2016 Pacific Coast Day 10 - Humbug Mountain State Park, OR

Today's post is going to be a grab bag of random topics delivered to you from a rocky crag overlooking the ocean.  I rode into camp in the van feeling really cranky and I figured out that it was because I hadn't ridden my bike for two days so I went out on a joyride of about 35 miles.  I ended up riding next to a guy on the team who was recently a grad student in biochemistry and we talked about how screwed up academia and pure research are in this country.  Which is a shame because it's so important. 

As I spend more time outdoors I really am changing the way I look at my gear and equipment.  A lot of the stuff I own works fine in the comfort of an office but fails out here on the road. Like my phone and case, which are now broken (again).  Or this Apple Watch which is fine  I guess but the battery is always dead and it just isn't that useful.  Or my thermarest which has a leak.  Stuff like that.  All I want now is long battery life, easy repair, and for it to just f'ing work! 

2016 Pacific Coast Day 9 - Coos Bay, OR

Sorry, Coos Bay.  I didn't really like you in 2014, and I'm not a big fan this time around either.  Today was OK but fairly dull; I drove the rest stop van.  The ride was really easy, a nice flat 47 miles.  Nobody had any serious issues.  We got here to a church that - for the fourth time in four straight days - had no wifi, so I once again had to go sit outside a closed public library to finish watching the training videos for my new job (which I finally finished - yay!).  I pulled out my Gear VR last night which is always a crowd pleaser.  But basically it was just not a very memorable day. 

2016 Day 8 - Florence, OR

Yesterday I crossed over into the territory I covered in the ride that I did in 2014.  In 2014, I rode north from San Francisco to Florence and then turned east on the TransAmerica.  This time, I was coming down from the south and headed to SF and points beyond.  On this occasion it's easy to compare where I'm at now to where I was in 2014.  The biggest and most obvious difference is that in 2014 I felt like I was searching for something, whereas in 2016 I feel like I've found something.  Every day I wake up with a list of issues, not least of which are the financial ones.  But what keeps me going is the realization that I'm so much happier and more fulfilled than I was back then.  I don't fear the future as a general rule.  I have anxieties but they don't dominate my life.  Often I think about how nice it would be to go back to the life I had then.  There was a lot to recommend it, on paper.  But being here provides an acute reminder of how unhappy I was back then, and the contrast to where I am now.  I am literally and figuratively headed in a different direction. 

2016 Day 7 - Lincoln City, OR

Ok, I finally gave in.  Everyone has been riding around with these cute little totems - a lizard, a stuffed animal, whatever.  I wasn't going to do it, but then in the cushions of one of the couches at one of the churches we stayed at I discovered this adorable little powerpuff looking lamb thing and now...well, see for yourself. 

Last night one of our riders was playing pickup basketball and tore his Achilles and had to go home.  It's another reminder of how lucky I am to wake up every day healthy and ready to go and not to take it for granted. 

2016 Day 6 - Tillamook, OR

Yesterday I got to drive the van with the trailer attached for the first time.  It's quite a responsibility.  The hardest part is backing up and navigating in tight spaces.  But the scariest part is passing the cyclists on the road, because of course the consequences are so dire. 

One of the things that I love about the road is the simplicity of things, especially in the mornings.  You think of a task, you complete that task.  When you complete enough tasks, you're ready to go.  Then, when you're done with that, you start all over again.  There's room for philosophical contemplation in between, but the tasks of daily life are fairly easy to understand and relatively easy to complete.  That's a stark contrast to normal life. 

And, once again, the Tillamook factory makes amazing cheese curds and ice cream. 

2016 Pacific Coast Day 4/5 - Astoria, OR

The ride into Oregon was beautiful.  It was a full day riding so we got in about 75 miles.  Still wet and rainy.  Had a delicious meal at a place called Murphy's with a woman who knew how to cook and made a mean green chile stew.  Today was a rest day in Astoria.  I enjoyed bumping around Goonies town.  It's quaint and seaside-y.  The maritime museum was awesome and had this cool exhibit about the Japanese tsunami in 2011 and all the stuff that's washing ashore.  Tomorrow I get to drive the van and trailer! 

