A very quick update-with details in a later post...After reviewing the weather forecasts on the Oregon coast, I decided that rain, cold,hail and wind did not provide the most fun riding experience. It looked like the weather wouldn't change much for the next 7 days, at least. So I turned north and headed home. I got home Sunday night.
I think I will change the name of this blog to something like "Kevin's failed attempt to tour the Oregon Coast" Or "Kevin Riding his bike in Oregon for a little while".
I have a few pix and some more stories, and will post later.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
South Bend to Astoria, Oregon.
About 50 miles, 1,000 elevation gain.
A rainy start, and it rained pretty much all day. At breakfast I realized I had my shirt on inside-out. What a dope! Fixed that, then hit the road in pouring rain. At least it wasn't too windy. Not all that much to see, as low clouds blocked any view. Pretty good pavement, low traffic and ample shoulders made for good riding. No place to stop along 101 so I kept riding and took Hwy.4 towards Naselle. Then WA Hwy 401 towards Astoria. This road climbs gently for maybe 9 miles then drops more steeply down to the Columbia River. In spite of the continuing rain, the riding was good, and the downhill was fun. A few miles west took me to the bridge across the River.
The bridge is about 4 miles long, and is somewhat daunting. Add to this construction on the north approach, with one lane for a bit and an easterly wind and you've got some real fun! The river level was much higher than when Alan and I crossed the bridge in 2008, so maybe it didn't feel so high above the water this time. I dunno. The south highrise though is 100' plus high and is about a 6 to 7% grade as it climbs to allow passage for for big ships heading to Portland. The downhill after the climb was exciting in the rain, metal expansion joints and a loaded logging truck bearing down behind me. All went well, and soon I was headed to downtown Astoria. I stopped at the bike shop - Bikes and Beyond, where I bought a spare tire and a couple of tubes. Everyone there was super friendly. After that I went to the Wet Dog Cafe for a late lunch.
While eating lunch, the weather front passed though, leaving sun breaks and showers, some of them very heavy. The wind changed direction, now from the west, and 20 to 30 mph. With this I decided to stay in Astoria for the night so I found a motel. Later I went out to walk around town a bit, and stopped at the Triangle Tavern.
The patrons were friendly, maybe there were more tattoos than teeth for some of them. One guy was playing an Oregon Lottery video game; he won $980 then immediately after that won another $1,200 jackpot. He rang the bell, and bought the house 3 rounds and tipped the bartender $100. Then he split! I gave two of my free beers to a couple guys at the bar.
This morning it again was raining, so I headed back to the Wet Dog for breakfast, then a short ride to Fort Stevens State Park. I will go to the park at 1pm to see if I can get a yurt for the night. Tomorrow I will try to go to Newhalem, but the weather forecast is for showers, thunderstorms, small hail and 20 mph southerly wind. We'll see. Go with the flow!
A rainy start, and it rained pretty much all day. At breakfast I realized I had my shirt on inside-out. What a dope! Fixed that, then hit the road in pouring rain. At least it wasn't too windy. Not all that much to see, as low clouds blocked any view. Pretty good pavement, low traffic and ample shoulders made for good riding. No place to stop along 101 so I kept riding and took Hwy.4 towards Naselle. Then WA Hwy 401 towards Astoria. This road climbs gently for maybe 9 miles then drops more steeply down to the Columbia River. In spite of the continuing rain, the riding was good, and the downhill was fun. A few miles west took me to the bridge across the River.
The bridge is about 4 miles long, and is somewhat daunting. Add to this construction on the north approach, with one lane for a bit and an easterly wind and you've got some real fun! The river level was much higher than when Alan and I crossed the bridge in 2008, so maybe it didn't feel so high above the water this time. I dunno. The south highrise though is 100' plus high and is about a 6 to 7% grade as it climbs to allow passage for for big ships heading to Portland. The downhill after the climb was exciting in the rain, metal expansion joints and a loaded logging truck bearing down behind me. All went well, and soon I was headed to downtown Astoria. I stopped at the bike shop - Bikes and Beyond, where I bought a spare tire and a couple of tubes. Everyone there was super friendly. After that I went to the Wet Dog Cafe for a late lunch.
