Back to the States and into WA 9/15 - 9/20

Our first order of business in Port Angeles was to shed some weight because we both had over packed so we rode to a park and started unpacking. An old guy by the name of Bucky stopped to talk with us. He lived in the mountains during the summers and came down for the colder months. Bucky used to teach evading and survival techniques and was a wealth of info for our journey. He stuck around for a while and shared stories and advise before he told us we were doing exactly what he thought we should be doing. Yet another helpful stranger along the way that reaffirmed our purpose.

We packed up about 20lbs between the two of us and sent it back home in a box from the post office. After that we made our way out of town and found a spot off the road to do some more stealth camping. From our tarps and some tent poles we fashioned a little shelter and cooked up some dinner using a campers stove. No raccoons or bears found us that night but we did hear something in the bush.


In the morning we headed out towards Lake Crescent in Olympic National forest. Around the North side of the forest we went. Damn that's a big park. Tons of furiously fast logging trucks and little to no shoulder to ride on. As we approached the lake Simeon had his first close encounter with a semi while going down a rather steep hill. The trailer came within four inches of his elbow and the wind wake pushed him into the guard rail which ended up burning a hole in the disc golf bag. All in all though he survived unscathed and we got some great pics of the lake.






















We made camp at Fairholm campground which happened to be patrolled by "Ranger Dick" he approached us with "Have you paid yet?". Camping is expensive in WA and he wanted $14. Josh only had $15 and apparently the ranger didn't carry cash so we lost a buck in the deal. They didn't even have showers, so we headed down to the lake for an ice cold bath and washed some of our clothes off by the dock. While all that was happening we returned to find a rather brave blue jay trying to eat Sim's banana chips and we chased him off. Never far away, the bird watched us forage for firewood and waited for scraps that never came.


The next morning we headed out again around the forest making our way thru Forks towards Hoh rain forest. Forks is a small town that became famous because of some vampire books called Twilight. They had signs on businesses welcoming vampires and a million drive up espresso shacks. Sim said they must have so many coffee places to help the "vampires" stay up all night.

After Forks we made our way towards the Hoh rain forest and camped halfway there at a free site where we ran into a hunter that said there weren't any bears around and complained cause the campground up the road was totally "fawked" and full of flat-landers. People from WA apparently believe everything is flat unless it has snow on a peak or a volcano because it became a recurring theme that they said something was flat, when there was actually one hell of an incline.

After deciding not to climb the 18 remaining miles to the Hoh rain forest and then back out again we made our way south. Kalaloch beach campsite is where we made camp for the night. We weren't the only ones though, a million RVs were also there. The beach was pretty cool. It had some huge logs that had washed up and were known for squashing swimmers. The camp was $14 and Simeon made a wise decision to buy some Ranier tallboys to relax. After dinner we tried to find a food locker but decided to just put the food bags at the edge of camp. Damn coons ate most of Sim's food and even ate his coveted MRE with penne pasta and chicken in spicy sauce along with all Josh's marshmallows, banana chips, and dried apricots. Little fuckers! The next morning we realized there was a food locker no more than 40yds away. We just walked the wrong direction. That's what we get for being lazy.


















We made our way across more rolling "flat" terrain and went through a reservation town names Queets where we met an old Native American man that told us about "two mile hill" which we would be biking soon enough. We chatted with him for a bit, gave him some change and a cig and went on our way with another well wishing stranger behind our journey. As we left he yelled Houy! Which meant - I'll see you later - there are no goodbyes to the natives.

After deciding against biking more horrid hills towards Hoh, we decided to make our way to Quinalt rain forest which was a little further South. We made camp about 7pm with only $7 cash between us and the sight was $17. We walked down to town in search of an ATM but everything was closed down beside a cafe and an upscale lodge with a Viper parked outside. Neither one would help us and the lodge smelled an awful like a nursing home. Stands to reason everybody in there had blue hair. We put our seven bucks in the envelope and made camp.

