Nine mile mountain

She was peering at us sideways when she prepped (threatened?) us about the hilly section just south of Crescent City. That "you'll see" glint was in her eyes and she dismissed us as crazies who would attempt such a ride. The hotel manager was far from my mind as I approached the first of the hills, gung ho for the climb. And it went well, despite a couple losses. I lost my water bottle on the down side of the mountain-busting out of the bungie-front bike rack holster I had contrived. And I lost my wallet, on the summit of the same mountain. I guess on one of my picture taking stops I had set my wallet down on top of the pannier instead of inside and disregarded the jangling noise of the coins being strewn all over the black-top. Fortunately Chris noticed the black leather shape and forced herself to turn around to ensure it wasn't a wallet. My thanks to you Chris for saving me from a ride up the back side of the nine mile hill. In the Giesbrecht lineage of wallet displacers- Wendy

Our new friend Roach

Yes he' s a real guy and no that's not his real name. But he met us at a Groundations concert downtown Arcata. Bright eyed, bobble-headed, beanie wearing Roach was the first to get us on the dance floor. Dancing hippi style to Raggae is hand waving shoulder swagging action. When the music slowed down, which inevitably it did, the dance became more of a sway. I got a kick out of the go-go girls, giving support vocals to the lead turbanned rapper; and a trombone duo on the other side -anything goes in Arcata. When we couldn't see for the smoke, we returned to our free back yard abode, living as the hippies do. Peace, love, and happiness: Wendy

The Road Less Travelled

Getting off the highway is one of the greatest joys of cycling. Cruising down a quite rural route, whether it's snaking along the ocean's shore or winding through giant redwood forests, is infinitely more enjoyable than choking on smog and watching gigantic trucks full of gigantic logs racing towards the mill (though we do love all the flattering and encouraging honks we get on the highways).

Luckily, the pacific coast bike route is well marked and often leads us down less busy roads. And even when it doesn't, we ask locals if there's any way to stay off the freeway.

Coming into Arcata a few days ago, this led us down a few very interesting paths....

First, we wound back and forth, up and down on a roller-coaster of a road the hugged a steep hillside and overlooked the ocean. Eventually, we came to a "road closed ahead" sign, but we were told by locals that we could probably make it through. We came to the baracade a few miles further on and wheeled our bikes around it....to find that the road had sunk down about 8 feet in a landslide, leaving a series of huge steps in the pavement. It was awkward to manoeuver bikes and bobs through the obstacle course, but we had some good laughs doing it and taking pictures of one another.

Back on smoother pavement, we started to follow bike route signs again, and as the road became more and more narrow and more and more encrusted with dried manure, we started looking around and laughing, wondering if we'd gotten ourselves lost in farm land. Cows lines both sides of the road that was barely wide enough for a single car and we choked on the smell of fresh manure. And just when we thought that we must have gotten ourselves off track, another bike route sign appeared and ushered us into Aracata (the craziest hippy town you could imagine, but more on that from one of the other girls!).

As we look down the map to southern California and see our small coastal roads turning into huge double-lane highways, we're keeping our fingers crossed that there will be more little roads like this where we can dodge washouts and cow patties :)

~ Christine

my sanity is somewhere back in redwood national forest

We were cruising among the tallest trees in the world, dwarfed by their enormous trunks and nearly falling off our bikes when we tried to crane our necks far enough to see their very tops. It was amazing, albeit a little chilly in the shade, and we coasted slowly down the hill (we'd just laboured to the top of our biggest hill yet), stopping once in a while to take pictures of trees that were especially impressive.

We took a break near one giant that had been completely burned out in the middle and I had the brilliant idea of wheeling my bike right into it and parking it there for a picture. Easy enough. Unfortunately, getting the bike and bob back out of the tree wasn't quite as easy as getting it in and in the process (more of a brute force manoeuver than a process, actually), bent my derailleur hanger. Of course, I didn't know that that was the problem until I rode the screaming beast 20 miles to the next town with a bike shop after being unable to adjust it properly myself.

And boy did it scream. Even in my quiet gear, I was embarassed to be making so much noise when we would pass pedestrians or even cars with their window's open. Jodie and Wendy tried hard to keep their distance while I gritted my teeth and cursed under my breath the whole way to town. By the time we got here, I was at my nerve's end.

Thankfully a delicious bowl of ice cream and a local hero (Justin from Revolution Bicycle Repairs) were enough to save my sanity and me and my bike are both happy again. And I've promised not to force bob into any more awkward positions like that ever again.

~Christine

Revolution Bicycle Repair / Campsite of choice in Arcata...

