That first step.. Its always the hardest part. You can prepare for it all you want; testing your equipment, reading blogs from past vagabonds, but ripping yourself from your routine, your comforts and the people in your life, it’s never easy. But I knew, the juice was worth the squeeze.

If you have the strength to take that first step, infinite possibilities lie before you.

Just getting to Yorktown was a fiasco. I had intended to leave 3 weeks prior to when I did.

I decided to visit my girl Anqi for the weekend in College Park, MD before I left, and then get a ride to Yorktown on Monday. Monday turned to Wednesday, a weekend turned into a week, a week into three. I don’t regret it a single bit. I was having a great time with all my friends in MD, my home-state, and more or less living with a girl that I loved.

I left North Carolina with the intention of having the most tear-jerking, heart-throbbing, intense adventure possible. I’d argue that I succeeded, but indeed everything has a price.

Your personal relationships will dissipate, your body will suffer, and your money will certainly vanish.

But fear-not, young-vagabond, new relationships await you. And some old ones will only get stronger.

On the road you have a lot of time to think. Nearly all your thoughts in the beginning are of where you WERE. You may try to plan where you WILL BE, but the flow soon whisks you away. The only thing you need to focus on is where you are RIGHT NOW. Focus on the people around you. Focus on the emptiness of the road, and the strength you can draw from being alone. The world is full of wonders, don’t let them go to waste.

I swam through the empty ocean of wheat and wind that is Kansas.

I fought through the unbearably HOT Ozarks.

I meandered through the steep, muscle-burning Appalachians.

I climbed up to 11,532ft in the rockies.

I tore through 220 miles in high desert in 24hrs.

.. and finnally made it to the Pacific.

And while I miss some of the spectacular places I have been,

It’s the people I miss the most…

As I was attempting to find Mike’s Bicycle Shop to fill up my tire, I crossed paths with these two people on the longest, most elaborate tandem I had ever seen. We talked for a while, and they attempted to set me up with some people from Portland.

This momma bird was feedin’ her baby bird in the rafters above us.

Pizza a’fetta

I was seeking a good coffee shop in Cannon Beach and found more than that. I found Pizza a’fetta. Very well reviewed in many circles, I met the owner of the restaurant outside. He offered me a meal on the house and I of course accepted. The waitor was great; very personable and knowlegeable.

He offered a semi-sweet red called Troon, Drids Fluid which I hope to purchase a bottle of in the future.

I particularly favored that the menu posted the restaurant’s mission statement boldly on the front page.

The veggie pizza I was served was perfectly cooked. The crust was soft yet crisp and had a chewy crumb. There were whole roasted garlic cloves prepared in such a way that they were not as intense as I was expecting.

Bella Espresso was owned by the same man. It contained excellent furnishings and some brilliant sculptures. The owner insisted on making me a shot of espresso himself.

There it sits, I cross the floating bridge into Astoria, the city built on the peninsula where the Columbia River and Pacific Ocean meet. Astoria is home to a maritime museum and happens to mark the end of my ride.

No better way to mark the finish of my ride then with a latte from Columbia River Roasters. Excellent job.

I found a bus/gas station and proceeded to wait for my ride into Portland, OR.

I discarded my helmet and bike shorts into the trash receptacle. My bike shorts had a huge hole in the crotch and down my left leg after riding in them from Illinois.

My bus transported less than 10 people to Portland, and I had WiFi the whole way. So awesome.

I arrived in P-town late and was intending to meet up with a guy from couch surfing named Jimmy for a drink. I ended up getting lost and almost climbing over the cascades again. I ride across the city all over again and end up at my host’s house. I meet her roommates and get to know them over the next three days.

Ian homebrews beer at his house and was creating a particularly interesting brown ale for an upcoming wedding. He added an extract of white sage to the brew before conditioning it. It was very interesting indeed.

Stumptown Coffee Roasters

Something I had dreamed about for the last several years was visiting Stumptown. They are a coffee roasters in Portland that have become an institution in coffee. I was floored by the quality of their coffee, pastries and staff. My favorite part was their cups had stumptown written in gold around the rim. Wow.

They also had a storefront a couple shops down called the annex in which there was more seating and employees dedicated towards informing people about coffee brewing, origins, ect.. When I arrived they happened to be holding a cupping which I jumped in on.

Before meeting up with Matt Burney, I was wondering around the Saturday Market and found a coffee shop selling these Italian Pizzelles.

