Thursday 30 April 2009

Big Sur = Big Fun

Day 25, Stage 18 - Monterey to, eh, somewhere in Big Sur 81 miles in ~ 8hrs (incl about 50 pic stops)
Total Distance 1,377 miles
This is what it's meant to be like! An awesome day. Stunning scenery, clear blue skies, ideal temperature, tailwind, feeling good, and with a spectacular campsite to finish. More like this, yes please.

I awoke early from dreams of bagels (and I mean entire packs, not just one or two) feeling refreshed after yesterday's short day and quickly set off in the direction of my first must see place for the day - the cinnamon bakery. Having stocked up there I set out along the coastal path through Pacific Grove towards the detour that is the 17 mile drive. Now the guidebook I have didn't seem overly impressed by this part of the world so my hopes weren't that high. But I thought I'd try none-the-less.

The guidebook is wrong. It was stunning. Now I'm definitely not one for flowers (as I'm sure any of my ex's will testify) but the carpet of pink blooms along the first mile or so of the path were quite beautiful. Then came the pristine golf courses sculpted through the dunes with picture postcards beach backdrops (gents, I have definitely found the location for our next Mhesa golf outing). Just when I thought it couldn't get better, as I was spinning along the road a vulture decided to join me and cruised along beside me for 200yrds, almost in touching distance. Special.

My main reason for taking this 17 mile detour was that I was particularly keen and excited to see the Pebble Beach golf course, albeit not quite as excited as it must have looked to the line of cars stuck behind me as I cycled past the entrance, cause at that very moment, the drinking tube came off my Camelbak. I rapidly ended up very wet but to those following me it must have looked like I'd lost control of myself.

I then passed through Carmel where I'd hoped to get some breakfast but it seemed the emphasis in that part of the world is Tiffany and Villroy & Bosch stores rather than french toast and pancakes. Still, I had my cinnamon treats to keep me going. So, I rejoined Highway 1 after a 70 mile absence and turned south towards Big Sur.

Having heard so many good things about the San Fran to LA stage of Highway 1, I had so far been largely disappointed so was really hoping that this 'jewel in the crown' of the route would deliver. And boy does it. Cliffs, mountains, beaches and blue skies mixed together in a beautiful collage to produce headland after stunning headland (I lost count of how many there were when I stopped to take today's pic). And lost count of how many times I stopped to take some snaps. And to make it even better, the cycling was relatively flat given the harshness of the terrain (only relatively, though). However, I did get the fastest descent of the trip, a 2.5 mile +40mph swooping stint where I caused some confusion to the driver of the SUV I was politely harassing all the way down and where I clocked my fastest speed of the trip so far - which I'm not putting here cause my mother reads this.

To add to my marine mammal filled day of yesterday I also caught a glimpse of two distinctive sprays of breath from the ocean - porpoises, dolphins, whales, who knows, but after all the looking I've been doing over the past weeks for some sign of something big in the water it was a cheer to finally see it.

So, I finally arrived in the expensive but great little Treebones Resort where I'm paying more for a simple campsite than I did for my motel in Coos Bay. But the view, easily, easily worth it.

The only slight dampener on the day was the guy in reception saying it's the next 12 miles that are by far the most 'curvy' - and not just laterally. Which brings me onto my dilemma. I'm kind of in no-mans-land in terms of getting to L.A. being either three a-bit-too-long or four a-bit-too-short days out. I guess I'll just see how I feel tomorrow but if I can get a +90 day on the clock then three is a definite possibility.

Wednesday 29 April 2009

A beautiful day to get lost

Day 24, Stage 18 - Santa Cruz to Monterey
50 miles in 4hrs 25mins (incl many, many minutes watching the sealife)
Total distance - 1,296 miles
Now, to clarify, I was never really lost. The sea was somewhere a few miles or so to my right(ish), Highway 1 was somewhere a few miles to my left(ish) and the sun was in the general place in the sky I thought it should be. But other than that, yup, not a damn clue where I was, asides from when I ended up in someone's front garden. And that was the story for most of today.

Things hadn't exactly started well. I awoke, after a bad night's sleep due to a combination of noise from the car park outside but more so from the air con being up at +80F to dry my washing for today. And when I awoke it was 9.45am. Oops! Guess I did need my rest. I wasn't exactly able to rush out the door as I first had to replace a couple of spokes that broke yesterday late into the day. Therefore, it wasn't til 11.15 that I finally rolled out of Santa Cruz, hopefully never to return. Getting out the town wasn't easy though as Highway 1 appears to be off-limits to bikes around here so I had to take to following the random 'bike route' signs out of (more like all around) town. Unlike in Washington and particularly Oregon, there doesn't really appear much thought or structure has been put into the Pacific Coast bike route here in California. Some of the 'diversions' are comical, and on dreadful road surfaces and several junctions are totally devoid of direction signs. I kind of get the feeling that it's really all just about keeping the bikes away from the main roads so the traffic keeps flowing rather than planning a good route for bikes. Anyway, I digress. Well, I quickly became, how do I put it, not lost just temporarily unaware of my exact location. This temporary situation continued off and mostly on for the next 25 miles which took me through vast water-sprayed fields of strawberries, the aroma from which was quite superb.

Not being allowed on the main road meant no sign of the food stops I'd been hoping for so it was with no small element of desperation that I pulled off the road at Moss Landing in the hope of finding sustenance. And I was soon delighted I had done, not cause I found food other than the cranberry muffin in my pack, but because I found this sight in the pic of a pier farcically overflowing with sealions. And to add to the sight, there was also at least three of what are my favourite animals, otters, lazily swimming around the bay feasting on whatever they could dredge up. There's actually one of them in the pic in the water a couple of metres beyond the pier near the middle of the shot. I was happy. I stood in the sun watching them for quite some time but, at 1.45, with only 28 miles on the clock, I knew I had to move on. So I reluctantly saddled up and started out through the now endless fields of artichokes, some of them complete with pictures of Miss Artichoke Festival 1947, none other than a certain Norma Jeane Mortenson. Around 35 miles in a great 2-lane cycle path appeared in what seemed the middle of nowhere and I happily shot along it for the next 15 miles successfully avoiding taking out any of the many squirrels and lizards dashing across the path. Then, into Monterey where the path went down to the blue sandy beach and around the harbour. The sun was out, I was hungry, and when I saw the seals sunning themselves on the rocks in the harbour I succumbed to the charm of this town and decided to call an early end to the day.

Looking forward to tomorrow it'll take me along the famous (apparently) 17 Mile Drive including past Pebble Beach Golf Course before disappearing into the depths of Big Sur county where, based on what Mark Beamont said on his round the world trip, I think I'm highly unlikely to get a mobile signal so could be signing off on the blog for a couple of days.

