Friday August 8th, 2014
Gold Beach, Oregon
1,115 miles – Two days ago, I hit the thousand mile mark, a major milestone for any tourer. Today I reach another milestone. In a few short hours I will be crossing the California border. Tomorrow, I enter the redwoods. And tonight at midnight I am one month into my journey. I was a little cranky typing my last blog entry. Now, nothing can hamper the mood!
Two days ago, four solo tourers came together. I now have the pleasure of riding with the Pedaling Yeti, Krysta, and Dave. Jesse, the Pedaling Yeti, began his journey in Virginia and followed the trans-am route across the country. Not ready to call it quits, he is now on his way to San Diego, CA. Check out his blog: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/The_pedaling_yeti. Krysta is basically riding the same route as myself, though she is calling it quits at the border. Check out her blog: http://www.krystaarwen.com. Dave is riding from his home in Canada and is riding as far into Cali as he can before running out of time. Everyone asks him, and I do mean everyone, “Ausy or Kiwi?” He is originally from the UK. Dave is not keeping a blog. Riding as part of a group is such a different experience than riding solo. I am very much enjoying being a part of this group. Hanging out with a few beers late into the night laughing and carrying on. Good times.
Today, I leave the state of Oregon. I’m super excited. The last few days, the scenery has been, well, epic. Wooded roads suddenly open up to hundred foot drop-offs into the ocean. Waves batter rock outcroppings and whales exhale plumes of mist dozens of feet into the air before diving deep their tails raising high out of the water. Tail winds have finally found me and push me effortlessly on my way south. The last hundred miles have been the most beautiful section of the Pacific Coast.
I can barely contain my excitement. Being a part of an amazing group of people, crossing the California border, enter the redwood forests, where I plan to take a rest day or even two, and spending time in San Fransisco, CA have my spirits at an all time high. Another state down also has me that much closer to Mexico. The Mexican border is where this trip truly begins.
The weather in this part of the world is much colder than I expected. Morning temps are in the low 60’s. High temps are in the 70’s rarely going above 80 degrees F. It is always windy. Luckily, these winds are usually at my back or my side, but occasionally they are in my face. I haven’t had rain since the San Juan Islands. Life is fantastic.
Tales of Wandering 