Hello, World

With my back of the envelope accounting I think Florence is roughly the half way point, which I passed through this morning. I started the morning cycling along cliffy sections, which climbed up and down. I passed Thor’s Well, where the waves have carved under the rock and up through a fissure creating a cauldron that they splash out of, and a lighthouse rotating its electric light.

After passing through Florence the scenery changed a lot, there’s a huge dune system between Florence and North Bend, the next larger city down the coast. The road tracks a little more inland so as not to go through the dunes, I was passed by maintenance trucks with sand ploughs mounted out front.

The final short leg to the campsite dropped to the mouth of Umpqua River and a harbor called Windy Cove, which was aptly named, by afternoon the wind had picked up a pace again. A short climb up and past Umpqua Lighthouse and I arrived at my campsite for the night. The marine layer settled in and it has cooled off without the sun and the stiff breeze. Tomorrow I’ll pass through Coos Bay and be well into southern Oregon and on my way to California.

Just as last year I woke up to low coastal clouds making the morning riding positively wet. The early morning coastal ride I couldn’t see the sea through the fog, and I cycled in and out of misty green valleys, climbing up Old Highway 101 into a lush green forest. Here is where I left the Trans America route and returned to the coast.

The rest of the day was how I imagine people think of my trip when I tell them I’m cycling down the Pacific coast. The highway hugged the coastline and all day I was treated to cliff side views of hidden beaches, long sandy beaches, and the mist rolling off the sea into the green forests. The highway got busier as the day went on, but the shoulders were generally good, and some of the side routes were amazing, in particular Otter Crest Loop.

Tonight I’m camped at Beachside, and as you might guess from the name I can hear the waves from my tent, the beach is huge and seemingly endless, as it disappears into mist at either end. Tomorrow I will cross the halfway distance and be closer to home than Vancouver.

I’ve spent a full week on the trail, and I’m back in Tillamook County. Today was largely following the same route I followed last year, except I skipped the scenic extension through Netarts, which I did last year, instead opting for the more direct route south to the coast.

I think I did more climbing today that on the previous days, tracking the coastline requires going up and over tall cliffs and bluffs. The morning started cool with the marine cloud layer, which burnt off mid morning to bring sun and, by afternoon, strong winds. For the most part the winds were favorable, but any time I had to track west to get back to the coast I got a little taste of a headwind.

I spent the whole morning thinking about what dairy product I would get for lunch when I stopped in at the Tillamook cheese factory, the grilled cheese and root beer float didn’t disappoint. Tonight I’m staying at a campsite I also stayed at last year, it’s fun to have the overlap. Tomorrow morning I’ll continue to retrace my cycle tracks, but then the Trans America route turns to head inland, while I’ll continue on my journey south.

From the marina it was a couple of miles to the ferry terminal on Puget Island. It’s the last ferry left operating across the Columbia River, and leaves on the hour every hour. I timed it very close and I raced to the terminal, the operator was just closing the gate but was kind enough to put the ramp back down and let me on. I am now in Oregon!

I continue my ride west towards Astoria, rolling into town mid morning. I ride along the same boardwalk I rode last year when I started my trip. For the next 2 days I’ll be retracing the path from Trans America tour. The city feels familiar. I ride under the gigantic bridge and start to turn south again, heading towards the Pacific coast.

This evening I’m sleeping besides water again, staying in the town of Seaside, I think from here I will hug the coastline until I get to the lost coast in California where I’ll head inland once again. So far I’ve ridden in 2 states, 1 province, and 2 countries, I’m over 400 trail miles from Vancouver, and I think I have roughly 800 more to go.

Today was another long day in the saddle. The morning started out cool and overcast and the route took me out of town and down backcountry roads, which made for pleasant riding.

The first half of the day paralleled I-5 (an interstate that goes north-south through Washington, Oregon, and California), and that meant that the roads I took only had sparse local traffic, anyone going somewhere would be on the interstate, it was night and day compared to 2 days ago. The route also followed the Cowlitz River south, a large, wide, slow moving river. I sat in a park had lunch watching it flowing past.

Just after lunch I pivoted to head west, following the Columbia River to the sea. There’s only one main road and the route followed it, skirting along the north shore of the river. However the shoulders were thin to non-existent and the cars were speeding past so close, so I looked to Google for any alternate. After a few miles on the highway I took the alternate route it suggested that went up a steep climb. Even after 70 miles grinding up 1,000 feet sounded more fun than the highway.

Tonight I’m camped on the shores of the Columbia River, at a marina. I can see the boats coming in for the evening. As with the other days in Washington the wind has picked up in the afternoon (the dreaded headwind for the final few miles), but the marina is pretty sheltered. Tonight will be my last night in Washington, from here I’ll cross the Columbia River into Oregon, and then head towards Astoria, where I started my Trans America ride last year.

Today reminded me a lot of my tour last year, cycling down long quiet backcountry roads through farmland and rural houses. After waking up to a clear sky the clouds blew over and I got rained on for the second time having to bike in my waterproofs. Also like last time once the rain passed in the afternoon the wind picked up, this time it was mostly favorable though.

I spent most of the day following the Chehalis River, which meant a mostly flat day of cycling. Tonight is the first night I’m not camped beside the ocean. Tomorrow I’ll cycle down to the Columbia River, which separates Washington and Oregon.

