Friday, August 30, 2013

Final Day at Revolution Farm

For our last day on the farm, it rained until 9 and after eating breakfast we went out and started working on revamping the fire pit and garden area.

We broke up the ground and reshaped the garden into a crescent moon shape, making a rock wall around it. Transplanted a sage plant to a new raised bed we made; planted a few trees and herbs inside the 'moon' too. The fire pit needed to be relocated out a few feet so we dugout a new area for it and built a brick wall around it. We removed a good amount of grass and then leveled it all with topsoil. It looks pretty darn good now.

This wwoofing experience all in all was positive but we really didn't partake in much of the farming/harvest since they already had 2 farm interns and 2 long term wwoofers. We mainly worked with Brigham doing odd and end jobs that needed to be done at some point and having extra hands helped motivate him to do some projects. I wish we did actual farming but for the short notice and duration of this stay it makes sense and I am please with everything we accomplished and learned. 

I learned a lot just by observing and seeing how things worked around the farm. I'm excited to bring back info to others about solar panels, composting toilets, hoop houses, community dinner and washing help. Should be interesting to see how the monastic community compares and contrasts. 

Blake arrived this evening from biking from Portland and him and Evan met me in Nehalem for some dinner then we rode back. Packing up out bikes and heading to Tillamook tomorrow.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

More wwoofing

I will condense yesterday and today; got up early and started the day laying wire mesh an twisting cement thingys to the wiring. The cement truck was gonna be an hour late so we took clippers and such to a heavily forested part of the farm and hacked (no puns) away to make a new path and space for the hammock as well as get rid of some invasive plants.

The cement truck came and we spent the next several hours dripping sweat, shoveling concrete to low spots, and using a large piece of wood to go back and forth smoothening out the excess. I've never done this before but it is some hard work but glad to be a part of it. We finished that up around lunch time and we were done working for the day so Evan and I planned the rest of the bike trip route through Oregon and chatted with a couple guys who are making a book of poems with a letter press. Pretty crazy stuff!

That evening my friend, Jared, came out for a visit from Newburg which was so awesome to see him. Jared, Joey, and I used to hangout a lot when I lived in Portland. He drove Evan and I into Nehalehm to meet up with the rest of the wwoofers at a pizza place for dinner.

We sat around and chatted for the rest of the evening back at the barn then bid farewell to Jared.

Today it was just dumping rain so Brigham, Evan, and I sat inside and drank some tea seeing if it would let up since we had some projects to do outside and it never did let up so we did some other projects. 

We cleaned out an old hoop house and weeded it then dugout a couple clay pits and made a 3 ft deep by 15ft long and 3 ft wide row for next years growing. We did some random moving of a huge bay window, cleaned some tools, and went through recycling stuff before heading down to the lower farm and cutting wood for close to 3 hrs. 

Oh at one point in the day I was telling Evan a story about my childhood where we would buy trading cards and in the middle of my story Evan says, "yeah I need to take a shower too." And we just busted out laughing. He wasn't even paying attention. We had some good laughs today especially when we coined the phrase, 'above the lolz'. Feel free to use it.

We are just kicking back this evening reading and waiting for community dinner. Blake should be getting in tomorrow then on Saturday we are hitting  the road to bike in some nicer weather before more rain comes.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

WWOOFING Day 1

Last night we slept in the big red barn since it rained pretty hard and our tent was a little wet. We swept the floor in the welding room and slept pretty well.

Got up had some fresh tea and hot cereal with raisins, honey, and peanut butter. We then got to working ripping up grass in a 14 by 14 foot section for an outdoor kitchen area. Then leveling the dirt since one side was level and the other needed some fill. We then cut wooden stakes and boards to prepare for the cement truck tomorrow. We also moved dirt around to start building a cat haven so one of the cats stops killing the hummingbirds since they aid in pollination.

We had a great stew for lunch and a zucchini pasta (zucchini strips instead of noodles) for dinner. All very great. We've been helping with the dishes since we didn't cook.

