Usa: Seattle – Eureka

I continued riding and arrived Portland city after riding for 4.30hrs, covering a distance of 296km. I checked into Portland International Youth Hostel, which charged USD41 for a 8 beds dorm, and another USD2 for parking. This rate was ridiculously expensive, but since this is the one and only hostel in Portland, what choice do people like me have? I met another over landers, from Cape Town and Atlanta.
In the evening, I joined the free tour given by the hostel for a sightseeing around Portland. We were taken to some exhibitions at art galleries. It was a nice evening.

The next day, I opt for a coastal ride along Oregon Coast. So after checking out, I took I-5-S again, before turning right to 99W – 18, riding along the vineyards, and finally, the must do highway for bikers, Highway 101. It was a cloudy and cold ride today, even though it didn’t rain. I didn’t manage to see the blue Pacific Ocean due to this. The road was good, but when riding in and out of the national or state parks one after another along the coast, the speed limit was reduced to only 25mph as the road was narrow and winding. This slowed me down as I dared not to go more than the speed limit.

Anita’s Riding Tip:
Oregon Coast is not a name that appears written on the maps of Oregon, but everyone knows its 363 coastal miles where the waves of the Pacific Ocean break. If you want to know him better, take a look at the oregoncoasttravel.net site

I continued riding and arrived Portland city after riding for 4.30hrs, covering a distance of 296km. I checked into Portland International Youth Hostel, which charged USD41 for a 8 beds dorm, and another USD2 for parking. This rate was ridiculously expensive, but since this is the one and only hostel in Portland, what choice do people like me have? I met another over landers, from Cape Town and Atlanta.
In the evening, I joined the free tour given by the hostel for a sightseeing around Portland. We were taken to some exhibitions at art galleries. It was a nice evening.

I entered California, and from God knows where, suddenly the wind was very strong. It pushed my bike to the right or to the left of the road. I was very scared because I am no longer in control of the bike when this happened. Due to this I had to slow down. Some drivers were mad at me for going slow. It was a double lined road and vehicles were not allowed to pass. I had to stop by the road side and let them passed me first, before continue riding.

The strong wind also caused the pain on my neck worsened terribly. I had to tell myself time and again to keep riding….eventually I will be there. It was a relief when after riding 400kms in 8hrs (lots of stopping for pics), I finally took a left turning to Eureka, where my host were waiting for me. It was not difficulty to find the house. I was given a very warm welcome by the French family – Marceau, Nicole and their daughter, Alaya. Marceau was a biker, and I get to know him from the HUBB page in Facebook. They had a very nice house, a bit hidden in the woods and according to them, wild animals including black bears do pay them a visit sometimes.

The next day, Nicole brought me to a few beaches about 30 mins drive from her house as I told her that I really wanna touch the Pacific Ocean. It was a great feeling when I finally managed to touch the waters. After that, Nicole brought me to a supermarket. Knowing that I’m a Muslim and could only eat halal food, she bought fish and scallops. We went back to her house and I told them about my previous rides while they took a look on my blog. Marceau gv me some tips on my upcoming ride on the best route to take.

Later, I helped Marceau in the kitchen to prepare for dinner. Marceau made steamed salmon and a French cuisine using tomatoes and I cooked turmeric scallop. Dinner was fabulous and I’m glad that the couple liked the scallop which I cooked.