Before beginning this trip, I could count on one hand the number of people I knew -- the number of people I'd seen within five years -- on the West Coast.
I figured I'd be on my own for the majority of the trip. There'd be several nights camping on my own and staying in hostels and motels by my lonesome.
As it turned out, that was far from the case. I ended up staying more nights in people's homes than at campsites on my own.
And here's the amazing thing: Many of the people who opened up their cribs to me hardly knew me or hadn't seen me in several years. And then there were the people I'd never, ever met who were extremely generous.
So here's to the hosts who helped make this trip a huge success:
-- Janet, my Dad's old friend, who let me stay at her beautiful house on Whidbey Island. I'd never met her before and she hadn't seen my dad in a couple decades, but she welcomed me and provided me with a huge, delicious meal after two straight days of PB&J sandwiches.
-- Janet, Kaila, Brian, Danny and Tiffany in Seattle: This was huge, because I didn't know about a place to stay in Seattle until Janet told me about the house she shared with her daughter, Kaila, and other young adults. I stayed here for two nights, and they showed me a great time.
-- Sean and Melany in Warrenton, OR: I needed this break before beginning down the Oregon coast. Thanks, Sean and Mel, for reaching out to me and then showing me a great time.
-- David and Taunie in Coos Bay, OR: I can't thank you guys enough for taking in a complete, stranded stranger and hosting me for a night, feeding me a great meal and being amazing company. Hopefully I can return the favor.
-- Corby by Crescent City, CA: I can't thank you enough, man, for hanging with me while I had all that time to kill in northern California and letting me crash in the front seat of your truck during the night when I didn't have a spot booked at the hostel.
-- Marnin and Tea in Arcata, CA: A big, big thank you to my family's friends from our neighborhood in Ann Arbor. I had never met Tea before and probably hadn't seen Marnin in at least five years. They took me in for two nights despite having a small living place and two small children. Then they let me store my bike there while I was hiking with Dad.
-- Myra in San Francisco: Here's how I "knew" Myra. My uncle's girlfriend, Karen, had a family connection with her. That's it! But she took me in for a whopping three nights, took me out on the town, and constantly checked up on me to make sure my city visit was enjoyble. Another huge favor I need to repay down the road.
-- Toad in Carmel/San Jose: I probably knew Toad as well as any of my hosts, which is pretty remarkable considering I only knew him from a semester spent in Australia and a few days in Boston and Washington, D.C. Anyway, big thanks, Toad, for not only hosting me for a couple days, but showing me some sweet ocean hikes in the Carmel/Big Sur area and for taking me out for some delicious-tasting food.
-- Erica, Margot, Rusty and parents along the coast: They didn't host me at a house, but we camped together for three nights and biked together for even longer than that. They provided great company throughout the time and their parents were extremely generous in providing me a couple of large dinners. Big, big thanks to you all.
-- Barton and Vicki (and Carol) in Santa Barbara: Here's another one of those improbable connections. Barton is the first cousin of my late grandfather, also Barton. I only knew about him and Vicki because of my aunt Sallie, who first connected me with her old college friend, Carol, who lives in Santa Barbara. Then Carol suggested I give Barton a call. Carol was more than willing to open up her house as well, but my timing was bad. I arrived in the city the same day as her daughter's graduation, when several relatives were in town.
Anyway, I got ahold of Vicki, and she kindly offered me a chance to stay with her and Barton, without hesitating, and their place was absolutely incredible. I also got to meet Carol and her husband, Ken, during my stay there, where they showed me a world-famous Mexican restuarant and, along with Vicki, treated me to a delectable lunch.
-- Tim and Sherry in L.A.: I hadn't seen the family friends in probably close to 10 years, but they kindly took me in for three full days and provided me a great living quarters in West Los Angeles despite a very busy time for them -- Tim gave two final exams at UCLA while I was in town. Big, big thanks to you guys and it was great catching up.
