Distance: Yet to be determined, about 30 or so miles so far... We woke in the morning to strong winds and rain. Out on the road and the rain was manageable, but our luck had changed and with it the wind, biting cold and blowing head on into us. The wind was so strong that moving forward at any pace felt almost impossible at times, and even going down hill was a pedal grinding affair. We wanted to turn around and head back to the safety and ease of our campsite, and to the sunny weather of the days we'd left behind, but we knew we couldn't, and that the only way ahead was forward. Sitting at a roadside cafe, where I'm writing this from at the moment, we saw Ned and Charlotte drag themselves in, huddled over and freezing, and looking almost as exhausted as us. 'Wow, crazy out there isn't it!,' we all seemed to mutter at the same time. Just now, I can hear the wind screaming, it seems even louder than before, and while I'm musing silently about my ability to ride any further someone yells out at us: 'He yall, campsite 8 miles down the road is closed, yall' better hurry n get on outta here before the rain comes, it's gonna pour down tanight. Next campsites 30 miles ya hear!'
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Distance: 10kms
Rest day today. We left our tent set up and rode into town. Shanny asked the lady at the hairdresser if she could get her scruffy, sun bleached curls cut, 'sorry, I have to go to the village to cut the senior citizens hair, but you can come back tomorrow.' So we rode on. Next stop was DQ, or Dairy Queen. We hoped to get some internet here, but all we got was a soggy burger with bacon and cheese. So we rode on. Next stop was a cafe in Bandon's historic 'old town.' Here we picked up some delicious sausage and egg wraps that we wolfed down whilst hijacking the wifi. We met up again with the English cyclists (Ned and Charlotte) we'd met yesterday on the road and camped with last night. But then it was closing time... So we rode on. That night we pulled down some dead trees and had a camp fire with Ned and Charlotte... On the fire we sauteed onions, fried italian sausages and sizzled sliced potatoes whilst we waited for our sweet potatoes and sweet damper (with jam and cream) to cook from deep inside the flaming embers. And then, with the sun slowly setting we enjoyed our delicious feast by the light of the crackling, fading fire, the flames warming our backs. Distance: 107km
We woke up freezing cold, but relieved that we'd survived another night in the Oregon wilderness (just past Florence) without being attacked by a ferocious wild bear. Back on the road riding through a beautiful forest the sun is up but its not penetrating through the tall pines, and even though I've got two shirts, a long sleeve shirt and a big jacket on it's freezing. A couple of hours later and we pass a couple of cyclists, the wind is in our back, the sun is shining and it feels great. For a while, the wind is perfectly behind us, and we're going around 35kms an hour on a flat road, barely even trying. Amazing! The wind still behind us, smiles on our faces we ride up a beautiful old bridge. Riding down the other side someone coming in the opposite direction yells out at us and then, hocking, a burst of spittle comes shooting towards me. Fortunately I manage to miss most of it. A moment later someone behind beeps their truck horn (who has a truck horn in a car!?!?), and then, thirty seconds after that we get a 'f*%# off' blasted into our ears. Not a moment too soon and a massive nail lurches into Shanna's tire, going all the way through to the other side. Sitting on the side of the road I figure things are looking up, they could only get better from here... right? Over the next 10 kilometers on a wide four lane road with plenty of room for everyone the story doesn't change much. But, when we leave the towns and head into the forest once again, to our great relief it all stops. Things really do start getting better when we meet a really nice English couple, who we ride with until we get to a campsite just off the coast in Bandon. Open fires burning, dogs barking, massive bus like campervans lurking in the shadows, and while the sun sets we put up our tent on a delicious piece of grass that looks like it was made just for us. Distance- 96km
Riding off in the rain we were wondering the last time we'd felt so cold. Maybe it was in Scotland or the Netherlands, I'm not really sure, but whatever the case, it was freezing. The rain began at a slow drizzle, slowly and steadily increasing to a heavy downpour. By this time we decided enough was enough, and soaking wet we pulled into a fudge and ice-cream shop. As we scooped icecream out of the thick chocolate milkshake the rain began to ease. Back on the road we quickly warmed up and soon the sun was shining through the clouds. Oregonians keep warning us that 'the rains' are due any day... but looks like we've avoided them for another day. Up and down the mountains we rode. On one mountain Sam noticed my bike was making a strange sound - the wheel rubbing on the brake perhaps - so next time there was a place to pull over we stopped. It wasn't the brake rubbing, rather, it was air slowly leaking from the tube. A check of the tyre revealed there were quite a few holes - it was an old tyre, bought in Indonesia - so we decided to fit the replacement tyre Sam has been carrying the whole way. Near the top of another mountain there was a crowd of people looking down to the rocks below - sea lions were splashing in rock pools and sun bathing on rocks. With the sun shining they looked happy in their little cove, protected from the cold wind. Distance- 42km
