Finally — Collision to Coast

It's been over a week now, but I am still on cloud 9 from rolling into the Pacific Ocean. July 13th, 2018 was one of the greatest days I've experienced.

The week leading up to that day couldn't have been better! Yeah, it was hot and some roads were sketch, but I loved being with my people again. About 14 of my teammates flew in around the time we reached Portland and many of them rode with me. Although our 2016 summer can't be replicated, having so much of the team back together made it feel like we were just picking up where we left off. Long conversations on our bikes, joking around at lunch stops, and plenty of roadside naps (mostly by me) are what make for a solid bike tour.

Did that last week come without it's own set of obstacles? Of course not! On July 7th, we were supposed to stay in Mosier, OR. Some teammates had planned to park in Mosier and bike to Wasco so that they could ride in to camp with us. Upon arriving at the campground, they found that it had caught fire that night. We were able to bike the first half of the day and had to be shuttled to our next campground due to road closures. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be many roads out west, so reroutes weren't really a reasonable option! We tried to make up as many miles as we could by doing a very hilly out and back. The ride into Portland the next day was one of my favorite rides of the summer. The 5 of us riding together was super familiar and made for a very fun and comfortable day.

Riding into Astoria in general had it's own set of challenges, but I thought my trip was done for when we realized my 2 back tires were shredded. The only possible explanation could be a fantastic downhill section filled with potholes in the morning followed by the scorching heat. I only had one spare tire, so I rode the last 35 miles to the coast on nothing but a prayer. Bike shops just don't sell my tires off the shelf, so a popped tire would've really tested our creativity. Thankfully, everything made it to the beach in tact and our final ride day couldn't have gone better.

We rode Hwy 101 from Astoria to Cannon Beach, which we were initially a little nervous about. The truck stayed close by in case a shuttling situation needed to happen. An early departure and a wide shoulder nearly all 25 miles made for a perfect ride. We arrived to Cannon Beach early and hung out in town until we were set to dip my wheel. The weather was perfect, the beach was gorgeous, and I was so overcome with emotion when I finally saw Haystack Rock. This was the moment I had been working toward for more than 2 years. The video is posted below, but it can't quite capture how good it felt to finally be at Cannon Beach, if only a couple years late. A fantastic photographer, Terry Pack, just happened to be vacationing in Cannon Beach when he saw my team preparing for my arrival and generously offered to take some pictures for us. I cannot thank him enough for capturing this day for me! After reaching the ocean, the team and I picnicked on the beach and closed the day with a bonfire. The day surpassed all of my expectations!

For the last 2 years, I've had one goal- get to the coast. So much of my recovery was centered around this one thing. Practicing getting on and off my bike, building my upper body strength, getting my independence back. So, now what? I'm not exactly sure what's on the table next, but one thing's for certain no matter what- I'll always just keep spinning.