FOR THE HEALTH OF IT

Leaving Dallas

2006-04-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

We sent 4 boxes of stuff home by mail. How does one collect so much stuff? Most of it was camping gear that we weren't using. (Nikki, Claudia, Denise or Dad...Nothing will spoil, it's heavy, if you need to get it out of the office, put it in the 5th wheel)
Get this, the day we leave it is cold and we had to put on more clothes to stay warm. After weeks of 100's it was only in the 60's.

Wonderfull hostesses

2006-04-25T19:34:00.000-07:00

Cooling off after riding in 100+ degree weather

2006-04-25T19:26:00.000-07:00

On this day the temperature was over a hundred degrees. We found this swimming hole alongside the highway and jumped in. It was almost as good as having an ice cold beer.

Bats-Hill Country

2006-04-25T19:18:00.000-07:00

One of the activities in the area is to watch bats leave a tunnel at dusk. (my cousin Mike took me to the Castle Rock dump to watch the rats scamper away when headlights were turned on them) The brochure tells of the 2-20 million bats that leave the tunnel every evening. It's pretty awsome to see millions of bats flying by you for 10 minutes or so. They kind of stink, too. I was told that they can be seen on doppler weather radar when they emerge.

Our unofficial Fredericksburg taxi driver.

2006-04-25T19:08:00.000-07:00

Front row; Janet's daughter, Janet, Janet's husband

Second row; Candy, Julie, Ron, Debbie

Peeking over Debbie is the owner

While the poster thing was going on and calling for a taxi that was very busy, a young lady offers to drive us up town before the restraints closed. She even insisted that we finish our drinks. We get ready to go, she introduces us to her husband and daughter, we visit a bit and get a picture. That's how we met Janet Jung, our unofficial taxi driver and tour guide. She had us laughing with the stories she told and then waited to make sure the restraint was still serving before leaving. The next day during our ride we saw a ranch gate with her last name and there is even a road named after them...

Fredericksburg-Hill Country

2006-04-25T18:51:00.000-07:00

We used Fredericksburg as our home base for our Hill Country trip with Julie and Debbie. We all agreed no drinking and riding, no problem, there was a tavern across the street from the motel. After settling in we went to the tavern and discovered they didn't serve food. As a round was being bought, I spotted the Budweiser sign that said welcome Hunters. Yes Claudia I tried to get a free beer because of my last name. I then tried to get sign, the owner wouldn't give it up but offered another one. It has a deer on it, which cracked Julie and I up because a deer jumped on Julie and her bike a week earlier in Oklahoma.

While planning the ride we were told that Hill Country is also Deer Country. We learned that the area holds the world's most dense population of deer. Most of the pickup trucks we saw had big heavy duty guards built to protect the front end from deer collisions.
Deer hunters get to bag 6 deer/license. We saw several herds of 10 or more every day.

Enchanted Rock-Hill Country

2006-04-25T18:48:00.000-07:00

Candy, Ron and Debbie

A hugh granite rock formation, now a park, camping, hiking and rock climbing.

Luckenback-Hill Country

2006-04-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

Charlie Bishop and Candy
Julie and Debbie
All the buildings in town are similar to this one
Inside the back of the post office
What ride would be complete without a visit to Lu... You all probably know that Hondo bought the town. Musicians and singers play and sing for the visiters, some are famous and some aren't so famous. The fellow controlling the parking the day we were there was Charlie Bishop, contry singer. He worked the entire time we were there in the hot sun.

Harry's on the Loop-Hill Country

2006-04-25T18:34:00.000-07:00

Harry and Candycheck out the decor
Must be biker friendly
To get a beer while outside you go up to the window

What a delightful surprise. We were ready for a break from riding and very thirsty, We saw a few bikes parked in front of the place, figured it was biker friendly and pulled in the parking lot. What an absolutely cool place, catering to the biker crowd. As luck would have Harry was actually there and working. He tried to be grumpy but just couldn't pull it off. He asked me "What kind of an asshole to you think I am?" I replied "Well how many different kinds of assholes do you have around here?" He grinned at that,

Getting ready to ride with the Girls

2006-04-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

It was decided that the girls would take Thursday through Monday over Easter to go for a ride in the Texas Hill Country. That left us 3 days to get an extension filed for the IRS and get our prescriptions refilled as we only had 2 days of meds left. Debbie lent us her Corvette for our errands. She worked from home and Julie went to work. We were able to travel quite easily around Dallas with the GPS. There was a push to get Julie's bike ready for the ride, the Honda shop jumped right on it and got it done.

After the ride

2006-04-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

We were hot and dirty after our ride to Oklahoma and jumped into the pool to cool off and refresh ourselves. Julie fixed drinks and joined while we waited for Debbie to get home. Time was getting close, like 10 minutes, for the Sopranos to start and we weren't ready to get out of the pool and hot tub. Julie set up the TV projector and big screen outside so we could watch the Sopranos outside while in the pool. Debbie comes home, joins us in the pool. Chinese was order for dinner and was served at poolside where we ate, drank and watched TV and a movie.

Julie gets hit by a doe

2006-04-18T19:36:00.000-07:00

Traveling north on Hwy 82 on our way to Stigler, OK, Ron was in the lead, Julie in between us, and me bringing up the rear. The weather was great, in the 70's, even though we wiped ice of the bikes. We had just passed some small wild fires that were started by lightening, made a left hand turn, a nice straight away with a right had turn and another straight away, Ron gets on it. Ron passed three does on the right, he said he didn't even see them, and was gone. Julie rides slower than Ron and saw a doe jump up and turn away from her to the front. A second doe blindly following the first, jumps right into Julie. I watched the doe and Julie travel several feet together, their heads at the same level, looking like Julie had scooped it up around the middle, legs flailing about wildly. A 3rd doe jumps from the side and turns toward me and scampers off the road. I'm slowing down wondering what evasive movement I need to make, guessing which way Julie and the doe were going to fall. The doe falls, bounces off the road a couple of times, jumps the fence and takes off, last seen with an abrasion on its right shoulder. Julie continues riding down the road and gives me a high sign saying she was OK! She rounds the corner, notices the front right turn signal was missing and thought she better stop and check if she was hurt. As you can see in the pictures her tank was dented, the engine guard was pushed into the brake and foot board as well. Julie sad her shoulder hurt but not to bad. She did not fall down!

Talihina, the town, quiet and friendly

2006-04-18T19:13:00.000-07:00

Julie and Ron planning a ride.

They decided to visit Stigler, OK where they live when Julie was 4 and Ron was 9 years old.

Pam's run by Hateful Hattie in Talihina, OK

serves an excellent breakfast.

Concealed Weapon Permit Class posted in a restaurant window.

RoseMary's serves a great Ribeye

Talimena Scenic Byway

2006-04-14T08:27:00.000-07:00

Ron and Julie
Rest stop
Oklahoma, as I never imagined.
Ron and Candy
Talimena Scenic Byway, Road 1, Oklahoma

Debbie had plans with her mother leaving Julie free to ride with us for the weekend. We found this "dotted road" on the map and off we went. This road is one of the best roads I have ever ridden. It needs to be ridden all 4 seasons, and not only on bikes but sport cars as well.

Accidental meeting up with Scott

2006-04-13T21:12:00.000-07:00

Uncle Ron shaking hands with Finn
Scott and Finn
Scott's wife, Janet (in the center)
Debbie and Finn, Game Boy players .
When Ron called Julie to let her know we were on the way to her place, Julie informed him that Scott, Janet, and Finn were visiting.

On this trip it seemed as though Ron didn't really care about the trip at all. I couldn't really say anything as I sort of manipulated the whole thing and with all the trouble with his bike I felt I was lucky he was talking to me. For the first time this trip he was excited.

Not only was he going to see Julie and Deb, he was going to see Scott!

He rode with great purpose from Little Rock to Dallas.

When we arrived we didn't see Finn's head for an hour, he was in the pool swimming underwater.

For those of you who don't know, Scott is Ron's little brother. Ron was away from home most of Scotts growing up and the two of them are now developing an adult to adult relationship instead of the little brother- big brother. It is a kick listening to their stories.

Imagine sitting around a fire next to a pool, family and friends, tipping a few sharing the past with us all. After a while it degenerated to singing Kareoke. Scott and Janet have wonderful voices. Jamie, Debs brother has a nice deep voice. I was the oldest person there and didn't know any of the songs, talk about feeling old!

Father and Son

2006-04-12T21:32:00.000-07:00

Buddy and Ron

Buddy and Jeanette went for a ride with Ron

2006-04-12T21:28:00.000-07:00

We ate catfish at Pres. Clinton's favorite resturant in Hot Springs

2006-04-12T21:17:00.001-07:00

Hot Springs Tower in Arkansas

2006-04-12T21:07:00.000-07:00

This town has quite a history. Gambling, Mafia, and alot of hot springs to draw in the crowds. Shortly after these pictures were taken a very large thunderstorm with lightening came into the area and dropped lots of rain, by morning it was gone.We were traveling in a car with Buddy and Jeanette, Thank God!

Jeanette's dog-Gidget

2006-04-10T17:41:00.000-07:00

The dog was paralyzed at birth and rescued by Kim, given to Buddy. Buddy's landlord didn't let him keep the dog. Jeanette ended up with a dog that jumps like popcorn, hits you with her head to get petted and runs the house.

Arkansas Yard Greenery

2006-04-10T17:30:00.000-07:00

The birds sing all the time, the yard flowers and weeds are blooming. The country is beautiful.We went through about 10 minutes of hard rain getting to Buddy's.

We cooked BBQ our first night in Arkansas

2006-04-10T17:19:00.000-07:00

Check out the table legs!

Ron, Buddy (Ron's Dad), Jeanette at dinner. They served peanuts as appetizers and we threw the shells on the floor.

Shilo

2006-04-04T18:33:00.000-07:00

On the way to Little Rock Ron noticed that we were going past the Civil War battle site of Shilo. We stopped and I am so glad we did. I found out that the dead at Shilo were buried in mass graves as it was so hot the bodies were rapidly decomposing. Later the Union Soldiers were removed from the mass graves and buried in individual plots. The Confederate soldiers were left in the mass graves.

Cal...This is a BIG Truck

2006-03-30T06:50:00.000-08:00

We Slew the Dragon

2006-03-29T18:09:00.000-08:00

Smoky Mountains

2006-03-29T18:05:00.000-08:00

Out of Florida and into Georgia

2006-03-25T20:10:00.000-08:00

We were rained on yesterday, it was a good thing for central Florida as they haven't had rain for 90 days. It was a heavy downpour with lightning and thunder. We found cover in a park and waited it out. I noted that several cars pulled in as well. Heard on the news there were a couple of tornados out of the storm. Florida's highways are very nice and the country side so very beautiful. Central Florida is rolling hills and has lots of lakes. The smell of Orange blossoms while riding the sweeping highway is something I hope I'll never forget.
Traveling in Georgia after yesterdays rain was great. The traffic on the freeway was stop and go, so we took off cross country. Again rolling hills, pasture lands, yellow pines and Pecan trees everywhere. The people are friendly, we stopped for a map check and a biker stopped, chatted and showed us a nicer way to travel to Deals Gap. The back roads are smooth and four lanes with no one on them...Of course it is Saturday.
One thing we noticed in Florida was a lot of churches and adult clubs, in Georgia there seems to be many more churches but haven't seen any adult shops.

