Crescent City to Elk Prairie Campground 49Miles

Crescent City was not a nice place. Motel was seedy and noisy but it was comfortable. Had some nice fresh fish and chips for dinner. tasty! A couple of beers and a seafood chowder. Not quite in that order but close!!
Woke at 7am got ready for the road. There is quite a lot to get ready. Cause as you all know, I can be a bit disorganised at times. And that mother of a hill awaits me.
Out into the morning sun and still cool. Although the weather seems to be improving. No mist and damp around which I am grateful for.
Hit the climb after about 4 miles and it is steep. Its like 4 miles of 'Dollys Brea'. Im out before a lot of the traffic so I get to suffer in peace. Knee hurts this morning but soon burns off. Took 2 hours for the first 13 miles. But got easier as I moved into Giant Redwood territory.
There were Redwoods on the climb but I didnt have time to really look at them. Had to watch the road, the cycle lane was narrow and traffic was getting busier.
But after the climb I could have a good look and..... WOW .... what Trees! The further down the road I got the bigger they got. Look at the pictures. These are awesome sights! Big, Tall,old and proud as they stood close together reaching 100's of feet into the sky.
I met randy, a guy I camped with a week of so ago and another guy from Alaska, in a cafe out in the wilds. Its amazing how you can keep meeting the same people all the way. We stopped along the road to get some photos and ended up in the camp together at Elk Prairie.
This was a beautiful place but we were warned by the Ranger to beware of Racoons and 'BLACK BEARS!!!' I said @WHAAAT'@@. He said, dont worry its brown bears you have to worry about black bears are ok. I asked him if the bear knew what colour he was but he just laughed.
But each camp had a big steel box where you had to put your food. SCAREY!!!!!. I was snugged up in my sleeping bag a while, when I suddenly realised I had a Granola bar in my bag 'IN THE TENT' AAAHHH!. So I ate it. The bear can have the wrapper.
There was some beautiful trails from the camp I took the time to walk some of them into the giant redwoods. So peaceful. Makes you feel small in there with them.Saw some wild elk in the trees along with this most beautiful big stag with 5 ft antlers on him. Wonderful!
Got back to the camp and we had been joined by other guys who I had met some days back. 2 Guys from Australia who gave me some tips for servicing my bike on the go. Had a good chat and off to bed by 8.30. Get to sleep before the bears and the racoons come to visit....

Gold Beach to Crescent City 57 miles

There are days when a man dares to love what he has achieved.
Well today was for my lovely boys and girl!
My Luke, my Alex, my Samuel, my Sebastian and of course my Emily.
I have been instilling into my grand children especially Alex for so long. That his grandad, is a GENIUS. And after today they should really know he is telling the truth. Cause their Grandad knows for sure. I am so proud of myself today I dont mind who knows it.
After the knee pain yesterday I had dark thoughts last night of maybe having to stop. But I brushed them aside and had an early coffee and a muffin and hit the road at 8am full of confidence and feeling good.
But that first climb soon showed me I was still in difficulty as the pain came back. It slowed me to walking pace on even the slightest hill. I was trying to save it by making the right leg do the work. But that didnt last long.
Then a brainwave. I unclipped my left foot and saw that it was toeing out a bit in order to save the knee so i took the shoe off and made an adjustment to the plate so my foot toed out when clipped in.After about half hour the pain eased and I was cruising again. Even over the climbs.
By the time i got to Brooking 30 miles down and with the California border just 6 miles away.
I got a 12ins subway and a 16oz black coffee, A liter of Gateraide and I said Crescent City and California here I come.
Crossing into California was as good a feeling as I have had in long time. Got a construction worker to take my picture. And headed off. 20 miles to go. Tired but elated. Whooping and hollering down the road it flattened out and i put her into top gear. I was feeling energised and strong and did the 20 miles in one and a half hours..... i was flying! I just about do that at home on my road bike which weighs nothing... Magic!!
Into Crescent City Pop.8500 and a CITY! Looking at the mountain ahead. I shouted 'you are mine'.
The biggest climb of the whole trip looms first thing in the morning. Rises 1200ft in 3 miles. Bring it on....
Kids thats why, YOUR Grandad really is A Genius!!

Port Orfort to Gold Beach 29 Miles

Headed out from Port Orfort and tried to get breakfast. There are no breakfasts in Port Orfort. In fact there is verylittle in Port Orfort. I get a buretto and a coffeand a recharge for my phone (eventually). And head out. Heading for Brooking on the California border. Like always ther is a climb out of the port and would you beleive Oregan saves itsbest till last. The views and the rocky cliffs and sea stacks are magnificent.
I have a worrying pain in my knee these last few days thats getting worse this morning on the climbs. I slow to ease it and my speed slows dramatically. I think i need to rest it so I resolve to stop half way today to rest it. Gold Beach is the first piece of civilation I get to. It can be really remote out here. Miles of beautiful sandy beaches with great dunes and no-one around for miles. At least at Gold Beach I have the internet and my second group will catch up tomorrow. California will have to wait for me another day.

