pet bliss

Obviously the pets don't mind the mess of us still unpacking boxes and cluttering the house. Lucy especially seems to be incredibly at ease! :)

November mood

snow, rain, snow, sun, clouds, light, dark, sweaters, leaves, winter hats, heat blasting, toasty blankets, foggy breath, chilly rides, early sunsets...

Every year I find myself loving this transition from autumn into winter, my mind mixed in flurries of past and present smells and sounds, feeling the briskness of air with each breath.

Back from hibernation...

We had a most smurfy Halloween! And can I just say, I love Nate to pieces and am so happy to have met someone willing to go on adventures with me and enjoy the littlest moments in life.



I've become more aware of the people that I'm lucky to know... friends, family, colleagues. Despite being ill for a lengthy amount of time (bronchitis, asthma stuff, early pneumonia), I am really trying to appreciate the litlte lucky things about each day.

wishing backwards

looking back and missing it

catching up

So I most certainly neglected this blog during the last bits of our biking journey... And, I don't feel much like recapping at the moment, so it will have to wait. Also, I lost my camera battery charger at some point, so there are many photos awaiting upload. Perhaps once I get a new battery, I will also be "recharged" and ready to share the splendid stories of the journey's end!

But for now, let's consider this a quick catch-up. Catching you up to the crazy newness in my life!

A little over a week ago, Nate got word about a job in Cadillac as piano accompanist for the high school choir classes (they have 5!). So, he did a couple of phone interviews with the director (who had seen him play keyboards before during gigs with UV Hippo etc.). We didn't really expect him to get the job, since he wasn't in Michigan to actually play the piano for her... But he got it! So instead of just me, we both flew back Thursday, and here we are.

Of course there is much to be done... Finding a place where we can have Nate's dog Django, then moving there, getting my classroom ready, going through the TONS of boxes that have sat in my spare room all summer, and oodles more. Tonight has been the first burst of productivity. We are filling up boxes to take to Goodwill (and KAIR, kalkaska's local thrift store). Nate's going to continue with that project tomorrow while I spend HOURS at school getting ready for the school year. I am already anticipating the numerous worried looks I'll get with people saying, "Are you really going to be ready?" Rather aggravating, because of course I'll be ready. And I actually work better under a tight time constraint.

This fall definitely promises to be a busy one. I am excited, though, because for the first time in a long time I actually feel good about the changes coming.

oregon obsession, northern cali coast/mountains

So, it's obviously been a long time since the last post... Well, perhaps not so long in the regular sense of time, but in biking sense, a lot has happened. I will spare you the rambling (save it for my upcoming memoir) and fill you in quickly on what you've missed.

*traveling homeless folks... best campfire company yet!

*hiker/biker camps (cheap state park stays in oregon and california)

*oregon is amazing-- bike-friendly, kind people, varied landscape, good worker vibe (didn't seem to be many snooty folks)

*coastal chill... We were shivering on downhills, even with arm and leg warmers on!

*birds of prey sightings

*touring bicyclists from mexico, new zealand, canada, germany

*rowdy campfire with the kids from wyoming

*endless fog our first days in oregon

*tales of the "bike house"... still hoping for a sighting!

*tips on cheap alaska travel

*overcoming my fear of being launched into the Pacific and actually enjoying some of the cliff views of the ocean

*slippery sleeping bags... I have a bad habit of waking in the night and not being able to get comfortable again because I feel "on the move".

*Portland stay with Tim and Erin and kids... great hosts!

*beautiful ride from portland to the coast... 8 mile uphill stretch after our sketchiest campsite yet (amidst thorny bushes on the side of a road) into the mountains then a steady scenic downhill to the coast

*99 cent Indian dinners at the rainbow grocery outlet... as well as cheap cookies and 4 buck Sasquatch wine

So, while our earlier days of travel were filled with colorful characters of the local variety, this past stretch has been filled with characters on the go.

We are currently in the mountains of Hayfork, California visiting Nate's friends Mike and Jamie. It is simply incredible here... peaceful with awesome views from the house porch and the yurt deck. Jamie picked us up in Arcata, luckily, because a bike ride in would have taken us over 3 days most likely, if we didn't get run off the twisty roads! Jamie will take us back out to the coast tomorrow morning, when we will once again head south. Our next stop will be Bodega Bay... my pen-pal-since-first-grade/best-friend Alena will be coming to get us, and we'll spend a night or two with her in Rohnert Park. Then we'll be on our way to San Francisco.

I fly out on the 27th, which will give me *plenty* of time to prepare for school (ha ha ha )... Nate has some work out here for the next couple months but then plans to endure a northern Michigan winter with me in Kalkaska. He is liking the idea of ice fishing with our friend Mike (stacey's hubby). :)

It feels good to have my flight booked; I was starting to panic in my head, even though I haven't been worried at all the whole summer. I think when we hit California (or perhaps August!) my subconscious self couldn't help but start thinking ahead.

I have lots of great photos but my camera battery is currently charging, so I'll add a couple a bit later.

hundred degree days, flat tires (not the beer), oregon arrival

So, this bridge is the Lewis and Clark Bridge going from Longview, WA to Rainier, OR. The day we crossed it was a too-sunny day, so the pic is nothing like it looked in real life for us, but I liked the photo nonetheless.

Anyhow, this bridge and its disastrous messy shoulder caused Nate's 4th flat of the trip in about 4 days. On the Oregon side, we sat under an overpass while he changed the tube, and I actually napped for about 10 minutes. Yet, despite the temp being 106 degrees and getting a flat, we managed to pull out 85 miles to arrive in Beaverton that evening (about 15 miles west of portland downtown).

Looking backwards... the rest of our Washington journey was pleasant. I'm discovering that I tend to prefer riding through middle-of-nowhereness which tends to be more inland, as opposed to the coastal overlooks that are often surrounded by mansions. We head to the coast from here, so I'm hoping there will be a lot of park land and such, because I sure do grow tired of biking through the playgrounds of the wealthy.

Oregon is apparently the only west coast state that has declared the whole coast public. No one can "own" their own coastal beaches. So, I'm excited to camp next to the ocean one or two of these upcoming nights and enjoy the public's access.

Our route maps have been really great so far... Adventure Cycling gets you off the main road as much as possible. And even when you have to ride on one of the busier highways, they always have humongous shoulders so you still feel safe. I'm nervous about riding the Pacific overlooks, though... am hoping there is a lot of space and that drivers are used to seeing bikers there.