Power Napping

2006-03-25T20:07:00.000-08:00

The Florida Everglades are Beautiful

2006-03-25T20:02:00.000-08:00

Glassbottom Sunset Cruise in the Key's

2006-03-25T19:53:00.000-08:00

Key West

2006-03-25T19:48:00.000-08:00

Some Key Flowers

2006-03-25T19:42:00.000-08:00

Some of the night life of the Keys

2006-03-25T19:37:00.000-08:00

KOA in the Keys, note the dust.

2006-03-25T19:31:00.000-08:00

Alabama Jack's, known for their conch fritters

2006-03-25T19:21:00.000-08:00

Skate and Needle Fish

2006-03-25T19:17:00.000-08:00

Earl's Bar in Sebastian

2006-03-25T19:12:00.000-08:00

Sebastian's Water View

2006-03-25T19:00:00.000-08:00

We finally leave Daytona, right!

2006-03-25T18:37:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it?
We picked up the bike, packed up and headed for the Keys.
About 100 miles down I-95 Ron decides he wants to travel closer to the water. Leaving a stop light his belt rolls off the bike in Sebastian, Florida.
I kept waiting for a response from Ron, I mean, come on, he's got to blow. His verbal response was "I think this is kind of humorous". I felt helpless.
A passerby took Ron to the local bike shop. Ron ordered a belt, got a tow to the shop, and the shop took 24 hours to replace the belt.

New Engine

2006-03-15T19:30:00.000-08:00

Atlantic Ocean

2006-03-15T19:28:00.000-08:00

North Turn

2006-03-15T19:25:00.000-08:00

Mac could have come and found a friend

2006-03-15T19:22:00.000-08:00

Pretty Paint

2006-03-15T19:15:00.000-08:00

Bikes

2006-03-15T19:10:00.000-08:00

Chrome/Stainless Steel

2006-03-15T19:06:00.000-08:00

Daytona's newest HD shop

2006-03-15T18:56:00.000-08:00

Daytona Bike Week

2006-03-15T18:51:00.000-08:00

El Paso, TX

2006-03-15T18:46:00.000-08:00

Resting after a Long Days Ride

2006-03-15T18:41:00.000-08:00

Texas Valley, AZ

2006-03-15T18:25:00.000-08:00

Shade Chasers

2006-03-15T18:20:00.000-08:00

Dad and Millie's, Arizona

2006-03-15T18:12:00.000-08:00

London Bridge

2006-03-15T17:43:00.000-08:00

He Enjoyed Himself (even when he didn't want to)

2006-03-15T17:37:00.000-08:00

Pea Soup

2006-03-15T17:34:00.000-08:00

Reluctant Riding Partner

2006-03-15T17:25:00.000-08:00

Our Last Night in Daytona

2006-03-15T16:41:00.000-08:00

We have had quite the week, now it is over and we will start for the Keys tomorrow. What kept us in Daytona?...Ron's engine blew. Thank God it did so while we were here and not on the freeway at 70mph. Ron went for dinner, after a very long time he calls me to get ahold of AAA for a tow, his engine wouldn't turn over. The next day we went to an electrical shop that tested all the sort of stuff and then sent us to a motorcycle shop to check out the engine. It was deemed a piece of toast. Shouldn't be a problem with Bike Week going on (not so). Ron's bike took its fifth tow truck ride to Carls Speed Shop and recieved a 124 cubic inch S&S engine and another super dooper ignition. We went to pick it up yesterday and it wouldn't start, Ron was so disappointed. However, we picked up the bike today after the coil was replaced. Ron spent the rest of today putting the first 50 miles on the engine and changing the oil.

We didn't waste the time while waiting for the bike repair. We spent it riding around the area, eating out, and reading. Our motel has a swimming pool but can you believe it, it was to cold for swimming most of the time.

As I mentioned before, Bike Week is very big, spread out throughout the surrounding area. Very few people ride here, the entire area fills up with trailers. This is pretty much the beginning of the riding season for most of the people.The the bikes take to the road, and not like Sturgis, there are alot of cars on the road. It is so busy and isn't very safe, 18 fatalities this year. This year an added phenomenon occurred, Spring Break started the last weekend of Bike Week.

I have enjoyed my time here in Daytona but am looking forward to riding on.

Daytona Speedway

2006-03-08T16:05:00.000-08:00

Daytona Speedway is all set up with vendors of all sorts. International displayed their fancy trucks for hauling trailers, they are wonderful, back seat fold down for sleeping, there is a 14" TV screen, and lots of room. One of the trucks has a room behind the cab that can hold two motorcycles and then can pull the largest of travel trailers. I visited three trike conversion vendors and a side car vendor. If I keep falling down I will need to change what I ride and now I know my options. Ron was a good shopper today, when he got bored he would sit in the shade and wait for me to show up. He had his bike dyno tuned today, bought a new helmet and ignition switch. Yesterday he bought a special new headlight and new gloves.He told me that he needs to be nice since he lost his debit card and needs me to pay for the things he wants to buy. (I might not replace his card). I am having a great time. the temperature remains mild, great for walking and shopping, cooling off quickly when the sun goes down. I've noted more trailers hauling bikes today. A vendor mentioned they feel attendance is down this year as there are plenty of vacancies in motels, usually every room is booked. In the pine forest the underbrush is palm type growth. The grass is thick, lush, and spongy.

Daytona Bike Week Found at Last 3/07

2006-03-07T19:04:00.000-08:00

Asking local people gave us direction as to where to go to find "Bike Week". Bike Week is all around over many miles and many communities. Our first stop at Destination Harley's new location. The owner has not only opened a very large shop, but built a complex to capture all the Harley oxners money by building a hotel/motel /condo and food court and bar. It will be interesting to see how big and all inclusive that will developed. We went to the Daytona Speedway, they were closing so we will be returning tomorrow. We still have Beach Street to see. Motorcycles are every where but not as concentrated as Sturgis. There are motorcycle trailers everywhere, I assume it's because it is still winter. Winter doesn't explain the trailers with Florida plates.

Daytona at Last 3/06

2006-03-07T18:45:00.000-08:00

The Harley shop in Gainesville was so busy they told me it would take a whole day to get my clutch fixed, no way was I going to wait another day to get to Daytona. I bought the handle and told them my husband will fix the bike. Guess what, they had the time to put the clutch handle on. We made it toDaytona on 3/06 and checked into a motel just as the sun went down. We traveled through a pine forest with intermittent clear cuts. The weather clear and temperature 60-70. Talk about disappointment...we passed a few venders in shopping malls. Where is the 'worlds largest motorcycle event'.

I dumped the bike today.

2006-03-06T13:45:00.000-08:00

I dumped the bike today (3/4) on an off ramp. According to the passengers of the auto following me my rear tire slipped off the white painted arrow on the pavement that I didn’t do anything wrong. One of the guys was a dirt bike racer so I figure he knows what he was talking about. Both he and Ron said the arrow was more slippery than normal. The damage was only a broken clutch lever, scratched engine guards, and a little scratch on the front fender on the bike and a quarter size bruise on my right knee. We stopped at the Harley shop in Gainesville, FA and spending the night, waiting for the shop to open and a replacement clutch handle… Daytona-Tomorrow

We are in Pensecola, Florida.
I am psyched. I, Candace Susanne Hunter Blood, rode my motorcycle from Washington to Florida. Yes! In my wildest dreams I never thought I would ever have attempted such an adventure. Whether one calls it maturity or a gift from God, I feel differently about self and others. I am grateful that life is like a half full glass of water.
Tomorrow-Daytona!
Ron asked me if I blogged about the debit card flying out of his pocket while traveling through Texas, loosing his boot in a motel room and “misplacing” his dew rag. It was nice of him to remind me.
Daytona-Tomorrow!
I was amazed by the contry side through Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The trees got taller and the underbrush got thicker. The concrete highways are in terrible shape, asphalt highways were smooth. There is road construction everywhere.
Tomorrow-Daytona!

Traffic congestion today was caused by manufactured homes on the highway (for Kristina survivors?) We went to Waveland thinking we could go on 90, the scenic route, along the coast to see the damage but had to turn around as the bridge was out. There is a lot of blow down in the timber, mostly snapped in half, and that hanging in other trees. Large piles of debris on the road side, Lots of trucks hauling it to a landfill. Plastic and paper is everywhere. Businesses don’t have enough employees to maintain normal working hour. A Wendy’s only had drive up service, dining room was closed. They had a help wanted sign up that offered a $125/week bonus or $250/pay day. An I-Hop’s hours were 6am to 3pm; the hostess told us that there isn’t enough staff to keep the restaurant open. She stated all the staff are in the area but choose not to come to work. She said they need to come back to work, the government isn’t and shouldn’t buy them a new house, and they need to take care of themselves!

Daytona-Tomorrow

Driving through Huston (3/3) was a bear…construction everywhere, lane changes and detours. Traffic slowed us way down and we didn’t make our 500 miles, but we did make it to Lake Charles, Louisianna. Weather is beautiful for riding, no rain, overcast-blocking the direct sun. If you are contemplating this ride wait until the rodes are finished, I-10 needs all the repair it is getting.

Fredericksburg

2006-03-03T18:27:00.000-08:00

Traveling east (3/2) on I-10 is quit a visual odyssey. El Paso is very dry and brown, not much as far as brush, grass or cactus. The further east the greener and more lush the country becomes. I-10 is cut through the desert and hill sides, the cross section of the hills are fascinating.

We chose to bypass San Antonio by turning onto US 290. The temperature immediately dropped 10 degrees, no truck traffic and almost empty rode. The road is in excellent condition lots of up and downies with some nice gentle turns. The country is covered with several types of oak trees cactus and more.

We stopped for the night in Fredericksburg, famous for its peaches and the home of Lady Bird Johnson’s park (includes an 18 hole golf course with a one week advanced notice for tee time).

Yep-this was more than a “500 mile day”

Today was a 10!

Tuscan to El Paso (3/01)

Ron’s bike is running sooo good. The mechanic replaced the ignition module and converted from dual fire to single fire and told Ron a secret for boosting the fuel performance. While doing so, the cruise control became dysfunctional.

Ron ran amuck…We rode I-10 at 80-90 mph. The weather was mild, 60-80 degrees with high clouds. It seemed you could see forever. The Russell Day Long seats allowed us to fuel and ride, no need to stretch or walk about. I know Ron was feeling great as we stopped at KFC for lunch (my favorite) and the Harley shops in Las Cruces and El Paso.

