tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41276955425540414742024-03-13T10:20:06.865-07:00Mark's Ride to MexicoMarksArtStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17264514594608800022noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127695542554041474.post-48048266429599561812016-07-26T12:14:00.000-07:002016-07-26T12:14:41.814-07:00Heading Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VdUF1SNfYfo/V5e14NahTmI/AAAAAAAAMwI/ALgfpr0iRx40EdrJaqVeb4XddhAHL_oNgCLcB/s1600/20160726_092111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VdUF1SNfYfo/V5e14NahTmI/AAAAAAAAMwI/ALgfpr0iRx40EdrJaqVeb4XddhAHL_oNgCLcB/s400/20160726_092111.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I have an hour to kill in the airport, so I'll close out this blog with some parting thoughts on my trip.<br />
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After getting back from Tijuana on Friday, I laid low in San Diego, took in the Comic-Con, and got used to not riding 100+km a day. The distractions of the Con were an excellent buffer for the transition, but it still felt odd not going through the process off planning and preparing for my daily rides. I constantly felt like I was forgetting something, or late for an important appointment.<br />
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On the whole, this bike tour went smoothly. I don't recall any significant headwind. I was never forced to skip a day or stop riding because of weather. I didn't even get one flat tire! Each of these were significant issues in my cross-Canada tour, so I was very fortunate this time around, and appreciative of that fact.<br />
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Having said that, each day on the road brought unique challenges, some more subtle than others. The process of physically adjusting to the increased daily workload was expected, but not pleasant. Struggling with low visibility in the fog during most mornings while negotiating tight mountain passes was certainly stressful. The sharp contrast in temperature between the coast and just a few kilometers inland could be a shock to my system that I sometimes had to manage several times a day. Campsites weren't always located at convenient distances, or always friendly to cyclists. And finally, steep descents down coastal cliffsides with little or no shoulder - and sometimes no guard rail - was an exercise in pure faith. However, all of these challenges were a welcome and rewarding part of the journey.<br />
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Of all that this trip had to offer, I think the best part was the reassurance of having such a clear purpose at the start of each day, and being able to reset at the end of each day. The immediacy of managing the challenges of a brand new ride each day while keeping track of my longer term schedule constraints struck a perfect balance of focus between keeping me in the moment while not losing sight of my overall goal.<br />
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Now that I'm done, it feels like I'm missing that longer term goal, and that I'm just managing a day to day routine. The world has a knack for keeping us busy with mundane activity, and frankly, most of that activity is necessary and has to get done, but it's not all tied to a bigger picture.<br />
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What I'm going to try and keep with me from this trip is the importance of having that longer term goal that's tied to action I need to take every day. I might not be able to see the final destination ahead of me, or know exactly what it's going to take to get there, but I want to know that I'm heading towards it, and I want to be able to see a piece of that journey in every day I manage to drag myself out of bed.<br />
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So, my plane's boarding in a few minutes, and in a few hours I'll finally be back home. It's been an incredible trip, and I hope you had some fun following along.<br />
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Until the next one,<br />
M.<br />
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MarksArtStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17264514594608800022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127695542554041474.post-81145300767851830922016-07-22T18:54:00.000-07:002016-07-22T18:54:02.879-07:00Day 25: San Diego to Tijuana. Final trip total: 2903km<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZE_qmRZSFGg/V5LICp4IIhI/AAAAAAAAMvg/7b_fb7YAeicw3Pg1E_wGpq0Io3Y132I3gCEw/s1600/20160722_150221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZE_qmRZSFGg/V5LICp4IIhI/AAAAAAAAMvg/7b_fb7YAeicw3Pg1E_wGpq0Io3Y132I3gCEw/s400/20160722_150221.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I was hoping for something memorable to mark the last ride of my trip, but the only notable thing about it was the heat. It hit 34 degrees with intense humidity. Thankfully it was just 60 km to Tijuana and back, so it was a breeze.<br />
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Getting into Mexico didn't pose a problem, except I had to negotiate a turnstile. This would have been an issue had I been riding with a full pack, but fortunately I only had a single pannier with me so I was able to squeeze through with Dolores.<br />
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I didn't plan on spending any time in Tijuana, I just wanted to get my passport stamped, grab a bite to eat and head back. I grabbed a couple of tacos at a roadside stand which were surprisingly good. I actually did spend a little time riding around, but the traffic got sketchy so I decided to call it a day and head back - that's when my day took a bad turn.<br />
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Heading into Mexico took no time at all. Heading out was a different matter entirely. I got in line at the pedestrian crossing where I entered Mexico. We were corralled outside in a narrow walkway under a canvas canopy that seemed to intensify the heat rather than protect us from it. I was in one of two lines, but I couldn't figure out if I was in the right one since no one spoke english. There was also an empty line that I was told was for people was disabilities, but it became quickly apparent that it wasn't being used by people with disabilities.<br />
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It would be one thing if our line was moving slowly, but it wasn't moving AT ALL. The exact same guy was at the front of the line for over an hour. The only people getting through at all were the ones skipping through in the empty line. I was shocked that people weren't raising a stink about waiting around in a line that wasn't going anywhere, I was starting to get worried.<br />
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A few people decided leave, and although I couldn't figure out exactly what they were saying, I got the impression they were going to another border crossing. Of course, I had no way to know for sure. I decided to take a gamble and head out in search of another border crossing.<br />
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Fortunately, I got lucky. There was another pedestrian crossing a little over a kilometre away. It was hassle-free at the second crossing, and I never got an explanation of what was going on at the first crossing. Everything seemed very sketchy.<br />
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Aside from the border hiccup, I made it back to San Diego without incident. My trip has officially come to an end. It's still too early (and I'm still feeling too much heat exhaustion) to reflect adequately on this milestone. For now, here are some interesting stats:<br />
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Total distance: 2903km<br />
Total days: 29 (25 riding days, 4 days off)<br />
Average daily distance: 116.12km<br />
Highest daily distance: 178km<br />
Fastest speed: 70.1km/h<br />
Highest single elevation climb: 365m (1200ft)<br />
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Found the crossing into Mexico, unfortunately it was a turnstile. Managed to get Dolores through.</div>
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My fine dining experience in Tijuana</div>
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Eventually made it back to San Diego. End of my trip!</div>
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And here are some pics from Comic-Con</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FS48sEC7gps/V5LIxOosHKI/AAAAAAAAMv0/xEGUqy1uwFAJbbwwQRozrt9oGqiFJv8SgCEw/s1600/20160721_110055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FS48sEC7gps/V5LIxOosHKI/AAAAAAAAMv0/xEGUqy1uwFAJbbwwQRozrt9oGqiFJv8SgCEw/s400/20160721_110055.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This was the only pic of Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes I could get before security threatened to kick me out</div>
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<br />MarksArtStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17264514594608800022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127695542554041474.post-45941369017956987082016-07-20T16:14:00.000-07:002016-07-20T16:14:46.562-07:00Day 24: San Clemente to San Diego. Trip total: 2845kmThis is a bit anti-climactic. I arrived in San Diego today on schedule. My intention was to check in to my hotel, unload Dolores' gear, and head out to Tijuana with nothing but my phone and wallet to cap off the trip.<br />
