Trees Are Good

The storm that was on the horizon last night moved in on schedule. Despite being sheltered by trees, I woke numerous times throughout the night to the sound of rain pelting my tent. I can only imagine what it would’ve been like without the trees there to protect me. The trees also did a very admirable job of blocking the wind as I really didn’t notice it all.

When morning came it was an unexpectedly sunny and I was encouraged that I could at least make my way to the next campground which was only 30 km away. That would also give me the opportunity to stop at the next town, Port Orford, to get some food. Before making that official decision though, I wandered over to the edge of the Cape to take in the view and to get a better sense of the weather. Yes, the sun was shining but the wind was definitely the dominant force of the day. And, of course, it was coming from the south.

And now, in the time it’s take to write this little bit, the rain has returned and it’s appearing more and more probable that I’ll be spending the day here at Cape Blanco. In my tent. Good thing I’m not claustrophobic.

So, contrary to what that last sentence would lead you to believe, I loaded up my bike and decided to see how far I could get. Confused yet? My apologies. That’s what happens when you type an update throughout the day rather than at the end of the day. For me, a couple of hours have passed. For you, just a few commas and periods. So, back to the update. In terms of “how far I could get”, the conditions were certainly less than ideal. When I left Cape Blanco the sun was shining but the forecasted 35 km/h winds were very much having their way with me. And while I don’t have a wind gauge on my bike, I’m confident the gusts were much stronger than 35 km/h. Of course, I’m not one to give up easily so I pedalled on.

I slowly made my way to Port Orford where I didn’t find much in the way of services (although, there were some) but did stumble upon the local library. I decided to stop. Partially because it was an excuse to get out of the elements and partially to get some more updates posted. The former was more successful than the latter.

I ended up spending a few hours at the Port Orford Library but much of the time was spent talking to a “regular” of the library. The conversation was pleasant and covered a wide range of topics. That said, I don’t think it needed to go on for 90 minutes. Then again, the option of returning outside wasn’t particularly pleasant as the weather changed numerous times and included a few torrential downpours. Seriously torrential. I’m guessing those involved with fighting the forest fires were enjoying the day.

From the library, I intended to go to the one open restaurant in town but when the rain started again I decided to get myself to the next campground as soon as possible – although, I did make time for a quick stop at Circle K for some pure and simple calories. Said calories took the form of Doritos, some sort of danish-like product, and some banana chips. As for getting myself to the next campground, well … I managed to do so almost without incident.

For the first time on this trip, my bike suffered a bit of a mechanical breakdown. On the upside, I was only 5 km from the campground when it happened and the bike was still functional – but it was functional in a limited capacity. The breakdown had to do with the cable to change my rear gears. Actually, it appears to be the housing in which the cable is held. As such, the breakdown merely prevented me from changing gears. Not pleasant but manageable. Considering how much rain was falling and how much the winds were fighting me I was happy not to be stuck on the side of the road doing repairs.

My arrival at the campground did nothing to change the status of the rain. As such, for the first time ever I found myself setting up my tent in the rain. Under the circumstances I would say it was a moderately successful endeavour although it was about as unpleasant as I expected it to be. The “setting up the tent” aspect was successful. Keeping everything dry was a bit less successful but I think that’s just part of the game.

To sum up the day, this was definitely the worst riding weather I’ve faced. Between the wind and wind gusts, the heavy rain, and the mechanical failure, it was certainly a grind. And all of this happened while travelling less than 30 km. On the upside, I’m now 30 km closer to California which really was the point of today’s ride. On the downside, I’m about 90 km from the next bike shop which I fear I may need.

As for the aforementioned mechanical breakdown, it appears to be somewhat serious but I’ll reassess in the morning when I can work with daylight on my side. For now, I’m once again confined to my tent for the remainder of the evening. My panniers are pretty soaked but the contents are just damp and I’ve dried myself off to a reasonably comfortable level. So long as my tent holds up it should be a dry night. Or at least not any wetter.

With a wet tent, wet gear, wet clothes, and a slightly broken bike, it only seems fitting that my home for the night is Humbug Mountain. Bah. Tomorrow is another day.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 26.96 km
Ride time: 1:41:52
Average speed: 15.88 km/h
Maximum speed: 49.17 km/h