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@writerup
I recently wrote an article about my bike trip and submitted it to an outdoor magazine. It was just published today and looks great. Please take a gander and click the link for a read. Feel free to share with friends and family, too!
my hitchhike sign got me all the way to P-town for free. even with a misspelled word. (at Downtown Lake Oswego)
Like most summer mornings on the Oregon coast, I woke up to cool temps and fog. The fog doesnât hinder visibility really. It isnât like the Ozarks where you canât see your hand in front of your face, but itâs presence is definitely in the air. Kinda makes for a cool setting.
I hit the road with Keith and Becky just before 7 a.m. We figured by the time we got to Astoria, the sun would scare away any of the remaining fog. Plus, if we got to our victory point early enough, it meant more food and beer for us to celebrate :)
The ride was like all the other rides over the past 59 days. Nothing special, other than the fact that it was the last one. All three of us couldnât help but ride with big smiles on our faces all day.
We stopped in Cannon Beach for a snack/lunch break and just kinda soaked in the last stretch of the trip. It was tough hopping back on the bikes one last time. Bittersweet for sure.
Pulling up to the end of the route, there were no other worries in the world. It was all about us. We soaked it in, took some pictures, and filmed Beckyâs victory dance. For the next hour or so, we sat by the water, drank some Rainiers, and chatted. I could have sat there all day. We deserved it.
My bike is packed and waiting at the bike shop to get picked up and shipped home. As I was walking away from the shop, I felt naked without my bike in hand. It really hit me that the trip was over.
Yeah, the actual biking part of the trip may be over, but not the adventure part of it. When I first set out on this journey, I was honestly doing it as a bucket list sort of thing. I got so much more out of it than I expected.
The places I traveled to, the people I met, the memories I made, and the adventure itself is more than I could ever ask for. Itâs been life changing. Itâs opened my eyes to new and brighter things. I hope all my followers have enjoyed the journey as much as I have, and that itâs inspired you in some sort of way. Everyoneâs support has been so greatly appreciated, and I couldnât ask for better friends and family.
Now, itâs on to the next adventure!!!
TransAm done! 4,414 miles. so. much. stoke!!! (at Astoria Waterfront)
As you would imagine, there was a little bit more pep in my pedal today. For the first portion of the ride, all I had in my mind was seeing the ocean. But a breakfast cafe stop with Keith and Becky was in order first. Had to get in another solid early morning meal to fuel for the ride. And I scored an on-the-house cinnamon roll due to slow service. Iâll take that :)
It was an amazing feeling when we first laid eyes on the Pacific. I knew it wasnât the final destination, but it began to sink in that I had finally made it. Surreal.
Todayâs ride consisted of a game of weather bingo. In a blink of an eye, the weather and climate were constantly changing. It was crazy because you could see a wall of fog or see gusts of wind on the road ahead, and then ride right into it. There was lots of putting on the windbreaker and then taking it off again a few minutes later. But no weather can stop us from getting to Astoria.
Although weâll be off the saddle for good in less than 24 hours, trail magic is still alive and kicking. After calling all the state parks in the area, we couldnât find a place to camp. Their prices were all robbery. $25+ a person? I think not!
I inquired about some camping at a local organic market, and a girl named Sierra offered to put all three of us up in her house. Ending the last night on the road with trail magic just makes total sense.
Keith, Becky, Sierra, and I walked to the beach to catch tonightâs sunset. The fog was completely covering the sun, but it was still beautiful. Itâs something you donât really see on the east coast so it made for a cool experience. It felt great being on the beach and getting my feet wet with some salt water. Man, I miss the ocean and surfing!
Weâre currently in Rockaway Beach, OR, tonight, which leaves us with a 58 mile ride into Astoria tomorrow. Getting to sleep tonight might be harder than getting to sleep on Christmas night when I was a kid. Yeah, itâs on that level of excitement.
Itâs been an experience of a lifetime, and I know itâll continue to live on even after this journey is over. But with that being said, tomorrowâs the big day!!!! :D
officially coast to coast...but not done yet! (at Cape Lookout)
dessert time (at Grand Ronde)
It was a tad bit nipply waking up this morning. The sun wasnât anywhere in sight. It was overcast all morning long, yet there was an afternoon heat advisory for the area. Yeah right!
To be honest, todayâs ride was just kinda âblahh.â It didnât have the prettiest of sights and the overcast skies made it even more gloomy. It didnât help either that we were on busy roads for almost the whole ride. Cars and trucks zooming by nonstop. All I wanted to do was go find somewhere quiet and lay down.
Mid-morning, we pulled into Corvallis, OR, where Oregon State is located. Like always, I was in the mood for some breakfast food, and found a diner right on route. Full stack of blueberry hot cakes. I think so!