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It's 3:30pm now, I'm at a bar waiting for my buddies to get here so I can check in to the hotel. I probably wouldn't get back on the road until 5ish, meaning the earliest I'd Cruz three border and get back to my hotel would be 8ish - not accounting for nominal time didn't in Tijuana.<br />
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I'm going to be in San Diego for the week. On top of being able to take an awesome Pacific Coast bike trip, I also have tickets to the most exclusive nerd convention on the planet (thanks,Tri). Rather than rush another 60km in for today, I'm going to take Dolores across the border Friday or Saturday. I'm in no rush at this point.<br />
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So basically, I made it. 2845km down the Pacific Coast from Vancouver to San Diego in 24 days. I'll close off this blog once Dolores actually gets across the border into Mexico, and I'll try to do something memorable to mark the occasion, but essentially I've arrived at my destination. No more worries about flat tires, weather, or injury. I'm going to relax today and give a proper wrap up to the trip once we get into Mexico.<br />
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Comic-Con crew</div>
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Leaving San Clemente this morning</div>
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San Diego</div>
<br />MarksArtStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17264514594608800022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127695542554041474.post-31819705493339484212016-07-18T18:16:00.000-07:002016-07-18T18:16:15.082-07:00Day 23: Santa Monica to San Clemente. Trip total: 2743kmAnother beautiful day for a ride. The intense heat was nicely balanced with the ocean breeze, so as long as I stayed hydrated, I was able to keep up a nice pace for the 130km needed to get to San Clemente.<br />
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My guidebook warned about possibly encountering issues at state parks in southern California because of problems with transients. I've now seen evidence of this, but not with actual transients, but rather with the policy of the parks. It's clear to me that San Clement state beach associates this issue with cyclists.<br />
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I arrived early and asked to book a site for two nights, which was available. They wouldn't let me book two nights in a row - they said it was their standard policy. I was told that I can check back in at 9am to see if my site is available for booking again tomorrow. She made the mistake of saying the person who had the site before me had it booked for the next two days but left this morning, so I should be okay. I said, "booked for three nights? I guess he wasn't on bike, right?"<br />
No response.<br />
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Although clearly not inviting to cycling tourists, being at a campsite right on a killer beach is a nice way to finish off my day spent melting in the heat. I'm going to take tomorrow off to prepare for my final ride on Wednesday. Hopefully I'll get to spend it here and not get kicked out for being a 'transient'.<br />
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Surfers at Manhattan Beach</div>
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Lunch at Long Beach</div>
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Laguna Beach</div>
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<br />MarksArtStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17264514594608800022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127695542554041474.post-57562598414160624462016-07-17T18:44:00.001-07:002018-04-13T10:39:11.621-07:00Day 21-22: Lompoc to Carpenteria, Carpenteria to Santa Monica. Trip total 2612km<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/MarksArtStudio/videos/vb.597455133/10157176889690134/?type=3">Video of me dodging traffic trying to get out of Malibu</a></div>
Yesterday...<br />
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Leaving Lompoc led me up a gradual incline for 16km in sunny pastures before flattening out and heading back out to the overcast weather of the coast I'd become used to. As the sun finally came back out, I took the opportunity to grab lunch in Goleta and let the hottest part of the day pass by before covering the last 30km to Carpenteria. Riding through Santa Barbara gave me my first real experience of the southern California weather I've been looking forward to - sunny and hot, with the ocean breeze pushing me along.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jTU10WjYE7Y/V4wvNtBEKoI/AAAAAAAAMro/oqCXG0KSydkcZAqJlNFtAOnNssX1lCbXgCLcB/s1600/20160716_094347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jTU10WjYE7Y/V4wvNtBEKoI/AAAAAAAAMro/oqCXG0KSydkcZAqJlNFtAOnNssX1lCbXgCLcB/s400/20160716_094347.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Leaving Lompoc</div>
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I found a fugitive</div>
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Santa Barbara</div>
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Today...<br />
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Carpenteria to Santa Monica was the perfect ride. 127km over flat terrain along the sun-soaked coast. I spent a comfortable amount of time riding along beach paths, but fortunately not too much time. Navigating pedestrians gets exhausting.<br />
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Getting off the beach path proved the most interesting part of the day. Google decided the best way to cross over the freeway was to lug my bike up a couple hundred steps (think the Baldwin Steps at Casa Loma). My bike is 75lb fully loaded, which was bad enough to deal with, but I was stuck behind another cyclist who kept stopping in front of me, killing any momentum I tried to maintain, forcing me put down and pick my bike back up several times throughout the climb which added unnecessary effort. When I finally got to the top I had to listen to him bitch to everyone within earshot about how exhausted he was after carrying his [feather-light racing] bike up the steps. When he saw me behind him with all my gear and a look of murder in my eyes, he shut up and got the hell out of there.<br />
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Carrying my packed bike up that bridge and these steps was not fun.</div>
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Finding state campsites with hiker/biker sites south of San Francisco is proving to be more of a chore than I care to deal with today so I'm staying at a motel tonight. The plan for tomorrow is to hit San Clemente State Park, take the following day off before heading into San Diego!<br />
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<br />MarksArtStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17264514594608800022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127695542554041474.post-89937364778114418262016-07-15T20:43:00.000-07:002016-07-15T20:43:23.395-07:00Day 20: Morro Bay to Lompoc. Trip total: 2376km<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PGoNS1TToe8/V4mqfT_k3nI/AAAAAAAAMrM/hVKtq1oO74IbYQAyd4Va8I3XL3LZ1sZGACLcB/s1600/20160715_153218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PGoNS1TToe8/V4mqfT_k3nI/AAAAAAAAMrM/hVKtq1oO74IbYQAyd4Va8I3XL3LZ1sZGACLcB/s400/20160715_153218.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We need these signs in Toronto</div>
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I moved inland from the coast today and left behind the fog - for now. It was refreshing to have sunshine and flat roads for the morning portion of my ride. The only hiccup was when I decided to second-guess google and take a shortcut which resulted in me scaling the only mountain in sight, otherwise I might as well have been on a track for the first 100km.<br />
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After lunch I had a 900ft climb into Lompoc, but it was right at the end of my ride so I didn't mind.<br />
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As an aside, you might have noticed that I'm a terrible tourist. For me, going on long bike tours is primarily about setting a target and seeing if I can reach it. I enjoy the physical challenge and transformation that takes place, the mental cleansing from the solitude, and taking in what the trip presents. I almost never go out of my way to hit a landmark or check out an attraction, I'm happy to absorb my surroundings as they unfold.<br />
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I mention this because I've been getting a bunch of suggestions about places to see and things to check out, and I'm probably not going to do any of them. This might make for a boring way to travel for some, but for me it's been immensely satisfying. <br />
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So, I hope you enjoy these pics from another day where nothing particularly interesting happened -<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mnD_4Mwaaa0/V4moisjfBwI/AAAAAAAAMq0/_zztz3E1njQyTMHyEyJib1jxNrVI4RXxwCLcB/s1600/20160715_082206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mnD_4Mwaaa0/V4moisjfBwI/AAAAAAAAMq0/_zztz3E1njQyTMHyEyJib1jxNrVI4RXxwCLcB/s400/20160715_082206.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Breakfast of champions before leaving Morro Bay</div>
