Writing blogs are hard… especially when you’re riding all day and then when finally getting to camp, setting up the tent, cooking, eating, maybe showering and then crawling into the tent and falling asleep with the phone in hand ready to write something! I will soon try catch you all up on my journey down the beautiful Oregon coast… in the meantime, here are a few pictures to whet the appetite!

September 19, 2019

Purpose. I wanted this adventure to have greater meaning beyond just riding down the coast to have a good time for myself.

This story begins during the summer of 2018 when my life mate Jenny and I signed up for challenging and beautiful long single-day group ride in Colorado called the Copper Triangle. This particular ride starts in the bustling ski resort of Copper Mountain and heads up and over three major passes (Fremont, Tennessee and Vail) all above 10,000ft while going through the towns of Leadville, Mintern and Vail. The distanced of the ride is about 79 miles and it started at 7 AM on a crisp August morning. On the ride, Jenny had introduced me to an industry friend, Duane, whose name I had known and whose wife I knew, but who I had never met until then. As luck (or fate) would have it, our worlds came together on this beautiful day. Duane had recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and was starting to come to grips with his new reality and the impact this would have on his life, family, activities, passions, etc. Duane had been a long-time cyclist and and a very strong one at that!

Fast forward one year and I went with Jenny (and her dad Jimmy) to ride RAGBRAI, which is always the last full week of July. RAGBRAI is acronym for (Des Moines) Register’s Annual Great Ride Across Iowa and is the largest group riding event in the world with an estimated attendance of about 25,000 people. In its 45th year running, it is a week-long ride across Iowa with a festival kind of vibe. Jenny, her dad and I have done it 9, 8, and 7 times respectively. In fact, RAGBRAI is where Jenny and I originally met. We learned that Duane would be going and so we soon made plans to connect with each other. Each one of the seven day rides is officially dedicated to one cause or another and this year one of the days was dedicated to the Davis Finney Foundation which is an amazing 501(c)3 public charity supporting awareness and education in the fight against Parkinson’s disease based out of Boulder Colorado. The Foundation functions without an endowment and depends on donations from individuals, foundations and corporations. It reaches an international audience through its programs and online programming.

Davis Phinney IS an amazing athlete! He was born in Boulder, Colorado in 1959. During his racing career he racked up, a record for an American, 328 race victories in the 1980s and 90s including 2 Tour de France stages! In many circles Davis is considered the best cyclist of his generation, if not ever. At age 40 Davis was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and then started his nonprofit organization (DPF) in 2004.

Duane invited the three of us to join in the ceremony benefiting the Davis Phinney Foundation on the morning of the fourth day of RAGBRAI. It was as much a moving experience as it was inspirational to see all these athletes afflicted by this debilitating condition of various degrees, but still getting out there on their bikes to support each other as well as the foundation. I had the distinct honor of meeting Davis and got a chance to spend a little time with him. Throughout the day, I mostly rode with Duane and got to know him much better. It was amazing to see all the participants throughout the day wearing their DPF jerseys and making such a statement creating awareness around this issue.

As I was preparing in the months ahead of this bike trip, I had been contemplating dedicating this trip to some important cause, but no one particular idea was capturing me. Then a few days before my departure Jenny suggested that I dedicate my ride to the Davis Finney foundation! voilà! Why hadn’t I thought of this? But of course this was the perfect idea and solution and I immediately became so excited! My ride now had the greater purpose I was seeking and this was a perfect fit! On my behalf Jenny quickly reached out to Duane to let him know about this idea and asked if could create a facebook fundraiser on the foundation’s behalf. One day later I received an official DPF jersey and set up a fundraiser link on Facebook and off I went to the airport to start my journey! I am happy and fulfilled with each petal stroke I make in honor of DPF. Additionally, I take every opportunity with the many people I meet to explain and educate about this great cause I am riding for.

If you would like to donate to this amazing organization please follow this link through Facebook and for anyone who isn’t in this social media community you can venmo or PayPal me and I’ll make the contribution on your behalf.

The following is a post I had written in my notes before my iPhone kicked the bucket. I will need to catch you all up on the many crazy adventures since then! More to come soon!