-- Sky and Brian here in San Diego: This has been (and will continue to be) the perfect, relaxing end to my journey. I hadn't seen Sky in a good six years, since the end of high school, but she and Brian have taken me into their one-bedroom apartment and are showing me a fun time here in this beautiful city. Also, I must throw out a huge, huge thanks for picking me up from downtown San Diego Thursday night after my most physically taxing day on the bike.
Since I'm by the border, mucho gracias to all of the above.
They weren't the only people who helped make this trip enjoyable from start to finish. I met hundreds of nice folks along the way, and I can count on one hand the mean, unhelpful people I ran into.
I'm sure I'll forget some people, and for that I apologize (you know who you are). From north to south, more thank-yous...
Ernie and Mariette in Vancouver, who took me on a nice detour on my first day.
The fellas in the sports shop in Centralia, who gave me better directions than the map and allowed me to avoid some big hills.
Glen in Manzanita, who offered me a couch to sleep on that I declined because I wanted to experience the sunset. It was a very generous offer.
Tom and the other guy in Pacific City by my campground. They offered several tips about the riding ahead of me and were fun to talk to.
The guy who drove me -- and the bike -- 2 miles into Depoe Bay, OR, when I simply couldn't continue on because of the rain (yes, I guess I cheated).
The man outside the store in Florence, OR, who gave me a tip about where to stay at Honeymon State Park. I took his advice and slept under a canopy, always fearing the rain.
The librarians in North Bend, OR, who let me use the Internet for a whopping four-plus hours while the rain and wind went crazy outside. (Almost all of the librarians in the small Oregon libraries were nice and acommodating.)
The man who worked at the hotel in Bandon, OR, and offered me a bed in the one hostel room remaining for $20 cash because he didn't want to leave me out in the rain.
Emmett, the other biker staying in Bandon. He provided company during a long, dreary day and evening in the small town.
The host at the Humbug Mountain campsite, who, along with her dog, was nice company during a lonely night at a desolated spot on the coast.
A big shout out to Anthony, Joe, Shane and, of course, Corby who camped with me at Nickel Creek in Crescent City. They were great company in sharing the site and their food. Our huge breakfast was delicious, and the day of hanging with Joe and Anthony before heading to the Redwood hostel was fun and relaxing.
Most of the workers at the Redwood hostel, who were nice enough to let me hang around the place even during the day when I didn't have a room. They were easily the nicest hostel hosts, and the $16 a night was very affordable.
The man at the gas station in Arcata, who gave me perfect directions to Marnin and Tea's place. This was crucial, considering I was soaking wet.
The Red Wings fans in the Arcata pub. It was nice watching Game 7 of the conference semifinals with some other Detroit enthusiasts.
Tony, Joe and Gregory, who provided Dad and me with great company (and some warm whiskey) up in the Trinity Alps.
The Swedish biker I met at the campsite off the Avenue of the Giants. After a long day of riding, he provided great company and some s'mores!
The Gualala bartender. Great, fun-loving guy to talk to after another long day of riding.
The five people at the campsite just north of San Francisco. After yet another heavy-duty day on the bike, they were tremendous company for the night. Not only did they feed me with food besides my PB&Js, but they made a fire and we exchanged stories well into the night. Then, the following morning, they made a list of food joints to visit in San Francisco (and their choices were spot-on).
The regular at the chess table in San Fran, who was a part of one of my biggest thrills off the bike -- beating him on my third try.
Fat Joel and friends for providing company, and entertainment, in both San Fran at the Giants game and in Carmel.
My man Bubs from back home, who absolutely shocked me by texting me that he was in Monterey while I was in San Fran. I had no idea he was in California. Then I met up with him, his wife, Lea, and her sister and father the next day and they took me out to dinner in Pescadero. Big thanks to that whole group for agreeing to meet up with me and treating me to a great meal.
The manager at the hostel in Santa Cruz, who agreed to hold my stuff while I biked downtown to do some blogging. This, in retrospect, was huge, because my bike seat and lights were stolen outside of the library. I can't imagine what else might have been taken if all my stuff was on the 520.
