People were defintely right when they said that once you get to Oregon, the coast will be amazing. With extremely good weather and good company Oregon became some of the best bikespots I've been on. During the week when I had to turn around from Astoria when I dropped my wallet a bicyclist got killed by a big loggingtruck in Norther Oregon. The story was that the 80 year old man got "sucked" in to the truck while it was passing him but as a bicyclist I can tell that's not the case, the pressure from the air is not that strong. The reason is just the simple fact that the truckdriver just don't care and, apparently for him, is more important to maintain his downhill speed for the coming uphill than a human beings life. After being on parts of the coastroad were the sholder is bad and a lot of trucks is passing, you just step of the road as soon as you hear the sound of a big semi.
More than halfway down the Oregoncoast I got to the Oregon dunes which is the largest expanse of coastal sand dunes on the northamerican continent. Rolling in on the camp I met my Mexican friend who been biking ahead of my during the day and also Max from St Paul in Minnesota and Erin from Chicago. After dinner we were heading out to hang out on the sanddunes with a bottle of whiskey and a cigar Max bought during the day. The wind was really strong out on the dunes and after several attempts by Max of light up the cigar with me and Erin as shields, we realized it was not gonna happend.
After crashing in the tent I wook up in the night by the sound of rakoons fooling around outside which was gonna be a coming event further south later on during the trip. Sleepy and with my tent full of sand I woke up in the morning and looked out from my tent. Very close to me a new tent was pitched during the night. Erin and Max was gone and were the Mexican guy had been sitting the night before and having dinner, two Canadian girls were now having there breakfast. I felt kind of confused and for a moment I wondered if someone moved my tent during the night. I put on some clothes and went over to the girls for a chat and it turned out they just arrived pretty late during the night. Candace and Vanessa had just started there trip the day before in Eugene and was gonna bike down the coast to San Franscisco.
I went back north the 3 miles into Florence for breakfast before going south and after a couple of hours or so, I catched up the girls in an uphill and started to bike with them. We stopped in Redsport for a coffe and snack break and Candace was gonne fill up air in her tire. On a servostation the guy there fills it up way to hard and after some miles me and Vanessa hear a "Bang" behind us. The tube exploded and left a 3 inch crack in the fairly old tire. I helped her fixing it by putting in a bit of cardboard inside the tire and with a new tube it hold up to North Bend were we could get over a bikeshop for a new tire.
Southern Oregon was filled with nice weather and amazing coastline and while getting closer to the State of California and the famous Redwood forest I also started to get very close to my 23 birthday. I noticed it some week ago while I was in some store in Norther Oregon bying beer. The lady in the store asked me for ID and said "Have a good birthday on saturday". My first thought were "what?" before I realized that it's actually only a week left:). I guess if I wouldn't by beer on many of the nights after biking, I would have forgotten my own birthday.
Coming over to California it was like a border for the good weather. Cold and foggy weather welcomed us and while stopping on a store along the road for a snack I got one of the funniest comments on my trip so far. Me and Vanessa was standing in the store ready to pay our stuff. The guy who works there smiles and ask us about the trip and were we started. Vanessa says she started in Washington and I say Alaska. the guy is looking at me with a confused smile and say "Alaska?, Is there a road from there to here?. I thought it was just wilderness" I laughed and said that "Yes, it's a lot of wilderness but there is actually a road in the middle of it:)". Both of us laughing we went out to the bikes to carry on. Nextcoming day we entered Crescent city were we bought wine and food for my birthdayparty at Mill Creek the same day:). Biking in Northerna California was a lot of passing through smalltown America and when we came to the tiny town of Smith River a fleamarket was going on. People were selling old shit from there garage, homemade stuff and some band were playing on the back of a truck for people who sitting and listening on haybales along the street. We heard some guy yelling across the street "Hey Bill, don't forget the lawnmover race in the weekend". we were in redneckcalifornia:). Vanessa asked me were I thought people in this kind of desolated town work and I answer, I don't think they do work :).
The coming days we were biking through the redwood forest which was an amazing experince. The trees there are just enormous. The weather was kinda foggy and damp in the first couple of days in the very far north in the state. In Californa we met up with Erin again who was biking on her own when Max had to go back home. The route took us further inland and the weather went from cold to really hot and we were consuming sunblock in the same amount as water. I was now biking with Erin from Chicago with Candece and Vanessa plus some biking crew from Texas just half a day behind us.