Sat around and read and admired the farm. The wwoofer workers harvested tomatoes, corn, cucumber, and such. 

All in all a good first day. Will see what is in store for us tomorrow weather dependent.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Let the WWOOFING begin!

With Blake off with his friend, Evan and I left Gearhart and headed to our first wwoofing farm. If you haven't heard of wwoofing it stands for world wide organization of organic farming. Basically there are organic farms all over the world that are online and you can go work at them and they will house you and feed you. Some want you to be there for a minimum stay like 2 weeks and others have a come and go policy while others have full time positions. 

We are at Revolution Garden in Nehalem, OR. A smaller farm I'm told, there is an upper and lower farm and the upper is completely off the grid with solar panels and a river power generator powering 5 buildings. Pretty impressive! There is over 3 acres of farmable land and they rent out an awesome Japanese cabin on AirBnB that was built out of all found wood mainly drift wood. 

There are several hoop houses and rows of vegetables. They just harvested this morning a ton of onions, it's insane. They are drying in a hoop house and I believe they didn't even harvest them all yet. The rain started up and it was intense all day. 

So there are two long term volunteers, then two shorter term (month) volunteers, Ginger, Brian?, Ben?, and Evan and I. I believe Ginger and Ben? (can't remember some of the names sorry) own the property and Ben built all the structures which is nuts. Guess Ben is a master carpenter and he makes his living doing small kayaking classes where you actually build your own kayak in a week. We saw some today and they were amazing. Truly talented. 

Since it was raining we went to the tomato hoop house and most of us weeded while two pruned infected leaves. Was a nice time to get to know the other volunteers. Evan and I will be mainly working with Brian I think is his name (Ginger's bf) build a cob rocket stove if the weather permits, leveling an area and pouring a slab and making an outdoor kitchen, as well as some other projects. Just depends on weather and materials. 

They have compostable toilets, a Japanese tub, and solar heated showers. I'm full of questions. Hopefully some will get answered. Time will tell.

Rest day in Seaside

Awoke to condensation in the tent and laid my sleeping bag out in the sun and grabbed my book to read for a bit. We planned on making today a day off from riding before we head to the farm in Nehalem. 

Let me note this is the second attempt to write this post; I had finished and hit send and my phone crashed losing the post. Sorry if it is short.

I reactivated my phone by plugging it in to the laptop of our hosts but it still has issues. We washed our smelly clothes and waited for them to dry so we'd have something to wear for the day. 

Blake was getting a ride from a friend into Portland for a couple of days then he's planning on riding to meet us at the farm. Evan and I went to the bike shop to get his headset adjusted and top off our tires. I meandered to a book store and then down to the beach where I chatted with a strangely vague man for some time. He was fascinated with our trip but every time I asked him about his life he skirted around it. So I thanked him for the friendly conversation and met Evan at Seaside brewery for lunch.

Let me preface this by saying I'm basically trying all the veggie burgers down the coast when we stop in somewhere to eat. I was really disappointed by Seaside Brewery not only did they not have any of their own beers on tap but they were using Morning Star black bean veggie patties which I sometimes get myself. I should know tourist town and tourist prices doesn't mean good food. I could have made a better burger and fries for the amount I paid for it all. I hope this is the last time I ramble about veggie patties.

Ev and I rode out along the coastal bike path out past the crowds and to a bench to read, journal, and nap. Basically Evan was reading aloud to me because he was just loving his book and felt the urge to share. I've been there, most recently with Michael Pollan's 'Omnivores Dilemma' just ask Nate, Dani, and Joey. It was still a nice time to hangout and soak in the mind boggling notion of the ocean.

Once the sun started setting and the temperature dropped right along with it, we started biking the 3 miles back to our host's house. Hungry, we decided to try the 'The Great Wall' Chinese restaurant across the street which was good but a ton of food. Darkness was upon us and we meandered around the covered picnic table before retreating into our tent for the evening.