OK, if we can go to Daytona Bike Week

2006-02-28T11:47:00.000-08:00

Deciding to stop the bike ride was mutal. I did negotiate a trip to Daytona Bike Week on the Harleys before I return to work.

Ron kept busy through the month of January doing chores around the fifth wheel and helping family with computer problems.Same for me, I also helped Claudia at her office "Southgate Realty". Around the first of February he anounced he needed to have his forks fixed and new break pads, my response was"go for it". He sent the forks off repair and brake pad s were ordered. He then said he wouldn't go with out a Russell Day Long seat and a GPS for the bike. So off to Portland for a TomTom GPS and a drive in appointment made for the seat.Guess what? A mix up and Ron had to drive to Eugene (2/18) to get the forks so we could leave on time.It took us an extra day(2/19) to pack as the motorcycle clothes and equipment had been packed away (and I don't think that Ron thought we were really going to go and waited to the last moment to get ready). As a result we left Silverlake(2/20) in the snow and rode 500 miles to Shasta Lake in one day.

We spent the next day (2/21) killing time in between fittings riding around Shasta and Redding. We got on the road about 4pm and made it to Willows and a Motel 6.

I-5 South (2/22) there are miles and miles of pink flowering trees, we were told they were almond trees, and I ended up with a scratchy throat... Allergies? We stopped at Andersons Pea Soup House, lots of memories of Dick Jernberg, the love of my Mother's life. At the Motel 6 in Bakersfield, a guest was happy to tell us where to go, so to speak.

From Bakersfield (2/23) to Needles was quite an experience. We stopped in Boron to go to a couple of museums. You would have thought I was pulling Ron's teeth but he ended up liking the time he spent there. It was getting late as we headed into Needles, about 15 miles out his bike started backfireing and conking out,bad gas. I was sent ahead to get gas treatment. On the way back to Ron I checked out the oncoming traffic and who should pass me but Ron! Thank God I saw him and I did not find him gone from the side of the road. We called Claudia and sang Happy Birthday.

The bike starts right up (2/24) and off we go to Yuma to see Dad and Millie. A stop at the London Bridge,against Ron's wishes, and on the road again. There is nothing between Lake Havasue and Yuma except a very large garage sale or flea market in Quartside. The bike starts acting up again. We stopped along side the road frequently, tempers getting shorter and shorter. We called Dad and let him know we were spending the night in Yuma.

Ron removed the gas tank(2/25), removed gas and water, replaced the tank and filled with new gas. Before we left Ron put the Mustang motorcycle seat in the garbage, he is satisfied with the Russell Day Long seat...another believer. Off to Dad and Millie's in Wellton. Without the TomTom we would not have found the house. Millie's lot is wonderful, and I can see why she brought Dad to this special place and her friends. They have placed a "park model" on the lot. Dad seems to love it, his head is tanned, he follows the shade while eating oranges from the trees on the lot. Dinner in Tacna to celebrate Dad's birthday and their anniveresary. We slept on the floor in the bedroom while Millie and Dad slept on a hideabed in the livingroom.

We head for El Paso(2/26). All day the bike acted up. We drained the tank again, new gas, and off we go again. Stop and go. Finally it hit the fan, Ron removed his gloves and slapped them on his seat, removed his helmet and pulled out his phone "Do you have your AAA card?" We get Ron's ride and the trailer towed back to Wilcox and a Motel 6. Guess what, no bike shop.

The next day (2/27) we are towed to Tuscon Harley Davidson. Sorry, they won't work on Harleys with RevTec engines. They didn't have a shop pin, all out. Now I was mad! Deep breaths and walking around and I made the one block to the shop that will work on the bike and I was better. Lunch at the Bull Pen and off to the another motel for a nap.

Here it is 2/28 and we are waiting to see if a new ignition module will fix the bike's problem. Ron is getting restless. I am grateful that Ron is in my life. He is so patient with me, unlike the others in my life. With all the aggravation this past week I am not anxious or living in fear.

Adios to the Ride

2006-01-07T09:49:00.000-08:00

Candy and I are still at the fifth wheel in Silverlake. Today we are going to start the drive back to Corte Madera to pick up our Greenspeed out of storage and haul it back here to Silverlake. We have decided not to continue our voyage.

The main reason we are stopping is the money. As noted earlier in the blog, we were spending much more money than we ever dreamed we would spend on a cycling trip. We could have ridden around the US twice on our Harleys for the amount already spent. We currently have enough money left for us to start the project of building a mortgage free log home from scratch. This is something we had planned to do after the ride, and if we continue the ride we won't have enough without Candy going back to work as a nurse, which she is not ready to do yet. She has worked hard as a nurse for over 30 years, long past the time when many other nurses have "burned out" on the job. I completely support her desire not to return to work right away to facilitate the building of the log home.

Things I won't miss: 1) I found that constantly being on the alert for traffic on narrow, shoulderless roads took a lot of the joy out of riding. I know that in Europe, where cycling is much more common, there have been extensive networks of bike lanes and paths established. England has a national cycle path network that has over ten thousand miles of cycling lanes and paths. And inexpensive hostels located along the routes. 2) The short riding days of winter. It seems like we have to make camp almost as soon as we break camp. 3) The weather. Though we mostly had decent weather for the riding from Silverlake to the Bay area, the rain that has been going on down there since we left is a discouraging element. Locals in Marin county told us before we came home for Christmas that January and February are the worst times for rain. 4) I am developing a pretty painful case of carpal tunnel, or tendonitis, or tennis elbow, or something in my right arm from the constant twisting of the gear shifter on the Rohloff 14 speed hub. Three weeks after stopping, it is still bothering me.

On the "pro" side of the argument for continuing: 1) The feeling of not finishing what we started. I don't like that feeling. 2) All of the attention we got from people watching us go by. That was great. It helped us to meet and talk with folks from all walks of life. 3) The excitement of fast runs down the hills. 4) The exercise. The exercise was good for both of us. I intend to keep riding the Spirit Lake Highway locally, as it has wide shoulders. 4) The blog. I think I will continue to blog on this site but it will be more about the log home building project. I have signed up for a two day seminar in Monroe, north of Seattle to learn what I need to get started. I learned of the seminar at http://www.loghomebuilders.org

So, to all of our new friends and family, especially my brother Roger, who was getting a real kick out reading the blog, it was fun while it lasted.

Ron.

Tur Duck Hen at Deep River

2005-12-25T19:18:00.000-08:00

Candy and I are currently at Kem Chism's home near Naselle, Wa. in a small community called Deep River. She is my daughter-in-law and we just finished a wonderful Christmas Day dinner prepared by her. The turkey was actually a creation that you may have heard of that can be purchased from www.cajungrocers.com, called a Turducken. It is a boned turkey inside of which is a boned duck, inside of which is a boned chicken. In between the layers of bird are two great stuffings, one of cornbread, the other a spicey wild rice. When I sliced into it, all the layers just kind of blended together into one plateful of delicious flavors. I highly recommend it.

The newspaper article I mentioned in an earlier post, http://candyhunterblood.blogspot.com/2005/12/sea-ranch-lodge.html has appeared in the online archives of http://www.smalltownpapers.com/images/ICO.gif/p01.gif. It is not actually an article, but a photo with caption on the front page.

Well, a wonderful Christmas and New Year to all of my family that are not with me, Mom, Dad, Julie and Debbie, Scott and Janet, Bill and Shirley, and Roger and Wendy, Cal and Denise, Claude and Millie, Katie and John, Dane and Jessica, and all the readers of the this blog. May fortune smile upon you in the coming year.
Ron.

Back Home at Silverlake

2005-12-17T19:25:00.000-08:00

We are now back in our little trailer in Silverlake Washington. At the moment, I am enjoying my Christmas gift from my mother, her fruitcake made from fermented fruit. Honestly, it's really delicious. Our flight from Oakland went without incident. Except that we nearly missed it. We were sitting at gate 8A, and our plane was at gate 8. If I hadn't heard the last call announcement, we would have missed it for sure.

Had fun with my little Garmin GPS unit on the flight. Sitting next to the window, it was able to aquire satellites and I used it to identify exactly where we were over the ground, how fast we were flying, and our altitude. The GPS unit has been one of the good things we brought along that has earned it's keep. I frequently turn it on while we are pedaling just to see where we are in relation to the next town, or if we are in a town I can use it to find my way around to locate places to eat or sleep or shop. It proved to be very useful in Marin County when I was trying to locate the storage company, and again later the same day when our taxi driver could not find our motel in Oakland.

The weather at the moment in Southwest Washington is not the usual 40 or 50 degrees with rain. It is clear and cold, and has been that way for the last 10 days or so. Candy and I have had to work to keep the water pipes from freezing. These trailers are not made for cold weather living. When we first arrived, the house was frigid, but we were able to warm it up using a small electric heater and the propane stove top. However, I had not counted on the mattress still being frozen when I went to bed. That was a bit of shock.

I am going to use this time at home base to rest, think about how to improve the trike and some of our camp gear, and enjoy family and friends. I will continue to post during our vacation, but not as often. One post I want to do while home is an article on what has worked well and not so well with our camp gear and clothing, and what has worked well and not so well with our trike.

Ron.

Oakland Airport

2005-12-15T16:47:00.000-08:00

Tonight we are in the Oakland Airport La Quinta that I booked on hotels.com from my laptop in Marin County, just a few hours from flying back to Washington for a Christmas holiday with family and friends. We are really looking forward to this. We got our Greenspeed, trailer, and most of our gear stowed in a rental unit in Corte Madera, then got a taxi over to Oakland. This is my first time to be in the Bay Area, and I am certainly glad I didn't have to do the driving from Marin County to Oakland. I must say that Marin County is one very wealthy community. Even more so than I first thought. Very understated, though. Every other car is a Volvo, a BMW, a Mercedes station wagon, or a Range Rover. It's amazing.

Ron

It was nice finding an REI here. I was able to fine tune some of our camping needs. I miss shopping.
A woman stopped to visit about the bike, she was quite the rider most of her life and was pleased to tell of her riding way before it was cool to ride. She quit when she was 50, I started at 56.
There are alot more bike riders in Marin county and alot more bike paths. Apparently Marin County has recieved a $25 million grant for bike paths.
There are alot of motorcycles on the road and I really want to get on the bike and finish the ride everytime one goes by us.
$10.00/day budget was a joke, especially here in California. Unlike Oregon State Parks Hiker/Biker $2.00/night, California's are twice as much and you must pay for showers. Private camp grounds are $25-50. Food is more expensive as we are shopping in small mom/pop stores and we can't carry large quanities. Every penny we have spent has been worth it as the coast scenery is beyond description.
Now we tell people our trip will last for 3 years or until the money runs out. Candy

Corte Madera

2005-12-14T21:11:00.000-08:00

We stayed last night in the Samuel P Taylor state park, camped under giant redwoods. The racoons visited us about 6 am, and nearly got the bear box open where our food and kitchen stuff was stored. I got up and put a big rock against the doors, then went back to bed. No sooner was I back in bed than the damn thing started molesting the bag on the bike we keep our lunch and snacks in. The bag was empty but had an old candy wrapper in it. I got up again, the racoon left and didn't come back. Later that morning, Candy was dumping a bag of garbage in the dumpster a short distance away, and got a shock when she opened the lid and a racoon looked up at her. She called me over and told me to open it. I did and jumped a little when I saw the masked bandit. I found a piece of wood fencing behind the dumpster, stuck it in and the racoon climbed out. The park host, living just a few yards away, came out and told us she has to do the same thing just about every day. They can get in, but they can't get out, unless the dumpster is full.

