Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 450: Oregon Coast Trail – Part 3.

Subscribe/Follow The Pedalshift Project:
RSS – iTunes – Overcast – Android – Google Podcasts – Stitcher – TuneIn – IHeartRadio – Spotify

Reach out to the show via email, Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to join the newsletter too.

Have some bike touring or overnight stories to share? Send your pics, audio or a quick tweet – all welcome. Email the show at pedalshift@pedalshift.net or call the lightly-used Pedalshift voicemail line at (202) 930-1109

“My Tent is not Viable”

Check out this absolutely hysterical special design awarded to Brock and I to memorialize our night 1 mishap…

See more of Simone’s designs here.

Pedalshift Live – September 11, 5pm PT!

Topics TBA, but it’s a summer closeout and certainly a preview of some stuff coming in the fall. ALSO we’re doing a super fun giveaway exclusively for people that make it to the live show itself… there’s some incentive for ya! ALSO ALSO, some special previews of all sorts of things. Am I being cagey? YES. Show up anyways! Chat room is fun, live shows are fun… but if you can’t make it, it’s the pod for the following week. pedalshift.net/live!

Email reminders coming too. Maybe some previews of my previews? Who knows? Sign up here.

The Pedalshift Project 450: Oregon Coast Trail – Part 3

Waking up at Barview Jetty after a slightly better night’s sleep—and some bonus fireworks from Garibaldi Days.

• Breaking camp with damp tents, questionable battery-charging logistics and a decision to make about the day’s route.
• Road walk toward Garibaldi or return to Rockaway Beach? Naturally, the beach wins.
• A few physical reminders of the previous day’s nearly 11 miles, including the lingering consequences of bad sand.
• Meeting a touring cyclist at camp with an impressive résumé that includes the C&O, GAP and Empire State Trail.
• Another reminder that there were considerably more bicycle tourists on the Oregon Coast than expected.
• Tim and James make it official: they’re backpackers again.
• Why backpacking may be easier to share with more people than bike touring—and why it may become a regular part of future Pedalshift adventures.
• Heading north along the beach toward Rockaway for the final hiking segment of the trip.
• Yesterday’s brutal headwind finally becomes today’s much gentler tailwind.
• A little filtered sunshine and substantially easier conditions make Day 3 feel like a victory lap.
• An IT band issue provides one last reminder that walking on soft sand changes your gait in some interesting ways.
• Looking back on three days that provided a surprisingly complete shakedown: climbing, beach walking, rain, wind, good sand, bad sand, camping and multimodal transit.
• Arriving in Rockaway Beach and wrapping up the hiking portion of the adventure.
• Food, another encounter with the cyclist from camp and the beginning of the journey home.
• Back into multimodal mode: bus to Tillamook, bus to Portland, retrieve the car and eventually drive back to Seattle.
• Plenty of waiting around reminds everyone that transit-based adventures occasionally involve the advanced outdoor skill of sitting somewhere for a while.
• Final verdict from James: “Great trip.”
• Three days later, the experiment feels like a pretty staggering success.
• Backpacking appears destined to become part of the Pedalshift adventure mix—including the possibility of combining hiking and cycling on future trips.
• Next up: the takeaways episode, including gear lessons, what worked, what didn’t and why this backpacking thing might stick.

Statistics

• Route choices 2
• Sand types still 2
• Wind normal!
• Bicycle tourists encountered MORE!
• Transportation segments after Rockaway 3
• Buses James is permitted to cause me to miss 0

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 449: Oregon Coast Trail – Part 2.

Subscribe/Follow The Pedalshift Project:
RSS – iTunes – Overcast – Android – Google Podcasts – Stitcher – TuneIn – IHeartRadio – Spotify

Reach out to the show via email, Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to join the newsletter too.

Have some bike touring or overnight stories to share? Send your pics, audio or a quick tweet – all welcome. Email the show at pedalshift@pedalshift.net or call the lightly-used Pedalshift voicemail line at (202) 930-1109

“My Tent is not Viable”

Check out this absolutely hysterical special design awarded to Brock and I to memorialize our night 1 mishap…

See more of Simone’s designs here.

Pedalshift Live – September 11, 5pm PT!

Topics TBA, but it’s a summer closeout and certainly a preview of some stuff coming in the fall. ALSO we’re doing a super fun giveaway exclusively for people that make it to the live show itself… there’s some incentive for ya! ALSO ALSO, some special previews of all sorts of things. Am I being cagey? YES. Show up anyways! Chat room is fun, live shows are fun… but if you can’t make it, it’s the pod for the following week. pedalshift.net/live!

Email reminders coming too. Maybe some previews of my previews? Who knows? Sign up here.