Coming in to Eureka me and Erin went over to the campground there were the guidebook advices bikers to stay in town. Neither of us liked it with the big RV:s, playgrounds and the genral bad location so we decided to bike in to town and se what we found there. Eureka is kind of a rough industrial town and asking a guy on the street for a cheap motel were we could stay he mentioned one but finished the sentence with "But I wouldn't stay there because someone got shot there last week". We found another place thou and headed of to the brewery in town before we went to have souther food on a soulfood restaurant and later, shanty's pub.
After totally missing out on the free breakfast on the motel we got a late start after noon and we had some good days of biking on our way down south in California. we meeting up with the other crew of Bicyclist on camp in Legget and the day after I decide to do a longer day than the rest of the team that felt done by noon. I carried on in misty weather and in Manchester I stopped for camp in a state park. Biking around looking for a spot I started to talk to Paul from southern CA and his wife Roberta. We had a long chat during the evening. The weather this day and the day after was really foggy and damp which made the biking kind of depressing. Your'e biking along the coast with the ocean maybe 60 feets from you but you can't see it.
Even if I been biking alot by my self up in Alaska, Yukon and BC it felt kinda lonely for the couple of days I was biking for my self on the coast. Rolling in to Bodega Bay the weather was clearing up a little bit and I meet Peter from southern California. We start to chat during the evening. During the days before I actually been wondering if I was gonna meet anyone hauling surfboards behind a pedalbike and here he was. With a remodeled babytrailer Peter had loaded the thing with 2 surfboards and his wetsuits. He started up in Mandacino and making his way home to Ojai. We decided to bike togheter down to San Franscisco.
During the night in Bodega Bay a couple of Canadian gys from Vancouver is rolling in to camp. I meet the guys during the day at lunchtime while they were trying to figure out a damage rim in some town. During the night in Bodega we once again woke up by the sound of rakoons messing around with the bags outside. I went out to scare them away and took in my bags in the tent. In the morning I woke up and the Canadian guys was really concerned. 2 of there panniers that had been on the table outside during the night were now gone with some clothes, food and most important, the passports. First we thought that if it would have been the rakonns we would have heard it so we thought they must have been stolen until we took a look in the bushes were we found them. The plastic bags were they had the passports were halfway but the passport were still intact so I guess they backed of when they realized they were Canadians :).
Me and Peter carried on the last couple of days down towards San Franscisco. Good times with beautiful weather, a lot of beerstops during the days on varius bars and the knowledge of soon being up to crossing the Golden Gate Bridge we were happy cyclists. The day crossing the Golden Gate were really beautiful but a local fog covered the bridge so the view from it could have been better. San Franscisco itself is a really nice town and I spent 3 days there until I started to bike south again towards Santa Cruz Were I was gonna visit Brenna I met in NZ last year. Gonna stay here a couple of more days before I doing my last 2 bikedays for the year up to San Fran again to met up Micke for our roadtrip out to Vegas and Grand Canyon.
The pitures to this text was posted in the last post a couple of days ago, enjoy :)
Take care everybody
Showing posts with label Alaska - Down south 2011/2012. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alaska - Down south 2011/2012. Show all posts
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Friday, September 2, 2011
Good times on the westcoast
Nice coastline
Alcatraz!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
It's always beer a' clock at the westcoast :)
Howdy folks!
Riding west coasts seems to be a never ending story of good times. I've been biking along the Oregon Coast for a few days now and the weather have been excellent and the scenery stunning. That combined with meeting a lot of other travelers and having good times with food and beers on the afternoons while camping doesn't make it worse.
Started out in Olympia last Friday, for the second time, and so far I managed to keep my wallet in my bags:). The Washington part was kind of uninteresting and for a good reason, brought up bad memories along the road down to Astoria. When I came down to Astoria I found out that they had the 200 year "birthday" of the town that weekend and , apparently, it's the oldest town west of Minneapolis. They were really happy about it while I was thinking that there are few buildings in Europe that are younger than that:).
However, after Astoria the scenery adds up and The way to travel on the westcoast is defenitely to stay on the "Hike and Biker" sites along the road. We are pretty much gangs that are touring down south in different kind of speeds but decides before heading out were to stay for next night. Biking on the day is kind of hard work and so far, harder work than mostly of the days along the Alcan. Really good scenery and after 5pm it's beer a ' clock and time for a swim in the freaking cold pacific ocean:).
A lot of people are warning about you have to be careful when camping because there are apparently plenty of cougars around. I don't know about that thou, the only cougars I've seen are the ones in the bars along the road, but, they can be pretty aggressive also :) .
Okey, time to head out to find a good camping for the night. Take care and hera are some nice pics just a couple of hours old :)
Market in Seattle
Fish market in Seattle
along HW 101
Nice and small town along the coastroad
On the night this gigantic crab showed up:)
Nice farm a little bit inland form the coast.
