2013 Bike Trip Part 3

Head South Young Man    

Although I did a few rides around Vancouver, it took awhile to get used to riding the loaded bike again. A short 18-mile ride got me to Horseshoe Bay and a 1.5-hour ferry to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. There I checked into the “Painted Turtle” hostel and strolled the now quiet streets (very noisy later on, as it was prom night. This ended the first day back from the “mini vacation”.

The next stop was Victoria and by suggestion of the friendly staff, I altered the route slightly. The change also got me away from the busy Highway 1 onto the more desirable secondary roads. Ferry hopping from Crofton to Vesuvius on Salt Spring Island, then riding 15 miles across the rugged, hilly island to Fullford Harbor, another ferry got me to Swartz Bay.

22 miles later I checked into the Ocean Island Backpackers downtown Victoria and ended up staying 3 nights as it rained most of the time. Still, it is a nice but rather touristy city, with lots of bad street musicians and panhandlers, which seem to like the place as well. The highlights were the Parliament Building, The Empress Hotel, Royal BC Museum and best of all, the blue counterweight drawbridge which opened in 1924, as I have never seen anything like it.

After 3 days I grew restless, packed up and took the Port Angeles ferry back to the US. To my delight, the weather man forecasted only some showers, but what ended up coming down was solid rain for hours. I suppose there is a reason why the Olympic National Park is covered with rain forests, but thanks to the German Ortlieb panniers and the REI dive bags, all the gear stayed dry; and for a bonus, the 15 cents freezer bags kept the shoes dry.

As 101 reached the Pacific Ocean, the sun finally displaced the clouds. The dry conditions also made the camping pleasurable, and the sound of the waves breaking in the surf acted as a sleeping aid.

Camping also came with some excitement attached, as the night in Long Beach, WA  a bear dragged a garbage can into the brush behind my tent. The noise of him jumping and biting the bin could be heard clearly, as it was only about 20 yards behind my sleeping quarters. That night I did not sleep well and only left the tent after daylight to check out the mauled bin.

Further south past Aberdeen, the riding continued on route 105, a scenic detour away from the more busy 101. The road was less travelled and more peaceful, as it wound its way around Grays Harbor in the North, then Willapa Bay and the tidal flats to the South leading to the Astoria bridge. At the same time riding along the coast, I was able to see into the distance as the rest of riding on the Olympic Peninsula was mainly through wooded areas. With all the views, also came attached a few smells from the oyster farms, although I know some people who would have loved to stop for some samplingJ.

The Astoria bridge connects the state of Washington with Oregon; it is whopping 4.1 miles long, opened up in 1966 and was the last completed segment of highway 101 to connect Olympia with Los Angeles.

Crossing the bridge into the town of Astoria was like riding into a different world of civilization. Like out of nowhere, there was bumper to bumper traffic. In Seaview, I was glad to take a break from the madness, to check out the beaches and to meet Andre (an “old” Muller-Martini work buddy) for a cup of coffee.

As I got further down the Oregon Coast, traffic eased up a bit. Although with the 4th of July holiday weekend approaching, there was that extra traffic with the seasonal RV drivers to look out for. Also as all the campgrounds were full, luckily some selected state parks always accommodate cyclists for only $5 and Oregon so far had the best and cleanest parks so far. A lot more time could be spent in each park, as they all have a lot to offer from beach activities to hiking, bird watching and anything else nature has to offer.

The only eye sore, was the clear cutting of the forest. The industry has been in the decline, but evidence is lingering all around, with Oregon still the leader of timber production in the nation.

After a week of cycling down the spectacular Oregon coast with sunshine, warm temperatures and a terrific tailwind, a more southerly climate with fog and cooler temperatures awaited me in California.

Until next time from a bit farther down the road

Tony Bike