Had a pretty good spill

Have not had Internet connection the past two days. Have been in the coastal mountainess areas areas. I will bring you up-to- date: On Monday morning I was into my ride about an hor when it started to rain. I was on a rough , narrow shoulder going about 12 mph when the shoulder shifted to a different level. My front wheel caught the rise and with the slippery conditions, I went down hard on my left side into the traffic lane. I skidded several feet, hurried off the roadway and tried to collect myself. A motorist who witnesses the affair stopped and asked if I was Okay. I said I thought I was. I was just so grateful that it was early in the morning with little traffic on the roads. I got back on my bike, and after the adrenalin wore off, I noticed some pain down my left side. I pulled over and discovered that I had scraped up my left elbow, left knee, and left hip pretty good. I wrapped holes in my rain jacket and rain pants, and in my riding glove. I am sure without this layer of clothing, things could have been much worse. I am humbled about how vulnerable we all are each day. I thank the Lord every day for each breath of life that He sustains. Things have been fine since, except for some left shoulder pain, which is not severe, just nagging. I finally got a little sun on Tuesday, and more sun today. I have seen some incredible scenery, along with may sea lions. I have walked on the beach every night contemplating things of eternity, and missing family and friends. On Monday I biked 67 miles, on Tuesday I biked 79 miles, and today I left early and have biked 66 miles. The towns I have passed through are: Pacific City, Neskowin, Lincoln City, Depoe Bay, Newport, Waldport, Yachats, Glenada,Gardiner, Reedsport, Winchester Bay, Nort Bend, Coos Bay, Charlston, Bandon, and I presently in Port Orford. Tomorrow I will pass through Gold Beach and end in Brookings, the Southern most Oregon City. On Friday I will cross the California Border and continue my route down the Coast. Loving the sights and sounds and the smells. The campgrounds I have been staying in have been very nice, most havi g hot showers. I biked along with several otter bikers the last couple of days. One from Denver, two from Austria, one from Texas, one from Ohio, and one from Florida, all really nice people. Still haven't run into any old duffers like myself. It's good to be back in touch. Hope you are all well and happy. God bless. Jerry

Hills and more Rain

It rained most of the night, but when I woke up it had stopped. I was able to fix my breakfast and load up my gear while the sun was coming up. Did I say "Sun"! It lasted for 1hour and then it was gone. And then it started to rain and it did not let up all day. I got totally soaked. My skin is all wrinkled. I don't think it will ever be smooth again. I had 3 long hills today. Very steep. They definitely challenged my capacity and endurance. One of the hills would rival our own Apine Loop. I biked 48 miles today, but I was on the bike for almost 7 hours, because of the snail pace going up the mountain passes. Speaking of snails, they are everywhere here, and little frogs too. They get up on the roadway and get splattered. I am speaking of hundreds of slugs and frogs - one of the results of such a wet climate I guess. I am in Lincoln City OR. I passed some great scenery today and managed to get a few pictures. The fog was not as heavy today. There were a lot of suffers out even though it was raining hard. Tomorrow is Sunday and I will be taking a day of much needed rest. Jerry

Sitting at the Ocean

Writing tonight from the Pacific Ocean, listening to the methodical rolls of the waves as they break on the beach - the smell of salt water, sand and sea weed. I am at cape lookout state park near Tellamook, Oregon. Tellemook is known for it's cheese. I visited the cheese factory today and toured the facility and operation. It was really interesting, but best of all I got to sample about 6 kinds of cheese. Oh so good. Washington and Oregon also depend on a strong logging industry to support their economy. Huge logging trucks frequent the roads. These drivers are the most courteous to bikers. The smell of fresh cut wood at the lumber yards is yummy. The arroma of saw dust is delicious to the smell. Biked around 48 miles today. The day started out wet again. I was soaked by noon. It then broke for a while. I was able to get my tent up when it wasn' raining. It is raining again now. I am sitting under a canopy. Looks like I will be fixing dinner in the rain. It is still quite foggy. The forecast is for more of the same through the weekend. I am just going to have to tolerate being damp for awhile. The temperature is about 58 right now. It gets down to about 50-52 at night. I have an idea! I think I will bring my cooking gear to this canopy area. It is about 100 yards from my sleeping area. Okay, I think I will go and do that. Until next time, Jerry