The next morning we went to check out the rain forest and found out last Dec. a gigantic windstorm had blown thru with 130mph winds and flattened old cedars and hemlocks that aged to 300-500yrs old. It was a sad and also amazing site to see. The forest was still beautiful even with a ton of trees down. Moss covered everything and fungus was among us.
























































After the rain forest, we rode into Aberdeen WA. This was our most productive day of riding yet. Olympic National forest signs dotted the route which made it seem that we were just going in circles but the map said different so we plugged along. Aberdeen was a strange city with some strange inhabitants. Just before town we met another tourer named Walter from Holland who was going North to Seattle. He told us that the town was a little strange and everyone seemed nice but the town seemed "full of inbreed".


Josh and Sim made it through town and about dusk a campsite still had not been found. Just outside of town there was a monster hill and we decided to do some more stealth camping next to a electric pole off the highway. After laying the tarp and setting up our sleeping bags, we looked at the clouds above and remarked that it looked clear enough. Well at about 2:30am we realized our folly as Josh woke up to a light sprinkling on his face. In a frantic hurry he grabbed the two remaining tarps and covered the bikes and the sleeping tarp. Sim is delirious just after waking up so, rather than helping, he burrito wrapped himself in the tarp and crossed his arms under his head to keep out of the puddle. After an hour or so of no sleep listing to the rain and Sim's snoring Josh tore off the tarp cursing the state of WA. He then proclaimed "what do you do when you wake up in a puddle at 3am? "You get on your bike and ride." So that's what we did.

Josh wringing out his sleeping bag.

There seemed to be a million hills that went on forever that morning. Our legs were exhausted because we barely had any rest and had eaten practically nothing the night before. It was slow going but there wasn't a whole lot of trucks to dodge so that was nice. After what seemed an eternity of wet, cold, and uphill biking; we finally rolled into Raymond WA at about 5:30am and found a great little cafe to warm up and eat. Raymond is a small logging town that you could blink and miss but the cafe was a beacon of recovery. Josh and Simeon were able to recharge their electronics and their bellies. Coffee was served by the pot and they ate huge portions of food. We stayed in the cafe for about five hours warming up and stuffing our faces.

Just as we were leaving Sim was outside speaking to a non denominational preacher who helped out the local Native Americans. Josh was inside striking up a friendship with a guy named Brian who was on the same journey. Brian had actually planned the trip twenty something years ago, but had encountered a terrible car wreck that shattered 27 bones and kept him in the hospital for over a year. His hip had healed wrong and he wanted to complete this trip before they replaced it in January. Josh and Sim gained a new member of their trip that day when Brian decided to bike with them. All three left Raymond in search of a KOA campsite in Bay Center that boasted hot showers and laundry.

The K.O.A in Bay Center and beyond 9-21 to 9-29

The campsite was a site to see after the cold long ride through the night before. The hot shower was awesome and we got a chance to wash our clothes. We set up camp and walked down to the only restaurant/bar in town. When we walked in, we were greeted by a hilarious older hippie guy who was probably there drinking all day. He told us to watch out for stampeding oysters.. which was funny because they live fixed to rocks or other structures. He would occasionally tell us a story that would morph into noises that we couldn't understand as words, but funny none-the-less. Brian said the guy must have been the mayor or a one man chamber of commerce because he happily greeted every stranger who walked in. Josh and Simeon tried their first oyster. The waitress recommended we try our first one cooked. Brian told us one night he put down over a hundred of them raw, but we weren't quite ready for all that. The breaded and fried oyster was actually pretty good. As we finished up eating it started to rain. Josh had to sprint back to camp because he had left some things out on the picnic table. He decided to bunk in Sim's 'condo' tent that night since his hammock got soaked.


In the morning of 9-22 Josh proclaimed that the tent was a "crazy dream tent". Both he and Sim had strangely vivid dreams that night. Sim dreamed that he was in a large city and left his bike locked up for 12hrs. Then when he returned it had been stripped down by thieves leaving only the frame. The dream played out like a movie as Sim searched the city looking for his bike parts. He even dreamed of stepping in shit along the way. Josh had dreamed that he was a vampire- a leader of a coven in fact. Like Dracula himself he commanded that several of his followers should grab their bikes and fly. He flew through the sky on his bike after spending quality time at a misplaced Lakefront Brewery. After sharing dream stories, we started breaking camp. Just after removing the rain flies a storm blew in and dumped on us soaking everything. It only lasted about 10 minutes and the sun came out. So.. we spread out our stuff all over the hiker biker site to dry and decided to walk back to the restaurant for breakfast.

