Thank you's

This trip would not have been made possible in whatever form it morphed into, without the aid, and encouragement of a few people along the way. Despite the many people who wondered why we would ever embark on an adventure such as this (see the next post entitled “The disbelievers”, there were those that helped us prepare without giggling, backhanded comments or humoring. As we continue we’ll be adding to this list…

First and foremost – our outfitters:

Ed from Mighty Riders – set Merryl up with a Surly Long Haul Trucker and all its modifications. He also upgraded Lee’s bike so it could handle some of the hills…scratch that…mountains that we’ve been climbing. In addition, he gave us tips on surviving the trip, how to handle knee problems, spinning techniques and everything we’d need to survive without injuring ourselves. We would never hesitate to recommend him (and every bike shop in Vancouver told us that, underneath his very direct veneer, he truly is the best mechanic in town).

Sean from On the Rivet – Next door to Ed on Broadway, Sean set us up with raingear, helmets, shoes and any accessory you could imagine. He was also incredibly encouraging, and it touched our hearts when he said he would actually miss us.

Further thanks:

Duygu (a former Turkish student of Lee’s) gave us tiny evil eyes to ward off danger and they worked.  The one day Lee forgot to wear hers, she got into trouble. The day Merryl didn't wear hers, she found an industrial sized stapler stuck in her tire and tube.

Kyle & Carla Cupido helped us out with advice on achilles injuries during our stay at the Casino Resort and provided some recommendations.

The Oregon State Parks are so plentiful, reasonable priced and beautiful that we must thank the people of Oregon for their belief and support of their parks.

We are not sure what would have transpired if our support team had not dropped everything and raced down to Washington State to help us out.  Mike was supportive and showed great flexibility for our ever changing plans and ideas.  Being the support team isn’t glamourous except when done by Mike.

We had some great help and advice from a woman named Becki at REI in Tacoma.  She not only knew her stuff about the equipment we wanted to buy but she guided us toward the medical clinic and the doctor that gave Lee the courage to keep riding.

Plan A becomes Plan B and then morphs again into our last day

Plan A was always to get to the Mexican border.  We reassessed this plan when my ankles blew up at the southern tip of the Hood Canal.  While holed up in the casino (I can’t seem to ditch the Western theme.) Merryl and I spoke of abandoning the trip – albeit briefly.  It was a little too raw to think about after all the planning, organizing, investing and training.  We maturely talked about taking things one day at a time and seeing what happened.  So when Mike dropped everything to come and rescue us from the casino, I really thought (and so did he) that we would be going home – right up until the last ice pack when my ankles began to look normal.  I must say that I am amazed by the resilience of the human body.  I obviously punished my ankles and they fought back but forgave me after two days of keeping them elevated and watching bad movies and Jerry Springer, who by the way, attaches a message to each of his shows.  Shocking, I know.

When Mike collected us, he thought we were going on a little jaunt into Tacoma and then home.  However, we decided to try and keep going and without saying it in so many words, we concocted Plan B.  We wouldn’t get to the Mexican border, but perhaps my ankles would allow me to peddle to the California border, which is still a beautiful ride. If we could do that, then we would feel that we had at least accomplished a chunk of Plan A. Mike agreed to stay on as our one-man support team and thrived on the job – at the beginning.

Plan B was going along swimmingly with clear skies and great rides until the weather turned on Day 10. We battled a head wind riding into town and little droplets began to fall as we entered camp.  It proceeded to pour all night and when we woke early to try and get a good long ride in for the day, the weather was too bleak to think about getting up.  Two hours later we were ready to give riding in the rain a shot.  Reports had indicated that the change in weather was to last approximately 6 days……………. You can probably tell where this is going.

Our day began with a long steep climb from sea level to a ridge that followed an estuary.  We were off the 101 for this stretch.  We climbed slowly and then had to peddle going downhill as the winds were ferocious.  The rain was blinding and we were sweating under all the gortex but fearful of taking it off and then getting soaked and freezing.  I had been riding in keen biking shoes since Tacoma so that nothing rubbed my ankles, which was an aggravation.  Today my feet were back in keens but covered up with a pair of neoprene booties that were cutting into my Achilles.

