7/13/2013

I got to my new night time home, Stonegate Villas in So. Leggett, CA at 4 minutes to 2:00 exactly as planned.  Total journey was 57.5 miles.  Tomorrow There an eight hundred foot climb first thing followed closely by a 400 footer.  After that the terrain smooths out and destination is Albion, just south of Mendocino.
    It was warm today, in the upper 80s.  I kept well hydrated and didn't have any problems just a lot sweat going up a couple of the later hills.  Tomorrows ride should should be much more comfortable from the heat perspective because the climbs are in the early morning and after that I will be on the coast.
    The cellular signal is weak here and I can't get to the web so this entry will not be posted until Sun. 7/14.
     I am in error.  It seems to be working better now.  I will try again.

7/12/2013

Tonight I am in the bustling metropolis of Redcrest, CA (not!  It has only 112 inhabitants if you count Elks.).  The ride down was good especially since my Warm Showers host guided me on his bike (he rides to work every morning) on old Arcata highway and led me on a bike tour through Eureka.  After that I was on my own with the Adventure Cycling maps and all went well.
   I am staying at the Redcrest Resort in a funky little cabin.  The only other business in town is a cafe across the street.
    I had a burger at the little cafe tonight.  It met spec  and was filling.  I had asked about where to get a beer when I checked in and found out there none close, but the woman at check in counter asked what kind I liked and said that some people leave beer in the room refrigerators and she would check what they had.  This evening they showed up with a pale ale and an IPA.  That's what I call service above and beyond.

Anyway, here is a picture of my abode and the little cafe.

7/11/2013

First a synopsis of the journey:  I had a mini breakfast of an orange and 2 small garlic bread sticks I  had.  The reason was that there was not going to be a chance to get breakfast for 24 miles.  So off I go psyching myself up for the 700 foot Hill that was at the start of the section.  I was on the hill and coping with the challenge, after all I had done higher hills and they were not that traumatic.  The climb seemed to go on forever.  When I got to top the elevation sign said 1485 ft.  I looked at my map and discovered that I missed the turn that was to take me on a scenic route off of hwy 101.  So I decided to pay closer attention to the directions.  I did fine a nice little cafe in Orick, CA and had reasonably price smaller than usual breakfast.
    The next turn was onto the Trinidad Scenic Beach road.  What a mistake that was.  It was the worst road I have been on a bike.  Ruts, giant pot holes, patches on patches and even a dirt road in places. The scenery was beautiful for what I saw of it while dodging messy road.
   The next turn was onto a bike trail and after some dirt areas it turned out to be a very good route.
    Anyway I made it to Arcata by about 1:00 PM and bought some items at a grocery store and aye lunch in their deli eating area.

I had arranged last night to stay tonight at a Warm Showers host family in Arcaya.  I am setting on their patio now composing this entry.
They are Robert and Siv and work together at a medical office.  Picture below.

7/10/2013

Klamath, CA!  I'm in California.  About 53 miles today.  I day about because did a jaunt up the highway to check out three RV parks that advertised tent camp sites.  I was under whelmed; they were all after thoughts.  So I came back to the Motel Tree.  Its reasonable, spacious, well decorated with murals and is clean.
   Had breakfast at a restaurant that actually opened up at 6:00 AM as advertised and was on the road by 6:40.  A lot of good that did me, the coast was socked in with low thick fog (no pictures there).  However there was no wind yet and the big hill I had to climb south of Crescent City took me up out of the fog.  By the time I got to Klamath, the fog had retreated but the wind had kicked in and seemed to reverse direction in a very short distance.
    Tomorrows destination is the KOA
Campground in Arcata/Eureka.
About today's pictures:  One is of the fabulous Motel Tree and the other is across the street tourist attraction, "Trees of Mystery" with greetings from Paul Bunyon and Babe the ox.

And lastly and belatedly, the reason why its named the Forest Cafe.

7/9/2013

The day started out very smoothly got out of camp about 6:15. I rode  nine miles to Port Orford and had breakfast at the Paradise Cafe. Very good, very nutritious and was on my way by 7:30.  My day was warm when I started out from breakfast but was a little hazy as you can tell by some of the pictures that I have included and then a cleared up. Other than going up to a couple significant hills, I had a good time.
     Then the fog started rolling in and obscured anything to seaward.  I did manage to take a couple pictures of sea rocks.  I caught glimpses of two larger rocks just off shore and one connected to shore by a sand bar.  These rocks could rival Morro rock in size and one had significant foliage on it.
    I made it Brookings, OR about 2:00 and checked into the Blue Coast Motel.  Nice and fair priced.  I was searching for a place to eat dinner and have a local brew.  Not having much luck with that I went I the store to get food for lunch tomorrow.  While picking up my usual lunch items, I discovered they had a huge collection of Microbrews.  So I picked one and Health Choices frozen dinner.  Since my room has a microwave, I ate in tonight.