When we got back everything was mostly dry so we got all packed up and headed out. Brian packed quickly and got a head start, leaving at about noon or one. Josh and Sim took quite awhile longer and didn't get on the road until 3 or 4pm. They ended up catching up to Brian because he waited along the road. We all made our way to Cape Disappointment state park, which was about a 38mi ride. There was supposed to be a lighthouse there but we didn't find it and joked that that was the disappointment. We made camp at dusk/dark again.

The stars there were amazing. You could even see the milky way. We haven't seen a sky like that in years living in the city.

During dinner we were visited by the bandit raccoons again, but we were ready this time. One big one kept sneaking around the edge of the fire and peering thru the long grass at us. All of a sudden we heard the unmistakable sound of coons fighting. The big one was chasing away the competition and beat up on a whimpering, smaller raccoon for quite a while. After we ate we put the food in a locker and bedded down without too much more excitement. Tomorrow we would cross into Oregon.


9-23 we biked to Astoria OR. about 25mi. There were a couple climbs and a 4 1/2mi bridge waiting for us. The bridge was a monster. As we crossed, towards the end, there was a rather steep long hill to climb that probably went for at least a half mile. Simeon led the way across. When they approached the hill he turned to yell "Here comes our welcome hill into Oregon." Just after finishing his sentence his pedal scraped the curb almost sending him down into the road. Luckily his balance saved him and he didn't fall but Sim didn't say another word until we got off the bridge. We looked back at the bridge in awe, took some pics of the welcome to Oregon sign and the bridge then head to a coffee shop to relax and figure out where to camp. We heard about a bike trail that led out of town that might yield a spot to bed down. We heard rain was coming too. Along the path we were having a hard time finding a suitable spot and eventually we saw a house where a younger guy was grilling out on his porch. Josh asked him if he knew of a spot we could use for the night. To which he replied.. the grass right behind the deck is public property and offered up the space for us. His name was Matt and his Mom Connie came out to offer us their shower, bathroom, and garage. They were amazingly accommodating. We had a good nights sleep with the sound of sea lions barking by the docks. Connie even came out in the morning and offered us coffee before wishing us well on our journey. Turns out we camped at the city manager's house that night.





*Useless trivia point about Astoria- This is the city that Goonies was filmed in

9-24 we only made it 13mi before reaching a K.O.A just across the highway from Fort Stevens state park. The wind was really picking up and we could feel a cold rain coming. They tried to give us a tent site right out in the open, but we decided to camp off the spot by some trees that would offer some cover from the wind and rain. Josh rigged up a way we could stretch a tarp over the doors of the tents giving us a sort of vestibule that we could all cook in away from the rain. The K.O.A was pretty stacked with amenities- it had a jacuzzi, sauna, indoor pool, and a gazebo cooking station with electric stoves. It was supposed to rain for two days so we decided just to bunker down and wait it out.


9-25- we just bummed around the campsite's coffee shop and worked on the blog a little. Brian cooked us an omelet improvising ingredients with what was available. We ended up having a hot dog and beef jerky omelet with some apple cider spiced french toast. After eating so many packaged noodle dishes, it all tasted great.

After the rain finished we would head on to a town called Nehalem about a 40mi ride with two monster climbs just before town. The hills where about 1200ft climbing about 4mi. each.

9-26-The first hill featured a long slow incline with a tunnel towards the summit. The tunnel had a cyclist button to light up a sign alerting drivers that there were bicyclists on the road. We pushed the button and went on through. Each car that passed sounded like a freight train because of the acoustics in there but no one had any problems. When we finally reached the top of the second climb there was a beautiful view of the city awaiting us.





















At the park we found that camping in OR was much more accommodating than WA. Only 4 bucks a person and free showers! That night we were serenaded by coyotes yelping in the distance as we chopped wood.

Brian was freezing so he retired to his tent to warm up. Josh brought Brian's ramen noodles to his tent and we cooked over the fire.