Tuesday 28 April 2009

How did I get here?

Day 23, Stage 16 - San Francisco to Santa Cruz 81 miles in 7hrs 40mins (incl. 1 food, BK stop)
Total distance 1,247 miles
You know that feeling you get when driving along and you can't remember the past mile or two? (Or is that just me?) Well that's exactly what the last 50 miles of today were like. Probably the most unremarkable stretch of coastline. The one stand out sight, and a seriously impressive one at that, was these incredibly unstable looking cliffs somewhere along the coast.

At least my destination for today, Santa Cruz, is memorable. Namely cause it's just so bad it's an absolute must see (maybe I should have listened to you, Sara). Though, I've got to be honest, it's so bad I actually kind of like it.

The first 30 miles out of San Fran were also more memorable. I had contemplated staying on for an extra day but my legs were getting twitchy to get spinning again and when the pneumatic drill started out in the street early this morning I was pleased I was moving on. It was a late start though as I had to replace my rear tyre which was worn to the thread after a mere 1500 or so miles. And the city didn't let me out easily though as every corner I turned seemed to unveil yet another frighteningly steep climb and, as a result, I'd done some 2,000ft of climbing before I'd reached the 20 mile mark at midday. 25 miles in and I passed the site of the legendary Mavericks big wave at Half Moon Bay. Alas, it wasn't breaking - all was quiet - much like the next 50 miles.

Sorry for the short blog but today is the start of a possible six day stint in the saddle so need my rest tonight.

Monday 27 April 2009

Go to jail. Go directly to jail.

Day 22 - Tourist day
Just back from a hugely impressive tour round this little 'Rock' in the bay. Fabulous place to visit although the seriousness of the setting was comically reduced by the noises coming from the colony of nesting snowy egrets on the island. Beautiful looking birds but definitely worth a google to hear their calls - got to be up there as one of the most ludicrous animal noises going.

Sunday 26 April 2009

Bowl you can eat

Day 21 - Rest Day
And as you can see I found the perfect meal - chilli served in a loaf of bread. Awesome.

...and that's just for starters

Saturday 25 April 2009

A Golden day

Day 20, Stage 15 - Jenner to San Francisco
85 miles in 7hrs 50mins (incl. only 1 food stop but an obscene amount of adrenaline)
Total Distance - 1,165 miles
This was it, the day of the final push into San Francisco.

I set off at 8.25am assuming I had some 80 miles to go but was quickly cheered up by the first, and come to think of it, only mileage sign 2 miles in saying it was 72 miles to the city. The sky was blue, the wind was with me and I didn't feel as god awful as I had the past 3 mornings. I was almost feeling good about the day ahead. Now, I'd assumed, that this close to a major city that towns (read cafes) would be relatively plentiful so hadn't paid too much attention to the map in terms of planning food stops along the way. There was nothing at the first town of Bodega which I breezed through after 13 joyous wind-assisted miles along the Sonama Beach Park. So I continued on and the road then headed inland for a cafeless 20 miles through beautiful lush dairy fields stopping only to eat the blueberry muffin (and paper case) that had been stuffed in the bottom of my Camelbak for three days. I was making great progress despite my growing hunger and when I met the ocean again the wind almost picked me up and carried me the 10 miles along the coast into Point Reyes where I finally refuelled properly(ish) on a slice of pizza. It was midday and I had 44 miles on the clock - by far my best by that time. This was followed by a slowish 7 miles up a gentle climb as I attempted to digest the dough, after which a short fast descent took me out of the woods and back into the tailwind. As I looked down the road I was a bit surprised to see a couple of road bikes zooming along a couple of hundred yards ahead. I couldn't figure where they'd come from but these guys looked serious and they weren't hanging about. But, to my complete astonishment, without really trying I was gaining on them, 18mph, 20, 24mph, I just kept going faster, but still not trying, and when I glided past them on my fully-laden 70lb battlecruiser of a bike the look of incredulity from them was so priceless you would not believe. Now to be fair, they did put in a sprint to get back past me after a couple of miles, but only all of 30 yards ahead. And they chatted away to me in a perfectly civilised manner when they passed, but their pride was so obviously hurt it was cruelly comical. However, after 8 miles of this the road then went up sharply at Stinson Beach and I was, not unsurprisingly, dropped. Still, I'd had my moment of glory and boy had it been fun.

Now when I say the road went up, I really mean it. In all the 1,200 miles I've done, the unexpected 1,500ft climbing in miles 60-68 today were the hardest by far. But as I stood, an hour and some later, gasping for breath at the top of the final climb before the road wound down into the city suburbs, the stereotypically brash but wholly welcome yells of encouragement from the group in a passing SUV lifted me from my happy tiredness. I was almost there. Or so I thought. It turned out that the mileage sign I'd seen was to the edge of the city, my destination lay some 11 miles beyond that. It could easily have been notably more as the GPS then tried remarkably hard to get me lost on several occasions over the next few miles as I tried to find the Golden Gate Bridge. Finding it actually proved considerably harder than I'd thought it would be finding something that size but after taking to navigating by the sun I realised I was on the right track. The adrenaline was surging now though and I even caught and passed another pretty serious looking roadie on the final 200ft climb up to The Bridge. Relative to the previous two guys, he actually took it remarkably well.

I savoured the ride across in the sun for all it was worth in near delirious laughter making me all but forget about the howling crosswind trying to make go swimming. Then into the city where I had my first taste of the famous hills this city is built on. Much, much steeper than they look. At one point I thought the gps was trying to finish me off by sending me down something nearer a cliff face than a road. The taxi drivers were chuckling at my obvious novice performance. I survived though and am off out on a pub crawl tonight to celebrate so will see if I've actually got any liver left or if I've metabolised it away in the past 3 weeks - it's the first thing to go, apparently. That combined with the fact I'm shattered, dehydrated, I haven't been drinking much beer at all and am probably around 10kgs or so lighter than at the start of the month means I reckon I might last 2 beers if I'm lucky.

Still, it's a rest day tomorrow and I think I deserve a beer.

Friday 24 April 2009

The First Millenium

Day 19, Stage 14 - Mendocino to Jenner
88 miles in a gruelling 9hrs 40 mins (incl. 2 long food stops and a puncture)
Total Distance 1,080 miles
I need a vacation!

Woke up this morning truly exhausted, or so I thought, but in truth it was nothing compared with this evening. Thankfully a tailwind was already blowing, and if the forecast was to believed (a very, very big assumption for this trip) then it was going to be right behind me for the whole day. As I set off, I was 165 miles from San Fran and determined to leave myself less than 90 miles for tomorrow, but given how I was feeling I knew it would be a struggle. And so it proved as the winding, undulating coastal road combined with slow service for brunch meant I'd only done 17 miles by the time I left said cafe at 11.40am, 2hrs 20mins after I'd set out. Easily my slowest start of the whole trip with the only cycling bright spot (among the innumerable scenic ones) being the odometer ticking over to show four figures for the first time - 1000 miles done, only another 4,400ish to go, yikes.

