VC Bikepacking Trip - Portland to Cape Lookout and back

Saturday morning, we met up at the Rose Quarter MAX station just before 7 a.m. and caught the 7:07 train out to Hillsboro.  Well, most of us anyway.  A couple of rogue lunatics (Ryan and Matt) decided to add another 25 miles to the already difficult day by riding out from Portland.  The two of them were already waiting for us in Hillsboro when we arrived, making our group a total of 12 now.  Most of us grabbed a quick coffee and used the facilities at the coffee shop just before rolling out around 8:30.

The weather was brisk but dry for the start of our day.  The first ten miles or so went through the western side of Hillsboro, through Cornelius, and Forest Grove; it was mostly flat which allowed us to warm up our legs.  Not far into the ride, Justin got the first flat of the day in Forest Grove from running over a staple that was on the shoulder of the road.  Once out of Forest Grove, we hit some rolling farm roads and started seeing fewer cars. Now a  second group flat stop (and first of two for the rider), Mike got a flat from a piece of glass that worked its way into his tire and was hiding out.

Around mile 16 or so we hit our first gravel road and started the first real ascent of the day.  This one was pretty steep right off the bat.  It was around this time that it also started raining on us, ever so lightly.  Somewhere around mile 25 is when our long climb began.  This climb was gravel, lasted about eight miles, and had some nice steep sections. We were quickly reminded of the extra 25 lbs. of gear on the bike.  Oh, and side note, Ryan was riding a single speed mountain bike from 1992, just to make things extra interesting.

The climb finally ended up on Barney Reservoir.  It was at the reservoir that we stopped to filter some water and to prepare for our cool, muddy, gravel descent.  The rain was really coming down at this point.  There were a couple more flats sprinkled in too.  At this point it was clear some folks were getting a little tired, hungry, and sick of the rain.  Around mile 50 or so the rain let up and we hit pavement again.  Spirits were lifted by the combination of dry weather and smooth road.  We did some pace lining on the smooth pavement and rolled into Tillamook about 12 miles later.  In Tillamook, we took a pit stop for food before heading out to Cape Lookout to camp.

In Tillamook, we split into two groups for food and supplies.  Some of us gobbled down pizza slices while others went to a proper grocery store.  Mike made a stop at a sporting goods store for some tubes after having gone through three.  

With full bellies we hit the road again for the last 14 miles.  The first few miles were a little rough after recently shoving food into our faces.  The sun was setting as we pushed up the last climb and hit the coastal road that leads to the park.  Now dark and finished with the climb, it’s smooth sailing with the lights on.  As we approached the entrance to the park, Matt noticed he was just shy of 100 miles for the day. Justin and I turned right into the entrance. Matt continued on as for a final (and extra) half mile to hit his 100-mile goal only to turn around in the road and head into camp. 

We arrived at Cape Lookout State Park and found the hiker/biker camp area where our savior Michaela was waiting with 72 cold, delicious Rainer tallboys.  Michaela works for Rainier and agreed to meet us at camp with beers thanks to a chance encounter that shook out on Instagram.  What a great way to end a day! 

The last few people trickled into camp with tired legs.  After setting up camp and changing into dry, warm clothes, we sat around drinking Rainiers and talking about our day.  What a day it had been.

A younger kid, around 20 or so, walked over to where we were sitting and told us about how he had been bike touring for the past 8 weeks.  He started in Tuscon, Arizona with the intention of going to witness the majestic Redwoods.  Like a self-described Forest Gump, he said once there (Redwood National Park) he just kept going.  He said his destination was now Astoria, Oregon unless he changes his mind once again.  He had a pretty janky tent setup with a tarp covering one side that was ripped, and his old mountain/touring bike didn’t look much better, but this kid is living his dream (and smoking copious amounts of cannabis while doing it).   

A few people retired to their tents fairly early, while the last 5 of us stayed up drinking Rainiers until about midnight.  I popped 2 Ibuprofen into my mouth and chugged a bottle of water just before slipping into my sleeping bag for the night.  I dozed off very quickly.  I recall waking up to the sound of light rain falling on my tent around 3 o clock or so, but slept pretty well overall, waking up only once to rid myself of some Rainier.

Day 1 by the numbers: 76.5 miles, 4,425 ft. elevation gain, 5 hr. 52 min. moving time.  For Ryan and Matt, another 25 miles and an additional 1,000 feet. Bryan ran over one dead raccoon.  6 flats.  Lots of Rainier, and a couple of edibles too.

I woke up Sunday morning just as the sun was rising and realized it had stopped raining.  Camp was pretty damp, but surprisingly warmer than expected.  There were only a few others up at this point.  Slowly, the rest started waking up and rolling out of their tents.  Most of us started with coffee made from various combinations of boiling water and pour over contraptions.  Several people mentioned having one more Rainier than they should have, myself included.  We all agreed that we were in no hurry to get moving and slowly made our own breakfast.  A banana, oatmeal with almond butter, 2 bottles of water, and ibuprofen for me.  I won’t name any names, but there were leftover chili dogs and Rainer tallboys consumed at breakfast.

