What a majestic arrival it was when our ferry – the M.V. Coho – entered the port in Victoria, the capital of British Columbia! The ferry terminal is located just in front of the Parliament Building and as cyclists we were among the first ones to disembark. Customs control went very smooth too (we had eaten all our fruit and vegetables on the ferry before :-)) and we were welcomed to Canada. We suddenly realized the various similarities to Europe. Victoria's ambiance felt entirely different to what we had experienced during the last weeks in the US. After a delicious (and enormous) Sushi dinner we took a stroll along the inner harbour. We also visited the Parliament Building on a free and self-guided tour. The tour was well explained and it made us realize, how strongly B.C. still feels obliged to Queen Elizabeth of England - she is everywhere referred to as the Queen of Canada. While being here, we decided to take the chance and attended a Whale Watching tour. We saw a small orca (killer whale) family, mother and calf and a bigger male. While it was impressive to see these animals in their habitat, we also thought about the controversy: there were about 20 boats following these three whales. If you consider that this is happening twice every day... but we did it too, no blaming at all! After all, we had to decide which part of the Island we wanted to visit. We opted for a round trip in the southern part: from Victoria we cycled the "Galopping Goose" bike trail (a beautifully laid trail on a former train dam) to Sooke, then continued following the Juan de Fuca trailheads to Port Renfrew and turned east passing Lake Cowichan and Duncan. From Mill Bay we took the small ferry to Brentwood from where we cycled to Sidney. On our first campground in French Beach we met Bob. Having travelled Canada and the US himself quite extensively, he could give us much useful advice on which routing to take further north. He also generously offered us half a watermelon! It was just perfect after our ride in the hot afternoon along the hilly coast – thanks again! Unfortunately, there are no well-equipped hiker/biker campsites anymore; the Provincial Parks seem to be exceptionally situated, are perfectly groomed and maintained despite having pit toilets only and no showers. Being back at the coast also accounted for fast changing weather: even if the afternoons became quite hot, the mornings were foggy and wet and the occasional rain pretty surely hit in every day at least once. Basically, we got it all in from the weather front :-). What we also noticed were the contrasts between the coastal areas of southern Vancouver Island. Whereas in the west the landscape is rough and wild – often also land of First Nations –, the eastern coast is touristy and luxuriously developed.
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Having crossed the Columbia River in Rainier, we at first did not realize that we had left Oregon; only the license plates indicated so. As we were good in time, we decided to return to the Pacific coast from where we travelled Washington State clockwise up to Port Angeles. We perceived Washington’s logging industry as even more intensive as in Oregon. Entire woodlands are harvested (and fortunately reforested) at once. And the amount of logging trucks was just impressive. With the exception of a few drivers, most logging truckers drove carefully and overall we preferred the experienced drivers to tourists driving an enormous RV for the first time, being unable to judge the dimensions of their vehicle… Soon we learnt, why Washington is called "the Evergreen State". It was pouring an entire day while we were riding and the Western and Northern parts of Washington are very humid. The wet climate allows for some beautiful temperate rain forests – for example in Hoh Valley. Together with the wilderness camping at the foot of the Peninsula’s snowy mountains in Elwha Valley, these were the two highlights of our journey through Washington. From Port Angeles we then took the ferry to Victoria on Vancouver Island (Canada, British Columbia) and for the first time since Los Angeles, our bikes were not moved by ourselves :-). Bye bye USA – if all goes well, we will see you again in less than two months! We hope that Canada brings us more luck in terms of bear sightings and we are looking forward to discovering a new country and its people.
