Alli decided to ride with me to the coast. We took Route 26 out to Cannon Beach, stopping only for snacks and fresh blackberries.
The road was terrible, beginning with four fast lanes on each side, and ending with a crappy shoulder along a fast and narrow road. Note to anyone traveling to the Oregon coast from Portland: 26 is no fun.
However, the beach was much fun. We made a campfire and toasted s'mores late into the night, until the rain washed us away. We didn't get much sleep that night due to the rain, but we were able to make up for it the following day by taking a long nap on the beach in the sun. Later we went hiking in the cliffs along the shore, and found some amazing views of the coastline.
Again we made a campfire and slept on the beach, which became quite cold in the middle of the night, but fortunately it didn't rain.
The next morning, a man asked us if we knew of a place to get coffee nearby. We said sorry, we just rolled in on our bikes and don't know the area.
"Well, if I find coffee, would you like me to bring you some?"
"Absolutely!" we said.
He came back ten minutes later and offered to buy us breakfast around the corner.
Frank had taken a motorcycle trip for 18 months when he was in his early 20's, but was inspired by those who were tough enough to travel long distances without a motor pushing them along. Several years ago, he had created a bike product that could transform a regular bicycle into a tandem. Unfortunately, his target market was more inclined to just purchase tandem bicycles rather than his conversion piece, and the product flopped. But he was still very interested in cycling, and he was generous to provide me and Alli with some breakfast.
Alli needed to get back to Portland for work, and I decided that I was kinda sick of biking, so we both took the bus back to the city.
The next day, I visited the bike shop and asked them to ship the bike back to Maine. Though I had thought pretty hard about riding back east through Canada, I decided that I would save it for another time...at this point I am ready to chill out and read books in hammocks until the fall semester begins. Plus, my parents maintain an awesome organic garden back in central Maine, and I would be bumming if I were to miss out on fresh veggies and berries again this summer. I really had to ask myself...another month of PB&J, or tons of fresh veggies and homemade meals? Hmmm....
But I don't think I am finished with "bike tripping". Sleeping out under the stars and living off of my bike has truly been an incredible experience. I've met a lot of great people on this journey, seen a lot of beautiful landscape, and watched the muscles in my legs transform into the beasts that they now are. Piper agrees that this will not be his last long distance bike trip, only the first in a series that may well become a lifestyle. At this point, I have complete confidence that I can get anywhere I need to go by pedalling there. This summer, I have taken my devotion to bike commuting to a whole new level. In the upcoming years, I will continue to live car-free and bike-centric.
Hey, thanks to all of those who have supported me on this journey. I really, REALLY appreciate everything that people have done to help us along the way. And thanks to everyone who supports their local/state bike organizations—it makes a HUGE difference in making the roads safer and more accessible for cyclists.
If anyone wants to get in touch with Adam Piper, his email address is manic676 [at] hotmail.com.
And of course, anyone reading this blog should feel free to contact me for any reason: trinachi [at] gmail [dot] com
—Peace—
