Pacific Coast Tour

I am now a college graduate and the reality of it all has not yet sunk in. I am writing this from a train car somewhere in Eastern Washington waiting for the trip of a lifetime, so it seems reality will have to wait just a little while longer.

Graduation day was a success and the giant exhale after receiving the diploma came with some unexpected emotion. There is no doubt the degree was hard to earn, but I believe Michigan Tech prepared me well. I will miss the friends and professors, but I thank them for the experiences that made it so enjoyable.

My next adventure is a bicycle tour from Portland, OR to Fort Bragg, CA. I will follow hundreds of miles of Pacific Coastline and travel through the redwood forests. Each day will be roughly 50 miles of riding with no daily stopping points certain. I will be using Adventure Cycling maps 2-3 on this ride.

It is inspiring watching America transform from southern WI bluffs to never ending plains and eventually snow-capped mountains outside my train window. I have been in the same seat nearly 44 hours and have been constantly captivated by the scenery. I met a retired man from Chicago heading west to visit his brother. We shared stories and set aside the rivalry to experience the sun set over Glacier National Park.

We are almost to Portland where I will assemble my bike and kick off the station. I will spend a few hours experiencing the town and then head to my first campground 1/4 the distance to Astoria. People are asking why am I biking and why alone. I guess I am not exactly sure, but Ernest Hemingway got it pretty close.

It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of the country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.

~Ernest Hemingway

I want to thank my family and friends who have been so supportive throughout college and preparing for this trip. I will be safe and I will have fun!

I will add pictures soon.