Bike Trip / Spain Journal #4

Just had lunch at Buoy's Best. Delicious fish in Seaside. The weather has been miserable, with snow forecast for tonight. I'm about to start up Hwy 26 towards Portland. See how far I get. Bike's making some grinding rumblings in the drive train. I oiled the chain, but no change. I need luck now. At least, if I have to stay in the mountains, snow is insulating.

-- Well, I made it up to the summit. 1,309 ft. Jesus didn't get that high. My bike is making some awful grindings down in the bottom bracket. Or the chain. Not sure which. I've reached Elsie[, Oregon] at 4:30pm, which gives me about three hours of daylight and one of twilight. Got about 55 miles to go. I can do it if my bike can. There's a lot of downhill left to me, and I'm feeling better than I did on the summit. That was awful up there. Snowy cold chills. I traded some of myself for a [deer] jawbone.

-- Somehow, I find myself sleeping on the side of a snow covered mountain again. JR's not here though. Too bad. I don't know anyone else that would have gone through something like this willingly. And I would welcome the body heat. So I didn't make it into Portland. I had my third flat in four days. What the hell?! New tires too! I would have screamed, but I didn't want to waste the energy. So now I'm in a tent, covered with snow, and I've got two squares of chocolate left. I was worried about warmth, but this emergency blanket is well suited to its name. I think I'll be able to sleep, even without some of my clothes. I am so mortal. Fuck this mountain, though. It's the middle of April, and I'm looking at two and a half inches of snow! They might've had snow in Portland too. I've been beat to hell out here. I'm wounded and cold. I've been really scared. Like I was out in Texas, as I began to realize just what I'd forced myself into doing. Being alone and scared can make you desperate. I was talking to myself a lot, to stave off the lonely desperation. I just wanted to see the suburbs appear around the next corner.

Nope.

The elements are awesome. Awe-some. Life is incredibly tenuous. I would not last up here very long in this state. The wound on my index knuckle burns. I've a bruised knee, two raw elbows. My shelter and gear is inadequate for winter weather. I was prepared for rain and 40-50 degree lows, not freezing snow and 30 degree lows. Jon at Buoy's Best said this is unusual . He wasn't the first I heard say that.

- I haven't felt any lust these several days. Survival has been overwhelming. As I was coming down the mountain in the darkening snow, getting colder and colder, I thought, “I wish I could say I was doing this for a girl...” I hope I don't shiver in my sleep.