So here are the pictures of rocks.  You may have to zoom in/expand them for a clearer picture.

7/8/2013

In Langlois, OR KOA 67.8 miles.  Its nice nice here.  Not as much wind as there are more trees.  The tent camping spaces are a little bigger and there far more trees and shrubs between the sites to give more privacy.
   Had my standard camping dinner tonight.  Rice, chicken noodle soup and fresh cooked broccoli all cooked together in same pot.
    Laundrys done, shower taken and all preparations for packing up in the morning so all that is left is fang brushing etc.  Its getting cold so as soon as I finish this is prepare get into a  nice warm sleeping bag.

The picture of the day is of the bridge going over Coos Bay delta.  It is very similar to the one I crossed going into Astoria except Astoria's had a pre-bridge and a long low bridge between them.

7/7/2013

Made it to Reedsport, OR.  Made good time at a little over 12 mph.  I had a nice Spanish omelette at s small cafe in Reedsport .
      Most of the journey today was along the coast with vistas of river bays and sloughs plus more coves and  rugged rock shelves much like those at Montana De Oro.  I didn't take any pictures, you can go to Montana De Oro and see for your self.
    I am staying at the Best Budget Motel.  My kind of motel for bike touring, cheap, only $48.60.  That's only $12.00 more than my stay at the KOA last night.  The room is clean and shower works fine.
    Tonight and tomorrow are all planned.  Tonight its pizza and salad.  Tomorrow I go 3.5 miles up the road Winchester Bay to a restaurant that opens before 8:00 AM for breakfast.  I did my shopping for tomorrows lunch and dinner and I will be staying at another KOA  near Langlois, OR.
     The restaurant tonight is really two by the same company in the same building.  One is Bedrocks Pizzeria the other is Bedrocks Cowder House and Grill.  The restaurant in the morning is another one of Bedrocks.
    The pizza and salad were perfect (it was a salad bar creation) and I had a semi local ale from Rogue Brewery in Newport, OR.
   Below is a photo of the infamous Best Budget Motel.  As many of the thrifty motels I've been in, the motel is run/owned by an Indian family (from India).  They frequently have these older motels that they gradually update the facilities.  Not yet done to my room, but every thing worked and was clean.

7/6/2013

As planned, this was a short day in order to relax a little.  43.3 miles to Waldport, OR KOA kampground.  Left Lincoln City at 6:30 and arrived here  about 11:00.
    Set up the tent and other preparation duties including cleaning and lubing the bike chain plus adjusting the rear derailier.  Had lunch, which I bought in Newport, OR and took a shower.  Normal routine for camping.
    The wind,  which was my friend during the ride is chilly setting around camp, so I am hiding from it in the community room writing this.
     Tomorrow it's to Reedsport, OR.

Below are scenes along the way down here today.

   The first ithe strange little rocky islands rising out of Siletz Bay early this morning during low tide.

The second is of a typical cove in this area; this one is just south of Otter Rock.   The last is the bridge above the cove.

7/5/2013

Well, today was into normal distance for this trip (56.6 mi) but there were two hills, at or over 2 miles long and 750 and 850 feet high. I will not have  any more like that until the day after tomorrow.
    The KOA campground that I was interested in staying at had bad reviews and was not convenient to get to due to traffic so I opted for the Motel 6 in Lincoln,  OR.
    Speaking of traffic, this place is a zoo.  The congestion coming into town was so bad that I was able to keep, and often pass cars.  The result of the 4 day weekend I presume.
    I found a brew pub restaurant just a 10 minute walk from the motel.  Their Porter and stout are right on the taste I expect.
   I was so impressed with the line up and number of taps at the brew pub that I took a couple pictures of them. When I got back to my room, I discovered that they were not in memory, so there will be no pictures today. 
   Anyway, there is a whole wall of generically labeled spigots
ranging from the normal lites and their unlite brethren to all of the brewery's brews to 5 or 6 of the house chilled wines.

7/4/2013

I arrived Garibaldi, OR at 2:30 after a more reasonable ride of 63 miles.  There were 5 or 6 moderate hills an one longer and harder one just before Nehalem, but I'm not going to complain because the really hard stuff is yet to come.
    I had a dread that accommodations would be crowded today and probably though the weekend and the dreads were well founded.  I checked with or found all motels, a hostel and two campgrounds were full until I got the Harbor view Inn in Garibaldi 5 miles further than I planned to go.