We had a great ride from the park through the small towns of Fairfax, San Anselmo, Ross, and Kentfield. Lot's of looks, waves, smiles, honks, thumbs up. Every group of kids we passed stopped what they were doing to watch us go by, some shouting, "Cool bike!" Once, a couple of kids ran over to us and helped us up a hill by pushing on the trailer. Wish we could have had them every time we had a hill to climb.

Tomorrow, we are going to ride over to a nearby storage unit, store our trike and other gear, get a shuttle or maybe a limo to take us over to the Oakland airport, where we will get another room, so that we can board our flight early Friday morning.

Marin County. What can I say about Marin County? It certainly seems trendy and status concious. BMW's, Volvo's, Range Rovers, the occasional Porsche or Mercedes. So many of these brands on the street it would seem they would lose their snob appeal. But the community also seems to be involved and concerned around their enviroment, from what I can tell. Doing a little research on the internet, I found that Marin County is working hard to get people out of their cars and onto bicycles or walking. They already have a pretty good start, as there were good bike lanes most of the way from Samuel P Taylor State Park to our motel. Having good, marked bike routes, lanes, and shoulders is the key to enjoying riding and getting more people doing it. Marin County is on the right track.

Ron.

Olema

2005-12-14T13:46:00.000-08:00

Dec 13.  It is morning and the sun is rising behind the partly cloudy sky.  We are in Olema at the Olema Ranch Campground, a nice enough place with all the amenities.  Last night we were treated to live music from the church grounds next to the campgrounds.  It was a Mexican celebration related to Christmas.  Is Dec 12th a part of the Mexican Christmas tradition?  I assume it is.  The sound of the live trumpet floating over the campground was wonderful.  I wandered over closer to have a look and saw something to envy.  What I saw was community, family, tradition, and joy.  When the entire group sang Felice Navidad I was back at our campsite listening with Candy, as she joined in quietly singing along with the English part of the song.

We stopped at the public library in Point Reyes yesterday and used their free wireless to go online and buy airline tickets to go home for Christmas.  We will be leaving on the morning of Friday the 16th and returning on Sunday, January the 8th.  If anyone in the S.F. area can volunteer to store our trike and trailer while we are gone, it would be greatly appreciated.  If not, we will rent a storage space.

The ride along Tomales Bay yesterday was great.  Traffic was light, the weather overcast and cool, but no rain.  The bay reminds me a little of Hoods Canal in Washington.  We stopped to eat lunch by the road at a spot overlooking some oyster beds and two platforms loaded with large seals.  I think they were seals.  Anyway they were fun to watch and listen to, as they seemingly quarreled with each other over space on the platform.

Ron.

Tomales

2005-12-11T14:59:00.000-08:00

Dec.11. We are staying at the Continental Inn in Tomales tonight. We ended up staying in Bodega Bay for 4 nights, two at the Bodega Harbor Inn, and two at the beautiful campgrounds at Doran Park. Doran Park is the spit of sand that forms the southern enclosure for Bodega Harbor. It's about a mile long and maybe a hundred yards wide, average. The weather was absolutely balmy for the two days we camped. This camping experience was different for us in that this time we had people all around us, but still it was not crowded. We could sit and watch the boats leave the Harbor to go out for crabs on one side of our campsite, and on the other side watch the ocean surf roll in. Way out beyond the jetty was a rocky island that was a haul out for hundreds of sea lions. At night we could hear them making their sea lion sounds. Walking on the beach we thought we came across a dead sea lion, not so. Park rangers had established a perimeter and had experts check it out. The sea lion was born in Santa Clara and was 'hauled up', or had beached itself to bulk up on blubber for the winter. The rangers named it Toutle Lou after visiting with us. Toutle Lou was gone the next morning. ch

Tomales is a real town. I haven't seen a single art gallery, massage studio, natural foods store, or boutique of any kind. Just the hotel where we are staying, a deli, a bakery, a general store that has been there for 128 years, and a bar slash restaurant. We have satellite tv and wireless in our room. I am a happy guy.

The countryside between Valley Ford and Tomales on Hiway 1 is beautiful rolling pastureland with cows and sheep, and Eucalyptus trees lining the road. Shoulders were hit and miss, but traffic was very light all the way between Bodega Bay and Tomales. We had lunch in a retro style diner in Valley Ford, where I had a beer with my burger and fries. A half hour later, I could hardly keep my eyes open. I pulled off the road and tried to snooze a bit, but could not. Then as we were climbing some short steep hills, it seemed like my leg muscles had just completely drained of energy. It was all I could do to keep pedaling, even with frequent rest stops. I didn't figure it out till a little later in Tomales, that the alchohol in that one beer had had caused my energy crash. I won't make that mistake again.

Ron.
We saw 4 wild turkeys and a heard of deer. ch

Bodega Bay, CA

2005-12-07T17:10:00.000-08:00

Dec. 07. Tonight we are in Bodega Bay, the town that was the setting for Hitchcock’s “The Birds”, a movie that really scared me as a kid. The ride from Jenner was kind of cold and rainy, but nothing like we experienced back in Sept. in Oregon. It is cold and windy enough that we decided to go for a room rather than camp, though cheap State Park camping is available nearby. Also factoring into our decision to pay for a room is the nearby availability of a laundry, and a business office with internet. We haven’t had television, internet, or a cell phone signal since we left Manchester Beach KOA. We haven’t had all three at the same time for weeks.

Ron.
We ate lunch at the Sandpiper, it's located right next to the harbor. There were hundreds of birds at the waters edge. I figure the writer of the birds may have been eating at the Sandpiper, maybe smoking some of Mendocino's "cash crop" and came up with a great movie. Candy

Jenner, CA

2005-12-07T17:04:00.000-08:00

Dec. 06.  After leaving the Sea Ranch Lodge several hundreds of dollars lighter in the wallet, we continued south on Highway 1.  By the way, it is also called “Shoreline Drive” in some areas.  California does that for some reason.  For instance, I-5 in the LA region is also named the “Santa Ana Freeway.”  I can’t think of a similar example in Oregon or Washington.  Our next overnight stop was at Salt Point State Park.  At last, some cheap lodging.  Six bucks for us to camp and six more for firewood.  I slept like a rock that night, even better than on the 5-Star Certa mattress in the Sea Ranch Lodge.  I tend to sleep better in my sleeping bag and tent than in most motels, no matter how nice they are.  It didn’t start out that way, but has come to be true for me.

Most of the Salt Point campground was closed for the season, but the hiker-biker section was still open, and as in most our previous state park stays, we were the only ones using it.  It just happened to be located right behind the modular building the park rangers were using for offices, and right behind a couple cords of dried and stacked firewood.  I paid one of the park rangers for kindling and firewood, and then when they had all gone home, we used as much as we wanted.  Now that I have come clean about that crime, I feel the need to fork over some more cash to the California State Parks.  I think I will the next time we purchase firewood in a State Park.  While I am on the subject of fires, let me say that the acquisition of firewood and getting a roaring fire going is always Candy’s first order of business when we camp.  She really gets into it, to the point that I have to remind her that it is getting dark and we need to put up the tent.  She can spend hours getting the fire lit, then tending to it, pushing it,  prodding it, rearranging it, and staring in to it.  While I enjoy the fires and the warmth, I could get by without them.  Since I am writing about campfires, I would like pass on that we have discovered an almost magical way to get damp firewood burning.  First you establish a small bed of burning wood and coals, and then put some of the larger pieces of damp wood around that.  Then you toss in an emergency road flare and step back.

We got our usual late morning start out of the Salt Point campground around 11 am then stopped for lunch around 1pm at the historic Ft. Ross State Park.  While there, a group of three with English (I thought) accents started admiring our trike.  Turns out they are from New Zealand, living and working in the States.  We had a nice conversation with them, mostly centered around the trike.  After that, we started down the road again, figuring that we might need to bush camp, as the next town, Jenner looked out of reach for the day, and no camping symbols listed on the map, either.  Little did we know that one of the most arduous sections of Highway 1 was directly ahead of us. The elevation profile on our map showed a sharp climb up to about 600 feet, then a mostly downhill ride to Jenner.  It turned out to be a sharp climb to 600 feet, then back down to 400 feet, then back up to 600 feet, then meandering along around 500 feet for several miles with mostly no shoulders and a straight down plunge into the ocean on the right.  I remembered driving this section of Highway 1 years ago in a rented motor home, going to visit the brother-in-law. It was another of those situations where you either keep going, trying to make it to a motel room or campsite before dark, or find a spot to pitch the tent alongside the road.  At about 3pm I wanted to stop and pitch camp behind a pile of rocks where there was just enough room for the tent.  It was off the road a ways, and there was water nearby in a stream.  Only one problem, it was right next to a 500 foot plunge down to the ocean.  Candy wouldn’t do it, as she is a little shaky around high places.  So that left us with no option but to try to make it to Jenner for the night, which were able to do, but just barely.  The sun had set, it was getting cold, and I was as exhausted as I have ever been by the time we had checked in to the only lodging in town.  Another pricey affair, a cottage with no tv, no internet, no phone.  Candy and I have come to the conclusion that since these places mostly have no nearby competition, they can save money by not offering the standard amenities of a cheap motel, then jack the price up, all in the name of “ambiance” or the concept of “getting away from it all”.  I call bullshit.  It’s a cover for extracting more money out of tourists.

The weather has been sunny and warm for us since leaving Manchester Beach several days ago.  The California Mendocino-Sonoma coast is quite beautiful, even in December.  My over-arching impression of the area is that you have to be wealthy to live there, and if you do live there, you put up NO TRESSPASSING signs everywhere.

Ron.

Sea Ranch Lodge

2005-12-07T17:00:00.000-08:00

Top left-inside a hundred year old barn that is rented for weddings at Sea Ranch Lodge. $10,000 will reserve it for you.
Second from top left-Candy at the bus stop in Anchor Bay.
Bottom-Candy and I on the beach at the Anchor Bay Campground and sunset at the same.

