Outdoor For Ever

Jeremy decided to take it easy today, but I didn’t…so I decided to hit the road by myself again!…I was able to accomplish 63 miles today…I know, I know..I need to pick it up…but the road is so distracting!…

Oh yeah…Just because you are riding in the coast, does not mean the roads are flat….remember…you are still riding the mountains….

This area has so many Bed & Breakfast to choose from… Most of them with an ocean front…It is a really good area for a romantic getaway … I saw couples having lunch at the cliff of a mountain with the ocean in the background….

Small towns like Elk, Anchor bay, and Gualala can suck you in and keep you in this spectacular North Coast area…

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Oh yes!…Jeremy – the French Guy- can climb those hills like nothing. I really had a tough time this morning. He had to wait for me a couple times.

In this one you can see when I got Smoked!!

The morning ride was a tough one… specially Hwy 1 (this one leads you directly to the coast and away from the scary traffic)…we will be doing this one for a couple days until we hit San Francisco.

I was able to catch up to him eventually… during down hill of course!..jejejeje

The afternoon ride was just amazing…we finally hit the coast and decided to have lunch at some tiny store that had a gas pump really close to the entrance… Cars had to actually block the exit of the store while using the pump!

The rest of the day was just perfect for a bike ride….

It was a nice 67-mile bike ride….

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I did not do many miles today – only 55. I got distracted with this:

This is the Avenue of the Giants located in Humboldt State Park. It is a 32-mile portion of the old Highway 101, and it parallels the new Hwy 101.

I even got off the bike for about an hour and did small 1.5 mile hike…In the hike I found the Founders Tree; one of the biggest trees of the trail.

As I was leaving the park, I saw another biker – a guy from Lyon, France. He has been biking for about 3 months; he was coming from Canada and going to San Francisco. Just like me, He was excited to see me and happy to ride with someone … So I found a partner for the next three days!…

We found a Campsite in some random RV-park that had a chapel … The owner – Chris- was a really cool guy that offered us to sleep inside the chapel in case it rained…the only problem is that it was an open chapel, and it was cold… so we decided to just set up the tents right next to the chapel.

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After a nice 10 mile ride, I decided to stop for breakfast at a small restaurant on the side of the road…and what did I find?..People doing the same thing that I’m doing – well, kind of.

Two guys and a girl were doing a small portion of the Pacific Coast…I guess they noticed how excited I was to see them that they bought me breakfast. yeap…they were like…”well, we get sponsored for doing this, and we did not expend to much money on breakfast … so we are inviting you”…

They left first, but I was able to catch up to them later in the day….

I rode with them for a few miles until they decided to stop for a break…I just kept going. I hope to see them again in the future..will see.

The ride was just crazy beautiful…Never thought the Coast of Oregon was going to be like this…The coast is just a crash between the Mountains and the Ocean .. it is rough, it is beautiful, it is in your face!

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Finally riding in the west coast…This is actually my first time in the west coast of this country.

The weather was really nice; perfect for a bike ride – sunny and around 75. Even though it was a hilly ride (which i was not expecting), I was able to finish a 84.5 mile ride to Cape Blanco.

I did a quick stop at the beautiful city of Bandon for a quick lunch – Fish and Chips baby!.

Got my Fourth Flat as I was leaving the town….

Camping in Cape Blanco was incredible…I fall sleep with the sound of the ocean hitting the rocks…

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So the Guys from the bike shop showed me a good road to get to the coast – less traffic, less people, less hassle.

The scenery was beautiful, although I felt I was lost for like two hours…

So now in the Coast with this 87 mile ride.

Also the guys from work having fun with my trip…now with short hair and missing one tooth…

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It was an enjoyable 55 mile ride thru the valley (I know I am getting lazy), even though I broke another spoke – this time in the back wheel. Good thing I brought duct tape to fixed it until I found a bike shop…

The valley is just amazing…while riding thru the backroads, you can find huge farms with cows, sheep, fields of corn, and -the best thing- few cars…even though I could have taken a quicker way, it was really worth it.

I finally got to Eugene and Vince recommended me to go to Paul’s Bicycle Way of Life to have my bike fixed. So my bike is ready to go (again!).

I was able to get a bed on Eugene International Hostel. I really liked it… It is clean, staff is helpful, and the people are friendly…it is a good hostel for just 22 dollars at night – right on!

I found out that my friends at work are following my trip on our white board – really cool…

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About four months ago, I bought a bike jersey from REI with a cool design…I later realized that the design belonged to a bar in Portland, OR.

As I was leaving the city this morning i ran into the bar – without even looking for it. I thought that was cool…jejejeje

Anyways… I decided to ride south a bit more before hitting the coast…The ride “felt” very familiar. I thought I was riding around Chapel Hill, Texas…the roads were flat, long, and straight. This was a nice brake from the mountains.

It was a pretty standard 83 mile ride with no issues…which is good!

ah, yeah..i had a chance to FINALLY see a Bear!…i was so scared…

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Portland…. a city which infrastructure includes a whole network of bicycle lanes that are strategically located all over the place…making it one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the US.

When you are riding your bike in here, you don’t feel that you are in danger on getting hit by a car. Cars are comfortable with bikes and bikes are comfortable with cars…it just seems like a harmonic relationship between both groups…

So today I did not accomplish any miles towards my goal…it was not only a day to ride around the city, but also to get the bike back in shape…

Early in the morning i decided to go to REI (the huge outdoor store) to have my bikerepaired…when i was getting close to the store, i saw another small bike shop called The Missing Link…somehow i felt that it was better to get it fixed in a small store rather than a big one…and boy, i was so Right!

Mr. Joe Rettke (The owner) and Mr. Vince Rodarte (The Manager) took care of my bikelike if it was their own…they did not only fixed my spoke, but also found a few flaws that would have been a huge problem in the near future…

They fixed the rear skewer – the rod that goes thru the back wheel and helps attach the trailer- which was bended (due to the weight of the cargo), and Vince found out (while listening to the back wheel rotating) that the paws of the hub mechanism which allows the cassette of the wheel to rotate were broken inside…NOT GOOD…worst case scenario if this wouldn’t have been fixed, the cassette would have locked leading to loosing control of the back wheel while riding … in a downhill situation you could see me stopping my bike like Fred Flintstone..

So if you happen to be around the area and need some help with your bike, go see The Missing Link…they are just awesome! – here is their website: missinglinkpdx.com
Here are the guys fixing my bike, sharing stories, and drinking coffee…

The rear Broken Hub…I know, i suck taking close up pictures…

Few Pictures around portland…

and of course taking a break with the locals…even though he does not know i’m there…

ok..enough of today..let’s do some riding tomorrow

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