Dave's Travel Blog

Too much gear–Best Western Seaside

First thing—I brought too much gear and day two of my trip turned out to be brutal because of it.  I’m carrying at least 50 pounds and it is completely unnecessary.

Since I was 20 miles ahead of schedule I planned for an easy riding day…no more than 30 miles.   I left Vernonia around 9AM and the first 5 miles were flat and easy.  I ran into a fork in the road when I reached Mist, OR where I could choose Rt. 202 through the Clatsop State Forest on my way to Astoria or Rt. 47 to Clatskanie.  Since I forgot to fill my water bottles and had little food, I chose Rt. 47 to Clatskanie since it was a town big enough that I could get some food.

As soon as I turned on Rt. 47, I encountered the base of Mt. Mist.  Four miles of riding and pushing the bike later, I was questioning my decision.  Running out of water halfway up the mountain caused much trepidation.  Someone riding a car in the opposite direction saw me pushing the bike stopped and asked if I was OK.  I told him I could use some water but he didn’t have anything although he assured me that I was near the top of the mountain.  Thankfully he was correct and the downhill ride into Clatskanie was fantastic.

I stopped at Subway and had a sub and as much Pepsi as I could drink.  I struck up a conversation with someone in the booth next to me who informed me that there was a motel 8 miles down the road in Westport.  After the morning pushing my bike, I thought that 8 miles is all I had left in me.  I road into Westport and found nothing.  I stopped at the gas station and a senior citizen gentleman struck up a conversation telling me when he was married, he rode his bike up the California coast to Oregon…sleeping in the bushes on the side of the road all the way up.  He also told me that Bradley State Park was right up the road at the top of the hill.  Great another hill.

650 feet doesn’t sound like a big hill but after what I had been through earlier in the day, it was.  After another stint pushing the bike, I entered Bradley State Park and was completely spent.  There were many RV’s setup in the park even though I noticed a no camping sign.  I rode back down to the caretaker’s RV and they told me, despite vociferous pleading, that I couldn’t camp there…and that my best bet would be to drive to Astoria…. another 22 miles.   So, if those caretakers ever stumble upon this blog, I want to send you a big F.U… thanks for caring about my well-being.

I did manage to make it to Astoria…pushing the bike uphill when needed.  I checked into a hotel and was so mentally and physically spent that I couldn’t sleep.  I e-mailed my sister in Seattle and told her I was done—come pick me up.  She called the next morning and I was recovered enough to tell her that I was going to continue on 18 miles to Seaside.

So, a day in which I planned to ride no longer than 30 miles or 5 hours, turned into a 65-mile marathon and almost 10 hours on the bike.

The trip from Astoria to Seaside was very flat except for 8^th street in Astoria.  8^th street was a ¼ mile mega-hill I needed to push my bike up.   It was a workout I didn’t need after all of the bike pushing the day before.  It was quite apparent after 4 miles that my body–particularly my butt—did not want to be on the bike.

I am now lying in bed in a hotel in Seaside—I have completely abandoned my plan to camp as often as I could.

On the Road to Banks, OR

After 2 weeks working in Portland, OR, I started my Oregon cycling trip this morning. I was hoping to start at 9AM but had to return a pair of cycling shorts to REI early in the morning and it pushed back my departure 2 1/2 hours. I had no idea that the first several miles were going to be straight uphill on Burnside St. to get over the mountains west of Portland. I made the mistake of stopping for a breather and then had to push the bike and 60lb. load the rest of the way up. The good thing is that once I was up and down, the rest of the day was relatively flat.

I was heading to Banks, OR first so that I could hookup with the Banks-Vernonia trail. Banks is 30 miles from Portland—30 miles was my planned max riding distance a day. However, I wanted to push my self the first day so I could have some miles in the bank in case I needed them later in the trip. I stopped in Banks for a pizza and then headed directly for the trail. The total length is 22 miles. The first three miles were relatively flat and easy. The next 8 was a steady climb on a slight incline…I wasn’t ready for it and it was a bit demoralizing. Thankfully, at mile 12, things flattened out and the rest of the ride into Vernonia was fast. At the end of the trail was a campground…a sight for sore eyes. I am writing this post from the campground picnic table.

Tomorrow, I am going to try to push myself again and do 40 miles towards Astoria–we’ll see how that goes.

Some pics:

After a long hiatus there are a few things on the vacation horizon. Coming up soon is a solo cycling trip in Oregon in June–even though I may not be in the proper physical condition, I am still going to try. The course I am considering (zoom in to view route):

If I survive the cycling adventure, I have a more proper trip planned for October–a 10 day trip to Armenia and Georgia. More to come.