Dec. 04. After leaving Manchester Beach KOA, we landed in Anchor Bay Campground on Dec.
02. It is a very pretty little spot set back in a forested glen that opens up onto the beach. We scored a tent site right up near the ocean, in the sun, where it sounded like the surf was going to come into the tent from time to time. The fee, 25$ per night was high by our standards, but probably within the range of normal for the California coast. The great folks that were running the campground are from South Carolina, Dale and Bernard Roberts, I think it was. Very nice people, with that easy going southern way of befriending folks. Dale was a cardiac nurse when she started her career, so Candy and she had a good conversation just before we left. I am sorry that I don’t recall what Bernard’s profession was in his former life. We swapped email addresses and I hope to stay in contact with them. The weather was so nice that we decided purchase another night to hang around and enjoy the sunshine and beach on Saturday the 3rd.

After leaving Anchor Bay Campground today about 11:00 or so, we entered Gualala about 4 miles down the road and stopped at a supermarket to pick up a few things. As we passed through town, I saw the offices of the ICO, the Independent Coast Observer, a weekly newspaper that others had told us would probably write an article about us. But since it was Sunday, the offices were closed and I was debating whether or not to stay in town until the next day, so we could get the article written. I had made up my mind that it wasn’t worth it when we pulled into a parking slot in front of a local supermarket. Well, as Candy would say, what happened next was a Godshot. I call it luck. The owner or editor, I’m not sure which, of the paper just happened to be parked right next to us. He jumped out of his car with his camera and started taking pictures, then did a short interview. I guess the article will probably be in next weeks’ edition, but I’m not sure. He also said that we could find it at www.smalltownpapers.com on the internet, if we did not get a paper copy.

After leaving Gualala, we crossed into Sonoma County, and into a ten mile stretch of million dollar plus homes called Sea Ranch. This is a planned community in existence since 1964. To look at a map, Sea Ranch would appear to be just another small town on the coast, but it is far from that. The houses all have the same basic weathered look and architectural style, blending into the coastal scenery, from the oceanfront to high up on the hillsides on the east side of the road. There must have been a thousand or so of them. One thing that struck us immediately was how much more roadside litter there was, compared to what we noticed in Mendocino County. Believe me, traveling as slow and low as we do, we notice this stuff. I should think the Sea Ranch homeowners are wealthy enough to get the litter picked up that is practically on their doorstep.

Well, having fooled around in Anchor Bay and Gualala for too long, we put ourselves in the position of not being able to reach the next state park, which would be Salt Point State Park, before dark. So, we decided to splurge on the Sea Ranch Lodge. It is a very nice place. We a had a 3 course dinner with a different wine at each course. It was one of those meals that working class folks like us don’t indulge in very often. Our room is a two bedroom suite with an ocean view, though the ocean view doesn’t necessarily thrill me that much. It pretty much looks like the same ocean I’ve been seeing all the way from Seaside Oregon. Candy scheduled a massage for herself tomorrow morning at 11. So it should be interesting to see if she feels like riding again after a one hour massage.

Ron.

Leaving Manchester Beach

2005-12-02T09:34:00.000-08:00

The day dawns beautifully, and we are slowly getting packed to get back on the road. This Manchester Beach KOA is really a great place. Management is friendly, and the landscaping and setting among the big Monterey Pine trees is a childs delight. If I were a kid, you couldn't keep me from climbing in them. I haven't looked at a map yet today to see where we may land this evening, that is part of the fun, never knowing for sure where you are going to be at the end of the day. Ron.

A Very Rainy Day at Manchester Beach

2005-12-01T14:52:00.000-08:00

Tonight will be our second night at the Manchester Beach KOA cabin, as the rain has been heavy most of the day. Not a day to be on the highway, if it can be avoided. I have been thinking lately about how our trip is not exactly what we thought it would be. It is certainly costing a lot more than I anticipated. The ten dollars a day we thought we could get by on was totally unrealistic. True, we do have days when we don't spend more than ten dollars, but many more days when we do. We are spending more time in motels than I thought we would. That might a little different if we were doing this in drier weather. There seems to be no such thing as a cheap (Motel 6 or Super 8) on the California coast, at least not in Mendocino County. Most of the lodging we have passed has been the B&B or small, exclusive inns overlooking the ocean type. Too expensive for our budget. We are spending more on food than I thought we would. We usually have to restock in the expensive small country markets, since we only carry 2 or 3 days worth of food. Even the camping is expensive if we use private campgrounds, and usually we have no choice, unless we want to free (usually illegal) camp. I would try to do more of the free camping if we had a lower profile, that is a smaller tent or even bivy bags, and regular 2 wheel bikes.

How are we doing physically? I can't speak for Candy, only myself. My belly is definately getting smaller. Candy told me the other day that my "ass is getting cuter". My legs and lungs are much better than when we started. Now at the end of the day, I don't feel like I am about ready to collapse. I can pedal at a steady rate for 4 or 5 hours without pushing myself too hard. When I am off the bike just walking around, I feel stronger, more energetic, lighter on my feet. I like that feeling. I am sleeping better at night than when we started. My lower back has stopped aching throughout the night. I still feel really stiff and creaky when I get up in the morning. It takes about an hour for me to limber up and start moving around.

The mental part is the part that concerns me most right now. It would be really easy for both of us to stop right now, go home and resume a normal life. Life constantly on the move is getting a little old. Living out of plastic bags is getting a little old. Camping is getting old. Motels are getting old. Watching the traffic in my mirrors, wondering if the next truck is going to see us and move over is getting old. Seeing new country every day is great. Meeting new people, striking up conversations with the curious we meet is usually fun. Knowing that every day we move farther south, we are moving towards a warmer and sunnier climate is a motivater for me. Knowing that every mile pedaled is helping us lose a little weight feels good. Knowing that there are many people following our trek, and rooting for us, is uplifting. I suppose nearly all who tour by cycle go through these emotional ups and downs. Days when you just don't want to go forward anymore, then days when there isn't anything else you would rather be doing.

Ron.

Pt. Arena, CA

2005-11-30T16:40:00.000-08:00

Nov. 30. Tonight finds us at a KOA campground, or Kampground, as they say. Since a big windstorm is predicted to move in tonight around midnight, we decided to splurge on a Kamping Kabin. The darn thing costs as much as a decent motel room back in Washington. 58 dollars a night to be exact. I didn't balk too much though, especially when I found out that the office internet wireless network would reach Kabin number 18. Sold! Actually, this is one of the most beautiful KOA's I have seen. It is very big, and the trees all mature. They have given each campspot enough space to have a little privacy, though at this time of the year, the place is nearly empty. Our Kabin is a one room bunkhouse with a covered porch, a porch swing, a picnic table and a fire ring outside. Inside the decor is wood from the floor to the ceiling, with a double bed and two bunks. One stool and a small table to use for whatever. The wind is already starting to build outside. I am glad to be inside, warm and dry. Time to start dinner.

Ron.
California raccoons are bolder than Oregon raccoons, but not as fat. We had three eating our raisens and then trying to come into our cabin after I took the food away. Candy

Elk, CA

2005-11-30T16:14:00.000-08:00

Nov. 29th. After climbing up out the hole we were in at the Albion River Campground, we pedaled only about 10 miles to Elk and decided to spend the night there, as there was a state park. It was for day use only but we made some local inquiries and found that if we camped there no one would make a fuss, as long as we didn't call attention to ourselves. We found a great spot high on a cliff behind a wooden railing, overlooking the surf crashing below. After a dinner of my scratch beef stew, we turned in at 6:30. I offered to whip Candy at gin rummy again, but she declined, wanting to get to bed. We both slept very well, drifting off to the crashing of the waves about 170 feet below.

Ron.

Albion

2005-11-30T14:37:00.000-08:00

Nov. 28. Albion River Campground. Well, I knew it was going to happen sooner or later. We are in our tent waiting out a day long downpour. Or maybe a two day-er. Can’t complain too much though, as the last 3 weeks have been really good weather for us. It is 2pm and Candy has caught a ride back to Mendocino with the owner of the campground so that we can access our bank account and pay for our stay here. We arrived with precious little cash, then found out that they are not set up to take plastic. Note to self: Always keep 60 or 70 dollars in cash on you. I hope she can also do a little shopping, as we could use a few of the necessaries. Like some fruit, paper towels, wet wipes, and maybe a book for me to read. We were in Mendocino yesterday. We took a little U-shaped detour through the town and I came to the conclusion that it’s just another one of those precious little Artsy-Fartsy coastal villages like Manzanita or Cannon Beach up in Oregon. During our brief swing through town, we met a couple (Sherri and Phil, that is Sherri in the picture, taken in Mendocino) on bikes that were very interested in our setup and our trip. I hope they log on and post a hello to us. We also noticed that the sewage treatment plant is right up against the town, and we could smell it when we got within a block or so. Tsk, tsk, all that expensive real estate smells like you-know-what. Although they do have a bike shop.

It is raining so hard that we are able to collect all the water we need for cooking and drinking by setting up some pots under the edge of the rain fly. Filled up the 2-quarter within an hour. I am really glad now that Candy insisted on a larger tent. I have room to cook in here without disassembling my bed. And we can move around without crashing up against each other.

I think we will probably be taking some time to go back to Silverlake for Christmas, as Candy’s dad has had another mild heart attack. I think we may make it to San Fran, find a place to store our trike and equipment, then catch the Amtrak up to Portland. I don’t see this as an end to our odyssey, just a minor interruption.

Our campground here on the Albion River is way down off the highway, in the bottom of a gorge. The bridge across is very high and of timbered construction. If it weren’t raining so hard I would like to get a closer look at it, as that sort of thing interests me. One thing we are concerned about is getting out of here. The road into the campground is a 14% grade, maybe a quarter mile long. I think we can climb back out on the trike, very slowly. At first, we were going to stay in an inn up on the highway because of this. But when we checked their rates, we decided we could handle the hill easier than the bill. Two hundred dollars a night, no tv, no phone, no internet. We can get that for 10 dollars a night right where we are.

Ron

PS, I never the left the tent from the time I got in it on the afternoon of the 27th till the morning of the 29th. I cooked in the tent and we have figured out a potty system for the vestibule, outside the tent living area, but still enclosed. All day on the 28th it rained so hard that sometimes I could not hear Candy talking to me. Oh yeah, Candy taught me to play gin rummy on the evening of the 28th. After two practice games, I whipped her for the next three games, har har.

