The Windiest Hell Hole in OR

6/6 - Port Orford (37 miles)
Actually, it was a nice town, albeit on the windy side, but we met Mike Mys and family and got a taste of the local conservative OR spirit. Mike was a typical grumpy old man, but very lively and entertaining, a playful grumpy old man... He showed me his gun collection, rotation of canned goods, trout in the stream, all of which were in preparation for the end of times. He told us how the Core of Engineers screwed up Port Orford's Port and how people really don't know crap anymore. He told us that his part of OR was all set to secede from the Union but World War II screwed everything up. He told us how hard it was to raise his 12 year old grand daughter... "and it's getting harder everyday, isn't that right little girl?...". Finally, he bid us good night and gave us a small bottle of wine "to help the misses sleep" and shared that the only way he sleeps anymore is if he get "all-schnuckered up". Good times in OR.

Welcome to Oregon - Home of the Mighty Headwind

6/4 - Harris Beach State Park, OR (64 miles)
It was a cold, rainy morning... perhaps an appropriate greeting from Oregon. Our fuel supplies were very low (down to peanut butter), the hunger meter was high and this cold weather was quickly sucking the life from our legs. It was time to PIG OUT in Brookings, OR. The picture below gives you a glimpse of our typical daytime dining experience. This scene however, was our biggest binge to date... and we learned the hard way about shopping hungry, especially when you have to haul all that food on your bikes.











6/5 - near Gold Beach, OR (23 miles)
True, we got a late start (due to some bicycle issues), and true we knew the wind usually picks up in the afternoon, but we are getting stronger you see... and the wind really hasn't been that bad lately. And so, we learned the hard way, once again - like a head-splitting hangover - the wind can really suck. Especially when you see the bikers going the opposite direction with big carefree smiles and you hear the Nascar sound ... nyeeeowwww. I think our top speed going down hill was 10 mph and there were several gusty bridges where 1 mph took everything we had.

Avenue of the Giants and Fern Canyon

5/31 - Benbow Lake State Park (50 miles)
6/1 - Humboldt Redwoods State Park (27 miles)
6/2,3 - Prairie Creek State Park (100 miles)


Trees everywhere. Big trees, little trees, short trees, tall trees, skinny trees, stout trees, and great big momma trees. We slowed way down and tried to soak in all these trees... to appreciate time as these trees do. Well, perhaps not that much since some are nearly 2000 years old, but we did take a layover day in Redwood State Park to hike into "Fern Canyon". One truly feels like a dwarf among such huge vegetation.

Avenue of the Giants



Fern Canyon

Psychedelic Bob's and The Party that Never Ends...

5/29 - near Boonville, Indian Creek Campground (54 miles)
With inspiration and encouragement from the Dr. of Steel, we set out on the beatiful, yet sinister hwy 128 on our way back to the coast. The scenery was verdant and plush... wine country appears to be endless in these parts... but the hills (mountains?), Memorial Day traffic, and lack of shoulder made riding difficult. Yet alas, we survived and were very relieved to stumble across an innocent little Mendicino County campground. Perhaps it was the left over bottle of "Sierra Nevada" waiting at our picnic table, or maybe the alien head with glowing green eyes outside the campground host's [Psychedelic Bob's] RV, or the campground "FULL" sign that kept other potential car campers from entering ... there was some subtle foreshadowing of the night to come. That night we dozed off with peaceful sounds of the river, mere steps from our tent. At around 11pm, Lynyrd Skynyrd entered our dreams, followed by Aerosmith, and even a little hillbilly Gourds playing a rendition of SnoopDog's "Gin & Juice". The party lasted all night long...into the wee hours of the morning.

5/30 - Westport Union Landing State Park (63 miles)
It felt good to return to the coast and hwy 1. Sure, it's a little more breezy and the undulating road makes for an increased heart rate, but the ocean views and smells are still very exciting for us mid-westerners.

"Clark" Kent's tour of Mt Tamalpais and N. CA

5/26,27 - Novato (50 miles)
The Cagwin's had the grand suggestion that we start off the day off w/ a map! Where's the fun in that, ehhh? But, alas we printed out a route that would take us back to hwy 1. The route, up and over Mount Tamalpais, happened to be swarming w/ cyclists. Apparently, we had stumbled across "Road Cycling Paradise"... few cars, smooth roads, huge climbs, and beautiful winding descents! We were loving the comradery and fellowship of these fellow pedal spinners. In fact, once we finally arrived at the top of Mt Tamalpais (a real big climb) we were greeted by our new cycling hero: Dr. "Clark" Kent (Legs of Steel, Lungs of Good Year...). Dr. Kent got so excited about our story that he convinced us to follow him back to his home in Novato, CA for a weekend retreat. Mr. Legs-of-Steel powered Rachel's heavy steed back, while Rachel floated Dr. Kent's zero-gravity Specialized carbon bike. We stayed 2 nights and enjoyed the company of his family while we commenced one of our many "blog-a-thons". Thanks a bunch Dr. Clark... I mean Kent :)


5/28 - Healdsburg Wine Country (69 miles)
Wine, wine everywhere... we probably rode past 20 different vineyards, all beckoning us w/ their "Tasting Room OPEN" signs. Alas, we needed to actually travel and didn't want to attempt pedaling with wine bouncing in our bellies. We at least have the region well scouted out for future outings.

Chateau de Cagwin

5/25 - Mill Valley (27 miles)
To have a map or not? Rachel says yes; Scott says no... We were so anxious and excited to leave San Francisco and the bike theft experience, that we headed across the windy Golden Gate Bridge without a detailed map. We placed faith in the Biking Gods and brailled our way to Mill Valley. As we passed the town, our road turned into an endless, curvy mountainous road, becoming steeper and steeper... It was late in the day and Rachel was questioning Scott's relationship with the Biking Gods and tempers were deteriorating rapidly. But then came Marti Cagwin to the relationship rescue!!!

Marti explained that we missed our turn and were climbing toward a dead end. Without hesitation, she offered a place for us to stay for the night. Ahhh, a place to stay! No more cycling in the dark... No more "I told you so's" or "we climbed this whole way for nothing" type thoughts. In fact, Marti and George Cagwin seemed to enjoy adding surprises and amenities to our "place to stay" as the night continued. First, we were taken to our private room, complete with computer and home theatre/stereo system. Next came laundry and showers. Dinner was at 8 pm w/ casual attire. Lamb, Chicken, and asparagus served. To conclude the evening, the Cagwin's issued us our personal spa robes and we sat in a boiling tub overlooking the San Francisco bay area. We couldn't help but think that our sacrifice of stolen bicycles had appeased Bicycle Gods and that they were looking out for us again.