The only difference between the morning and afternoon rides was that the sun eventually peeked its way out. It still wasnât the best of scenery, and traffic was even heavier.
It felt good to get the ride over with, and now, Iâm that much closer to Astoria. My campsite tonight is in Grand Ronde, OR, which is only 20 some miles east of the Pacific Ocean.
Early tomorrow morning, I will have ridden coast to coastâŠbut the trip isnât over yet! The route doesnât finish until Astoria so itâll be another 100 some odd miles north on Highway 101. Thatâs only two rides away. Crazy.
Itâll be a beautiful and surreal sight when the ocean comes into view tomorrow, and Iâm sure itâll be a good pick-me-up. Just because Iâll be riding next to the ocean doesnât mean itâs flat though. The ride tomorrow is quite hilly as I ride up the coastal mountain region. At least Iâll have the views of the Pacific Ocean to my side for the next two days!
Set the alarm for 4:45, wake up at 5:35. It was one of those mornings. I really wanted to take another day in Sisters and float the river with some of the people I met, but the road was calling my name. It was actually pretty nice getting back on the saddle, especially knowing that there's only 200 miles and some change left to ride. It hasn't really hit me yet that I'm that close, but I know it will when I see the first milage sign leading up to it. The climb up Mckenzie Pass was a surprisingly gradual climb. I biked up on Keith and Becky right before the ascent so we all rode it together while chatting, making the time go by much faster. The views from the top were unbelievable and made the climb so worth it. Snow covered volcanic peaks with miles and miles of lava rocks that covered the ground around us. I've never seen terrain like that before so it really caught my eye. Descending down the backside of Mckenzie, we plunged into a totally different ecosystem. With a blink of an eye, it changed from desert-like land to a rainforest. Lush, dense ponderosas enclosed us, the temps dropped a bit, and the rain was starting to fall. We were officially in the northwest. It was easy riding into Coburg, OR, where I called it a day. Almost all downhill or flat the whole afternoon. A nice ride for a post zero day. It's the coolest of weather out tonight. Not cool enough for long sleeves and beanies, but that perfect kind of sleeping weather. I've got the tent set up at the hiker/biker section of an RV park and can't wait to crawl into my sleeping bag. Not only am I getting the batteries recharged while sleeping, but I'm also getting one day closer to the final destination!
I wasn't gonna go out last night. My plan was just to hang out in my tent on the outskirts of town and take it easy. But after talking on the phone with a good buddy from back home, I felt recharged and decided to head into town for a meal and a beer. That's what this trip is all about. Touring. I went to a local bar and befriended some of the coolest, like-minded people. They covered my tab, and we hung out for the rest of the night at their house. I felt like a normal person again. Waking up this morning, I had no plans. All I knew was that I was gonna take a zero day and kick it with my new friends in Sisters. The guy who owns the bike shop in town hooked me up with a demo mountain bike, and we got a crew together to ride. I might be the first ever cycle tourer to ride on a zero day. I just couldn't resist getting back on the mountain bike to rip some trails. Casey, who owns the bike shop was generous enough to let me crash in their guest bedroom. Their house has got all the toys and gadgets...and a 150 pound Newfoundland named Cudi. Awesome digs! For the afternoon, I headed over to Mike's place for some Juicy Lucy burgers and frisbee tosses. Definitely the right way to take the day off. I'm pretty bummed about leaving Sisters tomorrow and hitting the road again. But now that Keith and Becky are caught up, I've gotta head west so that we can finish in Astoria together. It's just another town I'm gonna have to come back and visit for a longer stay. Thanks to Mike and Casey's crew for hooking me up!
on second thought, I'll take a day off the road and shred some brown pow instead (at Blazin Saddles)
It was nice going to bed last night not having to worry about waking up early to ride all day. We caught some extra z's and woke up at 6:30. That's two hours past our normal wake up time. We need our beauty sleep :P After breaking down camp, we headed to Wally World for some groceries and breakfast. It's like walking into a candy shop for us. Sooo many different options, and they have a quality produce section. Next on the agenda was laundry. I think it's been two weeks since our last laundry visit so it was much needed. Having clean clothes every once in a while isn't a bad idea. Hops and I said our final goodbye shortly after cleaning our clothes. He had to catch his rideshare up to P-Town for a one way flight home. Safe travels, compadre! I kept it light today only biking 20 some miles to Sisters, OR. It's a really neat, outdoorsy town that sits at the base of the Three Sisters Wilderness. I definitely want to make a trip back out here for a longer stay. I'll be sure to add it to my growing list of places to visit. After spending the majority of the afternoon at the library, I headed over to Sisters Community Church on the outskirts of town. They were kind enough to let me camp on their property for the night. Sure does beat the $5 camping in town! Tomorrow will be my first solo day of riding. I'm excited for both the experience and the challenge of being alone. First thing in the morning, I have my last mountain pass of the trip to climb. McKenzie Pass. It's 2,000+ feet of elevation gain over a 15 mile stretch of uphill, windy switchbacks. From what the locals say, it's "relentless." But pshhh, it's all downhill to Eugene after that!
