Bike Tour 2010
Bike Tour Grub
July 27, 2010 - 4:43pm | CristyOn our bike tour we needed calories and this was a great justification for eating whatever we wanted. Beer. Cinnamon rolls. Beer. Seafood.
We had decided that we would not even attempt to eat our "largely vegan diet" on the road which was smart. There were times when even vegetarian options were few and far between and making do with the vegan options from a convenience store would not have sustained us. I am aware that French Fries can be vegan, but I don't think French Fries and Cokes is the diet recommended by cycling champions. There were a few times that I scoured the menu for a popular item that was ordered a lot--meaning food turnover and freshness in the kitchen-- and hopefully avoiding stuff that had been moldering in the walk-in all week. Just thinking it through to figure what would be least likely to cause food poisoning. In those cases, all dietary restrictions rules are out the window. Safety first, people, safety first.
We started out eating breakfast and lunch in restaurants. But, it took too long, cost too much and was too heavy. It made for stomach aches and leaden legs. So, we started eating smaller meals and snacks all day and then going out to dinner once we stopped for the day and got settled. We started carrying cereal with us and buying milk when we hit town since it seems that even the smallest, saddest motels have refrigerators in the room. We would stop for a second breakfast around 11am and get the gooiest, most decadent pastry we could find. (We really miss being able to eat pastries.) We made sure to always have food with us for those afternoon carb rich snacks like bagels with peanut butter and honey, Lara Bars, raisins and almonds. We would hit town around 4pm, get settled and search out the best dinner option that included beer. After a day on the road, a beer tastes pretty darn good. And, you have totally earned it even accounting for your giant cinnamon roll.
Some culinary highlights: delicious steamed mussels at Toby's Bar in Coupeville, WA; a free potato pancake in Lincoln City, OR; pan fried geoduck in Caste Rock, WA; berry pie after the ferry ride into Oregon; berry pancakes across from the Trees of Mystery in CA; and a berry milkshake in Fort Dick, CA.
Craft twist: you can illustrate any food story with felt/knitted foods. Crazy!
Animal tales from the road
July 19, 2010 - 9:11am | CristyWhen you are cycling along rivers and through forests and meadows you see a lot of wildlife. Unfortunately, it is hard to capture these moments, especially from a moving bike. And capturing eagle flight or long distance sea lion antics would be hard no matter what.
The moment I will always remember was the surprised raccoon standing along the road in Washington. We heard rustling and turned to look. Usually the creature that rustled is long gone and you see nothing. Standing and peeking our from the ferns and watching us ride by was a raccoon. So cute. We failed to get the picture but it was a lot like this excellent photo by J Bespoy.
Keeping on Your Toes in the Woods by J Bespoy
Generally, we would see something interesting and stop to watch. We saw osprey fledglings in the nest and bald eagles in flight and perched in snags. We routinely came upon deer in the road, and startled one doe crossing with her fawn who decided to turn back when she saw us coming round the bend. Usually there were no right of way issues but I did slow down and proceed with caution a couple of times.
Dagwood was riding ahead of me and I was diligently working my way up a hill, when I noticed a skunk ambling along. When the skunk decided to move into the road I calculated my speed and the skunk's path. I was afraid we might run into one another which did not seem like the best idea. I do not know how skunks startled by cyclists respond, nor do I need to know. I will leave that experiment to someone else. I stopped and waited while the skunk slowly toddled across the road and disappeared into the tall grass. Then I finished the hill.
In northern California coming out of the redwoods there are some meadows where elk like to hang out. There are of signs every 10 feet alerting you to the presence of wild elk and strongly advising you to not mess with them. We had gone past some of these meadows one afternoon and seen no elk. But the next morning we went past another elk friendly meadow and, as advertised, there was a large elk herd including calves. There was an RV stopped across the road and I could see all the occupants peering out the front window looking at the elk. I wanted to stop and look too. Did I mention, there is no fence between the meadow and the road? I felt very small on my bike between the people safely enclosed in their RV and the bull elk. I decided to leave the elk in peace and pedalled on.
End of the line
July 8, 2010 - 7:24pm | Melvix
An easy ride from Olema to the Golden Gate Bridge, where we joined a great mass of tourists, gawking and taking pictures and clogging the sidewalk. It was just about as excellent a moment as you might imagine.
The home stretch
July 6, 2010 - 7:56pm | MelvixWe're in Olema, California, a stone's throw from San Francisco! Woohoo!
California Dreaming
July 2, 2010 - 10:53pm | Cristy
Dagwood riding through the redwoods.
Riding through the redwoods is fantastic. While there are times when sharing the road is hard simply because there is no shoulder and nowhere to go, there are those peaceful quiet moments where it is just you on your bike. Sunlight coming through the trees, bird song, a cool breeze. Nice.
Cristy in the redwoods
Happy day off at the beach!
Today we took a day or R&R in Westport to enjoy the beach. Yesterday was a tough one-- 54 miles with lots of climbing. We started in the morning at an elevation of about 400 feet and had to get over a pass of 1800 feet. So a day of rolling hills all taking you higher and higher until you reach the final climb over the big pass, followed by another decent hill that totally makes you ready for a beer. But hey, that was the highest elevation we have to get over!
Westport is a quiet town with a funky community market and a kind of fancy-pants hotel/pub. We recommend the Westport Inn which is only 6 rooms, family run and includes a breakfast of coffee, toast and Otto's homemade jams. The jam is great but Otto's hospitality makes the place special. It is really like staying at someone's house and having breakfast in their living room!
Only a few more days of riding and we are in San Francisco! Yippee!
NoCal
June 29, 2010 - 8:34am | Melvix
Cristy putting Lance Armstrong to shame.
The first ten or twelve miles from Crescent City through the redwoods were the definition of harrowing. No shoulder, tight curves, heavy fog, traffic.
Equipment note! We got rid of our camping equipment in Bandon, Oregon. We just weren't using it. Every night we asked ourselves this question: Should we ride an extra 5 to 10 miles down this steep road to see if there's a campsite available so that we can stand around and make dinner in the freezing wind, or should we get a motel room in town?
It was amazing how much nicer it was to ride without it.
Trees of Creepy Talking Paul Bunyan Statue Mystery, Klamath.
Lionel the brachiosaur, who we picked up outside Klamath.
Trinidad.
Greetings from the Oregon Coast
June 23, 2010 - 5:02pm | Cristy 
It's not raining and I am starting to get the hang of this!
We are a little more than halfway! I can't believe it. I get up each day and ride down the coast, and am up to 50 mile days. That I can get out there and do the hills and do long days--cool! It feels good to be going along and just ticking off the miles. There are things I like: great views at the top of a hill, fast downhills with a smooth shoulder, some sun/some clouds for the not too hot rides. There are some things that are not as cool: heavy traffic, pot holes and huge bumps, people yelling from pick-up trucks, weird narrow bridges, and tunnels (not a fan!) There are some things that are downright scary: log trucks, passing cars coming at you on narrow roads, ocean cliffs with no guard rails!
I wrestled the camera from Dagwood for a photo of him.
We have not yet seen any whales. Dagwood may demand a rebate of some sort if Oregon fails to produce its highly promoted whales.
Tomorrow we shoot for a 60 mile ride from Bandon to GoldBeach. Pray for tailwinds!
O-ree-gon country
June 15, 2010 - 10:40pm | Melvix
On the bridge in Cathlamet.
Adios, Washington.
Fun times on the Puget Island ferry.
Hola, Oregon!
Oh my.
Snacktime!