As the road improved I sped up over the next 30 miles but was still struggling both mentally and my fuel levels. So I stopped in Gualala for fajitas and to fix another rear wheel puncture. Solid food still isn't really go down well and this meal was no different but I hoped I had managed enough to get me at least to bulk of the remaining 40 miles to Jenner.

Now, after almost three weeks on the bike I hadn't seen a single other fellow Pacific Coast tourer. Then as I left Gualala, I spotted a couple of fully laden bikes. Chatting to them over the next wind assisted super fast 15 miles it turned out they'd set out a couple of days ahead of me from Seattle and were on their way to San Fran. They also mentioned that, coincidentally, they'd met another Scottish guy a few hundred miles up the road who was heading south, and probably a day ahead. Bit of a coincidence, I thought, but not as much of a coincidence as when I stopped 10 miles later in a tiny grocery shop near Stillwater campsite and said Scottish guy walks into the said store. Small world!

It was after 5pm by then and I still had 15 miles to go if I was to make it to Jenner. I also knew that the last 10 miles consisted of a climb up and along the cliffs that the lady in the store described as 'awful'. As if that wasn't bad enough, the two guys had re caught and passed me telling me to take it easy cause I was looking very tired. So, at the start of the climb at Fort Ross I did the sensible thing - ate half a rice krispie cake, and pressed on. 'Summit fever' had well and truly taken hold :) So, as the shadows lengthened and the air cooled I pedalled very slowly up. And was I pleased I had. Stunning views in the evening sun down the coast (and the several hundred feet cliffs below). A very tentative descent down then took me into the fantastic River's End cabins/restaurant Jenner - definitely the best meal and lodgings of the trip. I had made it.

The final push into San Fran tomorrow, and at least two days much-needed rest. Can't wait.

Thursday 23 April 2009

P.s. - Phone signal

Forgot to say, I'm still stuck unable to make outgoing calls texts.
Hopefully that'll change at San Fran.

Sent from my iPhone

Back to normal (if I ever was?)

Day 18, Stage 13 - Garberville to Mendicino
81 miles in 9 hrs (incl. 1 long food stop)
Total distance - 992 miles
Safely checked in here in Mendocino, a quaint and picturesque little town on the coast that is surprisingly populous given it was the setting for most of Jessica Fletcher's adventures in Murder She Wrote.

Much better day today but still worryingly tough. I could tell that I was flirting dangerously close to another monster blow up on more than a few occasions.

Starting off, the forecast was again for another warm day, though not as hot as yesterday. However, I hoped to avoid the worst of the heat as I would be crossing over the mountains out the valleys back to the, hopefully cooler, Pacific Coast by the afternoon.

The first 20ish miles into Leggett were mildly irritating with far too many 300ft climb/descent stints, making for a slow start. I was therefore, in a way quite happy to finally, after some 900 miles, turn off Highway 101 and set off at the very start of Highway 1 (see pic). Once in Leggett I took the short detour to cycle through the legendary 'drive-through-tree'. Yup, I know it sounds tacky but I actually thought it was a really impressive sight, especially considering said tree is still very much alive and well. So I sat there for quite a while eating lunch chuckling at the irony of folk tentatively inching their over sized SUVs through.

I was also in no rush to move on as it was warming up and I knew what lay ahead. It was the Legget Hill, probably the third-toughest climb on my whole route (behind two on the never-happened Mattole stage). Finally I rolled out of Leggett and began the ascent with the thermometer now around 27C. It was definitely tough, not insanely so (approx. 1300ft in 5 miles), but the really remarkable thing was that in those 5 miles I can't remember one single pedal-turn of downhill, or even flat, it was just continuous grind - strangely enjoyable though. But nowhere near as enjoyable as the descent down towards the Pacific again. 1,800ft and several miles of unadulterated cycling joy, sweeping and twisting through the shadows of the forest. One for the purists and easily up there in my top three downhills ever - and, yes, if you're wondering, I've got favourite climbs as well, cycling uphill can be fun in my book.

The descent back to the ocean also brought the temperature drop I was hoping for, and some. From 27C at the summit it was suddenly a relatively chilly 13C at sea level, despite still being under blue skies. Temperature inversion? Definitely.

The next 45 miles are a bit of a delightful blur of surf, beaches, sea lions and headlands. A blur that was, however, frequently punctuated by that temperature inversion. The boundary could only have been a hundred or so feet up but it made for the counter-intuitive concept of climbing into the 20C heat and then descending into the 13C cool. 7C doesn't sound much, but with it being the 'wrong-way-round' it caused some real issues with my thermoregulation.

Still, I made it here in one piece and hoping the forecast is right, being for things to cool back to civilized temps tomorrow as I begin the final 160 miles into San Fran.

..and, by the way, have you started humming the theme tune to Ms Fletcher's show yet? Cause it's been on repeat in my head since I arrived here 3 hrs ago.

Wednesday 22 April 2009

When the wind, no longer chills

Day 17, Stage 12 - Ferndale to Garberville
59 miles in 7hrs (incl. numerous juice stops and even more collapse-at-the-side-of-the-road-with-heat-exhaustion stops)
I awoke after a relatively sleepless night with still-tired legs and a still-strained and delicate stomach. The Mattole was looking like a non-starter and any lingering thoughts I had of doing it were finally vanquished when I put on my Camelbak outside the hotel and realised the waist strap needed tightened by some 3 or 4 inches from where it had been only on Saturday. Had I really been that I'll? Apparently so.

So, I turned left instead of right and rolled out into the late morning sunshine for a fast first 10 miles past the cows trying all the while to avoid shredding the numerous, seemingly suicidal butterflies. I felt almost good but then I hit the first hill of the day. It went up a trivial 200ft and I didn't, at least not easily. I knew then that the Mattole would have been a serious, if not terminal mistake. My tank was still very close to empty.

While missing out on the Mattole is gutting from a cycling point of view, fortunately the back-up route I was doing was by no means dull taking in the Avenue of the Giants (see pic). So, for most of the 32 miles of it I was back feeling like a three-year-old again and a three-year-old who was mercifully grateful for the shelter these mighty 'creatures' were giving as my thermometer had been showing over 20C when I'd first disappeared into the Avenue. It was now moving up markedly, even in the shade. By the time I'd arrived in Myers Flats, where my stomach was still quietly but adamantly insisting on a liquid only lunch, it was reading 30C in the shade. I was starting to fade and to make it worse, the trees were thinning and the temperature was continuing to increase.

