Location: Dayville, OR (Dayville Community Presbyterian Church) I’m much too tired to write tonight, but I’ll jot down the facts of the day. We lucked out last night and didn’t get besieged by thunderstorms. I could hear them in the distance as I lay awake, and occasionally flashes of lightning woke me up in the […]
Archives for August 2014
Biking through thunderstorms – Bike Across America Day 8
Location: Prineville, OR (Ochoco Lake) I woke early this morning with only the slightest scratching in my throat. Today was the first day I beat Brian out of the tent. Mark, Kim, and Dave had already packed up their tents and were just preparing to leave. Mark and Kim wore matching yellow rain jackets, and […]
Cycling to the top of Santiam Pass in the Cascades – Bike Across America Day 7
Location: Sisters, OR (Sisters City Park) I woke this morning with a sore throat. It hurt yesterday but I didn’t think much of it, attributing it to dehydration and acid reflux. This morning, though, I could tell that I was sick. I couldn’t feel a fever, but my throat was dry and scratchy. Since I […]
Biking into the Cascade Mountains – Bike Across America Day 6
Location: East of Blue River, OR (Cougar Reservoir) I woke early this morning to find Dave watering his vegetable garden in his boxers. Dawn was just breaking, and we had a lot to get done today. Despite our workload and Dave’s nine A.M. deadline for a blackboard submission, he insisted we eat a hearty breakfast. […]
The friendliest bike town – Bike across America Day 5
Location: Eugene, OR (Dave Moss’ house at U of O) First thing this morning, I had an interview with a reporter with the Jacksonville Daily News in North Carolina, and then we went down to the public library in Corvallis. It didn’t open until ten o’clock, so we waited outside for thirty minutes or so. […]
Cycling into arid Central Oregon – Bike Across America Day 4
I woke this cold morning to the sound of Harley-Davidson exhaust pipes rumbling past my campsite. The downside of camping in an RV park is the noise of engines and boisterous children. The other downside is the light. Street lights and family campfires made my tent walls glow in the night, so much so I […]
Breaking in the cycling legs on Oregon coast – Bike Across America Day 3
Location: Otis, Oregon We left Tillamook early this morning after a brief shower, some bike maintenance, and a couple slices of cold pizza, leftovers from last night. We left the campground around nine o’clock, disappointed that our first few hours of energy and time would be spent backtracking. As it turned out, we only had […]
Lost Biking in Oregon – Bike Across America Day 2
Location: Tillamook, OR Unfortunately I’m still in Tillamook. We had a pleasant ride along Oregon’s coast and we saw many sweeping views of the Pacific and the coastline. Much of the day we spent cycling on the flat roads around a large bay, through the towns of Bay City, Tillamook, Oceanside, and Netarts. There were […]
Cycling the Oregon Coastline – Bike Across America Day 1
Location: Nantahalem Bay State Park Today we began our journey to bike across America. I am resting here in my tent with fifty miles behind me, and I greatly anticipate the forty-five hundred miles before us. Our first day has been filled with mishap, adventure, pain, and exhilaration. When we first set out from the […]
Backpacking Gear Checklist for the 100 Mile Wilderness
Be well supplied or turn back! The 100 Mile Wilderness, part of the Appalachian Trail in Maine, has signs marking the entrance that give fair warning to backpackers. Backpackers know they’ll need to hike 100 miles with just what’s in their packs! Taking at least 10 days of food and keeping in mind seasonal adjustments, […]