Bixcitement Scale

Our days are filled with exciting moments that we appreciate so much more because we're on bikes. To give you a sense of these small memorable moments, here is our bixcitement scale:

1 - Failing to light the stove for the 2nd time on our first night when all we have to eat is freeze dried food and Jon is 3,000 miles away (4,000 via Phoenix)

2 - Looking at our map and realizing the next direction is to turn onto "Mountain View Pass" or "Bow Hill Rd."

3 - Finding out the only open bike shop in town is in a guy's garage.

4 - After being tormented by hundreds of Elk signs, finally seeing Elk.

5 - Seeing SF or LA on the roadside mileage signs after about 1000 miles on the road.

6 - Looking at the map and seeing the next direction is to turn onto "Paradise Bay Road" or "Beach View Ave."

7 - Seeing that the Clif bars and peanut butter you were going to buy anyway are on sale.

8 - The guy in the garage bike shop actually fixing your bike.

9 - Getting to "Bow Hill Rd" and realizing you're going down the hill.

10 - Checking the blog and seeing funny, supportive, and thoughtful comments posted.

Clearly, we're getting a lot out of the simple pleasures our days provide. We do, however, miss you guys and would love a sense of your current excitement. Try to use our scale to give us a taste of what we're missing at home (be it CT, NJ, NH, DC, NY, MA, CA, CO, Ireland, etc.). Here are a few examples (an asterisk means we think it hasn't happened yet):

1 - Marshall finding out his stomach ache is appendicitis.

2 - Tina having to work during part of July.

4 - Jon flying up a tough hill and then having to wait for Austin (and Louisa?) to catch up.

5 - Chippa figuring out how to turn left as well as right.*

6 - Nana remembering her email password.*

7 - Oz finally learning how to make a horse sound.*

8.5 - Cait successfully completing her triathlon.*

9 - Deirdre getting a job as a mailwoman.*

10 - Josh/Katie passing the bar.*

Week 3 - By The Numbers

For week 3 numbers, previous weeks are shown for comparison (Week 1, Week 2).

1850 - highest elevation, in feet
1294.43 - total distance travelled, in miles
452.79 - week 3 distance traveled, in miles (421.56, 420.08)
422 - lowest exit on Highway 101 reached (771)
365 - tallest tree spotted, in feet
91.2 - week 3 longest distance travelled in one day, in miles (75.38, 92.40)
47.2 - top speed, in mph (39.7, 42.6)

72.83 - week 3 miles/day of biking (67.15, 70.01)

64.68 - week 3 miles/day - not including our 15 mile day (60.22, 60.01)

24 - oysters shucked

10 - most consecutive nights in the tent
7 - wines tasted on Avenue of the Giants
4 - shades of chocolate chips in the Obamalicious cookie
4 - maps used
2 - BUI's
2 - bee stings (thanks to the yellow jersey!)
1 - free bottle of wine for "being awesome" (From our 2nd favorite Marshall, who works at the Ritz in Half Moon Bay to help us relax on our day off. We'd say our first favorite, but we want to go easy on Marshall 1.0 while he's still recovering from appendicitis.)
1 - unnecessary article (the) that every person in CA puts before the highway numbers
1 - new favorite Asian cuisine

Things we lost count of:
# of free apples at the Ritz, VW buses ("The Libyans!"), "Entering Tsunami Hazard Zone" signs, "Jon would says," and iPhone yearnings.

Day 21 - San Francisco, CA to Half Moon Bay, CA - 37.04 miles

Clearly we took a lot of time off the past two days; the Avon Breast Cancer Walk that was 10 miles in as we enjoyed breakfast in Sausalito yesterday was finishing up after we enjoyed breakfast in Lower Haight with Matt today. We didn't do much sightseeing while we were in SF, but we have some good plans for when we come back to visit including another Hot Pot meal. We did enjoy biking through Haight and Golden Gate Park on a Sunday with lots of activity and we stared longingly at the Academy of Sciences but knew would never make it to Half Moon Bay before sunset if we went in, so it's on the list for next time. During our short ride today we leapfrogged with a group of firefighters from all over CA who were doing a ride from SF to LA to raise money for cancer research. We were very jealous of their support vehicles cheering them on and periodically providing snacks, but now feel better that Jon 1.0 considers us to be the "real bikers." (Sorry for the ambiguity on the last post. It should have read: Austin can't remember a time when Jon stayed behind with Austin on the hills.) Between seeing the Avon Walk and the firefighters' cancer ride we started to question our decision to not ride for a cause.

