Day 24 report - supplemental

Indian restaurant full! No Jalfrezi for Jimbo tonight...BAH!

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Day 24 report - pt 3

...I chose Fairfax as i knew it had a library. This would be good for photo catch up and getting some info on bike travel in san fran. However <engage rant mode> they have the only library in the known universe to choose to be shut on a friday! Monday i can understand...<exit rant mode> but, you know, its their library and its a privilige to use them while im here so i cant complain really. Thanks to bro Neil for getting my transport info.

Ok, that is all for today. My beady-all-seeing-eyes spotted an Indian restaurant nearby and ive not had a jalfrezi for weeks. Mmmmm jalfrezi...

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Day 24 report - pt 2

...the tour group I met yesterday were on their last day today. They had stopped for a coffee after c15 miles. I couldve stopped for the banter but id had a snack stop only a few miles before and didnt want to intrude too much.

The scenery was a bit different as my route took me inland a little. I almost thought id been teleported back to scotland as it was a bit rolling hill and loch. Then i saw a road sign for inverness...come ON!

A brief hello to Wayne from BC (met him before) before lunch in point reyes station - I wonder if a lot of Canadians are called Wayne after Mr Gretsky of Ice Hockey fame?

I was only left with 20 flattish miles after lunch so never did have my customary 10 mile break. All good until 1.5 miles from fairfax - puncture #4. Do I walk it in? Neg. A bit of a pain to need some engineering so close tho.

Fairfax is a nice place. Im sure its just about in the commuter belt and i saw a few flash motors.

I also saw another bike tour group...their last day too...tbc

Day 24 Report - Bodega Bay to Fairfax pt 1

Total miles 51.6
Average speed 13.1mph
Total Ascent 899m

Today had a slight "last day of the tour" feel. Dont worry, im not jacking it in! From here i have only 17 miles to san fran (plus a couple mile detour to visit Unc Keith and Aunt Dorothy's friends on the way.) I will then have 3 days off the bike to recover and prepare for the final 630 miles to San Diego. My poor old body could do with a break. Injury update

Head - tired but fine. op cap 88%
Neck - trem. op cap 97%
Back - A-ok. op cap 85%
Legs - Like a well oiled machine. op cap 92%
So why do I need a break?
Saddle - nippy. op cap 61%
Arms - don't fail me now! op cap 35%

Despite adjustments to set up that helped a little the muscles and tendons above and behind my elbow are dying for a rest. What is slightly perturbing is that my right hand seems to have lost a little strength - my writing is even worse than normal! Im hoping a good rest will sort this.

Back to the report. I briefly saw the tour group from yesterday...tbc

Day 23 Report - pt 2

...and as the cycle tour chose the same lunch spot as me (a nice wee river estuary side cafe) there was chat with lunch. They were on day 5 of a 6 day tour. About 50 miles a day and winetasting and gourmet food. Sound good? Yup.

I only had 10 miles to go after lunch and got a motel room in a place called Bodega Bay. At yesterdays breakfast a guy called Edward from shropshire had told me Hitchcock filmed "the birds" here. Spooky then that on spinning into town the first thing i noticed were the swarms (flocks?) of noisy starling type birds!. There are also many more birds down on the harbour. I witnessed a brawl between a cormorant and a heron over a roosting area. Cormorant won! But the Heron then displaced a gull form his faavourite spot. The natural pecking order i suppose (sorry!).

Ok Im all caught up on reports but im sure ive got some more pics of the Oregon coast to post ;) Maybe tomorrow...Im sure theres an old song with those words...!

Day 23 Report - Gualala to Bodega Bay pt1

Total miles 47.5
Average speed 12.6mph
Total Ascent 1037m

The first thing i noticed this morning was the slightest merest hint of a hangover. What what what?! I hear you say! Fear not, if breakfast didn't dispell it, the first few miles certainly did. Today I was riding into a nasty headwind and the sun no longer had his hat on.

Reason(s) for hangover was a glass of red with my meal then two pints in the bar. This is actually not normally hangover material - but one of the pints was a Firebrand IPA - circa 9% - delicious and deadly!

Ok so ive got a nasty headwind. But whats this? A cycle tour group? Surely i can get some shelter and draft them for a while! Er no. These guys had a support vehicle so were not carrying any weight. Therefore the ones who'd be good for drafting behind were also impossible for me to stick with on the many steep little (and not so little before a place called Jenner) climbs.

Ah well, i was happy enough with the occasional chat and shelter...tbc

Day 22 report pt 2

...I was to bump into Burhan and Mrs Burhan again later in the day.

Id originally planned a short 47 miler to Point Arena but the motel there was not up to scratch (to say the least). Ive stayed in loads of motels now and although sometimes the decor can be tired etc theyve all been clean...until now. So i saddled up and contemplated a few extra miles. No stress yet as it was only 3 or so. I encountered my Turkish friends again and they suggested carrying on to Gualala. This was accompanied by a song from Burhan GuaLalalala boom gualalalala boom (which i couldnt resist finishing off) gualalalala boom boom da da da da! Tremendous.

So gualala it was and a nice place it is too.

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Day 22 (delayed) report - Fort Bragg to Point Arena to Gualala pt1

Total miles 59.4
Average Speed 13.9mph
Total ascent 1111m

This was a hot day and pretty calm. Id been chatting to a couple of cyclists at breakfast who were a little bit full of it (and had also tried to diddle the motel) so I was a little pleased with myself for taking them to pieces on the way out of fort bragg. id only done 17 miles the day before so i was frisky!

Id enjoyed fort bragg and also enjoyed a wee second breakfast in mendocino.

Although there were no monster climbs there were more than a few nasty headlands to get over and "the one" has steeper grades than 101.

I came across a married couple who were cycling and camping and after trying to speak spanish at the man discovered they were from Turkey. Burhan (the bloke) was very friendly and as we parted he shouted "I Like Scotland" Yeeeeeees!. Later as i had stopped for lunch in a beautiful spot called Elk I returned the compliment as he rode by "I Like Turkey" - Hands across the ocean! (remember that Rab C?!)...tbc

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La-la land. But he ain't talkin' Los Angeles... yet.

This is deputy blogger Neil once again.

Jimbo has arrived in Gualala, CA where he's staying at the Surf Inn. There's no mobile phone service, and no Wi-Fi, so he sent me a message via semaphore to let me know that all is well.

And a late update via pigeon post:
"There may be no technology here, but there's aye plenty o' swally!"

Day 29 Report pt 2

...so I raced to Myers flat to discover the only motel cost $200 a night! Even the haggling host reducing it to $150 left it twice my average cost. Not accepting this outrageous expense I got back on my bike and tore the next 6 miles to Miranda. We now know that this worked out fine but I wasnt sure if I was going to have to turn round tail between my legs back to expensive myers flat!

2, Ive missed seeing 2 drive through trees. 1 was at myers flat and finding a room took priority. The other was at Leggett just before the big climb of yesterday. The sign said 1/4 mile so I thought why not. When i got there i realised i needed to cycle downhill on a nasty gravel road... no thanks.. wonder if there are any more on my way south?! Ah well, ill try not to lose sleep over it.

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Day 21 Report - Westport to Fort Bragg pt1

Total Miles 17.3
Average speed 12.1mph
Total ascent 343m

I needed a rest day but with no restaurant and no comms Westport, pretty as it is, was not the place to stop. Hence the wee recovery ride into Port Bragg with full array of services.