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The missing apostrophe was one of a few things I found disturbing about this sign. In hindsight, I'm glad I didn't take a detour to see what this was all about.</div>
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My view for most of the day</div>
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1/3 of the way up my one big climb for the day</div>
<br />MarksArtStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17264514594608800022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127695542554041474.post-43914054899898553332016-07-14T19:30:00.000-07:002018-04-13T10:24:05.401-07:00Day 18-19: Santa Cruz to Big Sur, Big Sur to Morro Bay. Trip total: 2253km<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VnHfTtdqj9A/V4hK1QrporI/AAAAAAAAMqk/OZtILkqi_PwStJNIJTyvccbLRybSPdoJQCLcB/s1600/20160713_170412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VnHfTtdqj9A/V4hK1QrporI/AAAAAAAAMqk/OZtILkqi_PwStJNIJTyvccbLRybSPdoJQCLcB/s400/20160713_170412.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Network coverage since I left Santa Cruz was almost non-existent until now so I'm packing two days into one post here, strap in!<br />
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Actually, things have been uneventful. I'm used to starting my day in fog, but it's generally burned off by noon, but not for the past two days. Oh, I've had pockets of sun, but they've been few and far between.<br />
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Riding in heavy fog for an entire day's ride really messes with my sense of space and time. I'm used to intuitively guaging my progress throughout the day based on what part of my body is currently getting sunburned, and seeing the changing miles ahead of and around me keeps me engaged in the ride. Heavy fog limits my world to a 30 foot radius around me, and the time of day is perpetual dusk. This makes it seem like I'm cycling in one spot for hours on end. I can't stress how draining that's been. I won't even mention the added stress of navigating the fog along a narrow cliff edge for longer than I'd care to think about.<br />
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Now, with the complaining out of the way, on to the highlights. Santa Cruz was a great stop for me. I've been staying at campgrounds and small towns until now, so getting to play around on a cheesy boardwalk, midway and beach was a perfect change of pace.<br />
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From Santa Cruz I made my way to Big Sur and enjoyed brief glimpses of picturesque pastures before heading up the mountain.<br />
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From Big Sur I had a challenging ride out of the mountains before hitting a refreshing stretch of flat terrain to finish off my ride in Morro Bay.<br />
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I've covered 285km over the past two days and I'm rewarding myself with a motel room for tonight.<br />
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From yesterday...<br />
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Goats</div>
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Llama</div>
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I really wanted this to happen, but sadly...no.</div>
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From today...</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nfv9FwbZAiY/V4hIB6mYTVI/AAAAAAAAMp0/C-0sPVgWEjg9YwoT-VzWaEMK-CaIlbW9wCLcB/s1600/20160714_123151%25280%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nfv9FwbZAiY/V4hIB6mYTVI/AAAAAAAAMp0/C-0sPVgWEjg9YwoT-VzWaEMK-CaIlbW9wCLcB/s400/20160714_123151%25280%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Under the fog</div>
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Over the fog</div>
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In the fog</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzSB4sU48xU">Video of me riding through a cloud on the edge of a cliff</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr_InwfymyU&t=16s">Longer (more boring) video of me descending Big Sur</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5gPA3XyEgQ">Video of these majestic beasts making farting sounds</a></div>
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I was told I had to go see Hearst Castle. There it is, that smudge on the left!</div>
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<br />MarksArtStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17264514594608800022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127695542554041474.post-34818053955037316802016-07-12T17:31:00.000-07:002016-07-12T17:35:15.623-07:00Day 17: San Francisco to Santa Cruz. Trip total: 1968km<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jgFLvHHvPWA/V4WI3E1ax-I/AAAAAAAAMoI/sWRpTrMw4LEraPPE-f3ofXgSkNyLl3JtACLcB/s1600/20160711_155040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jgFLvHHvPWA/V4WI3E1ax-I/AAAAAAAAMoI/sWRpTrMw4LEraPPE-f3ofXgSkNyLl3JtACLcB/s400/20160711_155040.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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I had a nice relaxing couple of days off in San Francisco which helped replenish my energy and gave my aches and pains time to fade away. Unfortunately I undid most of that good work by staying out late last night and having too much to drink. I had a good time in San Fran so it was almost worth the hangover ride this morning. Almost.<br />
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I watched a whale playing out in the water at Half Moon Bay this morning, unfortunately my gopro doesn't zoom so the video doesn't really capture it.<br />
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I recovered from my hangover by the time I rolled into Santa Cruz. I plan to spend some time at the beach before packing it in for the night.<br />
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Santa Cruz</div>
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On schedule for Big Sur tomorrow!MarksArtStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17264514594608800022noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127695542554041474.post-11658562486635176002016-07-10T12:20:00.000-07:002016-07-10T12:20:45.989-07:00Day 16: Bodega Dunes to San Francisco. Trip total: 1843kmI've decided to take two days off. I'm four days ahead of schedule so I need to burn some time, and more importantly, I'm suffering a bit of mental fatigue.<br />
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Yesterday's ride wasn't challenging until I hit San Francisco. It took me predominantly through farmland lightly dotted with a few small towns. My only concern was staying hydrated under the glaring sun, but I was well stocked with water so that was never a problem.<br />
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My relief at finally entering San Francisco was replaced with exhaustion as I had to navigate another 13km of climbing up and down incredibly steap hills within the city to get to my destination. Fortunately my destination was a buddy's place, and he's graciously offered to host me for the next couple of days so I can kill some time and regroup.<br />
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Leaving Bodega</div>
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Sheep</div>
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Closest pic I could get of Golden Gate Bridge</div>
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Fog was not helping with the view</div>
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Officially entering San Francisco</div>
<br />MarksArtStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17264514594608800022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127695542554041474.post-87999996981803796912016-07-08T16:37:00.000-07:002016-07-10T11:33:04.609-07:00Day 15: Manchester Beach to Bodega Dunes. Trip total 1719km<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There was very little between Manchester Beach and Bodega Dunes except open pastures so I had to take advantage of any little gas station or general store that popped up to keep my fuel replenished. Otherwise I enjoyed a nice boring ride in the morning with the cows and (mostly) sunshine.<br />
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In the afternoon the two-lane number 1 highway with no shoulder and infrequent guardrails decided to test my vertigo and steering ability by sending me up and down switchbacks for several kilometres right along a cliff edge. It was more than a little nerve-racking. I kept thinking about how I meant to switch out my brake pads because they felt like they might be losing traction. I was thinking about how I haven't tightened up my wheel skewers in a while, or how I've noticed my gears starting to skip around if I'm going fast over uneven surfaces. I was thinking how I can't see what's on the road beyond that next curve.<br />
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I was thinking of all the things that could send me flying in a split second over the side off the cliff and there wasn't a thing I could about any of them (aside from walking my bike, which wasn't gonna happen).<br />
