All Good Things Must Come to an End

Wow. We are a week away from finishing this trip. To be totally honest, we've been looking forward to this for awhile. Around San Francisco Rusti and I began feeling a little antsy in our pantsies. You have a lot of time to think on a bicycle tour, time to come up with brilliant ideas (dryer sheets in your panniers help keep your clothes from smelling like a big moldy mess!), time to ponder your existence, time to make personal decisions, but you don't have a lot of time to actually implement your ideas. Rusti has been feeling motivated to stay in one place and develop a skill. Farming has been an interest for the past few years, but there hasn't been a chance to actually spend time at a farm, you know, farming. Throughout this trip the inspiration to work with a farm in a bicycle friendly town blossomed and grew and California began presenting itself as a great place to follow that idea into the rabbit hole to see where it takes us. As we sat in San Francisco, mentally and physically tired, we debated what to do. Five hundred miles to Los Angeles felt like a lifetime, and train tickets from San Francisco directly to Denver beckoned. Rusti signed into the WWOOFing (World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) website and set up an account so that he could contact farms in California for volunteer work. He found a farm near Big Sur that looked interesting, and I had heard great things about that area, so we decided to make it the 150 miles to Big Sur and then reevaluate.

In San Francisco we stayed with our friend Miles at his brother's apartment - conveniently located in the middle of the city right in Nob Hill. Miles was a great host, plus we got to meet some more of his friends who he had met on other travels. The next day he rode us out of the city through beautiful Golden Gate Park. And may I say Thank You San Francisco for being the easiest, most painless city to exit. On the way out we were stopped by a taxi driver who wrote out a series of directions that would take us on a shortcut of sorts. This shortcut was surely not shorter but most definitely more beautiful than riding along the highway the whole time. We ended up on an old road that climbed into the hills above the fog and received our first and only glimpse at sunshine that day. It was truly beautiful.

We continued down the coast and were able to stay with another friend in Santa Cruz, Michael. We showed up with a stalk of brussels sprouts (yes, they grow on stalks, it's weird) and Michael treated us like kings - we cooked dinner at his place and he even bought us beer! He knows how to make lifelong friends out of Team Krusti. The next day we were treated to Michael riding us out on his Death Machine aka fixed gear bike with no brake. He is a master of this mode of transportation and definitely made me consider getting a "fixie" to improve my riding, although mine would most definitely have a brake.The countryside was beautiful and we snacked on strawberries that grew by the rowful in the fields scenting the air like jam. Thanks, Michael, you rekindled the last spark in our hearts for continuing our trip and we steamed on down to Monterey.

Through Monterey and the beginning of Big Sur we had some very rainy days. Thankfully we were able to stay with the sister of Vaughn, the woman who we stayed with in Hopland two or three weeks previously. Nancy lived with her dog Charlie in the neatest house I've seen on this trip. It was an old trailer perched on the cliff of she had bought 20 years previously and had fixed up to be the perfect nook. Add a "banana express" - Big Surian for tropical storm - blowing through and a giant bottle of Jack Daniels that her friends brought by and it was the coziest place we've been for a long time. Much better than the tent in that weather. We braved the storm the next morning only to fight 30 mile headwinds and make 15 miles in 3 hours. Needless to say we holed up in the bar that day to wait for the weather to move on. The next day we woke up to pristine skies and perfect riding conditions - namely, tailwinds. We rode 70 miles the rest of the way through Big Sur - which is a region, not a town - and had a wonderfully beautiful day. One of the top 3 of the whole trip.

After Big Sur we continued on down on highway 1 until finally we reached Pismo Beach and PALM TREES! The next few days were beautiful. We stayed in a campsite that looked straight out of a resort, and even better met people there who had a whole cooler of beer they were trying to get rid of. Looks like a task for Team Krusti! Finally we made it to a close enough distance to LA where we could call my dear friend Rachel who lives in LA to come pick us up and take us to her abode.

So, even though we didn't know if we would even make it past Big Sur, the adventure has continued. Now we are only a little over 100 miles from San Diego, the end of our trip. First, though, we have to ride through LA...**shudder**

What a few days of rest can do...