September 12, 2019

As I woke up today, I felt a bit stiff after having ridden 200+ miles over the last three days… all while carrying my heavy load! I made breakfast consisting of an apple I picked up at the orchard yesterday, granola with blueberries, hot coffee and two ibuprofen! It wasn’t so much the legs muscles bothering me, but rather my hips and knees were aching. Nothing terrible… just some light joint discomfort. After brushing my teeth and saying goodbye to Ann and her little dog Ruby, I rolled out of beautiful Sequim Bay State Park 10:30 AM. As I was headed out of the campground, I noticed a little path running the same direction as I would have been going on the highway 20. After looking at the map followed by a quick Google search (thank goodness for technology and decent cell service), I learned this path was the “ODT” (Olympic Discovery Trail) which apparently is rather famous and popular and essentially goes around most of the perimeter of Olympic Peninsula. But more importantly I learned it was a fairly direct route to Port Angeles which would get me off the busy Highway 20 for a while.

Interlude: (this next section is about the risks of biking in traffic and the things I do to reduce those risks… feel free to skip ahead if this doesn’t interest you!)

Speaking of busy highways and traffic, let’s talk safety! I’ll take a few moments to share some of my thoughts around the potential dangers and risk of bike touring and some of the things I’m doing to mitigate these dangers. Let’s be honest, the most obvious risk and danger is getting hit by a car. Most of the ACA (Adventure Cycling Association) designated routes try to avoid heavily trafficked roads and narrow shoulders. Ultimately, your greatest risk of being hit is by distracted drivers… they’re texting, eating, putting on makeup, reaching for something, talking on their phone, or any of a myriad of things we multitask while driving. We all do it, but the consequences seem much more acute when it is you who has your life at risk. But like with anything in life, we take precautions to minimize that risk to the greatest degree possible. Most states, if not all, have an 3 foot rule which means that cars must give cyclists at least 3 feet between the car and the bicycle. In my experience 40% of vehicles move over significantly (crossing the middle line) and 50% follow the 3 foot rule which then leaves the dreaded 10%. Of that 10%, my guess is 9% falls under people having no awareness and 1% are motorist who just plain don’t like cyclists for one reason or another.

So what do I do? First I make sure to only ride my bike during daylight hours. Even riding at dusk alongside traffic feels a bit uncomfortable and dangerous. Additionally, there are number of pieces of gear and equipment that I have strategically incorporated to make me safer on the road. Some are more subtle while others are more obvious. Prior to this trip, one of the most important purchases I made was buying the best technology available in very bright day running lights in the front and red lights in the back; both of which have multiple settings from solid to various blinking patterns. Next, with the help my personal master seamstress and 87-year-old mother, I have two flags attached to a fiberglass stick sticking out of the back of my bike. The movement of the flags works as a indicator to approaching cars that I am there. Prior to the trip I also received an amazing gift from my girlfriend Jenny and her dad (and my good friend) Jimmy… a bright Neon orange helmet made by POC to make myself more visible! Finally, the thing that I use the most by far and which I believe gives me the best chances of safety on the road is a small rear view mirror that’s attached to my left handlebar. I’m constantly glancing down to see if there are any vehicles approaching from behind and if they are (and as they get closer), I have the ability to adjust my position in the shoulder based on what I observe in the mirror. Hopefully, by employing all the strategies and devices, I will be safe on the road for years to come!

The ODT path was spectacular! It was like being in another world… away from the cars and noise of traffic, in nature and full of grand solitude. I was beaming and grinning ear to ear as I pedaled down the ODT path and through the forests.

At some point a fellow cyclist on a road bike came up behind me and started riding with me and taking up conversation. He had tons of questions about where I was going and what my route was going to be, my packing strategy, time and distance, etc. We ended up riding together for about 10 miles which was great as I enjoyed the company. All along this part of Washington, there are miles and miles of blackberry bushes all with ripe blackberries. This brought back fond memories of when I was a child living on our farm in Virginia and my mother would take us kids down to the local stream where there were lots of blackberry bushes. We would pick berries for hours (eating about 25% as we picked) amongst the thorns and mom would spend days making and canning the most amazing blackberry jams that would last us all winter!