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Anyway, I survived, and it was worth it for the incredible views...<br />
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Leaving Manchester Beach, into the unknown...</div>
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Yup, that just goes straight down</div>
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Gulp</div>
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We survived</div>
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<br />MarksArtStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17264514594608800022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127695542554041474.post-42390693086561526402016-07-07T19:28:00.000-07:002018-04-13T10:15:01.544-07:00Day 14: Fort Bragg to Manchester. Trip total: 1600km<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KpOe5wliwAQ/V38PThMiKGI/AAAAAAAAMl0/v7l1eZ-LmEg7ovFn_ltoV1eNbKZGMtfzACLcB/s1600/20160707_104219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KpOe5wliwAQ/V38PThMiKGI/AAAAAAAAMl0/v7l1eZ-LmEg7ovFn_ltoV1eNbKZGMtfzACLcB/s400/20160707_104219.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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Looking at the countless little hills I had ahead of me today, I overestimated how tiring the ride would be.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D-g-ndKeaLQ/V38Fw3rnRiI/AAAAAAAAMkg/S50yCi_tKrg1sUUB5Ry6aVo3JOGfNKvGgCLcB/s1600/20160707_074111.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D-g-ndKeaLQ/V38Fw3rnRiI/AAAAAAAAMkg/S50yCi_tKrg1sUUB5Ry6aVo3JOGfNKvGgCLcB/s400/20160707_074111.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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The weather was sunny and cool, perfect for riding. I arrived in Manchester KOA much earlier and fresher than anticipated, and rightfully should have pressed on to Bodega Bay, tomorrow's destination. However, I'm realizing a little scheduling problem. Thanks to Comic Con, I can't actually afford to get to San Diego early because I have no chance of securing accommodations earlier than the date I have booked.<br />
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This leaves me with two choices: take more days off (I still have 3 scheduled), our just do shorter rides. For now I'm opting for shorter rides, I don't like the idea of not riding for an entire day. I'm definitely taking a day off in San Francisco, and although I've been lucky with the weather so far, I might get rained out at some point yet, so those extra days might still come in handy.<br />
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As for today, the ride weaved it's way alongside the ocean and through wide open fields as it meandered up and down the coastal cliffs. The climbs were persistent, but relatively short, and I'm feeling considerably more fresh than a few days ago.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TGJ_XFiIlTk/V38HcwNAb5I/AAAAAAAAMks/8dhcujyEBTooNe_tZSEmvFIWdLn-lZLFwCLcB/s1600/20160707_095743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TGJ_XFiIlTk/V38HcwNAb5I/AAAAAAAAMks/8dhcujyEBTooNe_tZSEmvFIWdLn-lZLFwCLcB/s400/20160707_095743.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Leaving Fort Bragg. Yes, there is no shoulder. Yes, there is no guardrail. And yes, that is a shear drop straight to the ocean.</div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/MarksArtStudio/videos/vb.597455133/10157135135000134/?type=3">Here is a video of me on tempting death</a></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--OR-njx8vYE/V38IYGSC25I/AAAAAAAAMk4/Nd5EMrievdocBD2CtxUDh7mALrNjlOFOQCLcB/s1600/20160707_092208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--OR-njx8vYE/V38IYGSC25I/AAAAAAAAMk4/Nd5EMrievdocBD2CtxUDh7mALrNjlOFOQCLcB/s400/20160707_092208.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Dolores had her work cut out for her on these hills.</div>
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Manchester KOA</div>
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<br />MarksArtStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17264514594608800022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127695542554041474.post-80410445212540080522016-07-06T16:59:00.000-07:002016-07-06T16:59:47.304-07:00Day 13: Leggett to Fort Bragg. Trip total: 1537kmA planned, I put in a shorter day today - 76km to Fort Bragg. To be honest, I feel pretty good and wouldn't have had any issues pushing further, but it was nice to finish my riding in the a.m., and I need to trust my decision to take a break.<br />
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I was surprised at how cold it was this morning. After burning up yesterday, I was freezing my butt off for the ride today. I was actually enjoying the long climbs today because they kept the blood flowing. This is the only day I've regretted not bringing gloves. The sun never did come out, so the short day was very welcome.<br />
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First order of business once I hit town was laundry. The only time I've really done laundry since I left was in American Heritage Campground in Oregon. I attempted a campsite rinse and air-dry cleanse at Burlington Campground two days ago, but it was never sunny enough to dry, so I ended up with damp, not-really-clean clothes packed in with the rest of my gear, which meant everything was now not-really-clean. I was chatting with a hiker at the roadside Bigfoot shop yesterday. She asked me about my trip; where I was going and where I came from, etc. She said I must be in great shape and then squeezed my ass - that's a big no-no. I didn't say anything though, I just smiled knowing that sooner or later she'd have to smell that hand.<br />
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Columbi motel in Fort Bragg, where I'm staying today, has an attached laundromat and is a couple of blocks away from a dirty looking 'saloon' which looks like my hangout for the rest of the day.<br />
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Tomorrow I'm back on the road to make up some miles until my next real day off in San Francisco this weekend.<br />
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Climbing out of Leggett</div>
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Arriving in Fort Bragg</div>
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<br />MarksArtStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17264514594608800022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127695542554041474.post-80378643088306696432016-07-05T15:18:00.003-07:002016-07-06T17:01:19.887-07:00Day 12: Weott to Leggett. Trip total: 1461km<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vyMywTlT8Vs/V3wuxi8ETzI/AAAAAAAAMiw/INT9OhN8WZg_L1EL5uVeqjTk4Qs9sW2UQCLcB/s1600/20160705_110744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vyMywTlT8Vs/V3wuxi8ETzI/AAAAAAAAMiw/INT9OhN8WZg_L1EL5uVeqjTk4Qs9sW2UQCLcB/s400/20160705_110744.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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South Fork Eel River</div>
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Wow, today really kicked the crap outta me. I had a modest 119km ride planned for today. It involved two separate 1000ft climbs and a general uphill ride for the entire day.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aZWodGVJ0SE/V3wt0-7rROI/AAAAAAAAMik/A76CFBhhv8YWyHtCt9KYmJ5-OHTLCJ7UgCLcB/s1600/20160705_143926.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aZWodGVJ0SE/V3wt0-7rROI/AAAAAAAAMik/A76CFBhhv8YWyHtCt9KYmJ5-OHTLCJ7UgCLcB/s400/20160705_143926.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I had a nice early start, and it was technically shorter than the rides I'd been doing over the past few days.<br />
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Although I started early, I took my sweet time getting out of the Avenue of the Giants because it was such a great place to ride.<br />
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Once I re-entered the 101, I lost the cool shade of the redwoods and was immediately pounded with unrelenting sun and heat. It was a freeway for much of the stretch and there was no tree cover along the shoulder to provide any shade. Add to the heat the fact that it was a steady series of small climbs for the entire morning, and I was not only exhausted, but way behind schedule.<br />
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I hoped to be in Leggett by 11am and power through the two long ascents before noon, and then will myself over the next 25km into Westport to end my day. By the time I got to Leggett I was 2 hours late, in the thick of the hottest time of day, and I found myself weaving as I rode - I was completely exhausted.<br />
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This day didn't look too bad on paper, but I think the heat, the steady climb, and my lack of days off just caught up to me. I got through 74km today, but it felt so much longer. I'm tempted to take a day off, but I think I'll compromise and just do another short day tomorrow.<br />
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On a positive note, I'm at 1465km for the trip, which by my schedule puts me halfway to San Diego!<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FkLIOTV44JA/V3wvd-n3ksI/AAAAAAAAMi4/TdGazm7d-LsrW7CYPaEIxXAHNY0zPoPUgCLcB/s1600/20160705_065846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FkLIOTV44JA/V3wvd-n3ksI/AAAAAAAAMi4/TdGazm7d-LsrW7CYPaEIxXAHNY0zPoPUgCLcB/s320/20160705_065846.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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Awoken by Blue Jays</div>