I don't know:)
Looks pretty warm to go for a swim but it's freaking cold
Me and my Mexican friend, who's name I could possible not spell going in to grab a beer at the Irish pub.
Supper's on the stove :)
Highway 101 Oregon coast!
At the harbor in Florence
On one of the lookout's along the road.
Riding west coasts seems to be a never ending story of good times. I've been biking along the Oregon Coast for a few days now and the weather have been excellent and the scenery stunning. That combined with meeting a lot of other travelers and having good times with food and beers on the afternoons while camping doesn't make it worse.
Started out in Olympia last Friday, for the second time, and so far I managed to keep my wallet in my bags:). The Washington part was kind of uninteresting and for a good reason, brought up bad memories along the road down to Astoria. When I came down to Astoria I found out that they had the 200 year "birthday" of the town that weekend and , apparently, it's the oldest town west of Minneapolis. They were really happy about it while I was thinking that there are few buildings in Europe that are younger than that:).
However, after Astoria the scenery adds up and The way to travel on the westcoast is defenitely to stay on the "Hike and Biker" sites along the road. We are pretty much gangs that are touring down south in different kind of speeds but decides before heading out were to stay for next night. Biking on the day is kind of hard work and so far, harder work than mostly of the days along the Alcan. Really good scenery and after 5pm it's beer a ' clock and time for a swim in the freaking cold pacific ocean:).
A lot of people are warning about you have to be careful when camping because there are apparently plenty of cougars around. I don't know about that thou, the only cougars I've seen are the ones in the bars along the road, but, they can be pretty aggressive also :) .
Okey, time to head out to find a good camping for the night. Take care and hera are some nice pics just a couple of hours old :)
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
haha, noo, stuff like that does not happen to me.........yeah right!
It have not been to many negative stories on this blog during it's existens. In fact, I think the last one was from meeting gaylord Chris in Pennsylvania last year. That was something neither me or Emil could do to much about except for, what we also did, leave the place. This one is based on pure stupidity and you better enjoy reading it, it's my most expensive one! It costed me 400 bucks in cash, 2 creditcards, 1 drivinglicens and a very nice photo I got from a girl in southern Yukon Territorys.
On Friday morning I said goodby to Katrin, Dave, Wyatt and Fiona and started to make my way out from the capital of the state they call the evergreen one. HW 8 takes me out from Olympia and the countryside of Washington and closer to the coast I been looking forward to for so long. I made a stop in Elma for lunch that Katrin packed for me and an hour or so later, another stop in Montesano just before the intersection to hw 107. The stop in Montesano turned out to be a big mistake when I pulled up in front of an ATM and did a withdrawal on 400 bucks.I carried on and arrived to hw 101 that goes south along the coast. The weather was kind of boring and just outside South Bend I stopped at a boatlaunch area to camp and eat my dinner consisting of a sandwich and a can of budweiser. A lot of people came buy during the night to pick up and put down there boats.
I woke up the next morning totally unaware it was gonna be a bad, really bad day for me. In gray and a little bit cold weather I set of with Astoria and the state of Oregon as goal for the day. The road wasn't that scenic yet and I passed through endless land of sloughs, forest and private property signs. Finally I arrived to the real coast and the town with the appropriate name, Seaview. I bought lunch and ate it outside the infocenter in town and also went in to pick up some maps there. After that I figured that I was gonna try to call the girls from Spokane that I met the day before Olympia and see how they were holding up. With a cup of coffee I got from the visitor centre in my left hand I was trying to get some quarters from my wallet with the other one. Instead of putting my coffe down I placed my wallet on top of the payphone outside Shell gasstation while I was searching for these god damn quarters in the djungel of coins. Several tunes went by before the answeringmachine kicked in. I hanged up and just when I did I heard a voice behind me
- Where are you going?
I started a conversation with this girl from northern california that went on for about 10 minutes before a through my cup in the rubbish, sorted my bags out and headed south towards Astoria totally unaware of that my second most important item after my passport is lying flashed up on top of the payphone.
Well in Astoria I thought it would be nice spending the night at a hostel and go out to night with all the other people you always met on hostels. Paying time and I just could not find my wallet and I could feel my heart pumping faster and faster. I realized it's not in my gear and running down to the infocenter to get over a phone to call the infocenter at seaview where I thought I forgot it. They haven't seen it thou so I figured I most have dropped it on the road. I starting to make my way back with bad words flying around me looking desperately on the other side the driveway. After a couple of miles I relized I made that phonecall and remember that it must be on the payphone. I started to bike as fast I possible could to arrive to seaview and found out it was gone probably a long time ago. I went into the gasstaion and asked but the haven't seen it. Neither the police have had someona handed it in or the infocenter. I got to borrow a computer at the infocenter to send mail to close the account asnd after that I started my 2 day trip back to olympia with 2 quarters in my pocket.
