I'm The Fucking King Of The Goddamn World

Saturday, August 11, 2007 - Day 51

Distance traveled - miles

Today was a long one, full of many emotions, climates, landscapes, and elevation changes. I felt like I needed to get out of Portland. As much as I love the city so far, I felt that I was in need of a return to the coast, to the journey, to myself. I found myself longing for the ocean, for camping alone, for riding alone. So I decided that I was going to make it back to the Pacific in one day. For one thing, I didn't know of any campsites along the way, although I ended up passing by at least 3 of them along highway 6. Also, I knew that a really long and tough day would be good for me, help me get out some of what has been eating me up inside. I haven't double-checked the mileage yet, but I think I did close to 100 today.

I wrote a litte song today while I was riding. It goes something like this:

What's love got to do, got to do with it?
What's love but a second-hand emotion?
What's love got to do, got to do with it?
Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken?

Or wait, that's a Tina Turner song that I heard coming from a car as I left Portland. I don't know why, but I really had the thing stuck in my head for most of the day. I sang it out loud, falsetto. It was very nice, unfortunately I had no audience.

I left the hotel in northeast Portland just before 11. I thought I could get started a little earlier than that, but I had to repack my new bags. Not only are they completely different than my old bags, mostly in the fact that they are just one big compartment instead of a few of different sizes, but also I have changed my load considerably. I dumped off some unneeded goods, such as a biking jersey, a sweatshirt, my smaller chainring, an extra chain, foot odor spray, the old sleeping pad, my lock cable, the cycling shoes. I've also added some new stuff, like three new shirts, lots of food (thanks Kara), a new Thermarest sleeping pad. So I'm still figuring out an optimal packing system with these new bags. It may take me a few days.

So by eleven I was on the road, heading all the way across Portland to access highway 26, which connects to highway 6, the road to Tillamook. I made good time, despite the heat and some traffic and taking a wrong turn trying to bypass the highway for a little bit just outside of Portland. I found myself to be very emotionally unstable today, getting overwhelmingly happy over small things and then yelling and cursing loudly, in anger. When the 26 met the 6, the junction for the 6 was on the left, so I had to cut across two lanes of traffic to join. I remember that it was quite scenic at this point, mostly farmland, with huge fields sweeping across the landscape, dotted with trees, and rising with gentle hills just a ways off the highway. The sky was blue with white puffy clouds. Just on the side of the road were wild berries and a strip of golden yellow, tall grass. I found it so gorgeous. As I cut across those two lanes of traffic, with some cars just 200 yards behind me, I remember thinking to myself and saying out loud, 'This is the shit. I when I say the shit, I mean the mother fucking shit, you know. This is just the shit.' Probably 10 minutes later I was yelling and cursing, but then I would see a nice little farmhouse situated on 100 acres of lush farmland with a barn and trees and I would smile and pull out my camera and take a picture and say again how this is the shit. Such was much of the day.

I saw part of an airshow. As I was biking down the 26, there were at least 30 people parked on a frontage road, sitting in lawn chairs, facing across the highway. I wondered what the fuck they were doing, what they were waiting for. They were too far away for me to ask them, but I looked over to try to see what they might be eyeing. Then I saw a jet, flying low, almost looking like it was going to land, then, all of a sudden, it just blasted off, flying nearly straight up. That thing was fast. It looked like some kind of stealth jet. I tried to watch it, but I had to keep my eyes on the road, and the thing was so fast that it would disappear in a matter of seconds. I saw it once again, and I figured at first that it must be some kind of test flight or something that these people knew about somehow. It was impressive. Then I saw it land and a minute later I saw a couple other jets flying up and making big smoke trails and doing tricks. So I figured it out.

So one might think that on the longest day of my ride thus far, traveling at least 20 miles further in one day than any day I've done, that it would be on easy terrain, favorable conditions. No, no, no, my friend. Just getting out of Portland had me climbing a steep hill. Then coming into Tillamook county I had to climb a 1600-foot mountain. Getting to the climb was hot. Once I reached the ascent, just as one should expect in these conditions, the fucking headwinds picked up. I could only laugh. I laughed my way up the mountain, and I shivered my way down. The winds definitely slowed me down on the descent, which always sucks, pedalling down a steep hill, but I kept going, knowing I had to keep my pace up to reach my camp before complete darkness. It got a little chilly with the wind, but as long as I kept moving, I was fine.

I debated most of the day whether or not I was going to pick up a beer before getting into camp tonight. I figured I wouldn't, but when I got to Tillamook, I changed my mind. After a long day of cycling, it really is just so refreshing. I reached camp after 8, just as the sun was really going down. The hiker/biker section here is decent. It is secluded and quiet, but not close to the bathrooms. There are a few other cyclists here, but no conversations. I'm not sure if I like that or not. Part of the reason I wanted to get back out here was to be alone, but good conversation is always welcome when camping. I'm thinking I'll probably be staying here tomorrow as well. I could probably use a day off after a long day such as today, and it is supposed to rain tonight and some tomorrow. I don't want to ride in the rain, and I don't think I'll be able to. I should take a day off and think and write and relax. I need it.




















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