morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-08-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today is the day I hop on a plane and fly north to Bellingham, Washington. I shipped my bike to Earls Bike Shop. It arrived yesterday and Earl's has it all ready to go. Tonight I am staying in a hotel by the airport. Tomorrow I plan to ride 25 miles north to the Canadian border then return to Bellingham. Saturday I will be on my way south toward Mexico. I plan to follow the route in Cycling the Pacific Coast. There are several different routes through Washington to get to the Oregon coast. I rode my new bike about 400 miles around home before shipping it out. My longest day was 35 miles. I am hoping my hiking endurance works for cycling. Getting ready for the AT this spring my longest hike was 6 miles. Day one my son and I dropped 20 and never looked back.My friend Frank is currently driving to Bellingham. He is planning to pick me up at the airport. He actually changed his plans after I made my flight arrangements as he had planned to start in Seattle but will now start from the border. He is restricted with time, so is still planning to stop in Santa Cruz, California. He and a friend have a support van. My plan is to be totally self sufficient. Frank's friend is a planner and I like to see where the day take me, so I may or may not stay with them. They have a target date to be in Santa Cruz and I have no schedule.My basic thought is the journey is 1,800 miles long and I am thinking I will average about 60 miles per day, so 30 days to complete the trip. My sister from Vermont will be visiting San Diego the end of September, so I am hoping it works out that my timing will match and we can meet up.
Date: 2018-08-24
From: Canadian border

To: Bellingham 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Todays miles: 50Total: 50Great first day pedalling. The plan was to go 25 miles north to the Canadian border and back to Bellingham. Frank and I took off a little after 9 figuring 2 hours to get there for an 11am lunch.All went as planned. The navigation is the hard part. The route is not marked and we took all back roads. Overall we took 3 detours, but none were a big deal. We had a nice lunch on the US side in Blaine, WA. After lunch we rode 1 more mile to the border. I have a printed guide and an app. It is tough to look at either while riding.At the border is a grand monument in the middle of a beautiful field. You actually cross I5 to get to it. Since the Canadian customs is there the traffic is moving slowly. The parking lot for the park is right on the border. There is no fence or any indication of an international border. There is a mowed field between the parking lot i the US and the houses in Canada. Bellingham is a great little city. We have gone out to dinner both nights here. Tomorrow we head south and plan to stay at one of the many state parks along the way.Today's 50 miles of riding were by far the most I have done in a day. 35 was my previous high. Tomorrow has rain in the forecast, so we shall see where we end up. The drivers here in Washington seem more courteous than Arizona. The roads were busy, but not too bad.
Date: 2018-08-25
From: Bellingham 

To: Oak Harbor
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today's miles: 55Total: 105Day 2 is a success. The day started out cloudy, breezy and quite cold by my standards, mid 50s. Jim Frank and I got started about 8:30. Shortly after we left a light drizzle started and continued off and on all day. The temperatures never broke the 60 degree mark. Once we got south of Bellingham we cruized along the coast. Lots of rolling hills and forest with a periodic view of the water. After 15 miles we came out onto flat farm land. At one point we passed a small river and fisherman were literally standing shoulder to shoulder. I had never seen anything like it. Everyone was after a salmon dinner.At the 27 mile mark we arrived at BayView state park. It was cold and breezy. After a break I left Frank and Jim to ride to meet my buddy and his wife at Deception Pass state park. It was great to see them. They moved from the Phoenix area a few years ago to Seattle. We had a great lunch by the beach under the bridge. We then went to his crab trap about 2 miles away. He caught 8 crabs but unfortunately no keepers. Now it was on to Oak Harbor for the night. We went for a hotel [hard to find a vacancy).More rain in the forecast for Sunday. Memories of being on the AT.
Date: 2018-08-26
From: Oak Harbor

To: Poulsbo
Miles today: 0.0

Today's miles: 55Total: 160The day started gray and cool (55). Rain was in the forecast. Last night the best chance of rain was for the morning so we discussed just getting a late start. This morning we figured we may as well just go and take our chances. 15 miles in was a ferry crossing that runs about every hour. Turns out we timed it perfectly. They were just starting to load the cars as we arrived. We landed in Port Townsend 30 minutes later. Within 1/2 mile of the dock we got on the Larry Scott trail. The trail was about 7 miles long weaving through the forest. The begining was right along the water. It was great being on a quiet path. We saw a horse and a couple bikers.We then had a beautiful ride along the coast with lots of ups and downs. We stopped in Port Ludlow for lunch. While there the rain moved in. With the temperature never exceeding 60 it was a chilly day again. Out of Port Ludlow we continued along the coast till we hit the Hood Canal bridge. We went from a quiet back road to busy Route 3. Even though the bridge had a wide bike lane it was quite stressful going across the 1+ mile bridge. We continued on route 3 after the bridge. Again there was a wide lane for us but cars are zooming by at 60 mph. A few miles later we turned on to another quiet road. What an awesome way to finish the day as we cruised into Poulsbo. In our last 5 miles probably 5 cars passed us, plus it was a wide road with a nice shoulder and the rain had stopped.
Date: 2018-08-27
From: Poulsbo

To: Shelton
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today's miles: 55Total: 215I need to get used to traveling with a group. I am used to having more alone time. It has been great riding with Jim and Frank as it feels safer with the 3 of us in bright clothes and flashing lights. So far the drivers have been very courteous. No bad experiences in the first 3 days of riding. (I am writing this in the morning before leaving Poulsbo)Poulsbo is a great town. Norwegian descent so fun seeing the architecture, even Norwegian flags flying. This morning we will see the sun for the first time and the forecast calls for temps in the 70s. The last 2 days have been low 60s and rainy.We are off the suggested bike route by a few miles, but with Google maps it is not a problem. Navigating is the biggest challenge. The route is not marked in any way so you have to pay attention. Thank goodness for smart phones and built in gps. We rolled out this morning under clear skies. Beautiful day. The picture is taken from our hotel parking lot. Today was fairly uneventful. Lots of rural roads which is awesome. We did hit our first really steep hill. We all walked our bikes up. Once up it was great riding. I am the navigator and we missed a turn. I thought all was good since we were going in the correct direction but turns out we were on East Mason Lake Road, not West Mason Lake Road. Oops, we are on the wrong side of the lake. No wonder we could not see it off to our left. Turns out it was no big deal as the route came back to West Mason Lake Road anyway. We are in Shelton tonight. This was once a happening town but has seen better times.
Date: 2018-08-28
From: Shelton

To: Raymond
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Today's miles: 65Total: 280Another beautiful day. Chilly start, high 40s, but supposed to warm to mid 80s. Hot for here. Tomorrow's high is forecast to be 72.We once again started out not following a route, choosing to do our own. Thanks again for cell phones and gps. The first leg of the journey was 28 miles to Elma. The last 12 were an awesome gradual down into town. The morning stretch was all rural roads with almost no traffic. I am looking forward to the coast but these back roads with little traffic are great.After a short break we headed out again. The first 10 miles were through a few small towns. The highlight was passing a nuclear power plant that was never finished. We stopped for lunch in Artic, 47 miles in. We have 17 to get to Raymond, our destination for tonight. There are 4 good hills between us and Raymond, should be fun. (Obviously I am writing this at lunch.)The hills were not too bad. We were on the 101, which is a busy 2 lane road, but with good riding shoulders. The traffic tended to go by in groups, lead by a semi or loaded logging truck. We made it to Raymond by 3pm. Great day. Now to take a shower and relax. Another 60 miler planned for tomorrow to get to Oregon.With Labor Day coming up we need to figure out places to stay. The state parks takes bikers, but with the van we have to figure things out. It took some figuring but I think we are set. I am carrying all my own stuff so I do not have any concerns but do need to worry about the group I am travelling with. We have things planned through Monday, so by then should be able to just wing it again. It is like doing the last 60 miles of the Camino.The long range forecast for the Oregon coast is highs in the mid 60s.
Date: 2018-08-29
From: Raymond