The Pedalshift Project 449: Oregon Coast Trail – Part 2

• Breaking camp at Nehalem Bay State Park after a less-than-restful first night.
• The day’s route comes with an unusual Oregon Coast Trail feature: a small boat crossing of the Nehalem River.
• Hiking out the Nehalem Bay spit rather than road walking Highway 101 or relying on another bus.
• A $10, on-demand boat ride that you essentially hail like a water taxi. Naturally, Tim is delighted.
• Early beach walking into a surprisingly strong south wind—and the realization that hiking into a headwind can be plenty annoying too.
• Overcast, cool Oregon Coast weather turns out to be pretty much perfect hiking weather for Tim and James.
• Then the rain finally arrives.
• Rain gear gets its first legitimate test as wind, rain and cold hands briefly turn the morning into some genuine Type 2 fun.
• Reaching the mouth of the Nehalem River, where ocean waves, river current and fishing boats all converge.
• Calling for the boat and crossing the Nehalem River to continue south.
• Boat-crossing soundscapes, fishing stories and a little local wildlife discussion along the way.
• An unexpected rail walk after the crossing, followed by some improvised navigation back toward the beach.
• The terminology of the trip is established: good sand is firm and easy to walk on; bad sand is soft, energy-sucking nonsense.
• Continuing south toward Rockaway Beach with sea stacks appearing down the coast.
• Sustained headwinds approaching 20 mph turn what should have been a helpful prevailing wind into an all-day adversary.
• Rockaway Beach provides a badly needed break from the wind—and Indian food for the day’s big meal.
• Back into full rain gear for the final push toward Barview Jetty.
• Headwinds + rain + bad sand = a surprisingly demanding backpacking day.
• Despite the conditions, Tim and James finish just shy of 11 miles.
• Another successful test for the new backpacking gear, including Tim’s Hyperlite Southwest 40.
• Arriving at Barview Jetty Campground thoroughly cooked and very ready for dry clothes and tents.
• The campsite itself gets mixed reviews, particularly when Tim discovers that “level tent site” is apparently more of an aspirational concept.
• Day two verdict: challenging, fun and another successful proof of concept.
• Bigger conclusion: Tim and James may officially be backpackers again—and longer trips suddenly seem entirely plausible.

Statistics

• Miles hiked 11 
• Nehalem Rivers crossed by boat 1
• Prevailing tailwinds received: 0
• Headwinds: Yes
• Sand varieties identified 2
• Indian food recs in Rockaway Beach 1
• Campground rating: 7
• Flats N/A

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 448: Oregon Coast Trail – Part 1.

Subscribe/Follow The Pedalshift Project:
RSS – iTunes – Overcast – Android – Google Podcasts – Stitcher – TuneIn – IHeartRadio – Spotify

Reach out to the show via email, Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to join the newsletter too.

Have some bike touring or overnight stories to share? Send your pics, audio or a quick tweet – all welcome. Email the show at pedalshift@pedalshift.net or call the lightly-used Pedalshift voicemail line at (202) 930-1109

“My Tent is not Viable”

Check out this absolutely hysterical special design awarded to Brock and I to memorialize our night 1 mishap…

See more of Simone’s designs here.

The Pedalshift Project 448: Oregon Coast Trail – Part 1

• Portland to Tillamook goes exactly according to plan. This will not last.
• A confusing route-number change leads to Tim and James missing their northbound connection while essentially standing next to it.
• With Uber, Lyft and other escape routes unavailable, it’s time for Plan B.
• A few bonus hours in Tillamook include an unexpectedly excellent visit to the Tillamook County Public Library.
• The revised plan: take the later bus to Manzanita, establish a base there and turn the day’s planned hike into an out-and-back toward Neahkahnie Mountain.
• First impressions of experiencing familiar Oregon Coast territory on foot instead of from a bicycle.
• The backpacking finally begins with a walk along the beach at Manzanita.
• Important navigational discovery: if the Pacific Ocean is on your left, you’re probably walking north.
• Firm beach sand: surprisingly excellent walking. Soft beach sand: considerably less excellent.
• Heading inland and uphill on the Headwaters Trail toward Neahkahnie Mountain.
• About 3.5 miles of continuous climbing provides the first real test of the new packs and gear.
• Early verdict: the pack weights feel completely manageable for the planned 7–10 mile days.
• Tim and James discover that humid-weather backpacking may not be part of their future long-distance hiking careers.
• The shortened route still delivers nearly everything they wanted from the original day: climbing, forest trails, beach walking and plenty of mileage.
• Back in Manzanita for the most important part of any successful hiking itinerary: pizza and beer.
• A surprising amount of actual bike content, with multiple loaded touring cyclists spotted along the coast.
• The final walk to Nehalem Bay State Park is longer than expected, pushing the day’s total close to nine miles.
• First impressions of the Nehalem Bay hiker-biker campsite, including lockers, charging and bike repair facilities.
• The new tent gets its first setup and the backpacking gear earns high marks.
• Day one verdict: despite immediately borking the original plan, the Oregon Coast Trail experiment is a success.
• Next up: more beach walking, changing weather and Day 2 on the Oregon Coast Trail.

Statistics

• Miles hiked 9 
• Missed buses: 1
• Loaded bicycle tourists spotted: 7
• Plans successfully improvised: 1
• Days of rain on the Oregon coast we did not expect 1
• Flats  N/A