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Hood to Seaside

This day was supposed to be a rest day but it was more like a light riding day. I rode to the library to try and reactivate my phone but didn't work; rode over the bridge to Warrenton to the AT&T store but they couldn't help, said I had to go to the apple store in Portland but that wasn't gonna happen so I went to Fred Meyers and got a sin dog by Dave's Killer Bread (if you haven't had one, find one, eat one, and share with friends). I waited for Evan and Blake to meet me so we could head to Seaside. 

After a couple hours passed, they showed up. I was able to read and chat with some employees on their breaks. There's just something about people from the Pacific Northwest, friendly in a different way than Western Canadians which really stand out to me.

Today was Hood to Coast, a 198 mile relay race from Mt Hood to the coast in Seaside. Teams of young and old, many and few, churches, school groups, friends, and coworkers make shirts, decide on cheesy team names, and decorate their support vehicles and start early morning and end whenever they end that day. What is waiting for them is a big BBQ and beer and the beach! They do fireworks that evening and have dance music going too. Basically this place is super busy. 

Here is where we come in, dressed in our tuxedo jerseys and riding loaded bikes through what could be a scene from the Walking Dead of gridlock cars. People kept asking which part of the 'leg' we were doing and why were we riding loaded bikes and we kept explaining to people we are touring not participating in Hood to Coast. 

We bypassed countless cars and rode to the beach where we kind of became part of the participants crossing over the runners lane to get to a line swing set on the beach to lock up our bikes. We were happy to be done riding but now didn't really know what to do since it was sheer craziness in town. We stood on the beach people watching celebrate finishing the relay and then the others who were just there enjoying the waves and sun. People wandering out way to far out into the ocean with their baby, not a good idea. 

After we got all sandy and had no means to wash our feet off we rode to a cafe for a smoothie and wifi. We ended up hearing back from a Couchsurfing couple in gearhart and we rode out to setup for the evening. 

A nice older couple who are school teachers in the summer and sell flowers and trinkets at farmers markets in the summer, were our hosts. Mark showed us the property then proceeded to take us for a hike through some backwoods trails along an old railroad path and to a marsh where a herd of elk meander, a bald eagle nests, and raccoons cause raucous. 

After showering and making dinner, Mark shared some stories of school trips he takes his students on to cowboy poetry festivals in Nevada and to Portland to talk with the son of the interpreter of Chief Joseph's last speech. After sharing some wine and many laughs we headed to our tents for the evening.

Goodbye Washington, Hello Oregon

After 360+ miles and several wooded and clear cut hills, we found ourselves riding in the mist watching the bridge to Astoria, Oregon getting larger and larger.

I was awoken that early morning by Evan rustling around in his tarp contraption, wondering if there was room in the tent since it started to rain. The rain turned to mist when we had to get up and pack up. 

The only two things that really stuck out in y mind from that day of riding was a dismal mill on the side of a grimey river. Saw a couple other mills, but this one and the tiny town seemed more downtrodden. We took a break on the bridge overlooking the whole scene. The second part that stuck out was out lunch stop; we just went through a construction area and we noticed an overgrown road that led back into the forest. The road went back maybe 40 feet and seemed to be a turnaround parking area for hunting. The trees were thick and the ferns reminded me of Jurrasic Park. It was just enough removed from the road to muffle the sound. 'Twas a nice break in the cycling.

We came down a hill and the landscape opened up to a view of the river separating Washington from Oregon and a bridge connecting the two off in the distance. We were rejuvenated with excitement but knew there was still some riding to be had. Once on the bridge we had 4 miles to cycle with lots of traffic., wind, and mist. The excitement wore off a bit once we started climbing the last section which was quite steep. Nonetheless we cruised down the main strip to Fort George a nice pub for a celebration of completing Washington and the excitement of Oregon! 

As I was sending off a couple texts to friends my phone shut off and came on with a reactivation screen which I had no way to do. I figured I'd take it to the AT&T store the next day.

