Pain Freaks 2008 Bike Tour

[Pain Freak]

I'm not real sure where to put this, so I guess this will work....

Now, where to start? I flew out of Ontario Airport and was quite pleased through the whole process as I didn't have anything more then a bag in my hand to carry through. I'd shipped the bike up a week earlier. The gravity of the ride is coming into focus now and I'm realizing the total distance and what I've got to look foward to in the next couple of weeks. My plan was to ride 1544 miles and I accomplished a little more then this. 1576 miles to be exact. So I fly into Portland and I find my sister in law with no problem (she really found me).So we jump in the car and head off to WA. I wasn't aware of the distance from Portland to Astoria, but it took us over an hour to get there. One thing I realized was for about every hour of driving equates out to one day of bike riding. I'm trying to condense this and leave out all the personal thought s and stuff as it would make for way to long of a read. I kept a journal and now as I read back on it I realize I could write a book with all the stuff I put in there and I was just making shorter notes to elaborate on later. I need to find out how to do blogs.
Getting started. My in laws dropped me off in WA and I rode into Oregon. Anyone who has visited the Northwest knows this to be the most beautifulest place in the world and I still feel this way after all these years.

Fully loaded and ready to go:

This is the first bridge I came to, it's a big one and crosses the Columbia. I crossed it and looked down into the washing machine it ressembled. If someone was to fall into this I don't think they'd survive for long as it's really like a giant washing machine, the bridge is about 3 miles long. I started out riding across and got clipped by a motor home. This put me immediately up on the narrow sidewalk with a new sense of how close of a call I just had.The motorhome people really are unaware of exactly how wide there vehicles are and we had numerous close calls with them.Mostly the rentals, but with some of the second home types too.


same bridge but this is the side without the drawbridge

This bridge was huge, but it was also very helpful in how I'd deal with the 5 or 6 others I had to cross that were like it.

Here's the first tunnel on the WA side I had to contend with. There is very little shoulder in these and the sound is deafening.There is an elavated sidewalk but with panniers on the bike it won't fit. So I had to walk on the side walk and push the bike on the road. Very,very close quarters here and I was very happy to get this out of the way.


Fireworks were not being sold in OR so there was a run on the WA side.

Crossing into OR


The drivers in OR seem to be more tolerant of bikers but are not as used to them as we are here down south. People tend to be more accomodating, but I guess are not as used to dealing with bikes. For the most part they go out of there way to be nice. Except UPS drivers. They go out of there way to be mean and trying to scare you. At first I thought it was just one driver bit I watched as they passed bikers and they intentionally got closer as they approached bikes. This is not an exaggeration as I seen it numerouos times and almost all other tour riders commented the same. I will be writing a letter to UPS to complain, not that it'll go anywhere, but I'll still send it with copies to police agencies and congressman alike.

One of the first climbs into OR I get a view like this


The first day was on the 3rd and really was just kind of a shakeout ride. I knew I was going to motel it the first night as I had to get my stuff reorganized. The weather on this day was perfect and I logged in some good miles, but my butt was already telling me to back off. I had plenty of energy left, but why over do it on the first day so I holed up after 40 miles.

Another shot coming into OR

The next day I got up bright eyed and bushy-tailed and ready to rock. It was July 4th. I knew the forecast called for rain, but it also said there'd be a high of 63, so I knew I could ride in that kind of temp with no problem as I've done it numerous times before. So here comes the rain! and come it did. It's not like rain down here. Channel 7 would of called this a rain of biblical porportions. I'm not sure of the amount, but if I was to guess I'd say in excess of 3 inches that day. I could barely make out the road but I was detiremned to log some miles. And it was cold! I only managed 60 miles that day and that took everything I had just to do that. I finally gave up and got another room as it was already 9 pm ( it doesn't get dak till way past 9). So I get a hot shower and start to re-evaluate my distances. I'm now having some doubts as to how far I can ride in a day. The bike is weighing in at over 100 pounds and I keep adding to it. Food, water,gatorade, and a few other items. My clothes are my heaviset item and I'm thinking I need to re-evalute this. Next day I get up and it's raining but nothing like yesterday, so out I go. Within minutes my shell that's supposed to be water resistant, isn't. I'm soaked to the bone in a matter of minutes. The tempature is much better then the day before so I keep at it. I ride hard all day long. There is no level ground in OR. You are either going up or going down there is no in between. I'm so glad I had my LBS put on the triple, but there is a problem. All my weight is in the back as my LBS told me the front rack wouldn't be necessary. This was a big error. My front end would come up at the slightest of prompting and sometimes as I got off the bike it'd just flip back all by itself. By now I've found a few other tourers who are also doing the same ride as me.Suprisingly a lot of them are younger women who have an adventerous spirit and are not afraid of some hard work. It was about 50/50 out there.Men and women. It also made me feel good knowing younger folks are doing this and getting to know what a wonderful experience it can be.So for the rest of the day I fight the elements knowing that the forecast for tomorrow is no rain.Yippeee!!! As I ride on the weather changes and becomes quite comfortable, but I'm still soaked. I read there is a OR state campground up ahead and decide to make this my nighttime stay. Here's my first campsite.



