Author: russloomis

Leaving behind my nice cozy campsite by the Skagit River.

Heading east the temperature climbed to 100° as I gained elevation to start the Cascades.

The two long Passes, Rainy and Washington are long, steep, and open so I’m right out in the sun. The views are drop dead gorgeous as I climb in 112°.

Reaching the Washington Pass I have climbed over the last pass of the Cascades. They are now behind as I drop from the sky to the valley below.

Twenty miles later, a total of 96 miles I’m in Winthrop, Washington where I will spend the night. I have heat exhaustion and it is dusk. My brain has already begun shutting down so I have trouble finding the Warmshowers host’s house. A few calls later I arrived to the nice welcome of host Heather Yakely.

Leaving Anacortes was uneventful, just a kiss good by to Nancy followed bu the snap of the clipping. I head out of the campground by two women camping. One asked where I was touring and I replied the Northern Tier east. She shouted that she was envious so I stopped to talk. Turns out this is her dream goal. And seeing how Nancy and I are doing this together reassures her that she and her partner would also be able too.

I am relieved that Adventure Cycling routed me out of Anacortes and through Burlington on bikeways and secondary roads.

The campground that I had hoped to stay in Rockport was full so o had to move on. I was already over 60 miles in 100° heat so I opted to go off course and follow rte20 rather then the route because of the option for camping. I found a rest area next to the Skagit River and decided this would be my sleep spot.

A bit later a camping van pulling in and Tim, a geologist by hobby, was also going to sleep here. We had an interesting conversation over some box wine. This is when another Tim, much younger, stopped by. This 30 year old is in the process of defining his life and ask for our advice in shaping his. He is in the right track, we wished him a happy and successful life. Now it’s time to sleep. What a wonderful day.

Rest and relaxation, before the tour back home.

Washington Park

Sea Kayak Tour

Sea Kayak Tour

This is my last day of the TransAmerica west bound, I end in Astoria, OR. 67 miles away. I follow the coast North to Seaside where I get onto the beach walk and ride through town on the edge of the beach.

I leave the coast at Gearhart to ride over the ridge through the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park. Here I in solitude the last miles into Astoria, a welcome contrast to the car congested rte 101.

I cross the Youngs River and make my way to the Trolley Trail that brings me to my final end point, the Columbia River Maritime Park and Museum.

With a block to go I am greeted by a small group of people walking the sidewalk with cheers and waves. As I enter the Park I see Nancy waiting and a larger gathering also cheering and then the blast of a Coast Guard Ship’s fog horn. Nancy arrived in time to orchestrate this fanfair. She managed to convince the crew, with the approval of their Commanding Officer, to welcome my arrival.

Getting to the coast on busy roads. The traffic is nuts around here, fast and constant. In Rose Lodge I got off the main road and onto the old scenic highway route 101. Riding here through the Oregon forest with no cars, just nature and the chorus of birds.

Out into the traffic again and on the coast.

Sand Lake is a small, peaceful and friendly place. After some food and drink at the only store, I continued riding to Tillamook. I opted to take the original route that was updated with a warning of steep gravel and dangerous road conditions. I’m glad I did, the views were worth the risk.

At Tillamook I was back in traffic to get the the campsite with Nancy.

This morning as I was getting ready to ride I was notified that my longtime friend and riding companion of many brevets, BMB, QuadZilla, 24hr time trials, and zillions of fun riding miles lost his battle with cancer. July 14, 2022, Ray left this world on the day I was climbing McKenzie Pass. I didn’t know this as I climbed but while I gained elevation I was thinking of him and all the fun we had climbing as we rode our bikes up and over hill after hill.

The hollow sadness I felt when I rode off into the cool morning was warmed by those special times we shared. He was in my thoughts as he left this world. Thank you buddy for climbing one more hill with me.

In memory of Ray Fortman.

Yesterday was a fun rest day, we took a river rafting tour on the McKenzie River.

( Photos to follow )

Today is the start of the last 263 miles to Astoria, the end of my west bound tour. I leave at 8 AM for a 68 mile day ending in Harrisburg, OR. All the Passes and major climbing is behind me. Ahead is rolling countryside with fields of wheat.

The day went by quickly as I soft pedaled in the large chainring. I ended the day at 3 PM at the Life Northwest RV and Lodging.

After saying good bye to the cyclists and hikers in Sisters I cooked oatmeal with strawberries for breakfast. I was relaxing into the short day, 45 miles to McKenzie Bridge to Nancy’s campsite.

McKenzie Pass is 18 miles away, a climb that will take three hours to the summit. I met up with two cyclists that were riding to the top and then back down again to Sisters, Colin and Dave.

The long climb on a narrow road has many views of the Three Sister Mountain and a glimps of Mt Hood in the distance.

Close to the top I reach the Lava Fields with the look and feel of being on the moon.

At the summit I meet a couple on vacation that offer me water and dried oranges and meat strips for my journey. High fives and fist dumps are exchanged. They are now following my tour on this blog. I also stopped here to explore the trails and to climb the observation tower to see the Belknap Crater that erupted to form this area.

The long and winding drop off this mountain led me into the forests of Oregon, tall trees and many shades of green.

Reaching the town of McKenzie Bridge I stopped at Obsidian Bar and Grill just before reaching the Campground. After settling in Nancy and I go back to the the bar and grill for dinner. We meet a nice couple, he is hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and she is meetin up with him every week or so. We have a lot in common.

At 5 AM I heard an alarm. Mark, Corey, and John were getting ready to start their day. Last night they decided to go off route after Prineville and head to Redmond for the night. I stayed in bed until 6 while they prepped for the day. I went into the kitchen as they were finishing to make my breakfast, eggs and toast. Mark came back to wish me a safe journey and that he hoped we’d meet up again.

The ride began with coasting to the base of Ochoco Pass. The temperature was 79° as I headed up the pass.

An hour later as I crested the summit it was 90°, the early start kept me fresh and after miles of coasting into Prineville I was ready to continue in the near 100° heat.

The next 40 miles to Sister was rolling with wonderful mountain views. I began seeing Mt Hood in the distance.

I am sleeping tonight in Creekside Park in Sisters, Oregon with a small group riding the TransAmerica east. We shared some food and stories before going into our tents.

I rode off at 8AM to get to tonight’s sleep stop in Mitchell, OR. at the Spoke’n Hostel 63 miles over the Keyes Creek Pass.

Dayville is the next small town I’ll get to and the only place for food and drink before Mitchell. The surprise of today, the road is being chip sealed for the next three miles. Gatorade and ice cream will help me get there and sitting on a bench in the shade is a plus.

Refueled I head up the road to the construction site and ride over loose stone over tar.

The climb out of the gorge is shade less and my Wahoo is showing 115°.

Keyes Creek is long and doesn’t seem to end.

Finally I reach the top and drop like a stone into Mitchell at 3:00. I pull up to the grocery store for Gaterade and ice cream before riding to the hostel a half mile up the road.

Spoke’n Hostel is set up with bunk beds, an area to relax, a kitchen, bathrooms, and showers. Mark, Corey, and John are here and also traveling west.

Dinner tonight is a burger, sweet potato fries and a lovely IPA at the Tiger Town Brewing Co.