Day 11- North Bend, OR., 98km.

Day 11 - Satellite Map Route

Another great day of riding with the wind at their backs over rolling hills and flat terrain that made it seem like they were floating along the road.  The traffic is getting heavier, especially with the long weekend starting, but the good bike lanes keep them safe. For much of today there was a huge continuous sand dune between them and the ocean.  In places it was as much at 100ft high and 2-3 miles wide (ie 3-5km).  The dune is part of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.  Pretty impressive scenery.  On their ride today they went through Florence where they stopped for breakfast, Gardiner for a photo op, on to Reedsport for lunch and stopped in North Bend for supper and the night. 

Day 11 - Rest stop at Gardiner, OR

Day11 - View of the start of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area

Posted by Janet

Day 10 - Washburne Memorial State Park, OR. 103km

Day10 Route

It sounds like Thursday's ride was one of those days that makes long distance cyclists keep coming back for more.  From the time they left Lincoln City, they had the wind at their backs, gorgeous vistas and scenery continually unfolding all day and beaches that appeared to go on forever.  They camped the night at Washburn Memorial State Park after filling up on a big late lunch and picking up some snacks for the evening munchies so they didn't have to ride back into town for supper (& adding another 40km to the day)!

Gary sent these pictures with the comment

"we meet the nicest people. One lady took the picture of us;she was driving her 93 year old mother who  wanted to see the coast. The other photo is of a young french couple whom we met and rode with for a ways; they were enroute south as well and soon went on ahead" 

Day 10 - Enjoying the day

Day 10 - Tug & Kevin sharing the moment

 Posted by Janet

Day 9 - Lincoln City, OR. 74km

A rainy start and late breakfast had the guys wondering just what they were doing this morning.   For 3 hours the rode in the rain that included a super big uphill section that left them as wet inside their gear as outside. Then as they rode into Sand Lake the sun emerged and they finally found a place open for breakfast.   Happier and drier they continued on along the coast marvelling at the stunning panoramic views and gorgeous, continuous beaches stretching out for miles below the highway. 

Maurice and Gary at Lookout in rain & fog (this one's for Maya)

They are seeing more and more cyclists going both directions and still find it a heartwarming experience to continually meet and talk to really nice people whenever they stop, especially the kids who want to know what these granpa's are doing and where they are going.
Their route today took them through Netarts, Sand Lake, and Pacific City via Cape Lookout State Park where they climbed the 1st of 2 "stinker" hills.  This one 5 km up and 5km down.  The 2nd hill came at the end of the day as they rode into Lincoln City.  They are spending the night at the Ashley Inn in Lincoln City, drying out and taking the opportunity to do their laundry (group decision that it was time!) and in good spirits despite the rotten start to the day.

Day 9 Route

Posted by Janet

Day 8 - Tillamook, OR. 117km

Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach (Attribution: Postdlf from w)

Today the guys left Astoria and headed for the coast but it wasn't until they reached Cannon Beach 40km into their ride that they first saw the ocean and stopped to enjoy the moment.  It sounds like a pretty spectacular beach with massive sea stacks (pictures were taken but still haven't been able to send) but this web picture is certainly impressive.

Live steam train in Rockaway

For the rest of the day they rode along the rolling hills of the Coast Highway, but like so many coastal roads that appear to hug the coast there is often a strip of trees between you and the view so they only saw the ocean in the little vignettes and in the coastal towns along the way.  Today they rode through many of these.  There was Arch Cape, Manzanita for lunch, Nehalem, Wheeler, Manhatten Bay, Rockaway Beach where they took an ice-cream break and watched a live steam train for a while, Garibaldi, Bay City and Tillamook where they set up in the Tillamook RV Park for the night.
Just like their x-Canada trip they continue to meet fellow cyclists and have been leapfrogging and meeting up at rest stops and restaurants with a fellow from Chicago who is cycling alone to the southern tip of Mexico.

Day 8 Route

Posted by Janet

Day 7 - Astoria, OR. 110km

Comfort Inn, Astoria

Seven days of riding and they are now in Oregon and to celebrate they have left the tents folded for the night and settled in to the Comfort Inn (well, that and the fact that it rained the night before and they started the day in dense fog so everything was wet and soggy!) Also, as suspected the "Night of Trains" did occur and they now know just how many trains of all shapes and sizes travel along the tracks by the Toutle River RV Resort and it's a lot!  So I would agree they deserve a dry, quiet, comfortable night to start the Oregon section of their trip.