climbing these chicas first thing in the a.m. (at McKenzie Pass, Oregon)
First thing this morning was a 15 mile climb up Ochoco Pass. It may not seem ideal to ride uphill right after waking up, but it actually is. Minimal traffic and cooler temps. Plus, the hardest part of the day is done. Cresting the pass, it was downhill to Prineville, OR. Just like the day before, we rolled right up to a local breakfast diner and feasted on some eggs, bacon, and hot cakes. A warm plate of breakfast food is the best incentive for getting over these mountain passes. Too bad there's only one more pass for me to climb! The rest of the afternoon was light riding to Redmond, OR, where we're staying for the night. Thanks to the Christian Church of Redmond for letting us post up on their front lawn! It's been a bittersweet day because it's Hop's last day on the trip. A possible job internship in Baltimore is calling his name, and he's flying home tomorrow to seize the opportunity. It'll be weird biking solo for the time being, and I'm gonna miss my riding partner. We've had a hell of a time riding across together! We're ending Hop's trip off with some burgers and quite a few beers in town tonight. Gotta send him off the right way! Tomorrow is onward for me, but I'll be inching my way towards Astoria so that Keith and Becky can catch up. It wouldn't be as fun finishing by myself. I wanna share the experience with the peeps I've met and befriended along the way!
I've officially creeped on both your instagram and tumblr, but I seriously just can't get enough of your adventures! I love how even despite your spirits getting low you always find the bright side of things! It is truly inspiring.
hey, there's nothing wrong with a little bit of creeper status! haha. but thanks for the kind words and support. hopefully my words can inspire others as well!
Didnât have cell service last night, but had something written out for two nights ago and yesterdayâs happenings. Tryna keep ya folks updated!
Even though we had a roof over our head last night, I still slept outside. Due to a busted AC unit, the hostel was hotter inside than it was outside. Half asleep, I inflated my air mattress and plopped it on the patio for a quality nights rest. Cowboy camping is always the way to go.
Same plan as always, we headed out the door mighty early to beat the heat. The first 25 miles were slightly downhill, and we rolled right up to the Dayville Cafe. I couldnât resist ordering some hot cakes doused in syrup. Itâs become my favorite.
The rest of the ride was a gradual uphill through the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. It was really neat riding through the area, and crazy to think that the region was once a tropical jungle with rhinos, tigers, and sloths. I read on one of the historical markers that there are also a handful of pictograph sites that date back between 50 and 80 centuries old. Now thatâs wild!
We rolled into Mitchell, OR, right at high noon and decided to call it a day. At this point of the trip, Iâm a little âahead of scheduleâ and will start throttling back on the miles. Iâm gonna wait for Keith and Becky who are two days behind so we can all hit Astoria together.
Thereâs a church in town that hosts cyclists, and we couldnât pass that up. With a comfortable couch, a kitchen, and a shower, it was an easy decision. Weâre on a roll with kitchens and showers over the past four days. One might think weâre beginning to get a little spoiled :)
A few weeks ago, I remember roaming around Rawlins, WY, in search of a place to camp. We inquired from multiple people but to no avail. Another cyclist we were with commented about the town, "I guess they just don't speak bike here." Oregon has been just the opposite. I've always heard it's a bike friendly state, but now I'm truly witnessing it. Cars give us extra room on the roads, people ask all about the trip, and there are bike shops in just about every town. It's been a really cool experience, and we've only been in the state for two days. Our alarm clock this morning was a Baker City cop telling us we couldn't camp in the city park. Good thing our actual alarm was going off in ten minutes anyway. Plus, we got the okay from the YMCA across the street so we were in the clear. Sooie! We hopped on the saddle early in order to beat the heat. Trying to bike as many miles before the heat of the day is crucial in this eastern Oregon heat. The morning was tough riding as we climbed not one...not two...but three mountain passes. They weren't the steepest passes, but three is a big number mentally. But like always, we got them done, one at a time. The second half of the day was all flat land and descents. It was a nice break from all the climbing we've been doing/have coming up. As per usual, we made a game time decision and chose to push on to Mount Vernon, OR. It was more milage than we wanted to ride, but it made sense to put in the extra miles. There's an awesome bike hostel here with a kitchen, TV, VHS movies, and most importantly, a shower. That makes three showers in three days. A new record. It feels good to be finished with the day relatively early. It's only 7:45 here. We're three hours behind all you east coasters! With all that extra time, it looks like Dirty B and I are gonna pop in Dumb and Dumber on VHS and say goodnight!