2016 Pacific Coast Day 3 - Castle Rock, WA

Today I got back to the bike.  It was wonderful.  I was still sweeping, but the group has their sea legs under them so it was a lot easier than the first day.  Today, my thoughts turned to the Internet, and how much I take it for granted.  When I was in the Mecca of San Francisco, working in the tech industry, we just all took it for granted that people had internet connections.  Sure, we made some contingency plans for occasional internet outage  the most typical scenario being someone working on an airplane - but the fundamental assumption that we all operated under was that the normal state of affairs was to have a quality broadband connection.  But that simply isn't the case.  Traveling through the country you become acutely aware of the quality of Internet connection that most people, especially folks in rural areas, have on offer.  Because I've been trying to save money, I've been using the low-tier free internet service that Verizon offers, so even when I have service, I'm limited to 128 Kbps.  This of course is twice what I used to have 10 years ago!  And yes, we do get to wifi connections from time to time.  I'm using one right now.  But the transmitter is probably about 500 feet from me in the office of this RV complex, and when I upload a picture if takes about 4-5 minutes, which might not seem that long but in Internet terms it's an eternity.  Online dating, Uber, Yelp - all these wunderkinds are predicated on the idea that we will have ubiquitous quality Internet.  But that's just not the reality most people live in. 

Also, Washington is very, very wet. 

2016 Pacific Coast Day 2 - Centralia, WA

Today was my first day without riding; I drove the rest stop van, which means that, along with Eddie, we were responsible for manning the water and shelter stops - there were 2 of them today.  I can't say I was too upset to miss today's ride, because in typical Pacific Northwest fashion it rained buckets almost the whole day.  Still, it was weird and unsettling, both physically and mentally, not to work out and get exercise.  I wanted to run when we got into camp but the weather just didn't cooperate.  I can still honestly say that rain and cold are not as bad as the crushing heat and sun of Utah and Nevada, however, the truth is that I kind of don't like either one.  Beautiful weather is a huge turn on for me, what can I say!  Still great to be out here in the cycling spirit, and I'm starting to meet and gel with a few of the riders and teammates.  It's fun to surround yourself with fit people who love to exercise. 

2016 Pacific Coast Day 1 - Shelton, WA

When I originally signed up for the TransAm ride, I knew that, for me, the biggest challenge was going to be getting along with a group.  In signing up to route lead the Pacific Coast, I wanted to take that even further.  I wanted to push myself along the dimension that was most difficult: dealing with other people and getting along with others.  Now that I'm route leading it's even more critical that I double down on emotional intelligence.  Today, as Day 1 for all our riders, was a stressful day.  A really fun and incredible day, but definitely a day full of new things.  Many of our awesome riders got lost and some of us - including me - ended up riding a good bit more than we needed to.  But the good news is that everyone is safe, and home, and in the end I think it was a great learning opportunity.  I personally got through it all with flying colors, and I think I really helped everyone, so I'm proud of myself. 

The road today was great Pacific Northwest riding: cloudy, pine trees, beautiful lakes.  Once we got out of the Seattle/Bremerton area it was smooth sailing on beautiful back roads.  Shelton is a cute little town with a Walmart and a Taco Bell.  And my bike is still mechanically perfect. 

Tomorrow I get to drive the Rest Stop Van for the first time! 

2016 Pacific Coast Day 0 - Seattle, WA

Greetings from the start of 1852 miles of sheer West Coast joy.  I wish I could say I had some profound things to comment on about today but I'm exhausted so my brain is on a surface level.  My BoltBus ride from Portland was very smooth.  Seattle is like Portland crossed with San Francisco.  McDonalds here puts kale on their burgers (no joke).  And everyone seems nice; it's a much older crowd in general.  Look for more starting tomorrow. 

oh, also: the REI here is baller.  They have their own jungle. 

2016 Interlude - Portland, OR

In the movies they would call this the intermission, but I prefer interlude.  I got to spend about 48 hours being a somewhat normal person.  Tuesday morning I had breakfast with my TransAm crew and got to say my final goodbyes, then hopped in the car for a 1-11 hour drive to Portland.  I've been staying the last two days with Kip and his family in their amazing condo overlooking Portland - a few pictures below.  It's great to have friends and especially ones as caring and giving as Kip. 