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Leaving the Giants</div>
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Found him</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vOMJZoflEko/V3wwk1ZI7pI/AAAAAAAAMjU/344Tj8Sm9BEIzqq7EtO63IOKSoonWfjawCLcB/s1600/20160705_131806.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vOMJZoflEko/V3wwk1ZI7pI/AAAAAAAAMjU/344Tj8Sm9BEIzqq7EtO63IOKSoonWfjawCLcB/s1600/20160705_131806.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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So long, 101. It was a pleasure riding you, but it's time to lose a couple of digits.</div>
<br />MarksArtStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17264514594608800022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127695542554041474.post-7740839436100958872016-07-04T19:47:00.002-07:002018-04-13T10:22:39.970-07:00Day 11:Orick to Weott. trip total: 1379kmI noticed a fair amount of flat(ish) terrain over the next 160km so I figured I'd try and plough through it today. Most of the ride was along the 101 freeway, so not exactly picturesque, but very efficient for riding.<br />
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The scenery really opened up once I hit the Avenue of the Giants. I can't really explain what it was like to ride through such gigantic trees on a two lane road - I felt very out of place riding in that environment, like I wasn't supposed to be there. Everything around me was so immense that the road barely registered as a hiccup in the environment. Anyway, I'll let the pictures do the talking.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmeFpvECG-8&t=5s">Video of me speeding through Endor</a></div>
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This is not an elk farm, just wild elk doing their thing.</div>
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Dolores hiding underneath a Giant</div>
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Avenue of the Giants</div>
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The Giants looking out for cyclists</div>
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Burlington Campground</div>
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<br />MarksArtStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17264514594608800022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127695542554041474.post-28402820884822761982016-07-04T08:55:00.002-07:002016-07-04T08:55:49.096-07:00Day 9-10: Charleston to Gold Beach. Gold Beach to Orick. Trip total: 1222kmNetwork coverage is going to be an issue for a while so these updates might be a little sporadic.<br />
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Two days ago I left Sunset Bay campground after having to repair a detached front derailleur cable. In the process I loosened my gear shifter and was unable to tighten it because my Allen wrench isn't long enough to reach inside the drop down handle ( I have my shifters connected to the bottom of my drop down bars, not an ideal set up but I'm used to it). My derailleur was in the right position, but shifting it to a lower gear would be a challenge until I could tighten up the shifter. Fortunately I found a bike shop 40km away in Bandon where I picked up a set of longer Allen wrenches, a backup gear cable (I frayed the end of mine trying to fix it, might not hold for the while trip) and replacement brake pads, just in case. As an added bonus, Bandon had bike tune up stand just sitting all by it's lonesome waiting for me to make use of it.<br />
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I was feeling pretty good about getting Dolores all fixed up so I stopped for lunch and to charge my phone. As my phone was charging, the screen went blank. It was still on, I just couldn't use it. It was only then that I realized how poorly I prepared for this trip. I could get down the coast with my gps, guidebook and personal notes, but I had no contact information for the people I needed to meet up with, information on the hotel I'd be staying at in San Diego, or my return flight info. I had unintentionally become dependent on my phone for all my information, and in doing so, I never took the a simple step of writing things down.<br />
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For the rest of the day I rode along the most scenic stretch of highway I've been on so far, and naturally I had no phone to take pictures, but I think some of the gopro video turned out okay. My gps and guidebook were not in agreement on upcoming campgrounds so I just kept on riding until I found something promising. I gave up at Golden Beach and just found a motel. 149km for the day.<br />
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Day 10 didn't start with the best of attitudes. I was still disconnected from the world, which in itself wasn't too bad, but I still hadn't figured out how I was going to get in touch with anyone or figure out my flight. My phone doesn't have a removable battery, and it never occurred to me to look up how to do a hard reset if the screen isn't working. I was trying every combination of buttons to get the thing to turn off, but no luck. This would have been solved if I had 10 seconds of google access.<br />
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Longer story shorter, I found an AT-T store in Brookings, just before crossing into California. The woman there took my phone, held down the power and volume down button for 10 seconds, phone came back to life and she handed it back to me. I asked if she had any idea what the problem was so I could try and avoid doing it again. She shrugged and said, 'it's a computer, they'll just do that sometimes.' Fair enough.<br />
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With internet access I contacted who I needed to and wrote down all the info. I drew maps to places off the highway I'd need to hit, and wrote down all my return flight info. All was good again.<br />
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My ride took me from the fog covered coast into the impressive redwood forests of northern California. Along the way I hit my two highest elevation climbs of the trip so far, 1260ft and 900ft respectively. The first climb, leaving Crescent City was the toughest. There was road work going on so long sections of the climb were down to one lane. I felt like I was on a race course because of the lineup of cars stopped in the other lane were all cheering me on as I slowly made my way up the mountain. That encouragement provided a much needed boost as the upward climb stretched to 8km.<br />
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After the second climb, which was more manageable, it was flat and/or downhill all the way to my final destination.<br />
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My stop for the night is Elk Prairie Campground just outside Orick.<br />
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Trees of Mystery Museum - Klamath</div>
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Elk Prairie Campground</div>
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Elk</div>
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<br />MarksArtStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17264514594608800022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127695542554041474.post-69434696613095057392016-07-02T08:37:00.000-07:002016-07-02T08:37:31.100-07:00Day 8: Walport to Charleston. Trip total: 945kmI had fair amount of climbing today as soon as I left Walport, which was slow going, but with a nice early start to the day, I didn't mind taking my time.<br />
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My IT Band issue came back with a vengeance, fortunately I was only about a dozen kilometres from Sunset Beach when it was at it's worse, so I did the responsible thing and found a nice dive bar in North Bend to wait it out and give my leg a chance to rest. Oddly, after a few beers my leg felt much better.<br />
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I lucked out at the campsite. The hiker/biker section was flooded, so they had a few tent sites designated for us. I got a site all to myself, right next to the creek.<br />
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My elevation chart today looked like an ecg reading</div>
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Another bridge with two lanes and no shoulder.should be fun.</div>
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Sunset Beach in the morning</div>
<br />MarksArtStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17264514594608800022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127695542554041474.post-36155833197802148722016-06-30T17:34:00.000-07:002016-06-30T17:34:55.893-07:00Day 7 (Day Off) Devil's Lake to Walport. Trip total: 795kmAside from some mild stiffness in my knee, I had no physical issues today. This was a scheduled day off, but I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather and test out my leg. I'm pretty sure the issue was due to poor alignment causing me to over-pronate, and once I fixed my seat and pedal position, the problem went away. The second time I felt pain in my knee yesterday was probably just the residual inflammation which seems to have dissipated overnight.<br />
