Everything else!

Intermission entertainment at the dream science circus -- Poki & Monster

I'm home! What a great trip!
Sorry to anyone who was reading this and was bummed that the blog sort of died in Eugene.

For completeness, here is a real brief rundown of the missing months :)

From Eugene I biked to Corvalis in time for the Da Vinci Days festival & kinetic sculpture race.

Next up was Portland. I stayed with different friends in Portland for 3 weeks. I performed with my hoop at the Saturday farmers market, the Saturday craft market, and with Rose City Vaudeville for the last Thursday Alberta St. Fair. Portland is an amazing city. There are many nice bicycle routes and tons of friendly people.

From Portland I followed the "Seattle to Portland" bicycle route (er, backwards), biking 200 miles in 2 days to arrive (really tired) at my friends Sara and Graehms in Seattle. I stayed in seattle for a little over a week. I occupied myself by biking up and down the hills, juggling at the monkey house, performing at the farmers market and the space needle.

At this point I took a little bicycle break. I left my bike in Seattle and made my way back to California for Burningman. I camped with 50 poi spinners / jugglers at the Object Manipulation camp. Needless to say, it was a good burn.

To retrieve my bicycle, I got a craigs list ride to Eugene. In Eugene I met up with Brian. From Eugene, we juggle-hitch-hiked (click for our news spot!) to the Portland Juggling Festival. The festival was superb. Lots and lots and lots of jugglers. From Portland I (barely) caught an Amtrak train to Seattle.

After a quick (3 day) hello to Sara, Graehm, and the monkey house jugglers, I was off! It felt great to be back on my bicycle. I rode to Everette, WA where I had arranged a couch surf (www.couchsurfing.com). The next day I rode into Bellingham, WA, just in time for Monday night juggling club at the Cirque Lab.

There is something special about Bellingham. For the size of city it is, it enjoys a very lively circus and music scene. I stayed in a Yurt in an old quarry site (lovingly called "The Quarry") with Islando (acrobatic allstar) and River (juggling allstar). In town I was introduced to the Cirque Guild -- a community circus group who manages the practice space and more. I was convinced to stay for a week so I could participate in the Dream Science Circus' oppenning weekend. After 5 shows and a lot of fun, it was hard to say goodbye.

From Bellingham, I biked to Anacortes to stay with a juggler Wren. I got up before the sun to catch the only Ferry from Anacortes to Sidney, BC. I was hassled a bit entering Canada -- perhaps beacuse I am riding a bicycle and look funny? "How long are you staying? Where are you staying? Can I see the directions to where you are staying? How much money do you have? Can I have your credit card? Where do you live in the U.S.? Are you employed?" ... etc. Meanwhile car after car full of people from the ferry are rolling into BC by answering the question "Do you have any agricultural products or gun?" with "no."
Anyway. I got in. But that guy was a jerk.

Victoria was pretty but short. I stayed with my fire spinning friends Sara and Mike. At this point, I could really feel the weather turning. Also, I wanted to be back in California to move into the space I was paying for and to vote. And so, after just 3 days, I was on a ferry to Port Angeles, WA.

The Washington coast was cold, wet, and lonely. This may sound pretty crappy, but it wasnt that bad. It simplified my life to biking, sleeping, and this mediative reflective state. I think I was averaging about 80 mi/day because in 4 days I was in Oregon.

Oregon was warmer, dryer and home to many bike tourers!
The weather was nicer in Oregon. I felt like I was racing the seasons -- and winning!
In 8 days of heavy biking, I was at the California boarder.

In Arcata, CA I randomly bumped into my friend Ben from SF. I took a day off to rest my legs and explore the forest behind the campus.

In the Humboldt State Park I met up with Niko, Jason, and Lilly. Niko and Jason are on tour from Alaska to Chile and beyond! They will be on the road for another year and a half! www.camel-hippo-tour.com for their story. Lilly met up with them in Portland and is just cruising along. We had super-size quinoa dinners and "pancake party" breakfasts. We sang songs on the road.

A storm rolled onto the California coast on Halloween. We took cover at Oz, a beautiful organic farm in Point Arena. We took the next day off making apple juice and soaking in a wood-fired hot tub.

The next day I was back in Sebastopol.
I figure I biked 2,000+ miles.
Its been good. Thanks for reading :)

Ship wreck on Patricks Point on the Oregon Coast

PANCAKE PARTY!!!!!!!!!

Busking at the space needle with Devin

Fun in Eugene! June 25th to July 10th

Will, Brian and Brandon chowing down under Jefferson Bridge

Eugene is totally cool.