I was getting hungry before Matt showed up so I stopped it to the Park St Cafe for a bite. I got their scramble, complemented with homefries. They were both well seasoned and hardy. Hangin’ out here also afforded me the opportunity of WiFi, as I can only receive phone calls through the skype on my WiFi enabled iPod Touch.

I meet up with Matt and his family and continue to chow down, this time on some fresh veggies loaded with some sort of peppery substance. That burn was quickly doused by a frozen treat made of pureed fruits.

We all rode back on our individual cycles(two bikes, a tandem, and my unicycle), and geared up to go float the Willamette River.

It felt just right riding in the back of a pickup truck, as this is my favorite way to hitchhike(not so much in the winter).

I floated in an inner-tube for most of the three hour ride, and then finally jumped into the kayak as I was getting a little cold from the mountain water.

Afterward, we all did our part to prepare burritos. Now, Matt’s a vagabond like myself. He’s only where he is temporarily until this fall he intends to leave on a two year bike trip around the world. This also leaves him with no kitchenware. All the ingredients were sliced and diced with pocket knives.

In the morning, after sleeping by the river in one of Matt’s old tents(it was WAY hot in his house), I left Eugene, and started my last leg towards the coast.

I of course, had to stop for coffee on the way out of town. I found this unique looking building resembling a chain coffee shop at first. I imagine A LOT of money went into this place. Multiple big screens, expensive funishings, and two top of the line La Marzocco espresso machines. The building itself was made of stone and incorporated a drive-thru.

The menu offered free substitutions of milk, including Hemp, and Coconut. I took full advantage of this. I had to know what a coconut milk latte was like. Their other drinks were well prepared, but the coconut milk definitely belonged in a frozen drink or something.

Coconut Milk Latte:

Riding towards the coast I saw plenty of farmland.

I met a man walking up the coast, telling stories to all who will listen.

I rolled into Corvallis to waste some time. Didn’t feel Like riding in the heat, so I sat in a coffee shop or two instead.

I found interzone, owned by a photographer. Lots of cool designs on the walls and a really good drink. He gave me a postcard to take with me on my way.

I enjoyed the car sized bike lanes.

I had this terribly dry sandwich thing from a New Morning Bakery in town. Way crowded with terrible service. Worst part, I suppose one of my pet peeves, was the poorly rinsed glasses left soap bubbles in my water cup.

The next place I visited was The Sunnyside Up Cafe, by recommendation of a new friend named Joseph whom joined me and the Thompson’s for dinner in Eugene.

I had a Traditional Chai, made with actual brewed Chai spiced black tea, sugar, and milk; no concentrate. Very good. Same goes for the brownie I consumed.

I eventually rode out, seeking a place to sleep for the evening. I watched the sun set as I rode on a bike path by my poorly lit headlamp.

I settled at this equestrian center with permission from the director as they were deconstructing the local fair. Took me awhile to get to sleep.

The closer I got to the Ocean, the prettier my surroundings got. More trees, and less cars.

I knew I had reached the Pacific when I saw this Cloud not matching the otherwise sunny weather pattern. I hit the super trafficked highway 101 somewhere around Neskowin. Riding through this cloud, the temperatures dropped to that of the ocean water. It was rather refreshing after the heat I had just been through.

I had been told multiple times about the award winning Pelican Brewing Company in Pacific City. So I stopped and had an IPA(India Pelican Ale), and talked up some of the locals. One of which decided I needed to try a shot of the local Crater Lake Vodka. Very well, not getting very far today.

I set up camp very close, at Whalen Island State Park, with my new friend whom bought me the shot. He already had his tent laid out passed out inside by the time I arrived. I proceeded to lay out my Tyvek and sleep on the ocean.

I awoke in the morning and ran into a fellow cyclist I had met at Pelican the night before. I continued up to Cape Lookout and beyond.

I stopped for breakfast in Tillamook; some very poor biscuits and gravy.

I then got the tour of Tillamook Cheese Factory. This product is in all the grocery stores in Oregon, kinda cool to see where it was produced, though a little crowded for my tastes.

Apparently Tillamook is far inland on this giant flood plain which offers great agriculture to the surrounding farms.

I stopped in Garibaldi for a pound cake and moved on.

It scared me how much the boardwalk in Rockaway Beach resembled Ocean City back east.

I stopped in Wheeler for a particularly delicious apple-derived soft drink.

Not sure why, but this guy was definitely driving the wrong way, and ON the sidewalk.