While eating lunch, the weather front passed though, leaving sun breaks and showers, some of them very heavy. The wind changed direction, now from the west, and 20 to 30 mph. With this I decided to stay in Astoria for the night so I found a motel. Later I went out to walk around town a bit, and stopped at the Triangle Tavern.
The patrons were friendly, maybe there were more tattoos than teeth for some of them. One guy was playing an Oregon Lottery video game; he won $980 then immediately after that won another $1,200 jackpot. He rang the bell, and bought the house 3 rounds and tipped the bartender $100. Then he split! I gave two of my free beers to a couple guys at the bar.
This morning it again was raining, so I headed back to the Wet Dog for breakfast, then a short ride to Fort Stevens State Park. I will go to the park at 1pm to see if I can get a yurt for the night. Tomorrow I will try to go to Newhalem, but the weather forecast is for showers, thunderstorms, small hail and 20 mph southerly wind. We'll see. Go with the flow!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Day two. Aberdeen to South Bend.
About 60 miles, only about 500' elevation gain.
Sun! After breakfast at the American Diner, I loaded up and took off under sunny skies and headed west. Traffic on Hwy. 105 was light, and the road flat. Scenery was mostly of mudflats along the river. I stopped for coffee at a little store in Grayland, and chatted with the owner for awhile. A little later, a stop for Gatorade in North Cove. Turning inland from here the scenery was quite nice. I have some pix that I will post after I add captions.
I met up and rode for awhile with another cyclotourist. David was from Vancouver BC and was riding south with no known destination. We chatted for awhile, but then parted ways as he was going to take a break to rest his knees which were giving him some grief.
In Raymond, I saw a group of about 5 cyclists, and rode with them into South Bend. I remembered that there is a bike path between the two towns, and it was nice to be off 101 for awhile.
I got a nice little cabin for the night, went to the Chester Club and Oyster Bar for a beer and a cheeseburger. Now just hangin out.
The weather is forecasted to be yucky tomorrow. I may try to make it to Fort Stevens State Park in Oregon and get a yurt.
Sun! After breakfast at the American Diner, I loaded up and took off under sunny skies and headed west. Traffic on Hwy. 105 was light, and the road flat. Scenery was mostly of mudflats along the river. I stopped for coffee at a little store in Grayland, and chatted with the owner for awhile. A little later, a stop for Gatorade in North Cove. Turning inland from here the scenery was quite nice. I have some pix that I will post after I add captions.
I met up and rode for awhile with another cyclotourist. David was from Vancouver BC and was riding south with no known destination. We chatted for awhile, but then parted ways as he was going to take a break to rest his knees which were giving him some grief.
In Raymond, I saw a group of about 5 cyclists, and rode with them into South Bend. I remembered that there is a bike path between the two towns, and it was nice to be off 101 for awhile.
I got a nice little cabin for the night, went to the Chester Club and Oyster Bar for a beer and a cheeseburger. Now just hangin out.
The weather is forecasted to be yucky tomorrow. I may try to make it to Fort Stevens State Park in Oregon and get a yurt.
Monday, May 23, 2011
first day on the road
Mileage. About 45, approx 1,000" feet elevation gain.
Being a big sissie, I had Janet give me a ride to just outside Olympia, which allowed me to bypass to mostly boring miles traversing the Puget Sound lowlands over to the Olympic Peninsula. So, today's ride was fairly short and relatively flat. I started riding just off WA highway 108 a couple miles outside Olympia. Almost immediately I encountered a headwind, which continued to build as I headed west.
Things were relatively uneventful, and the terrain began a series of gentle climbs (3 to 4% grades) for awhile, then dropped down to McCleary. Off the new highway onto the old highway, cleverly named McCleary-Elma road, soon the rain began to fall. I stopped in Elma for a Snickers bar and some Powerade. The sour melon flavor is about the same color as antifreeze. I still think it may be some sort of effluent from the nearby Satsop nuclear power plant. After Elma, the road changes name to the Monte Elma road, as it goes to Montesano,which is the county seat of Grays Harbor County.
I contemplated staying in Montesano for the night, as I was pretty much drenched at this point. I thought of staying at the Monte Square motel (where Alan and I stayed in 2008, and Steve and I in 2009), but decided to ride on to Aberdeen which was just another 9 or 10 miles.
From Montesano I had to get on Hwy 12, which is pretty much a freeway for a while. There was tons of broken glass on the shoulder, and I was hoping not to get a flat. I had good luck until almost Aberdeen.
