Amber's America

Hi!

I am adding two posts today, so thought I start with this one to include those other biking friends of mine who are interested in the facts and figures (not that this is a competition or anything). I would like to point out that I am on a very long/ extended learning holiday (hence sebbatical). So, am seeing this as a 'marathon and not a sprint'.

To keep ya'll up to date:

14/10 We spent the night of my last entry in a little RV park in the town (it had a gorgeous beach and little fishing bay which the morning sun made magical). The night felt a little light being a vagrant but it too had wireless and I attempted to catch up with the Alaskan sled race (and failed) - free live tv still escapes me. I did however learn a lot about 'the science of pooping' and how they maintain the health of the huskies during the race. 3 cheers for the internet!

15/10 Walport to Jessie Honeyman Memorial park


16/10 Jessie M Honeyman to Sunset Bay (54.9 miles)


17/10 Sunset to Mt Humbug (57 miles)


18/10 Mt Humbug to Harris Beach (Via Gold Beach) (56.2 miles)


19/10 Harris Beach to CALIFORNIA!!!!!!!!

This 35 miles had A VERY BIG HILL of 1300ft plus some VERY TALL BIG TREES and thankfully a nice warm hostel with some lovely people and 1 bed just for me.

I have a bit of a sore knee at the moment. I am trying to convince myself it may be an old hurdling injury; but more likely the fact that I haven't had my feet strapped in properly and have therefore been cycling at the wrong angle. I have been a little too afraid of falling or being knocked off to tie my feet in to the extent that I can't put my feet down if necessary, there are some pretty 'keen' drivers around and the cycle lane seems to dissapear at the most hazardous parts of the road. They also have 'forgotten' to retarmac the cycle route when they have redone the roads and dumped gravel at points. I am glad of my motorcycle training and riding glasses as a keen eye is essential. There is also some interesting wildlife/ road kill including snakes and wildcats and racoons. We saw a really cute vole which I couldn't help but stop to photograph, and a rather less cute 'escape convict looking' hitcher - scary!!!!

Photography is actually becoming my biggest hobby and I have hundreds of photos. I am currently in the process of trying to back them all up on picassa. Unfortunately as yet I haven't figured out how to load the links onto this BLOG. Infact as a big favour I would ask that anyone who knows how or has the time to discover how, let me know if they figure it out. Although I now have the hardware, finding internet time on a bike tour is proving a little more difficult as now in more isolated places. I am still really glad of this lap-top. Internet cafe's do not seem to exist here.

Anyway despite the grammatical and spelling errors I shall post this and get on with the next one. I have a bus to catch or I will get stuck here and am for today at least bikeless.


FACTS AND FIGURES

Total distance covered is 334miles I think although the magnet slipped so I may have lost a few.

My 'Average speed' is 10miles exactly (Amber is on a road bike and seems to be doing a lot more waiting)

My Top Speed is 31.8miles (and I am trying to go slow)

The road conditions and weather have been variable but with a pattern of misty mornings and evenings and warm sunshine with cool sea breezes throught the leasurely lunch breaks :-). At times it has been like cycling in a veledrome - the road curves so steeply - quite a challenge with front panniers. The hills are steep and challenging and the downhills something like the 'horseshoe pass' with cliffs down to the ocean. I am, ehem, developing nerves of steel; and shoulders something like Fatima Whitbread!. Still should make my months of SCUBA diving in the Carribean a little easier :-) ;-) ;-)....oooo I am now hoping only that I can continue safely and sell my bike for enough to fund the next part of my journey. I was thinking of taking it on with me; but think I will see this as a Triathalon. bike trip over... I shall swim the next section. And everyone knows that swimming with a bike is only going to land you at the bottom of the ocean.

Then again.... I am SCUBA diving.

EUREKA! Alternative Olympic suggestion No2. : 'Ocean Bottom Cycling' in full SCUBA gear. Not sure the conservationists would go for it (!) . Next entry..... CALI FUN IA


POST SCRIPT
I have titled this section Amber's America as my nick name too used to be Amber (rose) and the leaves are turning a beautiful amber colour here. I imagine you are getting that at home too. The vibrant reds of the fall do not occur in this 'rain belt'; but the coast wildlife and ocean sound each night make it worth it. For those who are 'fair weather campers' I have to say that the Park Service camp sites are amazing and they have yurts and cabins for rent for only $20ish dollars a night. A definite right decision for couples and families (they sleep 4+).

The hiker-biker sites are rather hidden away and secluded on the whole (they usually occur on the same sign as the 'trash disposal' which is beginning to offend me). That and the little racoons which accompany them. My biologist training is kicking in and I am considering a study in "The interactive nocturnal behaviour of 'racoon' and 'chipmonk' species at hiker biker sights on the Northern US Pacific coast".

I'm sure our last night at Harris Beach they pissed someone else off two as just as I was about to drop off we heard two rather loud shots. (They have guns here you know....)