Myself and my loaded Surly Long Haul Trucker, ready to depart for my PDX-Oly-Astoria Tour. 30 May 2012 It's nearing the end of February. I've already done one bike camping trip, and am itching to do something soon. And like the last few years, my "work life" will be mixed between part-time stuff with Emee... Continue Reading →
2012 Bike Camping and Touring Relfections
After being on the road for four and a half-months on the Cross-Continent Bike Tour in 2011, it would be really hard for 2012 to measure up. Still, 2012 shaped up to be a pretty decent year bicycle wise.April and I started the bike camping/touring year right on New Years with our annual tradition of... Continue Reading →
Helens-Rainier-Seattle-Vashon Tour 2012: Reflections
A hazy Mt. St. HelensHello friends! It's the end of the year, so time to do some housecleaning and also to reflect on 2012. I realized that I never wrote a wrap-up to this tour, so enjoy! The Helens-Rainier-Seattle-Vashon Tour was most definitely my most up and down tour of 2012, literally and figuratively. This tour... Continue Reading →
Helens-Rainier-Seattle-Vashon Tour 2012: Seattle, Vashon, Tacoma, Sickness, End.
The Cobain house and benchMonday, August 20th. A day off in Seattle. I took a casual approach to the morning, since my only commitment of the day was the Bike Touring Workshop I would facilitate at Bikeworks in the evening. I hung around my private room in the HI for a bit, and then set... Continue Reading →
Helens-Rainier-Seattle-Vashon Tour 2012: The road to Seattle (Sat Aug 18 and Sun Aug 19)
After five days with lots of climbs, the two days of riding to Seattle was a bit of a relief in the exertion department, though a bit underwhelming in the scenery department (to be expected.) Because I'm me, I planned on a long, meandering route that first skirted the Seattle area from the east, then... Continue Reading →
Helens-Rainier-Seattle-Vashon Tour: In Mount Rainier National Park (Wed Aug 15 through Friday August 17th)
Wednesday's ride was relatively easy, all things considered. Initially I had planned on riding from Iron Creek to Packwood, then up over Skate Creek Road to the west entrance of Mount Rainier. This would have made for a sixty mile day, with a good climb on Skate Creek Road. But the climbs of the past... Continue Reading →
St. Helens-Rainier-Seattle-Vashon Tour: Day 2, Tues 14 Aug 2012
Today's riding was almost exclusively on Forest Road 25, which winds through the mountains just to the east of Mount Saint Helens in Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Just like yesterday, and just like most of the days through the mountains, the day's biggest feature was a mountain pass to summit. Today's pass, Elk, was not... Continue Reading →
Photos from the Helens-Rainier-Seattle-Vashon Tour
Still working on the writing side, but I've finally uploaded the photos from my Helens-Rainier-Seattle-Vashon Tour! Hope you enjoy. Helens-Rainier-Seattle-Vashon Tour 2012 on flickr