I got to Manzanita and hung out at this nameless coffee shop whilst I waited for my couchsurfing host to get off work.

My host, Ashley, was preparing some Kombucha in this 18 inch jar.

She made me this crazy awesome dish for dinner full of veggies and anything that doesn’t contain gluten as she is allergic.

I slept comfortably on this fold out couch-bed.

In the morning I visited Bread and Ocean before leaving town. I had this delicious Raspberry Lemon Cream Cheese Roll.

I went to Manzanita Espresso & News, and was not impressed by there coffee or pastries. Their selection of magazines, on the other hand was great.

I met these two as I was riding down the coast.

The Haystacks at Canon Beach were grandiose for sure.

He had ventured to the market to find some beers I might like, him not being a beer drinker himself. What he found was a beer not found too far away, a lager that I suspect was dry-hopped in a fashion as to produce a bite near the end. Unique, but not strongly to my tastes.

From there, I consumed a beer from a local company which I later visit, called Ninkasi Brewing Company. I had drunk a total domination IPA when I rolled through Prarie City, OR and was very interested in trying another beer by their company. This IPA, Maiden the Shade, was full of different hops. This produced a very complex resiny flavor that I was now very fond of.

Him and Susan invited over some friends, and we consumed what Susan/Duane had prepared, A HUGE chunk of Salmon, some corn-on-tha-cob, a some cheese garnished greens from there garden and afterward a delightful bowl of fruit and ice cream.

After our main course, Susan told us that we were going to have a “Toothpick Experience.” It was and interesting alternative, shaped like that of a flexible blade, as opposed to our spear-like splinters of birch-wood.

This blend of malbec and cabernet had me surprised. Typical Malbec, but finished rather cleanly. A good pre-meal option.

The Salmon was paired with this Pinot Noir from Western Oregon, not a lingering as many of the imported Pinot Noir’s i’ve sampled.

Perk ‘n Play

The owner of perk ‘n play was supposed to be known for his mastery of latte art. He obviously had the skill down, but his timing was off so the complexsion of the drink suffered. They introduced me to an espresso blend lightly roasted by the Wandering Goat. The atmosphere on the otherhand was well balanced between tables and couches but really desired a dark quiet corner.

The “play” part of the name was introduced under the idea of having a multitude of puzzles for the customers to occupy themselves with while they wait for their cup of coffee. The trivia on this espresso machine is a great example:

After showing me all the best spots in town on top of two wheels, Duane had to follow the river trail to a golf lesson. And I was left to explore alone; At least for now.

Perugino Coffee

I entered Perugino, already enticed by their decor. What thrilled me was the perfect latte they provided me with. Very well balanced and centered and I even had the option of ordering short(an 8oz size), which happens to be how I pour all the lattes that I later consume.

The Pastry that accompanied my latte complimented it very well. It was pastry dough, crimped and rolled into the shape of a rose, with the sweetest of onions places in all the tiny folds. Perfection.

The Barista handled herself very well behind the counter, AND on the floor. She knew the wines they displayed like she picked them out herself, and was eager to chat.

Center for Appropriate Transport

CAT as it’s called by the locals, housed Eugene Bicycle Works. They have a service area welcome to anyone to use(for a nominal fee), give instruction, and recycle old bikes into something very ridable.

They had a number of unique bikes and recumbants around the floor and on the walls.

My favorite was the highweel bike with a 36 inch Coker tire. I knew it seemed familiar, as the unicyclist I met on my first day had a tire just like it.

I met Joanne, a girl from Eugene, that I met when I was working at the Hard Bean. That was 6-7 years ago. We had some catching up to do. And in the mean time, she showed me around her neighbor hood.

First she to me to a local Taqueria and we got Guarachas. Cheap and delicious.

Ninkasi Brewing Company

When we rolled by Ninkasi the first time, she introduced it as the “Pride of the Neighborhood.” The establishment alone was incredible. Brushed steel was everywhere and other art littered the walls. Much of it was in the style of the Ninkasi Logo. Ninkasi was named for the goddess of fermentation that the sumerians once worshiped.

Wandering Goat Coffee Co.

I really enjoyed the Wandering Goat’s atmosphere. The Paint on the walls was all cool colors, and realist art was all over the walls. Good music played overhead, and the staff was knowledgable about their product.

They offered me a second cup of coffee when they brewed a new pot. It was a light roast with a slight chlorophyll taste.