We ended up staying the night with a Couchsurfing host on her sailboat. Blake an Evan shared the main bed and I sprawled out from a bench over a cooler to another padded bench which happened to be right in front of the doorway. Needless to say it wasn't the best sleep but served its purpose of shelter from the elements. Blake and Evan awkwardly stepped over me when they needed to use the piss bucket throughout the night (bladders like children). Guess I will end there.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Visit from my family

Woke up early since the sun was out in force. Packed up and headed towards the 101 to start our short day of riding. Aberdeen was on the agenda being 44 miles away. Seemed like a lot of it was somewhat downhill which our legs enjoyed. 

Made good time into Holquiem just outside of Aberdeen by a couple miles when we came across Hum-Dinger a greasy outdoor diner that Evan and I ate at a lot on our TransAmerican trip. They are always the best. The older sassy women were loving our tuxedo jerseys even telling Blake to ride in his birthday suit. 

I inhaled my veggie burger, onion rings, and chocolate milk shake before the other guys ate half of theirs. I'm blanking on the adage about a hungry man and a veggie patty but it's somewhere. 

We then rode to Aberdeen looking for Internet at a cafe or something but all there seemed to be was a Starbucks and McDonalds so we rose to the next town Cosmopolis to a fun spot that just closed but the owners live there so they kept it open. We chatted with them about their establishment and how they moved from California and how they always wanted to run a cafe that served organic food and coffee and supported local arts and music. We congratulated them and encouraged them to keep it up and start a farmers market in their parking area. 

We finished our muffins and smoothies then huffed it up a decent hill to Artic RV and Campground where we got a spot. Great little place and the owners love cyclists. They cut us a special deal and then took us on a walking your of their backyard showing off a huge garden, apple and kiwi trees, and wonderful flowers. They allow anyone staying to harvest whatever is there; the onions, lettuce, and green beans are tempting us so perhaps tomorrow we will take a little.

My brother, Leo, his wife, Jenny, and my niece, Ruth-Ann, tracked us down from their hometown of Olympia and brought us 2 big pizzas, salad, chocolate cake, and green tea. It was so awesome to see them and for them to bring such a feast. Sadly we didn't have much time but it was worth it to have some laughs, hugs, and to chase little Ruthie around the grass and spin her around until we were both walking like drunken sailors as my dad calls it.

Said our goodbyes and many thank yous and my family headed back home. I was thinking as I was riding today how blessed I am and I don't expect anyone to go out of their way for me but it sure is nice when they do. Couldn't be more thankful for the blessings of family and food.

*Almost forgot, as we were riding today Evan points to a sign and as I turn to read it I veer slightly over the white line as a logging truck was coming. Closer than I'd like to be but still a 'safe' distance away. Was reminded to be in constant control of my bike even when I'm rubbernecking a sign.

Meeting the ocean & lake swimming

We woke to much condensation on our tents so we hung them in the sun patches while we prepared breakfast and packed up. The ride from our campsite was through wooded parts then through clear cut area with signs scattered telling when they were clear cut, replanted, and when the next harvest would be.

Before leaving on this trip I was having lunch with my good friend, Mike Bartlett, and I told him that restoration has been really impressed upon me this summer and I'm wondering what that is going to look like on the trip and after and I would say that so far I'm happy to see these clear cut forest being replanted (the forethought is wise) but its crazy cause I saw a replant date of 1986 (a year after I was born) and the trees still had a long ways to go. Nature works in a much different scope of time and so does restoration. Be mindful in a day of instant oatmeal which is getting a little old for me.

We winded through some wooded area then rode up along the beach which was so gorgeous! I joked about how we can finally start the trip but after a quick lunch by the shore we headed back inland to Lake Quinault. 

We settled into the first campsite and setup right on the beach. It was hot and we were sticky with sweat and sun screen so we jumped in the crystal clear lake. Frigid at first then it just was perfect. We swam and giggled like small boys taking videos of us diving in and acting like goofs. 

