Little milestones......

are what keep you going. Sometimes it's simply the next mile marker on the road or the next 100metres of ascent before I can take a break. Sometimes it's the fact thaht I've now cycled one of the fice sets of maps.

Other little milestones that keep me preoccupied....

I've clocked pu the first 1000km of riding this morning

I am about to leave Washton State and enter Oregon.

I need to keep the milestones small or I get daunted by the size of the challenge still ahead.

I am in Stevenson on the south side of Washington about to enter Cascade Locks and Mt Hood. Stunning views of Mount Rainer and Mout St. Helens yesterday and miles and miles of deep, dark pine forest.

I think I am putting on weight due to spending most of the day eating energy bars and danish pastries. I have yet to come across a menu in a diner that includes vegetables!

Still no cyclists!

Bears keeping a low profile.

Land of the free eh?

Yep, well that's what they claim and, sure they are 'free' but you know what the overriding impression is.....a land of 'rules'. There are so many 'DON'T' do this and 'DO 'do that, and don;t tresspass here, and 'no hunting' or 'no shooting' that one feels a little claustrophobic and, dare I say it, 'un-free'.

Mind you, people have been kind. I was setting off early yesterday morning and got a flat. With some difficulty (the stupid tire levers were too bendy...) I replaced the inner tube and then tried blowing up the tire again only to find the pump had stopped working. I was about to embark upon a 70 mile ride through the forests where there was no services, grocers or indeed people. The nearest bike shop was 90km the wrong way. My heart sank and I was close to tears (honest). hankfully an early morning runner came past, weighed up the situation fast and ran back to get a pump from his RV. This did the job :) What's more he gave me the pump and wouldn't accept anything for it. The kindness of strangers. I am thankful for little blessings like this that bring a sparkle to the day.

Some photos of the journey so far.

You know the thing that hurts the most?

It's not actually the thighs or the calfs or the knees.  It's actually the left shoulder...which freezes up and aches horrible.  I also get a tingling sensation in my left arm and hand.  Should I worry?

I remain amazed at how few people there are here. The last two campsites have had only noe other tent or RV in them.  I've still only met two other touring cyclists in over 800km of riding!   I admit to being a little lonely in the evenings.

I've ridden past Mount Rainer this morning. A beats of a former volcano with a rounded snowy top and glaciers draggin down it's sides.

I'm currently in Packwood, heading for Randall this evening.

The sun is hot.

I've eaten an awful lot of danish pastries and bananas!

Mike

Mike's a really sociable guy....honest

one of the useful things about a little jaunt like this is that it reminds me that , being human as I am, I need human interaction to survive.  A week where the only interaction I've had is 'can I camp here tonight please?' kind of doesn't meet the need for self-affirming contact.  Yep, I know you may find this strange, what with me being a deep introvert and all. It's good to be reminded of this reality.

I stayed in the Blu Shasta RV campground yesterday underneath the tall pine trees and beside a snow-melt river and was, frankly, a little lonely.  Don't smile as you read this.

Well, I am thankful for a little God-send in the form of two touring cyclists from San Francisco doing the same route as me.  They are the first tourers I've got to speak to so far.  I thought the route would be full of them but no, these are the first.  We shared some cherries, a tomato and tales of the road. It was heartening to realise I am not the only fool doing battle with logging trucks every day.

I've made it to Ellensburgh this morning with a good following wind after crossing Blewett's  Pass 4000+ft) before breakfast. I'll press onto Naches this afternoon to camp.

No bears yet...tho' the lady in the RV next to me last night said there had been one sniffing around the night before.  That's just enough encouragement to keep me on my toes - so to speak - when sleeping.  Conjure that image.

Thanks to you for your comments on the blog pages and facebook, They are a real encouragement

My legs are changing shape and colour....

I noticed it, as you do, when sitting on the toilet this morning. The bit of my leg that used to be all thin and chicken-leg-like just under the calf is now bulging with, well, either danish pastry and muffin (goodness knows I've eaten a lot of them recently) or else, maybe, muscle.