Both Rusti and I have been feeling a little worn as of late. It feels as though even our "rest" days are filled with errands or sightseeing and the time passes before we know where it went. Thankfully, we both got sick - har har har. After spending a few days on the mend it became clear that if we are going to finish this trip we have to do it on Krusti time. If we don't feel like going anywhere we don't, when we do, we will. Done. Ahhh freedom, it tastes so sweet.

On a separate note, the exciting thing about cycling down the Oregon coast has been meeting gobs of other cyclists! One night we camped with at least 25 other nutjobs carrying way too much stuff way too far. We partied and swapped cycling tales, with Rusti and I feeling a little like celebrities since we had started in AK and everyone else had started a little up the coast - mainly Vancouver. We did meet two Australian girls who had also started in Anchorage and traveled many of the same roads we had. Yesterday we met two brothers who were from Anchorage and had driven down to just up the road. It turned out that was their very first day on bikes.

It's great to meet all of these other cyclists because it gives some perspective - everyone has their own style and way of doing things. Well that's all for now, time to hit the coast!

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A new plan

Team Krusti has been woefully out of touch recently. Whereas we thought it would be easier to stay in touch once we got toward civilization, it turns out that it only presented us with different hurdles to overcome. We forgot that it's so easy to be distracted from goals by the complicated world out there.

The past month has been a totally different pace for us. It began by staying with our friend Jason in Seattle for two weeks. One week was spent just resting up and the second week I spent on a mini-tour of Vancouver Island with my mom. Both were fun but it felt great to hit the road again with Rusti to tour the Washington coast along the Olympic Peninsula. The Olympic Peninsula is a wonderful place - sparsely populated with views of the rainforest and the coast.

We then spent two days getting inland to Portland to see the town and visit friends. After a week we decided Portland is a wonderful place that doesn't need our help, so we hitched back out to the coast to get back on track heading southward.

In the end I'm not regretful of our side excursions but I am mindful about making sure we're working toward our mutual goal of making it down the coast, which still seems a very, very long way.

As far as this blog goes I have a new plan - more frequent, compact posts and no more excuses! I am committed to making this a great blog no matter the frustration or hurdles. Team Krusti! No compromises!

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Southeast Alaska is AWESOME!

So I last wrote in the little town of Chistochina about roadside hospitality. Now as I sit at my new friend Justin's place in Juneau (how's that for alliteration?) I am reinspired. Cycling down from Tok had it's fun, hills and spills. It was absolutely beautiful, and I guarantee that the real Yukon is much more beautiful than the one you picture in your head. We saw a couple bears, a giant moose, some terrifying voles, and some very, very cute porcupines. As we came into Haines we even saw bald eagles. In fact, don't even get me started on eagles, we're eagled out.

At the top of the pass coming into the town of Haines, we slept in a mansion of a shack called the Nadahini shack. It was our first indoors sleeping experience in a little over a month, and it was well enjoyed. The shack had a shelf for our sleeping bag and a wood burning stove which pretty much cooked us all night. The next day we cycled downhill over 60 miles into the town of Haines. Haines is amazing - picture the rocky mountains with an ocean within walking distance. Oh, and all the people are really really nice and fun and smart. And you can watch a bear with three cubs and then watch a bald eagle fly overhead. Needless to say, we stayed in our seaside campground for a few nights.

Haines was great, but the road called to us. Not a real road, per se, for Alaska's definitions of many things are a little skewed, but actually a watery road. We would be boarding southeast Alaska's version of a bus - the ferry. Finally! Moving without pumping our legs! After a full day of ferry delays we finally were able to board the ship and, wow. Ferries are a blast! Stepping out onto the deck, the ship surrounded by tall mountains covered in trees enclosing the small strip of seawater that carried our vessel, watching for small islands sporting only a lone lighthouse, it was like a dream.

After being regaled by stories by the bartender of the boat about the scenery and wildlife encounters he had experienced while living in the Southeast passage, Rusti and I looked at each other and knew that we would return to this place to try our luck in the great Alaskan wilderness. There's no telling when, but we will most definitely make it back up to the great North both for the people and the scenery. We are having an awesome time!