The sunset complimented nicely with the lake and surrounding hills. I tried to capture it but the human eye is such an amazing piece of technology. The sun dipped over the last hill and we settled into our sleeping arrangements: Blake in his tent, Evan wrapped like a burrito in his tarp, and me in Evan's tent.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Port Angeles to Bogachiel State Park

An earlier start was on the agenda today where Evan shocked us all by getting up to observe the sunrise then had his bags all packed (after he went back to sleep). We returned to our bikes and gear and packed up saying goodbye and many thanks to our hosts and to Nancy for chauffeuring us around.

Blake and I mailed a few garments back to Idaho and then we all loaded up on food an hit the road. It was sunny and clear all day, staying in the mid 70s which is surprising for a place that gets 12 feet of rain a year! 10 miles was spent winding around Lake Crescent, a gorgeous and clear lake that is somehow affiliated with the park. That part didn't have much of a shoulder but wasn't too bad. 

There was much talk by some others of quite the hill at the end of the lake but it wasn't bad at all. It was long and gradual which was awesome; I jammed out and sang the whole way up only to find two other tourers up top (I thought they were Blake and Evan). Chatted with them for a bit and kept going. There were minor hills but some nice flat and downhill where we could get a good average going on our speedometers.

Forks was our destination am we arrived in the early evening and inquired about a state park we saw on a map and it was only 5 more miles down the road so we rode on. Hunger kicked in right when we were just a mile or so away and we found a campsite, made some grub, showered, and swatted mosquitos. 62 miles, not too shabby. Hitting up the coast tomorrow for lunch time then to Lake Quinault. 

Obstruction Point

Yesterday we spent most the day hiking in the park again out at Obstruction Point. Gorgeous weather once again with wonderful mountain vistas. It's a dirt road to a pull off where Evan, Nancy, and Blake went for a more daunting 10.3 mile hike with much elevation loss and gain while I went for the modest 7.3 mile hike down to a lake walking along a ridge then dropping more than 2100 feet. The lake was crystal clear and the fish were jumping like mad. I caught up on some reading and just soaked in the view. I am a sucker for alpine lakes, must be why I enjoy the Sawtooths so much. 

I hiked back to the car and read for an hour and a half before the rest of the gang showed up. We were all wind and sunburned just a tad. We returned to camp, consumed many calories, had a fireside chat, then slept.

Monday, August 19, 2013

The Park on the Peninsula

We or off the ferry boat in Port Angeles and found a nice place to have some dinner. It's a quaint town with the ocean sloshing on one side and the mountains holding up clouds on the other. Attempting to stay at a campground, we went to Safeway to get some more groceries we contacted another warm showers person since we planned on visiting Olympic National Park for a couple of days and Evan's friend, Nancy, was coming from Seattle for a visit. 

We obtained a place to stay which was literally 2 blocks away from where we were. Deanna and Randy host cyclers all the time and they have a wonderful home with a cute dog named Skip. There were two guys who just finished their tour from Chicago to Austin, Texas then they took a bus to San Diego and biked up to Port Angeles that were staying there too. They were buying a truck to drive back to Chicago which they did buy yesterday. 

Nancy didn't arrive until 4pm so Evan and Blake worked on their bikes for a bit while I went to the ocean front to read, journal, and explore. They met up with me and we went to eat at a Chinese buffet rated best in the Peninsula. After two large plates of food and a small ice cream cone I was stuffed to the rafters. 

Nancy came and picked us up and we headed up the winding steep mountain road into the park. The road goes from sea level to about 5,000 feet so we were glad we weren't going to bike it. We spent a couple hours hiking around Hurricane Ridge and taking pictures of the mountainous landscape as well as the numerous deer that were not too scared of onlookers. 

After the sun went down we headed to a campground to set up for the night. We enjoyed dinner and conversation then called it a night.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Ferry boats, Canadians, Hills, and A Place to stay.