Let me count the ways. . . In almost no order. . .
1) Big city feel. Sizable downtown area with lots of people. Happening night life with lots of performances etc.
2) Small city feel. Heavy in community. I found myself bumping into the same people over and over if I went to the right places.
3) Pretty bike-able. I was really impressed with the bike signs describing routes and the bicycle trails. Everything is fairly close and most places are not too hilly. This made Eugene a great place to bike around slowly in. For faster biking some smoother roads and bike routes with less stop signs would be awesome..
4) Plenty of parks for circus action.
5) FUN PEOPLE

Next, a little story.

Eugene hosted the US Olympic Track & Field trials. It was kinda crazy. Every hotel room was booked. Everyone was out to make a quick buck. Frat boys sold their driveway parking spots at $35 a day. People rented their house on Craig's list and left town.

My plan: a magic-floating-hoop & harmonica routine at the farmers markets.
The story went like this. I have this crazy dream where I sneak out of the house with a shovel and walk down to the stadium. I dig, dig, dig at the 5 ring olympic emblem which adorns the center of the field. From the earth I pull THE RED RING (represented by, you guess it, my red ring). I awake in the morning sleeping on the ring. Oh no! I am so busted when the olympics find out about this! I must return it at once! So I try, but (thanks to my mime skills) the ring is stuck in the air! Drats. My harmonica music informs me that something lies on the other side of the ring. I climb through and discover the true magic of the ring -- floating, etc -- to save the olympics!
Next, everyone throws money in my hat because they enjoyed it so much.
This worked pretty well and was a lot of fun.

Thanks to everyone who I boogied with! Everyone who hosted me! Everyone who fed me! You all made my Eugene.

Relaxing on Spencers Butte

See more photos here!

Leg 2, Day 6, Tuesday June 24th

Today I biked 60+ miles from the Honeyman dunes in Florence along the 126 to Eugene, OR.

I started the day very strong. But, about 20 miles in I realized how fatigued my body was from a week of cycling. This would be a long day.

I fixed my first roadside flat. I stayed calm and everything went according to plan.

About 30 miles out I met a cyclist who was finishing the last leg of his cross country tour from Virginia. I should have been more excited for him, but I was pretty tired from my own ride. What do you say to someone who is 30 miles shy of biking across the country?

In Eugene my easy-going, plan-as-you-go, it-will-all-work-out, approach to planning almost got me in trouble.

My three Eugene leads were Mr. Gibbons, Lady LeeAnna, and Mrs. Lia.
A phone call from a pay phone confirmed that Mr. Gibbons lives out of his car and sleeps in his office. There is only room for him in his office. He has to find a place soon.

Mrs. Lia lives in her dads office where there is, of course, only room for her.

Unknown to both parties, a pre-bicycle-trip email addressed to Lady LeeAnna was lost in cyberspace. My only way of contacting LeeAnna: her street address she gave me in the winter. The address took me a few miles outside of town up one of the more wicked hills in Eugene. I used the last drop of fuel from my reserve tank to climb the hill and find no one home. The next day I learned that she had moved to a place much better situated for biking.

While the bike-tour-elves in Davis worked busily to find numbers of friendly people to host me, I aimlessly cycled about soaking in this new Eugene place. Next to the campus I find a pile of bicycles in statue, behind that a garden, behind that a funky 3 story dwelling, and beside that dwelling I see a man juggling 3 machetes. What luck! I have found the Campbell Club and the Lorax, two student co-ops at U of O.

Inside, the Campbell Club was art-covered and maze-like. They agreed to put me up for one night in the attic. Whew. Before going to bed I played my harmonica for the stars on their roof.
Thanks Fritz & Campbell Club!

I am in! (Eugene that is).
See below how I colonized the Campbell Club.

Cleaning up at "the club"

Climbing up to my attic abode.

Relaxn' on the Roof.

Leg 2, Day 5, Monday June 23rd

"Morning at Sunset Beach" or "The Last Photo Before My Batteries Died"

I biked another 50 miles today to Honeyman Dunes. This seems to be a good number when combined with wind, hills, and fun.

I took a morning walk to check out the tide pools. Lots of little crabs. Awesome. The batteries in my camera died. I didn't get any more photos until I recharged in Eugene.

The ride was nice. The dunes are amazing! There are miles and miles of huge rolling dunes. I wished my camera worked. I felt like an ant crawling across a huge desert. I practiced poi, hoop, harmonica, and clubs in the middle of it all.