Senset Bay Park to Port Orfort 52 miles

Broke camp at dawn after a restless night. I really need an Odearest mattress. These mats are not enough formy old bones. Head out into the miost and rain again at 8am. Lads! I was ex Eupecting all the way sun.... so whats gone wrong?? Im in Oregan... ! Thats what is wrong. Thats what happens in Oregan. Give me Ireland any time. This is February in Ireland. Miserable !! Head up the 7 devils road... I wonder why they call it that. I soon find out!! & she-devil hills. Like Rome!! Tears the legs off. I admit to walking some of the way. Even pushing the bike is not easy. As i get to the top I get the sense of a little head wind that soon turns into a breeze which begins to gust up and drives me nearly backways. Anyway head down beat intoit ... nothing else for it. Bad cess to Oregan!!
There is nothing to see in this part of Oregan .. hense no pics today just beating the wind. Stop for lunch in Langlois.. Thank god for Subway. Replenished... move on. A rolling road no serious climbs. I dont meet any of my fellow riders. My 1st support group are ahead ofme and my group fromyesterday are having a day off. Arrive intoPort Orfort. by around 3.
Technologically speaking... a backwater! only one internet accesscafe in town. The Crazy Norwegian! Great fish and chips and chowder. Hence this blog!!.. Hopefully California tomorrow...!! EUREKA!!!
Here is the bridge from yesterday..

Florence to Sunset State Park 56 miles

Left Florence this morning. Another cold,foggy damp morning. But need to get on. Head out slowly up a couple of hard climbs that are hard on the legs first thing. But slowly get the powere in the legs and start to move. Eating up the miles. I soon pass a guy pulling a bike trailer and he tell me they are a group of 15 on an un-supported American Adventure holiday and heading for San Diego. I soon pick up more of the group and enjoy their company. There are 3 Aussies a couple of English and some Americans. They are heading for the same camp ground as me. As 3 of us approached the bridge at Winchester we discovered it was illegal to hold up traffic, this means bikers. So we were forced to ride on this path at the edge of the road over the bridge which was about a mile long . The path was 2ft wide with a i ft drop to the road of and with traffic racing by, boy it was scary. You really had to concentrate the mind and forget the traffic. Some decided to walk over in stead... wutz.. So after that we were stayed together for the rest of the day. Eventually I pulled into a WallMart for some food for the night and met one of the guys from my original 'support group'. They had a rest day in Coos Bay and I said I would probably see them tomorrow sometime. At the camp ground we are not together but I meet two young guys on their way to Monteray. There is also and old transient in the camp. He was in the marines for 40 years in Vietnam flew Blackhawks and also in the CIA for 44 years. Knew Hoover. Interesting guy. I never knew anyone from the cia before.
Later we are joined by two other bikers on their way to San Fran and a young couple a german and a canadian who are hitchhiking. Nice night around the campfire. I have no internet of phone coverage.Sothats why the blog is late. Sorry to all those who are waiting with bated breath forthe next installment.

Yachats to Florence 26miles

When I was at the airport in Dublin, I met a lovely couple and we had coffee and Amanda told me, there would be some days during this trip that I would find tough, for no particular reason. It would just happen!
Well Amanda, you were right and today was just one of those days.
I left this morning in good spirits. Said goodbye to my host Victoria and headed off into the Oregan mist. Its something hard to describe. Like going out into one of those dead of winter damp misty mornings in Ireland. Gets into your bones! I kept telling myself the sun will burn it off and it will get warmer. But with the rain jacket on to give me heat and sweating inside it I soon got cold. There were a few climbs where I slowed to a walking pace and it became thoroughly miserable. I resolved I would write off the day and get warm lodging in Florence.
Id say the chardonnay from the night before had some effect on my performance but , hey! This is not the tour de France. I can loose time.. Scenery is still spectacular in the mist and listening to the giant seals through it makes it eery.
I got another of those tunnels where you wait for a lull in the traffic, hit the button and ride like hell. While i was in there, I was passed by two of those monster RV,s and a fully laden logging truck. Have to say it scared the Bejazzes out of me . I was like road runner out of there.....
Tomorrow is another day....

Lincoln City to Yachats 14th Sept 2008. 53 miles

Woke up early this morning. Had to make a call to Cork it was Moya's birthday and Emily's Christening. They were all having a celebration . At 6.30 in the morning!!!! I cant believe that. ... Who eats at 6.30 in the morning. You Irish....! Anyway,... American technology being at it is.. its impossible to phone ireland at that time of the morning. You can invade Iraq but you cant call Ireland.
They should invade Ireland and get our telephone system instead of worrying about all that oil.
Well rested and ready for the road.
Its cold , foggy and miserable out there. Get a mile down the road, have to stop to put more gear on. Shortly, the sun comes out and burns off the mist . Its now pleasant and im rockin down the road. This morning the road is really coming up to meet me and the miles fly by. I get to Wal Mart 25 miles down the road and wish to present them with, what looks like a phone, is shaped like a phone but by any stretch of the imagination could not be described as a phone.
Don fixes me up with a credit and a phone that defo works. Calls to cell phones, can you believe that? ( detect the american accent... yawll).
Spin on down to Waldport. Some reason the energy level is up and im cooking. Flying now. Tyres on this bike are blown up hard that when they go over a little stone it can fairly ping them across the road. So as a pasttime on those lonely miles i try to perfect the art. I get BIG points if I ding a passing car. I know I shouldnt...but. Got to get your thrills where you get your thrills.
Bike needs to be serviced. Gears are jumping always at the wrong time. Shimano 105.. any you bike nurds know what i should do. That will wake them up!!
Looking for a place to stop. Yachats looms. It is one of those names that stood out when I was preparing this trip. And now I know why. A beautiful little town with a forrested backdrop nice shops and lovely American bostonian houses. I am directed to cottage accomodation right on the beach.
Im sitting here looking at the Pacific Sunset from my kitchen table. Glass of Rosemount charrdonay in hand a bagel and Philli cheese and .... WOW... it dosnt get much better than this... Talk tomoirrow..