Usually when the riding got tough we just put our heads down and kept going without complaining to one another.  Complaining only makes the time drag on but this day we chatted about the unpleasantness of the wind and the rain and the lack of dramatic roadscape.  We were just under 150 km from our end goal of Plan B when the support team came buzzing past and parked on an open curve.  It seemed a sign to call an end to our adventure.  We couldn’t imagine riding for 2 LONG days in such conditions just to say that we had made it to the border and we also didn’t really have time to huddle in the van for a day or more and hope that the weather cleared. We made a quick decision, high-fived each other, peeled off our soaking clothes, loaded the bikes and started the drive home.  No regrets.

The road home

The drive home made us realize just how far we had peddled.  The drive seemed very long.  We cut eastward and drove up through the Willamette Valley – another beautiful part of Oregon.

No long trip out of Canada, driving right by Seattle, would be complete without a foray around Nordstrom’s Rack.  Our ever-patient support team dropped us (he just slowed down going through a traffic light) and we hobbled in a hurricane force storm up to and into the store.  It was a very liberating moment in many ways because I wasn’t wearing any jewelry or makeup and I had on an old skirt, Birkenstocks and a biking sweater that had a couple of doggy do bags pushed into the back pockets.  Despite my attire, I felt right at home browsing the designer racks!

Home

It was a sad couple of days as we unpacked, did the laundry and all the stuff that needs doing after a vacation.  We both felt rather listless and sad.  As a result, we were not the greatest bloggers and I want to apologize to some of our followers who were alarmed about our disappearance. We did disappear from the blog but were home and fine.  The support team reported back to work.  The dog was delighted to be in only ONE place that was familiar to her. (She is turning 14 and found the demands of being on the support team side very stressful.)

Notes:

Favourite pieces of equipment:

Lee – a. my Bontrager bike computer.  When I was going up a long hill and began to feel desperate, I would fiddle with the settings and report gaining altitude, total altitude, grade, changing temperature etc. to Merryl.  It kept me amused and informed.  I now can accurately guess grades of many hills and will never look at another incline in the same way again! Without my Bontrager, I wouldn’t have known that we climbed over a kilometer every day.

b. my handle bars – which allowed me to hold my hands in many positions and Ed installed cushiony hand rests on them.  (As an aside – I am still experiencing numbness in my left hand – too much vibration or perhaps I gripped in one position for too long and too hard.

Merryl – a. my bike - what a great investment! The bike I ended up buying for the trip was a Surly Long haul Trucker, one of the most well-known bikes used for touring. It handled well both on the road and on gravel shoulders, and after a little sprucing up with new 'butterfly' handlebars and a few other essentials, it was perfect.

b. my handlebar bag - Axiom name brand. It was perfect for storing essentials that you'd need throughout the day. As it was waterproof, I was able to store our guidebook, maps, my camera etc in it. It was also had a quick release and a strap that I could to attach to it that allowed me to carry it around as a purse of sorts...albeit not the most attractive purse.

What we would do differently:

Lee –
    •    Because Vancouver has such beautiful biking streets, I have rarely biked in traffic.  Biking in the States is a different matter.  At times it was downright scary and one had to just take a leap of faith, indicate a turn and go.  In the future, I would practice biking in traffic and over bridges such as the Lion’s Gate Bridge so as to be more comfortable and confident.

    •    We had trained prior to going and felt we could average about 22 kms/hour. This was not the case and therefore, our goal of 28 days at 100 km/day was too ambitious.  We needed more time for bad weather, sight seeing and rest. The other interesting thing was that although we averaged about 18 km/hour which meant we pedaled for 5hours plus some minutes to accomplish 100 km, it actually took us about 7 hours on the road to bike this far. Little stops for rest, nutrition, using the facilities in the great outdoors, getting out of the saddle, views etc. all ate into our day.

    •    Even though we felt we had very little, we still had too much which translates into weight, which translates into wobbling on a bike and wear and tear on the bike and body.  My left ankle was the sorest and I determined that this was because I was using it like the hands of a bobsledder at the start of a race because I needed a bit of speed to get going smoothly. Minimalism is the key.

Merryl –
    •    I definitely agree with mum regarding us being overambitious. I think something I've taken away from a trip like this is that you have to give yourself time to take lengthy breaks throughout the day to sightsee, rest, or even as the book mentions, take a little time after riding for 40 km to go for a 10 km hike before getting back on the road! It's not about the distance, but the things you do along the way.