A Little Note on Roadside Love

It takes a very long time to travel between places in Alaska. It used to take even longer, and so a multitude of roadhouses existed between the few and far between stopping points. These were places intended just for weary travelers, and the some of the ones that haven't burned down still are. They offer a hot beverage and a place to rest, some have a shower and a camping spot. They are perfect for cyclists. Spaced about 40 miles apart, it is the perfect end to a day to arrive at one of these stopping spots for some real, live Alaskan hospitality. When it's good, there's nothing like it. We stopped at a cafe in Sourdough for our first experience. After being kicked out of the cafe, we realized Sourdough may not be the best place to rest. We moved on, and quickly this one lukewarm experience was rectified by two over the top lovely experiences.

The first was the Gakona historic lodge, about 5 miles past the Gakona junction that starts the long road to Tok. The first thing to realize is that in this region of Alaska there are not towns, there are Census Designated Places. These CDPs have maybe 30-100 people living around them, and are supported by perhaps a gas station and if you're really lucky a bar/restaurant. The Gakona Lodge has just that, and the man who runs it, Greg, is one you would be lucky to meet. Upon seeing us he introduced himself and welcomed us to wait around until he got over to open the bar. We did just that, and after enjoying some delicious cheese sticks and a burger, Greg invited us to pop our tent, free of charge, next to the river. We followed him up on his offer and spent a very pleasant evening sipping from a 6-pack and listening to the Gakona river rush by.

The next day we hit the road after hearing that the next town about 30 miles down the road had a small grocery and a fun to say name - Chistochina (also a CDP). We were also flagged down by a man in a red pick-up who offered us camping at his lodge. When we arrived at the lodge to the delicious news of showers, laundry and a $5 breakfast, we were sold. We were invited to attend this nice man, Richard, to the grocery in his pickup after we set our bikes next to a table in the lawn. The grocery wasn't large, but it wasn't overpriced (everything is relative, remember) and it was clean and friendly. We returned to clean up and cook a large pasta dinner for ourselves. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm...Red Eagle Lodge receives the current first prize for showers in Alaska. The bath house is unequaled in its size and beauty. We went to sleep clean and full, two things that can be rare to an adventure cyclist.

The next morning we tromped in for breakfast and ate, drank cup after cup of coffee, and stayed way past when we really should have left. If any of you have any desire to travel to Alaska, please consider staying in one of the completely reasonably priced cabins at Red Eagle Lodge, they are real cabins that have been redecorated in the most beautiful, cabiny way. Well, we have already stayed too long, so I must be off to search for more roadside love...

Thankfully, the Wind Will Always Change Directions

The sunshine bike and I are beginning to be acquainted after the first few rides together. There are still some tweaks before we are melded as one, but that's to be expected from any new relationship. After riding a racing specific road bike for the past two years it feels incredibly strange to be in this new, upright position on these huge knobby tires. However, this bike works much better than that bike ever did. The shifting is smoother, the braking more reliable, the seat more comfortable, the tires more versatile. It really is a killer ride.

I am also beginning to realize the weight of this undertaking. Things running through my mind: you've never been on any sort of bicycle tour before, aren't you crazy to do the first one on this large of a scale? What if you aren't in shape enough? You have trouble sometimes riding your bike unloaded, what's going to happen when it's loaded up? You drove to work yesterday instead of riding because it was cold! It's going to be cold a lot of the time on the trip! What if you don't like riding your bike unless it's perfect weather? What will you do then? Huh?!?!

Not exactly productive thoughts, I suppose. I'm trying to keep in mind our 10 day, 70 mile backpacking trip in Chile last year. We weren't in shape, I had never backpacked before, and yet we did it. And we did it pretty well. Yes, I was crying from blister pain for the last few miles, and there were days when we definitely bonked out, but for the most part it was an absolutely beautiful trip that I will never forget. Rusti and I are pretty good at taking things a day at a time and being smart about traveling. He's also very encouraging and not competitive or show offish, which meshes well with my own laid back attitude when it comes to physical prowess.

Another thought I had today: After only 8 more short weeks, I will no longer have to work for at least 3 or 4 months!!!! Since work periodically shifts from bad to worse, that's great news. I will be so happy to be on a bicycle, in the middle of nowhere, hundreds of miles from the nearest idiot. I mean person. Idiots are people too. Or at least I have to act like that for the next 8 weeks. Then you're all on your own!

Sorry for the scattered post, the wind has picked up my thoughts and flung them far.