day 2 - cape disappointment

86 miles today. 192 so far. Had breakfast with some country folk in Montesano. Lunch with some clam fisherman in Bay Center. This morning was tough until I flatted and realized that my pressure had been too low. That in combination with a tail wind helped me to ramp up my avg to 17mph for the last 40 miles... making it a lot more fun. I rode through fairy tale forests, dark--save bright rays pinching through the canopy making bugs sparkle. And every clearing exposed an overgrown creek making it look as though the ground were not solid, but of flowing water. I swam in the break at Cape Disappointment and shivered as my skin steamed. Then hiked up to a bench atop a high cliff next to a light house looking over both the Pacific to the west and Columbia to the south. Oregon is on the near horizon.

- niko (by the columbia)

day 1 - montesano

106 miles today. The only difference in pulling all this junk is the punishing strain on the legs, on the balance, on the speed. The increased momentum on descents don't make up for the pain on the other sides. It was a good day though. I'm looking forward to a shorter one tomorrow. Maybe i'll be able to walk then.

Camp here is nice. There is a cold lake that I soaked my legs in.

- niko (by lake sylvia)

day 0

Slept in until eleven then spent the day eating. Late breakfast with grandma, late lunch with Ellen and Lamar, and late dinner with grandma.

I just set up the bike and threw it on the scale: 62lbs in all. Then I weighed myself: 160lbs. We'll see how much my bike and I loose in the weeks to come.

I had a great time in Seattle--still my favorite city. Tomorrow is the first day on the bike, hence, day 1. I ride from Kirkland to Montesano.

day -1

Got around 2 hours of sleep last night because I busy getting beaten at chess; so as you can imagine, I'm pooped. My bike and I made it to Seattle successfully. Grandma picked me up from the air port at six and we went straight to Sushi Mojo! And after this post I'm meeting up with some old friends here, likely another late night.

I should be able to text posts everyday from my cell phone so my mother doesn't get worried. If I miss more than a day in a row she's calling the authorities. 

-niko (by lake Washington)

the gear

What does one bring with on a three-week, solo, bike/camping trip? Here's a break down:

the bike

Surly Cross-Check size 54cm. This is a comfy steel frame rig set up with the components off my race bike (DA/Ult mix), bombproof (but cheap) Bontrager Select wheels, and 700x25 gatorskins. I've got a typical 53/39 up front and 12-27 in the rear. The pictures are from when I had it set up single speed.
Selle Italia Flite Gel Flow and Cateye Strada computer.

entertainment
I'll be brining two books. The Fountainhead (Rand) and--for a change of pace--The Fall (Camus). My headlamp should give me adequate light at night. I'll also have an ipod and a notebook to blog when I'm away from a computer.

sleeping
I've given myself some options. I can either set up my one man tent (Marmot eos 1p) or tie up my hammock (ENO Doublenest). I've slept in the hammock in the backyard a couple of times already and it's awesome. Kipper and I trying it out:
I'll be bringing a 40 degree sleeping bag (The North Face Allegheny), pillow (Pacific Outdoor Equipment Si Pillow), and pad (Thermarest ProLight Plus).

clothes
I haven't decided if I want to dirty up my new, mostely white, ASU kit yet. For riding, I'll have a couple jersey's, shorts/bibs, arm and leg warmers, arm coolers, wind vest, rain jacket, and my road shoes. Off the bike, I'll be sporting either some light hicking shorts, swim suit, or my sleep pants on the bottom and one of the two t-shirts I bring and some Keen's on the feet. I have a few warm layers I can wear if it gets cold.

bags
Ortlieb Packer Plus waterproof paniers. These will hold my clothes, hammock, books, etc. My sleeping bag, pad, and pillow will be jammed in a compression sack that will be strapped on top of the rack. The tent will be in it's own bag crowning the rear end.
So it sounds like a pretty heavy load. I'm used to riding with less than 20lbs of gear (bike included); I think I'll be riding with double that.

the plan

In celebration of transition (and a chance at a month off) I've decided to ride my bike from Seattle to somewhere in Southern California between June 27th and July 20th. I'm moving to Boston on July 28th so I had to cut the original plan a bit short. So it doesn't sound like I'll make it all the way down to San Diego (boo!) The goal is Santa Barbara to visit my aunt and grab a ride home with my friend Lisa.

I'll be riding around 80 miles a day on average carrying all my gear. Day 1 is planned out:

I start at my grandma's in Kirkland, WA and ride to Seattle (15 miles) where I hop on a ferry to Bremerton. Then it's just a quick 75 miles to camp in Montesano, WA. Day 1 will be about 90 miles of riding. Hope my sit bones can handle it.

On day 2, after Montesano, I ride another 50 miles to the Pacific Coast and meet up with the route in this awesome book. It has maps, campsites, and things to do along the way:
It looks pretty comprehensive. We'll see how it goes. After that I'll pretty much follow the route in the book--trying to put in a bit more miles than suggested to make my deadline.

I'll be posting here with updates on my whereabouts and experiences throughout the trip when I come across some wifi. Hope you follow!

Thanks,
Niko