Today we were having too much fun taking photos of Oregon's spectacular coast line to do much riding. For lunch we stopped at the Italian RIviera for an $8.95 all you can eat buffet. It wasn't near a riviera, and the place didn't even seem all that Italian, but the food was delicious. Pizza, pasta, lasagne, chicken and vegetable soup, all of it tasted fantastic, and an hour later, barely able to move we clambered back onto our bikes, and sauntered off down the coast at a pedestrian pace. Distance: 106km
When we woke up in the morning we quickly realised the same routine of the past and so, packing our sleeping bags, sleeping mats, tent and clothes away, both a little bit sweaty, and stinky, we smiled to each other and pushed our bikes out through a green field and back onto the road, happy, happy to be riding towards the coast. It was beautiful weather, the sun was out all day, and I was sweating, profusely. A moment later and we're racing down a hill lined with giant pine trees and I'm freezing, shivering, and then the road heads upwards through tall everglades and its not to long before the tiny goose bumps on my arm have disappeared, sweat running down the sides of my face. By now I'm sure you've guessed it, down again, teeth chattering... it was one of those days. In the evening as we got nearer and nearer to the coast we started getting excited about the world championships in Melbourne (mostly Geelong), so we found the most budget motel in Lincoln City, and tired from the longest day we've spent in the saddle for a month, wheeled our bikes into the tiny room and collapsed onto the bed. After a whole lot of searching we found a French telecast of the race online (occasionally we could just make out some Aussie voices in the back ground), and spent the next few hours riveted to the tiny picture, desperately hoping that one of the attacks Cadel was in would succeed. Distance: 44km
The sofa bed was so comfortable... we slept longer than planned. We said bye to another great set of hosts (and a terrific dog!) and headed to the bike shop to buy Sam a new tyre and get a puncture repair kit that actually worked! A long, late lunch was enjoyed... and then it was time to head out of Portland. Despite a wrong turn early on, we were soon on the 99W road towards the coast. But it wasn't the glorious return to biking I'd expected. The bike seemed so much heavier, my legs so much weaker and the hills so much harder... two and half weeks without touring was a long time! It felt like riding through mud, it was so hard to get any rhythm. As the time to camp came upon us, I felt like crying. I wanted a shower, but there wouldn't be one tonight. I needed a bathroom, but a group of shrubs under the cover of darkness would be my bathroom. Luckily Sam was better able to readjust to the nomadic lifestyle, and he found us a perfect camping spot amongst some trees next to a hospital. It was our first night camping in America and, unsure of what to expect, we reassured ourselves that we couldn't have picked a better place in case of attack from bears or people with guns. Distance: 16km around Portland
It was good to be off the train. My eyes had almost become immune to the beauty and my ears needed a break from listening to the same guy tell everyone who sat near him his life story... We met many nice people on the train, and had some wonderful discussions about the world and travel, but, I wanted to be back on the bike! In Portland we rode to the shop where we'd purchased many of the things for our journey, Oregon Mountain Community. We were expecting a huge shop full of exciting sale items... but it was just a small showroom, as most of their business is done online. Mari had put us in touch with a good friend of hers in Portland, Brian, in the hopes we could get a shower (much needed after three days on the train!) and possibly somewhere to sleep for a night. While we waited to hear details from him we found a place to eat and use some wifi. A man offered to take us to his farm where we could camp for the night - in a show of what seems typical of American hospitality - but we were excited to meet Brian so stuck with the original plan. We met up with Brian, ate some delicious food while we chatted about basketball, then got on our way to his pace just as it was getting dark. We set off without our bags, including our wallet, putting them in his car to make it quicker for us. We hadn't gone far when, much to our surprise (or not), Sam got another puncture... he fixed about four while we were in Boston. Now he's catching up to me!! We tried to fix it, but the patch wouldn't stick and the tube kept going down. We had no wallet and no spare tube. So we had to call Brian who came back and got us. Thanks for that one mate! We had a great night chatting to Brian and his flatmate Will and playing with the gorgeous dog Winston. We have been so lucky to be looked after by all these wonderful people - Now it's time to head back onto the road and into the tent! In Chicago we ran out of the train station and jumped into a water taxi that took us slowly up the river and through the beautiful windy city. The boat ride was fun, and gave us the chance to see the city from an angle we might never have gotten otherwise. Actually, although it didn't live up to its 'windy city' moniker, we decided that this one one of the most beautiful cities we've seen anywhere in the world! Running back to the station we collected our bags and prepared to board a different train. Chicago to Portland took about 47 hours. Might sound like hell to some people, but we think it was a fantastic journey, well worth a sore neck from sleeping in a chair for two nights (or three in total for us). Check out the photos, I think they are some of our best ever. |
AuthorSam and Shanna Evans are from Melbourne, Australia Archives
September 2012
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