I went back to camp with cold hands and feet, cashed in my free shower (go Oregon state parks!) and slept for 10 hours.

As always, click here, for more photos :)

Leg 2, Day 4, Sunday June 22nd

Relaxn' at Jim and Jim's "Art Palace"

(Almost) Sunset at Sunset Beach

Broccoli = Power

Today I rode about 50 mi from Humbug Mountain to Sunset Beach.

Along the 101 I stopped for a snack at a funky, colorful, open art studio. Here I met the funky, colorful, father & son creators, Jim and Jim. They gave me tea and let me sign their bathroom wall. Funny place.

The Oregon Coast bike map and route signs includes many scenic diversions from the busy hwy 101. These routes are clearly marked for Southbound riders, but many signs are often lacking for Northbound riders. This, in combination with a mis-named road and my own cycling stubbornness led me on a twisty, windy, up & down, 4 miles of gravel road! This was probably the hardest 4 miles of the trip. I thought of Jonathan Wooley on his California "lost coast" backroads adventure.

Sunset State Park is beautiful. I met some other hiker bikers then walked around. On my way back to camp I met two friendly car campers from Ventura who invited me over for tea and fire. I had a protein packed meal of refried beans and quinoa in a pita.

For more Arcata-->Eugene photos, click here!

Leg 2, Day 3, Saturday June 21st

Today I biked ~50 mi from the beach to Humbug Mountain. The ride was flat & and scenic with the wind at my back for the first time! I'm guessing the wind changed directions with the storm and this will be a very short-lived sensation.

My knee feels great. The rest in Arcata (plus the tail wind..) make me feel like a strong super-cyclist of sorts. Somehow, my wrist has healed on the road and is no longer threatening my rides. I think the extra weight (= inertia) on my bicycle dampen the wrist-irritating vibrations that were slowing down the healing before.

At camp I met a group of 7 south-bound cyclists. They were all whining about their one day of headwinds. Ugh. They told me stories about other days when the strong North winds would "push them up" the steeper hills.

In the group of 7 were Alex and Tofer -- two fixie riding kids from Phoenix, AZ who pack all of their stuff in one of those kid trailers. To make it fair, the kid trailer is attached to the nicer of their bikes and they switch who hauls it each day. In true single-speed style, their bikes lack such luxuries as rear brakes, front deraileurs (they manually switch before the big hills), and handlebar tape! See their photo below.

I think they were out to prove that just about anyone can bike the coast with any sort of bicycle. Sort of inspiring, in a way.

Alex, Tofer, and their sweet rides

To see all Arcata-->Eugene photos, click here!

Leg 2, Day 2, Friday June 20th

I went for a morning stroll through the Redwoods and consequently started a little late today.

I was going to stop just short of Oregon but stuff got kind of strange. The bicycle route diverged from the 101 and twisted around off of my maps. My target campground did not have a hike & bike option and looked pretty lame. So I pushed on towards another campground which I did not find. Instead I found myself in Oregon at Harris Beach (just North of Brookings) with 60+ miles of riding behind me!

At Harrison beach hike& bike ($4) I met 5 fun and exciting south-bound cyclists. The day wound down with a very photogenic and calming sunset. We were in a pocket of good weather while lightning struck both North and South.

In the morning, I showed a cyclist how to adjust his fancy 9 speed dérailleur and received a much needed back massage.

I had some tourists snap this photo for me. They laughed.

I did this one with my self timer.

For all the Leg 2 photos, go here.

Leg 2 (Arcata to Eugene), Day 1, Thursday, June 19th

Not a deer.

After a quick transformation to my second identity (spandex bicycle geek with robot sunglasses), I said goodbye to my circus buddies and away I went! Arcata at my back, Eugene at my front!

I started small with a ~40 mi ride up hwy 101 to Elk Prarie in the Redwoods. As the name would suggest, Elk Prarie is home to roaming herds of wild elk. I didn't know that there was such a thing before today.

At the hike & bike camp ($3!) I met Amos, a hip Seattle-ite biking south with, among other things, an mp3 player with Jason Webley and four juggling balls! Needless to say, we got a long real well.

Also biking South was a German couple struggling to understand the world. They quit their office & engineering jobs in Germany and have been traveling the world via bicycle for OVER A YEAR covering Europe, Australia, and the States. They were riding two identical and awesome steel frames built in Holland. They shared some German music with us then delighted in the US experience with Budwieser, Wonderbread, and Jason Webley.

Sweet ride.

Arcata, CA: June 12 - June 19th

Tomorrow, exactly 1 week since my arrival in Arcata, marks my departure for Eugene, OR!

But what did I do in Arcata?
Shea & his "Freelove Circus" accepted me with open arms. I stayed at their legendary "circus house" for the whole week. Here I could relax, shower, cook, scare the locals from the front porch, play board games, etc, etc.

While in town I caught a Freelove Circus show (complete with Samba dance party!), went to the annual Arcata Oyster Festival, met many many wonderful people, earned 46 gypsie points (wow!), went to the beach twice, fell ill for three days to a sickness described by locals as "the humboldt crud," recovered (thankfully), and practiced practiced practiced my circus arts. Thanks to everyone involved in my wonderful stay in beautiful Arcata!

You're up next Eugene!
I leave tomorrow morning. The journey is 350 miles give or take.
ETA Thursday, June 26? I'll update my blog after I arrive and settle in a bit.

Oh, and, don't forget to check out this video I filmed by strapping my camera to my bike on Hwy 1:

Day 6, Thursday, June 12th

I traveled 55 miles to Arcata, CA. My knee was tender today, so I took it slow. The redwoods and the “avenue of the giants” were great.

Hwy 101 between the redwoods and Arcata was not so fun. There was always a shoulder, but the cars were going 70 mph and on & off ramps were not so fun.

Boy was I happy to arrive in Arcata!

I stopped by campus and the CCAT (Campus Center for Appropriate Technology) house. They had a pedal power t.v., a pedal power blender, home made (non-toxic, no voc) paint, a composting toilet, a mobile solar grid (for festivals), thermal curtain window insulation, and many many more sweet innovations. Next, I went to the “circus house,” home of my buddy Shea Freelove & his Freelove Circus.

Stay tuned for updates on my fun times in town!

Here is a bio-dome greenhouse on campus at HSU. I felt dome-sick and this did not help!

Relaxing on my bed at the circus house.

See more of my photos here! Wow!

Leg 1, Day 5, Wednesday, June 11th

Today I biked 35 miles to Humboldt Redwood State Park. My knees felt great! The hike and bike campsite is in the middle of a redwood grove.

Redwood trees are SO AWESOME. Especially: giant ones, ones with fatty “burls,” and twisty ones. Everyone should camp in the Humboldt Redwood State Park whenever and however possible.

Here I met John and Mary. They were older with a trailer RV thing. They invited me over for shmores. John had an awesome handlebar mustache. The secret: a blend of two different kinds of wax. It turns out that they used to do magic and clowning to teach kids about God. We talked about the circus a bunch. Before I left they prayed for my safety on the road. John asked for a wall or protection to surround me. Awkward. Amen.

See the twist? Those chunks sticking out the sides are "burls" which sprout a new tree if the big one is dangered.

. . . Hard to tell from this angle, but this is one of the largest trees in Humboldt County.

"Oh, hello there, I didn't here you walk in."
This is a very serious pose in my campsite.

Click here for more photos!

Leg 1, Day 4, Tuesday, June 10th

As soon as I hopped on my bike I realized I was in no condition to ride. My left knee still ached. Rather than endure the planned 50 mile ride to Humboldt Redwoods State Park, I opted for a mere 15 mile ride (mostly downhill) to Richardson Grove State Park.

I arrived before noon and figured I would just have a really really slow day. At the campsite I met two wonderful souls: Ben & Eric. Ben was a fast talking East Coast hippy going into his Junior year in college. Eric was his quieter, good hearted, traveling buddy. They were pro’s at backpacking, hitchhiking, and public transportation. They were super excited about life and nature and made excellent companions for my slow day.

We walked around Richardson Grove. I swam in the river. We had a fire at night.

Relaxing. Hurray for off days.

For more photos, click here.

Leg 1, Day 3, Monday, June 9th

The wind was pretty calm today. I trekked through 40 miles of beautiful coastline before taking some time to relax at the last beach I would see before Arcata. I went for a swim in the ocean. How nice!

Next came a MASSIVE hill as hwy 1 cuts east towards hwy 101 and the town of Legget. After a downhill there was a MASSIVER hill. This was the hardest 15 miles I have bicycleded. Already a little worn out from 2.5 days of traveling, the hill was the final straw for my left knee. I had to make frequent stops not because I was tired, but because my knee hurt.

I completed 50 miles and camped at Standish Hickey State Park. Here I met Jack and Jim, two bicycle tourers from Ohio who were biking the coast from Crescent City to San Francisco. It turns out Jack and Jim were biking for the lord. Before we left in the morning they invited me to pray over the fire. I said “sure, why not.” Jack and Jim prayed for our safety on the road and so that we may see and steer clear of any road debris so as to avoid mechanical failure. I thought about adding in a Pasture Ted bicycle church style shout out to bearings, true wheels, and holy oil. The whole thing was sort of awkward. Erm, amen.

