An Oregon Coast Detour

The Oregon Coast at it's finest.  It reminded me a lot of The Great Ocean Road in Australia and Tasmania's coastline

Ever since I can remember my Mom has always told me that the rain in Oregon comes right around my birthday. This year, more than any other, I needed this statement to hold true. I have scheduled my entire trip around my birthday, not necessarily to celebrate at home, but because it is when it gets too rainy in the Northwest to enjoy cycling, at least in my opinion. I had a day of rain in Vancouver, BC, another in Bellingham, and an evening of rain in Seattle, but after that, the rain held out and the weather forecast was skeptically summer-like. The forecast all over Oregon called for record high temperatures and no rain, I couldn't have asked for a better weather forecast and therefore take the scenic detour down the Oregon Coast before cutting over to Portland. Besides, how can an avid cyclist from Oregon cycle all over the world and never have pedaled down the Oregon Coast. In the world of tour cyclists, the Oregon Coast is at the top of the list for being the most scenic section of the Pacific Coast.

I left The Boreas Inn late in the morning after an amazing breakfast and took my time crossing the Oregon border exploring Washington's Cape Disappointment State Park. I reached the mouth of the Columbia River and the Astoria bridge with excitement, but also felt intimidated. Not only did the length of the bridge scare me, about a mile and a half in length, there was both a flat causeway and a high steel bridge that was unfortunately Although there were “Share the Road” signs at the start of the bridge, there was very little shoulder. My adrenaline was rushing as I started across. To my surprise, the official boundary is at the start of the bridge and I entered Oregon with a big smile on my face. I tried to stay focused on the bridge and traffic regardless of the most putrid roadkill I had smelled since kangaroos in Australia. Who would have guessed seagulls make for a putrid smell, flattened and dried out on the road?

The bridge from Washington to Astoria over The Columbia River

When the flat causeway bridge ended a high steel bridge started which was under road construction. All the cars were stopped and of course I got stopped too by a man in reflective gear controlling traffic. He let two groups of car go before allowing me to pedal. Only later did I learn after running into a group of both men and women cyclists, that only the women cyclists were stopped. Ironic?!?!.....I don't think so; the poor man must have been bored and needed some entertainment and conversation high above the Columbia River.

Oh, I see, you stop the women, but let the men cyclist pedal on......I don't blame you!

I was thrilled to see this sign, although I had to stand in the freeway to take the picture!

I made it over the bridge and pedaled into Astoria on the most beautiful of days I have ever witnessed on the Oregon Coast. Temperatures were between 75 and 80F with not a cloud in the sky. Not to mention I had a tailwind and the road was completely flat for the first section of the Oregon Coast. I had a Warmshowers host set up in Seaside, but with such a smooth ride, I decided to continue pedaling and make it to Nehalem State Park south of Canon Beach where a fellow tour cycling friend was camped out. I met Brad, an Aussie from Darwin on a long tour back in March in Tasmania. He had also pedaled around the island, then headed to Alaska, where we somehow missed each other, and had stayed in touch since hoping we could still find each other somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. I was over the hump of feeling sad and confused upon ending my trip, but I knew that I would enjoy the company of another cyclist who could relate to a long distance trip and my nomadic lifestyle. Not to mention I'm a sucker for an Aussie accent; I just melt when I hear it!

I enjoyed pedaling on Highway 101. How can you not with sunny blue skies, warm air, and relatively little traffic on the road. The stretch from Astoria to Cannon Beach has been recently repaved and there is a fairly wide shoulder. From Canon Beach down, the scenery starts to get really good although the shoulder decreases. Cars are still reminded frequently to watch for cyclists on the road. In fact I went through a tunnel that asks cyclists to push a button so red lights will flash to let cars know there is a cyclist inside. After stopping in Cannon Beach to take some pictures, I continued on to Nehalem State Park, excited to meet Brad. It took longer than I expected, not because of the hills, but because of the pretty scenery. From Cannon Beach down, the highways hugs the coastline making for spectacular views.