Twenty-five miles later I reached a fairly large town called Port Angeles which is a port city for cruise ships as well as Ferries coming and going to various places like Victoria BC and Vancouver. I stopped at the visitor center when I saw a few other bike touring people hanging out outside the center. I started talking to a young kid (in his early 20’s) who had just solo biked across the United States from Washington DC and had finally reached the Pacific Ocean the day before. Boy was he thrilled and what an accomplishment! He gave me some information about Port Angeles and told me the best place for food which was a natural food store a few blocks away where I went to right away. I had the most amazing French dip on ciabatta bread including Au Jus with caramelized onions! Yum! After lunch, I went outside to continue my ride but quickly retreated as another band of rain blew through! So I went back into the cafe to check my phone for email and messages. Occasionally, I would go back outside and check on the weather, but each time it just continued to rain with more intensity as the time went on. After while I decided to venture out to a couple of outdoor stores to supplement my rain gear as the forecast showed lots of moisture over the next few days. A couple hours later, I decided to get a room for the night and found a motel very close by. I went over to the Motel and “negotiated” a great $59 rate. The motel with the flickering neon lights outside was definitely a dirt bag hotel but the room seemed fairly clean and certainly beat sleeping in the rain. I took the opportunity to wash a bunch of clothes in a laundromat close by and grab a late dinner at a Chinese restaurant a block away. When I got back to my motel, I laid down and fell fast asleep.

Hi everyone! A quick note to let you know I’m still alive but my iPHone isn’t! Half way around the Olympic Peninsula, my iPhone was possessed by by an evil spirit and then decided to kick the bucket the next morning… the dreaded black screen. No navigation, no communication (phone, text, email, What’sUp, communicator…..), no camera, no video, no social media and no WORDPRESS!! So after a couple days, I finally made it around WET Olympic Peninsula to Aberdeen, WA where my new Brizilian friends and I were graciously hosted by some amazing “Warm Shower” hosts (a free bicycle hosting community). So now I must detour 90 miles to the nearest Apple store in Tacoma, WA to have my phone replaced! So it goes, the adventure continues and it could certainly be worse (except the buckets of rain part). I look forward to getting you all up to speed on my grand adventure… stay tuned!! Ciao!

9/11/19

Rosario Beach State Park is such a tranquil and peaceful place… that is until you are awakened by F-18 Hornet fighter jets roaring overhead at 6:30am after just having taken off from Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. I suppose I needed to get up soon(ish) anyway, but sheesh, that’s not my idea of a wake-up call! My new best friends Benoit, Stephanie and Makena got up around 7am which prompted me to crawl out of the wet tent. My gracious hosts made me breakfast with hot coffee and charged up my two external batteries fully! What a treat and honor to have spent these rich hours with my new Canadian friends!

Interlude:

Over the years I’ve spent a lot of time in Canada (mostly on business) and have always come to appreciate the cool culture, kindness and fierce independence of the people there. I can’t say that I’ve ever met a Canadian I didn’t like – they have all been so good-natured, fun and with great since of humor…. and really skilled partiers to boot! I often feel Canadians are way more closely aligned to Europeans in terms of their culture, values, politics, and just plain overall outlook on life. And in addition to all of that, I love the way they treat and protect cyclists as is evident in their extensive bicycle path systems and signage everywhere.

I ended up hanging out in Rosario beach most of the morning including going for a bit of a hike on a beautiful path that climbs up to great vantage point overlooking the coastline and secluded bay. The process of packing up all the camping gear and all the other things, while making sure everything goes back in its exact same place, takes a little more time than I expected… averaging between an 1 and 1.5 hours. I finally said all my goodbyes and rolled out of beautiful Rosario Bay State Park Campground around 11:30 AM. I only road about 2 miles before stopping for some more food at a local country store. I was really in the mood for a breakfast burrito or breakfast sandwich of some sort, but since it was close to noon and they were long sold out, I settled for a 1 pound apple fritter with which probably had 100 grams of sugar! With the last bite still in my mouth, I continued riding and went across some really cool bridges climbing and descending in the never ending cycle. At some point just before reaching the quaint little seaside town of Coupeville, I noticed some people picking apples in a small orchard consisting of three apple trees off the side of the road. The ever opportunist in me decided to I stop and so I pulled around to where they were and asked if they had any apples to spare which, with great enthusiasm, said I can take as many as I would like. It seemed as if it were a family and they said they were picking apples on their own property to make a big batch of cider for themselves and their friends. This young man got down off this rickety ladder and said he would move to over to get some better and bigger apples for me which he did, dropping them down to me one by one. I really only had enough room for three, so I thanked them for their kindness and went on my way, but not before taking a picture with my apple picking friend.😊

