I could exorcise a demon out of you with my stench right now.

It's been five days and four hundred miles since I last had access to a shower. Had the sun actually been out at any point in that time, I'd probably be considered a bioterror weapon by now. I camped in the woods 3 times since Bellingham, WA and on the beach twice. Thankfully, I found Warmshowers hosts to stay with for the night so I will soon smell like a contributing member of society again.

The last two days were really blah. That's the best way to describe them. No interesting sights to be seen, other cyclists to meet, or sunshine to enjoy. In fact, the weather was probably the worst I've had this whole trip. I've come to find that my happiness and motivation are both solar-powered. That doesn't jive well with cycling through the Pacific Northwest. Also, the coast this far north only has highs of around 68-70 degrees. Some people may call that ideal riding weather, but I honestly prefer the 90+ degree, super-sunny weather of Montana. The dealbreaker came on Thursday when I had to put on gloves at 6 PM and my breath was visible. I've decided to take an inland Oregon route from Portland to Crater Lake so I can get some heat again.

Oh I forgot to mention this in the beginning! I crossed into Oregon today! This is the 6th state I've entered and the penultimate state for this trip (only California's left).

The ride itself today was probably one of the most exhausting. 82 miles from Aberdeen, WA to Astoria, OR. Lots of climbing throughout. The killer came at the very end though. Crossing the Astoria Megler Bridge on a bike is an ordeal. The bridge is 4 miles long, there is no bike lane so traffic is zooming by inches away, and it's incredibly uphill. WHO THE HECK MAKES AN UPHILL BRIDGE?! After already riding 78 miles, it was not what I wanted to do.

But salvation lay within a grocery store in Astoria. The whole way up the bridge, the only things on my mind were Nutella, coconut flakes, and banana slices on a tortilla. And it did not disappoint. Granted, I'm now carrying a pound of coconut flakes, but I'm sure they can be a snack item.

Anyway, I'm off to bed. I have some pretty mundane pictures of nothing in particular that I'll add later. I'm riding 96 miles to Portland tomorrow and taking a day off there on Monday so interesting things should be posted soon.

On a final note, I've lost 6 pounds since starting this trip. I weighed myself for the first time in months today and I'm down to 117. Don't freak out, Mom. My current eating habits are probably going to continue when I'm not riding 80 miles a day so I'll be up to 300 pounds soon enough.

Later, gaters.

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