Well, as I said earlier, I'm done with my bicycling journey. Yesterday morning I took the train from San Francisco to San Jose, and I've already been to my first delegate meeting. But more about that later. I've got ten days of biking to report on! Let's take it day by day:

Thursday, 21 June

Dave and I were supposed to leave the Willamette Valley bright and early this morning, after meeting in Portland, OR and spending the night at the home of Josh Miller, a mutual friend from EMU days. Then, getting into Portland on the 20th, I got a call from Dave - he'd had a flight delay break up his travel from Washington, DC to Portland, and he'd be a whole day late. Fortunately, Josh was good enough not only to put up with me for an extra night, but to show me around Portland all day, including its fantastic Japanese Garden. Dave didn't arrive till 0300 the next morning!

Friday, 22 June

We slept in late (or I did; Dave had jetlag to work out) and Josh drove us down to the coast, cutting off the day's travel we no longer had time for. Leaving a bit after noon from Lincoln City, OR, we biked the first 71.7km (44.5mi) to Beachside State Park, where we spent the night. Good news: many Oregon (and California) state parks have campsites reserved for cyclists and hikers, available at a much lower rate.

Saturday, 23 June

Our first full day: 123.0km (76.4mi) south on U.S. 101 to the Bluebill campground in Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. The scenery was spectacular - we saw sea lions and Brandt's Cormorants at a series of caves along the coast. I was soon tired of being passed by the endless line of RV's that filled the highway, though. We met up with two girls who were also on a long ride, theirs from Seattle to San Francisco, and ended up splitting the more pricey U.S. Forest Service campsite with them.

Sunday, 24 June

Kind of a rough start to the day; we woke up to the tail end of a light rain shower, and then, not three miles into the ride, my rear tire went flat. We made 122.5km (76.1mi) to Humbug Mountain State Park, where a dinner of fresh shrimp and scallops we found in the nearby town of Port Orford went a long way to making things better.

Monday, 25 June

We made poorer progress today; while coasting down a hill a little north of Brookings, OR, I paid for abusing my brakes with a major blowout in my front tire. Till Dave hitchhiked to the nearest bike shop for a replacement tire and we got back on the road, we'd lost almost half a day. The sunset at Harris State Park, where we finished the 82.8km (51.4mi) ride, was pretty spectacular.

Tuesday, 26 June

The day started cold and misty, and mostly stayed that way. We crossed the border into California early in the morning, and by early afternoon were off the 101 on a scenic alternative route through Redwood State/National Park. It's been more than a year since I'd last seen Sequoia sepervirens, and it was powerfully refreshing to coast through cool avenues of giant trees. We finished at Patrick's Point State Park, 134.4km (83.5mi) from our start.

Wednesday, 27 June

From the start of the trip I'd said to Dave that I wanted to try and bike 100 miles, a century, at least one day of the trip. This day we woke up early and Dave made me put my bike where my mouth was. We split from the 101 again and followed the road inland through dairy country, then up into the mountains and onto Avenue of the Giants, which runs through Humboldt Redwoods State Park, and emerged, almost at sunset, at a park in Benbow, CA. Although I was definitely at my limit, we'd ridden 188.6 kilometers - 117.2 miles!

Thursday, 28 June

After the long day, we took a shorter one, which was fortunate, since the route took us away from the 101 for good, and onto California Route 1, which wound up over the highest climb of the trip and back down to the coast. It was slow going, but it felt great to end the day in the little beach-access town of Cleone, where MacKerricher State Park is. Total distance: 99.5km (62.0mi).

Friday, 29 June

A longer day through easy-riding country (rolling hills, farmland, and little coastal towns) took us to Salt Point State Park, an area of dwarfed conifer forest right on the coast. Four days after my blowout, my new tires still hadn't had a flat. Distance: 131.1km (81.5mi).

Saturday, 30 June

And now we had only a short day's ride down the last stretch of coast before San Francisco. A quick 110.0km (68.4mi) took us through Bodega Bay and past Point Reyes National Seashore to Samuel P. Taylor State Park, in the distant suburbs of San Francisco.

Sunday, 1 July

Journey's end, just about. A short morning ride of 54.8km (34.0mi) took us through the northern suburbs of San Francisco and over the Golden Gate Bridge. We made it to First Mennonite Church of San Francisco only by the end of the Sunday service, but in plenty of time to sing Old Number 606 as a benediction and join the welcoming congregation for a potluck fellowship meal. We spent the day seeing the city, and slept at the San Francisco MVS house.

The next morning, I took the train to San Jose (Dave got up earlier to bike it), registered at the convention center, and attended my first delegate meeting in sweaty track pants and my only clean shirt, the San Jose 2007 t-shirt I got when I registered. My luggage arrived after the delegate session.

Which brings us to today, the first full day of the convention. It's just starting, and I need breakfast. More later!

Labels: biking, photo, San Jose 2007, summer, travel