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Published: July 26th 2008
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Redwood National Park
Paul and I decide that we will return someday just to spend time with the Redwoods. What's hot: Coffee in the Pacific Northwest
What's also hot: Here, bicycles are more than an afterthought
What's not: Serious case of travel cooties requires a layover at Portland.
The road: Cloudless skies, crisp temperatures, clean air, laid-back traffic.
Travel lesson of the day: Every team effort is susceptible to sagging in the middle.
from Kathy:
Eureka, CA was an odd stop--a town where prosperity abuts evidence of harder times. On the one hand, the 100-year-old buildings are neat and clean. On the other hand, pawns shops and bail-bond operations are prominently advertised on every other sign in and out of town. Eureka!? I suspect this is nothing new. Eureka was a center in gold rush days, as well as the timber rush. It has a "historic district" that looks new by New England standards. It also exists in the tsunami zone! The Pacific Ocean laps its flat shores; in some spots it is hard to determine where ocean ends and land begins. The signs (see pictures) tell the story. This is, after all, the earthquake-prone West.
Entering Oregon, we discover the Northwest's predilection
Tsunami Zone
Something we don't think about in the East! for coffee bars. There are roadside coffee bars serving high-end java and java coolers in the middle of nowhere. Of course, Seattle's Best Coffee and Starbucks both hail from this region--we should not be surprised. Paul, our only road trip coffee drinker, says that coffees have all been very good since crossing the Oregon border.
from Paul:
Here's an item to add to the Miller Analogies Test:
q. New Hampshire is to Massachusetts as ???FILL IN THE BLANK??? is to California. Answer?
Oregon Massachusetts, dear state of my younger days, has a rule for everything. They want to run your life. New Hampshire has a bunch of independents. Could it be a reaction to Massachusetts?
Oregon, we read in one of our guidebooks, has more self-defined anarchists than any other state in the country. On cars, we see the bumpersticker:
“Keep Portland Weird” Seems clear to me: there were too many rules in California. This has serious implications for the governance of my kingdom. The King must think on this ...
Bicycling--from Kathy
Haven't gotten to do any bicycling, but one of my missions on this trip
Espresso Bars Abound
Everywhere in Oregon and Washington, we see coffee bars--even on unpopulated country roads. was to observe the much-publicized bike-friendliness of Oregon and Washington. Right over the Oregon border, I see the first instance of a sign that cautions motorists on the presence of cyclists in tunnels. What a good idea. Indeed, cyclists are everywhere--including the sides of major highways. This is something I saw in China in the 90s, when I visited, but have never seen in this country.
As we drive, I see that the Pacific Coast bike trail is marked well and goes on for many, many miles. In some places, it is off-road on paved parallel pathways.
In Portland, bikes hang from the fronts of buses and have their own special spots on the electric train system. On-road and off-road trails are everywhere, and are well marked.
On the front page of the newspaper, one of the big stories is "selective enforcement" of traffic laws with bicyclists--who apparently enjoy too much freedom on the roads. Also, I read about the high rate of bicycle accidents.
They run educational seminars here for motorists and cyclists (could they be one and the same!?) on traffic rights and wrongs. I have even heard, but have not verified, that in
Cyclists Protected by Caution Sign
Another one of the ideas I'll bring back for the Old Saybrook Bicycle Study Committee! the state of Washington they pay people $25 to attend such seminars and prevent double-dipping by marking off license numbers in the license database.
The Mood
Every long endeavor (of any sort) has a factual story and a psychological story. This blog focuses mainly on the facts--but the other part of the story goes on as well Floonian Roadster. We lived through some seriously low moods on the drive from Eureka and scratched the proposed trip to Crater Lake National Park in favor of a two-night stay in Portland. JJ is yearning for home and has gone on strike against the scenery and the site visits. He is huddled in the back seat. I switch seats with him and we put an audio book on the CD player. Things get a little better, but he rejects any sightseeing the next day, as does Scott. Instead of visiting downtown Portland, which hops with nightlife, Scott crawls between the sheets.
It's the leader's job to reenergize the team--but wait?! Who is the leader on this trip? And what was the goal? Oh, yeah ... Now I remember.
We decide to let the boys indulge in sleepiness and wait
High Mountain Roads
As our (self-)designated driver, Paul negotiates the curves and cliffs. out the unhappiness. By nighttime on the 24th, we are all watching a good movie and teasing each other again. Unfortunately, I am the main object of the teasing. One woman isolated in a team of three guys for 19 days is a great opportunity to be the brunt of hundreds of jokes.
And sometimes I feel like I'm riding in the Floonian Locker Room instead of the Floonian Roadster.
More to come ...
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andrea
non-member comment
I feel your pain!
One woman and your three guys (to be specific) on a long road trip? I feel your pain! ..........Andrea