Ive purchased a new set of gloves and will adjust my saddle a little to take more strain off my hands and elbows. I dont know if the saddle thing will help but sometimes a change is good to change the frozen cyclist position a little!

Stat update...in all the comms panic we've missed...

- passed the halfway point 2 days ago!
- passed 1000 miles yesterday!

Finally a couple of extra bits from t he last 2 days that the 1 hour rule at Ft Bragg library prevented me posting (im not complaining its a busy library and im very happy to use it!)

After the lost coast i really was racing against sunset. I dont want to cycle in the dark here so i was engaging maximum warp to get to Myers flat. The observant amongst you will know that wasnt my endpoint...tbc

Day 20 (delayed) Report - Miranda to Westport

Total Miles 67.4
Average Speed 12.6mph
Total Ascent 1482m

My legs were ok this morning - quite glad of a flat warm up but not too bad. what really suffered yesterday was my hands and elbows. A lot of road buzz going on down those descents and a new injury watch for me to think about. New gloves and maybe new bar tape in San Fran methinks.

Not many pictures from today as I was getting these miles done over another couple of nasty climbs. These were not as bad as Lost cost but still pretty challenging.

I passed so many lovely river valley scenes I shouldve taken a snap of but never mind. The day started off with a bit of wildlife. I was cycling along and surprised myself when I whooped - "wild Turkey woo hoo!) Wild turkey it was!

At breakfast I'd been told that this road (The Avenue of Giants) was also known as Big Foot road and there were some souvenir shops along the way - didn't see him though.

For the last two climbs I was on Highway 1 for the first time - Woo hoo!

Finally, finally I made it over the last big climb for a while back onto the coast...

I have some more pics to share but my time at the library is running out. Another time.

At Westport I thought I was having another no dinner and no blogging day. Thankfully the local shop did big pizzas (and ale) and the very kind old gentleman who runs the Westport inn let me use his laptop for a 5 minute post - I didn't want to take advantage.

Day 19 (delayed) report - Ferndale to Miranda via The Loast coast

Total Miles 79.7 (although map says a couple more - GPS was struggling in the redwoods)
Average Speed 10.7mph
Total Ascent 2399m

Well, I was hoping for a little warm up before the big climbs, but no, not to be. All of 1 minute and 36 seconds into my ride (I looked!) the road turned to the left sharply and the incline was significant. On the highways and main roads the incline is never more that 7% or so - the hills can grind on for a while but you can just get into a rhythm and churn it out. This first climb of the day already had me in totally different territory. All the posts before about tough climbs can go into the "I was but a child then" category. This was 6mph and fighting for it all the way. I was very glad of the minimal traffic because it meant I could be a little naughty and take the shallowest line on all the switchbacks/hairpins. I could hear anything that was coming anyway so it was safe enough...and necessary.

On the first climb of the day I was fresh with plenty of energy so made it up there ok without requirement for a stop. So now onto a descent - just as steep and windy - and this was when I noticed the bad road surfaces. Pot-holes a plenty, cracks, gravel. Steep, tight descent plus bad road = descending is almost as nasty as climbing - come on! at least I could pat myself on the back about upgrading my wheels to Shimanooooo touring 36 spokers for this trip. They took a beating and didn't complain a bit.

I picked my way down what I expected was "The Wall" and didn't fancy my chances of making it up if I had been going the other way.

The town of Capetown was very small and went past in an instant. Little did I know that the next climb of the day was upon me - and this one was even steeper! I had to get off halfway up to catch my breath. Now, this is not always a good strategy with clip in pedals. A hill start is not easy at the best of times so I had to wait until a relatively flat part so I knew I could get going again. Otherwise, you stop-you walk.

Somehow I made it up climb two and wasn't too pleased to read that I had not quite done 1000m climb yet (this was about 16 miles into the ride) so had not yet done half of the climbing!
Now, however I did make it to the Lost coast...

It was nice enough, but pretty much like what I'd been used to (spoiled eh?!). The difference was I had this pretty much all to myself. Also,  you never know unless you go!

So the next stage was relatively flat. First to a town called Petrolia (30 miles into the ride)- lunch, snack, water (can of fat coke too!) stop. I met a guy there called Gib and he said the grades got a lot steadier from now on. this made me feel a little better...but there is a grave danger in taking anything for granted. I'd only mustered a pitiful 10mph so far and was already looking at my clock for sunlight. Time to get a move on.

A little rest on the way

The valley ride took me another 15 miles to honeydew (45 miles into the ride). Second snack stop. Now the endless hill would begin. Now, usually in North America the names of towns etc do pretty much what is says on the tin (I was a little concerned about Bear river earlier in the day for example!) But endless hill cant be accurate. It nearly was!

I started up and although the gradient was a little shallower it was still pretty painful. After a little while a guy shouted out of his truck window "Good luck" with a big grin on his face. A genuine well-wish? or spiteful humour? Either way it motivated me to show him!

I needed a couple of stops on the way up this time - carefully chosen as usual.

 The views were going some way to easing the pain! I did see two vultures, er, bald eagles or some sort of bird of prey circling again - they are wasting their time on me! For eventually, even the endless hill does actually end.

However, this does mean the endless, steep, sharp winding, bone shaking, wheel not breaking because I upgrade descent begins. No respite.. until - I must've been congratulating myself for the umpteenth time that day on my new wheels when I was broken out of my trance - "Oh - Oh Mr Peevley" (remember the hear bear bunch?) That's a Redwood!!

This was the quietest and best grove yet!

So, you know already that I had to make do with Micro meals that night... but it was washed down with some lucky 13..

You little beauty!!!

The 5 minute blog post. Monday 26 Sept

I've made it to Westport. A tiny, loverly, village on the coast on Highway 1. No phone signal at all - not even enough to text brother Neil to ask him to post this. So I have begged 5 minutes on my hosts laptop.

Next report might have to be a record breaking 3 day whopper!

Saddle snippet

Dont worry im not typing this while on the saddle really. However, I am en route. Another longish day (but a mere trifle compared with yesterday) I will try for a double day report bonanza tonight. I must say before i go how helpful Jackie at Miranda Resort was. If she hadnt warned me i mightve missed out even on micro meals as the shop closed at 7:30 and she phoned the motels in westport this morning to check out my best option. To top it all she gave a 20 dollar donation for Room to Read. Thanks!

Ok. better get pedalling.

Miranda and the Microwave

This is Neil posting for Jimbo:

Jimbo has arrived in a tiny place called Miranda - deep in Redwood Country, California, with no blogging capabilities. He sent this via text message and asked me to post it:

"Safe and sound, although a little disappointed that the town of Miranda can only offer microwave meals on a Sunday night. Full Day 18 report will follow when I can get a signal."

Brekky bites - Sun 25 Sept

Hi. Short and snappy today. Rain overnight but fine now with a little bit of cloud cover. Im going to go for the extra loop. Apparently theres a bike race that includes this loop every year (albeit the opposite direction) and they have something called "the endless hill" and another called "the wall"! Here goes...

Day 18 Report - Arcata to Ferndale

Total Miles 33.2 (inc a short detour to bike shop in Eureka)
Average speed 13.3mph
Total ascent 179m

A short day today in hope of fine weather tomorrow for the lost coast. The locals here say "don't listen to the weather reports" so I'm still holding out hope.

I had a lazy start to the day today as I knew I could polish off 30 miles before lunch without too much trouble. It was a just before10am kick off and the weather wasn't great. The pock rock was on as it was cold but also for visibility as it was a little misty.