Sweet Life Patisserie

After vistiting Laughing Planet just down the street for burrittos, we entered the line at this small Patisserie. I was assured that the coconut cream pie was amazing by Joanne and Bert. She pointed out the Chocolate Cream Pie, and I got that instead. It was so rich that almost couldn’t finish it on top of that burritto. The cream top, was plentiful and the slice was well garnished with a broken piece of sweet chocolate.

Eugene City Bakery

In the morning, Duane shuttled me around town, as I didn’t want to ride on a rest day and accomplish little healing.

He took me to Eugene City Bakery and I ordered a Red Hot Velvet Cupcake, as I have a new appreciation for cupcakes after spending time around Anqi.

Hide-Away Bakery

Hide away bakery was opened by the son of a family whom already ran a restaurant just ajacent to it. They had a ponderous oven which took up nearly the whole kitchen, and I line out the door.

I ordered a Parma Braid with Procuito and Fontina cheese. Wrapped in pastry dough, the savory meat/cheese bliss of this creation had been peppered to leave the customer wanting more.

I stayed in Mt Vernon that evening, at a guesthouse called the Bike Inn. The day before I had arrived, two guys who had been chasing me since Virginia left. I hung out with the owner of the establishment, Christy, and her two children, who had driven from different parts of the country to play yahtsee. I prepared myself a steak, and finally tried the Black Butte Porter that I had been seeing everywhere.

The next day, I rode a short day into Dayville, as there was a 90mile gap in groceries. I heard that the grocery had closed in Mitchell. Besides, there was a ministry helping bikers along their way. I stayed at the presbeterian church, as did the cyclists from the day before. They had ridden from Prarie City, which would have been a very long hot day, had I decided to stay.

I made some very delicious tuna mac, which ended up being my early lunch that next day as well. Needed to eat cheap as my remaining funds are almost spent.

Derrick fixed a break in pipe after we unexpectly were standing in a puddle in the kitchen.

Catching up is hard when you neglect to check your email for a couple weeks.

In the morning after pancakes, I rode through Picture Gorge. I was riding by 5 o’clock, so the sun was still rising.

After a climb, and some nice time spent in the farmlands, I found myself in Mitchell, OR. I consumed the rest of my tuna mac, and made friends with a man whom owned a sportbike.

I also met a couple heading to the coast. They hadn’t come nearly as far, but had still been driving for hours.

I arrived in Prineville and immediately stopped to find food. I bought a pound of strawberries for two dollars and consumed them all at once.

Next, I sought to contact a man I found on Warm Showers. When I met my host, I walked up to where I was staying and near immediatley fell asleep on the hard floor and was out for a few hours. It was a long day.

Green Plow Coffee Roasters

After riding into Redmond, I was interviewed at the Local Coffee shop by a man named Gary Newman. While I was there, I also had a chance to try out their latte.

The ride to sisters was beautiful. My eyes were afixed on the three sisters to the left, and mount jefferson to my right. Life couldn’t be better.

I stopped at the Sisters bakery and got a cheese stick.

.. And Angeline’s for their coffee. I also tried the unique kombucha on tap, they had in the back. The attendent behind the counter described kombucha as “the love-child of green tea and yogurt.”

Just then, It was time to climb up my last mountain pass. It was an awe-inspiring ride full of blind curves up to a sea of lava that had cooled hundreds of years ago.

As I was expecting to eventually, I passed over the Pacific Crest Trail. Its a footpath from Mexico to Canada. It makes its way through this particular part of the cascades. I plan to hike it next summer.

At the top was a monument pasted together from igneous rocks. I’d bet that mason had TONS OF FUN working up in that cold wind.

Jefferson was showing off in a sea of clouds, way off in the distance.

Riding down off of McKensie was some of the most fun I’ve had on this trip. I had just brought my brake in closer to my rim, so it helped alot as I shot around these tight steep switchbacks.

It left kind of an impression of two of my fingers, riding the brake the whole way down.

A group of alumni, drive out from different parts of the country every year and go mountain biking. I shared a campsite with them that evening at McKensie River Campground.

“4,000 miles ain’t shit”

Thank you SAGed biker group.

Finally made it to Eugene.