OREGON

Crossed over into Oregon this morning on the Astoria Bridge. The bridge is 4 1/2 miles across the mighty Columbia River. The Columbia River is very turbulent where it meets the Ocean. It looks calm enough but there are unseen powerful undercurrents. Over the years, there has been many a ship wreck as they have tried to go through this area. Lewis and Clark learned about the mighty river and the ocean confluence. As I started out it was raining. Biked over 60 miles today and it never let up once. I was completely soaked through again. The fog set in by 11:00 a.m., and when I had to climb over a thousand feet over some mountain passes, there was very little visibility at the top. Furthermore, I had to fight a strong headwind. I actually had to get off my bikeand push it for over a mile because the head wind was pushing me out in traffic. At one point I noticed that I was pushing the bike over a very high cliff area, probably over a thousand foot drop. It was very good that I was off the bike at that point. Here I thought that the traffic wS my biggest risk, but just several feet on the other side were the cliffs. That was my adventure for the day. I am missing some awesome scenery because of the rain and fog, but I know there is much to see yet as I move down the coast. Saw other bikers today - all young riders in their twenties. Several days ago I did meet a woman from Germany who was probably around 50 or so. Signing off for now. jerry

Made it to Cape Disappointment

It started raining at 10:00 this morning and it has not let up since then. I went to the campground at Cape disappointment State Park and the whole biker section was one big pool of water. I was forced to get a motel tonight. I have good rain gear, but when you get pounded by a hard rain for hours, it eventually breaches the best of rain gear. So I am presently drying out in my room. I did go to the Lewis and Clark Museum and it was fantastic. Very well done with great displays and authentic artifacts. Their expedition fascinates me. It was fun to see where they finally reached the Pacific Ocean. I went up to the lighthouse on top of the hill and the visibility was very poor. The wind was howling and the rain was pounding, but I could still make out the ouTline of this beautiful and rugged area. Biked about 50 miles today. I am seven miles from the Oregon border. I will cross over into Oregon tomorrow morning. I will enter Astoria and then bike some 50 a 60 miles down the coast. It is supposed to be another heavy rain day, but I hope it is not As heavy as today. Loving my adventure, even with the rain and wind. When I am out there, it is like I am one with nature. God's creations speak to my spirit and I feel the Love of God and his creations.

Rainy

It rained all last night and I woke up to a very wet and hazy fog. Had to put a wet tent in my panniers. Started the day at 51 degrees and very low visibility. Donned my rain gear and hit the road. By noon the fog had burned off. The temp. Gradually increased to 68 for a while. It is now cooling down and the fog is setting in. The forecast is 60% rain for the next two days. Biked 54 miles today. Staying at a KOA campground tonight. Got to do some more laundry. I will be very close to entering the Oregon Coast tomorrow. I will either make it to Astoria, or stay at Cape Disappointment State Park this side of the border. There is a Lewis and Clark museum at the cape, and I am fascinated with Lewis and Clark history. I loved the book "Undaunted Courage". Cape Disappointment is where the Mighty Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean. I will have Chili and crackers tonight with some fruit cocktail. Met 6 other bikers today also heading down the coast 2 from seatless, 2 from Atlanta and 2 from Arizona. Nice to link up with them from time to time. That's it for now. Jerry

Made it to the Coast

After biking for some 80+ miles today, I made it to the west coast. I am in West Port WA. I made very good time today averaging over 12 mph. The shoulders on highway 101 were very good for the most part. When I got here I set up camp at Twin Harbor State Park. I then went down to the pier to visit the Maritime Museum and walk along the beach. The weather started out very overcast and 54 degrees. By the time I hit the coast it was sunny and 72 degrees. Rain is supposed to hit the coast on Wed. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a sunny day. If all goes well, I should hit the Oregon Coast by Thursday. I saw another seal today down at the harbor. For dinner I heated up some beef ravioli and had a beagle. I also found my favorite cookies (fudge sticks), so life is good. I biked through Christmas town USA today - Sheldon WA., which harvests more Christmas trees than any place else in the country. I also passed through the town where they make Ocean Spray Juices etc. I stopped to see if they had a tasting booth, but to no avail. They didn't even have a retail store there. The highways were lined with massive pine and evergreen trees of many different species. It is so green here. I gurus that's what you get when you only have 60+ sunny day a year. Lot's of water fall to keep it so lush. Had my first flat tire today. Ran over a sharp piece of steel, like a heavy duty staple. Can you guess the 5 most common kinds of debris I have seen along the roadways? 1. Bungy chords, 2. Plastic bottles and aluminum cans, 3. Banana peels, 4. Bolts (probably off trailers and trucks), 5. Tire shreads. That is your trivia for the day. That's it for now. Take care and God Bless. Jerry