Day 18 - Harris Beach to Crescent City

We did it!!! It's been an incredible trip, probably the best of our lives. We know how fortunate we are to have been able to do this ride. We have come to appreciate the simple things in life more than ever. We are already talking about finishing California when we can. The kindness of the bicycling community we met along the way has been very refreshing. Thanks to everyone who followed our blog. To be continued... :)

Day 17 - Humbug Mountain to Brookings (Harris Beach State Park)

Had about a 51 mile ride today in warm sunny weather. Tomorrow we'll be in California! The river in the pictures is the Rogue. We're looking forward to seeing our dogs and sleeping in our bed again but we're still having fun.

Day 16 - Charleston to Humbug Mountain State Park

Woke up this morning and started out on Seven Devils Road. As you can imagine by the name there were some good climbs but the reward of the downhill was worth it. Bandon was a neat town to see and the coast line down here is exceptionally beautiful. We rode about 58 miles of mostly sunny weather after the fog burned off. We are camping again with quite a few of are fellow bikers. In the pictures we rode past a neat one man saw mill. I'm writing this on the beach this evening and Kevin and I are watching a baby seal in the surf close to the beach.

Day 15 - Florence to Charleston

We rode about 51 miles today. Good riding weather that wasn't too cold or hot. The towns are less scenic through this area. The first picture is of Coos Bay from the top of the bridge entering North Bend. We had a nice evening chatting with our new friends Suzanne and Christopher. They are from BC and have traveled the same route as us so far, but they are smart and taking a day off tomorrow.

Day 14 - Newport to Florence (Jessie Honeyman Memorial state park)

Today was a warm sunny day. My parents took Kevin and I out for breakfast and we headed out with lots of helpful tail winds. The bridge in the pictures is in Waldport and if you look closely at the last picture you can see seals on the rocks. Today is a very fun day at the camp ground because we have met all the other biker/campers at different points along the way. There is a total of 9 of us here tonight.

Day 13 - Lincoln City to Newport (South Beach camp ground)

We only rode about 30 miles today and the weather was perfect. We actually had some tail wind today. We were able to see the ocean for the majority of our ride and did some whale watching on our way through Depoe Bay. As we set up our camp this evening Kevin spotted a friend from work by chance. John and his dog stopped by for a chat.

Day 12 - Tillamook to Lincoln City

Well it rained for our whole ride today but it's better than weather that's too hot. I'm trying to stay positive :). We have a really nice room in Lincoln City and they upgraded us for free to a first level room with a patio because of the bikes. We rode with Bruce for about 15 miles this morning then at the town of Beaver he headed east toward McMinnville. We had fun riding with him and wish him a drier ride. Here is  the blog posting from the New York Times website.

July 21, 2011, 11:51 AM

… With a Single Pedal Stroke

By BRUCE WEBER

Bruce Weber/The New York TimesThe view from U.S. Route 101, just north of Manzanita.

TILLAMOOK, Ore. — The proverbial journey of 1,000 miles that begins with a single step… That step is both daunting and exciting. Oh, please! Blah, blah, blah. Get rolling, man!

LIFE IS A WHEEL

Bruce Weber cycles across America. Follow him on Twitter@nytbruceweber.

On Wednesday, I did.

The northwest corner of Oregon is known as a bicycle haven, and Astoria, at the mouth of the Columbia River, is a favorite starting point for cross-country cyclists. Michael Claussen, the engaging manager of the Commodore Hotel, took my picture in front of the hotel as I was leaving on a drizzly morning.

“I do this a lot,” he said.

Courtesy of Bruce WeberAbout to set out on Day One of the journey.

Despite Astoria’s status as a bike mecca, there is no consensus on the best way to get out of town. Route 30, which follows the Columbia and heads toward Portland, accommodates bicycles but is a busy highway with some shoulderless stretches. The Astoria-Megler Bridge, a spectacular span across the river to Washington, is rideable, I’m told, but terrifying. I opted to go south, down U.S. 101, another heavily used road, though it is officially designated as part of the Oregon Coast Bike Route.

It was a fine ride, except for a handful of hazardous spots — especially a narrow tunnel! — where the logging trucks sped by close enough to make me wobble. And it was a good test for me on Day One, longer than I had planned and sprinkled with challenging climbs that rewarded me with spectacular views of the Pacific coastline.

The sun was shining when I pulled into Tillamook (yes, home of the cheese) about 4:30 in the afternoon, having ridden 63.7 miles. My plan is to turn east about 15 miles south of Tillamook, in the small town of Beaver, and seek out the Nestucca River Road, a route that should not be missed, according to Erik Tonkin, the owner of Sellwood Cycle Repair in Portland. (O.K. Erik, my man, your rep as a route-advice-giver is on the line.)

