To the Lighthouse

The most physically exhausting part of the trip (the bike ride through the mountains) is over now. It was emotionally draining too. My friend, Bean says our emotions are stored in our muscles, that's why so many people like to do Yoga to stretch them all out. Okay. Maybe so. It is true that the toxins we put into our bodies get trapped in our tissues and excercise, massage, sex, etc releases them. So if both are true, this last week must've been my Three Mile Island.


I am in Seaside, now, trying to take it easy for a change. I'm on my way out to a place called Tillamook Head. There's an off-shore lighthouse called "Terrible Tilly" sorta like Alcatraz, but not really. There's also Cannon Beach and Haystack Rock, the famous places photographed so much and used in so many advertisements. It's raining out, so I'm sorta waylayed, anyway.

Here are some interesting things I discovered so far:

The LED bike headlight clips right onto the collar of my tshirt just under my chin for hands-free night vision. It also clips on my belt, if I am working on something in my lap, carving a wooden spoon, for example.
It can be dropped into the nalgene water bottle for cool blue lantern.
When it's on strobe and spun like a top, impromptu dance party of one.

Hyper Light can sing.
There are no end caps on the handlebars so when the wind hits it just right, the whole bike resonates, like when you blow over the top of a beer bottle but neater.

If you can see St Helen, she can see you. You are probably standing too close. Same goes for Mt Hood, Mt Baker, Mt Adams, Mt Rainier, and all the other dormant time-bombs.

My camera is not so good. To upload photos (when I have them) I first have to install the software. Since none of these computers I am using belong to me, I can not do this. Anyway, the batteries are already dead
so I lost all of the photos I took yesterday of the logging trails where they
deflorate the mountain in a way so horrifying, it is almost beautiful.

If you find a piece of drift wood covered in pitch with iron nails sticking out of it, it's probably from a long ago shipwreck. If you put this piece of wood in your fire, something is about to explode.

End of the Trail

I arrived in Astoria one day early and I am waxed.
100 miles on a bicycle with a backpack full of gear is a long four days of ______________,
I can't think of the word.

No accidents, no injuries, and no tragedies to speak of, except, I just checked my camera and somehow, sometime today, while it was in my pocket, something must've bumped up against it pressing the delete all photos button.

So the memories are mine, and no photograph (especially one taken by my camera) could capture the majesty and beauty my eyes have seen. If you ever wanna come out to Oregon, I can be your guide (for a nominal fee).

See you then!

Cargo

After I got the tent, I got the bike.
It's a Raleigh M-400. It's a chameleon. It has this reflective metallic paint that changes colors.
Sometimes it's bronze, sometimes it's blue, sometimes it's orange. Weird.
I named it Hyperlight, well, someone else did and it stuck.
A printed decal on the handlebars says:

A N S W E R
H Y P E R L I T E

Like that. I'm not sure why or what it means,
except that it's made from anodized aluminum.
It's the best bike I've ever had.
It has a bell, and I found a helmet for two bucks.
It says Maui and sons and has a couple sharks on both sides.
It came with a cable and a lock.

Backpack Contents:
one pair khakis, one pair synthetic cargo pants, three 1/2 pairs shorts (the cargo pants have zip off legs), five changes boxers, five pair socks, four short sleeve tshirts, two long sleeve tshirts,
one pullover, one hoodie, one windbreaker, two pairs gloves (one for warm hands, one for rough working/blackberry harvests), one pocket knife, one multi-tool, one litre naglene water bottle,
one litre Mt Dew, 8 oz Ronsonol, length of rope, utility blade, extra shoelaces, toiletries kit, first aid kit, sewing kit, Gravis flip-flops, converse shoes, coffee, chocolate, tea, dried fruit and nuts

straped on to pack:
Shasta (the tent), wool blanket, sleeping bag

knapsack contents:
Portland Map, Oregon Map, Moon Handbook Oregon Coast, memologue, moleskine datebook, sharpie, uniball vision, two bic pencils, discman, full 24 cd folder, lip balm, hand salve, one bike multi-tool, needle nose pliers, monkey wrench, hex head wrench, Philips digital camera (+ USB cable), lighters + matches, two pairs sunglasses, head and tail lamps for bike (double as flashlights), wine opener, mostly used roll of red vinyl tape

I'm ready to go.
Just need some apple juice, sunscreen, bugspray. . .

I'll be in the wilderness for a few days.
If I don't post again by Wednesday, something's wrong with me.

Okay, bye.

Inventory

I didn't mean to startle you with another accident story,
but falling twelve feet down is a scary experience. If nothing else,
it makes your heart beat faster. My injuries were fairly minor,
just a little roof rash on my palm and elbow and an achey knee.
It might have been much, much worse. I got lucky. Again.

***


I've spent the past couple days making preparations, planning the route,
deciding how to organize my cargo so the weight is evenly distributed,
determining what is necessary and what I need to discard, or donate, I should say, to one of the many charities in this town.

I still need to collect a few things, like head and tail lights, a helmet, extra tubes,
air pump, water, sunscreen, bug spray.

I intend to spend at least a couple days crossing the mountains,
and I know there's internet in Astoria, but I just don't know how
accessible it will be for someone like me. I'll post when I can.

In the meantime, if you want to see video of parts of my five day trip
from Chicago to here, there's high-lights selected by my friend Tom Grimley.
I recommend this one and this other one. But there's also this.

Falling Fast & Falling Free

Mount Hood

I've been using the barter section of craigslist a lot lately. Today, I exchanged my gutter cleaning services for the new tent I'll be sleeping in for the next few weeks. On the way down from the roof, the extension ladder slipped out and I fell, catching shingles with my elbow and teeth.

When the crashing stopped, I was hanging on with one hand (the one that wasn't bleeding), until I got a grip and gently let myself down. Later, after I washed my wounds and readjusted the ladder's feet, I climbed back up and shot this photo.

There's the mountain, just to the right of the lamp post,
one hundred miles away from where I stand.

I'm moving away from that death trap, that sleeping thunderhead, away and back into the sea.

City of Roses

South Park Blocks.

There's adventure before this post and there will be more to come. For now, I am in Portland.
This public park was outside the door from where I worked at the Historical Society.



I will try to post as often as I can, but in the next few days, I'm headed out to Astoria, the official End of the Lewis & Clark Trail.