Well, bike trip's done but the adventure of course continues. I'm checking in from the beautiful city of Berkeley, California, loafing around the apartment of some friends before heading out to a bike shop. Really missed that, loafing, I mean. After a month of insane activity, laziness is truly sweet. But anyway, a bit of a recap.
Life's moved pretty fast since my last posting; my bike trip's ended in the San Francisco Bay Area, a little prematurely but certainly merited. Faced with the option of biking alone or having a vacation on my own terms, I chose the vacation. I have not been disappointed. I think, of all the places that I've seen and visited on the west coast, San Francisco is my favorite. Lots to do and see, and lots of amazing bike rides to go on. Just yesterday I took a leisurely and scenic ride through the Berkeley Hills and up Grizzly Peak. Don't let the semantics fool you, it wasn't a bad climb at all!
So here's the game plan as it stands. I'll be staying in Berkeley for a few more days, headed back into San Francisco for their Pride weekend. I've decided to take a meandering route back to Virginia, opting to take Amtrak's Zephyr train from Oakland to Chicago. I'll be arriving at Union Station on the 3rd of July, where I'll be picked up by friends and then we'll roadtrip back to Virginia. Slowly, I think. If all goes as planned, we'll be spending the 4th in St. Louis, enjoying a free show and free lodgings with a friend. I should return home by either the fifth or sixth of July, bike box and panniers in hand.
In other news, I got a job! Or rather, a paid internship that will end in my full-time employment. Inner Quest, a renowned Outdoor Experiential Education company in the D.C. metropolitan area has offered me a position in their apprenticeship program. From late August to early November I will receive valuable training and work experience as an outdoor instructor. Following that, I'll decide whether I want to continue working with Inner Quest, or take a position elsewhere with a company like NOLS or Outward Bound. So, my life is turning out pretty nicely at present. I'll have a little time in July and early August to get a jo-schmo job to pay bills, and more importantly to join a cycling club and do a little volunteering. Life is good.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Too Many Cyclists
I've always been irked...well, I've been irked for as long as I've ridden my bike for what others would consider an insane amount of miles, that motorcylists are called "bikers" as well. Because it makes for a lot of confusion. For example, hearing that there is a "bike shop" in a town where you sorely need one, only to find that it is a shop catering to the motorized variety. And not to get my chamois in a bunch, or be that "uptight, asshole in spandex", but WE WERE HERE FIRST! There were bikes well before we stuck motors on them, we deserve that name.
But anyway, fear not, there is a reason and a purpose behind this anti-chopper rant. Presently, I'm sitting in Garberville, CA. A sleepy little town that has been positively over-run by oldsters bedecked in black leather and their chubby wives. Apparantly there's some sort of harley event a few miles south of here. Now, normally I bear motorcyclists no ill will. I get it. Motorcyles are cool, and so are leather jackets. Own on myself. But the novelty has worn off. In fact, it wore off back in the Avenue of Giants when the millionth thirty biker chain gang passed us and honked at us. Sort of soured me on the experience.
Ohh, but let's take a pleasant turn on this post, now that I've said my piece on bikers. We're in California now! It's a pretty rad state, with lots of redwood trees and quite a few mountains and like a bajillion more people than WA and Oregon had. And it's been relatively sunny here as well! That's always a plus. Tomorrow we climb the legendary Legget Hill, the highest point on the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route. Apparantly it's a killer. It's only a 1000 foot climb. Only... Well, we can do it, but it'll probably be a bit tough with the gear we're hauling.
I've taken about a million pictures, and by that I mean almost four hundred. Which is a bit scary, since I only have memory enough for five hundo. California's a big state, and the scenery is going to do a good deal of changing from now until SoCal and San Diego. I'll make the camera thing work, for sure. But I have a feeling the photo album is going to be a bit weighted in the Northwest's favor, just because I got a bit trigger happy with all of the really gnarly cliffs and stuff.
Be sending us your good thoughts and I'll be sending postcards!
Peace and Bike Grease, Hombres!
Mark
PS When I get back I totally want to sit down and just watch a movie in a theatre. Anyone want to see Terminator Judgment in July, if it's still out in theatres? Hit me up, biotchhhhhh!
