Good Day/Bad Day...Part II

Had a very pleasant, scenic ride from Yachats to Jessie M. Honeyman State Park where I camped last night. Good day. Woke up today after it rained all night. Packed up all my wet stuff and headed out around 9am and hoped to make it to Coos Bay, 47 miles south. Got 2 miles down the road and had my first mechanical issue. Broken spoke. Had to bike back to Florence to fix the spoke problem. Luckily, found a bike shop open on Labor Day. Lost an entire morning and added 12 miles to the days ride. Finally headed south and hit a strong headwind and horrible holiday traffic. Biked 38 miles to gain 26 miles and finally gave up and set up camp at Umpqua. Bad day.

Back on the road....

After 2 days off the bike in Lincoln City, OR to rest up my legs and spend a really nice, relaxing day with the newlyweds, Mike and Bethan...my son and daughter-in-law who drove down from Portland, I had to get back on the saddle and continue the journey south. Biked from Lincoln City to Yachats. Nice little town on the ocean. Even mingled with the locals for a bit. Puts me pretty much halfway through Oregon. If I can continue to bike 40-55 miles a day, should cross into California mid-week or so.

Resting up.

Made it to Lincoln City yesterday afternoon. I've pedaled a little over 180 miles in the last four days. My legs are pretty dead so going to take a little time off here in this oceanside city to give the old legs a break. Post a progress report again in a few days.

North Oregon Coast

Spent back to back nights with Warm Showers hosts. Last night in Seaside and tonight in Bay City. Went out to a pub and swapped stories with my Seaside host and sat around the table and enjoyed a great meal and homemade wine with my Bay City hosts tonight. A young couple, with their dog, also are spending the night. Good people all around. Biked through my 1st tunnel, saw great scenery, and had a flat along the way. Total biking experience.

Goodbye Washington....Hello Oregon!

Left Raymond during a dense fog early this morning and biked to the Astoria Bridge. Contemplated camping on the Washington side because of all the weekend traffic on the bridge, but then decided to go for it. Now I'm glad I did. Staying in Astoria tonight and starting the Oregon Coast portion of the journey. From everything I've heard, the scenery is going to awesome. Legs are getting stronger every day.

Good Day/Bad Day

Had a great day yesterday. Woke up to an awesome breakfast provided by my WarmShowers hosts, Larye and Judy. Biked from Shelton to Lake Sylvia State Park north of Montesano, about 38 miles of gentle hills. Camped overnight, and was planning on biking to Bay Center, but ended up stopping at Raymond after a not particularly pleasant ride. Rained most of the day, lots of splashback from trucks, very hilly terrain and my chain came off. Good news is...approximately 60 miles to the Oregon border!

With a little help....

Over the past 3 days, I have made it from Port Angeles, WA to Shelton, WA. A guy I met in Discovery Bay offered to transport myself and bike part of the way in the back of his pick-up truck after warning me of some dangerous curves with little to no shoulder, so I took him up on his offer. After biking into Shelton, I stopped at Blondie's for a bite to eat and saw a bunch of Packer stuff up on the wall. Ended up getting to know Blondie's sister, Rose, who informed me both her and her sister were big time Packer fans. Upon getting up to leave and pay, she tells me, "Don't worry about it...it's on me"! And tonight I am experiencing my first Warm Showers hosts. I am staying at the house of a wonderful couple, Larye and Judy Parkins. They host bicyclists on a regular basis. They told me I am the 39th rider they hosted just this year. They are extremely generous and friendly. A Dutch couple, coming to the end of a 5,000 mile adventure are also staying the night. This has definitely been the most social day of the ride so far.