When I reached Coupeville, I stopped at a local grocery store and while looking for a sandwich started talking to a older Swedish lady who moved to the states in 1959 and we talked all about my son Didrik and his connection to Sweden and how the world has change so much in the time that she had left Sweden. It was a fun but brief exchange and she jokingly invited me to have some lunch or as they say in Swedish a little “Fica”, but alas I couldn’t as her home was some miles away in the wrong direction! After my lunch stop, I got back on the road and 10 miles later I reached Fort Casey where I had to take a ferry across to Port Townsend. This was very exciting since this is my first ferry ride on this trip and my first ferry ride on a bicycle! It was also the first mode of transport other than pedaling the bike. The cost of the ferry was $3.60 and I was directed to be the first person to board before the pedestrians who then border before all the vehicles. The ferry ride lasted about 20 minutes which I spent on the upper deck looking around at the beautiful views in every direction. The coastline very much reminds me of the coastline on the west coast of Sweden… rugged, cool and rocky. Once in Port Townsend I stopped at the local grocery store and picked up some provisions and then went to a hardware store where I bought a few more freeze dried meals since I wanted to make sure I had enough food on my counterclockwise circumnavigation of the peninsula. At this point I had another 25 miles to go (about 2 more hours) to get to the next state park which allowed camping – Squim Bay State Park. It was late in the day and my legs were tired, but I kept on pedaling in Hwy 20 despite a couple very large and long hills and passes that I had to ascend – however each time being rewarded with big downhill coasting runs. I finally reached Squim Bay State Park campground around 7 PM and rolled into an empty and perfect campsite overlooking the water and started setting up camp. What I didn’t realize was this particular “perfect” site was already reserved and just about the time I finished setting my tent up and putting out all my cooking supplies, the owner of the site came rolling in with her RV camper. I immediately jumped up and talked to her and said I was willing to move right away as they were a number of other campsites open. We exchanged pleasantries and then she said I should just stay where I am as she wouldn’t be using the campsite except to park her RV. Ann and her little Shih Tzu dog Rudy were super friendly and cordial and gracious in sharing their campsite with me! As it was getting dark, I quickly set to work making my dinner which was a freeze dried “Cuban black beans and rice” with pulled fried chicken that I bought in Coupeville along with local IPA beer I had purchased the day before. After dinner, I headed for my tent and fell fast asleep after I finished writing, editing and adding photos to my last blog post. Barely able to keep my eyes open, I quickly fell deep into deep state of sleep to sounds of nature all around me!

September 10, 2019

Day three began at about 6 AM with an alarm clock consisting of wild birds squawking in the trees high above my camp. As I slowly came out of deep sleep, I realized where I was which brought a smile to my face. Almost immediately it was quite evident I wasn’t in Colorado anymore… as I was staring up at the roof of my tent, I could see the moisture and dew which had accumulated on my rainfly overnight. I got up and started heating some water for some awesome instant coffee (from my good friends at Alpine Start) and for some freeze dried oatmeal with blueberries which actually was quite delicious. after returning from the impressively clean bathrooms, I ran into a couple from Steamboat Springs Colorado (Larry and Laura) and had a brief but fun exchange with them. I finally jumped on my bike around 10:30a and slowly headed south through the town of Ferndale and then stopped in Bellingham at a cool Pizzeria and had two delicious slices of New York style pepperoni pizza.

As I headed south out of Bellingham, the road started climbing steeply into a dark, dense, wet and mossy forest! Things got interesting as this beautiful road continued to climb and descend with undulations, twists and turns. I rode along side another cyclist who was out for an afternoon ride and chatted as we road for about 10 miles. As I was riding back down the steep decent into the valley, out of nowhere and completely isolated, I noticed a small oyster bar/restaurant. I decided to stop, went in and had the most amazing fresh plump oysters you can ever imagine. Off I went again pedaling south in hopes of getting to my next camp ground called Deception Pass State Park at Rosario Beach.