Now, I'll be honest, I don't fully understand the concept of wind-chill. Sure, I get that it generally makes it feel colder but, as it gets warmer, it has less effect. Then, above around 32C, it all gets a bit bizarre (at least in my book) of actually making it feel warmer. Today was the first time I've actually experienced it on the bike but, believe me, it ain't pleasant to reach the top of a climb, dripping in sweat, hoping for the usual cooling breeze of the descent, but instead getting a blast of even warmer air. Something just isn't right and I could almost feel what little energy was left in me being sucked out by the heat.

The last six miles along the freeway, with the thermometer at 34C into Garberville were, frankly, hellish, almost comically so, but my spirits were lifted by the driver of the parked lorry who got out his cab to laugh at me collapsed in the shade from his trailer. I actually think he was quite worried, and probably rightly so.

I finally made it into Garberville and having gratefully checked into a motel here and done my stretches, I finally, for the first time in almost 3 days, feel hungry. Thankfully.

Here's hoping tomorrow's better, though, to be fair, the only thing that could be worse would be if I end up as carrion. Which was definitely not out the question today.

However, there's now a Mattole rat that's crept in my head quietly gnawing away.......

Tuesday 21 April 2009

Recovery

Day 16 -Rehydration Day
Feeling a lot more human today but still far from ideal. Just doing a rough calc. and I reckon I'm on about a 9,000 - 10,000 calorie deficit since Friday am (which works out at about 4kgs). Still, the weather's finally brightened up and it's been beautiful couple of days here in Ferndale with only the occasional but disconcertingly random tsunami warning siren disturbing the peace in this charming little town

Forecast is looking good for tomorrow but still not sure if I'm up to doing the Mattole, or more importantly the next 3 days after.

Will see what the morning brings.

Sunday 19 April 2009

Setback

Day 15 - 'Rest Day'
Rest day, yeah right. After 2 weeks being stuffed full of all sorts, my stomach has thrown in the towel. It's 7.30 am over here and I reckon I've had about 3 hrs sleep having been repeatedly ill all night, unable to even keep water down.

It would be lunacy to attempt the monster stage tomorrow given how I'm feeling now so I'm either going to take the bail-out route or take an extra rest day here.

Off to try and get some sleep now.

The drugs do work

Day 14, Stage 11 - Prairie Creek campsite to Ferndale 77 miles in 9hrs 20mins (incl. 2 large food stops)
Total distance - 852 miles
When Fausto Coppi, a cycling great of the 40's and 50's, was asked if he had taken drugs when cycling his response was at least honest being 'when necessary'. Which lead to the obvious next question 'when is it necessary?' To which Coppi replied 'Almost always'.

Well it was 'necessary' for me today as it quickly became clear to me that yesterday's blowing up combined with the lack of any substantial food in the evening had left me with one seriously heavy pair of legs today. An early double breakfast didn't do much good so I stopped off again after a pitiful 28 miles in ~3hrs 30mins, and decided to go for the nuclear option of chemical stimulants. Namely a cup of warm caffeine - my first coffee of the trip. It worked enough to get me through the next, thankfully flat, 50 miles, worryingly little of which I can remember as I'm lying here desperately trying to stay awake.

Looking forward to a much needed rest day tomorrow here in Ferndale which looks a fantastic little town - just the sort of place I needed to be in after the past couple of days.

The pic is the start of Monday's monster stage, the Mattole Road - 73 miles and 9000ft of climbing lie up that fairly harmless looking bit of tarmac making it easily the toughest day on paper of the whole trip. So I'm signing off to get as much rest as I can for it.

Saturday 18 April 2009

Big day, in many ways bar one

Day 13, Stage 10 - Gold Beach to Prairie Creek Campsite
92 miles in 9hrs 25mins (incl. 1 food stop)
Total distance - 774 miles
Well, my Tourettes is back.

It's been a long, long day!

As I awoke at 7am having got out of the comfiest bed I've been in in a long time (at Ireland's Rustic Lodges) I wasn't best pleased to see the rain dancing in the puddles. Still, it's early, the forecast is good so it'll be burnt off soon, I thought.

So, I set out from Gold Beach, cinnamon bagel in hand, a bit miffed but set for a +90 mile day. Pretty soon the road pointed up into the cloud. I rode up. And it rained. I rode up more. And it rained more, and the visibility got worse (30-50yrds) and it stayed at 3C. After 2 hrs of numerous, wet 200-500ft climbs to viewpoints which my guidebook was raving about but which were today all showing the same shade of grey, I hit real mental low point for the trip. That's when the verbal affliction came back and this time I didn't even have any pain to take my mind off everything. I felt physically great a case of the flesh is willingly but the spirit is weak.

The meteorological and mental gloom continued for the 28 miles into Brooking (I think, I didn't care to look) where I stopped for my first franchise food of the trip in DQ. As I set off again the rain stopped, and a beautifully eerie mist started rising from the ground. Then, I spotted another rainbow fish of Yachats' ilk hung from the porch of a passing house. This one wasn't dancing but, when I looked up, the sun was starting to break through. It would take another 35 miles to do so properly but is was a start and enough to stop the flow of expletives.

I then essentially stumbled on the state line, crossing over from Oregon into California some 10 miles earlier than I had expected. 20 miles of cow-filled fields later I was in, and rapidly out of Crescent City after which the road ramped up sharply into the forest. Then something strange began to happen. It wasn't obvious for the first few hundred feet of climbing, but at around 600ft up I began shrinking, and by 800ft I was three year old again, riding a tiny tricycle through the woods. I was into the land of the giant redwoods, and I felt small. Seeing the size of them I now don't think there is such a thing as tree huggers here, they're just passing hikers who've been caught in the gravitational field of one of these leviathans. While in the forest the sun finally broke through and the road rolled out to glorious sunshine at the top of 700ft cliff overlooking the ocean. A rather hairy descent back to the sea followed - hairy cause at 30 mph it's difficult to tell if it's the shadow of a branch or if it's a large wheel-buckling crack in the road. I continued on through the sunshine and past the Trees of Mystery centre, complete with the not-insignificant wooden sculptures in the pic. Now I can understand the lumberjack, but the sky blue bull? Nope, I don't get it.

I was feeling great, enjoying the sunshine and thinking the stage was basically in the bag. But, it was far from it. As I started on the climb out from Klamath, with 10 miles to go, my engine spluttered to a grinding halt. I was empty, gone, finished. It's known in the cycling world as bonking (don't ask cause I don't know why) and is basically the same as 'hitting the wall' in running, only much more debilitating. Graeme Obree wrote that only a cyclist that's been through it can truly understand just how exhausted you can get on a bike in this situation. And I was there. A couple of bits of red liquorice and the remainder of my Gatorade got me very, very slowly, up the next 4 miles to the top of the Newton B Drury road - a truly stunning descent through the the Redwoods and down into the campsite for the night.

