Day 1--May 15, 1999 Vancouver, B.C. to Larabee State Park, WA
Eight riders exited from the Abercorn Inn in Richmond, B.C. on May 15 to
begin yet another bicycling adventure called Bike America Tours. Our small
group is made up of Kent Gatling of Bennington, Vermont, Ed Hagerty of Gloucester,
Massachussets, Erma Tranter of Chicago, ILL., her son Mark of Brooklyn,
NY, Steve Burwell of Seattle, WA., Win Westerfeld of Anchorage, Alaska,
Brian Holsenbeck of Dallas, Texas and Ken Iobst of Silver Spring, Maryland.
Starting with day 2 we add two more riders, Theresa Mack of New York City,
and Bill Hodgsen of Seattle both are past participants from the 1995 and
1998 tour respectively. Strong headwinds, a maze of roads, and the fact
that the group stayed together this first day were reasons that they didn't
cross over the border into the U.S. until 2 p.m. after leaving at 9 a.m.
from the hotel. Nobody had any trouble going through customs as we had anticipated.
After the man in the customs booth asked us how long we were in Canada and
the purpose of our visit, he waved us along and off we were into the U.S.
part of our journey. It was actually nice getting rid of all that Canadian
coin we had accumulated in Vancouver. Despite the winds, the sun accompanied
the group the entire day. The riders pedaled into camp at about 6:30 p.m.
traveling approximately 75 miles for the day. Everyone looked fresh, just
a little beat from the consistent headwinds. After a big meal of spaghetti,
caesar salad and toasted bread, the group quickly headed for their tents.
Day 2-May 16 Larabee St. Park to Port Ludlow, WA 85 miles
The highlight of today's ride had to be the ferry ride from Ft. Casey to
Port Townsend and the fact that we welcomed two more riders to the group-Theresa
Mack and Bill Hodgsen. Although the headwinds of yesterday were not with
the riders today, the rain managed to be their companion nearly all day.
We woke to steady rainshowers which forced us to move our camp under a nearby
pavillion. The first rider out of camp was Brian Holsenbeck who left around
7 a.m. The others made their way out of camp, damp but eager, at various
times up til 9:00 a.m. The rain let up as we waited 45 minutes for the next
ferry, at Ft Casey, so we enjoyed a steaming cup of joe before boarding.
Erma and Mark rode in the support vehicles today, with Erma trying to regain
her voice after a bad cold. When she woke this morning to a layer of water
under her sleeping bag and thermarest, while still trying to fight off her
sickness, sagging was the only logical choice. Five of the riders took wrong
turns ending up on Nordlund Island, two islands over where they should have
been! The roads that the riders are using have many turns and because of
this we knew Washington would be a challenge. All riders were in by 7 p.m.
and although the ride was set for 85 miles, for many that took wrong turns,
it ended up being more like 95. The rain held off through dinner, but like
clockwork, it returned right after the last plate was served. It rained
off and on throughout the night. Hopefully tomorrow will bring some sun
breaks.
Day 3-May 17 Port Ludlow, WA to Elma, WA
For some this was the worst day of riding they've ever experienced. We started
out with 10 riders and only 3 completed the route. The skies opened up on
the riders from the start of day to its end. The day started in camp with
light rain showers and they persisted turning heavy at times lighter at
other times....dampening spirits, zapping strength and discouraging many
from finishing. We are also entering into a part of Washington that does
not appear to be as biker friendly as the areas we've passed through. Today,
Win had a bottle thrown at him from a passing motorist. Something we haven't
encountered in all the years we've been offering Bike America Tours. Theresa,
Win, Erma, Mark, Bill, and Steve, all pedaled as far as they could stand
in the conditions and later opted for sag support into camp. Kent, Ed and
Ken chose to pedal the entire day, despite rain, traffic and many miles,
pulling in at about 7:30 p.m. It was not an easy day. But this was the kind
of day you hate TODAY, but love to recount to friends while sitting in front
of a fire while sipping a cup of cocoa. Hopefully tomorrow won't be one
like today.
Day 4- May 18 Elma, WA to Ft. Canby St. Park, Ilwaco, WA
A major turning point for the riders occurred today. We saw sun, we saw
our first glimpse of the ocean and the vistas became breathtaking. The riders
spirits seemed lifted as they effortlessly pedaled the 90 miles for the
day. Some riders opted to stop along the roadway to take in ocean vistas.