Day 22 - Half Moon Bay, CA - 0 miles
While we didn't get massages or surfing lessons, our "weekend" on Ken was incredibly relaxing and fun. Our day and a half at the Ritz included real food (no PB and Doritos sandwiches), incredible views, a resort spa, fire pits, local wine and cheese tasting, bocce, and a supportive staff (Thanks, Zach!!). Put the phone down, Ken, we got the family discount!

Day 20 - Marin Headlands (Sausalito), CA to San Francisco, CA - 15.80 miles

After a delicious breakfast excursion in Sausalito and an exciting, but foggy trek across the Golden Gate Bridge we spent much of our off day having some important mechanical work done on our bikes. A little taste of By The Numbers for Day 20 at the bike store: 12 Clif bars, 3 hours, 2 tires, 1 inner tube, 1 pair of bike shoes, 1 spoke, and 1 rear derailer cable. Good thing we stopped! Our next "off day" goal was to test the reach of the generous Hatoun clan. It definitely stretches to the West Coast! Although, once again, no help on the hills - in fact, after about 50 iPhone yearnings on our journey, we found a flaw: no topography on the maps. The younger and non-biking Hatoun wanted us to get the clearest views from the highest hilltop of Divisadero Street as we ventured to his neighborhood (Lower Haight) in SF. Our first Mongolian Hot Pot dining experience was like escaping to an authentic chain in a less authentic Beijing strip mall. Great company and delicious food made for a fun night - thanks Matt, et al. ( This included 2 iPhone engineers! They're allowed to share less about their job than Israeli intelligence soldiers. Crazy.) Hope you won your Ski Ball match!

Day 19 - Today's Menu

The Obamalicious Cookie got us thinking that it might be fun to share one of our Michael Phelps-esque daily menus. Here's today's:

7:30 - Make peanut butter and potato chip sandwiches to get us going (gotta use leftovers!).
10:00 - Quick Carrot Cake Clif Bar stop.
11:00 - Stop at a deli/grocery store on a hunt for glazed donuts. We bought a glazed, powdered, and chocolate variety pack, and decided getting sandwiches for lunch somewhere down the road would save time.
12:30 - Skid to a stop as we pass the Hog Island Oyster Company farm and picnic area. Steph sticks with the plan and enjoys her sandwich, among other snacks, and Austin shucks his first 2 dozen oysters ever and half of his sandwich. Biking began again at about 2:30 - the sandwich time-saver backfired.
4:15 - Break at a state park for "homemade" (if home is the Safeway parking lot) trailmix.
5:30 - Stop @ a farmer's market in San Anselmo to pick up cheese, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, spinach, and oranges to be part/most of dinner.
7:00 - Stop at a farmer's market in Sausalito; eat delicious samples of sorbet, hummus, samosas, other Afghan, Mediterranean, and Indian snacks we don't know the names of; buy four scoops of sorbet; finish off our dinner purchases with a baguette and hummus.
9:00 - Eat all of the amazingly fresh and local products with the help of a fully stocked Marin Headlands Hostel kitchen until we drift into a food/biking induced coma.

Day 19 - Jenner, CA to Marin Headlands (Sausalito), CA - 79.8 miles

After 10 consecutive nights in the tent, just 3 miles away from number 11, and Steph even saying the tent is "starting to feel like home," we found ourselves at the River's End last night. After inquiring about last minute walk-in, teacher, biker, student, and even cash discounts, we got an ocean front cabin with views of the sun setting behind the rocky cliffs and sea lion colonies for $120. We still cooked dinner on the stove, but being on our cabin deck for the sunset and sleeping in a bed were much needed amenities after a long 10-night streak. Needless to say, we got a late start, but somehow exceeded our goal. The "how" may have been our new friend John (we'll call him Jon 2.0 - a "real biker" as Austin would say), who was out for a pre-race warm-up ride and became our Marin County tour guide. He said, "Put the map away, I'll bring you the scenic way. There'll be some hills, but I'll push you. I'll just grab your rack. Bike rack." He gave us the local scoop on the towns we had just biked through and yes, he did literally push Steph up the hill (not because she couldn't do it) but because he enjoyed making fun of Austin as they sped past. Austin tried to remember a time when Jon 1.0 stayed with him up a hill.