In between these two trips, thinking about my last trip, the thing that strikes me the most is context.  Here's what I mean by that: one of the hot new things is this game Pokemon Go.  IT's an augmented reality game, which means that it uses reality, but it adds a layer on top of it.  So your favorite park bench or public library might suddenly also become a center for good or evil monsters, or some such.  And this same idea applies to touring by bike.  Walk out your front door right now, or look around you, wherever you happen to be.  What you see, what you notice, is defined by how you got there: walking, car, train.  On the way in to San Francisco I rode through Vallejo, and the very next day I ended up driving back across that same stretch of land and highway.  But from a car it looked totally different.  You could barely even see the bike path that I'd been on next to the highway.  The point is this: there is a whole secret world out there, right under your nose, and the only way to see it is to ride your bicycle.  Stores look different, roads look different, towns look different.  The sleepy town of Davis becomes a bustling metropolis.  Bike shops become outposts of civilization.  Diners are the Taj Mahal.  It's fun, and I personally love it. 

2016 TransAm/Western Express Day 62 - San Francisco, CA

I only have a few moments to blog; today, like yesterday, is going to be a whirlwind.  I know that it should feel like I completed some big thing, a sense of accomplishment - and I do have that, yes, but I think I feel something even better and more useful, which is a real change.  A change in lifestyle, a change in attitude.  It doesn't feel like so much an ending as a beginning, or at least a middle part.  Today I will be back on my bike, just to get errands done in SF, and then drive up to Portland, where I have two days of interlude and then we get started all over again!  I will miss my TransAm crew so very much, but - and I know this sounds cheesy - I honestly feel like I am now carrying them all inside me somewhere as I ride.  It's a good feeling, and even more so I think it's a feeling I can build on as I remake my life around the things and people that I care about.  It was great to hang out with everybody yesterday and party and have dinner and eat Bob's Donuts and just see people interact in the "real world" as themselves.  I loved it, and I can't wait to see all of them again! 

2016 TransAm/Western Express Day 61 - Winters, CA

As we approach the finish line, a few things have begun to happen.  From a physical standpoint, the cycling itself has gotten a lot easier and a hell of a lot more fun.  Today we got to travel down the American River bike path and then the paths to David and Winters.  We spent the better part of a 70 mile day on bike paths.  As some of you probably know, Davis prides itself on being the bicycle capital of the country.  It's nice - and also weird - to be surrounded by so many people who cycle.  I know that we are so close to SF, to the finish and to civilization, but it still feels like we're out in the woods.   

On a different note, II have really started to enjoy and come to peace with the fact that this social group is coming to an end.  I've blogged about the fact that for me, I knew the big challenge wouldn't be the physical act of cycling but rather getting along with the group in close quarters.  Last night we did an activity where we all filled index cards with anonymous comments about each other.  Mine were very nice, and also had nothing to do with technology or computers!  Which were basically my two goals.  I'll have more to say about this later when we're done and I have time to think, but most of all what I'll miss is this great group of people.

 More pictures when I have better internet!

2016 TransAm/Western Express Day 59 - Silver Lake, CA

This trip has had a lot of lessons for me, many of which I've already learned of course, but learning them again is always good.  Today was interesting because I learned/re-learned something I've been told so many times.  Over the last few weeks we've really been isolated.  I mean, Nevada desert isolated.  So this morning we woke up with California in our face, and some people wanted to go off route and swing by Lake Tahoe.  I thought this was a good idea so I volunteered.  The only down side was that the natural road path took us along the lake through the city of South Lake Tahoe.  I'd been to South Lake Tahoe several times, and I kind of hate it because it's really touristy and generic.  So you can only imagine the culture shock when, after weeks of the Utah and Nevada deserts, we suddenly found ourselves in the IHOP in the city of South Lake Tahoe, surrounded by tourists.  I knew this would be an issue - we all did - but I was still surprised by how strong, and visceral, the experience was.  We were all nervous to the point of visibly vibrating in our chairs.  And I realized two things: one, which is that in the immediate sense, when people who have been in the wild suddenly encounter civilization it's quite a shock.  But more importantly two, that there are other ways to live besides cities and tourists and civilization and that maybe, perhaps, I like those even more.  The thought of living in small towns or out in the wild has begun to appeal to me.  My biggest concern is finding a significant other to share my life and a job to keep me happy.  I do like people, believe it or not, and I like meeting new people, and I worry that being isolated would hurt that.  But today I also realized how nice it is to be apart from the world.  That's a lesson I will carry with me.