About halfway through the day, the riders got onto the famous Highway 101,
which they will travel on, for the most part, throughout the rest of the
journey. This is a welcome change as the twists and turns leading up to
Highway 101 have been confusing to say the least. Once into camp some riders
enjoyed the comfort of a yurt over their tent. Yurts are circular dome styled
huts made of canvas and wood framing and is topped off with a skylight which
can be opened. They provided us with nice shelter in case of rain (which
it didn't). At the campsite it was easy to hear the roar of the water since
Ft. Canby State Park sits right on the ocean. After dinner was served, a
short walk to the ocean was in order. It was an incredible sight to see
the waves come crashing into the beach. It was a cool night, but Win found
the ocean waves irresistable and ran into the water, soaking his jeans from
the knee down. But from the elation on his face, it didn't seem to matter.
In the distance we could see a majestic lighthouse up on a nearby cliff.
It was definitely the view postcards are made of.
Day 5-May 19 Ft. Canby St. Park (Washington) to Nehalem State Park (Oregon)
We woke to partly cloudy skies but thankfully no rain. The route today took
the riders over a 4 mile bridge spanning the width of the Columbia River
which led them into the second state of the tour-Oregon. Roadside signs
promoting the various types of seafood are becoming more prevalant. Local
shops boast everything from salmon to sand fish. The roads are hilly and
quite busy with traffic but overall, in pretty good shape with room to ride.
Win Westerfeld found an alternative path called the Lewis and Clark road
that took him through 15 miles of beautiful farmland with very light traffic.
Our campsite at Ft. Canby was about 100 yards from the ocean, just over
a sandy hill. Is it possible that the ocean views could get any more beautiful
than what we're seeing? As the riders pull into camp, they take advantage
of our beachfront property by taking walks to it. The views seem to be the
icing on the cake at the end of a long, challenging day.
Day 6-May 20 Nehalem State Park to Devil's Lake State Park, Lincoln City,
OR
The riders ran into two mudlslides today, which took out the entire roadway, not on Highway 101, but a side road called the Three Capes Scenic Route. The scenic road, which takes the riders closer to the ocean, was traveled by Ken, Kent, Ed, and Win with Erma and Mark taking the first portion of it and opting to get back onto Highway 101. The first mudslide was being built back up by construction crews and the riders were able to ride over the dirt surface. The second mudlslide appeared 12 miles after the first and two miles north of Pacific City. It provided a greater challenge to cross than the first. The cyclists were greeted by a sign which read "DO NOT ENTER AND THAT MEANS YOU!" Ken and Kent managed to climb down a cliff and walked their bikes down a dirt pathway for a few hundred feet. They got back onto the road which ook them into Pacific City. Unfortunately, Win, who came along later was told he had to turn back after already lifting his bike over the barracade. Win's alternative would be to pedal back 14 miles to Highway 101. After a construction crew member took pity on Win, he let him pass through the mudslide area. The mudslide adventure did have a happy ending, the riders found the Pelican Cove Ale House, where they loaded up on fish and ale. Our campsite at Devil's Lake State Park is located in the heart of Lincoln City with the ocean just across Highway 101. On the East side of the park sits Devil's Lake. Tomorrow we'll take our first rest day of the trip. Trips to the beach, laundromat and of course the Lincoln City Outlet Mall are certainly in order.
Day 7 ---rest day in Lincoln City, OR
Day 8--May 22 Lincoln City, OR to Port of Siuslaw RV Park in Florence, OR We start today with three new riders who arrived on our break day yesterday. They flew into Portland and were brought into camp by their friend David. Our newest riders are Gary and Jane Abrams of Ann Arbor, Michigan and Lee Jampol of Chicago, Ill. Lee is the fiance of Erma Tranter who has been riding since our start in Vancouver, B.C. After the riders passed through Newport, OR they crossed over historic Yaquina Bay Bridge. Beautiful ocean vistas continue to draw our eyes to the West. Unfortunately, our first biker accident happened today as Mark took a slow speed fall when his front tire hit a road groove landing on his arm and side. Mark continued to ride but found that he had little strength in his right hand. As a precaution David then drove him to the Florence hospital for x-rays which confirmed there was no break. (But a day later the call came that there was a hairline fracture--more on this later). As the staff entered the RV campground, near the old town area of Florence, a brisk breeze was blowing. Several riders got lost while trying to find their way to the RV camp because the maps they were using showed the campground being in an entirely different area of Florence. But eventually everybody made it into camp. Most everyone walked to the Old Town area of Florence which was only blocks away. Despite Mark's fall he took a walk into Florence. When he came back his shorts were wet and as it turned out, he was chased by a hawk protecting its babies. Mark had to walk through water to get around the nest. Not exactly Mark's best day. Chili and cornbread hit the spot and when the sun set we could see its reflection off the nearby inlet.