However, things still weren't finished there. Now for an area that's into it's outdoor pursuits you'd have thought that finding freeze-dried camping meals wouldn't be difficult, but every outdoors store I asked in all the way from Coos Bay looked at me rather strangely. Even the ranger in Crescent City couldn't help. But, he assured me there was a shop of some sort down here at the campsite.

Eh, nope. Nowt! If I'd had the energy then the Tourettes would have been back. I didn't.

So, dinner tonight has consisted of; one 330ml bottle of strawberry milk, 2 bits of red liquorice and half a pack of ham jerky. All told about some 500 calories vs the 7000 or so I burnt today. I'm seriously contemplating trying to tap a redwood for some sap.

Thankfully it's only a short 69 mile day tomorrow into Ferndale, my base camp for the +9000 ft day that is the Mattole Monster. However, I'll need to find food fast in the morning.

No signal here of any sort so will post this tomorrow when I find a motel with free WiFi that I can linger outside of.

On that topic, for those of you who've called/texted me in the past few days, I've been stuck on some phone network (Edge Wireless) since Tuesday that doesn't let me make calls or send texts. I not ignoring you.

Off to bed now, hungry.

Friday 17 April 2009

Jetty cats pic

The Jetty Cats of Gold Beach

Day 12, Stage 9 - Coos Bay to Gold Beach
85 miles, 7hrs 55 mins (incl 2 food stops and countless photo/admiring the view stops)
Total distance covered - 682 miles
So, can one actually get bored of rounding headlands and seeing yet another seemingly endless beach with the waves crashing against a battalion of rocky outcrops?

Nope, not yet!

Well, today turned out to be by far the easiest day's cycling so-far as I very quickly found myself 35 miles in before I'd really woken up. The real key, I think, was that nothing was really hurt that much. Sure my left knee, buttocks and palms were all uncomfortable, and my legs are by no means feeling fresh, but relative to how I have been feeling on all the other stages I felt great. This continued through the impressive seascapes in Bandon and Port Oxford, with the biggest problem being the skip button on my headphones not working properly - I didn't realise I had so many Neil Diamond songs on my iPod.

The pic (in the next entry) is of some ferrel cats that are actually one of Gold Beach's tourist attractions. I'd actually been looking forward to seeing them all day.

I'm now getting into a bit of a routine, so here's what an average day looks for me

7.30am - Wake up, shower, repack kit
8.30am - Set off
8.35am - Find nearest garage and fill up Camelbak with 3 liters of Gatorade
11.30am - Stop for enormous amounts of food
5pm - Arrive at destination; check in, stretch, shower, have coughing fit
6.30pm - Out to find dinner
8pm - Watch Weather Channel, write blog, check out route & highlights for next day
9pm - Bed

As I said on Sunday, it ain't no holiday.

Last night in Oregon tonight as crossing into California tomorrow, into the land of the giant redwoods.

Thursday 16 April 2009

Breakfast of Champions, or Fat Boys

Day 11- Rest Day
Alas it didn't turn out to strictly be a rest day today as I had to take the bike a couple of miles up the road to North Bend to get the rear wheel rebuilt by the very helpful folk at Moe's Bike shop. However, those 5 miles confirmed to me both just how stuffed I am and also, even if I wasn't, then just how little there was to see in this town - basically think Dundee and you're not far off. So a day of much resting, laundry and excessive eating ensued. Speaking of copious consumption, this pic was from earlier in the trip, in the Sunflour cafe across the road from Wayne & Stacey's in Seattle. While I didn't quite manage it all that day, it shows the sort of quantity that's now a daily occurrence for me.

Wifi in the motel stuffed hence I'll likely not be able to post this til I set off to Gold Beach tomorrow. Edging even closer to California, and the monster day on the Mattole Road.

Wednesday 15 April 2009

...and the rainbow fish started dancing

Day 10, Stage 8 - Newport to Coos Bay
98 miles, 8hrs 40 mins (incl. 1 food stop)
It was a restless night last night, not least because I was too tired to get up and switch off the heater I'd left on to dry my clothes, but principally because Sunday's storm had knocked me 20ish miles behind schedule so I knew that, if I was to get back on track, then I was on for having to do a not- insignificant 98 mile day - longer than I'd ever ridden before, even on an unladen bike. The task seemed even more difficult when I awoke to vague recollections of switching my alarm off, something I'd obviously done 1hr 40mins before. As a result, it wasn't until 9.15 that I finally rolled out onto the damp Newport streets, though thankfully under blue skies. There was, however, no sign at all of the tailwind I'd been hoping for but the slate-smooth roads made for great early progress alongside a seemingly endless sandy Pacific beach. One thing that I was acutely aware of in the damp morning air of those early miles was the distinctive aromatic smell of the US' largest cash crop. Now I'd thought it was only a Northern California thing, but obviously not. Anyway, I pedalled on and quickly found myself in the delightful little village of Yachats, where I would have stayed last night but for the storm delays. Stopping off in the Blue Whale restaurant I ordered a breakfast so vast the waitress announced it's details to the whole cafe. Thinking about it, the order was perhaps, in no small way, influenced by what I'd been inhaling in those early miles. As I sat hoovering up copious amounts of French toast I knew Coos Bay, at some 76 miles further down the road, was a big, big ask without the tailwind I'd been counting on.

And then, out the corner of my eye it started twitching.

A few more slices of toast later and it didn't just twitch but started meaningfully fluttering. It was a multi-coloured windsock fish outside the house next door and it was positively dancing in the breeze ... my tailwind had arrived! I then knew I was making it to Coos.

The next 20 miles weaving up and around the various headlands easily gave Lake Crescent a run for it's money in terms of spectacular scenery and it was topped off by the beautifully contrasting view from Sea Lion Cave; rugged outcrops to the north and seemingly endless dunes to the south. From here a fabulous 35-40mph decent took me into the start of dune country. However, when I got to the bottom I got that cyclist's sixth sense again that something wasn't quite right about the bike. Looking down, I noticed a disconcerting wobble in the rear wheel. Now as this was a new wheel I just got before the trip I was expecting some of the spokes to work loose therefore, I had been checking them along the trip. But, when I stopped to check them this time I was more than a touch shocked to realise that at least a dozen or so spokes were looser than Ulrika Johnson's chastity belt. A 20 minute rebuild ensued and I set off, with the wind at my back for another 50 sand-dune-filled miles, stopping only for another couple of rebuilds before finally rolling into the somewhat grim Coos Bay. It's meant to be a rest day here for me tomorrow but hiring a car to get out of here for the day looks like the best option as this place ain't the prettiest, even in the sun.