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As for today, I rode without a distance or destination in mind, I just took in the view, enjoyed the weather, and had a nice comfortable 75km ride into Walport.<br />
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This guy was very politely waiting for me to give him some off my breakfast burrito (Newport)</div>
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Overlooking Yaquina Bay Bridge. No shoulder and only two lanes. Not looking forward to that ride.</div>
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Not a bad little spot for a hiker/biker site. The Pacific ocean is on the other side of that tree. (Beachside State Park)</div>
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<br />MarksArtStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17264514594608800022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127695542554041474.post-30929752214462172412016-06-29T20:42:00.000-07:002016-06-29T20:44:14.027-07:00Day 6: Astoria to Devil's Lake. Trip total: 720.8kmThis was an unusual day. I knew it would be a long day on the road, but I also knew I'd have pretty good weather and great scenery, so I was ready. Unfortunately my right knee wasn't any better after the short 80km day yesterday. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I don't mind riding injured, it just can't persist for too long, and it can't get worse - otherwise I can usually manage it. Today my knee got worse in a hurry. After 60km I couldn't push off that leg without stabbing pain. I basically rode the next 10km with one leg, but then it became too painful to even have my right leg go through a passive pedal rotation without pain.<br />
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I was forced to stop in Rockabay, which I told myself was a good time for lunch. I found a nice little restaurant overlooking a lake to take my rest. I must have been limping pretty bad because the hostess immediately ran up to me and asked if I was alright? and was there anything she could do? Not looking good.<br />
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As I waited for my food, I was looking at bus and train schedules to San Diego because I couldn't see how I'd be able to recover without time to rest, and I didn't have the luxury of time. Then a weird thing happened - my knee was feeling better just sitting there. It was excruciating moments earlier, and now out felt fine(ish). I started thinking it wasn't an overuse injury, but might just be a mechanical issue that popped up today. I narrowed it down to my IT band, and started making adjustments to my seat height, pedal position, and when I got back on the road it did feel better - for a while. After 25km it was as bad or worse than before.<br />
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I had to stop again, this time in the middle of nowhere. Like before, it started feeling better as soon as I stopped riding. I couldn't figure out what I was doing to piss off my knee, but it wasn't keen on cycling. As a last ditch effort, I started flexing and extending my knee in various positions, pushing off of different parts of my foot, adjusting how much force I applied throughout different stages of my pedal stroke. As I'm doing this - off of my bike, I should add, several motorists passing by were treated to a nice show of what must have looked like a crazy guy going through spastic dance moves on the side off the road.<br />
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Eventually I found a technique where I could pedal without pain, but it feels like a bandaid solution. I feel odd that after completing 177km today, my knee feels fine right now. It really shouldn't, not after how the day started. I have a scheduled day off tomorrow that I was hoping to postpone because the weather has been so good. I'll reassess the situation in the morning.<br />
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As always, my broken body adjusting to abuse is no match for the beauty of the Pacific Coast that I've been privileged to enjoy along the way. Enjoy!<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z2J2g-MCxUE/V3SQ6ADgCLI/AAAAAAAAMck/If1-eioLh-47e7wWRwZcTYy0rboYMZOEACLcB/s1600/20160629_095526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z2J2g-MCxUE/V3SQ6ADgCLI/AAAAAAAAMck/If1-eioLh-47e7wWRwZcTYy0rboYMZOEACLcB/s400/20160629_095526.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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Leaving Astoria</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RwwiB31S_rQ/V3SRR17Or8I/AAAAAAAAMc0/vK08e2AlBUEuNfRxYO31xZBrnZR9KbEkACLcB/s1600/20160629_080143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RwwiB31S_rQ/V3SRR17Or8I/AAAAAAAAMc0/vK08e2AlBUEuNfRxYO31xZBrnZR9KbEkACLcB/s400/20160629_080143.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This was supposed to be my destination yesterday</div>
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My lunch stop</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QvI5eY-x4SE/V3SRqc47liI/AAAAAAAAMdI/6m1Ao92sxbMtXhWYofnHo7HI4KA9xl9iACLcB/s1600/20160629_100206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QvI5eY-x4SE/V3SRqc47liI/AAAAAAAAMdI/6m1Ao92sxbMtXhWYofnHo7HI4KA9xl9iACLcB/s400/20160629_100206.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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It's not the height of the climb that kills you, it's when you have to do it.</div>
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Clever. </div>
<br />MarksArtStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17264514594608800022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127695542554041474.post-57978580740919096792016-06-28T21:28:00.000-07:002018-04-13T10:08:41.953-07:00Day 5: Raymond to Astoria. Trip total: 543kmToday felt like a day off. I got an early start and felt surprisingly fresh after yesterday. After an initial letdown when I realized google sent me on another gravel road hill climb, I was relieved at how much more manageable it was compared to yesterday. It helped that the gravel section was only 12 or so kilometres opposed to the 25 yesterday, and I didn't have oppressive heat to deal with. Once Willapa Road met back up with the 101, it was smooth sailing into Oregon.<br />
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I stopped off at a tavern when I hit Astoria and started checking campsites around Seaside, which was my intended destination today. The locals chuckled and wished me luck. Every place I checked was booked solid and the secondary options looked really expensive. I reached out to a Pacific Coast bike veteran for advice and was told I should just be able to show up at a state park and they would accommodate me.<br />
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At that point I think I already decided to lay roots in Astoria for the day and start fresh in the morning.<br />
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These tours do a number on my body. There's a period where everything seems to break down and then eventually gets built back up. The trick for me is to push myself hard enough that my body knows it has to step up to the challenge, but not too hard that I seriously injure anything. I've been managing pain in both knees, my right ankle, and lower back since this trip began, and everything but the right knee issue seemed to dissipate today (the lower back issue will never dissipate, but that's another story altogether).<br />
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I'm 24km behind schedule for the trip by not pushing on today, but because I arrived in Astoria in the morning I gained the benefit of almost a full day for recovery. I plan on my first really long ride tomorrow which will put me right back in track, and I expect my body to be ready for it.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vV-au1h3z98/V3NIrNZoEUI/AAAAAAAAMbA/r6ft5YBh2wAkZX3jNwLMjJ4J3CV18Kl6gCLcB/s1600/20160628_085740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vV-au1h3z98/V3NIrNZoEUI/AAAAAAAAMbA/r6ft5YBh2wAkZX3jNwLMjJ4J3CV18Kl6gCLcB/s400/20160628_085740.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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Leaving Raymond led me back on the gravel road hills. Thankfully they weren't long.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pv9lSk4mdyM/V3NJQALSGmI/AAAAAAAAMbQ/F1BCxne5n5QExkGg7lgZh2fsshHJ8xD4wCLcB/s1600/20160628_085249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pv9lSk4mdyM/V3NJQALSGmI/AAAAAAAAMbQ/F1BCxne5n5QExkGg7lgZh2fsshHJ8xD4wCLcB/s400/20160628_085249.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I didn't mind having to ride slow through these surroundings</div>
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Closing in on the 101</div>