Mistakes:

Thinking that we could blog daily was a bad idea.  Most of the coastline that we travelled through was quite remote.  We only passed a couple of Starbucks in our 1000 km journey.  In Reedsport, Mike had to ask multiple people about where he could find some Wi-Fi access and it turned out to be at the local health food store. As a result, we now have a summer’s supply of organic lentil soup in our van.


Personal growth:

Lee - The bike trip was good for me in numerous ways.  I am always in a hurry to get things done and you just can’t hurry on a bike all the way along a coastline.  Biking takes time and allows the freedom of long periods of thought, which is a rare commodity in 2010.  Also, I am a great believer in challenging oneself every once in awhile.  This trip was a physical and mental challenge for me.  Yes, I had trouble with my heels but it wasn’t my body breaking down so much (a concern for someone my age) as an incorrect pedaling technique.  I realized that I could still bike hard and far and my legs could do it. I also realized that with great gears I could climb a 5 km hill; I just had to settle into the monotony and be patient and positive.  A few loud curses also helped at times! Finally, one has to leave their living room to have an adventure and I did just that.

A support team:

A support team is excellent but does pose a conundrum.  When you are suffering a moment of mental weakness and you hear the sound of a 1991 VW camper coming up behind you, you just want to flag that van down and demand a ride up the rest of that killer hill! But cycling the rest of the trip without weight was definitely more enjoyable...especially after arriving at camp exhausted and having a warm gourmet meal already prepared for us!

What’s next?

In a wild turn of events, we have decided to see more of the Pacific Coast but in a very different style.  We leave on an Alaskan cruise on Saturday.  We are working on our wardrobes daily!

Some epic pictures along the way

Lee racing semis down the 101

 

 The view from Cannon Beach, Oregon

 

Ember at the beach  at Fort Stevens Park, Oregon

Lee, on the 3 Capes Scenic Route, Oregon

Us on Day 9

The view from Seal Rock Cove

Sea Lions - Seal Rock Cove

Lee & Mike eating lunch at a diner in Reedsport

The sand dunes at Spinreel Campground

Dune buggies at Spinreel Campground

A memorial just north of North Bend, Oregon

The bridge into North Bend, Oregon

Day 9 – White Knuckles, Burning Thighs and Sea Lions (in no particular order)

Beverly Beach State Park to Jessie M. Honeyman State Park

The shower at the end of the day was great. Did we tell you how wonderful the State Parks were? The hot water was all included in the price! As we sit here reflecting on the 101 km day, we realize how ambitious we really were in trying to do this 28 times in a row, unsupported. It’s really hard to do 100km a day down this highway because every day, no matter what the book says, you have about a 1000m to climb. Depending on the day, you focus on problem areas – a mental game of ‘head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes, knees and toes…AND don’t forget the crotch’.

It was a beautiful sunny day that ranged between 15 – 19 degrees…and we’re quite sure that we’ll have our hideous bike tans for the rest of the summer. The stretch of highway was phenomenal…it was the most beautiful thing I’ve (Merryl) seen in my life. West Coast Trail on steroids.

So you may be wondering...white knuckles? Well, Lee has a little issue with heights. This was accelerated by the fact that we rode along a few Capes that had very little in the way of barriers between us and the ocean hundreds of meters below. Merryl kept shouting “look at the view to your right!” and Lee would stolidly respond “I can’t! If I look, I’ll wobble and fall!” So we took frequent breaks, and on one of those, managed to get a good view of a heard of sea lions lounging on the rocks below (see pictures).

The trees along the coast are all windswept and dwarfed, and when you’re not distracted by them, you look around and see the wild rhododendrons growing along the highway, and in between them, the wild iris. During a rest stop, Lee found an osprey nest and we both watched in wonder as the pair traded off nest time. This is juxtaposed to the Stellar Jays and crows that scream at us as we cycle along.
On a side note, we ran into an overly friendly young man who turned our short lunch break into something close to an hour. Merryl thinks he was far too interested in Lee for his own good, and was thankful when Lee dropped the “I have a husband” bomb. He did however, give us a few good tips about cycling south of Florence.