This mist meant there were no early photo opportunities and the ride today was a little more urban than I've been used to...until getting close to Ferndale that is. I had assumed Glen had made an early start because he was planning on a longer day than me so I was surprised to see his unmistakable yellow "panieeers" (sorry - in joke) up ahead as I was pedaling out of Eureka on the 101. We parted again soon after as I took the map-suggested side-road while Glen decided to get some faster miles on the shoulder of the 101. However, our paths were to cross once again as I crossed back over the 101 on the side road as he was getting onto the same route. Rather amusing.

Ok, so I made it to Ferndale at the unheard-of finishing time of around 1:15!?!?! I got checked into a motel and after a clean up went out for a wander. By now the sun had come out and I was able to enjoy what is a lovely Victorian town. Old wooden houses and churches. I've got my dinner all planned - linguine a with simple tomato, garlic and mushroom sauce in the Ivanhoe restaurant. Might have a glass of vino.

Well, that's it for today. I'm off to enjoy the evening sunshine for a while.

Redwoods...

I'm gonna need a bigger bike!

PS not sure what happened with the smudge thing in the middle. It's either a bit of light getting through the foliage, or it's a mucky finger - I'd just finished replacing an inner tube and that can be a messy business.

So what does California's coast look like so far?

A continuation of Oregon?

Maybe maybe...

Check out this mist over the sea and the hills in the distance. You've gotta love the Pacific coast!

Brekky bites - Sat 24th of sept

Hi everyone, as ive only got a wee 30 miler today im taking the conti breakfast in the motel. Raisin bran, toasted muffin and a coffee. Thatll do for today.

The weather is closing in today. Ive been getting used to fair weather and the sun. 70% chance of rain today and also for tomorrow. Im sticking to my plan to give me a chance at the lost coast (staying in ferndale tonight) but if its a rainer i'll not bother. An 80odd miler with 3k climbing is worth the effort if you can take your time and enjoy the views etc. If it is raining it becomes a day to just get through and since its an added extra on this trip the motivation to do it will be low.

Here's hoping for a change in the weather or maybe the forecasters have it wrong - wouldnt be the first time ;)

Day 17 report - pt4

...normally on this trip ive eaten alone so it was good to swap tour stories with Glen over pizza/pasta and a sierra nevada pale ale (a wee gem of a spot between the bud light and coors light) He had actually cycled up to the observation post at mt st helens the other day which is a brutal 6700ft of climbing but you get an awesome view of the crater. I wish id known about that one! But hes on the clock now to get to san fran so no lost coast for him.

So a wee morning ride tomorrow, hopefully a photo blog catch up and mega carbo load ahead of my biggest challenge yet on sunday...the lost coast...dah dah DAHH!

Day 17 report - pt 3

...however, my engine room was in trouble. Im afraid lunch (omelette hash browns and toast) was not digesting very quickly and id gone back to bikezombiemode. I even skipped snacks as my appetite had totally gone and this is bad. Id started to think a shorter afternoon was a good call but the motels near trinidad were full. I sat myself down on the front and forced down a tiger milk, a cereal bar and (the "magic sponge") some gummi grizzlys. I did feel a bit better after this and when i managed to join up with 2 younger lads on expensive racers (bianci and cervelo). This was just what i needed and i hardly noticed the 10 miles to mckinleyville. The lads were pulling a big day further on so we said cheerio.

The first motel my GPS took me to was actually a members only club! And the next looked a bit run down. however just before reaching this one I ran into Glen again and we decided to go another few miles to arcata...tbc

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Day 17 Report pt 2

...new inner tube in place I set off again but i never feel quite the same after a puncture. Im worried in case I get another and cant seem to quite relax and enjoy the ride quite as much. This bad mindset was quickly dispelled as i began to ride through some awesome Redwoods. They really are that big. Photo catchup worth looking out for! So my spirits were back high in time for lunch.

My lunch stop was at about 1:20 and 3 cyclists came out of the diner having just had breakfast! "We like to take it easy" one said! There was another cyclist in there (also on lunch) so i joined him. Glen said he didnt usually stop for lunch at all when going for a long ride. However, after managing 3 of a required 13 100 milers in a row to make it to san diego in the time he had, he'd since realised this was a big big ask and was setting a more moderate pace (allowing ample time for lunch). Glen set off about 20 mins before me and I was wondering if i could catch him (competitive as usual)...tbc

Day 17 Report - Crescent City to Arcata Pt1

Total miles 75.0
Average Speed 12.7mph
Total ascent 1336m

This ended up being a little longer than planned but means tomorrow will be a mere 30 miler.

After a fab brekky (see brekky bites post) I set off with wind in my sails. Not literally as there was hardly a puff worth mentioning.

I had a long 7%er climb to deal with first up. I think it was about 5 miles long and on the way up I saw 3 male elk on the roadside. Majestic creatures. No photos sorry.

It wasnt such a hard climb - especially first thing and i paused for a banana at the top. There was a retired guy on a recliner bike whod done a trans am route a year or two ago (3000 miles i think he said!). I dont fancy those bikes much, they never look very stable.

The morning was going well as i ducked off the 101 at a place called klamath. Shortly after this on my way up another climb puncture #3 of the trip struck my rear wheel. I saw the broken bottle of bud too late to avoid and picked 2 pieces out of my tyre...tbc

Brekky Bites - fri 23rd sept

Good morning everyone, or afternoon back home.

Its back on the bike today and after the usual initial wake up thoughts..."where am i? what am i doing? do i have to?" im actually looking forward to it.

Im having oatmeal and pancakes (fast becoming my number 1 brekky of choice) in the good harvest cafe. if you are ever in crescent city this is a great place for locally produced wholesome food. i had dinner here last night as well - a splendid rib-eye steak.

Im really keen to do the lost coast bonus loop (see post from yesterday). itll depend on weather and how my niggles are doing. I cant influence the weather but hopefully the rest has done the niggles good. Lets find out...

Mini Stat round-up and optional extra decision

Hi all,

Rest days go by in a flash and you dont seem to achieve much. I guess thats what they're all about!

Stats...

Total miles completed: 814
Miles to go: 1042
Miles banked vs 45 per day: 94 (thats 2 days in reserve)

maintenance/replacements
Punctures: 2
Broken bottle cage: 1 (temp patch up with mask tape got me to a shop)
Cleats: 1 set being switched tonight - 10 minute job.

The lost coast loop
I've been checking out the next map and have spotted an optional extra section. It adds 40 miles to the overall and is a 70 mile section with 8500 ft of climbing (c2800m) it has next to no traffic and winds through redwood groves with some mountain views.

Decision required by sunday morning. Im thinking it would be a shame not to while im here and the bike shop man reckons the climbs ahead on the main route aint so bad.

What do you reckon folks?

Day 16 Report - Rest Day

Good afternoon bloggers. I'm taking a rest day in Crescent City, California and the sun is shining. My laundry was done last night and the Bike shop was visited this morning. They had all the right stuff.
- Spare inner tube - I'm running a (lucky) 3 spare strategy - I could repair the ones I puncture but, they are only a few dollars and time is short so...
- New cleats (these connect my shoes to the pedals - road surface ruins these when I get off at stops/lunch etc- I put a new pair on at Vancouver and they are shot already!)
- Chamois cream...

...I've been asked to explain...

