i don't even know (warning: not for the faint of heart)

so, when i made the list of things i needed for spring break (supplies, able body, spirit)... i was mistaken on one of them. indeed, i do have an able body, and somewhat of a spirit of adventure... what i didn't understand was supplies. so, here's a list of things to do (supplies and other) if you want to take a bike trekking adventure:

you definitely need:

1. saddle bags... or a carriage thingy

2. padded pants/shorts

3. more than one pair of socks

4. a real road bike

5. rain-proof... everything

6. a lot of food

i'm sure there are other things too, and yes, i tried it... without this stuff. i don't know why but i thought it would be important to bring a lot of underwear, but only one pair of socks would do the trick. i guess i just thought, this wo

uld be a lot like backpacking, only faster paced. boy was i wrong. i call this picture "bright-eyed and bushy-tailed"

my plan was to start in seaside, oregon and just ride north, with my bike and my backpack full of everything i could need, as far as i could for two days (hopefully making it to leadbetter point, washington) then turn around and come back in time to get home before my brother came to town. i think it was no more than four minutes after this picture was taken, i knew deep down that this was a bad idea. but i pushed that thought out of my head and said, "ah, this is just the famous 'first mile' i just have to make it past this initial discomfort."

it turned out it was not initial discomfort. it only got worse and worse. my lower back felt like someone had smashed it with a softball bat as hard as they could. after what felt like an eternity (but i knew it couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 miles) every push of the pedal was accompanied by a grunt of pain. I kept pressing on anyway, thinking of alternate plans as i went. "maybe i could ditch my bike here in this wooded area and lock it to a tree and hitchhike the rest of the way..."

(also, if you're going to go on a bike trek along highways, be prepared for cars to constantly fly by you at at least five times your speed reminding you that you're not making much progress... demoralizing!)

finally i saw a sign for a campground and i exited the highway in the worst mood i've been in in weeks, maybe months. i paid for a campsite and there i stayed for the next two nights.

the morning of day two, my spirit was crushed but not completely dead, so i decided i'd bike to astoria and check it out, then come back. easy peasy. astoria was cold and blustery. and cold too. i ate lunch and headed back, my spirit still a little bit under the weather. as soon as i entered the bridgething that crossed some bay and headed back to where i was camping, nature herself decided to mount an attack against me and my spirit. GALE-FORCE WINDS DIRECTLY IN MY FACE!!! i was literally in my easiest gear and still fighting for every ounce of momentum. if i had stopped pedaling, the wind would have stopped me and pushed me backward! cars were still flying by me effortlessly! seriously, you've never experienced this kind of opposition. then it started raining. i call this picture "wet and whimpery"

when i finally made it back (8.5 miles ... only?) to my tent, my soul was as beaten down as ever before. my spirit of adventure was all but dead. there i was, all by myself huddled in my tent, hiding from the rain in some campground full of tourists (my fav...) and i didn't even bring a book to read. (ok, admittedly, i'm a little dramatic at times)

then! i found my jolly rancher stash and life was good again! i bucked myself up (bolstered my spirits)(buoyed my hopes) and smiled. it was tough, but i did.

i said, "i don't care if it's raining, i'm going to the beach anyway!" and so i did.

the next day, i convinced myself that retreating to my car would not mean defeat, and there was no shame in continuing my venture in my car since there was no way i was going to make it to my goal by bicycle with all my stuff and no saddlebags, and i rode my bike the fifteen or so miles back and retrieved the old 'doob. and i had a great time the rest of the trip.

you can call me meriweather!

i made it! no camping in leadbetter though... oh well, didn't really feel like setting up my wet tent and stuff again anyways.

so, four nights was shortened to two, but man, that trip definitely gets my "worth it" stamp of approval!

p.s. it still hurts a little to sit on things... and here are some random pictures from my trip: