Day 1

10/6/11
First Day
So...let's just say the first day didn't go quite as planned. I wanted to leave around 8am to get the journey started early. I think my friends had other plans. They threw me an amazing going away party, which lasted almost until the sun came up. To my surprise, anticipation got the better of me and I still couldn't sleep past 9am. Anyway, I got up and decided to take my bike for a test run, as well as gather some last minute supplies. As I played with the gears I soon realized that I had no low gears. At first I didn't think much of it since I rarely use those anyway, but the more I though about it, the more I realized that traveling uphill with 60lbs of gear was not going to happen without those. After returning from the store and making some breakfast, I couldn't believe that it was 11am already and I still had to adjust my front derailleur and pack my gear. Thanks to the help of my friend Taasin I was able to get the bike working in satisfactory order. Now it was time to pack!

I supposed that packing would be a cinch since I had everything already laid out it. Nope! The truth is that there needs to be some strategy involved. Having to look through all 5 of my bags just to find a toothbrush is not my idea of a good time, so that's what I wanted to avoid. I did the best I could for not knowing what to expect and left my house just after 3pm. Definitely not the early start I was planning.

As soon as I got on my bike I realized something was wrong...something that I had a sneaking suspicion had to do with tire pressure. After they both tested more that 30 psi lower than I wanted, I grabbed my pump only to realized that it was not schrader valve compatible! My old tires were presta valve, but my fancy new touring wheels that I had made came with schraders. Well off to the gas station I suppose!

Finally, after making calls to my parents and filling my tires, I was able to hit the road...that is, until my friend reminded me of the Occupy Portland protest going on downtown, which was smack-dab in the middle of my route. Upon hearing that, I decided it would be for the best if I took my big bike on the light rail train to go as far west as I could.

The train ride was crowded. I mean it was Tokyo subway crowded. Not only was there a protest going on, but it was rush hour as well. And there I was. The asshole with a loaded touring bike blocking the doors. Anyway, after about an hour long ride it was my stop and the people packed in like sardines joked that I would have to stay on the train until they got off. Luckily, it was a joke and they were all nice enough to help let me out. I was ready to ride...or so I thought.

I saw a guy with a bike and asked him if there was a designated bike path that followed along hwy 26. He gave me a longwinded answer that I think even confused him. While trying to figure out what he was talking about a man in a suit chimed in and asked where I was headed. I said "as close to the ocean as I can today" and he confessed that he was an avid cyclist and gave me great directions, which I was sorry to hear involved getting back on the MAX and heading to the last stop of the line I just got off of. So far, I think the day was going pretty well.

The guy with the bike reassured me that getting back on was a better thing to do and then introduced himself as Rodney. Rodney was a thin man with a mustache and the gift of gab. He talked at me while we waited for the train, he got on with me and told me he'd point me in the right direction, and then told me some crazy story about stealing a U-Haul and trying to drive it across country until the law caught up with him in Cheyenne, WY. At times I couldn't tell if he was drunk or just happy to be alive. Either way he was true to his word and led me right to where I needed to go. And so begins the fun part.

The next 20 miles were exhilarating. I was actually doing it! The sky was blue. The clouds white. And the sun was starting it's decent into the horizon. I shouted with joy as I rode past cows chewing their cud. I made up little songs about the adventure at hand. I didn't have a care in the world...until I realized the night had snuck up on me and I hadn't setup camp yet. Around 8pm I finally found a spot that seemed like a place I could set up my tent, yet it was right off the highway and because of the darkness I was unsure how visible I was from the road. I didn't really care at that point. I was still tired from the night before and was ready to sleep. I vowed to not make the mistake of waiting too long to set up camp, and made 7pm as my future camp time. I fell fast asleep, the cars didn't concern me a bit, and woke up at 6:30am the next day ready to ride.

Progress: 40 miles from my starting point.

Random Roadside Debris: a port-a-potty door.

-D
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