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Slideshow
A slideshow of photos from Oregon can be found at https://photos.app.goo.gl/M5DHrrxNdEZzScCi8 .
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Missive No. 11: My Oregon Trail
Part 1
The weather in Oregon has been cool, downright chilly on mornings when I have camped at the top of mountain passes. The cold weather clothing that Ellen and Ron held and mailed to me when I got to Colorado has all been used. Having my espresso maker for good hot coffee in the mornings has been a luxury worth the extra weight. (Hey, it only weighs 15 oz. !) My Whisperlite International stove that burns unleaded gas -- $0.41 on its last fill-up -- has been invaluable both mornings and evenings.
This is Part 1 of what will be a 2-part Oregon missive. Like Virginia at the start of the TransAm and Washington at the end of the Northern Tier, it's a big State that merits at least two updates. Like Washington, it is sharply divided by the Cascades between an arid east and a moist west. I crossed McKenzie Pass and descended from the Cascades yesterday, a week after leaving Baker City.
I knew from last year's Northern Tier trip not to underestimate the mountains between the Rockies and the coast. The passes in Oregon were not as difficult as those in Washington, but they were significant. Six mountain passes stand between Baker City and Eugene. Three of them came on the first day. Thus all of my days except yesterday were low mileage days. When I have a mountain pass to cross, I consider 40 miles more than acceptable.
My best camping experience of the week was at the USFS campground on Dixie Pass. The location was peaceful and cool, and I had it to myself. Well, actually I had to share it with yellow jackets that are all over eastern Oregon. The yellow jackets at Dixie Pass swarmed all around me, the bike, and my camping gear. Fortunately, they were not the stinging type. They were more like endlessly curious cats. Still, there were so many of them that I donned my mosquito netting.
I stayed at two hostels, first at the community church in Dayville and then at the Spoke'n Hostel in Mitchell. The latter takes my prize as the best hostel of the summer. It's run by Jalet and Pat, transplants to Oregon who bought the abandoned church in Mitchell and turned it into a hostel. There's such an inviting, homey feeling to the hostel and to the town that it's hard to leave. Joshua, a skateboarder turned cyclist, had already been there five days. We shared life stories late into the evening and over breakfast. He has a titanium rod in one of his legs from a skateboard accident five years ago that nearly took his leg and his life. Now living at a much slower pace, he's happy to be alive and mobile despite chronic pain. Mitchell exerted such an influence on him that he's considering moving there.
Other encounters this week included Kevin Patterson and his wife from New Zealand. They are rock climbers who were staying at the campground under Smith Rock when I met them. At the Lava Lake campground near the top of McKenzie Pass, I shared a camping spot with hikers Mark and Sally. The Pacific Crest Trail passes nearby.
Journey's end is becoming tangible. I felt it as I climbed McKenzie Pass, the final mountain pass of the summer. The stars shone brilliantly that night over a landscape of lava fields that come from a volcanic eruption that happened within historical times. As I descended yesterday and felt the climate change along with the vegetation, I knew the end is near.
Yesterday's ride was my longest since Kansas. One of the biggest 2020 wildfires happened between McKenzie Bridge and Nimrod, and the burned-out consequences come right up to the edge of the road. Thus it was that I pushed all the way to Eugene for an 80-mile day.
It feels strange to be in Eugene. For those who know the story of my young Kazakhstani friend Sultana, this is where she was supposed to have gone to college in 2017. I was supposed to have accompanied her and gotten her established in her dorm. A triple visa denial dashed all those hopes and plans. It feels strange that I should be passing through Eugene in light of that failure.
But let me end on an upbeat note. This has been an incredible journey that still has a week to go. My arrival date for Astoria, OR, is fixed for September 6. Why? Because my friend Xi is flying to Portland and renting a car to celebrate journey's end with me on the 6th. I'll be slowing my pace in these final days so as not to arrive in Astoria before then.
Part 2
I have reached the Pacific Ocean. I descended out of the final hills and dipped my hands into the waters of the Pacific at Neskowin Beach on September 2. That night I camped at Cape Lookout and was lulled to sleep by the sound of the surf. For the next three nights I camped at Nehalam Bay before rolling up to the Marine Museum in Astoria -- the official terminus of the TransAm -- on September 6. My journey ended fittingly on Labor Day, three months to the day since I set out from Newport News on June 6.
This has been my personal Northwest Passage overland from the mid-Atlantic to the Pacific Northwest. It was hard not to think of Lewis and Clark, whose route intersected the TransAm many times over the past month. Riding a loaded touring bike across the continent gives one at least a glimmer of the hardships they faced. Their journey ended at the mouth of the Columbia River not far from the present day location of Astoria.
Journey's end was on my mind all the final week. I purposely slowed my pace to hang on a little longer, but with each day I felt the end approaching.