The Oregon Coast, Cannon Beach

Breathtaking scenery from Cannon Beach south

I made it to Nehalem State Park just before sunset and located Brad in the hiker biker site. Oregon State Parks are some of the best in the country for hiker and bikers. They charge between $5 and $10 with showers included! We were thrilled to see one another, it had been 8 months since our paths crossed on the south eastern coast of Tasmania, close to Freycinet National Park and had a ton of stories to share with one another, especially since we had cycled a lot of the same sections of road. We headed over to take some pictures on the beach of the sun going down and the almost full moon and then had dinner, which he prepared for me. What a treat!

Selfie at Nehalem State Park Beach

As the sunset, the moon was in a pretty remarkable state, almost full!

Well after sunset some other cyclists rolled in to the campsite. Ironically I had crossed paths with them twice already on the roads in Bellingham and again on the Hood Canal. They were a group of three heading to Cabo San Lucas. The whole group of us had a great time that night talking and telling stories and still managed to have an early night in our tents by 10 pm. No sooner did I switch off my headlamp, I heard some noises outside, as if people were walking around crunching in the leaves and going through out stuff. I quickly got dressed and opened my tent, to find Brad outside trying to ward off a family of raccoons. Wouldn't you know they had managed to get into my food pannier. I had very little food on me since I was so close to the end of my trip, but the little food I had was about to be devoured by them despite being secured enclosed in my pannier. Raccoons might seem harmless, but they've done more damage than any other animal I've encountered on this trip.

I decided to bring my bags next to my tent in order to keep an ear out for the raccoons, although, like always, I used earplugs to sleep. For some odd reason I woke up in the middle of the night to another sound, this time rather quiet and opened my tent again, to see what it could be. There, starring me in the face was a raccoon dragging away my food pannier with one paw. I couldn't believe me eyes. What a thief! I've been victim to Raccoon vandalism once on this trip and I wasn't going to let it happen again! I was so shocked, I yelled at him and said, “Hey, give that back!” and yanked on it to pull it close to my tent again. At first he didn't want to let go, but then I jut pulled harder and I was able to get it back. Funny, because I suppose he could have just as easily come back again, but thankfully I slept soundly through the rest of the night and when I awoke in the morning both bags were still right outside my tent.

This little guy and his family are NOT as innocent as they look!  (photo courtesy of Brad)

Riding the Oregon Coast Bike Route with Brad  (photo courtesy of Brad)

The next morning Brad and I were up and on the road early, before the other group of cyclists. It was refreshing to have some company and bounce ideas off another tour cyclist who was eager to continue making long bike tours a a regular part of their “normal life”. The morning ride down to Tillamook went by quickly and by 11am we were at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. It's never too early to eat ice cream. Tillamook Cheese Factory is a “must see” destination on the Oregon Coast. Not only does it have the best ice cream, the cheese samples are to die for and left unattended, set-up in an “all-you-can-eat” buffet setting, making it easy to go back for seconds without anyone noticing! We picked up lunch items at the Fred Meyer and pedaled east over the Tillamook River to Cape Lookout. After a picnic lunch on the socked in coast, Brad and I split paths. His route was bringing him down the Oregon Coast into San Francisco and I needed to head east into Portland.

Can't help but smile riding on the Oregon Coast in 80F with good company and beautiful scenery (photo courtesy of Brad)

I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!  They should offer a deal for cyclists though, maybe half price liter tubs?!?!?

The cheese samples are amazing and you have to eat them before the ice cream, after too!