The ferry boat ride was enjoyable. We sat at the top front of the boat to make sure they were going the right direction. We sat, talked, ate, Blake tried to read but of course Evan and I didn't make it easy for him to read. We arrived to Nanaimo which was larger than expected. 

We stopped at a nice grocery store to pickup some snacks and dinner. Everyone in Canada is so kind, interested, and excited about our bike trip. It's amazing how many people recognize my surly long haul trucker and saddle knowing it is for touring. We departed town and hopped on the highway south towards Victoria. 

The ride was along a highway busier than expected and not as many viewpoints either, still pleasant to smell the ocean air and take in the lush rainforest. There were several decent hills which is only getting us in better shape, but we all struggled a bit. 

We rode 45+ miles down to Duncan looking for a provincial park; we stopped in at a grocery store in Duncan to ask directions but no one seemed to know. Outside a couple and their friend were talking to Blake about our bikes and invited us all to stay the night in their backyard. They were headed to a party but said their doors are unlocked an too feel free to shower and make food in the kitchen and setup anywhere in their yard. 

It's always nice to get a shower especially when you don't know when your next one will be. Granted its day 1 but we are already grimy from sweat and exhaust. We made some hot food, showered, and set up tents then zonked out. Not a bad day; the weather has been so perfect with partial clouds, cooler temps, and sun peaking through here and there. 

Thank you Canada, you have been kind as always.

We awoke today and packed up sating many thank yous and "if you're ever in Idaho..." We rode off encountering wonderful cool temperatures, no rain, and partly sunny weather. 

The riding was nice today but we did encounter a long climbing hill which gave us all a huff and a puff. There was a reward towards the top with a pretty viewpoint of the end of the island, the San Juan Islands, and if it was clear, a mountain in Washington that I am blanking on. We then had an awesome downhill cruise for quite a ways, reaching speeds of up to 40mph. 

About (Canadian about), 9 miles from Victoria we stopped at a Tim Hortons to fill up water, use the restroom, and carb up with a muffin and donut. Surprise surprise. Heading into Victoria we were riding on the freeway navigating past cars speeding from the on ramps to the highway. 

Downtown was a happening place filled with tons of people, a rowing race, some sort of festival, and a picturesque parliament building next to the water front. Sadly we only had a half hour before catching our ferry boat to Port Angeles, Washington. 

We spent the time on the boat reading, journaling, updating the blog, taking pictures, and Evan setting up his mat on the floor and napping. 

Canada has been very kind to us, getting positive responses from everyone. They sure love our tuxedo jerseys! I've always had a good experience in western Canada and this confirms once again that they are very wonderful people. 

Once in Port Angeles, we plan on visiting Olympic National Park for a day or two. Sorry for the lack of pictures but I am taking them, but I am just updating via my iPhone. Check instagram for pics and maybe when we get to a computer. 

Friday, August 16, 2013

Off and going

We took 22hrs to greyhound to Vancouver. Long, tiresome, but worth the arrival into Canada. Stayed with a wonderful Iranian family from Couchsurfing in a beautiful house in West Vancouver. Rode 8 miles along the coast watching enormous barges bob in the bay. It sprinkled on us lightly buy then cleared off and is gorgeous. We are in Horseshoe Bay loading on the ferry boat to Nanimo on Vancouver Island. Should take a couple days riding down the coast to Victoria. 

**Note: I've been posting short updates with pictures on Instagram which you can see on the top right of the blog, as well as, on Facebook. 

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Heyo!

Evan here!

Well we'll well well well


Sun never sets here. Looks like we are on another adventure.


Best part of this 1.5 day greyhound trip to Canada. We all meet in Seattle and take the same bus up. 