One of the enemies of the long distance cyclist is saddle soreness (sorry Mr H the younger - I know you don't like toilet chat - you being a gentleman an' all! - so probably best for you to look away now).

The way I look at it there are 2 main causes of saddle sores...

1. Not enough padding - 2 solutions are a big padded saddle (but this greatly increases the risk of cause 2) or padded cycling shorts - these come with a padded section called a chamois. I go for a small saddle and a good pair of shorts.

2. Second cause is friction. To prevent the skin being irritated we have something called chamois cream. It lubrucates and also has disinfecting/antibacterial stuff in there. The best type is made by a Swiss firm called Assos. It so happens that the cycle shop had some of this - RESULT! Once you've used this particular chamois cream - you never want to use another.

Ok, I said last night that I have some climbing ahead. I gain some height and peak at c 1800ft or c600m above sea level near a place called Leggett over the next few days. Although after chatting with the bike shop guy earlier I don't think these are mega steep - just long slogs. These aren't that big compared with back home (for example looks like Etape Caledonia is 81 miles and 1900m total ascent) but what can make it tough is the heat, the extra weight I'm carrying and that I'm on my own with non-one to get pulled along behind. Finally Etape is a one day event - I need to get back in the saddle day after day.

Now I've gone about 800 miles or so I have just over 1000 miles to go. That's a LEJOG!

Ok, I'm off to relax and get ready for some climbing - and some Redwoods!

OUCH - Wasp sting on my lips!

"Is it bad?"
"You'll live, back on your bike, domestique...Wiggins had a puncture and needs helped back to the bunch and Thomas needs more water. Deal with it!"

Hello California...

Hello California - what adventures do you hold for me? Only one way to find out....

Bye Bye Oregon

You have been a good friend to me

One last photo of the stunning Oregon coast...

Day 15 report - part 2

...so i checked the photo, decided it was merely a flesh wound and got back on my bike.

Its one of the oldest football cliches...take every game as it comes. For good reason...the players need to be "in the moment" and not worrying about playing City next week or Inter on Tuesday. This is also a great mindset for me on the bike. Just deal with today, survive to lunch etc. However, dont try to tell me that Fergie hasnt got longer term plans than the next game. Thats why Man U have been the best team in England for 20 years. He always has someone to replace the leavers. I too need to sometimes be Fergie and take the longer view. That is why, despite feeling back on form today, i will be resting tomorrow. With 2 monster climbs (details tomorrow) in the next 200 miles I need to be ready. Im resting Giggsy and Rooney for the big match over the weekend if you like ;)

Laundry done, bike shop and library located for tomorrow...time to eat...I might even seek out an ale! Tattie bye the noo!

Day 15 Report - Gold Beach to Crescent City

Total miles 58.8
Average Speed 13.7mph
Total ascent 753m

Goodbye Oregon, hello California! Well either the large chinese meal last night or the oatmeal breakfast or the better snacking discipline (or more likely all of the above) helped as today i was Back In The Game! The old zip was back and it felt a whole lot better. I was really enjoying the long climb out of Gold beach before an insect flew towards my slightly agape mouth and got stuck between my lips. I could already feel the sting as i ripped it away with my fingers. I suppose the law of averages would dictate this should happen to every cyclist once every x thousand miles. But twice this year feels a bit much! You could say it was good practice for this event as the exact same thing happened on my way home from work in June/July. It wasnt a great place to stop so i hardly broke pe dal stroke and pushed on to the top of the climb. My lip did feel a bit sore and swollen so I took a photo of myself to check! ...tbc

Brekky bites - Wed 21 Sept

Slept in.....ah!

Usually the motel rooms have an alarm clock and the 6:30 rule applies. Last night there was no alarm. The phones i have here dont penetrate my earplugs so i had slept sin alarm. 0750 ... aaaaaah!

New breakfast option. I spotted oatmeal on the menu today. Good option. I combined this with 2 pancakes. When it all came i thought id overestimated my appetite...the pancakes are plate sized and thick...no i hadnt. Clean pl ates all round.

Im also going to get back into some good distance cycling habits today. Since my back has improved ive been lazy on taking stops. While this might be ok from the injury perspective, it means im missing snacking. So it.s back to the old LEJOG 10 mile sessions today. Type of snack is more biased toward banana today too. Slower release I suspect that the protien/energy snacks ive been favouring. I expect Ill find out soon. Better get set...

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Day 14 Report - Bandon to Gold Beach

Total miles 58.7
Average Speed 13.2mph
Total Ascent 823m

Tailwind, what tailwind?!?! There was a headwind all the way. Somehow though, there is something strangely reassuring about American weather-people getting it wrong too!

Today I was very sluggish in the saddle. Headwind aside this was a fairly easy ride but I had to force my way through. Perhaps this is finally the days and miles catching up and my body telling me "FEED ME MORE!". I'll try.

I met a couple of other solo cyclists today. First up was Wayne from Vancouver Island at Bandon beach. Next was Brian from South shields (met hi9m just after Port orford). Brian had cycled all the way from northern Alaska - you think I'm bonkers?! It's nice to stop for a few minutes and chat. There is a camaraderie between cyclists.

At the the start of the day I cycled a couple of miles with Wayne until we hit the 101. Then I'm afraid I put the foot on the gas. I can't really claim victory however as he was carrying a tent and was on a hybrid type bike - but still...

It was pretty hot again which probably didn't help my motivation/fitness. I was cycling a bit like a zombie - automatic pilot so I honestly can't remember much else remarkable about the morning shift.

Lunch was at Port Orford, but the Crazy Norwegians were closed! So I ate a fairly classy fish lunch in a restaurant overlooking the "Heads". I think these are the big rocks in the sea you can see in one of the orford (or both) pics. That's how it looks from the map anyway.

While taking one of those pics I saw the blast of air from a whale/porpoise/dolphin. It looked pretty huge so I'm going to say Whale. Cool!

So I finally prized myself from my lunch seat and hauled myself the 30 afternoon miles to Gold Beach. Aptly named indeed as you can see from the pic.

While on my way to a chinese meal I got someone arrested!..... Don't panic. I need to pull back a little and explain. I have been surprised by how courteous the drivers are here - particularly to pedestrians. They are almost too polite. I sometimes just pause having a look over the other side of the road and next thing I know a small line of traffic is forming waiting for me to cross. Bizarre!

Anyway, they are particularly careful at pedestrian crossings. On my way to the chinese I stepped onto a crossing and expected all the traffic to stop as usual. Except this time one car flew by (it was a four lane road so I wasn't in any danger). I thought nothing of this - standard procedure at home - pedestrian beware! - until a few seconds later the police car that had just gone by in the opposite direction did a U-turn and put their lights on in hot pursuit of the offending car. I ducked into the chinese minding my own business. Seems like there is a zero tolerance thing going on and it might be working.

Ok, I'm signing off now. Hope I'm over my blip today. We all have bad days at the office. Let's hope I'm  back at the races tomorrow. Goodnight all.

Gold Beach

Who's the twit in the way?!

Bridge at Gold Beach

I cycled over that! - I've been over quite a few bridges but this is the best picture I've taken of any of them.

Port Orford

two slightly different views of the beach at Port Orford. Oregon has got beaches to spare!

Bandon Beach

Not content with a lovely wee harbour, Bandon went and got a beach like this too! That's called showing off!

Bandon Harbour sunset....

Dunes - and their big ones...

... believe it or not, if you zoom carefully you'll see 3 people climbing these dunes at florence.