To: Astoria, OR
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today's miles: 50Total 330Raymond was another Washington town with a declining population. It was nice and trying to upgrade itself.We started out on a nice bike path for the first few miles. Then it was on to the 101. Easiest day of navigating as we stayed on the 101 for the rest of the day. Most of it has a great riding shoulder. We rode through forests and along mud flats. At one point a town called itself the Oyster capital of the world. Even the 101 through here has been light traffic. 28 miles in we met the van and Jim took the rest of the day off. I have forgotten to mention there are blackberries everywhere. I eat them at every stop. The van dropped Jim at our camp spot for tonight and them came back and met Frank and I in Chinook Washington. We then also hopped in the van and got a ride across the Astoria bidge - 4 miles long with no bike lane. Many cyclists take and inland route through southern Washington so they don't have to cross this bridge. We wanted to stay along the bays so this was the compromise, drive across.We are now in Fort Stevens state park. The weather today was low 60s and misting much of the day. It makes it tough to see when the glasses get all wet. A far cry from yesterday's sunny and 84.Our coastal riding so far has been along bays, tomorrow we hit the open Pacific. Should be beautiful.
Date: 2018-08-30
From: Astoria, OR

To: Rockaway Beach
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today's miles: 52Total: 382Last was fun. We explored the state park, which is at the mouth of the Columbia river. In the late 1800s the corps of engineers built a rock jetty a mile out into the ocean/river to keep the sand from choking off the river. We then went into Astoria and had a great meal on the waterfront. The evening was sunny and in the 60s.We tented in Fort Stevens. I made a critical mistake pitching my tent expecting good weather. Well the rain came in and literally came into my tent. 4,000 miles on the AT and never had this problem. We rode south to Seaside for breakfast. It was raining the whole time. While eating we booked a room for tonight instead of camping again. (50% chance of rain tonight) it has cleared while stopped so should be a nice afternoon to ride. More later.After breakfast we heading south to Cannon Beach. While stopped we chatted with others who are on vacation in this area. A couple from Georgia and another from Maryland. It was then off south again. We had a couple big climbs in the afternoon. The coast has been spectacular as advertised. Early afternoon we were rolling through Nahalem and there were some locals playing music outside so we stopped for a quick break.It was then off to our finish for the day, Rockaway Beach. We have a beachfront place. Time for a shower and then off to dinner.
Date: 2018-08-31
From: Rockaway Beach

To: Lincoln City
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Today's miles: 62Total: 444Last night was great. We rented a family suite, so all 5 of us were together. The retired couple driving the van got a private room, Jim a bed and Frank and I "camped" on the floor. We all dried our stuff from the previous night. Again familiar memories from the AT. Since we left Bellingham we have had one dry night. Most mornings we are riding in a mist till about 10am. We got take out pizza and watched the sun set over the Pacific from our balcony.The fog and mist moved in again last night so everything was soaked in the morning. Today the road dried out about 10:30 and the sun came out about noon. 15 miles in we arrived in Tillamook. We went right by the factory where they make the cheese. We did stop for breakfast. By this time the mist had lifted. After breakfast we continued south on the 101. Even though it is a busy highway it has a great riding shoulder. A bit south of town we took the Oregon route. The book and the ACA headed to the coast on a back road. We stayed a bit inland. While on this route we saw our first biker. A self described "hippie, jesus loving" guy headed to a Shakespeare festival. We saw him a couple times but then got ahead of him and never saw him again.This afternoon we had our biggest climb yet. It was quite a nice downhill afterwards. Going up was a truck lane, so a smaller riding shoulder. Traffic was not bad so no close calls. I have been very impressed so far with driver etiquette. I have not had anything close or scary so far. We ended our 62 mile day in Lincoln City. With the sun out the temperature topped out at 63. It has surprised me how chilly it has been.Frank is a fun travelling companion. He is very upbeat about everything and always willing to change plans. George is driving their van and he is also fun to travel with.
Date: 2018-09-01
From: Lincoln City