So, the cyclists amongst you are probably asking, why stop at 98 miles and not go for the symbolic 100? Well I'm saving that cycling milestone as a carrot for later in the trip. I've a 113 mile day pencilled in to take me into Moab. Figured that's an appropriate place to do my first century.

Speaking of big days, the toughest day of the trip, on paper at least, is drawing closer. I'd rather not talk about it now though. Once I give the details you'll understand why.

And apologies for yet another gratuitous beach picture, but it was the story of the day.

Tuesday 14 April 2009

Today, Matthew, I'm going to be a tourist

Day 9, Stage 7 - Tillamook to Newport
75 miles in a very chilled 8hrs 40mins
Before I start, whatever has happened to Matthew Kelly. Can't say I care, but...

Anyway, after yesterday's not-so-pacific Pacific tempest I was delighted to look out the window this morning to see blue sky. Despite this it actually turned out to be the coldest day so far with a chilly morning temp. of 2C and a high of only 7C. Thankfully, though, the kit is doing a great job of keeping me warm and did so again today.

The day started off with me racing to dodge the showers through fields full of Tillamook cows but I quickly became aware that both knees were aching, slowing my progress somewhat. Probably a combination of the cold from the occasional hailstorm in the morning combined with all the in-the-saddle hard pedalling into the wind I did yesterday. However, I was in no rush today and cruised down the coast through more picturesque towns with my only delay being my first puncture of the trip, just north of Depoe Bay.

I then decided to drop off highway 101 for the first time for an extremely leisurely spin along Otter Crest Loop and to finally take in some sights such as Cape Foulweather and the Devil's Punchbowl, which were both considerably better than their names suggest and well worth the detour, as the pic hopefully shows. Particularly enjoyable was watching the ground squirrels at the punchbowl (at least I think that's what they were - they looked like squirrels and living in burrows). From there I buzzed along in the cold sunshine over the bridge at Newport choosing my motel purely because it's near proximity to the Rogue Brewery.

Looking ahead to tomorrow, the weather system is moving across the country and as a result, the wind that was my Nemesis in Sunday, is forecast to turn into a 20mph NNW tailwind. Could well be a fun day.

Apologies for the short blog today. The bar in the Brewery was strictly mobile-free. Despite this, it was a great little sample house not least because I got I.D'd before getting any of the great beers, but also because it served a Kobe beef chili - which is either a genius or madness recipe.

Monday 13 April 2009

This ... ain't no holiday ...

Day 8, Stage 6 - Astoria to Tillamook
65 miles, 7hrs 30mins (incl. 1 short food stop), yes really that slow.
Before I start, I have to admit that I had a sense of humour failure today of truly epic proportions. Today I was faced with the reality that this ain't some quaint little biking holiday I'm on but a full-on endurance adventure trip. It started even before I set off as I was loading the bags on the bike in the car park of the very pleasant Cannary Pier Hotel that's been home for the last couple of nights. As was forecast, it was raining, hard, very hard, and I was kitted out in my waterproofs already having resigned myself to a long and rainy day. What I hadn't counted on was the headwind, but within 500 yards I was all too aware of it. It was then I remembered back to the slightly nervous way the waitress who served me breakfast in South Bend on Friday had mentioned the 'little breeze'' that was expected in the next few days. But this wasn't a little breeze, it was a +20mph direct headwind. Given the fully-laden bike has all the aerodynamics of a Sherman tank, complete with a 30ft spinnaker sail, I quickly realised that this was going to be one seriously testing day. And so it turned out. The first 25 miles were easily the toughest flat-road cycling I've ever done (Pete, think that few mile ride into Balmoral, and some). To put it into perspective, despite being refreshed after a rest day and going full out on flat smooth roads, I only covered 8.9 miles in the first hour. I honestly thought I'd developed Tourettes in the first few hours as the all too frequent gusts of wind drew increasingly loud, abusive and irrational rants from me which were quickly carried carried away in the wind. Who knows what any locals thought of me. The only positive about these early miles was the fact that I didn't need to stop to drink, I just did a Bjarne Riis basking shark impression and inhaled the rain.

This, however, all turned out just to be mere trivial warm up to the 'main event'. Now, in reading other peoples accounts of cycling the Pacific route one couple mentioned something about un-nerving cycling along exposed cliffs somewhere on the coast. Well I think I found them today. 30 miles into the trip the road headed upwards and disconcertingly into the misty trees. Then, the trees cleared, or at least they did in the 30 yards or so of visibility there was, and I rounded the corner...

...or should I say I tried to round the corner but was confronted with a gale being funneled along the cliffs on which the road was hung. I could hardly pedal and was even blown over at one point. Looking up through the gale at the road disappearing into the mist I knew I couldn't ride into it, even if there wasn't a sheer 500ft cliff over the woefully inadequate 2 foot high wall at the side of the road. So what to do; wait in one of the 'viewpoints' in the hope it would clear? turn back, or try to press on. Following Joe Simpson's great advice of 'you've got to keep making decisions, they may be the wrong ones'' I got off the bike and tentatively pushed it up into the grey, ready at any moment to let go and watch it be blow over the cliff if need be. All the while listening for the RVs rumbling up the road out the gloom. In all my years of cycling I'd never actually been terrified before, until today.

So, it was with great relief I found myself at the summit of the climb and soon rolling down out of the mist into, and through, Manzanita. Then, somewhat in a daze through the next 30 rainy miles of probably picturesque little coastal villages onto the bizarre cheese town of Tillamook - my resting point for the night.

I actually only stopped to take one picture all day (and one video clip atop said cliffs - I look and sound more terrified than I remember) hence, today's blog snap in the laundry in Tillamook. A real shame, I think as I actually get the feeling that it was a glorious part of the world I was going through today and I suspect it would have been a fantastic day's riding on a clear, still day. Ah well, next time ;)

Still, I'm another 50 or so miles nearer the equator and due to cross the symbolic 45th Parallel tomorrow. Just hoping the weather improves.

Saturday 11 April 2009

Rest Day Beer Tray

Well there's plenty calories in beer isn't there?

They.....have.....arrived!

Day 6, Stage 5 - Aberdeen to Astoria
85 miles, 7hrs 30mins (incl. 1 eat-til-my-stomach-hurt food stop)
Delighted to have arrived safely under glorious blue skies into Astoria in Oregon, the second state on the trip. I'm currently supping much needed celebratory ales in the Wet Dog Brewery - good call by the way, Gus.

