newport,or

I am in Newport, Oregon right now. I stopped at a really cool bike shop that has free laundry, showers, and a lounge with couches and Tv. The place is called Bike Newport. What a set up! I hear there's a swell coming in tonight so hopefully there will be more wave action! Rode out to a lighthouse today and will be headed south again once my laundry dries!

update

Hey everyone, 4 days in and I'm realizing that blogging along the way is much harder than anticipated, but sorry for the lag in communication. I'm in Depoe bay right now, about 7 miles north of Newport. I've Ridden about135 miles so far!ive met some great people, weather has been great, surf unfortunately is a bit too small to surf at every spot, but am having a great time! Because of difficulties in blogging, feel free to shoot me an email at surf95521@gmail.com if you'd like more frequent updates.

Leaving soon

Well, tomorrow I drive down to Vancouver with my room mate Eric. On Saturday morning, I will be teaching him how to surf, something I had promised all year. When finished, Eric will drive me to Astoria, my starting point and I will begin the journey, likely biking down to Seaside, OR. Before leaving however, I packed and repacked all my gear to make sure it fits and to make sure everything I am taking is essential. Here it all is: Gear: Surfing Gear- Board, straps x2, wetsuit, sweet colored wax, wax comb, leash, rash guard, towel Camping- Tent, sleeping bag, sleep pad (yoga mat) Jet boil stove, pots and pan, silverware, spices, cleaning materials, extra fuel, matches/lighter, thermals Clothing- Waterproof pants, wind breaker, thermal pants, board shorts, 2 longsleeve thermals, 2 tshirts, 2 boxers, 1 pair jeans, extra bike short, longsleeve bike jersey, extra bike jersey, 2 extra pairs of socks, microfiber towel. Initial food- Clif bars, Power bars, beef jerky, energy jelly beans, Cereal bars, Oatmeal, assorted nuts, Nuun electrolyte drink mix, and gum Extra- First Aid Kit, Bike repair stuff, tools, tire pump, CO2 cartridges, extra tubes, Ulock, cables and locks, wallet necklace, toiletries, addresses, and map

Updated journey, with notes

Astoria- Cannon Beach (possibly Seaside) (~25 miles)* (Surf seaside, Cannon Beach) Camping?

(Possibly Seaside) Cannon Beach-Nehalam Bay (~21 miles) (Nehalem Bay State park, hiker/biker sites) Surf Oswald State Park

Nehalam Bay-Tillamook/Cape Lookout (~32 miles) (Cape Lookout, hiker/biker sites)

Tillamook-Devils Lake State Park (~37 miles)* (Surf Cape Kiwanda) (Devils lake SP hiker/biker)

(Devils Lake)Lincoln City-Beverly Beach State Park (~20 miles)* Beverly Beach SP hiker/biker) Surf Beverly Beach

Beverly Beach SP- South Beach State Park (Newport) (~11 miles)* Hiker/Biker, Surf Beverly/South Beach

Newport-Beachside State Park (Waldport)  (~17miles)* Hiker/biker, Surf Waldport

Beachside state park-Florence (~30 miles),  Hotel, couch surf, campground

Florence-Umpqua bay lighthouse SP (~28 miles)* Hiker/biker, Surf here

Umpqua Bay SP-Coos Bay Sunset Bay SP (~29 miles) hiker/biker, surf here

Coos Bay-Cape Blanco SP (~50 miles)* Surf Cape Blanco, Hiker/biker

Cape Blanco-Humbug SP (~13 miles)* Surf Port Orford, hiker/biker

Humbug SP-Gold Beach (~23 miles)* Surf Gold Beach, hotel, couch surf, campground

Gold Beach- Harris Beach State Park (~27 miles)* Surf Harris Beach, Hiker/biker

Harris Beach State Park-Crescent City (~28 miles)

new design, new board

I finally worked out the new design of the surfboard rack. It included changing some angles and lowering it. What I found out was that this lower the top heaviness allowing me to have better control. I bought this new board from Craigslist, its pretty banged up, but it was the size and general shape I wanted, for a really good price!

Lake surfing?

So what do you do when the winds are howling from the south, it's pouring down rain, and your stuck in Seattle area???  Well, you go surfing in a lake of course!!!  From the 520 bridge to Juanita Beach park, there is enough of a fetch to create a surfable (choppy and inconsistent-yes) wind wave at the beach.  Rides are short, but water is warm, and it offers a useful training when biking is not a feasible option. Got a little face time, some cross stepping action, and a few wipeouts! Pictures only, however I did get some video last time I attempted this! 