Nearing dusk again, I rode into and around the surprisingly small campground and as I stopped to chat with the camp host about a finding bikepacking site, a friendly guy with an French accent came up to me and said I could join him and his wife and camp in their site for free! Wow! I followed him over to his site and made quick introductions. Ben (Benoit) and Stephanie (from Quebec) are a few months into a year-long Adventure traveling around the US, Canada and Mexico in their camper pulled by a diesel VW Tiguan. So friendly and such amazing hosts, they gave me a place to pitch my tent for free, poured me wine, invited me to join them for pasta Carbonara, charged all my electronics via their big lithium battery and then cooked me breakfast with hot coffee in the morning! It’s so fun to make these kind of random connections in the middle of nowhere! We had lots of thought provoking conversations about life, priorities values, world and US politics and shared stories about life experiences, family, friends, travel… and much more! I slept well after many miles on the bike and hours of making new friends!

September 9, 2019

Day two of my grand biking adventure started in beautiful West Vancouver (or as they say locally West Van) with a hearty breakfast including delicious bread, organic free range eggs, Manuka honey, fresh squeezed orange juice and fresh blueberries with yogurt. As I was pushing my monstrous mobile home out the front door, my friend and gracious host Mike suggested I take a can beer to enjoy for when I arrive at my destination later in the day. I didn’t like the idea of carrying that extra weight, but I loved the idea of having a beer at the end of the day so I quickly accepted! My friends Mike and Heather were amazing hosts and incredibly gracious to take me in for the night and give me such a warm send off and start to my long ride ahead!

After breakfast I quickly set to work organizing and re-packing my bags and departed their house at 8:45 AM. My first order of business was retracing my steps back along Marine Drive which follows a scenic seaside road back to Lions Gate Bridge that is the access point back to downtown Vancouver. Marine Drive is very hilly and the distance is about 12 miles from their house. I was finally officially starting my ride… woohoo! Before reaching the bridge, it started drizzling and I stopped to get out my new Patagonia rain jacket and helmet cover. A mile down the road I ran into a local grocery store and got a couple of plastic bags that I used to wrap around my feet to keep my shoes dry. I reinforced this with a couple of rubber bands around my ankles where the bag was tied off. I certainly got a few funny looks, but this was definitely more about function than fashion… and function it was as they work beautifully to keep my feet and shoes warm, dry and cozy! At the apex of the bridge, I stopped to look at the expensive views in every direction and looked at Stanley Park (which I had ridden around countless times over the years) from this cool new perspective and vantage pointe that I hadn’t seen before. Once I crossed into Vancouver my next plan of action was to find an outdoor retailer to buy some white gas for my stove. Airliners don’t like the transportation of combustible liquids in small containers and so I had to leave my liquid gas at home. With a 2 to 3 mile detour, I eventually found this really cool co-op by the name of MEC which is very similar in design and feel of REI. As I was checking out, I asked the clerk where the nearest and best Ramen noodle shop was and he suggested two options just a few blocks away. I figured I should get some authentic Japanese Ramen noodle soup as a great meal before I headed out of the city. And boy was he right! I slurped down the most amazing Ramen in about 30 minutes while periodically careening my neck to see if my bike was still locked to the tree outside the front door.

Back in the saddle I went, finally leaving Vancouver and now I was really really starting my ride in earnest! I ride through some beautiful neighborhoods on my way out of town and the next few miles were a bit dicey trying to hollow the official route through the industrial parts of south Vancouver and Richmond.

I finally reached the US border and as I was riding up to it I wasn’t sure if I should be in the car lane or the pedestrian lane. Within a few seconds a border patrol agent came over and directed me into the car lane which actually surprised me. I rode through answered a few questions from the gate agent and just like that I was through the border. From there I rode another 2 to 3 miles down the coast to a beautiful state park called Birchbay. As I rode into the park the sun was setting over the bay which only gave me about 30 minutes to unpack set up the tent and get dinner preparations started. All worked well I had my freeze dried lasagna which was surprisingly good and crawled in my tent and quickly fell asleep after my 72 mile ride that day. What an amazing first day it was!

Downtown Vancouver from Stanley Park

Hello world! I’m excited to share my life’s adventures and take you along on this crazy journey called life! Come along and let’s see what’s over the next hill, around that mountain, near that stream, by that ocean and beyond the horizon. There’s nothing like going on a grand adventure and all the planning and excitement that goes into it… so buckle up and let’s go for a ride.

I’m very soon embarking on a continuous, unsupported, solo bike ride down the west coast of the United States from Canada to Mexico- the biggest ride of my life so far! I hope to share my many experiences, observations and introspection along this journey.