Day 8 Gears, glorious Gears

Day 8  Gears, glorious Gears

Cape Lookout – Beverly Beach State Park)

The day began with a 5 km trek to gain an altitude of 202 meters (which actually require a 252m climb – some at a 12% grade). This took the better part of the first hour of our day…and there were 2 more like it. We rode for 94km and averaged 17.5km/hour, and climbed a total of 1056m…but enough of the stats. The weather was great, and the views just kept getting better along the Three Capes Scenic Route of the old 101.

We’ve neglected to mention that for the past few days we haven’t been carrying our heavy load – we are being supported by Mike and little Ember and 1991 VW camper (very comfortable sleeping arrangements compared to a tent…but nothing like the Quality Inn).

We arrived at camp at Beverly Beach State Park with dinner and our campsite already prepared – now this is cycling in luxury! Although the legs were a little sore, and hands a little numb (due more to the vibration of riding over rough roads than pressure points), Lee’s achilles seemed to be much improved. It’s remarkable how the body can heal itself!  Daily icing and massaging are making a big difference.

We could go on forever about the beauty of the Oregon Coast line – see pictures…in fact Merryl is seriously contemplating an early retirement down South…at least she certainly was after watching a few male surfers change in public. The Park system down here, whether its day sites or camping, is unbelievable. It’s eco-friendly, private, affordable…and the list goes on.

Day 7 Burr in the Saddle

Fort Stevens, Astoria to Cape Lookout (Oregon)

There’s a burr in our saddles and we just can’t find them.

Day 7 started out a little shaky when just 5km into the ride Lee got another flat. A few minutes of cursing and a couple sore thumbs later we were back on the road zooming down the 101. This was by far the most spectacular day in terms of scenery. We stopped at a little café in Seaside for omelettes and homemade biscuits at the unbeatable price of $3.75 and then continued on our way. The view from Cannon Beach was absolutely gorgeous…comparable to the west coast of Vancouver Island – if not more breathtaking. 

By the end of the day, we had almost doubled our previous best with a whopping 122.43 km and over 1300 m in elevation. The terrain was by no means easy, but we rose to the challenge and got into camp at Cape Lookout State Park at 6pm.

So we’re sitting there having a beer (rehydrating of course) when down the lane walks a man pushing a very large stroller….with a not very small pig inside…on top of a disgustingly soiled down duvet. (See the attached photo) Apparently he’s walking across the States (at ~16 km/ day) to raise money for cancer…however there was no donation bin attached to his pig or his stroller…and he seemed more than satisfied to receive all the attention and food scraps for his pig. Lee thinks (with her overactive imagination) that if he gets hungry somewhere close to Alabama, the pig might just disappear. 

Day Six Back in the Saddle

Lake Sylvia, Montesano – Fort Stevens, Astoria

The support team got us on the road after adjusting saddles, shoes, derailers etc.  (At the first sign of Achilles trouble the seat should be lowered and the bike clips moved back on the ball of the foot.)  I had a lot to think about because it turns out that my cycling technique is wrong.  I ‘ankle’ which means that I push my toes down on the bottom of the push and point up at the top of the stroke.  With all the changes in positioning I had to be careful of knee pain as well.

We rode over beautiful rivers and down lovely valleys and through clear cut logging!  We are trying to understand the logging practices of the states because reforestation doesn’t appear to be a priority. The numerous bald patches are certainly a blight to an otherwise beautiful ride.  We are also getting very familiar with what a fully loaded logging truck sounds like as it barrels down the 101.  42 km later, just outside of Raymond on a narrow uphill climb my back tube blew. Pulling off to the side we (Merryl) tried to salvage the tube but it looked impossible.  I lay at the side of the road with leg elevated (doctor’s orders) in the brilliant sunshine. The support van (1991 VW camper) drove by us but failed to see us because we were well off to the side on the opposite shoulder. We had to call for support …………. It was determined that the tubes for my bike were all faulty (There was a problem with the bond between the valve stem and the tube itself.)  After consulting the guide book, we knew that the closest bike shops were in Astoria, Oregon.  We loaded up the van (gypsies again) and raced for Astoria to catch the shops before they closed. The view from the van was quite different from the bikes.  For one thing, the scenery flew by. Traveling over the mighty Columbia River in the van eliminated one of my fears concerning the trip.  The bridge is an engineering marvel but it is 6.5 km long over a very windy piece of water.  Part of the bridge looks to be a grade 7 climb (single lane) to allow large ships down the river to Portland.  All in all, quite a terrifying ride that I managed to somehow take in a van instead of on a bike.