As to the pictures:

       The first is the Astoria Bridge which I crossed over the Columbia River bay into Astoria.  The second is of the entrance to the Neblad Hotel and hostel.  The third is from a vista point over looking a view of beach area to the north along the Oregon coast north of Seaside.  The forth is an explanation plate with numbers referring to the different elements of the updated photo.  See if it is readable on your computer screen.  It is hard to read on my phone even when expanded.

LI

7/3/2013

Well I started out the day with my phone dead.  At first I thought that I had not plugged it in all the way but what really happened was when I got up in the middle of the night to checked what time it was I must have held the off button too long and the phone turned itself off.  The real problem was I had set the alarm and it didn't go off.  Fortunately I woke up and was only about 15 minutes late getting up and with the adrenalin rush I was able to get out the door on time and was on the road a little before 7:00AM. 
    As I mentioned in yesterdays installment, I had breakfast at the BeeHive Diner and, although I thought I would never take a picture of my food, I did this morning because it was so overwhelming.  I did not eat the whole thing.
    I made it Astoria, OR at 87.2 miles at about 3:00 PM.  I am at the Norblad Hotel and Hostel. Very nice accommodations for a hostel.  The  counter lady even helped me sclept my stuff up to the room and recommended  The brew pub across the street for local beers and dinner.
   I'm tired and going to bed.  Tomorrow the goal is in the mid 50 mile range around Rockaway Beach, OR.

7/2/2013

Today was a longer ride, almost 68 miles . I got started about 7:15 again after a, well I don't know, delicious breakfast at McDonalds. Actually their burritos breakfast plate is pretty good and inexpensive; comes with coffee in hash browns.
   Shortly after I started this morning I turned onto a side road as per Adventure Cycling directions and started up one of the rudest Hills I've had on the trip so far.  It was about a half a mile long and took forever and I was down to 3 miles an hour.  The rest of the route was gentle hills or flat.  There was a persistent head wind later in the morning since I was heading mostly SW and wind was mostly from the west.
    I ended up in Montesano, WA which is off the official Adventure Cycling route.  I decided to detour west and see some of the Washington coast and and go across a real cool bridge into Astoria, OR.  If all goes well tomorrow, I should be in Astoria at the end of the days ride.  This little detour should also cut off about 45 miles.
     Below is photo of the hotel at which I am staying.  Notice that the bottom floor is all small businesses.  The check-in is done in the convenience store of the Chevron station that is behind me.  The motel, Montesano Square Motel, is the only game in town.  There is no other motel and no close by campgrounds.
    The other picture is the Beehive Diner where I had dinner tonight and where I plan to have breakfast in the morning.  It seems to be the only place that is open early enough for my schedule.
   

7/1/13

Left Everett about 7:14 AM and arrived in beautiful downtown Belfair, WA  about 3:00 PM (not- it is not beautiful and it doesn't really have a downtown.  It is surrounded by nice  forests and what businesses it has are along the 3 highways that meet at its active center.).  The journey was pleasent and ferry ride from Edmonds to Kingston was short (30 min.) And sweet.  I even had a decaf coffee on board. 
   I stayed at the Befair Motel and had a couple local beers and dinner at the Woodshed Bar and Grill.  The beer was was good, the chicken strip sandwich was just OK.
   The room was very good for the price and I slept like a proverbial log.

    Sorry, no pictures today but I will try harder tomorrow.

6/29/13

Safe and  sound in Everett at my daughter's place.  The trip up here was uneventful except for a couple of wrong turns (or more precisely, not turning at the right place).  Part of the navigation problem was sparse signage for the Interurban Trail and lack of mileage notations in the Google turn-by-turn list.  I stopped often to check the Google map to see where I was in relation to the turn instructions.

   Below areparents, Gabi and Brandon of canine kids Ellie and Rook

6/27/13

I arrived on the train this evening at 8:07 PM (30 minutes early).  I didn't get to the American Hotel/International Hostel until 9:00 PM because the boxed up bikes are not brought out until all the regular checked baggage is delivered.  I also had to put the pedals an handle bars back on the bike.
   The hostel is a fixed up old, down town hotel, like all the others I have stayed in.  It is a step above some others in that it has nicer bathrooms and showers. And it serves a continental breakfast.
   Tomorrow I bicycle to Gabrielle's by traveling on the interurban bikeway.

June 25th 2013

I am resurrecting this blog to include the next adventure which is riding down the Pacific coast from Seattle to San Luis Obispo on my bicycle.  It will be called Pacific Coast bike tour.
I leave SLO on Wed. 6/26 and spend the weekend with my daughter, Gabrielle and her boyfriend.  I will be starting the tour on July 1st from Seattle and post blogs hopefully daily or whenever I have connectivity.