Today started with a clear sky, and a great bike trail at the top of the Olympic Peninsula. From here I followed a road system that snaked the bay, through Port Ludlow and Paradise Bay, I thought oh this will be a flat road with great views. However it turned out to be an undulating road with glancing views of the bay.

From here I crossed over a long, and very low, draw bridge, over Hood Canal. The roads the route followed were busy. The downtown of Bremerton I passed by a naval ship building facility, and could see the boats from a distance.

The final road of the day I was looking forward to, Old Belfair Highway, usually an “old highway” has been completely displaced by the new route and is an empty back road, that did not turn out to be the case, it ended up being an alternative route for rat runners on a Friday afternoon commute. The shoulders were small and I was counting down the miles to the campsite. I was glad to be off the roads today, hopefully it’s setting me up for some more enjoyable miles tomorrow.

On the plus side Washington State Parks Hiker/Biker campsites continue to be a hit, I’m again nestled under tall trees at a campsite on the very tip of the Hood Canal, the furthest point inland of the system that stretches to the ocean. I also continue to be treated to hot showers, which hits the spot after a hot day in the saddle.

I was only woken by the train once overnight. I woke up and it immediately started to rain. I rushed to get my stuff packed down and on my bike before it got too wet. I threw on my rain jacket and pants and put the stove on for coffee. After breakfast I briefly questioned if I really wanted to ride in the rain, but decided with that attitude I might be sitting at the campsite all day, so I pushed off.

The day started with a few miles backtracking to make my way around the road closure, the rain eased up quickly in the end, and the rest of the morning was just patches of light drizzle and rain. By mid morning I was finally meeting the coast and for the rest of the day I would cycle down an island chain, with views of many bays, beaches, mud flats, and islands off in the distance.

The bridge crossing over Deception Pass was particularly pretty, and as I ate lunch the sound of fighter jets filled the skies, there’s multiple naval bases on the island. Over lunch the rain died down but the wind picked up, given the choice I would have preferred a few more hours of drizzle. I originally planned to stop at the park right next to the ferry terminal and catch it first thing, but when I got the campsite I quickly looked at the schedule I saw the first ferry wasn’t scheduled until well after my usual dawn start, and as I was sitting there a ferry pulled in so I quickly rushed over and took the ferry this evening, I’m camped just south of Port Townsend. The campsite here is significantly nicer also, nestled again underneath the tall firs, with a fern covered forest floor.

I started early, getting up as the sun rose, which in British Columbia is a little earlier than California, around 5:20. I gathered my things onto my bike and set off, cycling over the bridge to the start point of the trail, which gave me a great view of downtown.

Vancouver has some really fantastic bike infrastructure with many fully separated lanes, many signs indicating bikes are allowed to turn where cars aren’t, and many bike specific traffic lights. This continued into the leafy suburbs, where the large houses are. Crossing over into Richmond I followed River Road, a more industrial area; there were large floats of timber presumably being floated downstream. From Richmond I again crossed over some bridges, two large freeways which had bike paths to one side, one suspension bridge climbed high up over the river.

I ended up in Surrey, another borrowed English place name. The similarity ends with the name, Surrey has a large grid system that was full of school and commute traffic, it was not a scenic or fun route to ride. Also unlike England the snow capped mountain peaks are visible off in the distance. By mid morning I had cycled all the way to the border, and, a quick stop in to show my passport, I was back in America.

The US portion started with some long straight farm roads that reminded me of my cycling last year, until I got to Bellingham where I finally met the ocean, or at least Bellingham Bay. I cycled right past the harbor where I sailed earlier in the year, and through to a wooded park system. The final road to the campsite I’m staying at must be a rails to trails route, it was remarkably flat carved into a steep grade. Tonight I’m camping under the firs, my first night under canvas. Tomorrow I’ll have to backtrack a little to get around a closure, which looks like it’ll add quite a few miles to my day. Tonight I’m enjoying a hot cup of tea and looking forward to shutting my eyes, and hopefully not awaking too many times to the railway, which they kept warning me goes right by the campsite. The same tracks I rode on just yesterday!

I took the Sunday evening train from San Jose. The train arrived on time and the dinning carriage was still serving, so I ate dinner as the sun set over the bay, and we pulled into Oakland in darkness. I went to sleep with lurching carriage jostling me throughout the night. I woke early to dawn and the sun rising against a backdrop of Mount Shasta.

The rest of the day took us over the Cascade Mountains and into Eugene, which I passed through on my tour last year. We continued to follow the Willamette Valley, through Portland, and up the length of Washington, pulling into Seattle a little early. I was able to walk down to the piers to watch the sunset before calling it a night.

Again I was up early to catch the next train from Seattle to Vancouver. For much of the trip the train traced the coastline making a very scenic journey. As we got near to Bellingham, where I took my sailing course earlier this year, we traced around Pleasant Bay where we anchored on a final night. We crossed into Canada and continued to trace the coastline. One section had a large number of bald eagles perched on the sea rocks and soaring overhead. The mountain backdrop to Vancouver was pretty awe-inspiring.

We pulled into Vancouver, and the border agent suspiciously asked me why did I choose to start my trip in Vancouver specifically, I told him because that’s the start of the route. I spent the afternoon today doing a bicycle tour of Vancouver, around Stanley Park, which was really pretty, and finally watched the sunset again over English Bay, the weather was perfect and despite it being a weeknight the bay was humming with people.

Tomorrow morning I’ll get up early and start my journey south, can’t wait to get on the bike!