To: Yachats
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today's miles: 51Total: 495What a great dat today. It was clear overnight so a bright blue sky and dry roads this morning. Then the terrain was awesome. I have been worried about traffic on the roads this holiday weekend. We got a good start (before 7:30) in the chilly morning - 50 degrees. We were so out of town and cruising on a nice wide bike lane. About 10 miles in Frank and I stopped at one of the many harbors. BTW - Jim took a rest day today and road in the van. There were 3 whales in the harbor. It was great fun watching them.A bit further south we had a side road to get off the 101. For 4 miles we saw 2 cars. During this we had a 500 foot climb. At the top was another lookout so we stopped again. The downhill was fun on an empty road.Soon we were in Newport where we met the van for breakfast. The temperature was still in the 50s but the sun was shining. On the way out of Newport we had to cross a big brdge built in 1938. A neat old bridge, but no bike lane. There was a 2 foot wide walkway, so we walked our bikes the mile over the bridge. Once on the other side we got in a groove and cruised along the coast. We did stop at one of the lookouts. We finished for the day about 1pm with 51 miles ridden. This was easily my favorite day of this trip, great weather and scenery.
Date: 2018-09-02
From: Yachats

To: Coos Bay
Miles today: 0.0

Today's miles: 74Total: 569This morning we got started shortly after 7 under clear skies and 48 degrees. Still surprisingly cold. We soon were climbing so warmed up quickly. The coastal views were amazing. During one of the climbs you could hear the sea lions barking so we pulled over at the next lookout. Sure enough there were hundreds of sea lions on the beach below us. There were several playing in the water as well. It was fun watching them time the waves to get up on the rocks.24 miles in we stopped for breakfast. At this point we have gone inland for a while, but still fun riding through the forest. This area has tons of big sand dunes so lots of ATV rental places. We spent the entire day on the 101, so quite a bit of traffic after breakfast since it is a holiday weekend. The 101 continues to have a nice shoulder so no big deal.At the 51 mile mark we stopped for a break. We were inland so the temperature was 70. The winds picked up from the north. We had a big climb to start then a long downhill with a tailwind. Even the flats felt like a downhill. Our destination for the night was Coos Bay, a total of 74 miles, our biggest day yet. Right before town we had to cross a mile long bridge with no shoulder. It was intimidating but the cars behind us were very good so turned out to be no big deal. I feel great, no muscle issues. When we stop we get lots of questions. It is always fun to talk with people, some are locals but many are also travelling. Last night I met my first fellow cycler. He is from Germany and started the day before me. He took today off as a rest day, so probably won't see him again. A common question is comparing backpacking to cycling. They are quite different. Cycling is much easier in my opinion. Today we covered 74 miles in less than 5 1/2 hours of riding. We passed many restaurants, stores and hotels. In 5 1/2 hours of hiking I would be hard pressed to cover 15 miles of terrain on the AT. I have not been tired or sore on this trip and have covered at least 50 miles each day. Obviously we have eaten out and stayed in motels most nights, so that helps. I do miss the social side of life on the AT.
Date: 2018-09-03
From: Coos Bay

To: Port Orford 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: mist

Today's miles: 61Total 630Last night we were in a Motel 6. It was very clean. For dinner we headed over to a casino and got the buffet, no gambling for us.This morning we headed south on the 101. The Oregon roads continue to be great for riding, new pavement and nice shoulders. Initially I was dreading riding so much of the 101 because of traffic but I almost prefer it to the back roads. The back roads are quieter but when there is traffic it is tougher for cars to get around us. So far all has been good. The drivers continue to be courteous. We did not have much coastal riding today. 25 miles in, Frank and I took a detour to Bandon Dunes, a big coastal golf resort. They have 4 courses, all high end. We looked around a bit then headed back to to pedalling south.The side trip added a few miles as we wanted to reach 60 for the day. Today had lots a little climbs, but only one big one, which was really two as once we crested and dropped a bit the road headed back up. This afternoon Frank was having chain problems so he was riding ahead. He is the strongest rider of the three of us. I stayed with Jim who is the slowest. The winds were once again very strong out of the north, which helps us as we are riding south.On the final decent into town I had a blow out. It was scary at first, but not a big deal really. I safely stopped. Since we do have a van and I was only 2 miles away I called and they came and picked me up. Within seconds of calling a truck pulled over and offered me a ride as well. Since Frank is having problems and I do not have a spare tire (I do have a tube and could ride on this tire if need be) we plan to drive to a bike shop in thethe morning then continue south from there. We may get to California tomorrow, we shall see.
Date: 2018-09-04
From: Port Orford 