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Gulp. 6.4km across this beast.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f3U7FvXdzuI/V3NKN5eQuTI/AAAAAAAAMcA/b9H_-zyAi0sBGOUfmpyrOoE9kYr1vRCgwCLcB/s1600/20160628_191743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f3U7FvXdzuI/V3NKN5eQuTI/AAAAAAAAMcA/b9H_-zyAi0sBGOUfmpyrOoE9kYr1vRCgwCLcB/s400/20160628_191743.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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Longest bridge I've ever ridden across. There was construction so it was down to one lane for a section which meant they had to stop traffic for half a kilometre in both directions to let me get through the last stretch, which was a steap climb. I felt very uncomfortable that they were holding up traffic for such a long stretch just for me. When I got through the other side, the road crew worker was applauding me and said "be proud of yourself, not a lot of people do this". At the bar later in the day, the locals were telling me about a bike club that was riding the bridge earlier in the day and they all had to walk their bikes up the incline. That must have sucked.</div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/MarksArtStudio/videos/vb.597455133/10157095663060134/?type=3">It's hard to make out what he's saying, but here's the video of the road crew cheering me on</a></div>
MarksArtStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17264514594608800022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127695542554041474.post-68717975258727914152016-06-27T16:58:00.001-07:002018-04-13T10:05:50.099-07:00Day 4: Olympia to Raymond. Trip total: 462.8km<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-syFy2euboLc/V3G3j8Ix4bI/AAAAAAAAMYY/9kgRhZqCxrss3q03dgci_skvfeJcJS6WQCLcB/s1600/20160627_112255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-syFy2euboLc/V3G3j8Ix4bI/AAAAAAAAMYY/9kgRhZqCxrss3q03dgci_skvfeJcJS6WQCLcB/s400/20160627_112255.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Today was not a fun day. It was full of bad decisions and bad luck - in that order. First bad decision was not leaving at 6am as planned, instead I left at 7am figuring I'd be in Raymond before noon anyway, so who cares if it gets hot, right?<br />
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I made things worse by stopping for breakfast right away (I try to put in 20-30km before stopping for a proper meal), delaying my ride even further, but who cares, right? I should still be in good shape for a noon arrival. At breakfast I had the opportunity to grab another Gatorade for the road, but again, I didn't have that far to go until Brooklyn where I was planning on getting lunch, so I didn't pick it up.<br />
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The first 45km went incredibly well, then I hit a literal fork in the road, and everything went to hell.<br />
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I arrived at Brooklyn road, at which point google was sending me off on a meandering bike trail. First thing - the bike trail happened to be gated off. I probably could have maneuvered Dolores onto the trail, but who knows why it was gated off? Pretty risky call. Second - Brooklyn road seemed to go directly where I was heading. Screw google, I'm taking Brooklyn road.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4oH9WxWRHBU/V3GqEgGduFI/AAAAAAAAMYQ/fahWIbREvEkf5U0GGzxyLVzDULZFV54lQCKgB/s1600/20160627_153442.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4oH9WxWRHBU/V3GqEgGduFI/AAAAAAAAMYQ/fahWIbREvEkf5U0GGzxyLVzDULZFV54lQCKgB/s400/20160627_153442.png" width="225" /></a></div>
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Well, Brooklyn road turns into a single lane, gravel, logging road that heads straight up and down a mountain. by the time I figured this out, my gps, data service, and phone cut out - bad luck. I even forgot to screen cap the route beforehand so was riding based on vague memory and and grainy printout that provided little more than a direction of travel.<br />
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The climbs were more steap, unstable and dangerous than I've ever attempted with a fully loaded touring bike. I had no business being on that road, and to make it worse, there wasn't room for me AND the logging trucks using the same road. I was skidding all over the road at a snail's pace on the ascents, and desperately riding my brakes on the descents to avoid wiping out on the loose rocks.<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/MarksArtStudio/videos/vb.597455133/10157092477235134/?type=3">Video of me struggling in the gravel</a></div>
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One lane, loose gravel road, blind turn, and a cliff. What could possibly happen?</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eXbxXcvkIhQ/V3G4qyaQ9tI/AAAAAAAAMYk/USGAa6DxBPkmbmg5a8cgoBojjJSIzeWQACLcB/s1600/20160627_105147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eXbxXcvkIhQ/V3G4qyaQ9tI/AAAAAAAAMYk/USGAa6DxBPkmbmg5a8cgoBojjJSIzeWQACLcB/s400/20160627_105147.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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10 seconds later, I'm in the ditch...</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5fE_xdlxW7s/V3G43wmSpZI/AAAAAAAAMYs/6n3ew_Ywv602eEnI8zofUNj3gApKaif9QCLcB/s1600/20160627_105235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5fE_xdlxW7s/V3G43wmSpZI/AAAAAAAAMYs/6n3ew_Ywv602eEnI8zofUNj3gApKaif9QCLcB/s400/20160627_105235.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/MarksArtStudio/videos/vb.597455133/10157092471620134/?type=3">Video of another close encounter</a></div>
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I finally got to asphalt after 15km of that hell, and was looking forward to refueling in Brooklyn. Unfortunately Brooklyn is little more than a road, and the one establishment I was counting on was closed. I was running low on water, but had little choice other than to push on - and the sun was really starting to beat down.<br />
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This was my one hope for fuel</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jkks9pwCzEQ/V3G58wfcdjI/AAAAAAAAMZI/XF14lL-ysYMjgJzovFwoRi8u9JAGJbqDACLcB/s1600/20160627_120857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jkks9pwCzEQ/V3G58wfcdjI/AAAAAAAAMZI/XF14lL-ysYMjgJzovFwoRi8u9JAGJbqDACLcB/s400/20160627_120857.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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After a kilometer of smooth road, I came to another fork. One way led north, where I didn't want to go, and the other led to gravel. As I pondered my options, a motorist pulled over and asked if I needed help. I explained where I was heading and she assured me I wanted to take the gravel road as it was much quicker than heading back out to the highway. I explained my logging road horror, and she said not to worry, the gravel road is maintained by the county and is in good shape. I took her at her word and went with the gravel. She was wrong. So very, very wrong. Bad luck.<br />
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It was the logging road all over again, and it went on for another 10km.<br />
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A ride that should have taken 4 hours, ended up taking 6 and a half. I ran out of water with what I assumed was 20 km left to go, but without a map I had no real idea. The 25km stretch leading in and out of Brooklyn easily felt like 150km.<br />
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I'm dehydrated, pretty sure I have heat exhaustion, and I'm done for the day. I made it to Timberland RV park as planned, but I opted instead for a motel to lick my wounds. My plan is to be back out on the road in the morning. I can't really afford a day off yet, but we'll see how well my body recovers tomorrow.<br />
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Alpacas were a promising start to the day<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aAmNE890PB4/V3G76_u80oI/AAAAAAAAMZY/GpZx7g_smMAqYM3Mie_zda_W1nybCYKSwCLcB/s1600/20160627_092127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aAmNE890PB4/V3G76_u80oI/AAAAAAAAMZY/GpZx7g_smMAqYM3Mie_zda_W1nybCYKSwCLcB/s400/20160627_092127.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Two lanes but no shoulder, still not too shabby<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ahv7GcuT75s/V3G83aC6jbI/AAAAAAAAMZ0/NzZZaCAAifIOUFY2PEz2CrnmT20ZZNkwwCLcB/s1600/20160627_101343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ahv7GcuT75s/V3G83aC6jbI/AAAAAAAAMZ0/NzZZaCAAifIOUFY2PEz2CrnmT20ZZNkwwCLcB/s400/20160627_101343.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Road gets a little tighter, but still no complaints about this</div>
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The logging road was a terror, but the view was impressive</div>
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This was not fun to ride on<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hdRAkr9fidk/V3G8WaLj7JI/AAAAAAAAMZo/1mpV50zTfYkQn3ZYJX2Buu9rfuXSvKCFwCLcB/s1600/20160627_113945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hdRAkr9fidk/V3G8WaLj7JI/AAAAAAAAMZo/1mpV50zTfYkQn3ZYJX2Buu9rfuXSvKCFwCLcB/s400/20160627_113945.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />MarksArtStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17264514594608800022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127695542554041474.post-79106459807361119452016-06-26T19:09:00.000-07:002016-06-26T19:09:08.713-07:00Day 3: Dosewallips to Olympia. Trip total: 367.7kmToday started a little later than usual, but I managed to get on the road by 7am. As the heat turned out to be an issue later in the day, I'm going to try to stick to a 6am departure tomorrow - it's gonna be a scorcher!<br />