Initially, we did not plan to visit Portland at all. However, as we advanced faster than expected once more, we decided to take a detour towards the inland for a couple of days. On a very sunny and hot day, we set off along the Columbia River, through lumber industry territory towards Portland and we could even get a glimpse of Mount St. Helens. It is said that in Portland one is a hipster if one is not. Walking along Portland’s streets, we can somehow understand where this is coming from. Let's make it clear from the beginning: we liked Portland! And we were amazed, how different to other cities it is. Frankly, as a touring cyclist, this is heaven! Cyclists have the right of way always; there are separate bike lanes also on bridges and plenty of skilled bike repair stores. Additionally, good food is valued and easily available. As on our days taking a break from pedalling, eating is a vital part of regaining strength, we took big advantage of the various food carts in Pearl District serving delicious menus from all corner of the world at reasonable prices :-). Part of the recreation is also taking care of our gear. For instance, we have learnt how to wash our clothes in a real American laundry store. Portland is also a very green city with many trees planted along the streets and a variety of roses (wild and horticulture) in all colors at the International Rose Test Garden. We also found the contrasts in this city very interesting. You could find an artist-gallery-style, highly designed Apple flagship store a few streets away from homeless’ tent settlements or an all-recycled "scrap" store, where you could buy used birthday cards and single parts of a piano to craft something new yourself. We enjoyed our three days of rest very much. As it was mainly raining, the timing could not have been better for a warm and dry hotel room but we are now extremely looking forward to Washington state and the Olympic National Park.
We had high expectations when heading for Oregon’s coast: all fellow touring cyclist travelling south were enthusing over its scenic bike routes. And we truly encountered many (mostly pleasant) surprises on our itinerary: 1. The landscape, flora and fauna Oregon’s coast is rough, wild and breathtakingly beautiful. Think of endless pebble or black sand beaches with thrift wood, dense Douglas-fir forests ending abruptly over a cliff into the sea, misty veils on grassy dunes in the morning, but also humid, rain-forest like fern coves. In between we spotted white Calla lilies, yellow gorse and manifold azaleas and rhododendron. The below (long!) selection of photographs tries to give an overview of the diversity. 2. The culture Herbal medicine or Farmacy (yes, not pharmacy, because it has the word „farm“ in it) is a big thing in Oregon since the cultivation and consumption of marihuana was legalized. It is of course a prejudice to think, that all Oregonians are former hippies. We perceived it as true, though, that Oregonians generally have an easy-going and practical nature: wearing outdoor jackets even in restaurants is a common thing, as weather can change rapidly. Also food is important and has to taste good; it goes without saying that organic or “home-grown” is even better. In Tillamook we also visited the Air Museum in an WWII-era, wooden hangar, which was originally built to shelter blimps. The various leavings from the US air force base and a wild mix of flying machinery were rather poorly presented, though. It is during such moments that we realize how highly patriotism is regarded in American culture.
The second one were Carina and Matt, touring cyclists from the UK, whom we met during lunch break in Neskowin. It was actually our second encounter and a funny hazard: on our road trip by rental car, we had seen a touring couple crossing the still snowy pass in the Sierra Nevadas and we were impressed by their effort. It turned out it was Carina and Matt. They are also cycling north (about the first ones we met!) and started around the same day in Los Angeles as we did. There were many other parallels too, which we found out in the evening as we all stayed at the same campground. It was great meeting them and maybe we will again further up the coast :-). 4. The milestones We hit some milestones: 2000 km of pedaling, 100 h on the bike and over 20’000 m of altitude. And of course it makes us proud :-). 5. The first flat tire(s) It happened in Newport on Philipp’s back tire. At least it was thorough: a long nail punctured both sides of the tube. Although the tube was repaired quickly, it remained fragile. On a really hot day (35 °C) it deflated on a rough gravel road and we had to entirely replace the tube. 6. The road conditions We agree that the Oregon coast bike route is utterly scenic and well laid out. However, we would supplement that the latter is primarily true if you are travelling from North to South. Pedaling the opposite direction, we often had to search for our path. Also, there are well-maintained and designated bike paths, but often we had the impression that a rough road, needing repair, was simply declared a bike path and thus was fine. Shoulders exist, but often are covered by gravel, waste, metallic splints and thus more dangerous to ride on than on the highway itself. 