The guy at the bike store in Santa Cruz, who helped me find a good replacement bike seat and installed it for me. Then he hooked me up with a biking hat.
The woman at the fruit stand who gave me about $1.50 worth of cherries for the lame $0.97 I had.
Larry and Fred, the bikers north of Carmel. Larry biked with me for 15 miles and told me the best way to get to Carmel -- through Pebble Beach. Larry took me the last couple miles through PB to the Carmel beach.
The bikers in L.A. who rode along with me for a while on the bike paths along the beach during what I knew would be a long day of riding.
And, I believe, that's it....
Now, of course, the people who provided support from other parts of the country....
A big thanks to Uncle Buz, who advised me in my search for a good bike and bought the maps for me at discount price. He also talked me through one of my toughest, most lonely parts of the trip.
A huge thanks to Karen, who also talked to me a couple times during the rainy days in Oregon and, of course, provided the Myra connection!
Thanks to the Boreykos for holding all of my belongings in North Carolina at no charge and (I hope) for picking me up Tuesday!
Big ups to my man Tick for providing me sports updates every week!
Thanks to Aunt Sallie for setting me up with Carol/Barton and Vicki and for consistent support.
Thanks, also, to all of my relatives and friends who supported me doing this trip instead of, you know, getting a real job or something!
And, finally, a big thanks to the parents, who never told me this was a bad idea or discouraged me from doing it. Mom was maybe a bit heavy on the phone calls, but I did appreciate talking to her and Dad a couple times a week (and, of course, it was good to know at least two people were reading the blog!).
Also, it was great to have Dad out here for three days of amazing hiking.
In conclusion, this trip was everything I thought it would be. It wasn't easy, but that's part of what made it so successful. When I finally finished my longest day Thursday, I had a great feeling of accomplishment that I don't think I've ever had.
Completing this trip is one of my greatest feats, no doubt.
I always say, somewhat truthfully and somewhat in self-deprecating fashion, that I'm bad at making big decisions, but I know it was a very good call to go north to south. There are a few reasons for this.
1. The wind: Rarely did I face a headwind, and during a lot of my difficult miles in California, I was helped by a nice tailwind.
2. The hills: I faced several difficult hills, but it would have been even worse going north. Specifically, I don't know how I could have handled the 12-mile hill heading from the ocean on the Pacific Coast Highway to Leggett. It was bad enough climbing 6 miles in the other direction. Twelve miles would have killed me.
Often, it felt like the hills I went down were a little longer and steeper than the ones I went up.
3. The ending. I'm very glad that I finished here in San Diego. For one, it's perfect because I have a place to stay here for a few days. Secondly, it's the perfect spot for relaxing right on the ocean. I can't wait to swim in the ocean this afternoon. I wouldn't have this experience in Vancouver, and I don't know where I would have stayed or for how long.
Going south to north didn't appear bad on paper, especially weather-wise. I wouldn't have experienced much cold and, possibly, could have avoided all rain. But in looking back, I definitely made the best decision.
But it wasn't my best decision. That had to be buying the Trek 520 touring bike. It might surprise you, but I really don't know a whole lot about bikes and bike maintenance. So I really wanted to find a bike that wouldn't give me much trouble even during a trip this long.
The 520 did exactly that. I never had to pump up the tires, which were rock-solid the entire way and never gave me a single issue. And nothing else broke down. All I had to do was lube the chain every few days and get one midway tuneup in Arcata.
The Trek 520 helped make my trip, for the most part, worry-free.
A big, big thanks to the amazing bike that held strong on many difficult roads and went over its fair share of rocks and minor potholes.
Here's to many more years of fun rides, big and small, on the 520.
And, finally, I'm out. I'll have my final set of pictures posted soon on Picassa and facebook.
Thanks to everyone who has followed the blog, either consistently or intermittingly.
It's been the trip of my lifetime and I highly recommend it to anyone who has some free time and wants to really experience a beautiful, diverse coastline.
Feel free to facebook me or e-mail me (jakeblloyd@gmail.com) with any questions about the trip and the area.
Peace,
Jake
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