Oddly dry for the Oregon Coast, and sand dunes on both sides of the roads

After studying the map religiously, I decided the best road to take inland was a paved rural backroad from Beaver, Oregon that headed east through the Nestucca Forest meeting up with Carlton, Oregon southwest of Beaverton, my first stop in the Portland area. I wanted to avoid the major coastal highways, and was quite pleased with my road choice. Route 858 is one of the most scenic roads I've pedaled in Oregon, winding through farms on both sides of the road, with the foliage on the Oak trees at their prime. There was virtually no traffic and 5 forest campsites to choose from for camping. I pedaled until it got dark, enjoying the peaceful road and a peaceful dusk. I pulled over at the last campsite I came across, which happened to be free and deserted. It was still open, but the water had been turned off. I had one bottle left and used it sparingly. I had one of my mega baby wipe towels left, that I had specifically saved for my last night of camping. I gave myself a quick wipe and went to bed early to the sound of the Nestucca River rushing below and autumn leaves falling on the ground.

Oregon scenery for sure with the moss on the trees and the ferns in the forest 

Me, myself, and I on scenic Rt. 858.  The best kept secret to cross the coastal range from Portland

My last campsite of the trip

I do love my little tent, 2ft by 6ft. I slept so soundly all trip long in this tent

The next morning I was surprised by the lack of traffic. There was a 2 mile gravel section which must have been long enough to discourage vehicles to cross the coastal range on this road. I pedaled to the top of the pass, which was a relatively low grade, and started my decent into the Willamette Valley with the Cascade mountains in the background. Another beautiful day accompanied on my ride and by 11am I was in Carlton. There isn't much in Carlton except for a gas station which has a dive of a diner attached to it, that had the most delicious french toast and pancakes. I had skimped on dinner and had a banana for breakfast, so a big breakfast stop here was a must!

The Cascade mountains in the background as I descended into the Willamette Valley

Pretty hard to beat this breakfast!

From here my ride continued to be pretty pleasant all the way to Forest Grove where I finally hit a bit of traffic. I wanted to arrive in Beaverton early rather than later to have some extra time with my friend, Brianne. She's a teacher as well, one of my few friends I still have back in Oregon. We always make a point of seeing each other when I'm visiting and have fun catching up. Although our lives are so completely different it's always refreshing to see each other. Her husband went to a Portland Timber's match so we could have some girl time together. She wanted to treat me to dinner and would have taken me anywhere, but I was dying for some fresh veggies and soup, which is why we ended up at an all-you-can-eat soup and salad buffet. We had a good laugh because we must have been the most fit people in the entire restaurant and even our combined weight was less than the average customer, but the unlimited salad bar hit the spot. Not to mention they had a chocolate lava cake out for dessert and a soft serve ice cream machine that I hit up for thirds. There's still no shame.......

Loved the slogan of this buffet!  Maybe they'd be my sponsor!

Visited the Nike campus on the way to Brianne's,...."Just Did It!"

The next morning I visited Brianne's second grade dual immersion classroom at Barnes Elementary and enjoyed talking with her students. They had an unbelievable amount of patience and sat we engaged in conversation for an hour before I headed off to visit another bilingual school in north Portland. It was great for me to give my talk in Spanish, I seldom speak in Spanish, using Catalan to talk and email my friends back in Barcelona. Harvey Scott was the second school I visited, upon request from an old high school friend, who I literally hadn't since we graduated almost 20 years ago!

What's in those bags Ms. Melissa,.......kids always want to know, so I make them guess

Dual immersion second grade at Harvey Scott Elementary

After my school visit I was eager to ride to my sister's house. Jenny moved houses since I've been pedaling so it felt as though I was riding to the host's house rather than my own sister. I got there a lot earlier than expected so I could surprise my niece at school. It's funny because as soon as I was at Jenny's house for an hour or two, it felt as though I'd been there all along and that my trip was something of the past, a long long time ago. That's the best part about being home with your family. Yes people change and grow when you are away, but you have an established history and unconditional love that doesn't and it is so easy to feel comfortable and slide into a routine. I know I have quite a few followers in the Portland area and some old high school friends, but for this visit, my family was my priority.