Ft. Bragg

2005-11-26T20:36:00.000-08:00

Nov. 26. Today we are in Ft. Bragg, CA. We stopped at the towns’ cycle shop to get a broken spoke repaired, buy a spare tire and tube to replace our spares that we used a few days ago. As we were getting ready to leave the cycle shop, Candy commented that the stores employees seemed kind of “snotty” to her. I also picked up on the vibe. I attribute the superior attitude to a lack of knowledge and a lack of imagination. Lifelong diamond frame “ass hatchet” riders lack the imagination to see themselves riding a recumbent. They also lack the knowledge of what sitting on that narrow seat for many hours each year can do to the blood vessels and nerves in that area between the anus and the scrotum. It is know known beyond doubt that long term compression of this area, which was never meant to support a mans weight while sitting, damages the blood vessels and nerves that supply the penis, and will eventually cause impotence in a certain number of riders. That single fact is enough to make me wonder why men continue to ride uprights. I quote from the article "In men, a sheath in the perineum, called Alcock's canal, contains an artery and a nerve that supply the penis with blood and sensation. The canal runs along the side of a bone, Dr. Goldstein said, and when a cyclist sits hard on a narrow saddle, the artery and the nerve are compressed. Over time, a reduction of blood flow can mean that there is not enough pressure to achieve full erection."

Yesterday morning we left Laytonville at 11:30 and headed west for the coast on Branscombe road. The first part of the ride was really great. After one long hill at a 10% grade we had a gentle 8 mile glide down into the sawmill town of Branscombe, population about 100. It was great, to be able ride downhill for a long period of time. We were feeling good. When we left Laytonville our elevation was about 1750, and when we reached Branscombe the elevation was about 1550. I naively assumed that we would continue to go downhill the last 14 miles to the coast. One of the ladies at the store in Branscombe told us that it was uphill the rest of the way to the coast. I kind of brushed it off, thinking that since we were already at 1500 feet, how could it be uphill to the coast? Immediately after we left the town, we started a series short climbs and downhills, more or less staying at the same elevation. Then, with about 8 or 9 miles left, we started up a hill that seemed like the rest. Except that it was steeper than normal. Much steeper. A 10% grade for sure. I’m glad I didn’t know what we were in for. It was getting late in the day and we had unknowingly committed to climb this hill. We had passed several likely looking spots where we could have camped a little earlier, but now there was no place. On the left side of the road it was straight down, on the right side, straight up. It was just one sharp, steep curve after another with the top never coming into view. We got so tired that we had to stop and rest for a minute or two about every 50 yards. When I finally spotted the top we both felt so relieved. If we hadn’t been so tired, we might have stopped and done a little jig in the middle of the road. Then we came to sign warning drivers of a 2.5 mile descent at a 10% grade. For those of you who don’t know, this means a ten foot drop or rise per hundred feet traveled. A 6% grade is considered pretty steep. We had to use all three of our disc brakes, pumping them so as not to overheat them, to keep our speed low enough to safely negotiate the sharp turns. It was a wild ride down, with one stop to let the brakes cool. We were descending from 2000 feet to sea level with many sharp turns, trying to maintain our speed at 20 mph. Finally, as we neared the bottom, we could smell the ocean. We were finally on that highway known to cyclists the world over, California state highway 1. About a mile after we intersected with 1, we arrived at a private campground and gladly paid the exorbitant 22 dollar fee to pitch our tent. We had covered 26 miles and one nasty hill that day, getting a late start and ending with a enough time to pitch the tent before it got dark. That’s a pretty good day for us. Ron.

Thanksgiving in Laytonville

2005-11-26T20:29:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving in Laytonville

We arrived in town on Wednesday, my plan to stay in a room and make it to the laundromat as I couldn’t stand the smell of myself or my clothes. We checked into The Cottage Motel, I showered, and then the washed clothes.

Ron cooked our Thanksgiving dinner of turkey pot pie on the colman stove, served with cranberry ambrosia, with warm pecan pie. We watched movies all day and walked around town in the afternoon.

There were several homeless people on the streets. I feel fortunate as I had plenty to eat and a warm place to sleep. It is raining this evening making my warm little cabin even more desirerable and homey. I’m hoping the street people have a place out of the rain.

Spoke with the family to learn that my father had a heart attack this past week. Talked with Dad and he told me he is feeling weak and tired but OK. His voice sounded strong and he was in good spirits. The news makes me feel strange as we are out of touch much of the time. In today’s world we are always available, phones, cell phones, and e-mail, and yet because we are traveling I’m out of touch and not as involved in family crisis. Helpless? What could I have done anyway? Now my thoughts are of family dynamics, and roles played by each of us and effects of our actions on each other.

It was nice speaking with all of you, thank you for your concern and love. I miss you all; the only thing that would be better for me would be to have you all traveling with us. Candy

Had a nice relaxed Thanksgiving holiday with Candy at the Cottage Motel in Laytonville CA. Laytonville is on 101 about an hour north of Ukiah. It is kind of an interesting little burg. How can you explain not one but two, massage therapists in one tiny little town? A small memorial in front of the community youth center for the victim of a recent fatal accident included a number of potent looking pot buds, sticky looking with a lot of red in it. Lots of younger folks hanging around with dreadlocks. A store that sells indoor growing supplies, such as powerful grow lights, hydroponic systems, and fertilizers. The local nursery we walked by had inside it’s storage area many pallets of different brands of potting soil. I casually asked a local, “What is Laytonville’s claim to fame?” He said, “Generators and indoor gardening.” I get the distinct impression that Laytonville is the supply center for indoor pot growing industry in the area. I have no problem with this at all, just sharing some observations about the town. Ron.

Happy Birthday Mom from Laytonville, CA

2005-11-23T15:26:00.000-08:00

Nov. 23. Finally got to a town with an internet connection. 5 bucks an hour to use it though. We are staying in a nice little cottage in the middle of town, but back from the street. We can't hear any traffic, which is a nice change. Happy Birthday to my mother, Rosie Hawley. This is a little late, but better than never. I love you, and Candy does too.

Last night we had to do some stealth camping off the road. We got caught between towns and campgrounds with nighfall coming, so I found a spot off the highway behind a four foot earthen berm. It wasn't untill we had all of our gear unloaded that Candy noticed the "No Trespassing" sign on the ground. I used it as a little table to cook on.

I hadn't realized how high in the hills we were. Around 1700 feet and it was near freezing when we got up this morning. We just folded up the tent and got on the road around 7:30, just wanting to pedal to get us warm. We finally found a sunlit pullout on the road about 10:00 am, where I fixed us some hot oatmeal and coffee. There is something a little off or "strange" about this area we are in. People out in the country all have gates across their driveways and "No Trespassing" signs up everywhere. I think the number 1 cash crop in this part of CA is pot, so maybe that's what it is.

We are taking the Branscomb road to the coast either tomorrow or the next day, we haven't made up our minds yet. Either way, we should be able to avoid the heavy log truck traffic we have been told about, since it is Thanksgiving. We avoided the most commonly used cycle route out of Leggett to the coast, Highway 1, because so many people told us how terribly curvy and narrow it is. So we decide to go on down 101 to Laytonville and then west to the coast.

Candy is down the street doing our laundry, and I am going to do a little shopping at the food market for our Thanksgiving meal tomorrow. I think maybe a turkey pot pie, some cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and Pecan Pie. We truly are thankful for the all the well wishers we have encountered, our familys who love us, and all the folks who are tuning in to our blog to follow us on our odyssey. Ron.

The Riverwood Campground

2005-11-23T15:24:00.000-08:00

Nov. 21. Posting from the Riverwood Resort and Campground.  Located between Piercy and Legget, CA.  Nice private campground.  They don’t have internet, so this was written in word and posted today, but written on the 21st.  Happy Birthday Mom.  Lot’s of love from Candy and I.  Sorry I couldn’t call, but we have had no internet or cell phone signal for several days.  Weather is holding up for us.  We have been unbelievably lucky with the weather.  It’s been great for the last several weeks.  Couldn’t ask for better.  We are facing a big climb tomorrow, the highest yet of our trip, and I think, the highest on whole Pacific Coast bike route.

We had a rear tire blowout yesterday.  We hit a sharp rock and sliced the sidewall.  Ruined the tire and the tube.  But no problems, just got to a wide spot on the shoulder, and installed the new tire and tube we have been carrying forever.  That took about 20 minutes.  While we were doing that, another cyclist loaded with touring gear stopped to take pictures of our rig.  He was from Japan, and started his trip in Anchorage, and is on his way to the tip of South America.  Candy told him to be sure and write to his mother.

We also met a man and his wife named Kirk and Suzie yesterday.  We actually had met Kirk several weeks before at a campground in Oregon, though Suzie was not with him at that time.  They passed us on the road and pulled over to say hello and let us meet Suzie.  Anyway, they are both such a wonderfully nice couple, and interesting too.  They traveled across the U.S. on bicycles with two young daughters when they were younger, which I cannot even imagine.  It’s difficult enough taking care of just ourselves on this trip.  No way would I have done this trip with children.  But they did it, and my hat is off to them.  Ron.

Litter Gets My Goat

2005-11-23T15:19:00.000-08:00

Litter Gets My Goat.

I taught my daughter to leave a place cleaner than when we arrived. When we went to the swimming hole on the South Toutle, we packed out our trash plus more. It is a way of life, clean up your mess. (Handy for an obsessive compulsive)

There seems to be a fair number of people who do not care where they put there garbage. There are bottles, cans, plastic containers, fast food wrappers, and coffee containers everywhere we have traveled. Even entire bags of trash are left along the side of the road.

I’ve heard arguments for saving the trees, whales, and fish. Drive efficient autos, down with SUV’s. The government is taking to much land, closing the parks to ATV’s; taxes are too high, too much pork, bridges to nowhere, rotten roads. Yadda, yadda, yadda! Why not shut up about what we can’t change without an act of congress and do something for all of humanity. Don’t litter. Pick up litter. Provide a place to put litter. Teach our children not to litter.

As Mike would say, “Its common sense” Candy

Phillipsville, CA

2005-11-18T15:47:00.000-08:00

We just checked into the Madrona Motel and Cottages in Phillipsville. I asked the young man at the desk if this place had internet, he said, "I don't think so". So when I got in the room, I turned on my little wireless detector and found out that there is a good wireless hotspot. I am probably not supposed to be using it, but that's the way it goes. People should password protect their networks, eh? I have a nice little head cold going, with all the usual sniffles, runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing, etc.

Since our last post from Arcata, we have tented every night and not had any internet access. I find myself really craving to get online and check the news, weather, my email, our blog, etc. The riding has been great, as we have been following the Avenue of the Giants, which closely parallels 101, but has very little traffic this time of year. It is a two lane, and most of the time, I can count the number of cars passing in one hour on ten fingers. Last night we were in the Burlington Campground just outside of Weott. I only saw one other camper in the area. The campground is setting is unique, in that the really old large trees have all been cut down, maybe a hundred years ago. The stumps are fifteen feet high, and you can see the old springboard notches that they cut when they sawed these giants down by hand with a crosscut saw. It must have taken days to cut one tree down, I'm guessing. Around all the old giant stumps are (usually) a ring of new trees growing. The coast redwood is unique in that it can sprout new trees from seeds and also from the root burl around the tree. So, in many cases, an old stump will be completely encircled by a ring of younger trees, given life by their ancestor tree. Ron.