Route plans as of now

Astoria- Cannon Beach (~25 miles)*

Cannon Beach-Tillamook (~40 miles)

Tillamook-Neskowin (~31 miles)*

Nesokwin-Lincoln City (~15 miles)*

Lincoln City- Newport (~23 miles)*

Newport-Florence (~50 miles)*

Florence-Reedsport (~22 miles)

Reedsport-Coos bay (~27 miles)*

Coos Bay-Bandon (~25 miles)

Bandon-Port Orford (~27 miles)*

Port Orford-Gold Beach (~28 miles)*

Gold Beach-Brookings (~28 miles)*

Brookings-Crescent City (~28 miles)*

*Surfing points

Cleanwater classic and trials

This post is long overdue, sorry about that.  I'm working up to creating a more consistent post, so sorry for the delay at the moment.  Back in May I attended the Clean Water Classic, a surf contest in Westport, WA.  I packed my board, my bike, trailer and surf equipment and endured the 2 1/2 hour trek to the coast in my car.

My campsite, hidden amongst the trees was absolutely wonderful except for the monsoon of mosquitoes that had a radar like effect on any piece of exposed skin.   Every walk into a swarm of gnats in a field?  The mosquitoes were like that.  I ate my dinner while walking around and taking movement breaks as I prepared the trailer for tomorrow's introduction at the contest site.

The morning came and I loaded up all my gear, checking the connections one more time making sure that the bamboo was secure.  I loaded my 9'0" performance noserider longboard on the trailer.  I walked to get my straps and CRASH, the whole contraption toppled over.  I learned then that the longboard would be too much for this journey, noting that the top heavy weight was too much for the bike alone.  After repairing the loose bamboo poles and securely strapping the board to the racks (while keeping a hand on the whole time) I mounted and rode off towards Westhaven State park where the contest was held.  It was only a short ride, a few miles, and a good thing because the longboard definitely felt different that the shortboard.  On any movement the board, the rack, the trailer, and the bike would sway.  It was too top heavy.  At one point, it swayed while on a sand drift and the front wheel skidded to the side.  I recovered thankfully and pedaled the rest of the way.  I noted that on this trial, I had the back loaded heavily with no weight on the front which I suspect would help balance out the weight.

At the contest scene I was instantly asked questions about the trailer, journey, and plans.  I received words of advice such as "You should add some hula grass to the bamboo and some Tiki torches." I'll add that to my ideas!  While I enjoyed the attention, I was there to surf as well and headed up over the dune to check out the scene.  Small, semi-glassy conditions.  I came in first in my heat and moved to the semi finals.  I rode back after that to conserve my energy and returned to the campground to ask for a new site, a much more open site with less blood sucking insects.  I was stoked to hear that a friend of mine from Seattle woul dbe joining me to watch the semi finals and finals.

When Jessica arrived, I resorted to the car for the rest of the weekend.  The trailer needed attention.  Due to the weight of the board, it loosened some poles and shifted the distance between each rack.  I'm looking for a board between my shortboard and my longboard.  Ideally a 6'6"-6'8" egg.  If anyone has any leads on such a board, I'd be glad to hear about them.

Jessica and I had a fun time checking out the Westport happenings, cruising downtown, grabbing food at the local restaurants and cafes.  We even found the candy shop to satisfy our sweet tooths.  She accompanied me to the semi finals in which I placed third place and moved to the finals later in the afternoon.  Surf conditions wern't the best and by looking at the flags, you can tell that it got cold and very windy! We found out at the awards ceremony that I place 5th overall in the Men's Longboard Division.  We won some cool raffle prizes-not the surfboard unfortunately, but other neat items.

This trip helped me to think about ways to have a more secure trailer.  I'm thinking of epoxy to help create the rigidity of the racks and then lash around that.  I know that a longboard is not an option for this trip, and while I wasn't planning on that, I was hoping it would at least be more stable.  I learned that even though those Citronella candles really stink, they help the bugs from eating you alive.  I learned that living in Seattle is not close enough to the ocean.  I've also learned that I am getting even more excited for this trip!

A surfboard nowhere near the coast..

I went on my first ride with the surfboard on the racks.  Had to do some more modifications to the racks such as tightening some of the lashings, cutting some off one of the posts, and adding some padding for the board to rest on. I rode a little more than 7 miles today.  After stopping midway, I noticed that some of the lashings had loosened and needed some attention.  When I finished for the day, everything had stayed tight.