I was camping at south Bend where I left the same morning after a total 130 miles hard biking that day.Next coming day I creamed out the rest of the 70 miles to Olympia and arrived there on the Sunday afternoon. I went to the infocenter to ask where in town I could get hold of a computer but the library was closed and apparently no internetcafes in town. didn't matter to much anyway thou I didn't got a cent. I biked to Katrins and Daves house to hang out there to they was gonna get back on the evening the next day. I saw the neighbors on the the house a street over and went over there to tell them the story and if the see a guy around it's nothing strange.
when the night came I went to sleep in my tent on there backlawn and later on I woke up when a strong flashlight hit my face and a deep voice said
- Hello, can I have a word with you?
First I thought it was a neighbor but when I got closer to the guy on the other side of the fence I saw it was a policeman. I guess most of you seen the television show "Cops" and if there would have been a cameraman behind that police, I would have end up on TV thats fore sure:). I get out from the tent in just my shorts still a little bit confused over the guy with the flashlight. He ask me if I know the people and I told him It's my cousins place. I laughed and said
- so, some one called the police, haha
The policeman said
- hehe, not someone. several neighbors called in wondering over the guy who was tenting, hanging up clothes and took a shower in the hose in the garden
when I got closer to the fence and was standing and talked to him I, without thinking about it, put both my hands in my pockets. His hands made a quick move down towars his belt by the same time he said
-Take your hand out of your pockets!
I thought he was gonna take me with him to the policestation but he ended up very friendly and after showing him my bike and the gear and told him my story he was laughing about it and said, welcome to amerika:). Before he left he actually, which surprised me, asked if I needen something. I said I was sorted out till they would come back tomorrow. He took of while talking to the radio
- It was only a cousin, over :)
The next day I was just hanging out in the backyard except for a visit to the library. Katrin and her family came back around 5 pm. New cards are on the way to USA and I hopefully get them in a week or so.
On Friday morning I said goodby to Katrin, Dave, Wyatt and Fiona and started to make my way out from the capital of the state they call the evergreen one. HW 8 takes me out from Olympia and the countryside of Washington and closer to the coast I been looking forward to for so long. I made a stop in Elma for lunch that Katrin packed for me and an hour or so later, another stop in Montesano just before the intersection to hw 107. The stop in Montesano turned out to be a big mistake when I pulled up in front of an ATM and did a withdrawal on 400 bucks.I carried on and arrived to hw 101 that goes south along the coast. The weather was kind of boring and just outside South Bend I stopped at a boatlaunch area to camp and eat my dinner consisting of a sandwich and a can of budweiser. A lot of people came buy during the night to pick up and put down there boats.
I woke up the next morning totally unaware it was gonna be a bad, really bad day for me. In gray and a little bit cold weather I set of with Astoria and the state of Oregon as goal for the day. The road wasn't that scenic yet and I passed through endless land of sloughs, forest and private property signs. Finally I arrived to the real coast and the town with the appropriate name, Seaview. I bought lunch and ate it outside the infocenter in town and also went in to pick up some maps there. After that I figured that I was gonna try to call the girls from Spokane that I met the day before Olympia and see how they were holding up. With a cup of coffee I got from the visitor centre in my left hand I was trying to get some quarters from my wallet with the other one. Instead of putting my coffe down I placed my wallet on top of the payphone outside Shell gasstation while I was searching for these god damn quarters in the djungel of coins. Several tunes went by before the answeringmachine kicked in. I hanged up and just when I did I heard a voice behind me
- Where are you going?
I started a conversation with this girl from northern california that went on for about 10 minutes before a through my cup in the rubbish, sorted my bags out and headed south towards Astoria totally unaware of that my second most important item after my passport is lying flashed up on top of the payphone.
Well in Astoria I thought it would be nice spending the night at a hostel and go out to night with all the other people you always met on hostels. Paying time and I just could not find my wallet and I could feel my heart pumping faster and faster. I realized it's not in my gear and running down to the infocenter to get over a phone to call the infocenter at seaview where I thought I forgot it. They haven't seen it thou so I figured I most have dropped it on the road. I starting to make my way back with bad words flying around me looking desperately on the other side the driveway. After a couple of miles I relized I made that phonecall and remember that it must be on the payphone. I started to bike as fast I possible could to arrive to seaview and found out it was gone probably a long time ago. I went into the gasstaion and asked but the haven't seen it. Neither the police have had someona handed it in or the infocenter. I got to borrow a computer at the infocenter to send mail to close the account asnd after that I started my 2 day trip back to olympia with 2 quarters in my pocket.