However, just so the Toutle River RV Resort isn't solely remembered for the train whistles, they experienced the kindness of strangers who went out of their way help the guys.  They had been told that the local pizza store delivered to the park and that factored into their choice of a place to stay.  Unfortunately, they don't deliver on Sundays and going back into town would mean another 16km on their bikes.  Then the youth working in the convenience store offered to call his girlfriend and ask her to pick up a pizza at another place he knew was open but didn't deliver and said if she wasn't able to he would take his break and pick it up himself.  She could and did and the guys thoroughly enjoyed their pizza along with the kindness of a couple of teenagers. 

Day 7 Route

After leaving Castle Rock in dense fog they For much of the day they rode along the north side of the Columbia River over very hilly roads that consisted of long up hills and long downhills.  The crossed the Columbia River at Cathlamet by bridge and then by ferry and then rode into Astoria along Hwy 30.

Bridge at Cathlamet, WA

Ferry across the Columbia

Random cyclist crossing on Ferry

Posted by Janet: photos from

http://columbiariverimages.com/Regions/Places/cathlamet.html

http://bikearoundtheworld.typepad.com/bike-around-the-world/the-oregon-coast/

http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/2167d4/

http://www.comfortsuites.com/?sid=x8BLui.HnFk3gLVG.53

Day 6 - Toutle River RV Resort, Castle Rock, WA. 120km

Day 6

Today was a long but relatively easy riding day on flat roads.  For much of the day they were on Hwy 12 riding parallel to the railway (Gary's dream, not so sure about Tug's and Kevin's) but it did mean that it was flat and straight).  The temperature was more conducive to riding with overcast skies instead of the scorching sun of the previous day.  They started the day early with a 6am breakfast (I think they learned their lesson and sussed out breakfast places the night before this time!) at the Rusty Tractor in Elma and put in 85km before stopping for lunch.  They experienced a mixture of scenery along their way today; scrubland, old growth forest and farmland along a river.  They continue to meet and chat with lots of people at every stop, all interested in where these 3 amigos are headed.  A laden bike would seem to be a great conversation starter.

Toutle River at campground

 On their route today they passed by or through Oakville, Rochester, Centralia, and Toledo before arriving at Castle Rock where they found the Toutle River RV Resort to set up their tents for the night and discovered to their delight that they could buy cold beer in the office and get pizza delivered for their supper.  (Do we see a food theme emerging in this blog?) Tomorrow's reports may include an update on this RV Park though, apparently the Union Pacific railway runs right behind the park and that means trains blow their whistles at level crossings and the trains go by every hour or so!

Campsites

Posted by Janet pictures from http://www.greatrvresort.com/index.php

Day 5 - Elma RV Park, Elma, WA. 94km

Warm welcome

The guys knew they'd found a good place to stay for the night when Rhea, the campground manager, welcomed them with cookies and apples.  A great way to end a 94km day that had a bit of a rough start.  After leaving their campground they asked about places for breakfast and got some directions to a restaurant.  Unfortunately, it was not on their route so they asked about any on their route, to which the response was "You're going up the Trails Rd?" which should have been their first clue!  But up the road they went and up a hill that for the 1st time (including the x-Canada Trip)  they ended up walking their bikes.  Gary's assessment was that it made Blomidon Terrace in Wolfville look like a piece of cake and much steeper than the road up to Blomidon Prov. Park.  Needless to say that also meant that there were not too many restaurants along the road and so by 10am when they finally came to Shelton and found a restaurant for breakfast they were ready to eat their spare tires.

Previous bike trekkers at Elma RV Park

Their route today took them through Shelton along country side roads avoiding the more heavily trafficked main roads.  Although the route is taking them through the countryside, the area today was not the most scenic with vast areas that have been logged and are in early stages of reforestation.  It looks very hot and dry, a result of being in the rainshadow of the coastal mountains, perhaps.  Overall, though it was a pleasant ride and the Elma RV Park a welcoming place to pitch their tents for the night.  
They expect they have 2 more days of riding to reach Oregon and the coastal highway. 