We went out for a bike ride.  Peter felt light in the Burley on the back

Gwyneth's soccer fans 

If Peter had his way, we would have taken home about 20 pumpkins!

The Seilos and Pritchards pumpkin picking

The Pritchard clan minus myself, Jeff, and Walter and his family

Tom and Jeff, my younger twin brothers

My parents came up from Eugene, and my two younger brothers who live in Portland came over at various times during the weekend so I could see them as well. We were only missing one Pritchard, Walter and his family down in San Francisco, but had plenty of bodies there to keep us all busy and entertained. We played outside, watched Gwyneth's soccer match, headed out to a pumpkin patch, enjoyed family meals, and went out for drinks. It was an ideal weekend for me, low key enjoying my family's company. I could have easily thrown my bike in the back of my parent's car and headed down to Eugene with them, but I was adamant on pedaling all the way to Eugene for my birthday, cherishing the homestretch of The Loong Way Home. Dare I say, it's October 13^th and it's still sunny.......?!?!

Bellingham or Bust!

The US/Canadian border north of Bellingham, WA

Bellingham, Bellingham, Bellingham.....Oh, how I wanted to get to Bellingham! It wasn't my final destination, but it could have been, really, because it was there that I was meeting my sister and her family, including a nephew I had never met, little Owen Seilo, now 11 months old! I've seen my parents twice on this trip, and one of my three brothers and his kids, but I had yet to meet my sister, Jenny.  She likes to think of my trip as a pregnancy.  The 14 month gestation period being the length of my trip and my arrival in Oregon equivalent to the arrival of a new family member.  I haven't actually seen my sister's family since February of 2013, almost two years ago, so you can imagine how anxious I was to arrive in Bellingham. With my life on the road, I do well being in the present and living in the moment but I have to admit, I was eager to get to Bellingham as I approached the US and Canadian border. It was a challenge to try not to fast forward with every revolution of my pedal the closer I got to The United States.

Riding down to Horseshoe Bay, the road Sea-to-Sky is appropriately named

BC Ferries, I'm not a big fan.....they could use some schedule improvements and lower fares

I intended to explore the Vancouver, pedal the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island but being the optimist that I am after rerouting myself through southern British Columbia, I ended up running out of time and my visit to Vancouver was shorter than I would have liked.  Looking back at it now, I know that I subconsciously put off my visit to Vancouver. After pedaling though remoteness and places where there is only one highway, Vancouver, although a bike friendly city, scared me! So many people, mazes of roads, neighborhood after neighborhood, and countless stores, cafes, restaurants, and other services. Overwhelmed would be an understatement to express my feelings regarding my arrival to British Columbia's metropolis. Therefore, I delayed my arrival, taking a detour to the Sunshine Coast, hoping that the name of this region would be promising, gifting me with some delightful weather. Rather than pedaling from Whistler and Squamish directly into Vancouver, I opted for the Horseshoe Bay ferry across to Gibson, the first town on the Sunshine Coast. Although Gibson is at sea level, contrary to intuition, the road from Whistler is not one big downhill!

More great views from the ferry

By the time I arrived at Suzie and Jim's house in Gibson, on the Sunshine Coast, I was beat! This family was new to Warmshowers, but by no means did they lack experience in hosting.  I got extremely lucky because Suzie, like me, loves to bake and she had just baked up a storm, not even knowing I was coming. In fact she probably regretted making a fresh batch of cinnamon buns, cookies, and rolls because I had a hard time controlling myself around all those delicious sweet treats. Not only was I spoiled with the food, but they also had a jacuzzi.  Minutes after my arrival I was soaking in it.  In my opinion, a jacuzzi is the next best thing to a massage chair, which I've experienced at the house of a couple of my hosts. Pure luxury!! The next morning it was hard to leave the fresh baked goods and nice company, but I went off to explore the area (with a bag of goodies of course)!

Uuuu-la-la!!! Fresh baked goods!

