wayward

We took a quick break at the Charles Sprauge Waypoint. Highway 6 was originally a stagecoach trail and the waypoint was where teams of horses were changed out. Later Highway 6 became a toll road and the waypoint was a toll stop. Local travelers became increasing frustrated with the tolls and eventually tore down the tollbooth. The tollbooth was nevr replaced. The waypoint is now a charming rest area with clean restrooms, picnic tables, and access to hiking trails.

mooving right along

We're on our way out of Tillamook, the cheese capitol of the pacific northwest. Life on a bike allows everything to be savored for a much longer than in a car including the sweet aroma of "dairy air".

sitting on the dock of the bay

We made camp at the Brighton Marina. It's crab season so, there is an expectant energy in the air as captains and crew ready their vessels. Oh wait, that's somewhere else, here there are a lpt of people drinking beer outside their RVs. It's kinda like the poor man's Deadliest Catch. If we had cameras with us we could shoot an episode of The Laziest Catch.

still a ways away

...and the train conductor says

take a break Driver 8

Driver 8 take a break

we can reach our destination

a river runs next to it

For the better part of the morning we've been "sharing", a word I use in the loosest sense, a dirt logging road with timber-loaded big rigs bearing the ominous OVERSIZED LOAD signs. The choice has proven to be worth the slower pace and inhillation of dust for in between dust storms kicked up by trucks we are left with only the sound of the gurgling stream we ride along.

your mother smells of elderberries

After getting soaked, getting chilled, changing into dry clothes on the side of the road, getting soaked again, and having nothing dry to change into we opted to stay at the Elderberry Inn. We were advised by Three-dollar Bill that it wouldn't be advisable to continue onward in the impending darkness but, that we were more than welcome to camp under the bridge. Bill was a nice enough guy but, his wildly unkemped hair and beard lent creedance to the outside chance that there may be a troll or two waiting for us under the bridge. Bill's offer completely justified the over-priced room at the inn.

rise above

It was so cold, wet, and dark yesterday that there were times I felt as though instead of being on bikes we should have been rollin' in The Mystery Machine with Scooby and the gang. The irony of reaching the summit sign was we still had more climbing ahead of us. The upside was the downside...coasting at 30 mph for miles at a time doth much to restore the soul!

cork it

...or not.

max-imum adventure

We took the Max out to Hillsboro to avoid the heavily traffic of morning rush hour. We hadn't even started riding and Mitchell was already making friends. I didn't catch Mitchell's new friend's name but, I did catch a whiff... I would wager his friend has a strong personallity.

two for the road

On the road again. This time it's a little different. The sunshine has been replaced by early morning mist and one bike has been turned into two! It's to the coast or bust!

on a steel horse I ride

Saturday I introduced my friend Mitchell and his new hotrod bicycle to the Springwater Corridor. Mitchell's new bike is an all carbon, fancy-schmancy, race-ready, rocket, where as my bike is set-up for fully loaded touring. I was a little apprehensive that he would leave me in the dust; imagine a Winnebago trying to keep up with a Ferrari. To Mitchell's credit, he didn't let "the need for speed" get the better of him and I actually set pace for the better part of the ride.

It was a good ride and got us both psyched up for our trip this week.

Katz in the cradle

Back in PDX earlier than expected, I was once again headed down the Springwater Corridor and thought it best to check in with my dear friend Vera. Vera was kind of my sounding board when getting ready for my trip and Vera's perpetually smiling face is always a delight.

Upon seeing me ride up to her spot by the waterfront Vera exclaimed, "Well look who it is; you're back early!"

"Yep", I replied adding, "To quote G.W.; the initiative my have lacked the proper strategery to be executed as planned."

"What happen?" asked Vera.

"Well, I believe over-ambition got the best of me as it often does.", I replied. "I tried to fit more into the trip than time and resources would allow for."

"I'm sorry to hear that but, you don't seem disappointed" Vera said with a hint of probing.

"I'm not disappointed. In hindsight, I'm very pleased with myself to have made the call to restructure when I did." I said relieved to hear honesty in my words.

"Well then, mission accomplished! Did learn anything about yourself? You had said you wanted to" Vera replied enthusiastically.

"I found out that while I love camping and I love cycling, I don't love bicycle camping (or 'bikamping' as I have come to think of it.)" I replied, "But honestly, I think I was looking for a whole lot more revelation."

"Hmm, were you looking to arrive at an epiphany or arrive in Coeur D'Alene?" Vera said with a playful smirk.

"Both I guess. I thought somewhere on the road to Idaho I would have some great revelation about life, or myself, or something!" I said unintentionally frustrated. "And to top it off I'm still not sure why camping and biking aren't like a Recess peanut butter cup; two great tastes that go great together."

"So, you like camping and you like biking?" Vera asked.

"Yes very much." I replied.

"And you like peanut butter and you like chocolate" Vera continued.

"Chocolate is alright but, I LOVE peanut butter." I replied. "And yes the two are quite good together."

"How do you feel about salmon?" Vera asked nonchalantly.

I cocked my head having no idea what she was on about I replied, "Huh? Salmon? Wh...I don't understand."

"You're making it too hard. Just answer the question. Do you like salmon?" Vera said with subtle annoyance.

"Yeah, I like salmon quite a bit." I said, "But, what has that got to do with anything?"

"You like salmon and you like peanut butter." Vera said with a quality in her voice that resonated much like Perry Mason or Sherlock Holmes just before they were about to reveal who-done-it. "You were a chef, would you ever put peanut butter on salmon?"