As for the day, well I really struggled to get myself going this morning having looked out the motel window to see cold rain falling on the grey streets of Aberdeen. Hmm, sound a familiar image to anyone? Eventually I set off reasonably late at 9.10 and struggled, badly, through the first 15 miles of, yes you guessed it, trees and logging trucks. I was definitely feeling mentally beat and even had to play my joker card of finally putting on the iPod for the first time which helped lift me along until I reached the quaint small twin towns of Raymond and South Bend where I proceeded to eat enough pancakes & French toast to hurt. This was then followed by another 30 miles of slightly irritating 50-100 ft climb/descent cycles catching fleeting glimpses of the sea between the, yup, trees. And then came the rain again. But, at 59 miles in, I reached a junction where the trees cleared, the sun came out and I decided to take the longer, but I hoped more scenic, road to Astoria. At that moment, they arrived. Now I didn't see the delivery truck, nor the team of surgeons complete with operating theatre, but somewhere within the next half a mile my cycling legs were officially fitted. And I rode, and I rode, and rode some more. Stomping along out the saddle at a pace I've not got close to all trip, frequently telling myself to take it easy and slow down. At one point I actually found myself looking round to check if my kit bags had fallen off the bike it felt so fast. I remember Lance Armstrong's saying his teammate, George Hincape, described it as a 'no chain' moment - when the pedalling is so easy it feels like there's no chain on the bike. Well that's exactly how it felt, all the way through 25 miles of sunshine into Astoria. The final four miles of which were over this, the not insignificant Astoria-Megler bridge, all 4 miles of it over the Columbia River basin. Definitely one on the highlights of the trip so far. It's really quite big.

In spite of the truly awesome last 25 miles it's a much needed rest day tomorrow and I've already booked myself in for a deep tissue massage (and before certain of you gents comment, I asked the receptionist, not the concierge, though apparently I just need to dial 0 for the 'pillow menu'). All I can say is I hope said masseuse likes a challenge!

Friday 10 April 2009

Can't see the, err, anything for the trees

Day 5, Stage 4 - Kalaloch to Aberdeen
75 miles, 7hrs 30mins (incl. 1 food stop)
Set off this morning at 8.20 under grey skies and 4C fully kitted out in my waterproofs. In truth, I didn't actually get rained on until some 20 miles into the day, then it rained lots, though, all told I only got about 1hr of rain all day (my first rain of the whole trip). When I told the local loggers over breakfast in the Spartan, though surprisingly welcoming J&J cafe at the north of Quinalt that it was the first rain I'd seen in 5 days in the state they accused me of being some sort of sun god.

On the topic of the loggers, I just have to mention the drivers the logging trucks here in Washington. Approx ever third vehicle that passes me on the roads is one of these pictured above, often with an extra trailer to boot. And while they look, and sound terrifying, I can honestly say that I can't believe there's a more courteous group of truck drivers anywhere out there. Even when I'm trundling along well into the shoulder lane of the road these guys go well out their way taking their rigs well onto the other carriageway to give me room. Now my pet theory I've come up with is that this seemingly relaxed attitude to their driving is a result of the nature of their 'quarry' - trees, there's seemingly billions of them here, they're not going anywhere and the harvesting of them means thinking in terms of multi-decades. As a result a couple of seconds being held up behind a bike isn't anything worth getting stressed about. Just a theory.

In terms of me, good news is that my knee is considerably better once again. Nothing more than a dull ache now and I was actually able to do some cycling out the saddle today. Which is just as well as the inability to stand yesterday has left me somewhat tender and swollen. It basically feels like a yellow dot squash ball has been surgically implanted under the skin of each buttock. Not too painful but very very weird. In terms of the ride today, it was very much a 'game of two halves' with a very slow 3hrs 30mins to do the first 30 miles before food followed by a respectable 3hrs 40mins for the next 45miles. Not sure what was in those pancakes at J&J's but it definitely worked.

Well, I'm shattered, so am off to bed, at only 8.30. Very much looking forward to rolling over the 4 miles of the Astoria-Megler bridge tomorrow into Oregon for a much needed rest day.

Before I go, though, I must say many, many thanks to all of you sending you messages/comments to me here and apologies for not getting back to you all. There definitely helping keeping me going along the way.

Wishing you all a good Easter weekend.

Thursday 9 April 2009

Life's a Beach

Stage 3, Lake Crescent to Kalaloch Lodge
65 miles, 8hrs 10mins (incl. food stops)
Mostly a really tough day today, both physically and mentally. The three-or-so mile climb out from Fairholm campground was probably up there as one of the least enjoyable i.e. most painful things I've ever done, and I ain't kidding. My left knee was not pleasant at all and I was going slower than walking pace. Therefore, I had resigned myself to a long, long day in the saddle, with the emphasis on 'in'. However, at the top of the climb - which, incidentally came some 410ft, earlier than the gps turd was saying it would - the knee suddenly improved. Still pretty sore but considerably better. I was therefore able to push on, albeit at a painful average of less than 10mph, until some 47 miles, of rather bland, grey-skied, trees-as-far-as-the-eye-can-see scenery when, for no apparent reason, another dramatic improvement happened. As a result, for the first time all day I was able to pedal standing up for more than half a pedal stroke. Now this excess sitting time has, unsurprisingly, not done my sit bones any favours. Slapped on the arse by an overly affectionate drunken elephant would be a fair description of how I'm feeling. Still, takes my mind off the sore knee I guess. The only real highlight of those first 47 was getting to the point where the road turned south; and knowing I'd be heading in that general direction, for the next ~1,800 miles.

All the pain and tedium was forgotten when I finally reached the mighty Pacific Ocean. An early landmark on the trip for me. I got a massive lift from my first glimpse of it and found myself suddenly spinning along the last six miles at a respectable 16mph (well it's respectable for a fully laden bike, Dave).

Now I had been thinking of camping again tonight, but figured that three nights outside this early in the trip was a bit too much to take. So, I'm safely checked into the Kalaloch Lodge. Admittedly, the room smells like the toilets at a fashion show after lunch, but I'm guessing I don't exactly smell to plush myself, and there's also no TV. But with this pic as the view from my window/bed, I'm not complaining about anything. There's something marvelously calming about watching the waves roll in and crash on the shore...

However, on a different note, the whole day was put massively into perspective by the text I received early this morning from my good friend in Edinburgh, Mike Linn, letting me know that his mother, Betty, had finally lost her battle with cancer. Personally I'll remember Betty as always smiling and wonderfully welcoming and, despite my numerous comments to the contrary about Mike, together with Chris she really did a great job in raising their two kids.

My thoughts are with you.

Wednesday 8 April 2009

Things that go bump in the night

Well there was something big out there last night, though I reckon it was just a deer. Didn't dare look though. Still, managed to get as solid a 12 hrs sleep as you can when camping.

Currently sitting in the Hungry Bear cafe ( which has wifi) so thought I'd do a quick post 15 miles into stage 3. I'm just trying to force down an enormous plate of chips on top of a large plate of french toast.

