As we continued into Idaho, we were continually pleased of the stunning scenery this country has to offer. For hundreds of miles, we following winding roads next to rivers that seems to have carved pathways through the mountains.
On one hot day when we were taking a midday break in White Bird, Idaho, we struck up a conversation with a man who invited us to stay in his home. We were still about 20 miles from his home but it was in our direction. Intrigued by free accommodation and the company of some friendly locals, we rode over to his town, picked up some groceries, and headed over to the house.
His wife and family were very welcoming and kind. It turns out their family had moved around a bit and the father was employed with a river rafting company.
Our last destination in Idaho was a small town called Cambridge. We ended up arriving around sunset and a man in a grocery store offered to host us. Having no other option but to camp in the park, we were thrilled to have found a host and took the man’s offer. We ended up staying two nights in his place because he was great company and we even got the chance to see a Rodeo. It was unlike any other event I have ever attended.
Also we saw a bat while walking down the street. I’m not sure if it was a baby or an adult.
Oregon
Our first night in Oregon we spent camping at a Lions Club park in a small town called Halfway. The next morning, a man approached us in the park. He asked us all about our tour and he told us about some of his adventures as well. He then asked us, “Have you had any breakfast yet?”.
“Not yet”, I replied, “but we have some bread and peanut butter that we can eat”. The man looked at us with excitement and said, “Give me ten minutes or so and I’ll be back out with your breakfast.”
Sure enough, about ten minutes later the man came back with two delicious duck egg omelettes mixed with fresh vegetables from his garden and a side of fruit. Apparently the man was a former chef, and the quality of his food reflected it. The man’s generosity was a great start to our first full day in Oregon.
I can’t say that I saw an immediate change in landscape from Idaho to Oregon, but as we progressed a couple hundred miles westward, scenery definitely started changing.
The landscape started looking like a Dr. Seuss book with lots of lumps and great colors.
One of the cool parts about bike touring in Oregon is that it is the only state in the country with official scenic bikeways. As a result of the popular cycling culture, we were delighted to find bike-centric hosts like The Spoke’n Hostel along the way. This place used to be a church but was converted to a hostel specifically for cyclists.
It was not only nice to have a bed and showers, but it was fun to meet other cyclists and share some stories about our trips. The hostel also had a giant world map where each guest can put a pin of where they are from. Portland was by far the most popular location, but there were pins all around the world, especially the Netherlands. Although there were pins on Boston, I think I was the first to pin down Sharon, MA.
The next day, we made our way to a little town called Terrabonne. Since it was a big day of riding we only got there until the evening. Unfortunately we hadn’t really planned out where we would stay, but we asked around and some guy brought us to somebody’s yard he said we could camp in. The problem was that the yard was full of junk and overgrown shrubbery, we weren’t exactly sure that the owner was okay with us staying there, and we had no access to bathrooms or running water.
I knew that there was a state park nearby, but from what I had gathered, the park’s campground was too far away for us to reach before sunset. I kind of went into panic mode at this point, because I didn’t feel comfortable staying in that yard and I didn’t know where else we could stay. A man at a local shop noticed my distressed. He came over and told us that the campground at the state park was only a couple miles away despite my misconception that it was further.
We packed up our bags and headed towards the park, making it there just before sunset.
I had never been to a campground like this but I really liked it. Instead of every vehicle having its own camping spot, it was a free-for-all style sleeping area where campers could choose to set up their tents in whatever spot they like.
The next morning we realized what a beautiful place we had stumbled upon, and decided to spend the day there hiking.
Our route then took us through a volcanic area called Mckenzie pass, and shortly thereafter we crossed paths with the notorious Pacific Crest Trail. I convinced Erika that we had to walk down the trail for at least a few minutes, allowing us to say we section hiked the trail. It was a short section, but a section nonetheless.
A couple days later, we hit the coast. Although the day was highly overcast we still enjoyed our ride and it was exciting to reach the ocean, a huge milestone in any cross-country bike ride.
The only problem we faced here was that we didn’t have a host, and there were no campgrounds in the area. Our philosophy for this trip was to never pay for a hotel or motel, and we had been successful up to that point. However, we had just reached the Pacific Ocean, we were tired, and it was a bit cold and rainy.
So we decided to bite the bullet. I looked up the nearest hotel and got ready give in. Just as we were walking back towards town, a woman passing by looks at me as if she’s expecting me. She approaches me and asks, “Excuse me, are you Roger?”. I wasn’t exactly sure why I would be Roger, but interested in perhaps finding a host, I replied “No I’m not Roger, but why do you ask?”. “Well”, she replied, “I run a local Airbnb and I was expecting a man named Roger to come by.” Sometimes it’s just amazing how things just work out. We ended up talking with her some more and explained that although we weren’t the man she was expecting, we were looking for accommodation. For a small fee, she let us use her kitchen, shower, living room, and we camped on her lawn directly across from the ocean. After reading through her guestbook, we realized another cyclist that we had met in Kansas had stayed at her Airbnb as well.
Although the Oregon coast was crowded the coastal scenery was fantastic. The combination of mountains and beaches make it extra special, something foreign to me as an east coast native.
After a few days on the coast, we made it to the final destination, Astoria, Oregon, the place where Lewis and Clark hit the Pacific Ocean on their expedition in the early 1800’s. Coincidentally, the start of their journey was St. Charles, MO, a the same city where Erika joined me. Does that mean we are as brave and courageous as the original American explorers? Well, one might argue it was more difficult for them to do it having to hunt for their food and traverse over mountains without roads. However, we completed the journey a lot faster they did. It took them almost a year and a half to do it and we completed in a couple of months so I’d say we’re about equal!