Brekky blog supplemental

British style brekky totally hit the s pot though! it was a hybrid of the best of both worlds yum yum.

I should remember "when in rome..." coffee all the way from now on.

Breakfast bite-sized blog: tue 20th sept

Good morning bloggers! Weather forecast says ill have another favourable wind today. yeeeeehaaaaa!

Just had my last experiment with getting a cup of tea here. Im in a british style place for brekky. Assumed id be in luck. Breakfast tea comes (its always in a single sachet with hot water). Decaffeinated. What? Why? Ok i can save this situ. I also saw Yorkshire tea on the menu. Can i have that please...Decaffeinated! BAH!

60 miles to Gold Beach today. I could go further but the next motel is another 30 miles with a biiiiig climb. i also have injury watches on my back (just to be sure) and knee - nothing i cant deal with at the mo - just being careful, i still have a loooooong way to go!

Jimbo's Blog supplemental - spanish update

Hola!

I know id suggested i was going to try to read 4 spanish books on this trip Some of you have been asking how this has been going. Im afraid it became clear even before i flew over that this was a little too ambitious! Ive only been learning spanish for a couple of months so 4 books in 6 weeks even without cycling would be tough.

But fear not. Its important i keep learning for my trip to argentina so i have 2 books of short stories with me. The first one has 41 stories and ive been trying to get through that. Ive read 22 so far but they get longer and harder as they go. Most of the stories are funny and its great to get the joke in spanish!

Hasta manana!

Day 13 report - pt 2

...so on Seven Devils road i am sure there are 7 devilish climbs. These are proper climbs c15% or more in parts i reckon. It was on one of these climbs that i looked up to see a very large bird of prey circling overhead. I imagine it was thinking something like "Oho, whats this? a wildebeast separated from the herd... and moving quite slowly... could be dinnertime soon" Think again Mr Eagle!

So i flew into Bandon in the sunshine...did i say it got nice and sunny after early cloud? Lovely harbour town. I have a slightly arty sunset photo for next photo catch up!

By my calcs (im sure unohu will check if im right ;)) I have now gone c688 miles (from map rather than my gps). So I am over a third of the way there. Possibly more impotantly right now - I have c100 miles in the bank again vs 45 per day. Im looking at two 60 milers before another rest day in crescent city. Woohoo!

PS I pass through Port Orford tomorrow, GW. Should i have heard of the norwegian chippy? possible lunch stop.

Day 13 report - Florence to Bandon pt1

Total miles 74.5
Average speed 14.7mph
total ascent 1032m

Compare this with day 11 and youll see that i covered the same distance with the same climbing but required more than an hour less to do it. This is not really down to the rest day. it helped a little. main reason was the 15mph head wind f rom day 11 turned into a 15mph tail wind and it felt TREMENDOUS!

Thats not to say there wasnt the odd wee challenge thrown in.

Florence has a bike shop and i only have c2 days supply of chamois cream left. This shop opens at 10 but im ready and raring to go at 0920. Theres another bike shop in north bend (expected lunch stop) so i decide to get on the road. In those 40 mins i covered 10 miles but when i got to north bend i discovered that shop is closed sun AND mon! BAH! The next bike shop is 90 miles away in brookings so I'll have to ration!

After lunch there were some proper steep hills as I went off the 101 at charleston. the wee road was called seven devils road and ... tbc ...

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Breakfast bite-sized blog: mon 19th sept

I dont know if ill do these every day so dont worry if i dont. but the breakfast bitesized blog is on toda y.

Rest day over and i'll feel benefits on the bike (assuming so anyway).

Today there is a 10-15mph tailwind so as i like to "make hay while the sun shines" i might go looooong today. Im looking at 75-80 to bandon. Sun is shining too so pock rock staying in the pock for the time being.

Just had sausage and eggs and the 2 pancakes on the side are gigante! They are defeating me. Here goes...

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Where do I start...?





Beer #1 Lips of Faith KICK - Great name but didn't quite kick it for me

Beer #2 Boneyard Girl Beer Cherry Wheat - Too sweet for my palate - one for Mr H or other Mr H perhaps?

Beer #3 Bayern Oktoberfest - Very drinkable, especially on a hot evening - plenty of flavour - how lagers should be.

Beer #4 Rogue Brutal IPA - Yes, quite bitter and citrusy. Golfers spectators ripple of applause.

Beer #5 Deschutes white IPA - I could drink a LOT of this. Like #4 but somehow just tastier.

Beer #6 Lagunitas Lucky 13 - He wants it...He neeeeds it!!

Not the most sought-after address in Oregon.

Beach #3 - you're getting the idea

Somewhere between Newport and florence. Picture doesn't do it justice.

Beach #2 - more great beaches!

Oceanside/Netarts - Beach #1

Thoe are people on the beach, not ants - this is a biiiig beach!

Jimboah and the Whale

It's Cannon Beach and it's lunchtime after a rainy morning.

Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down....

...not with my pock rock on they don't! - er, the rainy days anyway. Even Pock Rock technology can't defend against Monday mornings.

Nehalem Bay if I'm not mistaken.

Day 12 - Rest Day - Florence, Oregon.

No real report today other than to say...

Yes, Laundry completed and..

Yes, I've been able to do a little bit of touristy relaxing. I chose wisely - Florence is a really nice place - amazing sand dunes, good places to eat and bars for ales.

Aletastic!

The ale menu from the Grove Street Brewhouse. Can you guess which three I had?











Mr H, in answer to your question about anything to rival Cal 80 - my answer is....of course!

Don't get me wrong, I like my Cal 80. It is a very comforting and moreish drink in colder times. A malty and nutty taste that warms you from the inside.

However, there is a whole world of ales out there so I'd advise everyone to get out and experience them! All three sampled here are as good a, if not better, than Cal 80 in my humble opinion.

Snacktastic

I love my sour gummi grizzlies!

Day 11 Report - Lincoln City to Florence

Total Miles 75.1
Average Speed 12.1mph
Total Ascent 1017m

Just a quick blog tonight - I'm bushwhacked after a monster 75 miles into a 15mph headwind all the way down exposed coast. I'm actually surprised and impressed I managed to keep the average speed over 12mph. Although there were no big climbs you can see from the stat there were plenty of little ones! In fact, hardly any flat at all.

So, since my breakfast blogging what happened?

The forecast 10-15mph wind was indeed a nasty heawind.  Added to that some of the road surfacing was less smooth than I'd been used to of late - think of the bit coming out of Aberlady towards Gullane. Or the peebles to Edinburgh road which is pretty bumpy too. Actually - not bumpy, just that there are stones not yet bedded into the road fully. Together with the wind this meant I needed to fight tooth and nail for every mile and every yard. With these conditions you can't stop pedalling / free wheel at all or all momentum is lost. Tough.

However, I had been told the Oregon coast is stunning and it really is (you are right Frank!). Mile after mile of massive sandy beaches, forested headlands, rocky coves, caves. If I'd stopped to take a photo at everything stunning I'd still be out there now with 20 miles left to go.

Now, I was on highway 101 all day today apart from a 20 minute detour at Otter Rock. It's a fairly busy road and does not afford many opportunities for any S.I.B.P.OK.P - slightly illegal but probably ok pees. So, when  I'd been turning the pedals hard for about a couple of hours (tired) and the breakfast coffee was starting to do it's thing I couldn't find a single SIBPOK places to go. Thankfully, there are lots of viewing areas along the coast and some have facilities - L.P. it will have to be! So as luck would have it one materialised and I ducked into the car park and availed myself of said facilities. It was only on the way out that I realised in my rush/tiredness I'd used the ladies! It was in IP after all!