2016 TransAm/Western Express Day 58 - Carson City, NV

Today I found myself, for the second time in my life, at the Fandango Rum Jungle Buffet in Carson City, NV.  So for this momentous occasion, if you will permit me, I would like to wax a bit philosophical about something that's been on my mind lately, which is Abundance.  The Buddhists have tried to teach me this lesson multiple times, and it seems like lately I might be in the mood to learn it.  The idea is this: there is always more.  More time, more love, more food, more friends.  Of course in some sense this is not strictly true.  Sometimes there is no more.  But if we act as though there is more, then - as a general rule - everything feels better.  When we act as though the food in front of us is all we'll get, we cram it in.  We get fearful.  We hoard.  We crave.  When there is plenty, we give it away freely.  Which is not to say that we don't value it, but we value it for what it brings us now, not for what it could bring us in the future.  And we don't grasp.  And, for most of us reading this, abundance is the natural state of things.  What do we have to fear from the future?  There will be more.  There will be more love, more friends, more food, more sleep.  There is no need to clutch.  Abundance surrounds us.  As this trip winds to a close, my natural tendency is to be afraid ; afraid I'll miss my new friends, afraid that I'll wish I'd done this or that on the trip.  As I leave each small town, a tiny voice in my head says "you'll never be back here, and you didn't take full advantage."  But that voice is misled.  I may or may not go back to Middlegate, or Ely, or Booneville, that's true.  But I will continue to ride my bike, to meet new people, to maybe meet old people once again, or perhaps not - but either way, there will be Abundance.  And so enjoy today; enjoy the sunshine, the grass, the friends that are here now.  Give freely to these last 4 or 5 days with the knowledge that there is more to come. 

2016 TransAm/Western Express Day 57 - Fallon, NV

FInally civilization has arrived.  We crossed the long hot desert on a horse with no name, and then, magically, about 45 miles into today's ride, there it was: green fields, CVS, and a Value Inn.  It felt oddly like we had come back full circle to Kansas.  The terrain has begun to resemble Northern California and everyone's thoughts have started to turn to the end of our little escapade.  For today's blog I thought I would recap some of the best food with my Top 5 Meals Of The Trip: 

1. Home cooked food by the Kentucky Churchladies in Sebree, KY.  Fried chicken, green bean casserole, a full spread of cakes and pies, endless iced tea and lemonade.  It's exactly why we have KFC in the first place; this is the food of the heartland, and when it's made by real hands with love, it's the best you'll ever have. 

2.  The Bunkhouse General Store, Fowler, Colorado.  I had asked for us to take a brief detour off route because there weren't any services.  So we ended up in Fowler, Colorado, and randomly went to the Bunkhouse looking for coffee.  And boy did we find coffee.  Also lemon glazed blueberry cream cheese bread, and sandwiches as big as your face, and chicken pot pie, all served by a smiling lady for almost no money.  If I am ever anywhere near that place, I'm stopping.

3. The Monster, Middlegate, NV, Middlegate Station.  This was just yesterday of course, where I ate the 1 1/3 pound burger.  What was surprising perhaps, though, was that the burger was really, really good.  All the food at Middlegate Station was incredible, which is extremely unlikely but no less true. 

4. Hand-cooked breakfast by Olivia, outside Eureka, NV.  On almost no notice she prepared Cajun grits with meat, a berry bread pudding, and various quiches.  And everything was amazing. 

5. Full pig on a spit, Rising Silo Brewery, Blacksburg, VA.  At that point of the trip we weren't really prepared yet for the culinary wasteland we would face, so it was sort of wasted.  But they had prepared an entire roast pig, slaw, the works, along with handcrafted beers and a huge roaring fire on an outdoor patio.  A night to remember. 

2016 TransAm/Western Express Day 56 - Middlegate, NV

Middlegate is one of those experiences that's difficult to describe.  It surrounds you.  It's not easily pulled apart.  The essence of the place is pure Nevada oasis.  It's somewhere between Eureka and Fallon along Route 50, rising out of the dust like a mirage or a Brigadoon.  The place is so remote that the state of Nevada has so far refused to run power lines out to it, so it's all run off a generator.  There's a motel (the windows were mostly duct tape), a bar (more on that later), places to pitch tents, an unused above ground swimming pool, dogs roaming about, and a bartender who ended up there because he was trying to survive in the mountains, got hungry, stumbled down for a cheeseburger and just never left.