Day 18 - Mendocino, CA to Jenner, CA - 88.43 miles

The biggest town we saw today has a population of 585. It's really surprising that among the beautiful Pacific coast, less than 100 miles from San Francisco, the land is so sparsely populated. Around lunch time, we happened upon an adorable bakery where we bought some yummy treats including an "Obamalicious Cookie," described as having "every shade of chocolate chips and some nuts." We couldn't think of a better fitting recipe/description, but thought we'd try: a melting pot of granola, nuts, chocolate chips, with a dash of hope. What would you put in your "Obamalicious Cookie?"

Day 17 - Benbow, CA to Mendocino, CA - 75.80 miles

We survived our biggest climb today. While climbing, our thoughts meandered to things better suited for a car trip: seeing the West Coast from a comfortable seat, adventuring along The Lost Coast (an alternate, very hilly, remote route that we chose to bypass), driving through a tree in a car, taking a car on the ferry, and exploring Mendocino. Although we did take advantage of the private hot tub rooms available for rent in Mendocino, once we climbed to our campsite, we were prisoners to the perch and decided seeing more of Mendocino could wait until we drive the coast with Josh or whoever else is interested.

Pictures! (click on an image for a larger view)

Week 2 Top Ten

We knew to expect tremendous coastal views throughout our journey, but the wildlife we've seen along the way has been a nice surprise. Coming in at #10...

10. Domestic Dogs (the ones that don't chase us). We know they're not "wild," but there's a big dog culture out here and we've seen some head-turners!
9. Black Squirrels. (Like the gray ones, but black! We wanted flying squirrels on the list, but haven't seen any.)
8. Freshly Shorn Llama. This was freaky - it looked like a giraffe/naked mole rat hybrid.
7. Cows. This is because of what they were doing. ;) Austin wanted them #1...
6. Stellar Sea Lions and Harbor Seals. The good ones are self explanatory.
5. Redwoods. Who says it needs to be an animal!
4. Elk.
3. Grey Whales.
2. Black Bear Cub.
1. Deirdre and Seth. If you don't think they're wild, you don't know them very well! They barely beat out Keeper Harry and Harold Kite for the lone humans on the list.

Day 16 - Ferndale, CA to Benbow, CA - 64.75 miles

We really took a stop and go approach to the Avenue Of The Giants today - the 32 mile stretch through the real redwood forests outdid yesterday's sneak peak at the outskirts. We stopped at a couple of viewpoints, scanned the presentations at a few information stops, hiked through one of the groves, went to a wine tasting, and even fell asleep watching the movie at the Visitors' Center (before the wine). The most touristy thing we did, however (we know it's hard to beat all of that) was paying to bike through one of the "Drive Through Trees." Steph asked the gentleman at the gate what the money went toward, to which he replied, "Miracle Grow and the IRS." Not as good as preservation, but pretty funny.

Day 15 - Klamath, CA to Ferndale, CA - 91.2 miles

The ride today started with a gorgeous stretch through the rolling hills of the Redwood National/State Park where the Elk we saw actually outnumbered the cars. Seeing the Elk after about 10,000 ELK, Elk Crossing, and Elk Next 2 Miles signs was surprisingly not anticlimactic - some were "12 pointers!" We were also treated to our first legitimate bike trail - about a 10 mile winding path through the dunes. These were just a couple of the memorable stretches that the route took us OFF highway 101 today and allowed us to appreciate the ever-changing California landscape.

Week 2 By The Numbers

For week 2 values, we will put the totals from week 1 in parenthesis.

841.64 - total distance travelled, in miles
771 - lowest exit reached on Highway 101, in CA
420.08 - distance travelled in week 2, in miles (421.56)
92.40 - longest distance travelled in one day, in miles (75.38)
70.01 - week 2 miles/day of biking (67.15)
60.01 - week 2 miles/day (60.22)
8 - Number of songs it took on Austin's iPod to ascend our biggest climb so far. It was on shuffle and Daft Punk and Eminem were most effective.
7 - consecutive nights in the tent
5 - questions Austin asked Keeper Harry at the Yaquina Lighthouse
5 - unsatisfactory answers given by Keeper Harry
3 - states biked through (2)
3 - maps used
2.9 - longest distance travelled without pedaling, in miles
2 - new favorite beers (both by Kona Brewing Co.)
2 - meals at Cafe Stephanie's
1 - flat tire and broken spoke
1 - scavenger hunt item checked off the list

some - headlamp uses (0)
all - amenities democratically selected for "Ken's weekend"