The legs below the cycling shorts are a sort of grimy grey brown.  This is a combination of suntan - despite the factor 30 I've been religiously applying, and grim from State Route 97 that I've been following, along with lots of huge trucks, for the past few days.


Having my old little body further than it should have gone yesterday in order to reach a library with internet access I was then only alloted 30 minutes.  It cruelly logged me off before sending my email to Biddy.  How's that for a downer at the end of the day.

I was actually craving some human company yesterday (honestly) and there was a little God-send in the RV-camping park in Chelan yesterday.  Tom and Janet from Vancouver (that's the Vancouver in Washington State not Canada) asked me over for a beer and chat.  What a lovely hour or so we spent.  I was so thankful to be able to speak with someone and get a glimpse of life in America from 'the natives'.

Another hot, hot day here in Washington State.  Too hot actually for me. how ever am I going to cope in California.  I got up early to beat the worst of the sunshine and I've pressed onto Cashmere with only one doubling back on myself as I encountered a road where the tarmac petered out to pot-holed gravel.  There's little worse that having to backtrack.

Time for a rest day tomorrow I think to rest those tired (and strangely shaped) legs.

It's a deer, right?

I've been sleeping really well in my tent till now (see last post) but was woken at about three this morning by, well, two sneezes inches from my head.  Now rabbits and chipmonks don't sneeze do they?  Wolves don't sneeze do they.  So it had to be a deer, right?  I put out of my mind the fact that there I was in the field all by myself with not another tent for miles and acres of mountain and forests around me.  Just the sort of place you'd find....deer, right?

A hard ride yesterday over Rainy Pass and Washington Pass.  Although it was never that steep (7%) it went on for a long time without stop (about 50 km).  As I topped out the dense forest with moss and kichen hanging from the trees and lots of waterfalls suddenly gave way to scrubby, dry mountains with scrawny looking Mediterranean trees.  I made it as far as Mazama and decamped at a cyclist-only campsite!  How about that!.  I was the only one there (hence the unease about the ....deer... at night).  It was effectively a big field with a solar heated shower hidden behind the bushes.  A delight!

Today has been a morning of big, big skies as I made my way down a wide valley with those yellow, scrubby mountains on each side.  Miles and miles of road by myself.    Lots of deer seen (see, I told you it was a deer last night) as well as squashed snake on the road.  I rolled in Pateros at lunchtime with 77km clocked up and was going to spend the night there after connecting up to the world couresy of the library BUT the library was closed on Mondays.  Little things like this can knock one's morale for six.  Grumpily I consulted the map and ?foolishly pressed on another 30km to Chelan in search of the library.  And here I am.   It was a hard 30km into the wind on a busy road.  It took me three hours.
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Legs feeling strong.  In need of some company (yep really!).  I savour the few little human interactions I have....like the family watching hay being harvested using a horse drawn harvester who waved at me and the lady who sold me a blueberry smoothie at Pateros.


Got 110km under my belt today.  In need of a hot shower, grub and rest.


Can;t get the top off my Trangia cooker.  This somewhat stunts my cooking!

Thanks to those who have been kind enough to give me their comments. 

Now about tents....

Ah, my tent.

There's something wonderfully familiar and comforting in seeing the old friend, my home, appearing from the saddlebags.  Once up, there's suddenly something familiar, a piece of the world that's mine, my home, in the vast sea of unfamiliarity.  There's little to beat zipping up the tent, disappearing into the sleeping bag and settling down for the night.  Lovely.

first impressions of the US?

They drive big cars don't they

Everyone (well, apart from that customs officer in LA who seemed incapable of beleiving that the reason I was carrying a bike spanner was because I was going on a cycle tour...) appears really pleased to see me and eager to help.  is this for real?

The natives don't seem to understand what I say, even when I say it slowly.....

T-shirt spotted in a Mexican diner yesterday  "I don't call 911", with a picture of guns below it.  Hmmm.

Seattle is a lovely city.  Beautiful views across the bay and towards snow-capped mountains in ?Canada.

Most of the small towns have little that is picturesque.  There are lots of churches....but I do miss the sight of  church steeples and towers.