9pm at night


So I get settled in. I set up my waterproof tent and make myself some freezedried dinner. Not bad, but it has a full days worth of sodium in every bag. About the time I was considering hitting the sack a few ladies pull in and they look more tired then me. I talk to them some and find out we started in the same place but they started a week before me. They are on there way to SoCal and are also concerned with making it by Aug 20th! There is a book called Cycling the Pacific Coast and almost everyone goes by this book as it has great riding descriptions and lists distances between parks with good campgrounds. Most everyone prefers the state grounds as they almost always have hot showers. The book gives distances between parks and there are lots of people using this book so we had a tendency to meet back up occasionally.

So I get to bed about 10 pm when it's finally dark. There was a slight mist but no rain. I figured I was all set as my tent was waterproof. NOT! 2 am I awake with a splash. It was like it was raining in my tent. I didn't pay much for it as I was hoping it wouldn't rain much. I pulled the sleeping bag back up over my head and tried to get back to sleep. I dozed on and off for the next 3 hours before giving up. It just got to hot under the bag with my head in it. So I broke camp in the dark and started pedaling at first light. I was miserable about this time and the weather was wrong, it was still raining and raining hard.I strted to get cold around noon. I finally hit a little city and the had a launbdry mat and a Goodwill store there. I had no cold weather clothes and no pants at all. I went to MacDonalds and got a chicken sandwich then over to the store and laundrymat. About this time I didn't care if I was adding more weight or not. I bought a very heavy shirt and some pants. I then went into the laundrymat but there was no place to change. For some reason they don't like to open their restrooms to the public, even if you're a paying customer. It was like this all the way to San Francisco. So I walk around back and change clothes outside in the rain. I really didn't care if anyone seen or not. I get my clothes dried and the rain has started to come down even more. My tent is soaked and my sleeping bag too. I resign myself to finding yet another room for the night. Later I found out I had lasted longer then everyone else I met. I get a room at the local Motel 6 and stretch out all my wet gear all over the room to dry out. I wanted to get a picture of this but the moisture had fouled up my camera. Everything was blurred and I was hoping it would eventually dry out.

Next day I feel rejuvenated as the sun is out and I'm off and peddaling at 6:30 am. Good start and the way I like it. I go hard all day long and make up for lost time. I log in 120 miles but it cost me. My poor butt is screaming for mercy, but knowing I can usually ride for 16 hours straight I don't listen. Big mistake. I finally start considering on calling it a day as there is a good state campsite up ahead. I first stop at a local store to buy some stuff to snack on for the night. When I'm in the store a lady asks me if I know I'm bleeding. I thought she was telling some kind of joke, but she wasn't. Both legs had blood running down them. I had peddeled into blisters that had gone into blood. I knew it hurt but while I was pedaling the effort made me concentrate on that pain instead of my poor butt. So I get my snacks and head to the campground. And now I feel it. Every stroke is agony. Now I'm concerned about the next day. I think I might have to lay over a day or two. Here's a few pix of the campsite I stayed at and some people I met who are walking the entire coast of OR stopping at all the state parks and giving talks. They are trying to raise money and awareness of the state park system.
Michael & Lupe
Sometimes he pushes her in one of those small kiddie trailers.

My home


Giving the talk, there was also ghost stories and some other fun stuff like smores making and stuff. I was invited to jump on in so I did. I had a great time, bloody booty and all.


So the next day I wake only to find the inside of my tent soaking wet again and there was no rain. This things a water magnet! So once again I pack up early and trying to be as quiet as possible I break camp. My butt is screaming in agony though and I decide to make a short day of it.

A few shots along the way.It really was very beautiful and I just loved the scenery. It was hard to believe you could see such gorgeous scenes from the side of the road.


A better shot of a lighthouse

[Pain Freak]

Problem with most lighthouses they are really high up on a point and climbing even a 500 foot climb is very difficult. So after logging 70 miles that day I ride into Cape Lookout in OR. Very nice place but you're up a ways and when the marine layer comes in your in rain. So once again I was soaked, but I didn't want to stay in another motel so I tuffed it out. I got up in the morning and after getting some ointment for my sorry arse I got going. By now I was over 300 miles down the coast of OR
but a lot less then I figured I'd be and I was trying hard to log some miles.But things finally strted clicking. I rode hard from here on till I met some others and decided to ride with them a few days. But first here was some other stuff along the way.


I guess I've been here before???