Day 9--May 23 Florence, OR to Bandon Oregon
Our destination today is Bandon, another oceanside town, one which grows
Easter Lilies. Today's temperature reached 76 degrees our highest temps
of the trip so far. David's oldest brother, Scott, was scheduled to meet
us at Bullar'd Beach State Park to cook dinner for our group. Scott makes
his home 80 miles to the east in Ashland, Oregon as a professional cook.
By the time we reached the campsite the ocean mist began rolling in which
made the temperature drop a good 15 degrees. The riders took a road called
Seven Devils Road just outside of North Bend, OR. The road stretched skyward,
literally, into the clouds. The fog made visibility low for the riders as
well as for motorists. Luckily, it was a less traveled road than highway
101. Every rider experienced an eery feeling as they passed over Seven Devils,
perhaps it was because of the name, or the lonliness of the road or the
fact that the fog gave it a mystical appearance. It was hilly as well and
everyone was glad to get off it. Meanwhile, back at camp, Scott, his daughter
Jasmine, and their dog Chewy set up camp and prepared to cook blackened
fish (red snapper) tacos, jicama salad, green salad, rice and beans. Mark,
who rode in a support vehicle today due to his arm injury, walked around
the town of Bandon. Upon his return he had news about his arm from checking
his messages at home. The doctor had said that his arm did indeed have a
hairline fracture. So the decision was quickly made to fly Mark out of Medford,
OR (the nearest airport) to Chicago to get further medical help. By good
fortune Scott Blair lives near Medford and was able to give him a ride to
the airport that night after dinner was served.
Day 10--May 24 Bandon to Brookings OR
Facing a century ride (100 miles) from Bandon to Brookings Gary was a bit
worried as he had never attempted a century ride but, as it turned out,
he had no problems and, as it also turned out, the mileage was really 87
miles. BATers joke that the estimate was "Blair Miles" (estimates
by David). Gray sky met gray ocean--the sort of morning everyone would like
to sleep late. Instead we munched bagels and bananas, gulped hot coffee
and set off with the fog rolling softly down over us from the hilltops.
Later as the sunlight chased fog away, rugged seastacks emerged. These rocky
outcropings that jut up from the water just off-shore are a fabled feature
of the Oregon coast. With imagination one can fashion faces, creatures,
ships and castles. Harris Beach State Park is a superior facility containing
laundry facilities which always makes the riders happy. The sunburst forth
at noon but our camp is under 200 feet tall trees, dripping with moss and
creating shade. They are magnificent and we have even larger redwoods ahead
of us. Jays, ravens and smaller birds are always interested in our dinner
fare. We were also joined by Carroll, a friend of Win's from Alaska who
is motorcyling down the coast. He happened to catch up with us and camped
near us.
Day 11--May 25 Brookings OR (Harris Beach State Park) to Orick, CA (Elk Prairie campground nestled in the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park)
Brian was first out of camp today with the sun shining brilliantly. Knowing that only a few miles down the road we would enter into California, we quickly unloaded our apples and other fruit onto a group of Brownies and their leader as you can't carry fruit over the border. Word is out this will be a hot day. We found out that it was 90 degrees in Medford yesterday and 100 degrees from Astoria to Tillamook which is where we passed through earlier in the week. We've lucked out because we have been much cooler. Today the van developed a strange clinking sound, necessitating a 2-hour stop in Crescent City while some friendly garage men put in a new starter motor. Brian and Win lunched at the Forest Cafe across the road from the Trees of Mystery. We never did solve the mystery. Lee had a spill as he ascended a hill, his chain fell off, and his momentum threw him over his handle bars landing onto a soft bush. Thankfully he was not hurt. Ken helped repair Lee's bike later in camp. Our neighbor at camp gave us a whole bag of candy bars because she was dieting, needless to say, we aren't and gobbled them down. The redwoods are so awesome here in this camp that many riders took a Revelation Trail hike located within the state park to see 300 ft. plus trees that were as old as 1500 years! Alas, poor Orick...This very small former logging town in California is our destination or, rather, the park of stately redwoods in Prairie Creek Redwoods Sate Park nearby. Orick turned out to be mostly a ghost town with logging there cut back. Its most prominent feature is burl carved sculptures which are strewn along the roadside. You can even buy a castle carved from a redwood stump.