Keen sandal tan lines enjoying a soak in the jacuzzi

Exploring the Sunshine Coast and some of the towns

Dark clouds loomed over Vancouver Island in the distance, but my skies were sunny!

The Sunshine Coast held true to it's name and despite the dark clouds, not a drop of rain fell as I did a circular route and headed back to the ferry into Vancouver. As I cycled into the city, I was intimidated by the dense urban center.  Las Vegas was the last "big city" I cycled and after that, I used the term big city rather generously meaning, any town that had a supermarket where bananas sold for less than two dollars a piece.  Big cities had proper grocery stores rather than a gas station convenience store, and a visitor center if I was lucky.  Vancouver, I concluded, is a cross between Melbourne and Sydney with Portland's climate. With a large international population this cosmopolitan city is a foodie capital and has various ethnic neighborhoods. Vancouver is also bike friendly, although I wouldn't say the same for the surrounding area. It was suicide riding the Sea-to-Sky highway and the roads on the Sunshine Coast are far from ideal for cycling.

Some buildings in downtown Vancouver

Decorated granaries on Granville Island

Vancouver BC's skyline

Ken and Patsy were my hosts in Vancouver; friends-of-friends, and extremely patient hosts with my ever changing itinerary and arrival date. I stayed with them for three nights. On the first day, I made it out for a long run around the University of British Columbia campus before the rain started, which I actually welcomed so as to not feel guilty spending the day inside doing some trip logistics. The following day I got poured on during my morning run, but had gorgeous weather for sight seeing afterwards. I met a friend for lunch, Robbin, who runs a bike touring company.  He set me up with a rental bike to pedal around town. I spent the afternoon pedaling around Granville Island, Stanley Park, downtown, the inlet, and then out to his house for a potluck dinner with other tour cyclists. He had invited a Swiss cyclist who I had heard of, and a couple of other tour cyclists and we all shared our experiences on the road with videos and photos. Just as I was starting to accept the idea of ending my trip, I felt a sudden urge to continue pedaling to more far off places. I left the potluck feeling rather nostalgic and confused, uncertain and sad about the near future. Feelings that would visit me again a few days later.

With the dark rain clouds, Vancouver's architecture glowed.  No, of course I didn't get rained on- Lucky me!

Great art all around Vancouver

The next morning, I left for Bellingham, excited to see my sister. Crossing the US and Canadian border was much easier than I thought, both the route and customs. The key to avoiding long lines at an American border is biking. Cyclists get to use the express lane and have virtually no wait time compared to vehicles and foot passengers. What a perk, eh?!?!

The cyclists drooling in awe with Chris' slide show

Welcome back to the US of A! 

I was tickled to see the bike sign and even more to see there was no cue in my lane

From the American border to Ferndale, a town north of Bellingham, I had more smooth riding on almost all flat roads. I spent the evening family friends of the Seilo's, Annmarie and Mack. What a perfect place to stay! AnnMarie is a potter and Mack, a commercial fishermen in Alaska. They live in a artsy farmhouse on a gorgeous piece of property  with a garden full of fresh veggies and have a freezer full of Alaska fish! I was in heaven to say the least, both with my art and ceramic background and my new profound respect for Alaska and the fishing industry. The conversation and food that night was endless.

Mack, Annmarie, and Me

The next morning I went to Ferndale High School to talk with the Spanish 4 and 5 classes before pedaling into Bellingham. Grade 2 is my comfort zone for my presentation, but I was surprised how much I enjoyed talking with the older kids about my trip, especially in Spanish. The students had an unbelievably high level of Spanish and had been studying the concept of travel, which was a perfect way to tie in my trip. I enjoyed my visit so much, I could have stayed and talked with them for another hour, but my sister was waiting in Bellingham and I was eager to see them.