Chris' bike has been screaming quite loudly for the last 20 miles, my rear derailleur was unhappy, and Wendy's rear tire have been giving in regularly to the little pieces of metal along the highway... We had heard good things about the quirky little town of Arcata and decided that it would be a good place to take a break and get our bikes looked at. We made it to the plaza, the heart of downtown Arcata, just to find out that the nearest camping or hotels were a good 7km back from where we'd just came from. Ahhhh!!!
After a 30min timeout period to find food and plan our next steps, we decided that we would find a bike shop first and then make the trek back to find a motel. Justin at Revolution solved all of our problems; he first fixed both of our bikes, found a tire for Wendy, and then graciously offered the business's backyard for a campsite. We are glad to say we have happy bikes, a great camping spot (downtown), and free tickets to live music tonight all for the low, low price of 5$ US.
Thanks Justin!
~Jodie

Random Thoughts

We rode a stiff tail wind along some of the best coast line so far. My favorite part is the lazy uphills and stack rocks jutting just off the beach, breaking up the surf. Since 10am Chris had us dreaming of fish and chips in Gold Beach, which we sufficiently indulged in, malt vinegar and all. A gold rush occured up the Rogue River a decade pre-Klondike, FYI. These are my disconnected thoughts. Celebrating our last night in Oregon here in Gold Beach with sugar cookies and a cottage all to our own:) from Wendy

heads or tails?

It probably would surprise you if I said that the weather was the biggest factor in determining whether it is to be a good day, a so-so day or a not-so-good day on the bike. Anything is more enjoyable in the sunshine and cycling is no exception.

But even more important to the level of fun on a bike (and the bikers' sanity) is the wind. The good 'ole lick your finger and stick it in the air trick is honest and truely the most reliable way to predict whether the riding will be good or bad on any given day.

A headwind? Ugg.
No wind? Well, I'll take it, since it's sunny.
A tailwind like the one we've had for the past 4 days? Yes, please!

Even though it's too gusty to be comfortably warm when you're not moving (sweaters on at lunch time), once you're going the same speed as the wind, it feels like a beautiful summer day and you cruise along at 30kph in a tank top, loving life! Add incredible ocean views, relatively few hills, and good cycling partners and I just can't imagine anything nicer!

~Christine

Pickled Asparagus and Yurts

The yurt really is a wonderful thing. It is heated, has electricity, costs only 30$/night, keeps us away from raccoons, and even motivates us to stay up past 9pm on rainy nights! We were tired, soggy, and very grateful when we found our yurt on Wednesday evening… Now you can’t stay inside all day when you’re hungry, so brave Wendy went out in search of food. She came back with a huge can of chili and an even bigger jar of pickled asparagus – this was our feast for lunch yesterday. After a lot of grunting and groaning to get the lid off (and splashing a fair bit of juice all over the yurt) we discovered yet another delicacy that we have learned to appreciate on our journey along the west coast... although I'm still not sure that Christine is agrees on this one.
~Jodie

Trip stats so far

flats Christine has had = 2
times Jodie's fallen off her bike = 2
times Wendy has dropped her bike = 5(+/-)
stormed-in days = 3
times we've lost food to scrounging animals = 3
jars of goober consumed = 2
sore butts = 3

snoopy sums it up perfectly

we found this comic stip in a newspaper and it sums up bicycle touring quite nicely. we've tried to take pictures of it on order to post it, but it doesn't work out very well, so i've tried to recreate it here:



Dear Brother Snoopy:
Life here in the desert sure is exciting. Last night the sun went down and this morning the sun camp up. There's always something going on.

It's 2am and over the lull of the ocean, a rap

against the tent door. The second slap jolts me awake and induces a yell. Too light to be a bear but too testy to be a branch, I suspect the nasty, crafty racoon. An initial head lamp sweep while half inside the vestibule reveals nothing, but a further inspection shows we've been stormed, unawares. The vermin have eaten my food stores completely, easily prying off the tupperware lid of my "kitchen". They've danced all over the picnic table with yogurty paws and peered inside my panniers for more easy treats. We see three or four sets of eyes in the bush, asking who dares impinge on their midnight ball. I lie awake later, listening to the ongoing cluster cleaning up on crumbs. Learning (again) how to leave a clean camp each evening, and looking for a slingshot on my travels. -Wendy

crazy cold-weather canucks!

It was too rainy and windy to ride yesterday so we huddled in our yurt, reading books, doing crossword puzzles and writing postcards. In the mid-afternoon, still lazing around in her PJ's, Jodie had a flash of motivation and suggested that we get ourselves outside and go do something. And what better to do on the cold, rainy Oregon coast than play in the ocean?! So that's what we did. While the very few others braving the bad weather were bundled in winter jackets and ponchos, we were running around foolishly in our bikinis with tiny travel towels that didn't really make us any more modest. The water felt great, though and the adrenaline definitely warmed us up for a while :)

~ Christine

sea lions or tired bikers?