I'm the first to admit I'm a competitive so and so. If I'm overtaken on a bike I usually respond in the appropriate manner - i.e. getting back in front and destroying the upstart! so when I youngster of about 16 overtook me on a mountain bike on the climb into Newport I was rather perturbed. I had to weigh up - I've done 30 odd miles into the teeth of this wind. He's just come out of that side street fresh as a daisy. Let's be grown up and ... <pause> .. no I can't do it. Up went the gears, out of the saddle I went and destroyed he was - in the cold light of evening this doesn't make me feel so big after all!

Did I tell you about the tunnels the other day? I don't think so. There are some really big headlands so they need some tunnels through. They have a button for cyclists to press so lights flash and motorists know to be careful. This is all well and good but the noise of the big Trucks is so deafening in the tunnel that it's still rmore than a little unnerving. I''ve taken to waiting until there is a good clear bit of road behind me before going in there. A new phenomena today was a number of car drivers tooting their horn in the tunnel for a laugh. While I'm sure it's a hoot, it's more than a little perturbing for your poor wee cyclist -Gonnae no do that!

Ok, I'm going to sign off now. I'm taking my first rest day of the trip tomorrow in a place called florence. The motel has a PC, theres a laundry 50m away and there are loads of sand dunes. Photo catch up will commence tomorrow. That is all for today...

Breakfast blog post. Sat 17 Oct

Tomorrow will be my first rest day. Tiredness setting in and by my calc i have just over 100 miles in the bank.

Injury update...
Head- tired and irritable. operational capacity 72%
Neck- was shot to pieces after long flight but has recovered to 96% op cap
Back- getting better every day. fewer stops required now. op cap 84%
Upper legs- gluts being treated with tennis ball morning and night and operating at 77%
Hammys- no problemo 96%
Quads- tightness requiring more stretchins etc now. op cap 68%
knees- right knee niggling at top front. suspect due to quad tightness. watching closely. op cap 46%
calfs- wee twinge in left yesterday. suspect fine. op cap 85%

today should be less hilly but stronger 10-15mph headwind. BAH!

oh well those pedals aint gonna turn themselves.

Day 10 report -pt 4

...off the main 101 road the map sent me and im glad it did because i didnt see a single car for over 10 miles following the "old scenic 101 highway" There was a bit of climbing but im getting used to it by now. Theyre all long slow 8 or so %ers so you just need to dig in.

A final twist in the tail was some full motels in lincoln city! dont panic, captain mainwaring! i got a room in the end. Did i say final twist? Ive just been defeated by a burrito the size of a rugby ball.

Maybe ill find a pc for photo catch up tomorrow...until then...

Day 10 report pt 3

...so puncture number 2 strikes and this time in the field.

Deep breath required...theres nothing else for it, inner tube duly replaced but my wee hand held pump is only for temporary fix ups and the next bike shop is in Newport, 50 mikes away. BAH! Oh, well...its all part of the legend, as a wise man once said. I just wanted to get moving again and headed off despite the underinflated rear wheel - this being more of a worry as the rear carries more weight. I needed more snacks as well but had grown tired of Pacific City. I was glad the 10 miles to neskowin werent too hilly and Neskowin had a farm shop...with bananas...and tigers milk bars...and whats this? a mobile, not featured on my map (i learned later only there on fridays!) bike repair their! I borrowed their pump and i promised to ask the mapmakers to put them on there...the cycling omens are with me once more!

Not content with that i followed the maps advised longer route away from the 101 again...tbc

Day 10 report - Garibaldi to Lincoln city pt 2

...as i was saying, the first hour was a joyous 16 miles. The innocuous waft of a breeze was from my back today for a change and even a small tailwind makes all the difference. Also, my map directed me off the 101 along a very quiet coastal road. Oh, and the sun was back!

After the first hour the climbing started but i didnt mind. Oceanside and Netarts offered stunning beaches and Sandlake had a sand lake! Really, it was amazing. So a triumphant 44 mile morning it was .The afternoon miles were to be all for the bank. Then lunch came...

lunch itself was ok but i wish i could get a simple pasta with green salad somewhere.

I always finish lunch with a trip to the toilet to apply sunblock and chamois cream - both very necessary. However, this time my sunblock slipped off the cistern int o the bowl...comedy try to catch .moment..AHH!...had to be jettisoned...and even worse i returned to my bike to find a flat rear wheel! ...tbc...

Day 10 report - Garibaldi to Lincoln City pt1

Total miles 68.7
Average speed 13.1mph
Total ascent 1083m

(Sorry, no pc so blind blogging again- this means i cant see commentsso apologies if youve asked a q and im not replying yet)

What of today, then? Some of the best cycling so far, punctuated by an uncharacteristcally deflating lunch!

Ive been setting an alarm for 6:30 and today was no different. except today at 6:30 i set it back to 7...and at 7 i was trying to convince myself a rest day was a good idea. In such dire situations the one thing that is guaranteed to get me moving is switching on the tv. Its good to get the weather and a bit of news...or thats the plan. Now, im not a fan of telly back home either and apologies if i offend; but Bruce Sprinsteen once did a song called "57 channels and nothing on". The Boss called it, and it seems like theres more ads than anything else. This is enough to fire me up into action...

Country music with breafast again and the first hour on the bike was a dream...tbc...

Day 9 report - pt 3

...as i was saying garibaldi city is quiet and seems to be running down after summer season. I did manage to get a halibut fish supper though. Cant be bad!

As a final thought for the day my overall stats are below. An early night beckons...9 last night and wont be much later tonight. I seem to be tired...I wonder why? ;)

days 9
miles 463 (by the maps)
ascent 5910m

days left 32
miles to go 1392

miles in the bank versus 45 per day average : 58

Day 9 Report - pt 2

...as ive said before...lunch, if done right, can turn a bad day around. i was once again ready for the fight...and just as well because there were indeed the foretold hills, but also a niggly wee headwind. Ive actually been facing a light headwind for a couple of days now. nothing youd really write home about (oh, it seems i am!) but anyone who's cycled edinburgh to north berwick and back knows how a seemingly innocuous waft going out can be extremely wearing on the way back. there is no cover, like parts of the oregon coast. While on the subject i can report that what ive seen thus far is quite stunning (photos to come). So back to the headwind...this and the rolling terrain meant i needed to switch to impulse power for the last few miles into garibaldi. I can neither confirm nor deny whether the famous italian general of the same name came here. What i can say is that the town...ahem, i do apologise, city...in oregon it seems everywhere is a city... is quiet...tbc

Day 9 Report - Astoria to Garibaldi Pt 1

Total miles 63.9
average speed 12.1mph
total ascent 1039m

Im blogging blind today from a phone. No access to a PC in town.

Day 9 was miserable! Or the morning was at any rate. The first real rain of the trip started 10 mins after kick off and in fact it was maybe not strictly rain. it was the type of spray drizzle we have in scotland that soaks you within seconds. Good job i had the pocket rocket to call upon. But not before my windproof top was drenched. Waterproof overshoes deployed as well. This was a morning to just get through. It often happens when you are getting rained on (hence the well known saying!) and a 3 mile map misread didnt help. I was having an inner debate with myself - this is awful, stop at lunch - tomorrow might be no better lets keep going. Resolution of this debate was thankfully not required as the rain stopped just before lunch in Canno n Beach.