I was camping at south Bend where I left the same morning after a total 130 miles hard biking that day.Next coming day I creamed out the rest of the 70 miles to Olympia and arrived there on the Sunday afternoon. I went to the infocenter to ask where in town I could get hold of a computer but the library was closed and apparently no internetcafes in town. didn't matter to much anyway thou I didn't got a cent. I biked to Katrins and Daves house to hang out there to they was gonna get back on the evening the next day. I saw the neighbors on the the house a street over and went over there to tell them the story and if the see a guy around it's nothing strange.
when the night came I went to sleep in my tent on there backlawn and later on I woke up when a strong flashlight hit my face and a deep voice said
- Hello, can I have a word with you?
First I thought it was a neighbor but when I got closer to the guy on the other side of the fence I saw it was a policeman. I guess most of you seen the television show "Cops" and if there would have been a cameraman behind that police, I would have end up on TV thats fore sure:). I get out from the tent in just my shorts still a little bit confused over the guy with the flashlight. He ask me if I know the people and I told him It's my cousins place. I laughed and said
- so, some one called the police, haha
The policeman said
- hehe, not someone. several neighbors called in wondering over the guy who was tenting, hanging up clothes and took a shower in the hose in the garden
when I got closer to the fence and was standing and talked to him I, without thinking about it, put both my hands in my pockets. His hands made a quick move down towars his belt by the same time he said
-Take your hand out of your pockets!
I thought he was gonna take me with him to the policestation but he ended up very friendly and after showing him my bike and the gear and told him my story he was laughing about it and said, welcome to amerika:). Before he left he actually, which surprised me, asked if I needen something. I said I was sorted out till they would come back tomorrow. He took of while talking to the radio
- It was only a cousin, over :)
The next day I was just hanging out in the backyard except for a visit to the library. Katrin and her family came back around 5 pm. New cards are on the way to USA and I hopefully get them in a week or so.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Olympia - The Capital of Washington State
Smoko at the Intersection to HW 108:)
Hey!
A couple of days before take of from Bellingham I was looking at the map over my planned route down south. I could barely see no more than a thick line of Interstate HW and big cities like Everett, Seattle and Tacoma covering the area on the east side of the pacific ocean. For a biker it just looked nasty and some miles west you got the Whidbey Island with beutiful countryside and the really nice couple Rev and Carol to stay with in the town of Oak Harbor.
The choice was kind of easy and after leaving The Drew family in Bellingham I headed out through town and entered the chuckanut drive that would take me along the scenic coast towards whidbey island. Beutiful weather made my day pleasent and the lunch Janet packed down in my bags filled me up more than well, thanks, the cake tasted even better a little bit melted:). Just when my Ipod started to play Zac Brown Band and the song "Highway 20 ride" I entered just hw 20 that goes all the way from eastern Washington and out to my destination, Oak Harbor. After arriving to Oak Harbor for like the 4th time in my life Rev and Carol takes me to dinner in town at one of the chinese restaurants.
In the morning they take me down to the ferry in Coupeville that took me over to Port Townsend and the Olympic Peninsula. I was expecting a 45 minutes ferryride but I barely had the time to eat one of the sandwiches Carol made me before it was time to step of again. with 100 miles to go to Olympia I decided to do half the distance that day and the rest the days after. It was a beutiful ride along the Hood Canal and after just an hour or so I came out on the HW 101 which is the road I'm gonna follow down the coast in a couple of days. Beutiful countryside, excellent weather and nice view over the mountains made the day very good and the t-shirt went of fairly quick to get some sunlight on my white nordic skin:).
By suppertime I stopped at a gasstation along the raod to buy a bottle opf wine I was gonna have to dinner later on and an hour later I pulled of at Potlatch State Park and decided to call it a day. Dinner was consumed with the company of Britta and Annika from Spokane, Washington. These two pretty girls started in Seattle the day before and were heading down to San Fransisco along the coast. We biked togheter for half next day before the took of west on hw 108 and I carried on south towards Olympia to visit Katrin and her family.
After a sunny day I arrived to Olympia which is a really nice town just on the south tip of the hood Canal and as far as the water from the pacific reach. Only staying here one night because they are going out camping in the morning and I gonna make my way out towards the coast.
Over and out
Edvin
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