7. The campsites Hiker & Biker campsites are very well dispersed and maintained along Oregon’s coast in both state and county parks and they are often situated beautifully, even though separated from the rest of the campground. We were only missing food lockers on some of the campgrounds. Luckily we had our bear-proof canister, but neighboring tents had to defend their food towards cheeky and hungry raccoons during night. Our bear vault only has some raccoon-teeth-signature in the meanwhile… And we were astonished that a raccoon, which is only slightly taller than a cat, manages to move the huge container 10 meters away from our picknick table! 8. The weather All these days we could profit from sunny days and mild temperatures in Oregon. Usually it was cloudy or foggy in the morning, but by midday the view had cleared up and even allowed for some astonishing sunsets at the beach and starry nights. Our friend, the northerly wind, was once more very loyal and made sure that we couldn’t race past the beautiful landscape… For today's post we have been thinking of giving you an insight into how our daily routine looks like when we are touring. Therefore we have taken pictures throughout the day, documenting our activities. You might have been wondering, why we are often writing about weather conditions, quantities of food we eat or how we perceive the landscape. Maybe after seeing this, you may understand that our focus often is on the basic needs: where do we sleep tonight, what do we eat, how will the weather and road impact our plans... Usually, though, these questions are quickly answered once the leg is set for the day and we have a free mind to enjoy all unforeseen happenings - and there are many! From landscape, to animals, to encounters with other people on the road. It literally makes each of our days an adventure. As you may expect our day starts of with a rich breakfast. A hot breakfast is especially appreciated on chilly mornings and therefore we have become lovers of oatmeal. In the past few weeks we got used to the local “bread” and discovered that peanut butter is a good source of energy… After breakfast it’s time to tidy up the campsite. Click through the following time lapse series to see how we dismount the tent, pack everything in the bags, load the bikes and leave: On the road we take frequent breaks to enjoy the scenery. At noon it is time to look out for a nice picnic spot and enjoy some rest. In the later afternoon we usually arrive at the next campsite where we first pitch the tent, arrange the mattresses and sleeping bags and opt for a hot shower. Depending on the arrival time we find the time to stroll around, drink a coffee, plan the next day, check e-mails, etc. At this specific day we got some curious visitors: three Roosevelt elks (the largest red deer in North America) were checking out the hike&bike area. Sometimes we have to hurry up to do the cooking before dusk. This time we failed and we finished our meal with tea and cookies in the romantic light of our headlamps.
This description for our method of travelling we heard twice during the last week! Once it was an elderly man, who helped us find the way in Mill Valley, just North of San Francisco (we are using a new map from American Adventure Cycling Association and its orientation is not north-bound and sometimes the details are too enlarged which makes it difficult to get an overview – we are getting accustomed to it, though) and once a family on the road describing to their children what we were doing. And the statement is true: our biking during the last days was more serious than in Southern California! For once we cycled eight days in a row, the road was pretty hilly (nothing true about the prediction from a cyclist we met in Big Sur that the roads north of San Francisco were flat… we did at least 900 m of altitude every day) and we had strong wind with gusts of up to 45 km/h to face. Also we had some rain and temperature during night fell below 5°C. The part about “not kidding” is only semi-true :-). We are still enjoying every day of our tour and are simply astonished how diverse the landscape along the Pacific Coast is. During the course of a day, we could cycle through hilly grassland with cows and sheep in the morning, pedal through thick forest of redwood trees (the highest trees on earth with ages up to 2000 years (!)) around lunch time and racing up- and downhill at the coastside – passing oyster bars, fishing harbours and rough beaches – in the afternoon. We very much enjoyed the “rough” and “wild” aspect of the coast in Northern California. It is less touristy as the southern part and people are genuinely interested in what we are doing (many times they are cheering to us from their cars or they gather around us if we stop for having a photo break or lunch and ask plenty of questions). Finding a campground or place to stay overnight also got a bit more adventurous: first, the population drastically dropped in the locations situated at the coast and second, it is not yet the main season. So it has happened to us that the Campground or Motel we were looking up online in the morning was actually permanently closed when we were standing in front of it in the evening… no kidding! Furthermore, we also celebrated Philipp’s 29th birthday this week and even found a small birthday cake with candle! Thank you for all the birthday wishes and loving words! |
Blog Archive
September 2016
CountersKilometers pedalled
Hours on the bike
Meters cycled uphill
Flat tires
Burgers eaten
Bears sighted
Day by day statisticsFor those interested in our day by day activities and statistics, please download the following document.
World Clock
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