This set up is a little top heavy, however I wonder what it will be like when the whole bike is loaded down with all the gear.  It sure was funny to see the stares of people as the drove by or as I passed them on the sidewalk.  I'm sure many of them were curious as to why I was carrying a surfboard 2 1/2 hours from the coast.  I went a little fast down hill with the extra weight, about 30 mph...but going up hill...that was a different matter.  I'm learning quick what a little extra weight does when pedaling up hill!

Whoops

Went to put my bike on the car today so I could ride around on it while my car got an oil change (with some other expensive recommendations...). I realized that the front pannier racks interfere with attaching it to the roof of the car.  Whoops.  Rode my mountain bike today instead-was nice to have a softer seat for a change. 

Things I've learned thus far

Okay, so I've just started training and getting this thing off the ground, but I've already learned quite a fair bit! 

Here are some of my findings as of recent:

1) Road bike seats are a lot harder than my mountain bike seat.
2) It's a 7 minute drive to work in my car.  It's a 15 minute ride to work on my bicycle.  I should ride more.
3) While still cold in the morning, it's nice to hear the birds chirping as I ride compared to listening to music and drowning out the world around me.  This is another reason I should ride to work.
4) Road bikes seem to feel every bump, need to go slower around corners, yet go a lot faster.
5) My average speed is around 12.5 miles per hour, with uphills and downhills. At this rate, I should only have to ride about 3 hours a day down the coast.  Granted this data is without the trailer attached.
6) If reading this blog on your phone, it may be hard to read.  You will need to view it as a web page (an option at the bottom of the screen.)
7) One of the most beautiful things while riding so far is seeing the cherry blossoms sprinkle off the trees like snow in the still chilly mornings. 
8) Due to riding, I feel super energetic in the morning, like I can take on the world.  I started thinking, maybe I could ride to Montana this summer as well... The afternoons however, are making me tired.
9) A big feat, No. But have I done it before, No...My goal was to ride to work and back everyday this week.  On day 3, I'm taking a sick day.  Boo... Maybe I can make it up on Saturday...
10) Blogging is fun.  I hope it's fun to read and I look forward to sharing more! 

Gatherings

Now that I have my vision, biking down the coast of Oregon this summer, I realized that I need the gear next.  While I have lots of gear for just about everything else, bike touring is not something that I have done before.  Inspired by my dad who has done many bike trips, I began to search for a bike-often checking with him with many different questions.  I chose a Trek FX 7.2 for the job-or at least a bike to allow me to start training.  It's a commuter/road bike hybrid-definitely entry level it seems, but is the right size and has the features that I wanted-plus got it cheaper and used from Craigslist.  I also bought a Bob cargo trailer.  It's an older model and was used on a couple of touring missions with it's previous owner. I'll use the cargo trailer and front panniers to carry my gear.

The next task was to figure out a way to create a surfboard rack for my board to accompany me on this trip.  As I said earlier, I had previously sought out different ideas from various people around the country.  Using these ideas I went to Ace Hardware down the street.  I went to the PVC section when I saw something out of the corner of my eye...bamboo!  While there are no fancy attachment pieces for bamboo, I thought it would look and feel extra amazing to actually cut, saw, lash together, and build a rack rather than just piece it together.  Two large pieces of bamboo later and I was set to begin this process.  Here is what I did using both my 9 foot longboard and 5'10" shortboard as rack models:

The bare bones: Bike, trailer, and marterials

My surf rack completed.  It took a few attempts, but this is the first model completed!

It holds the shortboard just fine!  Someone commented that it was elegant!  I've also heard that it looks like a table to eat on while camping and that is looks like an ironing board.

Beginnings

To start, I have to give you a bit of an idea as to why this blog is starting.  I had this thought, "What if..." Sometimes those thoughts allow me to chase something that I don't know is possible.  Here I am though, combining some of my passions in life; Surfing, travel, and biking all into one dream.  Because of this thought, I plan on spending a few weeks this summer biking down the Oregon Coast with my surfboard.  With my surfboard you say...? I will be trailering that behind me as I bike down, creating a custom surfboard rack.  I emailed people from all around the country seeking different ideas, finding plans, and testing out different verbal ideas.  This communication has led me to try something new, independent of what others have tried and I am currently piecing together this idea for Summer 2012. Please follow me through this adventure, and together I hope to spark new ideas and/or inspire some of your ideas to come to the surface to try.  Leave a comment, an idea...anything! If anything, this is a cool way to track this adventure in my life.