I'm staying a second night at Cape Lookout State Park. Last night rain came down, "like in winter", one local told me. My good tent seeped water through the floor, which is a huge no-no in the tent world, and I ended up here a second night to dry all out. i...

Tonight I'm camping at Bruceport County Park, south of South Bend and north of Astoria, on Washington's southwest coast. Each of the campgrounds in Washington has had a "primitive" section for those who arrive on foot or bicycle. The section tends to build an easy...

The last three days have been riding days, as I settle into this travel phase of the journey. From Port Townsend I have ridden along the west shore of Hood Canal, which is also the eastern edge of the Olympic Peninsula. Deep, mossy, lush and overgrown forest is...

I felt genuinely sad to leave the San Juan Islands. I remember that in 1980, when I was here to lead the community college bicycle tour class, I mused about settling here. Lopez Island was my favorite then, as it is the most pastoral and least upscale of the three...

Happy birthday to me. I turn 63 today. Here are two pictures of Conor and Liz's homestead. I wasn't able to catch Conor at work on their land.     The last several days have revolved around the kindness and hospitality of solar bozo families on Orcas Island. In short,...

Ian Woofenden sent me this photo when he saw my previous post about seeing Rick 's large PV/wind system on Lopez Island. The photo is of Kelly Keilwitz and him on the top of that 127' tower. The rain kept up through the night and half of the next day. It had felt like...

This portion of the Grand Adventure is just beginning and has its own unique flavor. This is the part in which I retrace travels of long ago. Today's miles, and most of the miles likely to come in the next month or so, are following the paths of previous tours. Forty...

While heading north from Portland, I received an email from best friend Windy Dankoff encouraging me to see Ian Woofenden's home on Guemes Island, a tiny island in Puget Sound, near the San Juans. Windy wrote that it would be a highlight of my trip. Ian is Senior...

I tried on a new self-descriptor today, not sure whether I like it: eating disability. I have never thought of myself as having any disability, so this is a new experience and a new self-reference. While in the spectrum of disabilities this is pretty minor, it's an...

Tuesday was a whirlwind day. I woke up in a motel room I had rented, so I had access to resources: desk, wi-fi, coffee, and a basin to hand-wash a few clothes.  I was about to leave right around the noon check-out time when Robin and Bob come by to take me to lunch....

In the early 1980s, Trace Engineering was formed by the audio engineering team who had made Phase Linear and Spectro Acoustics high-end audio components in the 1970s and early 1980s. Trace spawned multiple manufacturers of PV equipment: Heart Interface, Xantrex,...

In previous posts I have written of my enjoyment of hitchhiking as a legitimate means of travel. Indeed, with a loaded bicycle and no private car there are few alternatives when I want to cover more miles than the 9.5 miles per hour pedaling pace will allow. I have...

I have a natural tribal affinity for PV off grid people. Longtime off grid PV installers are of a particular tribe, bonded by common experience and similar motivations. Kent Osterberg and Kay Firor of Blue Mountain Solar (www.bluemountainsolar.com) in Cove, Oregon are...

I made some substantial mistakes in planning my timing and equipment for this adventure, and right now I'm having to face the consequences of these mistakes. I have already addressed the timing issue: August is simply not the month to travel on a bike in the high...

A Bike Inn in Mount Vernon, Oregon, in which we stayed one night as the only guests. Fresh eggs and beer in the fridge, and payment by donation. What's to add here? Welcome to the rural mountain West. The nearest sign declares this to be a "U.N. free Zone". How would...

The very first blog entry has a little more background, but here's a brief orientation. When I decided on a bicycle tour as a means to celebrate my retirement from Positive Energy, my recovery from cancer 2 1/2 years ago, and simply being alive and in good health, I...

Yesterday I rode exactly two miles, up to a highway junction restaurant and ice cream shop for a beer and their wi-fi. I had some major repacking and map study. Today is my first day touring solo. Fifty miles to Baker City, over Tipton Summit (5,240') and Pass...

To begin today's post, here are a few photos - of classic old buildings, road scenes, and a "shoe tree" along the highway. Apparently the shoe tree is famous/infamous among Transcontinental Trail cycletourists.   Don is by his own admission both a bike geek and a...

The stretch of back roads between Smith Rocks and Prineville is only about twenty miles, so we had planned to push up over Ochoco Pass today, to Mitchell's tiny city park, which is available to traveling bicyclists. Since Santiam Pass we have joined the TransAmerica...

Let's see... today is Wednesday the 23rd of July. I wrote the post below Sunday or Monday, prior to writing the last one already published, and for the life of me could not upload it. This whole blogging experience is brand new, first-time-ever stuff. For instance, I...

I'm now in my little tent, with a clear sky and stars following a thunderstorm. We have ridden roughly 55 miles each day, which is pretty close to Don's original plan, but we are already about a day behind, which is not. The last three days have been physically...

Earlier in these posts I mentioned Donovan and Kelly Yoder. Don had assisted me when I had taught a community ed college class in bicycle touring and had met his wife, who was on her first tour. While I was crossing into Oregon they were celebrating their 31st...

With only 90 miles or so remaining, today was an easy jaunt, with one ride from Roseburg to near Albany. I stopped at the survival store after a nice cafe breakfast: everything from camping supplies, to ammo/reloading equipment (but no gun sales) to books on all...

Today was one of those days that solidly reminded me of how much I enjoy hitchhiking. By the numbers: 248 miles (just ask Siri!); Willits CA to Roseburg OR; three rides, each engaging and most enjoyable. I slept under the stars at Ray's old homestead. Nobody showed...

All along my plan had been to hitchhike from my in-laws in Martinez to Oregon. There really wasn't a better way. I rode Amtrak from Lamy to Martinez, California, and that worked well. But both bike and trailer had to be partially disassembled and boxed on the train....

Welcome to this shared part of my world. This website will eventually be developed as Sindelar Solar, my small business serving the solar power needs of my off grid residential and water pumping customers. For now, however, this is a blog of my current travel...