Arcata

2005-11-14T09:38:00.000-08:00

We have been motelled in Arcata CA for the last two nights, getting ready to leave this morning. I have a pair of shoes (Crocs) I ordered waiting for me at the Post Office. The original pair I started out with are wearing out. Arcata is a small college town (Humboldt State) on the coast that still has a number of it's original Victorian homes intact. We got to see a few of them as we rode into town. Arcata has a real town plaza, which we toured on foot on Saturday night. It is a large open green space with a statue in the middle and small shops and a hotel ringing the square. I really like it. Plus, the town has at least 4 bike shops, two of them on the same street as our motel. And an abundance of small, hip cafe's and other types of shops serving the college kids. I like Arcata.

I just found out that our blog is being followed by another blog called Bike Fun that runs on the Oregonlive.com website which I believe is published by the Oregonian newspaper, the biggest paper in Oregon. That would explain the number of hits the site has been getting. Cool. Ron.

Frequently Asked Questions and Comments

2005-11-13T22:10:00.000-08:00

As we make our way down the coast, we keep hearing the same questions. People want to know:
Where did you start from? (Since no one knows where Silverlake Wa. is we usually say Mt. St. Helens area of Washington.)
Where are you going? (The answer to this is usually "San Diego". Sometimes I say "Florida. I want to drink a beer in Key West, sitting on the pier watching the sun go down." That usually gets a good reaction. However, I really do want to do that, if it's still there when I get there.)
That is some contraption! (Depending on my mood, I may explain that the contraption is a tandem recumbent trike. Not that I expect them to remember it.)
That looks like fun. (This one usually comes from women, for some reason.)
How fast does it go? (Uphill or downhill? Uphill can be as slow as 1 mph. Downhill can be as fast as 50 mph. Our trip average so far is 7 mph, according to our Sigma computer.)
Does it have a motor? (It used to, but it fell off a few days ago.)
How far have you gone? (Today, or since we started this trip?)
Why are you going this time of year? (Cooler weather, less traffic, reduced motel prices. The real reason is that it took time to sell the house, order the trike, etc.)
Is it comfortable? (Yes, it's very comfortable. Comfort is the primary reason we chose it. We sometimes take rest breaks in it.)
How can you pedal lying down? (We are not lying down. We are reclining. It is a very good way to pedal. The weight of the body is spread across the width of the butt and the back. No crotch pain or numbness, no sore shoulders or wrists, or numb hands from supporting the upper body weight. Next time you are looking at exercise equipment, notice that most of the exercycles are of the recumbent variety.)
How many miles a day are you doing? (This question usually comes from the colorful spandex two wheel crowd. The answer is, not many compared to the average touring cyclist. We are fat and slow and we don't care much about daily mileage. We don't have a daily schedule to maintain like a lot of cyclists that have a set number of days to get to a certain destination. Besides, the primary focus of our trip is to get fit and have an adventure doing it. We started the trip with no training regimen to get us ready. So we are, in effect, training as we go. To those that think that maintaining a 50 mile a day average is important, go for it.)
Did you build that? (No, but I would like to be able to claim that I did. It was built in Australia. You can learn more about it at www.greenspeed.com.au
Do you stay in motels or do you camp? (We camp as much as we can to save money. But there are times when only a dry room with a real bed, HBO, and a hot shower will do.)
That is the coolest thing I've ever seen. (Or some variation on that.)
How do you steer it? (With this thing here.)
Can you tell if she isn't pedaling? (Believe me, I can tell when she is not pedaling, just letting her feet go 'round.)
Do you ever fall asleep on that thing? (Just once. I dreamt that I was taking this crazy trip on a tandem recumbent trike around the US. That dream really scared me.) Ron.

Happy Birthday Kristiina

2005-11-13T20:53:00.000-08:00

Sorry for posting after your birthday, life on the road isn't always with wifi.

Your life as I know it; You are 17, a junior in high school, participating in Running Start (which will give you an AA when you graduate from high school), working part time in a restraunt, and you are a cheer leader.

I remember when I was 17; a senior in high school, scared of the future. I felt that I wasn't good enough to be or do anything. I felt insignificant in my mother and father's life, if I weren't around neither would have minded. My sister, Claudia, was making a sacrifice by providing room and board so that I could remain in the same school for two years and continue on the drill team, while she worked two jobs and went to college. I dropped out of all the classes that would help get me into college because I couldn't do the work (or didn't want to do the work). I believed mom when she told me I wasn't smart and would make a good homemaker and tried to manipulate my boyfriend into marrying me. I wanted very much to become engaged to get married by Christmas dance (it didn't happen). My 17th year was an emotional nightmare for me. I survived in that I breathed and ate, though I felt very, very lonely.

May you have a better year. Keep your eye on the future. Get a degree to provide for food, clothing and shelter needs so that when you get out there in the unprotected world your stuggle of discovering who and what you are will be less encumbered than mine.

I give you my love and support for the coming year. Grandma

Happy Birthday to My Brother, Bill, from Ron.

2005-11-12T23:01:00.000-08:00

Natures Cathderal

2005-11-12T15:59:00.000-08:00

The first two were taken on the James B Drury Parkway. It was an incredible day. I will never forget the silent run down the nearly deserted highway, with shafts of sunlight piercing the dark forest of giants.

Below, Candy gets close to a bull in the early morning at Elk Prairie State Park.

Nov 11th Trinidad CA

2005-11-12T15:37:00.000-08:00

The picture on the left was taken on the roadside somewhere in the redwoods. Candy was playing with the streamers fluttering above. I thought it was a good shot of her. The weather since Crescent City has been good. We have been riding through the coast redwoods for the last three days, and the scenery has been unforgettable. It was like riding through a postcard. The most memorable section of road so far has been the James B. Drury Parkway. It is an old section of 101 running through some of the best of the redwoods. These trees are huge, in diameter and height. They are so big; it is difficult, even standing amongst them, to comprehend it. One cannot appreciate how majestic they are without actually being near them. Because it is November, we were able to coast down the Parkway in calm and silence, with very little traffic to concern us. The afternoon sun sending shafts of light through the giants moved me in ways that I don’t often feel. Sunlight streaming through stained glass windows in a silent cathedral would be an apt comparison, I think.

I wanted to stop and explore every different grove, but we needed to get to our camp. This was our first experience with a California state park system campground, and it was a good one. The Elk Prairie Campground had wild Roosevelt Elk grazing within 30 feet of rv’s and tents. About an hour after the sun went down, we had a front row seat watching two bulls joust, their heads down and antlers interlocked, clacking away. The campground was clean and well kept, with metal bear boxes to store our food in. The bear boxes gave Candy concern. Then I mentioned the mountain lions. It was not appreciated. But we survived. Ron.

Good Morning Merry Sunshine

2005-11-12T15:36:00.000-08:00

Good morning Merry Sunshine,
How did you wake so soon?
I saw you go to sleep last night
Before I ceased my play.

I never go to sleep, dear child,
I just go round to see
The little children of the East
That rise and watch for me.

I awaken all the birds and bees
And flowers on my way.
And now to come back to the child
That stayed up late to play!

November 10, 2005 We are camped in the Elk Prairie State Park in California.

After traveling through Redwood forest all afternoon, pedaling mostly uphill, we stopped early. Delighted to find that Elk Prairie lives up to it’s name. A herd of elk were grazing, not in the prairie but in the camp ground. We went to sleep to the sounds of elk bugling and the racks of two bucks knocking against each other…wondering if this was practice or the real thing as they would tangle for a moment and then graze for two. I thought how typical of the males I know…sex, food, sex, food.

Last night's experience is not what brought Grandma Jokela’s song to mind, it getting up before daylight and watching Merry Sunshine arrive!

The whole area was covered in fog so thick that the dew was dripping off the trees and bushes like rain drops. The elk and bunny rabbits were grazing even closer to us than last evening. The sun started showing it self across the prairie and over the top of the trees in black and white shadows. Then it disappeared in the fog, while in the opposite direction the tall trees were bright and basking in the sun light.

While I drank coffee and thanking God for the beautiful morning, the sun started to shine through the trees. Just a tiny spot, that slowly got bigger, sending a ray of light onto the prairie floor…suddenly the small ball of light turned rainbow colored…just for a moment... long enough for me to see the Glory of God. Then the world exploded to life! Birds, hundreds of birds, flit and fluttering from tree to tree eating breakfast, talking to each other. A red headed woodpecker is foraging for food above my head and distracts me as I type. The dew sparkles like strings of diamonds on the cob webs. A most obnoxious Blue bird seems to be scolding me as I sit here gathering warmth and strength from sun. The sounds of the forest are more diverse now, some I have never heard before. It's time to get moving!

I leave you now as I must begin my play. Candy.

A Typical Day?

2005-11-05T20:47:00.000-08:00

What is it like on a typical day on the road? Ordinary daily living chores take more effort. If we are camping, just getting up, going potty, getting dressed, fixing some coffee and breakfast take more time. Even more so if the weather is windy or it is raining. Putting the tent up, taking the tent down, it seems like we just did that. Once on the road, the day is kind of broken up by what is ahead. Is it a hill to climb? What's around the next corner? A bridge with no shoulder? A fast downhill roller coaster ride? Where can I go pee? Should we take the time to see this or that sight? Where are we going to stop for the evening? Motel or campground? The weather and availability play a role in where we stop for the evening.

Candy frequently reads a novel when the going is slow up a hill. Since I am steering I don't get to read when the road gets boring. I have to keep an eye on traffic coming up from behind while keeping an eye on what is immediately ahead of me. I now have spent a lot of time looking at guard rails from eye level, up close. From my point of view guard rails are dangerous, giving me no place to go if I get squeezed by traffic. Older bridges are a problem also. The road can have a great shoulder, then when the bridge comes up the shoulder completely disappears. So you check your mirror and move onto the bridge, knowing that you are in the lane of traffic, counting on the next driver coming along to see you. Bridges can be very intimidating, especially those older ones spanning the coastal rivers near the towns. High traffic flow, no shoulders, narrow lanes. At the bridge leaving Newport and heading south, I was so freaked by the heavy flow of traffic and lack of a shoulder that I seriously considered calling the local cops to give me an escort over the bridge. Turns out we did get an escort, but it was from a sympathetic ODOT engineer we happened to stop and ask directions from. He offered to turn on his yellow flashing light and drive behind us across the bridge. He didn't have to offer twice.