Day 12--May 25 Elk Prairie Campground (Orick, CA to Rio Dell, CA) Nally's
RV Park
When you're deep in a forest it's hard to tell if the sky is gray or blue.
Mist hangs heavy. Everyone loved our Redwoods campsite. Steller Jays accompanied
us both at dinner and breakfast picking up scraps of pretzels, bread crumbs
or whatever they could find. Scouting ahead of the group, Bernie and Joann
stopped at Rio Dell's Chamber of Commerce, it was closed but the sign in
the doorway directed us to a "satellite post" at the local pizza
parlor. There, alongside the aroma of pizza, was a map and brochures; one
directing us to the Rio Dell RV park. Our campsite at the Park was on a
grassy area of terraced land specifically for tents which was among rows
of trees and the green colored Eel River below us. In Rio Dell we discovered
one of those little restaurants you sometimes encounter along the way that
looks like nothing and turns out to have delicious food. Our choices were
the pizza place or a place called Al's Diner which boasted "Homemade
Food" on a sign just outside the entrance. We were curious about the
homemade food so ventured inside. Al is a first class cook who happens to
live in the neighborhood so he started up a restaurant. From the phonograph
in the corner playing Patsy Cline hits, to the waitress who was a friendly
face to the class act food...Al's sure hit the spot for us. The weather
along this coast gives new meaning to the word "changeable". Mist
is overtaken by sunshine which, in turn, is obscured by mist. One adds and
subtracts layers of clothing on the hour it seems. But the rain Gods have
been sleeping and for that we are thankful. Today, most all of the riders
traversed a section of washed out road and were excited about conquering
it. Tonite Erma and Lee announced that they decided to cut short their tour
because of pressing matters back home in Chicago. And since her son Mark
had left the trip earlier due to an arm injury, the trip was not the same
for Erma. Their last day will be tomorrow. They originally had planned to
pedal to San Fransisco. So after tomorrow's ride we lose not only Gary and
Jane (who's week with us has ended) but also Erma and Lee-- leaving us with
Kent, Ken, Ed, Win with Theresa Mack joining us in San Fransisco.
Day 13--May 26 Rio Dell, CA to Westport, CA (Wages Creek Beach campground) We woke to heavy fog yet no dew on our tents and vehicles. Is the air dry or are all the vegetation taking it in? Either way, it's nice to put away our tents dry. The Avenue of the Giants was featured on today's ride--gigantic ancient Redwoods which existed when Columbus was crossing the ocean. They have an aura of mysticism, especially when light fog encases them. By the time we reached the hamlet of Miranda, CA the sun had drawn up the mist and the remainder of the day proved quite warm. Farther along the town of Garverville seemed populated with folks from the 60's. The local hemp store was across from Calico Cafe--a tofu, sprouts sort of place--where we lunched. Ken, Kent Ed and Win got free slices of birthday cake where they lunched because the local newspaper editor was celebrating his birthday. Kent talked the waitress into including the four cyclers into the party. A round of Happy Birthday was sung.
Day 14 May 28-- Westport, CA (Rest day in Mendocino, CA) Our campsite was located only a few hundred yards from the shoreline, but the cooler weather made us venture into town. The group spent the day touring Mendocino and Fort Bragg. Mendocino, nestled on the coastline, had lots of boutiques and wineries. The beauty of the place rested in its many gardens of gorgeous flowers and its Victornian homes. We were too late for the Whale Festival and chowder tasting but Bernie (staff), Win and Kent went to a wine tasting room endulging in some wonderful special reserves. Ft. Bragg is a similar coastal village where the group had dinner (cook's night off) at the North Coast brewery and restaurant. On the other hand, David ended up driving 400 miles round trip to San Fransisco to deliver Lee, Erma, Jane and Gary to a hotel so that they could catch their flight back to Chicago and Ann Arbor, respectively. Ed spent the day sight-seeing with wife Marion. Ken and his friend Alexa did the same.
Day 15 May 29--Westport to Fort Ross, CA Pacific Cove Campground.