There was on narrow bridge crossing the Wynochee River, so I stopped and turned on all my red flashing blinkies... 2. Planet Bike Super Flashes, 1 Portland Design Works RadBot 1000. These were in addition to the taillight powered by my generator hub. I was lit up like a Christmas tree! Anyway the crossing went without incident.
Fighting a fairly stiff headwind coming into Aberdeen, all the glass finally got the best of my front tire. I stopped and fixed the flat, didn't find any sharp object in the tire, and continued on my way. About 5 minutes later, Psssst! Flat again! This time I saw that the tire casing had been completely cut through so I guess that the tube actually was protruding from the tire. So I booted the tire and it now is fine.
In Aberdeen I got a room at the Olympic inn Motel, which they claim is the nicest motel in Aberdeen. I guess they would know. After a shower, I went for a burger and beer at Teri's Steakhouse, and now back in my room, with all my drying clothes. Next I will patch the inner tubes punctured today. Tomorrow I will head south, and the weather forecast is good. Maybe I will take advantage of that and maybe go as far as Cape Disappointment or Astoria OR. I didn't take too many pictures today, as the rain put a damper (ha! Nice pun) on that, but I will try to get them up soon. See ya later!
Being a big sissie, I had Janet give me a ride to just outside Olympia, which allowed me to bypass to mostly boring miles traversing the Puget Sound lowlands over to the Olympic Peninsula. So, today's ride was fairly short and relatively flat. I started riding just off WA highway 108 a couple miles outside Olympia. Almost immediately I encountered a headwind, which continued to build as I headed west.
Things were relatively uneventful, and the terrain began a series of gentle climbs (3 to 4% grades) for awhile, then dropped down to McCleary. Off the new highway onto the old highway, cleverly named McCleary-Elma road, soon the rain began to fall. I stopped in Elma for a Snickers bar and some Powerade. The sour melon flavor is about the same color as antifreeze. I still think it may be some sort of effluent from the nearby Satsop nuclear power plant. After Elma, the road changes name to the Monte Elma road, as it goes to Montesano,which is the county seat of Grays Harbor County.
I contemplated staying in Montesano for the night, as I was pretty much drenched at this point. I thought of staying at the Monte Square motel (where Alan and I stayed in 2008, and Steve and I in 2009), but decided to ride on to Aberdeen which was just another 9 or 10 miles.
From Montesano I had to get on Hwy 12, which is pretty much a freeway for a while. There was tons of broken glass on the shoulder, and I was hoping not to get a flat. I had good luck until almost Aberdeen.
There was on narrow bridge crossing the Wynochee River, so I stopped and turned on all my red flashing blinkies... 2. Planet Bike Super Flashes, 1 Portland Design Works RadBot 1000. These were in addition to the taillight powered by my generator hub. I was lit up like a Christmas tree! Anyway the crossing went without incident.
Fighting a fairly stiff headwind coming into Aberdeen, all the glass finally got the best of my front tire. I stopped and fixed the flat, didn't find any sharp object in the tire, and continued on my way. About 5 minutes later, Psssst! Flat again! This time I saw that the tire casing had been completely cut through so I guess that the tube actually was protruding from the tire. So I booted the tire and it now is fine.
In Aberdeen I got a room at the Olympic inn Motel, which they claim is the nicest motel in Aberdeen. I guess they would know. After a shower, I went for a burger and beer at Teri's Steakhouse, and now back in my room, with all my drying clothes. Next I will patch the inner tubes punctured today. Tomorrow I will head south, and the weather forecast is good. Maybe I will take advantage of that and maybe go as far as Cape Disappointment or Astoria OR. I didn't take too many pictures today, as the rain put a damper (ha! Nice pun) on that, but I will try to get them up soon. See ya later!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Intro post
On Monday, May 23, I will take off towards the Oregon Coast, Crescent City CA and Grants Pass Oregon, without any schedule. I am attempting to do this trip in my best Steve Cain style, that is to say, get where I get, stay where I stay, whenever I get there. We will see how it goes. I plan on posting as often as I can with pictures and some narrative. I will have an iPad, so I will be able to put up some pix and provide riveting commentary on all of my fascinating adventures during the day. I hope for many comments, as I will anxiously await their arrival on the blog!
More to come.
More to come.
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