Till Canada 


Packing List


Just packed up today. Here's a picture of all my gear laid out, all packed up, then loaded on my bike. Here is a comprehensive list for anyone interested:

2 rear panniers
Tarp
Mountain Hardwear rain jacket
Marmot rain pants
Columbia shoes
Keen Sandals
Travel towel
Cooking stove
Camping gas
Spork
Cooking pot
Bowl
Canon 60D (2 batteries, 4 sd cards)
2 cycling jerseys
Cycling gloves
Cycling shorts
3 pairs of socks
2 pairs of underwear
Columbia convertible pants
Thermal top
Thermal bottom
2 pair of shorts
2 tshirts
Bandana
C2W hat
Cycling hat
Helmet
4 maps
Sleeping pad
Camping pillow
2 pairs of earplugs 
Book - Sometimes A Great Notion by Ken Kesey
Pocket Bible
Journal/pen
Passport
Sunglasses w/case
Sunscreen (1 spray and 1 face)
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Dr Bronner soap
iPhone charger
iPhone cable
Headphones
GoalZero Solar Panel
iPod touch
Gopro (extra battery and sd card)
1 patch kit
2 tubes
Tire levers
Chain lube
Toilet paper
Knife
Dry bag
2 water bottles
Handlebar mirror
Knee brace 
2 rain packs for panniers
4 trash bags
Multivitamins, glucosamine, and tums
2 bungee cables
Camelbak


Friday, August 9, 2013

Expectations and Forward Thinking

Was chatting with Blake last night, mainly catching up and seeing how we are each preparing for the bike trip and we got to talking about expectations. For those who don't know or for those who read this, Blake rode the Pacific Coast a year or so ago; we are gonna be going a different route through Washington but the rest is pretty straight forward so he's done this and knows all about it, but we were reminiscing on how it's always amazing the people one will meet on a bike trip.

I actually still stay in contact with a handful of people I met on our TransAmerican ride and so I'm looking forward to the new friends we will be meeting on this upcoming trip! I remember keeping a notepad of music, books, and movie suggestions from everyone I met and cannot express how thankful I am for people willing to share some of their favorites. Being able to swap stories, laughs, and a meal have been highlights of previous trips and will be highlights for this one.

The farm opportunities also bring me excitement to learn something that I never really had interest in until the past year or so. Evan and I both talked about what we wanted to do to spice up this trip and we both decided that volunteering at a couple of farms and learning different farming practices, how people are living off the land, and in some cases living off the grid and how we can bring this knowledge back to our communities and friends.

So if you have any questions you want us to ask or explore at these farms or have suggestions of things to see or places to visit along our route, please leave a comment or e-mail us or call us.

5 days...

Monday, August 5, 2013

The Final Countdown


We are in the final countdown for the Pacific Coast Highway trip. We are at 9 days and counting and excitement is running high. I got my bike all tuned up from the guys at Rolling H and it is running like butter; they're awesome and if you're in the Nampa area, please, please, please go there. They are honest guys.

So here's the latest news, Tom Bom is sadly not going to be joining us for at least the start of the trip. Hopefully he can meet up with us in central California if he can start saving up some money after quite the trip to Spain and France. Evan should be returning from France in the next couple of days and hope to skype with him and make sure we are solid on gear and such. Blake seems to be just about in order, finalizing a few gear pieces here and there. Gonna be meeting up with him tonight to chat. I've been on a handful of fully loaded rides and constantly going through my stuff wondering how I can be more efficient.

We are gonna be Greyhounding to Vancouver the evening of August 14th so I'm sure we will start the adventure with some wild stories because if you've ever ridden on a Greyhound, you'll know what I'm talking about. I can recall one time I was verbally and almost sexually assaulted by a large African-American woman on a Greyhound going from Washington D.C. to NYC; thankfully the driver threw her off the bus and my dad loved every minute of my uncomfortableness. Most recently, Evan and Tom had some crazy stories from their Oakland, CA to Newark, NJ Greyhound experience including (children drug dealers, locking drunk people in a broom closet, endless trashy McDonalds rest stops, AC that doesn't work, and people destroying the only toilet onboard).

Should've just planned on biking up to Vancouver...

Gear list and pictures to come. Ciao.