Posted by Janet, photos from http://www.elmarvpark.com/index.php

Day 4 - Belfair State Park 118km

Day 4 Route

The guys report that they had a gorgeous, sunny day of cycling in temperatures in the low 20C - certainly a pleasant change from the previous chilly day.  A look at a Google map will show that they were riding through some rather undulating terrain and Gary's description of the ride being very hilly with some 'serious' hills periodically would confirm that (apparently getting out of Bremerton was quite a challenge but the discovery of the Diner below might have had something to do with that). Today's ride took them through Port Ludlow, across Paradise Bay to Hood Canal, Silverdale, Bremerton, Belfair to Belfair State Park for their first camping night.

But the day was not all slogging as they rode through forests of majestic trees that seemed to reach for the sky accompanied by all the sights and sounds that nature provides. 

Big Apple Diner

A highlight of the day though does seem to be coming across a Stirling's-like diner called the Big Apple Diner in Bremerton that not only had great food but was a flashback to the 60's diners of their youth. Fuel and memories, what more is there in life?

Sample fuel option at Big Apple Diner

Wonder who chose these deserts?

Posted by Janet

Day 3 - Port Townsend, WA. 78km

Ferry to Port Townsend

Gary is  still having problems sending pictures from his cell phone but this one taken during the 35 minute  Port Townsend - Coupeville Ferry trip got through and shows a rather overcast sky to go with a rather chilly 14 C. day that had the guys in their jackets all day as they rode into a headwind.  Quite a change from the heat wave we continue to enjoy in Nova Scotia. 

Today's Route (more-or-less)

Their ride today continued the rolling hills and picturesque scenery of yesterday.  Their route is generally following Hwy 20 although a few missed turns have meant some meandering and backtracking but that's all part of the adventure. 

They will be spending the night in Port Townsend (famous for being the location for the shooting of An Officer and A Gentleman) to explore the town and enjoy a warm night at the Aladdin Inn.

A Short Ride from Ferry to Aladdin Inn.

Posted by Janet

Day 2 - Bayview WA. 101km

Day 2 started in Blaine WA at the motel they landed in after leaving Vancouver airport the previous night.  Apparently motels on their route were not that numerous and even the one they chose was in the process of closing down.  But once they got the water to the toilet turned back on and chased down some sheets for the unmade beds they had a good nights sleep and a relaxed start for the day.

Their route for the day took them through Belllingham WA and beautiful scenery along rolling hills with periodic sea views of Puget Sound.  Sticking to their 100km/day plan they stopped for the night at Bayview State Park on the shore of Puget Sound after completing 101km. 

Due to some technological glitch still to be worked out I don't have any picture for today but I am assured they are stopping to smell the roses -  quite literally apparently!  But you can check out some photos of  Bay View State Park for a sense of the area.
posted by Janet

Day 1 - The Adventure Starts

Early morning start, Halifax Airport

A bleary-eyed 4:30am start from Wolfville got Gary, Tug & Kevin and their boxed bikes to Halifax airport in plenty of time for their 7am flight and a straight forward check-in.  Seems they are becoming pros at packing bikes well and avoiding any security hassles. 

Bikes getting reassembled

Kevin, Tug & Gary in Vancouver Airport

Posted by Janet

At 12:30 PDT they arrived in Vancouver where they were met by their very own Vancouver bike advisor, Brydon Dewar, who helped them reassemble their bikes and get them on the right path out of the airport heading for the border.  Their plan is to get close to the Canadian/USA border, get a good nights sleep and then head out for their first full day of riding tomorrow morning.

Vancouver 2 L.A. Bicycle Countdown

The training is done.  The bikes are tuned.  The gear is being prepared.  Time to get the trip going.
On Tuesday, Aug. 21st at 7am Gary, and Tug (Maurice, to some) will be joined by friend and fellow adventurer, Kevin McDonald for their next long distance ride from Vancouver to Los Angeles via the scenic West Coast Highway 1.  The plan is to ride out of the Vancouver airport and head south (that's downhill, you know!) but before they get to Vancouver there are some bikes to pack, gear to wittle down and goodbyes to family and friends.
Posted by Janet