After visiting the library, finishing my last post, I ventured over to Barley Brown’s. Its a hole in the wall micro-brew with an eight gold medal winning pale ale called Tumble Off. I wasn’t able to try the Tumble Off as they had just switched it out for their Wheeler Ale. Appropriate to my journey. Twas delicious; Had strong citrus Hops and and a strong resiny flavor. I also tried their Whiskey Malt Ale, as I knew it would resemble one of my favorite beers back home, French Broad Brewing company’s We-Heavier. I sampled their Hot Blond, a blond ale made with jalepenos. It had a nice twang to it, but to be honest, the nachos I was consuming tended to dominate my taste buds at that moment.

I met a guy named Adam at the bar. He was coming in to fill up his growler before going backpacking around hell’s canyon. He was a vagabond as well, so we had plenty to talk about. He had just returned from a project studying a specific thrush around south america. Before that he was studying another thrush, a different species living in Asia. He’s explored much of the world looking for birds as a biologist, and has participated in lots of hitchhiking. He spends his off days backpacking, as its the cheapest form of living.

Later that night, I wandered back to my host’s back yard and layed in my sleeping bag, watching the lightning strikes overhead.

My touring bar bracket came that next afternoon, I was surprised and happy they sent me the entire lower assembly. And apparently next day means next day; I was impressed.

I rode 20 miles that evening as it was getting dark and watched another sunset. I just can’t get enough of that brilliant red. When I showed up at Union Creek Campground, I found some touring cyclists that I had spoken to earlier that day at the grocery store. I shared their site, and got out early that next morning.

I made some 40some miles before I got a flat. I had to hitch back into Baker City and fix it. Luckily Scotta was sagging her husband that morning around 9am, so she picked me up. I went to the bike shop and patched my flat, then got breakfast at Bella.

Riding in this kind of weather, It felt like I was three feet from a large heating element the entire time. I lathered up the sunscreen and still got burned. The landscape was terrific on the other hand.

The yellow lines were a bit further apart than normal.

As I was sitting thirsty at a barren rest stop between Richland and Baker City, a long empty stretch of road 42 miles long, a woman aproached me. She held two water bottles, bent over with her palms on her knees as if she was ushering a puppy over to pet it. She gave me water when I needed it most.

The Sunset was stunning, very red like the other sunsets I’ve watched out here in the west.

Just after the sun fell behind the horizon, the wind picked up and raged the rest of the night. Probably my favorite picture from that evening, this hurried windmill was producing lots of energy I’m sure.

That evening, after it had gotten dark, the bracket holding my Kris Holm T-Bar sheered in half. So I’m stuck in Baker City till it shows up. Once I got a hold of them, Unicycle.com was very helpful and allowed me to ship overnight to Oregon. I now have a flight to catch at 6am the 21st of August, and can’t be slowed down too much.

I showed up in the dark, after riding my uni touring bar-free through the dark. I found the house of my Warm Showers Host and slept behind their house. I was woken up several times by their neighbors dog barking at me, and eventually slept late once I moved to the other side of their yard.

At Deanne’s request, I visited Sorbenot’s. The shop itself was nicely furnished with comfortable couches and art produced by the owner which I really want on my wall. The counter was not under-staffed, which is usually a problem at coffee shops with a drive-thru and walk-in counter.

The woman at the bike shop in town pointed me toward Bella, a gourmet/coffee shop. They have an espresso bar to compliment their large selection of wines, cheeses, beer, biker products, specialty kitchen items, and ice cream. I sat down and enjoyed a Virgil’s Root Beer, one of my favorite things in the world. Afterward, I tasted a spanish red wine(something OTON), and their french pressed coffee. I’ll definitely be back tomorrow morning.

I’m not done yet; I ended up stopping in Baker City Cafe and gettin a cup of Italian Meatball soup and a latte. They were obviously understaffed for lunch, but the barista/server/waitress/busgirl handled herself well through all of it. The soup was served with beer bread which I really liked. It was sweet with a light caky crumb.

As I had run out, I printed some new bussiness cards on a stock with a texture that I really adored. Writer’s Brother’s was very helpful and affordable. I also finally found a paint marker for detailing my back pack.

I asked the barista at CCC and she directed me to the “Drive Thru.” I’m glad she did because the chocolate banana malt I ordered was the best I’ve ever had. I also consumed a LUMBERJACK buger. It was a beast and exactly what I needed. From there, I moved on to the library to finish up my post. It took a bit longer than normal because the computer that I uploaded them on, uploaded them in a random order, so I had to put them all back where they needed to be(Heap, not Stack).