But anyway, fear not, there is a reason and a purpose behind this anti-chopper rant. Presently, I'm sitting in Garberville, CA. A sleepy little town that has been positively over-run by oldsters bedecked in black leather and their chubby wives. Apparantly there's some sort of harley event a few miles south of here. Now, normally I bear motorcyclists no ill will. I get it. Motorcyles are cool, and so are leather jackets. Own on myself. But the novelty has worn off. In fact, it wore off back in the Avenue of Giants when the millionth thirty biker chain gang passed us and honked at us. Sort of soured me on the experience.
Ohh, but let's take a pleasant turn on this post, now that I've said my piece on bikers. We're in California now! It's a pretty rad state, with lots of redwood trees and quite a few mountains and like a bajillion more people than WA and Oregon had. And it's been relatively sunny here as well! That's always a plus. Tomorrow we climb the legendary Legget Hill, the highest point on the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route. Apparantly it's a killer. It's only a 1000 foot climb. Only... Well, we can do it, but it'll probably be a bit tough with the gear we're hauling.
I've taken about a million pictures, and by that I mean almost four hundred. Which is a bit scary, since I only have memory enough for five hundo. California's a big state, and the scenery is going to do a good deal of changing from now until SoCal and San Diego. I'll make the camera thing work, for sure. But I have a feeling the photo album is going to be a bit weighted in the Northwest's favor, just because I got a bit trigger happy with all of the really gnarly cliffs and stuff.
Be sending us your good thoughts and I'll be sending postcards!
Peace and Bike Grease, Hombres!
Mark
PS When I get back I totally want to sit down and just watch a movie in a theatre. Anyone want to see Terminator Judgment in July, if it's still out in theatres? Hit me up, biotchhhhhh!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Greetings from Oregon!
So, after a long absence I have brushed off Country to Concrete to keep as many people updated about my unassisted tour from Vancouver, B.C. to San Diego, obviously California. We're in the lovely little town of Tilamook, OR right now. Home of Tilamook Creameries and Cheese. Which means pretty much nothing to you East Coasters, but over here Tilamook has a stranglehold on the dairy market. And rightly so; their cheese is delicious. But anyway, what to report...? The weather has been pretty much spectacular this entire trip; it "rained" on us for one day in Washington. Quotations because it was more of a sprinkling than anything else.
That said, the trip has had its ups and downs, mostly stemming from FedEx Canada screwing me over and trying to deal with that on the road. It's been hard, but I think it's been a learning experience and will only serve to sweeten the effect of this whole experience. Suffice it to say, the only thing I ever plan on shipping via FedEx Canada from the U.S. would be a rabbid tiger to attack as many of the CEO's of said shipping company as possible. Yeah, wicked bitter. But anyway, the ride has been spectacular in terms of scenery and both Katharine and I really love the Oregon Coast. It's totally better than Washington's, although I think that state will always have a special place in my heart as well. Cannon Beach was spectacular; I am super jealous of CUS trips (that's the central u.s. bike and build route, btw) which ends in Cannon Beach. It's definitely a cooler destination than the Puget Sound. Mostly because it's actually the Pacific Ocean.
The last thing I'll say about Cannon Beach before I move on to other things is that if you need a mental picture of a point of reference, Cannon Beach is the place where the final scene of The Goonies was filmed. You know, the big rock where the pirate ship comes out? Yeah, totally was there 24 hours ago. But you probably already google imaged "Cannon Beach", right? Of course you did. So, after my internet is timed out we're headed out towards the Three Capes Scenic Route, which takes us past more spectacular scenery, and I'm also very excited to say that we'll be camping with some Kiwis (that's New Zealanders) who we met in Tilamook briefly.