During lunch i saw a humming bird and while saddling up to set off i was kindly given some tips for california...

Day 8 Report - Castle Rock to Astoria

Total Miles 63.9
Average Speed 12.9mph
Total Ascent 1060m

Today was a day of many firsts / mosts.

- First day I REALLY didn't want to get on my bike
- First time in Oregon state!
- First time I had 2 lunches (will explain later - do I need to explain?!)
- Most climbing in a day so far
- First beaver road-kill (I've also seen a couple of racoon and some deer)
- First Puncture (don't mention the "p" word!) - actually it was last night directly after blogging so not as bad as en route.

The first puncture - when I came out of the library my front wheel was flat. Not a big deal as I put in a new inner tube. The only slight irritation is that I only have a hand pump and you can't get the same pressure which means it takes more effort to cycle and there is a slight danger of the tyre being damaged on the sides where there is less protection. A young lad (Shawn) who had been studying in the library offered the use of his biger pump but unfortunately it only fitted a different type of valve - thanks for trying! After looking at my blog last night Shawn emailed to own up to being the phantom library hummer!

So what of today? It had been billed as a steep climb day so I passed up on the conti breakfast at my motel and got a good ol' country style breakfast at Hatties. Country style indeed as they had country music playing on their speakers. I've no idea what artist it was - (I think it was a radio station with a mix) but I really enjoyed it. I might get stick from the young and hip but I like country music - deal with it!

I was ready for a battle against some really steep climbs but they never actually materialised. Don't get me wrong there were some tough climbs in there. But they were more long and gradual than the brutal 20-30%ers I was expecting after the warning in the map. So feeling quite pleased that I'd avoided the walk of shame (walking my bike up a hill!) I wheeled into Cathlamet on my way to get the short ferry to Oregon. I'd just missed one of the hourly sailings so dropped into a cafe for refreshment - the bagels looked tempting so a jalopeno bagel with cream cheese was lunch #1 at midday.

By the way, Cathlamet is a lovely wee historic town - the cafe lady saidwith pride that there are no red light stops in the whole county!

I got the ferry at 1 and it took 15 minutes to get to Oregon but I couldn't leave the ferry town of West Port without partaking of Lunch #2 - Buffalo Burger with potato salad.

I've been burning something like 3000 extra calories a day so I'm actually entitled to 2 breakfasts and dinners as well! But that's just not possible in the time available.

So here I am in Astoria and I've finished map #1. For the first time I allowed myself a look at map 2 last night and it looks much harder terrain. They have an elevation profile that looks like a earthquake readout. Just as well I didn't look at it until I was stronger and ready for the challenge. The other thing it says in the notes is that this coast is liable to get fog - on these days clearly cycling is a no-no. So I need a new plan. I can't do just my 50 miles a day and expect everything to go well. I will need to make hay while the sun shines and get some miles in the bag.

So from now on I'm planning on averaging around 60-70 miles a day so I can take the odd day off later if required - or if I fancy a well earned rest.

Lewis and Clark note- It seems Oregon are quite proud of these pair two and have trails and a national park in their name.

Must run as the Astoria library is about to close - I'm using one of their PCs for this today.

Just before I do - On some of the more major roads there are rumble strips like we have at home on motorways. Only they also have them in the middle of the road too. My first time on one of these I was minding my own business in the hard shoulder when I hear a really loud noise. What's that??? It sounded exactly like the pods in the pod racing scene of Star Wars episode 1. Have I got Anakin skywalker on my tail - or even worse the alien chap that looks like a dog who steers with his feet?!?

But no, it was a courteous lorry giving me a wide berth and going over the central rumble strip - I had to laugh at myself once again.

Day 7 report - Centralia to Castle Rock

Total Miles 43.4
Average Speed 13.7mph
Total ascent 518m

A shorter day, but just enough climbing to keep me honest! Highest maximum speed of the trip so far today - 38.5mph on a long straight empty road. I could see for miles and decided to leave off the brakes for a change (see later for reason!)

Today was intended to be shorter for a couple of reasons. First it had been a longer day yesterday and I don't want to burn out. There's still 5 weeks and c1500 miles to go! Also, to stay on my planned route and with quiet roads I'd have needed to have done another 35 miles on top over some "steep climbs". Mini cornwall was only called "moderate" so I decided to leave the "steep" ones until the start of a day rather than the end.

Another option I hadn't thought of until this morning was mentioned by a cyclist I'd already met a couple of days before - coincidentally staying in the same motel last night he checked out as I was eating breakfast. He (sorry I've forgotten his name- Steve I think but I'm probably wrong) and another tourer (Dave - I do remember this name) had met and teamed up up a few days ago and they were going to go "off piste" and push on to a bigger place called Longview. This would mean a longer day today - on some busier roads to finish but a shorter, flatter day tomorrow. But I'm not scared of a few "steep climbs" - or I'd like to find out what they're like at any rate. I've not had to walk any climbs yet - maybe tomorrow! Also, maybe I'll get a good view at the top.

Anyway, tomorrow will be about 65 miles and hilly! Just as well today was short!

Another significant thing about tomorrow is that it will be the last on map 1 of the 5 I'll be using down to San Diego. Here they are...

Each one of these covers about 400 miles (except the last one, which I think is just under 300). Inside these little beauties it splits into little, detailed maps of circa 30 miles like these...

So after tomorrow I get to switch onto map 2!

What about Day 7? Here goes...

I had a continental breakfast in the motel (some motels give you a "complimentary" breakfast, but it isn't a great breakfast and you just end up paying the same overall). These breakfasts tend to be cereal, bagels, pastries, waffles, toast. All fine except there's only so much of this carb stuff that can be stomached in one sitting and I feel hungry again quite soon after. I think I'll stick to eggs, hash browns etc in future if I can.

Ok, so not 100% satisfied by breakfast I pedalled off. The morning climb was quite  along one relatively speaking but I knew it was a short day so I was not perturbed. Another cloudy day which was fine by me.

The highlight of the morning session was a quick stop off at the Lewis and Clark state park. No, Lewis and clark are not from the New adventures of superman from the early 90s (That was Lois and Clark - this strapline was presumably a clever play on words with a nod to the real Lewis and Clark). Lewis and Clark are quite important figures in US history and Washington State in particular - although it seems they haven't had the credit they deserved (according to wiki!). They explored and mapped out much of the area in 1804. It was the first expedition to the Pacific coast and had both scientific and commercial aims. Check out "Looking for Lewis and Clark" but the Long Ryders - one of my favourite Alt Country bands of the 80s. I don't think the song is really about them - more about being disillusioned and harping back to simpler times. Anyway, it won't be to everyones taste but then again what is?

The park itself was lovely - a big old pine forest. To me these pines seemed enormous - wait until I get to the Redwoods eh? The overwhelming thing in these forests is the silence, the trees really block out the sound.

Another notable occurence this morning was being chased by a couple of big dogs! Now, I've lost count of the number of dogs that have barked and chased me so far - from behind a fence! No worries there. These two seemed to have escaped and I passed them foraging in the undergrowth. Now, these two brutes were quite large. They didn't bark so I'm not sure if they were only interested in playing or biting but I wasn't going to hang around to find out. I got out of the saddle and kicked in with overdrive. After a couple of minutes at full speed I looked around - I'd opened up a decent gap but they were still following! Were these canine versions of Anrie in Terminator?  At this stage I was very thankful there were no steep climbs coming up soon. On the contrary, there was a nice long straight descent - top speed of the trip so far was set! (see above).