We stopped in Astoria to watch some sea lions lazing on a dock in the harbour. Their sloth-ful ways reminded us (Jodie especially!) of how we feel most mornings when we try to drag ourselves out of bed. We joked that we are still in the stage of being overly couteous to one another and that soon, manners in our tent would be reduced to those of the sea lions on the dock as they barked angrily at one another and flopped around awkwardly on their flippers (picture us with arms trapped in our sleeping bags) trying to boost others out of their way in order to win more space for themselves. I can't wait until we reach that level of comfort with one another :-S

~ Christine

Sunset Beach RV/Mobile Home Park

We definitely had some entertainment at our latest campsite! Camp manager Sue's husband, Dennis, is an ex-stagecoach driver from Tombstone, Az so he has no problem entertaining a campfire of guests; begginning with a racey joke about football and heading into endless "didjaknow" facts about the area, he kept us laughing for quite sometime. Norm (another tenant) brought home a HUGE bag of crab that him and his buddies caught yesterday and gave us all a treat. Dwayne was quite happy to sit around the fire and give us lessons on how to get every sliver of meat out of the shell... We even got Christine in on the goodness! We finally went to bed when one of them was walking around with a laundry basket on his head and the rest singing and laughing along.
A cultural experiance indeed!
~Jodie

raindrops are falling on my.....everything

Well, what we thought was supposed to be a 40% chance of showers turned into about 40cm of rain and we're currently storm-bound in Seaside, Oregon.

We woke up to the sound of rain pounding on our tent this morning and after a long breakfast in the laundry room (a very warm place to hang out!), we accepted the inevitable, packed up our soggy stuff and headed off into the downpour.

An interesting fact about the US west coast: when the weather is good, the wind blows from the north. When it's bad, it blows from the south. On a bike, that means that your bad days are REALLY bad because on top of the cold and rain, you're also battling a stiff headwind. In this case, a near impossible one. When a gust would come up, we'd almost grind to a halt and when the wind shifted, we'd be tossed sideways, either into the dirt, or into traffic.

So, when we made it to Seaside, we decided to find a cheap and warm place to wait out the bad weather. To keep ourselves busy? Lots of book reading and movie watching (we've cranked the heat in our room as high as it'll go), lots of fish and chips eating, and maybe even a swim in the ocean tomorrow (in wetsuits and with surfboards, that is)!

~ Christine

the greatest challenge

i started out strong. i was feeling great and didn't think that it would be any problem to finish. near the halfway point, i had to stop for a break. i thought a bit of water would help see me through to the end. i tried to remember why i was doing this and thought about the promise i had made to myself when i started. it still felt like too much. jodie and wendy started to cheer me on, sensing that i was near my limits. i dug down deep, very deep.....

......and finished the last bite of my HUGE oreo and hot fudge sunday at Dennies!

did i have you going? believe me, eating that thing hurt more than biking ever could!

~Christine

On the Road!

Well, after a summer of dreaming and planning, we are actually on the road! So far the scenery has been amazing and the weather even better. Mice, crows, and raccoons have all sampled our food - but we are quick learners! We are also bonding with our bikes, trailers, and panniers - all of which have been affectionately named... I have yet to really get along with my clipless pedals (they have already resulted in some of my blood being left on highway 101) but it will happen soon enough. We are having lots of laughs and are looking forward to the roads ahead!
~Jodie :)

From Aberdeen, Wa. not so much a tourist stop but a recovery day after three strong days in the saddle. I grimace every time I sit down, but this too will pass. Daily we wake up to frosty fingers and numb toes, which only the first 25 km thaw out-bring on California warmth! Granola, cheese and laughs sustain us from check point to check point. Plus I look forward to the espresso signs at every roadside gas station. Life is not so hard on a bike with a warm drink in your hand. -Wendy

yup, i'm a gonna bike to mexico

It's crazy how much attention you get on a bike. Just about everyone we meet has something to say to us; whether it's a word of caution or encouragement, advice about routes or the weather or just wondering where we're from and where we're headed. It's even funnier to answer their questions so early in our trip. I sort of feel like an imposter when people ohh and ahh about how far we're going when the truth is we've only been on the road for 3 days and hardly feel like hard-core long-distance cyclists yet. But still, it's so fun to see people's reactions when we tell them we're on our way to the Baja!

~Christine

We're off!

We've been dreaming about this trip all summer - an adventure by bicycle through the US, Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Bolivia. And, although the 'plan' (if you can even call it that) has changed a million times, the goal is the same: to ride our bikes through 5 countries in order to experience them at a pace that will let us learn as much as possible about the cultures and landscapes we're visiting as well as about ourselves.

So, here's to sore butts, sunburns, cervezas and sunsets over the pacific - let the journey begin!

We'll each be posting our own stories on this site over the next 5-6 months. Check in often to keep up to date on our adventures. We'll also upload our favorite pictures as we go - see the sidebar for the link to our picture site, as well as our intended route maps.

~Christine