Knee was hurting like heck for the first few miles but has improved massively in the past 10 miles. Clouded over today but still dry at the moment. Hoping to make it to Kalaloch before the rain that's forecast starts.


Tuesday 7 April 2009

Rest day

Early Tuesday morning over here. Decided to take the rest day and not
press on today. Only another 12hrs lying here in the sun :)

Here's to global warming

Stage 2 - Port Townsend to Lake Crescent
77 miles, 8hrs 20mins (incl. food stops)
Another absolutely glorious day today with the temperature creeping up to 20C made for a beautiful 77 miles in the sun. Today's route took me along highway 101 on Washington's north-west corner, through Sequim and Port Angeles to the banks of Lake Crescent in the heart of the Olympic National Park. Sitting here at a totally calm and peaceful campsite (more on that later) it's pretty darn easy to see why it's a National Park. The scenery is just so, so big and I felt like I could almost hear David Attenbourgh's voice-over announcing the arrival of spring.

The only downside on the day, and a not insignificant one is my left knee was playing up. It had been giving me a bit of trouble in training but nothing major. Today was a different matter though, really quite painful necessitating a lot of one-legged cycling in the last few miles.

When I finally arrived at the campsite it turned out to be closed, despite every website I read saying it was open year-round. Alas, I actually ain't that fussed as it means I'm the only one here, making the setting even more idyllic. I also, obviously, had my pick of the camping sites so chose the one giving the view above, with Storm King in the distance, out my tent. Pretty awesome. Only downside is that, being the only one here doesn't exactly help my odds if any hungry bears do stumble through camp. And there are bear-proof food storage bins here so they are about, as are mountain lions. Oh great.

Tomorrow was meant to be a rest day, but with a shorter stage planned and a great forecast (and no running water/toilets here) I might just bash on with stage 3, providing the knee has improved.

Anyway, I'm turning in for the night, hugging my can of bear spray and looking forward to the sunrise over the mountains. Hopefully.

Monday 6 April 2009

The road is long, with many a...

Stage 1 - Seattle to Port Townsend.
49 miles, 3hrs 50mins
Safely checked in to the great little Palace Hotel in Port Townsend having rolled off the Seattle-Bainbridge ferry at 10am this morning (picture below is at the very start of the road). I really couldn't have wished for a better first day wish perfect biking weather (blue sky, temperature around 17C, dry and not a breath of wind). Also the roads were ideal for cycling with a smooth wide shoulder lane and the drivers being super courteous when passing. Add to that the bike worked a treat, though it is really, really heavy. Only small issue was, me. Physically I feel great but mentally I'll need to be a bit more disciplined than I was today as I did a couple of things I really shouldn't have en route; firstly zipping past a group of roadies on the climb out of Port Gamble (I just couldn't resist it), but more important was not stopping for lunch. While I got away with it on today's short stage I'll need to make myself resist that 'summit fever'-like urge to just keep going for a few miles more before stopping, no just a few more. I certainly won't get away with it on some of the desert stages.

With so much of my focus on the bike and how I was feeling I actually ended up paying little attention to the scenery and surroundings and after one glance up at the Olympic mountain range when crossing the Hood Bridge saw me almost go headfirst over the edge in shock at how impressive it was I took to looking even less. Though, of what little I saw it looks like a lovely part of the world.

On a different topic, I've also got to say a big thank you to Angus for driving over from Montana to meet me at the airport. Also his friends, Wayne and Stacey, for their hospitality over the past few days in Seattle and particularly for feeding me enough Jack Daniels spaghetti bolanase last night to keep me going till I reach California!

Looking to tomorrow, forecast is still looking good for what is a somewhat tougher day with 77 miles, +4000ft of climbing and only a tent to stay in at the end of the stage. I also suspect I won't get any phone signal there so might not be able to post anything here for a couple of days.

Anyway, I'm off out to find food. Don't care what, quantity is all that matters.

Sunday 5 April 2009

It Lives! It Liives!

It arrived at lunchtime today so after two hours putting it back
together I'm now good to go.

...well, sort of.

Saturday 4 April 2009

No Excuses

(Sat 4th, 8am) Things are definitely looking up. While I've still not got my bike it's apparently made it to Seattle, somewhere, so should be here today. Even better news came from the Komo News weatherman saying that a high pressure system has just formed off the west coast which'll stop the rain & cold air that was expected next week from making landfall. As a result it'll be some 10C or so warmer than 2C-7C highs I was fearing, lots. He even went as far as to cheerily proclaim that Spring has arrived. Another bit of good news was I managed to pick up a can of bear spray (for mere 50 bucks - now there's premium pricing on a product if ever I saw it). Guess I won't even be able to use the bear-ate-my-liver excuse then.

It's beginning to look like this whole show might actually get on the road.

Friday 3 April 2009

Touchdown, albeit sans bike

Let's be honest I'm struggling to convince myself that I'm about to do what I'm about to do. So, I'm not really that surprised that the US immigration folk didn't believe me. But, they were all set to let me through once I'd gone down to get my bike from baggage. Alas when I returned with no bike and only a sheet of A4 paper saying my bike was lost it became an altogether more complex and time consuming process that almost involved rubber gloves. Finally got through an hour and a half later to meet a perplexed Mr MacIver - they took my phone as well). Still here in one piece and hoping to see the bike tomorrow.

Wednesday 1 April 2009

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

So, all going well, 24 hrs from now I'll be jetting my way across the Atlantic. My good friend from school, Angus MacIver, has very kindly decided to make the trip all the way from Helena, Montana to meet me at the airport so I'm not lugging 40+kg of kit through some strange city. Speaking of the kit, the packing has actually gone surprisingly well (touchwood) even with with all the extra cold-weather kit I've had to pack at the last minute. As you can see, I've even been able to take shampoo off the kit list. And, no, those aren't stripes from the clippers, its strange ridges in my bonce.

The one thing that still isn't working properly is the GPS system (see my earlier blog). Given its shape and general uselessness, I've decided to christen it 'the turd' for the trip. Anyone caring to read my review of it on Amazon can find it at this link
http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B001E9651O/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt_sr_1?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&filterBy=addOneStar

Signing off from Scotland.
Fraser

Fighting Weight. More Like Fighting Weight

I've just made a quick note of what shape I'm in before I head off. HR and bp figs are probably skewed up markedly as I picked up a cold at the weekend (e.g resting HR is normally in the 45-55bpm range). None-the-less, gives me a baseline for when I'm finished.

Mass
Weight 96.3kg
Body fat 21.6% (20.8kg)
Total body water 52.4% (50.5kg)

Volume
Chest 42"
Belly of happiness 40"
Thigh circum. 24.5"
Calf circum. 18"

Pressure
Systolic b.p. 135
Diastolic b.p. 85
Heart rate 67bpm