As the sun made its way over the hill to our east, I decided to go sit on the beach for a few minutes as my phone charged in the restroom over by the cabins.  Upon my return I learned that one person from our group had left early in the morning to catch the WAVE bus back into Portland.  Three flats and that route would test anyone’s will to carry on another day.

Matt, Ryan, and Trevor left before the rest of us.  The remaining eight of us finally got our gear packed up and strapped back onto the bikes, leaving camp around 10:30am.  With an almost fully charged phone I examined the elevation profile for the day and let everyone know that the day was starting off with a 3 mile climb that gained almost 1,000 feet.  We packed up the last few Rainiers and made our way out.

The climb was not very friendly to our sore legs first thing in the morning.  This climb helped decide how we would break up into groups for most of the remainder of the day.  After this climb, it was mostly flat all the way into the little town of Beaver.  It was here in Beaver around mile 15 where we regrouped from our initial climb out.

In Beaver we stopped at Beaver Firearms and Grocery: emphasis on the firearms and de-emphasis on nutritious stuff called food. Corndogs and BBQ chips are pretty tasty though.  

The next 30-plus miles were a gradual, quad busting climb that was only soothed by Sourpatch Kids that I had laid out on my handlebar bag to munch on as I worked my way up the gravel road.  The gravel section of Nestucca River Road is not an easy climb, but sure is beautiful, especially at the beginning of fall on a clear day.

Once we reached mile 48 and the top of our climb, we rejoiced and prepared for the ten miles of paved downhill that we had just earned.  Somewhere at the end of the descent we missed a left turn.  We realized this fairly early, consulted our digital maps and found a new way back into the little town of Yamhill.

As we rolled into Yamhill we saw Ryan leaving a local dive bar/restaurant.  He had left camp earlier than us in the morning, but we finally caught him and made him join us for a much-deserved beer.  It didn’t take much convincing; he had been riding most of the day alone at this point and probably needed a laugh or two.  We ordered beers and tots as to not over eat and be miserable for the last 25 miles.  That plan failed when the bartender brought out our tots, with a side of cheeseburgers.  Apparently, she had entered the order wrong and insisted we eat the burgers, free of charge.  So, we ate burgers, except Bryan, he doesn’t eat meat, even when it’s free and he’s hungry.  

With full bellies and fresh optimism, we got back on the bikes for the last 25 miles.  We pace lined out of Yamhill, into Gaston, and later rolled back into Forest Grove as the sun was going down.  It was pretty amusing to watch Ryan lead the pace on a single speed; he did great though.  Anything that could take the work off my legs even a minute helped greatly.  We had a few instances of macho pickup truck drivers yelling things at us and getting very close as we got closer to the suburbs.  It was dark out, but I imagine there was a Trump sticker on their bumpers.

We finally arrived in Hillsboro with our bike lights flashing and our tanks on empty.  As we rolled into the MAX station I noticed our train was waiting on the platform and it was leaving in 2 minutes.  Perfect timing.  It felt great and horrible to finally be sitting on that train.  Great because we were on our way home to a warm shower, food of our choice, and our own cozy beds.  Horrible because I was once again surrounded by humans, lots of stimuli, and had an exhausted body.  My thoughts were already returning to the things I left undone at home, how tired I was going to be tomorrow sitting in my office chair, etc.

Day 2 by the numbers: 87.4 miles, 5,066 ft. elevation gain, 6 hr. 17 min. moving time.  2 free burgers.   1 Gatorade bottle thrown at Bryan's head from a truck.  Too many farts to count.

I love riding my bike in the most remote of places, away from the chaos of the city, away from mobile service and Wi-Fi.  For a few hours on my bike, I like not knowing what political charades are happening at home and around the world.   For two days I was able to mostly avoid these things and hurl myself through time and space with 11 other people who share a similar sentiment.  

This is precisely why I love riding my bike out in the middle of nowhere on gravel roads.  For whatever period of time, I am at the mercy of only: food, water, weather, potential mechanicals, and my own thoughts.  While these things can be frightening at times (mainly my thoughts), it is making it through the journey’s obstacles that leaves you wanting yet another one.  These rides teach me a lot about the connection between my body and mind, also serving as my form of deep mediation.  

Unfortunately, while typing the previous line, I learned that Justin’s bike was stolen from his locked camper shell last night in Salem.  The bike even still had all of his gear from this trip on it, plus the dried mud and sweat that nobody else could appreciate.  

What I learned on this trip… Slow down and enjoy the ride, even if it’s getting dark and a rad beer rep is waiting for you at camp with free beers.  Planning a ride in which 11 other people show up makes me feel responsible for their well being, kind of like a mamma duck making sure all the ducklings have been accounted for.  And lastly, fuck bike thieves!!

If you would like to ride this route for yourself, see the links below

Route out: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/22850782
Route back: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/22851450