"Absolutely not!" I exclaimed, revolted at the thought of the concoction.

"Why not" Vera retorted as if she couldn't understand why I thought the combination to be preposterous. "You have stated you like both of them. By your reasoning any two things that one enjoys should go well together.

"Good one Vera!" I replied with the chagrin of a student who had blurted out that he didn't understand what kids in China had to do with putting animals to sleep, "Once again, in your roundabout way you have opened my eyes."

"You had already reached the water", Vera said with a wink, "you just needed some help in taking the drink. I too like salmon but, far be it from me to ever order it with peanut butter. Sometimes it is not enough to know that we like something. True enjoyment comes with understanding why we like the things that we do."

"You make an excellent point!" I said as a succession of singular thoughts, like pieces of a puzzle, suddenly seem to fit together. "I enjoy the solitude of cycling but, I enjoy the social aspects of camping. I can't remember a time when I equated camping as a conduit for self-realization yet, I relish getting on my bike and riding for the introspection it offers. In hindsight, I realize that when I was on the road during the day I was completely content and aside from a few long and drawn out climbs I wouldn't have changed a thing. It was upon reaching the campsite at the end of the day that I really felt the isolation from my peoples. Every campground I rolled into would come with thoughts of how I wished so-and-so was here right now because they would really dig this, or I should come back here with so-and-so sometime. The camping portion of the trip was continually incomplete without being able to share it with those I hold dear."

"I know you're only about a mile and a half from home but, I think you may have just arrived at your epiphany" Vera said thoughtfully. "Chances are you may have never figured out what each activity had to offer and how they worked or, didn't work for that matter in conjunction with one another had you not taken this trip. That in and of itself makes this trip a successful venture and the fact that you allowed your plans to stay fluid, I would say, makes you a successful traveler. So, what now?"

"I'm back on the road next week." I said excitedly.

"So soon? You just got back" Vera said with surprise.

"Yeah, my friend Mitchell was supposed to ride the last leg of the trip with me but, things didn't work out as planned. The route back from Coeur D'Alene I had planned wouldn't have gotten me close enough to PDX for him to have met me so, we have planned a new trip over the days he had taken off of work. I think we may end up either riding out to the coast or possibly somewhere around Mt. Hood. We are still hashing out the details."

"Sounds like another great adventure" Vera said enthusiastically, "and this time you'll have the social component your had been missing; someone to share the adventure with. I like it! Will you continue to blog on this next trip? I must admit I have been a bit sheepish to check the blog after your truck stop creepy crawly post. I too, shuddered when I saw the size of that beastly bug."

"Absolutely!" I started the blog to document the ride but, in the meantime I have received a generous amount of positive feedback and a few requests to keep blogging after this traveling spurt is over that I will do my best to continue to blog until I find myself with nothing to say."

"I'm glad to hear that" Vera said jubilantly, "My request is that you keep the bug pictures to a minimum."

"I'll do my best" I replied.

puttin' on the ritz

Stopped off at Jake's Truck Stop in Ritzville. The bug is real and it was so incredibly large that we had to put Seamus's phone next to it for perspective sake. Creepy crawly! As we were leaving Seamus instructed me to close everything up tight so nothing could get in the car. I have to say I've never seen a 6'3" male do a full-body shudder before.

dew for the road

Due to a crisis of time and resources my roommate Seamus, being the amazing individual he is, drove all the way out to Idaho and scooped me up. What took me the prior week to do by bike, took us only a few hours to do by Volvo.

Seamus has a long-standing friendship with my Mom but, he's never actually met her so it was time... Mom hooked him up with a couple of Mt. Dew sixpacks to keep him up on the ride home. What is it with mothers and health food?

spokane word

We took a trip into Spokane, WA yesterday. In 1974 Spokane was host to The World's Fair and there is a whole lot of wonderfully quirky architecture left over. The general ambiance of Spokane combines the history of Kansas City and the charm of Madison, WI with the aestetic sense of a "City of the Future" View-Master disc.

The photo for this post doesn't seem to wanna load so; for now you can come up with your own mental image and compare it to the picture once I can get it up on the site.

sundown you better take care

Here is an example of the sunsets that are prevalent over Hayden Lake (mom's backyard). Luckily for me September is the best time to witness the really good sunsets because the sun is setting in the best spot in relation to the lake and there is enough cloud cover to really make'm pop!

the barn's noble

I am standing in a Fred Meyer parking lot of all places, as I take this picture. One thing I really appreciate about the Idaho panhandle is the vistas. It seems even the segments of urban sprawl are laid out against a canvas of wooded mountains.

deer abby

Dear Abby,

I was wondering if you could offer some suggestions or solutions to entertaining impromptu guests. I have been offering my guests apples as an afternoon snack and corn in the evening but, I question my accumen as a host. Any help you can offer is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
C

allison

...my aim is true

paddle-drome

7:07
kayak
mom
wow
lol

deer me

As I was typing out that last entry a whole family of deer walk past me. So cool!

I made it

I got in a few hours ago. I woke up this morning really tired but, ended up making really good time. This is the view from my mom's backyard. That's Hayden Lake below; much nice since the White Power folks have left.

amber waves of flame?

I've been watching this cloud grow bigger and darker now for miles. Every now and the I catch the faint smell of burning leaves on the wind. Makes me wonder what goes on beyond the horizon.