It's pretty easy to tell, watching in my mirrors, if a driver coming up has seen us. They almost always move to the left a little or a lot, depending on the oncoming traffic. Sometimes they don't move over much, even when they could. Those drivers tick me off a little. I guess I could be guilty of road rage on a trike? Then there are the drivers that slow way down and get completely in the other lane, as if we might dart out in front of them, like a deer. Occasionally a driver behind us will honk, thinking they are doing us a favor by alerting us to their presence. As if we can't hear the tires and engine noise from a hundred yards back. The drivers that really irk me are the ones that lean on their horns all the way past. That does not happen very often, but my nearly involuntary response when it does is the middle finger, held high until the car is out of sight. Now, I know this is a foolish response. If it happens to be the wrong person, they could return and make life pretty scary for us. But, as I said, depending on the circumstances, it is nearly impossible to repress. Even Candy did it along with me once, when a big luxury car's horn blasted us on a corner. Don't they know that if we could get further out of the flow of traffic, we would?
Other times during the day, we are chatting with people who are curious and/or amazed at our machine and our adventure. Those are the best times of the day. Those times and meal times. It seems like my appetite is bottomless now. Ron.

My take on a typical day...

When camping the first thing I do when I awake is to stretch, listen to the birds, check for rain, roll over, arrange my pillow and go back to sleep. Ron gets up, makes coffee and oatmeal and serves me in bed. I dress and start breaking camp...stuff sleeping bags and roll up the air mattresses, take morning meds and dispense Ron's meds, and empty the tent. We have developed a system for taking down the tent...I pull the tent pegs and unhook the fly, Ron stuffs the fly. Ron picks the tent up and shakes it, I clean the corners. We both remove and fold the poles, Ron stuffs the tent. Ron washes the dishes, I pack the trailer.We wash up (shower if available), brush teeth, and fill the water bottles. Ron connects the trailer to the bike and attaches the bags while I police the camp site.This process takes us about two hours!

Traveling down the road has ranged in speed from 1 mph to 49.5 mph. Going uphill is a warm experience, and downhill can be very chilly. It can be difficult maintaining a nice body temp with the wind, rain, sun, and wet/dry pavement. I spend alot of time taking my rain coat off and then putting it back on, same with hat and sun glasses. Some of the uphill grades are killers, I've found that reading distracts me from the pain in my legs allowing me to maintain a steady pace. We stop along side of the road for lunch, usually apples or bananas and peanut butter. We point things out to each other and visit with people when we stop to eat or shop. I quit taking blood pressures as people seem to want to know about the bike, the process of getting started on the trip or the reasons for taking the trip.

About 3-4:30 we start looking for a home. We set up the tent as soon as we stop. While I put the fly on Ron inflates the air mattresses. I fix the slepping bags and straighten out the tent while Ron unpacks the bike, cooks dinner and washes dishes. We're usually sleeping at 8:30.

I find myself reveiwing my life in my mind or designing a house when my senses are not taking in the sights of the road. YES, I am very spoiled and I make sure Ron knows that I know it.
Candy

Still in Brookings, OR

2005-11-05T14:33:00.000-08:00

We spent so much time at the McDonalds catching up on computer stuff, that it got too late to look for a tent spot south of town, plus the weather started deteriorating again, so we decided to motel it last night. We are staying at the Wild Rivers Motel in Brookings, a nice place with free wifi. We will be here again tonight and maybe tomorrow night, as the weather reports are not good. I don't like riding in heavy rain and strong winds. I don't think it is safe and it is definately not fun. Light rain or intermittant showers are not a problem. Weather.com indicates heavy rain and wind for tonight, solid rain for tomorrow, and 50% chance of rain on Monday, coming down to 30% on Tuesday.

Candy has gone out walking around looking for a place to get a haircut. I haven't shaved or gotten a haircut since about two weeks before we left Silverlake. I think I am just going to let it all keep growing, until I startle adults and frighten small children.

I think I may go shopping for a digital camera. Candy carries our only camera, so she takes the bulk of the pictures, with the result that she is seldom seen in the pictures on the blog. One of our readers has complained that she never sees pictures of Candy. I want to change that, so that means I will have to be taking pictures also.

While at McDonald's yesterday, I met a retired gentleman named Larry Williams that does volunteer work driving a shuttle bus up and down the Oregon coast. He is apparently very well off and does it to stay busy and useful. He told me that he had seen us several times as we made our way south along 101, and was hoping that he would get a chance to check us out when we reached Brookings, which is where he lives. He is going to be purchasing a luxury motorhome soon and will be traveling the desert southwest this winter, and is hoping to meet us again down there. I hope we do meet him again, as he is a very nice fellow and interesting to talk with. Ron.

Brookings

2005-11-04T14:45:00.000-08:00

We are just a few miles from the California border. Kind of a pyschological milestone for me, to know that we have completely traversed the state of Oregon. We will probably stay in Brookings tonight and head for Crescent City California tomorrow. Posting this from McDonalds in Brookings.

Whaleshead Beach Resort

2005-11-04T14:13:00.000-08:00

Nov. 3rd. We arrived yesterday at the second gift from Claudia as we were winging down a hill at 35 mph, 7 miles north of Brookings. Whaleshead Resort is a beautiful spot set on a hillside overlooking Whaleshead Beach. See www.whalesheadresort.com. At the moment, a windstorm is blowing sheets of rain against the picture windows of our cabin, and it feels good to sit inside this cozy little place and watch as Mother Nature rages against the glass, trying to get in. I just heard a weather report on tv that says this is a major wind and rainstorm hitting the entire Northwest coast all the way down to San Francisco. Gusts up to 98 mph were recorded at Cape Blanco, not far north of where we are now. I think we are seeing gusts up to 40 or 50 at our cabin.

Pedaling the highway from Gold Beach OR to Brookings yesterday we had gorgeous weather and rode by many beautiful overlooks of the rocky Oregon Beaches. I think the southern coast of Oregon is my favorite section. The weather is warmer and the highway has wider shoulders, meaning safer, less stressful riding for us.

We were originally planning to stay only one night, courtesy of Claudia, but the predicted storm arrived early in the morning and really left us with no choice but to purchase another day here. I am not complaining about being here another night. The cabins are all privately owned, and beautifully furnished and decorated by the owners. It’s like staying in a friend’s home, not an impersonal motel room. Our unit has a deck overlooking the ocean, with a spa, which we hopped into almost as soon as we arrived yesterday. It was sheer bliss, sitting in the spa with Candy, sipping my favorite beer after a tough day of pedaling up and down the hills. Depending on the weather, we will probably be leaving tomorrow, which is Friday the 4th of November. Ron.

The Witch of Humbug Mountain St. Park

2005-11-04T14:11:00.000-08:00

Nov. 1st. This is our second night at a cottage in Gold Beach. The first night was paid for by Claudia. I guess I have to back up a little. We were camped at the Mt. Humbug State Park a few nights ago, when a witch walked into our camp about 4 pm in the afternoon. I was just waking up from a nap in the tent, and I could hear “trick or treat, trick or treat”. Outside the tent was woman in costume as a witch, invading our camp. Of course it turned out to be Claudia. Candy identified her by her toes.

Claudia the stalker had found us once again. Of course it’s not difficult to find us if you read the blog. So after spending the night at a motel in Port Orford, she joined us for coffee and sticky buns in camp the next morning. Then, under the pretext of just wanting to visit Brookings because she had never been there, she took off south while we packed and hit the road on the trike. About 11 miles of pedaling and 3 hours later, she met us for lunch at a rest stop with food and the keys to a rented cottage in Gold Beach and a reservation for another room in Brookings. What a wonderful thing to do for us. Plus, we found our favorite refreshments in the fridge when we got to Gold Beach. Corona beer for me and pre-mixed margarita’s for Candy.

So we were supposed to be in Brookings today to use the second room she got us, but when we woke this morning in Gold Beach, it raining sideways, with gusts up to 40 mph. We opted to pay for another night in the cottage, so I called Brookings and changed our arrival date.

Unless the weather is really bad, we’ll be leaving for Brookings in the morning. The climate is noticeably warmer here. Even saw some palm trees here in Gold Beach. Must be the mutant variety. We have a really big hill to climb right out of the box, so it should be a fun run down the other side into Brookings. The trike screams on the down hills. We hit 41 mph on a downhill a couple of days ago. Adios till next time, Ron.

Port Orford

2005-10-29T14:56:00.000-07:00

Oct. 29th. I am writing this from an internet café in Port Orford. Had a good day pedaling. The terrain is fairly easy riding. The hills are short and not too steep. Lot’s of sheep grazing out in the pastures. It is cranberry harvesting time hereabouts. On the uphill portions, I have been amusing myself by looking for cranberries that have blown off the trucks. When I see one that looks okay, I try to snatch it up without stopping. If I get it, I blow the sand off it and eat it.

We stopped at the post office in Langlois and thought we were going to ship some unused items home. I was headed into the Post Office when a lady we had met just a short while earlier at a store up the street got out of her car and said “Well, you didn’t make it very far.” I said that we were just stopping to ship some stuff home and she told me that the Post Office is not open on Saturday. I had completely lost track of what day of the week it was. So had Candy. We felt a little stupid. Later on though, I reflected that not knowing exactly what day it is must mean we are doing the right thing. Or doing this thing right.

The weather has been good to us today, just a couple of light sprinkles. I think we will stay in the Humbug State Park a few miles south of Port Orford tonight. We are getting close to the California border. We should be crossing the border within the next 4 or 5 days. Ron.

Tad's Property

2005-10-29T14:28:00.000-07:00

Oct. 28. Spent the night on private property just south of Bandon. Candy had struck up a conversation with an older fellow named Charles in a store and deli where we stopped for supplies, and we just happened to see him again later on down the highway at a house that was under renovation, just as we were needing to stop for the night. We stopped to say hello again and ask if we could camp there, as there did not appear to be any public camping ahead of us. Charles was actually not the owner of the property, but did point out the fellow swinging the hammer on the house that was being renovated. His name was Tad. Tad turned out to be a really nice guy and was happy to help us out. If Candy had not taken the time to make a friend named Charles at the store, I don’t know where we would have camped that night. We hit the sack without a hot dinner, just ate some cold food, then slept for about 12 hours. We broke camp early with no breakfast, just snacked on some cheese and other stuff. Ron.

Bandon

2005-10-29T14:15:00.000-07:00

Oct 27.  We are camped at  Bullard state campground just north of Bandon.  It is raining as I am writing this from my sleeping bag.  Hope we get to break camp without the rain in the morning.

The bicycle route from North Bend to Bandon really, really sucks.  The route does not follow 101 for this section, and I don’t know why.  Whoever is responsible for routing cyclists on Seven Devils Road should be beaten with a large stick.  The road has no shoulders the entire length, no scenery to speak of, unless you like to look at timber clear cuts and numerous illegal garbage dumps next to the road.  Plus it has numerous short, very steep grades, with tight corners, especially the first climb out of Charleston.  If I had known the nature of the road, I would have stayed on 101, no matter how heavy the traffic.  I guess the single saving grace of the Seven Devils Road is that traffic was light.  Ron.

P.S.  Morning came with broken blue skies and no rain in sight.  Got a late start on the road.  Very tired, probably only go a short distance today.