In Corvallis I had my final WarmShowers night with Sam and Beth Stern who treated me to a wonderful dinner and a bed so comfortable that it was hard to leave in the morning. Sam has ridden the TransAm and has bike-packed extensively outside the US. Beth is an artist and quilter. Both are retired from Oregon State University. We had many stories to trade.
At Wilhamina I checked into the Wildwood Bunkhouse, conscious that this was my last hostel of the summer. As I walked the streets of this self-styled Timbertown USA, I knew that I would make my final descent to sea level in the morning.
Camping at Nehalam Bay for three nights was not just a way to avoid the Labor Day weekend crowds in Astoria; it was a way to hang on to the camping experience for a few days more.
Xi flew in to Portland, rented a car, and joined me for two camping nights at Nehalam Bay. On the 6th she stopped at strategic points to photograph me as I went by, and she used a drone to shoot action videos from above. She was there at the finish line where I posed with my espresso maker that traveled with me and was well used all summer long. (Alas, the TransAm ends on a riverwalk with no possibility of taking the traditional front wheel in the water photo.) Then we checked into the best motel I have seen for many months, enjoyed good seafood and Pacific sunsets for two days, and explored the area.
Ending a transcontinental bicycle journey is a quiet affair. There are no signs, nothing at all in Yorktown or Astoria to proclaim the end points of the most famous bicycle route in the US. Only we cyclists know that this is where the TransAm begins and ends, but there is no reason for disappointment. As any serious traveler knows, it's the journey itself, not its beginning and end, where meaning and purpose are to be found in the hills we climb, the people we meet, and the country we come to know just a bit better for crossing it at a pace that is more 19th century than 21st. As I found last year on the Northern Tier, there is goodness and kindness to be found at every turn in our troubled, divided country.
If anyone was wondering about the technical details, I did not have even one flat tire in the nearly 4500 miles since setting out from home in Maine. It pays to start an epic bicycle journey with new, high quality touring tires, Schwalbe in my case. While camped at Nehalam Bay, I installed my fourth bike chain of the summer. In Corvallis I replaced my front wheel when the rim of my existing wheel started giving signs that it was approaching its end of life. This was, in fact, my only serious technical issue of the summer. The last thing I needed was for my front wheel to collapse under me in my final hundred miles.
No, this is not my last missive. There is one more to come. After all, I still have three days of riding ahead of me when I step down from the Amtrak Downeaster in Brunswick, ME, next week. Stay tuned for that.
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Daily Log
Saturday, August 21, 2021 -- 21,329 km cum - 93 km/day
A shorter day, Brownlee to Richland. I am intentionally slowing the pace as I approach the final leg of this journey. Crossed into Oregon, my final state. Camped tonight at the county campground in Richland.
Sunday, August 22, 2021 -- 21,404 km cum - 75 km/day
Today's was a short 46-mile ride to Baker City, the end of AC TransAm Section 3. I will take a rest day here tomorrow. I'm sitting on a bench outside the hostel at what used to be the Churchill School. I'm waiting for Brian, the contact, to give me the keypad code so I can get in.
Today's route took me through Hell's Canyon and Hole in the Wall. That's the way one gets to Oregon.
Tuesday, August 24, 2021 -- 21,501 km cum - 97 km/day
A good 60-mile day from Baker City to the USFS campground at Dixie Pass. Nice spot, and I have it to myself. But there are yellow jackets everywhere, They seem to have been everywhere all along my route today. What is it with yellow jackets in this part of Oregon? They are swarming and bothersome. Will they go away as the sun goes down? At least they are not stinging. Rather, they seem curious, like cats.
Wednesday, August 25, 2021 -- 21,591 km cum - 90 km/day
A good, downhill 56-mile day from the Dixie Pass campground to the Community Church hostel in Dayville.
It was quite chilly this morning, in the upper 30s for sure. Got my usual late start after a camping night, but now there is no longer any reason for hurry. It's time to slow down as journey's end becomes tangible.
Thursday-Saturday, August 26-28, 2021
Thursday -- 21,655 km cum - 64 km/day
Friday -- 21,766 km cum - 111 km/day
Saturday -- 21,840 km cum - 74 km/day
With two big climbing days as bookends and an easier day in the middle, I've had little time to write these three days.
Thursday was Dayville to Mitchell over the Keyes Creek Summit. Between an almost all-day uphill and a respectable headwind, this pass was harder than I expected.
The tough day was more than made up for, however, by the hostel in Mitchell and by Josh. This was easily the nicest hostel I have stayed at, and it would be easy to stay here for days. That is what happened with Josh, who had already been there five days. He has quite a life story. He barely survived a skateboard accident in 2016 and has a titanium rod in his left leg that he nearly lost. We shared life stories over dinner and breakfast the next morning.