A shortish morning (28 miles I think) and an early lunch was welcomed at Toledo- 2 big pizza slices and a diet pepsi -  all for 7 bucks - nae bad.

During the short afternoon session (of about 15 miles) I reflected that I was now entering countryside that looked quite a bit like Scotland. The trees were shorter and the grass was quite green. I was passing what must have been good fishing rivers as there were a few pickups and guys dipping a line in the water <Pause - I'm in a library in Castle Rock writing this - there are 8 PCs - on my left there is a woman who seems to say out loud everything on screen - two PCs to my right there is a guy listening to music on headphones and humming along! You have to laugh!>

So here I am in Castle Rock. Unfortunately there are no Motels in the town centre. Much like a lot of the towns here a lot of the restaurants and accomodation is next to the big main road just outside town. It's a shame because I think it's keeping people and business away from some of these small towns. It's also bad for me as I have to walk a long way into town - or cycle as I did today. These evening miles will not be included in my totals.

Day 6 Report - Shelton to Centralia

Total Miles 63.8
Average Speed 14.5mph
Total Ascent 377m

Centralia sounds as if it should be a continent doesn't it?

My longest day so far in terms of milage but apart from the usual morning "loosener" climbs this was pretty flat and good for getting into rhythm (I'd like to say time trial mode but this is not easy with a load). Morning "looseners" were a firm fixture on our LEJOG trip last year - remember them Gav? Before any toilet references come in again (sorry Mike!) I'll explain... Usually big towns are situated by rivers etc at the bottom of valleys for shelter etc etc. So we usually finish a day with a nice warm down descent into town for lodging. But this means there is normally a "loosener" morning climb back up.

However, I really need to start this report before I got on the bike. Over a couple or three pints in the excellent Grove Street Brewhouse last night my beer drinking chums recommended a particular diner for breakfast - Nita's. This is no ordinary diner. It has been there for many a long year and the eponymous Nita is 93 years old. I had to try breakfast at Nita's and I didn't regret it. I was told on entering that pancakes were her speciality so I had eggs, hash browns and a side order of a pancake (they're quite big!). (Slight aside - in the US, it seems scrambled eggs are really an omelette - can someone confirm or deny my thinking here please?). The pancake was indeed spectacular. Very light and soaked up the maple syrup a treat. Thanks for the recommendation guys!

Ok, so on to the cycling. I knew this was to be a longer day so I set off at a relatively early 9:30. It's difficult to get away much earlier than this as you need a big breakfast and time for it to digest a bit.

It was overcast and so (see pic catch-up I got to wear my new okleys. I also had the pock rock on initially (pock rock = Alura pocket rocket waterproof jacket) as it was on the chilly side. At my first stop I swapped this for a base layer under my jersey as the pock rock is quite tremendous at what it is designed for, but breathable it is not.

On my way out of Shelton I worked out that this area is really about trees and logging. I've seen nothing but trees since I got into Washington state - they have a lot of them. My walk back from Nita's was disturbed by a train honking - laden with logs. There were loggin lorries at a couple of points when I had to take a busier road. And from my lunch seat (in Oakville - the clue is in the name) there was a big pile of logs across the road. Maybe Seattle would have something to say but my own experience so far is that this state is all about the outdoors - and what a great outdoors it is too.

On my morning ride I did have to laugh at myself on remembering a short conversation I'd had a few days ago. People over here have been tremendous so far. So friendly. In Bellingham the Motel person was asking about my bike and what it was made of. So I said "It's Aluminium" - blank look for a second, then "Oh Aluminum". I now feel guilty for saying "We say tomato, you say tomayto"
(Sorry). From now on it will be "When in Rome..." - my bike is made from Aluminum.

On the way to lunch I had to stop at a level crossing for the first time. You have to be careful as sometimes there is no fance/gate. Thankfully they do have a loud horn that cannot be missed (especially as I have a no music policy while cycling).

So by lunchtime I'd completed a slightly barnstorming performance of 44.3 miles at 14.1mph with 335m climb. Always good to break the back of the day in the morning shift.

During the afternoon I had to switch back to my full black bright oakleys as the sun was up and it was getting warmer. The 20 odd miles into centralia were quite flat and fast. The most notable event was passing a school about 10 miles out - not for the school, but for the (I lost count) double figures at least number of school buses. Must be a big school!

I'm tempted to do a bit of a summary so far but I'll leave that until after tomorrow for a full 7 day, week long reflection.

Ok, I'm off to take my washed clothes out of the drier (hope they've not shrunk - I had it on the cold and delicate settings) and then find an enormous steak for dinner.

Tomorrow is a slightly shorter ride - I'll explain why tomorrow...

Pic Catch-up #7 - new kit finally used

Cloudy day on day 6 so first chance to use my new oakleys. They really do brighten up dark and dingy conditions. Niiiiiiice!

Pic catch up #6 - snacktastic again

Now I know why Wiggle sends a pack of these little beauties with every order. Thank you Wiggle!

Pic Catch up #5 - It's all getting a bit silly

The creature from the blog lagoon!

Pic Catch-up #4 - Snacktastic

I'm a Tiger, ROOOOAAAAR!

Snacking is essential and this is my fave so far (apart from bananas). Only found these little beauties in Seven 11 so far. Must find the nearest Seven 11!

Pic catch up #3 - Stunning!

This is day 3- coming out of Bellingham. Pretty stunning!

Pic catch up #2 - bridge

I need to cycle over that bridge! Day 2 again, on the way to Bellingham. Did I mention that it was scorchio?

Pic catch-up #1 - Trees!

Day 2 - out of the city at last and into some tree lined roads. I'll be seeing more of these!

Note, this was actually just over the border into the US and the first American I spoke with was a jogger - in this heat! I thought it was mad dogs and Englishmen?! Anyway he kindly took a photo.

Day 5 report part 2

... but if those 2 before and after lunch werent 30%ers then im a dutchman!

So what do i think about all day when im on the bike? Lots of tripe...and quite a lot of the time i cant remember it 5 minutes later and just as well!

One topic i do remember is taking things for granted. We cant get by without our smartphones, facebook , cars, lazyboy chairs (sorry unohu, i couldnt resist it!). i took school for granted and maybe thats why im doing this challenge for room to read. i think im about 86% there for building a library for some children who would give anything for an education. thanks for all the donations so far. The link is on the left! Til tomorrow...

Day 5 report - silverdale to shelton part 1

Total miles 49.7
Average speed 13.3mph
Total ascent 602m

Hi again, a recovery or consolidation day today. But the truth is i now need to be careful as theres big distances between motels. For example, tomorrow is either a 20 or 65 miler. I choose the latter.

Most of you will find it hard to beleive that i've only had one lager and one glass of wine since arriving in north america. Well tonight the sign of the Grove street Brewhouse was too tempting to walk past. Jimbo has his needs! 3 pints later and i have some new freinds...Frank B Smith, Jacob and Taron Wokojance and Pat. Nice to meet you guys! and the beer was splendid too.

Back to the report. Another scorcher and i spent a couple more miles in bremerton than i'd inrtended. However, apart from my statutory 2 mile map misread an excellent out of town, mostly quiet traffic road day. Less overall climb today (by the way the stat i quote is metres climbed. i invariably have been descending the same amount too each day) ... tbc

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