Two specific awesome things happened in Middlegate: one, we had "from", our fake prom where we all dressed in thrift store clothing and just danced and got drunk.  Two, I ate a hamburger.  That might not sound like much of an accomplishment but then, you haven't seen this hamburger.  They called it "The Monster".  6 of us tried, but only Kip and I emerged successful.  It was truly an Odyssean journey.  1 1/3 pounds of meat, a full plate of fries, 3 buns, two olives and a pepperonicini.  So much hope on faces as we started, so much sadness as we stumbled near the finish line.  Like Middlegate itself, the burger rose up out of the plate, promising heaven but delivering only Hell. 

Anyway, yeah: Middlegate is amazing.  If you ever find yourself on Route 50, plan to stay here and eat a burger.  In fact, bring a whole car full of folks and just have yourself a damn good time. 

Oh, and Griffin is still wearing a dress. 

2016 TransAm/Western Express Day 55 - Austin, NV

There are definitely things that I like about Nevada, no question about it.  The air is clean and crisp.  The people have been nice to us (when you can find one).  But today was the first day, in a long time, when Cranky Adam came out.  To be clear: I mean Cranky-While-Bicycling Adam.  I'm definitely cranky in general, but not usually on the bike.  But today got to me.  If ever there was a day when I might have gotten in the van, it would have been today.  I'm not even sure why; it wasn't a particularly hard day.  The first 40 miles I rode with Kip and Bryn and they flew by.  But the last climb into Austin crushed my soul.

| Normal Adam | Cranky Adam Time Until Stop Desired | 15 miles | 1.5 miles

of Times Thinking of a New Way To Kill Everybody | 0 times | twice per second

of Times Curse Words Used | rarely | frequently

Desire to Throw Bike Into Pacific Ocean | no | yes Having someone Cheer me On | encouraging | please stop Still Get on the Bike The Next Day | yes | yes

2016 TransAm/Western Express Day 54 - Eureka, NV

It's just hot.  Hot and dry and nowhere.  I'd love to say that I'm getting something poetic out of this, but honestly I feel like I'm trapped in Groundhog Day.  Don't get me wrong; a bad day biking is better than a good day doing anything else.  But, yeah.  In my hours on the bike, I laid out the narrative arc of the trip so far: 

Act I The Beginning

  In which our heroes discover the truth

Act II Training

  In which our heroes take on the challenge

Act III The Disease

  In which our heroes remember the motivation

Act IV Cycling

  In which our heroes rejoice in creation

Act V The Suffering

  In which all our heroes fought for is threatened

Act VI Victory

  In which our heroes find the ocean, and peace

Of course right now we are in The Suffering.  I'll let you know when we reach the denouement. 

PS We met another awesome woman named Lisa with MS.  Mike, Shanon, Olivia and myself were at this store in Baker and she introduced herself.  Her and her family cooked us all dinner last night, and then her mom cooked us a big spaghetti dinner and left it for us at the church we're in tonight (as well as offering us the church).  People are awesome. 

PPS I took up Chess. 

PPPS I have my outfit for from mostly ready. 

2016 TransAm/Western Express Day 53 - Ely, NV

The Nevada Tourism Board, quoting AAA from 1986, describing the road we're on: "It's totally empty', says a AAA counselor. 'There are no points of interest.  We don't recommend it.'" 

As we cycle through this not-to-be-recommended stretch of road, I think it seems like an appropriate time for a short recap of the Top 10 Things I Learned About Myself This Trip: 

1. I really enjoy distance cycling, or ultra cycling.  This is not a surprise, of course, but still, it's really confirmed it: I love this stuff.  I love getting up everyday and riding 80+ miles through random stretches of the world.  I love cycling. 

2. I still don't like coffee.  I tried.  Honest I did. 

3. My body is up for the challenge.  I am actually pretty good at this.  Nothing hurts.  I'm tired sometimes, but not especially so.  I honestly feel really good.  Even the altitude didn't get to me. 

4. My Achilles Heel is heat.  That's the one thing that will make me cranky and unhappy and want to quit.  I don't mind climbs, long distance is fine.  But heat does me in. 

5. I don't actually mind waking up at 5:30 AM when I have something to do. 

6. I can handle not having a shower once in a while.  This is a revelation.  Don't get it twisted, though: I still love showers. 

7.  I prefer mountains and rivers to dry open plains, even if it means doing more climbing. 

8. I'm still not terribly good at groups or at making friends, but at least nobody openly dislikes me or anything. 

9. I'm not gonna live in Utah or Nevada.  Just not gonna happen. 

10. If I eat garbage, then no matter how much I exercise, I won't lose weight.  I might get in better shape and even feel better, but my body shape really won't change.