Lots of chainsaw carvings up there some were very amusing


My next days home



By now I'm making ecellent distance but my butt is a problem again and now I'm having some muscle and knee problems so I'm considering on scaling it back some but I still do over 100 again and find my self on the southern part of OR. I ride int o North Bend OR and I'm a little upset that it's not as nice as it used to be 30 something years ago last time I was here.
North Bend


So I have another bridge to cross over and this ones a biatch too but it's heading into Coos Bay and this place is still very nice. We even end up riding thru residential areas. The OR government has really helped with signage and if you were to just follow their signs you could do the whole thing but you'd have to stay very alert and not miss any of the signs. The book is an easier way to go. One thing I did notice was the lack of road kill in OR. There are plenty of ravens and buzzards lined up against the road so I'm assuming they are making quick work of the smatter critters. Here's one that ain't got ate yet.


About this time my camera became hit or miss. Sometimes it'd work and other times it wouldn't. I slept with it in my bag and that seemed to help. So the amount of pictures are drastically reduced for here on in. I finally find CA, but this isn't even the halfway point.

Still a little ways to go

Right before I crossed into CA I was climbing a short hill and at the top I seen what appeared to be a dog but as I rode closer I knew it had to be something else. It was moving kind of slow and as I got closer I seen it. It was a porcupine. Big sucker too. As I was searching for my camera a car was coming and I thought nothing of it as I assumed they'd see this massive animal in the roadway. They didn't. It was a pickup truck that never even slowed down. Went right over him and killed him instantly. The truck hit his brakes but never really even slowed down and just kept going. Sorry for our more morbid readers but thankfully the pix didn't come out.
Also when I hit Crescent City the temps go up over 100 degrees!

So now that I've hit CA I'm again motivated to get in some distance and I turn it up a notch. My butt problem is not gone but with a lot o lotion it's workable. I again log over 100 miles and
I also run into a herd of Elk. I could see them plain as day, but it's almost impossible to pick them out of the shots I got. There were over 20 of them that I could see, but they all moved back into the brush.


It seems they have something calld the Banana Belt up in this area and it was cooking, over 100 degrees. Last city in OR.

So I'm getting good mileage but getting very tired. About then I meet up with a group of people who have met each other along the way. A couple from Holland, a guy from Alaska (Pete)another from Simi Valley (Eric) and Brad from Santa Clarita, there were some more but I forgot names and where they were from.So after logging many miles by myself I join in to this ragtag bunch and we start riding together, well somewhat together. Brad and I ride out front as we are quite a bit faster and we talk a lot along the way. I didn't realize how much company makes the riding easier. The hours and the miles click by and before I know it were deep into the Redwoods (Avenue of the Giants)

Apic with a car to show the scale a little better. What you can't see is how tall these giants really are.

Brad got a pic of me



I have no problem obeying this guy...



So now with my new found friends I decide to take it down a notch for a few days and see if my knee and butt can get better. Problem is though Brad rides a little fast and I find myself always trying to catch him. I can do it but at the exopence of being totally worked and that's not why I'm out here. But the mileage goes down to 75 miles and I find that very workable.
But even in the redwoods it's warm


Finally back over by the coast it cools down a lot and the riding becomes much easier. Here's a place we stayed at across the street from here at a state park. CA is really lacking in this department but it seems the residents take better care of there stuff too. No writing on the walls or carving the tables and that kind of stuff.



More to come later as I have some things to do with my son today.

[Blue Rat]

It sounds like you had an awesome adventure. I can't wait to read about the rest of your journey.

[klutter]

Originally Posted by Pain Freak

...My plan was to ride 1544 miles and I accomplished a little more then this. 1576 miles to be exact.

So you biked for 32 miles before you realized you were lost? I'm impressed! I figured you would still be in Canada by now.

[Burner]

wait... no stories of getting lost yet?

glad you had a great experience.

[singletrakk]

wow!!!I'm jealous.Looks beautiful up there Mike. You kind of look tired in that one pic.Haha.Can't wait to read the rest.

[mfoga]

Glad you made it back, can't read the rest of the story.

[xhuskr]

just scanned it now and looked at the great photos...will sit down and read the whole thing in a bit...looks like you had a great time Mike. New avatar with your recreation area?

[davidB]

This is the RR I was waiting for!

So inspirational! it's now become a dream of mine to do something like this.

But wow, that's just too many miles to fathom

to think I just rode with you a couple weeks ago in the san gabes and you talked about it this ride briefly like it was nothing

[un-kola]

Fantastic journey,Mike! Can't wait to read more about your travels.Glad you had a good ride,and more importantly,glad you made it home safe and sound....sore butt and all!!! - Lloyd

[deja vu]

near death experiences, dripping tents, constant updates on the exact state of the posterior, and almost (but not quite) photos of freshly flattened porcupines. This is awesome, keep it coming!!!!

[Johnny Dirt]

Very nice, Mike. No wrong turns--Bravo!!