The People!
We still manage to camp out every once in a while and lucky us, we met Suzanne and Mike who are just beginning a 7 month multi-continent bike tour! We are a little jealous of this... but it was great to see their excitement!
On a side note, you'll see us roasting our shoes by the fire. The drizzly days here have soaked us through and we needed to dry our shoes. Unfortunately, they got a little too close to the fire. Mine are a little crispy and Adam spent one day riding with his warped shoes before throwing them in the trash and splurging on another pair. We're always learning!
All we have of Sarah is a lousy iPhone picture, but she's an old friend from home who has moved out here and has the cutest little Fair Trade shop in Manzanita called, Moxie. We got to stop by and see her shop, catch up on life in the past 15 years, and buy a couple little trinkets. While there, we fell in love with the area... this cannot be our last visit here!
Sadly, we left Sarah all too soon but not before she gave us a present of some of the yummiest muffins ever!! As we rode towards Cannon Beach that night, we got a text from Sarah saying she had a surprise for us in Cannon Beach.
That surprise was a hotel room right on the water!! The room, the view, and the people at Stephanie Inn in Cannon Beach made this one of the coziest nights of our trip! Thank you, Sarah!!!!
The Places!
As a photographer, Adam has wanted to visit Cannon Beach for years and you can see why below.
We rolled into Stephanie Inn as the sun started to glow. I practically yelled at Adam to grab his camera and get out on the beach to take pics! This was why we were here!!! He left me with all the bags and grabbed some sweet shots!
As Adam was photographing, he managed to catch these two cyclists riding on the beach.
I'm sure you can guess what happened next!
But riding on the beach wasn't the only place around Cannon Beach that we rode. Yesterday, we took a ride up, and up, and up to Ecola State Park! Another treasure!
And last night, we made it to Fort Stevens on the OR/WA boarder... we're almost there! Here's Adam posing with a ship wreck!
The Bikes!
And last but not least..... our bikes! Jenny and Ontwa have been our trusty companions for 280 days. We've pushed them beyond even what they thought they were capable of. We're ridden them through weather bad enough to turn a car around. We've hauled them into places a bike is not meant to go. But not once did they complain. Maybe a little squeak from time to time, but they have been incredible. They've been to more places than many people we know. They've been the stars in our photo shoots and they'll always be able to look back on the good times.
But once we get to Seattle... What is the fate of Jenny and Ontwa as we travel to Alaska and Hawaii? We're still not so sure. Will they make it to the last of the 50 states with us? We'll keep you posted!
Today, we complete one of our goals. The most physically demanding goal. Riding through all 48 states, self-supported! For the whole trip, we've been telling people we meet, that we are attempting to ride all of the lower 48 states. We never quite felt comfortable saying we were definitely going to do this. It's quite a big task. I guess we can finally start saying that we will ride them all! Just a few miles to go....
Incredible pics! I forget how I found your blog last week, but it's been very inspiring for me.
ReplyDeleteFunny about the shoes on the fire... I was camping last year and did the exact same thing! To a really nice pair of hiking boots I was borrowing from a friend! He wasn't happy...
All the best as you finish your journey. I'm considering a "mountain bike all 50 states" type of project, as I'm a pretty avid 'trail guy.' Anyway... keep on rocking. Godspeed-
A Quote that may sum up your adventure:
ReplyDelete“Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s the determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal----a commitment to excellence---that will enable you (The Coppolas’) to attain the success you seek.” “Maria Andretti”
Keep on Truckin
I will pay to have your bikes shipped home or whereever you wish.
ReplyDeleteI have such mixed feelings now that your adventure is nearing its end! I'm so glad it's been such an amazing time for you both. I'm also glad this blog is here so that I can go over your whole trip again and again to continue enjoying the experience. . .
ReplyDeleteNow that you are so close to the end, I know this little trick won't be all that useful to you, but perhaps it will benefit others:
When I'm touring in rain, I'll bring a newspaper along with me - I'll pick up a free local paper, or a free weekly at some point along my route. At the end of the day, I stuff the inside of my shoes with the newspaper, and within a couple of hours, the shoes are dry. It's particularly useful for cycling shoes (both mountain and road shoes), but my hiking boots sometimes require a change of newspaper after an hour or two before they dry out sufficiently. The paper has to be a regular newspaper type though. . .glossy, or magazine-type paper isn't absorptive enough.