To: Crescent City
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today's miles: 30Total: 660This morning Frank and I rode in the van to a bike shop. They didn't open till 11 so a leisurely start to the day. I purchased a new tire and tube and Frank got his shifting squared away. We rolled out of town a bit after noon. Jim rode south from the hotel.The first 6+ miles were on back roads then we came out on to the 101 to cross a bridge. We decided to stay on the 101 since there is a nice riding shoulder. Sure makes navigating easier. The views today were no where as nice as the past few days.We passed into California part way through the afternoon. The winds were forecast to be at our backs but it seemed like we were fighting a head wind the whole time.Our plans seem to change every day. Frank wants to ride 1,000 miles then head home. I am good with that as well. We now plan to ride a few more days here through the redwoods, etc then skip south a bit. We want to ride the mid California coast including 17 mile drive on the Monterrey peninsula and to Big Sur.Everything a day at a time for now.
Date: 2018-09-05
From: Crescent City

To: Trinidad
Miles today: 0.0

Today's miles: 60Total: 720Last night Jim invited a 28 year old Mexican kid to join us in our room. He started in Vancouver and is riding to San Francisco. He was very interesting to talk to. He has done a lot of traveling and climbing. He also wants to do the Appalachian trail. This morning we had 2 flat miles to start, the we had our biggest climb of the trip, 1,100 feet over 5 miles. Jim rode in the van to the top so Frank and I took off together. I was in a groove today, feeling good. The temperature was about 50 when we started but we worked up a sweat climbing. There were a couple construction projects so that helped us out. At one point in the climb we had a lane to ourselves while traffic was on the other side of a concrete barrier.Going down was a bit hairy. There were some skinny shoulders and the fog moved in. We are in redwood country so some amazing trees. We took a side road through a state park that is an area where the trees have been protected for over 100 years.The day was filled with hills. It was our biggest climbing day yet. A few times we dropped down to the coast. That meant another climb was ahead.Mid afternoon Frank had a flat tire. His spare tube was bad so he borrowed a tube from Jim. (Mine are a different size.) The whole ordeal took a while. The town we finished 60 miles in was very expensive, so we loaded up the van and drove 12 miles ahead to a Motel6 and got rooms for $65.The weather continues to be very chiily. Today's high was 60 with cloudy skies and a breeze.
Date: 2018-09-06
From: Trinidad

To: Bodega Bay
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today's miles: 0Total: 720We decided to drive ahead today. The main objective is to ride 1,000 miles. We also want to get to Big Sur, so we are skipping an inland section to get back to the coast. We will then ride across the Golden Gate on the weekend and continue south along the coast.During the drive this morning we took a detour to drive through a redwood tree. The redwood forests are pretty amazing. This section we drove has a big hill with no shoulder. Even once we hit the coast the road continued to be very narrow.We ended up driving all the way to Bodega Bay. Everything is expensive around here. We are 2 hour drive from San Francisco . We still have 280 miles to get to 1,000 so we will end up riding south of Big Sur, which is fine with me.I guess a rest day is good, we had ridden 13 straight days. I feel fine and look forward to pedalling south to the phantom finish line.
Date: 2018-09-07
From: Bodega Bay

To: San Rafael
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Today's miles: 62Total: 782What a great day. We started out in the fog and mist again. We rode 15 miles south on CA route 1 to Tomales and had breakfast at a wonderful little diner. Town population of 200. I was a bit antsy after not riding yesterday so I broke away from Frank and Jim and just took off. The road was narrow and curvy but almost no traffic. Lots of small hills so easy to ride up then cruise down.After breakfast the fog had lifted a d the sun came out. We rode a few miles with 3 kids (20s) from Latvia. This was their last day of riding. They started in Canada as well. The terrain was modest all day. Lots of easy hills. We rode along the water for a bit then headed inland through fields and a river valley. Part of it was on a quiet bike path through the woods.We saw tons of bikers today, all out for a day ride. We finished our day in San Rafael, 12 miles from the Golden Gate bridge.