The last beach until Arcata

click here for more photos!

Leg 1, Day 2, Sunday, June 8th

Slow riding, but beautiful Hwy 1

With all the fun last night I got off to a late and slow start. The coastal North wind pounded at my face all day. I felt like a cement truck with a giant sail. I had to pedal to go downhill!

Feeling sorry for myself, I bought an AWESOMELY GIANT sandwich in Elk. Also in Elk I met some hippy sea-weed collectors drying their harvest in the sun. They harvest enough sea-weed in one day to last all year! (It looks like they also eat much more sea weed than the average person).

My body is getting used to this touring thing.
I have developed what feels like huge balls of muscle which want to burst out of my back / shoulder blades. Overall, my upper back feels like a big knot.

I picked up some humus, tortillas & veggies at the Mendocino store “Harvest” for the next few meals. Hurray for real food!

Today I traveled ~50 miles and camped at Russian Gulch State Park (just North of Mendocino). At the $3 hike and bike campsite I met a couple with an 8 year old daughter who were walking from San Francisco to Oregon. They planned for 45 days of walking and tried to walk to the coast whenever possible. Due to cliffs & private property, only about 50% of the coast is hikable.

I got a long real well with these three. The father owns his own theater company and the 8 year old (named “smooj”) is training to be a circus aerialist at the SF Circus Center.

The live-in ranger is next to the hike and bike site. His name is Paul and he is quite the character. He loves hike and bikers. He provided us with a roaring fire. He enjoyed my hoop manipulations so much that he gave me 10 gypsie points (er, $10)--thanks Paul!

BABY LLAMAS!!!!!!!!!!

This was a 2 minute walk from my campsite

Much needed relaxation at the end of day 2

Click HERE for more travel photos

Leg 1, Day 1, Saturday, June 7th

The bike kinda looks like a space ship. In back, I have my Chrome bag strapped down on top with my fire clubs on either side (also like space ship rockets!). My red shiny hoop kind of floats above the mess, like some sort of space-age bumper or safety system.

I covered about 60 miles during the day, starting in Sebastopol, biking through Forestville, out 116 to Jenner, and up the coast to a state campground right outside of Gualala. Camping was only $5 for the night! The campground was a mile walk to the beach, how nice! At the beach and back at camp I met my neighbors: a group of 15 UC Davis graduates reuniting to party in the woods. They took one look at my hovering-hoop at the beach and invited me over to their campground. They liked my hoop shenanigans so much that they fed me a gourmet meal from their giant cast iron wok—wow!

Hwy 1 is really pretty.

Beach!

For more photos, click here.

I'm off!!!!!!!

Farewell friends and family!
I leave tomorrow real early. Yes, really this time.
I will miss you all!!!! Goodbye Sebastopol! Goodbye Davis
Hello Hwy 1 & Arcata, CA!

I had a few delays and learned a lot before even leaving . . .

I sprained my wrist (still a little bit touchy), got three fillings, and learned how much stuff really weighs.

Last night I stuffed my bicycle with everything I was planning on taking. It all barely fit on! I could hardly lift my bicycle! Just by wiggling the front handlebars I could see the frame and racks flexing under load. And then I knew: I have way too much stuff!

This morning I unloaded everything and re-assess my needs vrs wants, nitpicking over every ounce..

I sacrificed my:
juggling balls :(
juggling clubs :(
backpacking stove / fuel :(
a lot of snack foods :(
my ground tarp :(
a few maps :(
my ultra bright "light & motion" light + battery + charger :(
and... i replaced my bulky red rain jacket with a sleaker red jacket I bought at REI today :)

Let's hope I didnt need that junk anyway.. . grr.. I want an xtracycle...

Still aboard the circus starship is...
clothes, food, water, camera, fire poi and fire clubs, harmonica, one hypnotic hovering hoop, a few bicycle tools, and my hat. Woohoo!!

The trip to Arcata is a windy, hilly, beautiful 260 mile journey. How many days will this take me? I'll post when I find out ;-)

I'll leave you with a bunch of pictures my buddy Misha took. We tried to simulate what the tour might be like. Let's hope it is really this glorious. P.S. my bike is actually a lot more packed than that. I'll take a picture tomorrow and upload them later :)

Ta ta!

update

I'm still here!
ETD: Thursday?