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Today's ride took me along the coast of Oyster Bay and Eld Inlet on my way to Olympia, but as the guidebook lamented, you barely catch a glimpse of either body of water through the foliage. I certainly didn't mind. Riding through a thick canopy of trees protecting me from the blazing sun was an ideal and picturesque ride.<br />
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I arrived past Olympia at the American Heritage Campground where I'll be spending the night. I'm happy to give a shout out to this campsite because when I arrived I casually asked about campsites heading west toward the coast. It seemed to me that they were few and far between, making my next couple days rides inconsistent (68km and 164km).<br />
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A couple hours later the staff tracked me down and located a campsite (without a website, or clearly defined tent camping), but managed to get someone on the phone who confirmed that I could camp there. The kicker - it's 90km away, making the subsequent day's ride only 142km instead of 164km. Thanks guys!<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d3dM6xqmA2o/V3CFJDJb6FI/AAAAAAAAMWc/zggUUYXV2Fc9gtYwBkHWnkBhEcqQZGpOwCLcB/s1600/20160626_060517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d3dM6xqmA2o/V3CFJDJb6FI/AAAAAAAAMWc/zggUUYXV2Fc9gtYwBkHWnkBhEcqQZGpOwCLcB/s400/20160626_060517.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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Two crows seeing me off in the morning</div>
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Leaving Dosewallips</div>
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Trees protecting me from the sun</div>
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Oyster Bay</div>
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My stop for the night</div>
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MarksArtStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17264514594608800022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127695542554041474.post-4226645017911221822016-06-25T18:58:00.001-07:002016-06-25T18:59:23.339-07:00Day 2: Lake Campbell to Dosewallips State Park. Trip total: 255.7kmsI'll admit, I was feeling it on the road today. My left knee was giving me some problems, and sure enough my right quad started acting up because I was compensating. 250m straight up Mt. Walker didn't help matters, but the steep descend and relatively flat road to Dosewallips State Park improved my condition and my mood.<br />
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Early in the day I debated tacking on an extra 48kms and hitting the next state park. It would effectively be the same distance I covered yesterday, and I was feeling good at the time. Thankfully I stuck to the original plan. 110kms felt just right for today, and with two more days of relatively shorter rides, my body should ease back into the touring groove before the really long rides start coming up.<br />
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Dosewallips State Park</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-smOgp6hpRgM/V28ztGXOQlI/AAAAAAAAMVA/jf-vYRBg6UoEX107rjx6ZaBgMrgBFxT9QCLcB/s1600/20160624_182829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-smOgp6hpRgM/V28ztGXOQlI/AAAAAAAAMVA/jf-vYRBg6UoEX107rjx6ZaBgMrgBFxT9QCLcB/s320/20160624_182829.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Leaving Lake Campbell</div>
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Deception Pass</div>
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Fort Townsend</div>
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The most American restaurant I've ever been in. I had a cheeseburger and freedom fries.</div>
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Trees swallowed up the road</div>
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Beautiful but demanding climb for this early on in my trip.</div>
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I've come for your soul</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XgLZK0Qgr70/V28x93iRQdI/AAAAAAAAMUc/rA8OOp_8lns1SxxIbnooVuEo8wHeYkv9gCLcB/s1600/20160625_175914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XgLZK0Qgr70/V28x93iRQdI/AAAAAAAAMUc/rA8OOp_8lns1SxxIbnooVuEo8wHeYkv9gCLcB/s320/20160625_175914.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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My stop for the night</div>
MarksArtStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17264514594608800022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127695542554041474.post-28418588778757526702016-06-24T16:27:00.000-07:002016-06-24T16:27:22.432-07:00Burnaby BC to Campbell Lake Washington: Day 1 is in the books.I started the day at my sister's place in Burnaby, BC, and finished it off at Lake Campbell, Washington, just outside Deception Pass State Park.<br />
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Getting out of BC proved a little more difficult than I'd expected. There are quite a few bridges to cross before hitting the US border and most of them are on roads inaccessible to bikes. It was a chore finding how to get onto the right bike trail that would lead me to the bridge crossings, but it also meant I was able to do a lot of off road biking, which was a nice first day test for Dolores (270lbs fully loaded with gear and my big ass) trying to navigate the muddy, rocky trails hiding around highway 91.<br />
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I didn't know what to expect of cycling in the US, our my own stamina for that matter, but both turned out to be in pretty good shape today. With the overcast weather, Washington didn't didn't really jump out to me until riding through Larrabee State Park, which reinvigorated me with its natural beauty. The 145.6kms I covered today is my highest daily total in two years, and I feel pretty good and ready to tackle another big day tomorrow.<br />
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Larrabee State Park<br />
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Crossing the Fraser River<br />
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Burns Dog Delta Nature Reserve<br />
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Crossing over<br />
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Long road out of Larramee State Park<br />
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Lake CampbellMarksArtStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17264514594608800022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127695542554041474.post-41102163579595372902016-06-15T12:33:00.000-07:002016-06-15T14:15:58.891-07:00Meet DoloresIn one week, I'll be catching a flight to Vancouver where I'll start my ride down the Pacific Coast Highway, finishing off in Tijuana, Mexico.<br />
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Carrying me on this journey will be Dolores, my beautiful Surly Long Haul Trucker, pictured here.<br />
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This will be my second bike tour; the previous being a <a href="http://marksrideaccrosscanada.blogspot.ca/">trek across Canada</a> two years ago. Building on lessons learned the first time around, I've made some adjustments to my trip preparations for this journey.<br />
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1. Sleeping mat. I started my cross-Canada trip without a sleeping mat, naively thinking that my super warm sleeping bag would be comfortable enough to get me through cold nights and hard rocky ground. Never again.<br />
2. Larger panniers. I upgraded to 20L panniers from the 17.5L used on my last trip. 17.5L is big enough, but only just. And it was difficult getting things in and out quickly. 20L gives me a bit more breathing room for storage.<br />
3. Command Centre. Last trip I had my phone in my pocket, which made it difficult to take quick pictures while riding. I missed out on some incredible wildlife pics because I had to stop and fiddle with my phone. This time I'll have my GoPro and phone set up on my handlebars for one-touch access that won't require me to stop riding whenever I want to take a picture or video.<br />
4. SPDs. I did my last tour with pedal baskets, opting for comfortable walking shoes over pedalling-efficiency. As my pace will need to be a bit quicker this time around, I'm going clipless.<br />
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For the next seven days I'll be mentally preparing. It will be a long month alone on the road, packing in ~3000km over ~23 riding days. Wish me luck!<br />
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Gear for the trip<br />
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From top left, across:<br />
1. Camping pot, utensils<br />
2. Camping stove.<br />
3. Multi-tool<br />
4.Phone<br />
5. Bike pump<br />
6. tire repair, allan keys, lubricant<br />
7. Solar charger<br />
8. Clothes<br />
Second Row:<br />
9. Camping towel<br />
10. first aid kit<br />
11. Bear spray<br />
12. portable charger<br />
13. GPS (frame bag for toiletries)<br />
14. sketch pads<br />
15. Watercolour set<br />
16 clothes<br />
Third Row<br />
17. Cable lock<br />
18. Art set<br />
19. sole inserts for spd shoes.<br />
20. Guide book<br />
21. Go Pro<br />
22. Helmet<br />
23. Sunglasses<br />
Fourth Row<br />
24. Sleeping bag<br />
25. Tent<br />
26. Bungee cords<br />
27. Panniers<br />
28. Sleeping mat<br />
<br />MarksArtStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17264514594608800022noreply@blogger.com0