lonelyness. It is just an observation. I had become a hiker again. At the the hotel I am a tourist. In a couple days my flight will reduce me to a passenger, one of hundreds. Finally I will arrive at home where I will be a friend and lover. The thru-hiker will be drained and after haircut and clean clothes I will be indistinguisable from anyone else. I joked with fellow hikers that like a secret extraterrestrial invasion force well will "Walk amongst them.". Our differences and journey will only be visible with-in. I will take my lessons and experiences and apply it to an ordinary life.

A while after I summited Dent arrived and later Green Hornet and his friend. Where sat around in a circle sharing food (well mostly I ate others food since I was down to a couple snacks). We held the camera for each other and captured pictures of next to the sign. It was easy and relaxing hanging out on the summit. The weather was nice with a light breeze and temperatures around 60. Finally I had to get moving though. The others were heading back down the way we came up because that was were their car/ride was parked.



For me coming down from the summit is no easy task. Most people stash their packs at the ranger station at the trailhead and have to go back the way they came to get them back. Since I had hauled all of my gear up with me I had the flexibility of descending whatever route I wanted. I choose to take the Knife Edge trail. It was a 5 mile jaunt along a sharp rocky ridge. The rocks dropped off precipitously to either side of me putting nothing between me and the majestic view of the rest of the Katahdin range, lakes below, and the wide forest that surrounded me. The ridge was rocky a jagged forceing the trail to perform many steep ascents and descents. Given my months of practice I bounced along the top of these rocks though my knee did do some complaining. The views were awesome with the land dropping off quickly to the north and south. The ridge-line looks whole from the distance but up close I could see that it was made of shattered stone. Looking into the distance the stones went farther than seemed possible giving me a sense that I was looking at something with some sort of hyper/high definition vision.

I got into a rhythm for the last 5 miles. I didn't hike fast but I was faster than the day-hikers (I realize I am now a day-hiker myself). I would silently catchup with them startling them. I started kicking a couple rocks so they could hear me coming. The traverse of the ridge line ended at the Chimney which had the most precipitous drop I had seen thus far on the trail. In about 10 feet horizontal I think I descended about 60 feet lowering myself down one ledge at a time. The trail down was easier going but only because I didn't have to pull myself over obstacles. The trail was still steep at spots and deeply rutted leaving only boulders behind to climb over.




As I hiked down I started to yogi. I needed a ride out and about a mile shy of the road I ran into a friendly college age couple who agreed to get me to Millnocket, the first town out of Baxter State Park. The ride was nice though they dropped me off a little early. I had asked them to drop me off at a trucker stop next to the highway I-95 which they were heading to too but they left me about 2 miles away at a closed (looked open at first glance) gas station. Fortunately it had just moved up the street and I got some grub, bought a black marker for sign making, and called home from there.

Then started an evening of thumbing my way home. I had planned my flight to be a couple days after I finished the trail to give me some slip time so I didn't need to be anywhere. Still the quicker I got to Bar Harbor the more time I would have there to relax. It took me about half an hour to get a ride to the highway. That person was only going one exit down but they kindly left me at a rest stop. That was a great place to be because it always easier to get a ride of you have a chance to talk to someone before you ask. In the end the rest stop was not very heavily used but what it lacked in volume it made up in quality. I got to sit and relax while waiting for cars and the third driver picked me up. We recognized each other as he was one of the hikers who I had hiked with and passed earlier. He was heading farther on I-95 than I was but dropped me off next to a hotel in Bangor.

Here I tried to hitch onward but it was getting was getting dark fast. I needed a sign as the highway junction here has more than one option and needed to not only stop a car but get one going the right way. Getting a sign turned out to be tough to do at first. Normally I would lift some cardboard out of the trash but everyone had the trash bins locked under lock and key! I asked at the gas station for some discarded cardboard and the manager said, "Sorry, we can't give you any because we are not insured if you hurt yourself with it.". Finally I found a tall stack of Gatorade that was stacked in cardboard flats and just took the last remaining bottles in the top flat and put them on top of the bottles below keeping the flat for myself. This turned out to be a great sign which a nice bright white background. However I had lost to much time doing this and in the end I got no rides after trying for an hour. It was dusk out and just too dim for people to see me let alone read my sign.

I walked around to the surprising number of hotels in the area and found that most were full up. The one that weren't were not the cheap ones. In the end I paid $80 for a smoker's room at travel lodge.