When the heat died down some, I got out of Council and headed toward Cambridge. I made a stop at a diner placed on 95 so that all those interstaters wouldn’t get hungry.

An expression I heard whilst I was in Kansas was that they “lay out the black carpet,” or burn what remains of the wheat after they cut it.

After a quick stop in Cambridge, I made my attack on the last hill before Browlee Resevoir, Hell’s Canyon, and Oregon. I flew up this hill at 14-16mph and raced the sun as I made my way to the top. I stopped on Browlee Summit to watch the sunset before I plunged down to my campsite for the evening.

In the morning, I got a better look at Brownlee Resevoir and all its lifeless glory. While the scenery looks pretty plain. Some crazy biologist have apparently released bears, big horns and wolves into hell’s canyon.

After I crossed the Snake River, I was officially in Oregon. I have now unicycled from VA –> OR. Its just 400-500 miles from here to the coast and the end of my trip. What lays in my path though is the arid desert of eastern OR and the Cascade Mountain Range in the West. I can’t hardly wait.

My breakfast for the morning. Their selection was smaller than what I was expecting for such a large building.

Hell’s Canyon is the deepest Canyon in North America. So, after climbing into the canyon, I had to climb out.

I saw these guys again, after seeing them for the first time between Council and Cambridge the day before. One of them took the video below.

I made it to Richland, OR, and am just killing some time in the heat of the day before I continue to Baker City, OR for the evening.

I found my way to the rhinoceros with this group and had a couple beers, where I met some of their friends. I spoke with them for a while before they invited me back to their couch for the evening. In the morning, Evan and Racheal directed me toward a bakery by the name of Le Petit.

Le Petit produced some delicious goods. I had a tiny brioche, one of my favorite products, as it is the missing link between pastry and bread. My Vanilla Creme Scone and my brioche were spinkled with coarse sugar. They were both products of many years of artisan baking and enticing to my pallette.

When I got on the road, the air was hot and the sun bright. I rode to Lolo Hot Springs before catching a long break, and enjoyed a Pattie Melt. I love fried onions and believe they should accompany every burger.

At some point, my tire got a puncture from one of the many sharp rocks in Idaho. If I have to start avoiding all rocks, I might never make it to Oregon. I stuck out my thumb and got a ride back to Missoula as it contained the closest bike shop. Never would I have dreamed that I’d be in Missoula another night. I was already getting ansy after 3 nights.

I visited Missoula Bicycle Works to fix my puncture. They were very helpful, and provided me with another 29er tube to replace the last one I had precariously installed onto my 36 inch wheel. By that time, leaving Missoula seemed risky. One of the bike shop employees, Ryan Payne(appropriatly named, being a tri-athalete), offered me his futon. This is great because, I sleep on a futon back home and was assured a pleasant unconcious evening.

After the bike shop had closed, me and Ryan arranged to meet back at his studio in an hour. During that interim, I wandered over to Zoo Town Brew. I forgot to ask about the name. The mocha I ordered came out adorned with microfoam and a espresso/chocolate swirl. I complement my Barista.

I met back up with Ryan at his apartment. I had a chance to shower, and wear clean clothes. Ryan prepared a salad and pizza. I ate slowly as my lower left gums were inflamed for who knows why. He was practicing his cocktails for an upcoming dinner party, so that evening I sipped on a Mint Julep made the southern way and a Manhattan.

Ryan pulled his bed out of the wall and layed the futon flat. We retired on our individual sleeping modes, and in the morning I was woken by him making coffee. He gave me a ride out to the area where I got my flat, and I rode on.

The ride off Lolo was spectactular. Aromatic Cedars were everywhere, and the air was cool. I rode down to white sands campground, thinking food was available, but I only found some pretty ponds and a steep gravel hill to climb back up.

I did get a real breakfast at Locsha Lodge, just down the road. I ordered two pancakes, which exited the kitchen the same size as the plate they were on. Delicious and hardy with a strong taste of the eggs that made them so thick.

I passed many pack bridges along the ride through the valley. Following the river, the windy road was lined with colorful rockfaces, conifers and wildflowers.

I stopped to take a break at the nine mile river pull off. I let my bike shorts dry off whilst I went for a swim in the Locsha.

I stopped in Lowell with the intention of moving on that evening. I ended up talking to a couple in the dinner there for a while, and their friends showed up whom own a Bed and Breakfast in Kooskia[koose - kie]. They gave me a ride back to their place and I stayed on the second floor of their B&B. I had a shower, internet and very friendly company. Any other touring cyclist coming through the area should definitely check them out.