Seth and the boys at Bikes & Beyond in Astoria kitted us out with some new tubes and we headed off to our final destination that night – Fort Stevens State park, just a few miles southwest of Astoria.

Day Five The Support Team Arrives

To continue on in the ‘western’ theme…….. the hero arrives to save (assist) the ladies.  We aren’t quite sure how Mike did it but he arrived to rescue us from Little Creek Casino Resort at noon.  He first looked through the casino thinking we were at the slots but we were just checking out. We loaded up the van (back to looking like gypsies) and headed back to Tacoma where we had sussed out an REI store.

 First and most important thing we bought was a tent.  Mike then got Lee to a drop in clinic where a biking doctor looked at her ankles and told her that she had severe tendonitis and gave her a lot of advice on how to improve the situation (we all know what it is!) I was relieved to hear that the bionic creaking experience was simply clepitus, a common symptom of Achilles Tendonitis. Meanwhile, Merryl lost herself in a discount book store. After helping the economy of South Tacoma we headed west to a little town of Montesano, which had a state park on Lake Sylvia (known to the community as Lake Saliva). We were entertained by the ospreys, eagles and geese that cruised up and down the lake.

Day 4 & 5

We've enjoyed our stay at Little Creek Casino resort, but 2 nights later, we've decided its time to depart.
It might be caused by the fact that the entire building is smoke friendly, or the fact that every time we walk through the casino we spot about 4 or 5 people wearing oxygen masks while still smoking and betting...or the fact that Merryl is starting to enjoy the slots a little too much.
The state of Lee's achilles has required us to do a lot of soul searching, and we've called our backup (Mike) to come down. We think its safe to say that we will no longer make it to the Mexican border and we are oh so sadly considering options and alternatives at this point.
We'd like to end on an upbeat note, by saying that we were asked by an American what language we spoke.

Day 3

It started to rain heavily in the night, and our thoughts were...its going to suck riding in the rain.
At that point we had no idea what we were going to wake up to in the morning....
When our eyes were fully open in the morning, we realized that were were 2 little rectangular islands adjacent to one another surrounded by water - our tent had leaked. (No, we did not set it up improperly).
So we sat there, numb for a few minutes, assessing the damages, and then came up with a strategy of how to pack up, with the rain outside and the lake inside.
Before exiting the tent, Lee put in her contacts, forgetting that the solution she used was a special hydrogen peroxide compound that only works with a specific contact case (which she of course didn't bring)...hence she scalded her eye terribly...and its still recovering (today is day 5).
Our breakfast options were limited to original instant oatmeal...which Lee despised so much that she tossed in a handful of peanut M&M's to choke it back. The coffee and tea were luke warm and without milk.
All of this prompted Merryl to say..."At least its not Mothers Day!....oh Shit....its your birthday!"
To which Lee started singing 'happy birthday birthday to me' while the tears from her scalded eye continued to drip down her face.
We did meet a nice Mormon man who updated us on the weather forecast and provided us with hot chocolate and marshmallows before we headed out of camp at 10:30am.

By now, its day 3....things are hurting, we're behind schedule. But we're not panicking - we're feeling like the whole thing is doable. We made it to the top of Mt Walker (about a 10km climb for a 300 m verticle) and were actually getting a chance to view our surroundings and get into the 'touring' mindframe. But, Lee had been experiencing sore achilles which was totally unexpected. We expected chafing, twinging, sore knees, cramped muscles, tight shoulders...but NOTHING like this.
Unfortunately this is what prompted us to end our day 76km later at a wonderful place called the Little Creek Casino Resort.
We surveyed the damage (to the achilles)...and there was damage...but tried to put it behind us for the evening.  Merryl took Lee for a nice seafood meal, and we gambled the $5 they gave us at the slots. We did however, look incredibly ridiculous, even after showering and putting on our 'dressy' clothes. In fact, on the way back from dinner, the bellhop asked us if we were the 'bike girls'....so clearly staff had been talking.
All in all...Merryl likes to think it was the best birthday Lee's EVER had.