Ochoco Pass was easier with a long downhill afterward, hence a longer mileage day to Smith Rock State Park near Terrebonne. Still, I arrived late and cooked dinner (separate cooking area!) in the dark. I got a very late 11:30 a.m. start in the morning. Over breakfast I met/talked with a rock climber from New Zealand.
On Friday I climbed McKenzie Pass, my final pass of the Cascades and of my TransAm summer. I am camped at the top at the (free!) USFS Lava Camp Lake Campground. To my surprise, the campground was full when I arrived. I am sharing a spot with Mark and Susan from Salem, OR. My shower was a dip in the lake.
Sunday, August 29, 2021 -- 21,974 km cum - 134 km/day
Wow, an 84-mile day. I haven't gone more than 80 miles in a day since Kansas. And today's long ride was entirely unplanned. My intent had been to ride half that distance and do a WS camping night in Nimrod. I began to doubt that plan after talking to others at the McKenzie Pass campground. They told me the area after McKenzie Bridge until Nimrod is still devastated from one of last year's wildfires. Moreover, on weekdays Rt. 126 through the area is subject to partial closures and is ruled by logging trucks as the cleanup from the fire continues.
After descending from McKenzie Pass, I could see that my camping companions from McKenzie Pass were right. Moreover, Rt. 126 is a thankless road for a cyclist even on a Sunday. The fire devastation is everywhere, and the smell of smoke lingers in the air a year later.
Thus I decided to push all the way to Eugene. I rolled into the city as the sun was sinking below the horizon and checked in at the Campus Inn. This was one time on this trip when a quiet, solitary cheap motel room felt just right.
Tuesday-Wednesday, August 31 - September 1, 2021 -- 21,127 km cum - 153 km over two days
Just a 45-mile ride from Eugene to Corvalis on Tuesday, but even though it was flat, the ride was not the easy jog I had expected. Why? Headwind, of course.
I went to the bike shop in Corvalis to have my front wheel checked. For a number of days it has been catching when I brake. I had presumed it needed to be trued, but I was wrong. The rim had been worn thin in one place and was getting ready to fail! I bought a new front wheel but kept my Phil Wood hub for re-use later.
On Tuesday night I stayed with WS hosts Sam and Beth Stern. What a delightful couple, both retired from Oregon State University. They treated me to a home-cooked meal and a private bedroom. Sam has bike toured extensively internationally.
Got a good early start on Wednesday, for me a rarity. The wind still blew, and there were a few hills. Still, today was easier than yesterday.
I'm staying at the Bunk House Hostel in Willamina, possibly my last hostel of this TransAm journey. I have less than 150 miles to Astoria and am already seeing road signs for the Oregon coast. I expect the reality of journey's end will hit me when I first see the Pacific. That could be tomorrow.
Thursday, September 2, 2021 -- 22,234 km cum - 107 km/day
A wonderful 66-mile day. At 1:45 p.m. I dipped my hands in the Pacific at Neskowin Beach and celebrated with a chocolate malt. I then continued up the gorgeous Oregon coast. I am camped tonight at a hiker/biker site at Cape Lookout State Park and can both see and hear the Pacific surf from my tent.
Friday, September 3, 2021 -- 22,300 km cum - 66 km/day
This was a short day by design to the Nehalam Bay State Park near Manzanita. This is it, my last campground in Oregon. Astoria is just over 40 miles away. I could be there tomorrow, but my hotel reservation isn't until Monday. (After all, this is Labor Day weekend.) Thus I am on hold here in Nehalam for three nights. Xi is flying in from Las Vegas and will share the camping and Astoria experience with me.
My journey is coming to its end. I still have not taken that in fully.
Monday, September 6, 2021 -- 22,383 km cum - 83 km/day
A lovely 50-mile day brought me to the end of this TransAm summer. I reached the end at the Marine Museum in Astoria at 5 p.m. As at the start in Yorktown and at the terminus of the Northern Tier in Anacortes, there is nothing to mark the journey's end. I would say it's disappointing, but then I catch myself. It's not the beginning or end that's significant but the journey itself, the experience of the road and the people we meet along the way. **That** is what these summers are about.
The last days were all the more joyful because of Xi. She arrived at the Nehalam campground on Saturday afternoon and camped with me for two nights. Long beach walks and campground meals were the order of the day.
Xi shadowed me in her rental car today, stopping at strategic points to film me as I went by, sometimes by air using her drone. We stopped for a good lunch in Cannon Beach. I thought of Angie as we did. I know she loves Cannon Beach.
Xi and I are checked in at the Astoria Riverwalk Inn for three nights of luxury. On Thursday she will take me to the Amtrak station in Portland as my journey home to Maine -- with stops in Seattle, Chicago, and DC -- begins.
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