Welcome Home B&B
421 Pine St
Kooskia, ID 83539
(208) 926-4683

In the morning they fed me a hard breakfast with fruit, bacon, eggs and blueberry banana muffins. I left the B&B and got lost at first, I headed towards town and sat on a stoop in front of a gas station. I talked up some locals and got a hitch back to Lowell. I continued riding, witnessing the basalt covered buttes in every direction. By the time I rode through Kooskia and Stites again, It was hot out. I stopped and got a drink from the grocery in Stites, then continued on.

I climbed up the grade into Grangeville. It was a long slow climb into Grangeville, where I found the Pizza Factory to stop for lunch in. My climb wasn’t finished in Grangeville. I climbed another 1000 feet or so up 95, called White Bird Hill by the locals, and descended on Old 95. This was a beautiful ride down, with only one car the entire 12 miles. I’m not surprised as the maintainence was non existant. Though the cracks seemed to have been recently tarred and sanded. I’ve got these little black spots on me that I don’t suspect will be disappearing any time soon.

In White Bird at the base of the hill, I took another breather in the Sport Shop, the local general store. I’m happy I did, as the other grocer on my map was no longer existant. I moved on to a rest stop/recreation area a few miles down the road. I decided to stop there for the day as there was a beach and a rest room. I slept on the beach because the breeze off the river kept the little green insects off of me. I still have no idea what those little buggers are called. Neither do any of the locals.

The last section has been mighty stressful. I’ve been getting a lot of sun and the saddle sores appear way quicker than they disappear. Probably because hygiene can be hard on the road. I’ve taken to the habit of using an antiseptic every evening, but my gear, including my clothing is still ridden with bacteria. All this is trumped by my thoughts during the day about my relationships back home.

In the morning I continued my ride next to the Salmon river all the way to Riggins, a town solely dedicated to its rafting companies. I stopped at a couple coffee shops, one as part of a rafting outfitter. No suprise there. And another owned by a guy who roasts his own beans. I sat in the second for a while and watched the nat-geo special on a very large prehistoric fish in the amazon that can breath the air.

Before ascending what appeared to be a right angle on my elevation profile to New Meadows, I stopped at the Riverside Cafe for buscuits and gravy. This meal got me all the way to New meadows, and wasn’t that bad price-wise either.

I hung out in a coffee shop for an extended period of time in New Meadows. They had just opened three months ago, but had everything down, like they had been there for years. I got a cheap dinner and tomorrow morning’s breakfast at the grocery down the street before heading on.

At first I camped on the side of the Weiser River Trail, but a large animal was purusing my site, so I moved on, in the dark to the campground down the road. In the morning I woke up and rode downhill into Council, ID. That’ll be the second city named ‘Council’ on my adventure. The last one was on the VA/KY border. That was such a long time ago.

I just found out that I have a flight back to Baltimore on the morning of the 21st from Portland. The journey is definitely coming to a close but is not over yet. I’ll be entering Oregon later tonight and still get to ride through the arid side of OR before I get to the fun part.

I spent a few hours on the ACA computer trying to make my last post. I thank them for not kicking me off and providing me with ice cream and soda.

I visited Butterfly Herbs, a coffee shop/apothecary which has been in town for 32 years. They seem to cater toward the thesbian community and was full of interesting characters both times I was in the establishment.

After only a few hours of sleep in a friend’s yard, I was ready to crash and not up to riding. A friend of mine, Parang put me in contact with a guy named Jeff, who just happened to live half a block from liquid planet. He set me up on his couch, where I spent the remainder of my evening. I put in Fight club and fell a sleep half way through as I’ve seen it on so many occasions.

In the morning, I got up and tried to leave town. I rode 10 miles in the wrong direction in the heat of the day. By the time I returned, I decided to ride at night as to beat the heat. To no sucess. I apparently lost my headlamp, and had no safe way to ride out of town.

I stopped at Pita Pit for lunch and digested a sizable pita packed full of chicken, bacon and veggies.

Walking down one of the many streets in Missoula, I walked into a Fly Shop called Grizzly Hackle and what did I find but a coffee shop. On their walls they pictured latte art and fish caught by locals. What a wonderful combination?

Back at Liquid Planet I tried a soda produced with the flavor of Lemongrass. It was light and not oversweetened. I feel like it would compliment a platter of sushi very nicely.