Day 2

Day 2 Surprises:
Lee's mothers day breakfast included a boiled egg, watery coffee and a pass on the sausage gravy - Merryl spares nothing on her mother.
By now we've realized that we're bearing too much weight...which really isn't too much of a surprise, since its the classic error (whether you're backpacking, going to Mexico or riding a bike)....the 'what if' syndrome. We continued East on the 101 and were surprised at how busy the highway was and the size of the cars (perhaps again not such a surprise).
We were again surprised at how hilly it was...and knew it was too good to be true when we'd fly downhill for 2+km....we knew there was something waiting for us at the other end.
73.45 km later we arrived at Dosewallips State Park campground just South of Brinnon, and had time to enjoy our afternoon relaxing and setting up our tent before the weather cooled off.
Everyone told us it was going to rain, but the sky showed no signs...

Day 1

Trying to catch a ferry is never relaxing - and we had to catch 2. On the side of those lululemon bags (that we all shamelessly carry and promote lulu products whether we want to or not) it says scare yourself every day....well....I scared myself enough to last a few years (Lee). It was a beautiful day and I don't even remember the scenery.
Scare#1: getting off the ferry with semis beside us made us feel very small, but we managed to get out an on the Lochside trail (that takes you from Swartz Bay to Victoria)...which was very poorly signed.


(Lee) It felt like we were in a spaghetti western where the baddies purposefully move to signs to mislead the goodies. As a result, we went 38km instead of 32 to get to the Blackball Ferry terminal.
Challenge #1: Trying to get the fully loaded BOB through customs. (FYI a BOB is trailer designed specially for bikes). Up the ramp, into the building, through customs, around 2 tight corners, onto the ferry and into the bike rack. Sadly it was at the end at the end the destination that the whole thing keeled over (handle bar gauge # 1).
We thought we looked pretty spiffy, but perhaps we really looked like gypsies because an American walked up and asked us if we had the 'funds' to get to the border (Lee blames it on Merryl's purple bike shorts).
Arrived in Port Angeles, got through customs (again..BOB maneuverability an issue) at about 6pm. Intentions were to get to Quilcene, but realized this was futile, so we decided to cycle to Sequim State Park. We fell 10km short of that and landed (woops!) in a Quality Inn as the sun was setting.

An industrial staple in Merryl's back tire and another wrong turn were the reasons for our shortcomings. We want to thank the lady who ferried messages between Lee (2km ahead) and greasemonkey Merryl stuck on Hwy 101 changing said flat.
Here ends Day 1.

Day 2 Along the Hood Canal

So. The first day proved to be a shakedown trip, with less than the budgeted mileage accomplished - that will cost some sunbathing time in southern California! But, there was that border crossing - "Yes", we told him, "we mean that Mexico", and two ferries to contend with, plus a major tire/tube puncture to repair, reaching Sequim (pronounced “Squim” by the locals), is not such a bad start to the journey.Today’s trip will be down the very scenic Highway 101, much of it along the Hood Canal, west of Seattle.

So. 11am on a gorgeous Saturday (May 8th), and the girls are off on the ferry to Vancouver Island. Surprisingly, there was no panic, and there was even time for a relaxed breakfast with extra coffee. All that preparation paid off. They will cycle to Victoria and then catch the 4pm Black Ball ferry to Port Angeles (any idea why they call it that?)....final destination, somewhere more south. I (mike) was not allowed to go on the trip - you may hear me complain about that more in the next month. Instead, I get to stay with the dog, and work on some of my own projects. I checked my horoscope today: "Your busy schedule will be difficult to juggle. Try not to let your professional goals interfere with your personal promises". Well - that's darn good advice. Lee's horoscope: "As long as you do as you say, you won't face complaints"; and Merryl: "There is no challenge you can't handle". All pretty auspicious if you ask me for the first day of an amazing trip.

Ed, the owner of Mighty Riders, the bikeshop where we spent a lot of time recently, gave some parting advice to help ease the knee pain. It seems that if you peddle with your knees not perpendicular above your feet, but rather, keep them inwards slightly towards the cross bar, the knee pressure is reduced. We tried it and it works. So, that explains the funny peddling posture of all those guys in the Tour de France.