Scenery aside, the other highlights of the trip have been the people we've met touring the West Coast by bike, just like us. While we were in Washington we camped a few times with a pair of Montrealans (I have no idea if that's the propper word but the spell check on this blog didn't correct me, so I guess it must be). They were pretty friendly, but not nearly as chatty as I would've liked. Perhaps we'll see them again and we can eek more info out of them. We also met a girl who is biking down to Las Angeles. Alone. With platform pedals in converses. And she says that biking isn't really her thing. What?! I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that she survives. Last night we camped with a really rad dood named Dave, who is from LA and is biking down there right now to raise money for a trust fund. His tour was impromptly planned (the best kind in my opinion) and he needs to get down to LA before the 22nd of June or he'll lose his job. His days have ranged around 80 miles a day and in this terrain it's really impressive that he's moving that fast. Even more impressive, or perhaps worisome, is that he's carrying panniers on an aluminum bicycle with carbon seat stays and a carbon fork. Essentially, he's carrying a fair amount of weight on a bike that's meant to carry just a rider, and made of a material that is prone to litterally shattering if too much weight is put on it.
It's highly unlikely that we'll see Dave again, since we're moving at a much more leisurely pace than him, but I've gotten his e-mail and I'm excited to do a little networking with riding buddies on the West Coast. He seems the sort of eccentric guy who would welcome an off the cuff visit at any time AND he knows all these great places to ride in the LA area. Good tidings it would seem!
Okay, I think that's all that I have to report. I shall try to mind this blog a little better as we finish up Oregon and head to California. Until then,
Peace Out Hombres!
That said, the trip has had its ups and downs, mostly stemming from FedEx Canada screwing me over and trying to deal with that on the road. It's been hard, but I think it's been a learning experience and will only serve to sweeten the effect of this whole experience. Suffice it to say, the only thing I ever plan on shipping via FedEx Canada from the U.S. would be a rabbid tiger to attack as many of the CEO's of said shipping company as possible. Yeah, wicked bitter. But anyway, the ride has been spectacular in terms of scenery and both Katharine and I really love the Oregon Coast. It's totally better than Washington's, although I think that state will always have a special place in my heart as well. Cannon Beach was spectacular; I am super jealous of CUS trips (that's the central u.s. bike and build route, btw) which ends in Cannon Beach. It's definitely a cooler destination than the Puget Sound. Mostly because it's actually the Pacific Ocean.
The last thing I'll say about Cannon Beach before I move on to other things is that if you need a mental picture of a point of reference, Cannon Beach is the place where the final scene of The Goonies was filmed. You know, the big rock where the pirate ship comes out? Yeah, totally was there 24 hours ago. But you probably already google imaged "Cannon Beach", right? Of course you did. So, after my internet is timed out we're headed out towards the Three Capes Scenic Route, which takes us past more spectacular scenery, and I'm also very excited to say that we'll be camping with some Kiwis (that's New Zealanders) who we met in Tilamook briefly.
Scenery aside, the other highlights of the trip have been the people we've met touring the West Coast by bike, just like us. While we were in Washington we camped a few times with a pair of Montrealans (I have no idea if that's the propper word but the spell check on this blog didn't correct me, so I guess it must be). They were pretty friendly, but not nearly as chatty as I would've liked. Perhaps we'll see them again and we can eek more info out of them. We also met a girl who is biking down to Las Angeles. Alone. With platform pedals in converses. And she says that biking isn't really her thing. What?! I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that she survives. Last night we camped with a really rad dood named Dave, who is from LA and is biking down there right now to raise money for a trust fund. His tour was impromptly planned (the best kind in my opinion) and he needs to get down to LA before the 22nd of June or he'll lose his job. His days have ranged around 80 miles a day and in this terrain it's really impressive that he's moving that fast. Even more impressive, or perhaps worisome, is that he's carrying panniers on an aluminum bicycle with carbon seat stays and a carbon fork. Essentially, he's carrying a fair amount of weight on a bike that's meant to carry just a rider, and made of a material that is prone to litterally shattering if too much weight is put on it.
It's highly unlikely that we'll see Dave again, since we're moving at a much more leisurely pace than him, but I've gotten his e-mail and I'm excited to do a little networking with riding buddies on the West Coast. He seems the sort of eccentric guy who would welcome an off the cuff visit at any time AND he knows all these great places to ride in the LA area. Good tidings it would seem!
Okay, I think that's all that I have to report. I shall try to mind this blog a little better as we finish up Oregon and head to California. Until then,
Peace Out Hombres!
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