After dinner, a couple other tourers came back to their campsite and came over to introduce themselves. They were a couple of Brits who were on their way to Mexico as well. Josh and Sim offered up their Jagermeister and whiskey and the Brits offered up a few spliffs mixed with tobacco (the Euro way to smoke). After all the liquor was gone we retired to our tents for the night. Sometime before dawn we awoke to hear Brian yelling at coons.. "Hey you- get out of here you!!". Josh and Sim couldn't be bothered in their half drunken stupor and stayed in the tents. The next morning Sim noticed his socks were drug about 20ft from the tent and the coons played with some bungees as well, but no food other than dirty pans were left out.

9-27- we rode about 28mi into Tillamook; where Brian's sister had offered to take us to her place for dinner. Along the way on the 101 we encountered a car that pulled off into the shoulder a little ways ahead of us. A guy got out and started walking towards us. Josh and Simeon both wondered what was about to happen and stopped for a sec. As he got closer Josh realized it was his good friend John from Portland. He had driven out and was driving along the highway looking for us. We told them to go ahead into town and we would meet them just inside town. Meanwhile, Brian called and said he reached the Fred Meyer store just inside town and his sis was 15min away.

Just about a mile from the Fred Meyer is the Tilamook cheese factory. Josh just had to stop to compare their cheese to that made in WI. Sim felt the pressure of two groups waiting for us and griped that Josh was stopping, but it only took a few minutes to get the cheese.

When we left the last site, Josh noticed his pedal was breaking. So John and his wife Twyla drove him down to the bike shop for a new one as Sim and Brian waited for Brian's sister. Josh had hoped to spend some time with his friend but John wasn't feeling well and decided to go back after the bike shop.

We parked the bikes at a RV park that had some tent space and got into the car for the trip to dinner. The car ride felt really strange. It felt like traveling at light speed being in a vehicle. And ironically enough we almost got hit by a truck that was rounding a corner in the wrong lane. Sim remarked how crazy it would've been to get injured in a car wreck while on a bike tour. But, after the near scare both Sim and Josh fell asleep for the remainder of the trip. Brian's sister's husband cooked us an amazing dinner with penne pasta and sausage in tomato sauce with some great garlic bread. A home cooked meal was soo good at that point. After dinner we were carted back to the campsite for the night.

9-28 - in the morning Brian decided to get a head start and took off early. Josh and Sim were late getting out of camp again but at least it was before 2pm. We rode into town to look for a cafe to get some coffee and a place to charge electronics but found our best option to be the local Safeway grocery store where we met Bernard. He introduced himself as Bernard Shultz and repeated that he has lived in Tilamook 9 years. He likes is there by the coast. And "not only that, sir.." was interjected in his stories at interesting points. He told us he liked riding his bicycle, not only that, sir but its good exercise. Bernard was funny in a way I don't think he meant to be.

We rode about 37mi that day into Neskowin, but Brian had gone into Pacific City and was eating dinner waiting for Josh and Sim. Looking at the map though they decided they would have a better chance of finding a campsite in Neskowin. They stopped at Neskowin beach recreation site and caught an amazing sunset on the beach while they waited for Brian to catch up to the new plan.

Xtracycle at Cannon beach

This ones for you Paul, Someone thinks you would be good in office!






































At dusk they regrouped and together had a tough time finding a campsite. Eventually they found a large section of grass just off the highway and made camp. Sim was nervous and annoyed because it wasn't well hidden and definitely not planned out to camp there, but shortly he realized that one of the biggest lessons for him to learn on this journey is that not everything is planned and that doesn't mean disaster; it just means improvising and going with the flow. Other than a 6am horn blow from a semi it was an uneventful night sleeping by the road. The next morning we cut off the new 101 and headed up a gradual incline up the old hwy 101 on a beautiful scenic ride. At the bottom of the hill we stumbled on the Otis cafe. It's been written up in the New York Times. About six tables and one waitress but some of the best food. Sim ate a chicken fried steak about as big as his head. With full bellies we got back on the road.

















































































Cool coaster at a cofee house in Lincoln city. Quite fitting!

9-29- We rode roughly 36mi to Beverly beach park, but we didn't sleep on the beach there. The campsite was a rather small area set up like a group site. Only one fire pit. Not too much happened.