Talking at Ferndale High School Spanish 4 and 5

The long awaited arrival

Gwyneth and Peter had on the t-shirts Viçens had made for me

Not even the constant showers on the way down to Bellingham stopped me as Mack rode with me, leading the way into town, making the ride go even faster.  Had it been any other day, I would have rode more leisurely and looked at the scenery for this 15 miles stretch, but I couldn't wait another mile, Bellingham or bust was all I could think about! Finally, after a year and a half, I would get to see my niece and nephew and meet Owen! I could hear them talking a ways down the main street of town and they started cheering as I got closer.  Gwyneth 6, and more grown up in person than she looked in the pictures wasn't shy at all. She came right up for a big hug, while her brother Peter, 3, seemed more reluctant and stood behind my sister, not knowing what to think. He quickly warmed up to me while it was Owen who looked perplexed, assessing this new person whose voice somewhat resembled his mom's along with her mannerisms.

Wheres Waldo, hours (minutes) of endless fun

Owen at his finest, feeding himself

I wasn't counting on any big plans during the weekend. It's hard to plan activities with three little kids all on different nap schedules.  I was content just having time with them, hanging out at the Seilo's house that backs up to Whatcom Lake, a gorgeous lake with fir trees lining the shore. It is familiar scenery, similar to what I had seen in the Vancouver area. I played with Peter and Gwyneth, read stories them stories, and helped with bedtime. I experienced feeding Owen which is a lost cause because he wants so badly to do it himself, but half the food if not more ends up in his high chair or on the floor.  I was thrilled to have time with them, but didn't realize how much I was craving sister time as well! Jenny and I managed to escape and do a nice long walk and stayed up at night talking, talking, and talking even more. Conversation was endless and so was the laughing! After a half day with Jenny, Paul and family, it felt as though my bike trip was a thing of the past, as if I'd been home all this time and we'd never skipped a beat!

fishing on the lake before departing Sunday morning

Owen could tell we were sisters. My voice and mannerisms are awfully similar to his Mom's

For the past month, I'd been imagining my arrival to Bellingham and the excitement I'd experience. I didn't anticipate the parallel feeling of sadness, confusion, and nostalgia. It's strange how your reality can change abruptly without any warning. A year ago, I left my conventional life (although some might argue that living and working abroad is not that conventional) and went off to explore the world pedaling my bike. In that year, I experienced a lot of other people's realities and got a glimpse of their daily life: people young and old, rich and poor, religious and secular . My world collided with theirs momentarily, going back and forth as if on a teeter-toter, from living my dream to their reality. Visiting my family, I suddenly realized that I was about to be immersed in the “real world”. My bike trip would soon be a thing of the past, a fond memory that brings a smile to my face or tears to my eyes reminiscing about the abundance of experiences I've had all over the world that have become anecdotes and stories, both funny and scary. From the day I departed, I knew that my trip would eventually come to an end, but I didn't expect the feelings of sadness to accompany those of joy when I saw my family.

What's next? Are you going to go back to Barcelona? Will you have a more conventional life now that your trip is over? Everyone asks me these questions, expecting that I have an answer.  If they don't dare ask me, they ask my sister, or my family. I should know the answer to these questions, after all I've had a year to think about it. But ideas that flutter through your head are much different than those that come about when there is a specific destination or an end in sight. With about two weeks left on the road, I hope more than ever, that time passes slowly. If I pedal slower, my trip will last longer? I need some alone time to digest what is to come and to cherish this moment, making it last as long as possible.

I opted for my bike, but I'm sure this is an entertaining car with so many little bodies

I could have just hopped in the car with them and driven down to Portland and been done with my trip. I'm actually not sure which is harder, riding in a car full of kids and luggage for five hours or riding a bike with an extra 100 lbs? I've never been so close to a destination, but felt so far away, both mentally and physically. It took Jenny's family 5 hours in a car to drive from Bellingham to Portland, but I won't be there for another 10 days as I leisurely make my way down south, timing my visit in Portland with Columbus Day weekend cherishing every moment I have on my bike.