Captain Splog......
Thurs 18th Aug.    Took lovely train ride along the coast from Seattle to Bellingham.  Started the cycle tour at long last in Bellingham. Cycled on flat farmland plains where they were growing maise and berries (not in the same field you understand).   An easy days ride of 70 flat kilometers up to the Canadian border at Sumas.  Spent the night in a noise 'RV park' next to a busy road and a 'railroad'. 

Fri 19th Aug.  Up before six and cycling in the fog for the first hour. Lifted up to almost alpine environment:  large broad leafed and pine forests for mile after mile.  Clocked 115km this morning and feeling a little achy.

Spotted my first bald eagle on the Skagit river at lunchtime.  Other than that I am wondering where all the birds have gone?  A few swallow, starling, one grey heron and the bald eagle.  That's about it.  Perhaps they've shot them all. 

Signs I've seen along the way that make me smile.....  "No Shooting"  and 'Elk Crossing"

Spending this evening in a place called Concrete! 

Do I buy bear spray or not?

Sunny morning in Seattle

Smell of fresh toast in the hostel kitchen

Off shopping today.  Chain lube, food and....do I buy bear spray or not?

When he learnt that I'd be cycling down  the US and camping the customs official  said to me yesterday that that would be too dangerous to do.  "Because of the bears?"  I asked,  "No, no, because of the people".  Hmm. What sort of a place is this?

You can't take that bike on the plane sir.....

My heart sank as I was greeted with this at Heathrow this morning........but then he winked at me, checked in the bag and chose to ignore the fact that it was overweight (the bike, not me).  A bit of amusement for him but not funny for me.

The flight into LA served to underline just how massive and empty most of the US is. Am I really up to cycling all the way down to Mexico?  A stressful time in LA airport involved me having to pick up the bike box and charge across the huge airport for my connection which was made despite the customs official grumpily questioning me why I am carrying bike tools with me ("durr, something to do with going on a bike tour I think").

My first bit of miscommunication with the natives came when I asked if there was a trolley around.  "Ummm do you want a taxi sir?"  "no , a trolley please".  Once I mimed pushing a trolley he pointed me to the 'carts'.  Hmmm.

First glimpse of a snow-capped Mount Rainor from the plane.

First impresions.....the natives speak loudly nd give the impression of feeling really positive about things.  A cynical Brit in their midst will probably temper that.

Off to bed now. I've been up for 23 hours now.

Time to take my leave......

That's enough waiting around.  See you at Christmas.  Can you please tidy the place up whilst I'm away?  I don't want to find the metaphorical half-eaten toast still going smelly under the bed when I get back.

He's waiting for me!

Hmmmm..

....feeling unwell.  Just pre-ride nerves or show stopping I wonder?
Not part of the plan.

I need a ferret....

Yep, a ferret, according to Phil, is what I need to have to hand to pass to a grizzly if he attacks me.  This will distract him sufficiently for me to make my exit......apparently.


So....how do I keep a ferret with me for two months?  Should I tie him to the back of the bike and get him to run along behind me?  What do ferrets eat?  Can I get a ferret through US customs?  Answers on a postcard please.

Getting just a little nervous now.....:)

Time has taken on that peculiar 'stopped' feeling you get when waiting for a bus to arrive.  Everything is packed now and I'm eager to get off.  The prospect of departing makes me savour and value the precious things here: family (yep even those teenagers....), a solid roof, cricket, radio 4 (apart from grumpy John Humphries), the prospect of autumn smells and colours.

The bare minimum

...this is all I can manage to take with me to survive for the next two months.  It doesn't seem much does it....until you have to drag it up every hill.

Why would anyone want to go abroad to the US.....

....when there's such beautiful cycling on my doorstep....

Feeling a little furtive......

Cycling around Exeter early this morning I felt a little like a truant schoolboy.  I kept thinking that people might come up to me and ask 'why aren't you at work eh?'

What surprised me was just how many other people didn't appear to be at work either.  Haven't they got livings to earn and an economy to refloat?