Bruce Weber/The New York TimesThe Astoria-Megler Bridge.

I made it in acceptably good shape physically and with a cheerier temperament than I had expected, though I had all the symptoms of a first-day rider. My wind was short. My control of the bike, loaded with gear — I’m guessing 25 to 30 pounds — was a little tentative, especially on long downhills, during which I nervously rode my brakes more than I usually would. (Though I admit I’m not the most intrepid downhill rider in the world.) My behind got good and sore. The last couple of hours, I watched my odometer obsessively. Before I left, when people asked if I was in shape for a cross-country trip, I blithely said I’d be in better shape for it after two weeks. I certainly hope I was right.

Part of long-distance cycling, a big part, actually, and a rewarding, even pleasurable part, has to do with enduring discomfort and pushing through it to enjoy — and deserve — a cold beer, a good dinner and a happy sleep. It’s perverse, of course, working harder than you might wish to in order to feel worthy when you’re done — sort of like banging your head against the wall because it feels better when you stop. If you understand that particular perversion, you might well be a cyclist, or maybe you should be one.

Bruce Weber/The New York TimesJennifer and Kevin Hart.

I made it as far as I did on Day 1 partly because at the top of a long hill, overlooking the ocean, I ran into Kevin and Jennifer Hart, a young couple from Battle Ground, Wash., who were on the 11th day of a trip down U.S. 101 from the Canadian border to California. Neither Kevin, a Vancouver (Wash.) firefighter, nor Jennifer, a nursing student, had ever traveled by bicycle before, but they were hooked. We rode the last 30 miles of the day together, to Tillamook, their intended destination for the night.

“We just had a wild hair to do this,” Kevin said, explaining the unexplainable. They don’t have unlimited time; they’ll stop in Crescent City, in northern California, several days from now, rent a car and drive home, but they’re already planning to return by car to Crescent City next year and complete the southward journey to Mexico.

“Then we’ll do what you’re doing,” Jennifer said to me, with what sounded like complete conviction.

“What?” her husband said.

(You can read about my previous cross-country bike ride, and why I am going to cycle across the country again, in my recent story in the Travel section.)

10:52 a.m. | Updated I’ve never had this much advice — about anything — in my life. Just so you all know: I am wearing bike shorts. Those baggy shorts in the photo have a spandex lining with appropriately placed padding. I’m pleased with the straight-across handlebars — yes, I’m a title slower than I would be with drop bars, but my neck, which the handlebars were chosen to protect, isn’t giving me any trouble, and my hands feel fine. I tried wearing a backpack for a day – it didn’t have much in it, but I wanted to lessen the weight on the back of the bike a bit; I think it helped a little, though I’ll probably continue to experiment. I’m considering some other modifications, and I’ll report on those shortly. Thanks to everyone for checking in.

Day 11 - Fort Stevens to Tillamook

We had a very beautiful day of riding. We rode 68 miles with about 2700 ft of total elevation gain. There is quite a bit of traffic compared to Washington but we are able to see the ocean more. We have met so many great people along the way so far and today we met a New York Times journalist named Bruce Weber who today began his first day of bicycling across America. His plan is to ride back home to New York while writing for the paper about his journey. We all traveled together today and he tweeted about us and said he will write about us in his blog for the paper. To read about his planned journey go to http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/travel/reporter-to-cross-the-nation-on-2-wheels-again.html?ref=bruceweber.

Day 10 - Bay Center to Fort Stevens

We made it to Oregon! It was neat to see the Columbia river. We chickened out and got a taxi to take us across the Astoria bridge. The beach at Fort Stevens is unbelievably warm! We hope the weather stays nice.

Day 9 - Aberdeen to Bay Center

Sunshine! We had a great ride today in the sun. We rode 44 miles again today but I think we were a lot slower. We had close to 2 thousand feet of an elevation climb today throughout our ride. We are camped at a campground with access to Willapa Bay. The beach is really warm with clam beds. The boat in the pictures is called "Hero" and is being restored by a guy who is going to sail it to Alaska to live on. We stopped at a little seafood cannery with a store here in Bay Center and had them shuck us some fresh bay oysters.

Day 8 - Lake Quinault Lodge to Aberdeen, WA

We only had a little rain for our ride which was welcomed relief from the prior two days of downpour. Not much else to report about today's ride. We're both trying to not get too depressed because we are in Aberdeen. For those of you who haven't been here, dont come. ;-) We came through here because the ferry at Westport is not working. We rode 44 miles in 3 hrs and 45 min. I added a cheery picture of Kevin and I taken just before of Sequim,WA.

Day 7 - Kalaloch to Lake Quinault Lodge

Hot shower. Warm bed. Beautiful scenery. Can't ask for anything else.  :)