Day 14 - Brookings, OR to Klamath, CA!! - 51.8 miles

In a strange way, Steph getting our first flat tire was exciting today. Not a lot exciting like reaching California, but a little exciting. We fixed it in no time and it gave us some By The Numbers material. Austin breaking a spoke was less exciting. We definitely didn't know how to fix it (we don't even think Jon knows how!) and we thought we were stranded when the only bike store on our map was closed. When in trouble...call a mom! We thought Tina might be on a computer commenting on blogs, so we tried her first. With some help from the Astors, she found Kite Harold, who said he'd open up shop for us. At the time we didn't question how he had picked up the phone if the shop wasn't open, but it soon became obvious. His directions brought us into a residential part of Crescent City, to a driveway, and finally a big garage. We were pretty skeptical at first as it seemed like a bike junk yard - items for sale not in their original wrapping, including "used but cleaned" water bottles, and even a box of water bottles with a "Your Store Here" logo. Luckily, he had a drawer full of spokes, and even one that was the right size! It turns out Harold Kite (apparently Tina found his yellow book listing) is a very good mechanic, but just not "on the map."

Day 13 - Port Orford, OR to Brookings, OR - 59.8 miles

Happy 4th of July! Obviously we're a bit late on this, but we hope you all had a great holiday. We were feeling great last night after our 90 mile day - but we guess we just talked a big game because it hit us like a ton of bricks this morning. The weather not letting us warm up didn't help either - breathing while biking through the cold morning fog was like having your head in a freezer (writing workshop). When our route bent about a mile inland, we were thrilled to find that it was 75 and sunny as the smells alternated between sap, fresh cut crops, and cows (writing workshop). We were excited to get back to the coast to see the views all the locals (and even our maps) have been talking up only to discover the strange ways of the Oregon coastal fog. No views, still cold. :( The day ended with a bang, as we suppose all of yours did, but did your fireworks display cost $26,000? The fog did not stop Brookings from seeing every dollar of that. We think there were four finales, but actually left in the middle so can't be sure.

Day 12 - Dunes City, OR to Port Orford, OR - 92.4 miles

New P.R.! High points of the day: waking up on the dunes, seeing a black bear cub run across the road right in front of us, and the views from Seven Devil's Road. Low points of the day: waking up on the freezing dunes, expecting mama bear to maul us, and the devilish climbs on Seven Devil's Road. Another interesting note is that during the day today, we passed an Austin Rd., an Austin Ave., and two Lois Lanes, but no Austin Ln. Someone was very upset about this.

More photos! Oregon again

Photos! from Oregon

Day 11 - Newport, OR to Dunes City, OR - 64.1 miles

We started off the day with one more fun meal at Cafe Stephanie's with D-A and Seth. Despite not getting on the bikes until 11:30, we still managed to reach our mileage goal with some stops along the way. The first stop at a viewpoint proved to be longer than expected after Steph temporarily forgot how to unclip her shoes and gracefully tumbled over - apparently it's not like riding a bicycle. The most notable stop was at the Sea Lion Cave - a bit of a tourist trap, but really cool. An elevator brought us 205 ft. into the ground where massive Stellar Sea Lions filled the biggest cave in North America. Just when we thought the adventures were over for the day as we rolled into camp, 3 German bikers in the same situation told us that there were no hiker/biker sites and said, "We're planning to hike into the dunes and wing it." They invited us to join them and we jumped at the opportunity to check our first item off the scavenger hunt. We followed Johannes, Evan, and Shtephen (we're pretty sure Jack or Jamie named him) into the dunes for about a mile before the forest gave way to endless dunes. We set up camp and shared stories of our journeys. They are doing the trip in the simplest way possible - they dug a hole in the sand to make fire, cooked up some pasta over the fire and then curled up in sleeping bags on the sand. We looked like we were from Greenwich when we set up our brand new REI tent and chowed down on our Subway dinner. They're on a $5/day food budget - our $5 dollar footlongs didn't seem like such a good deal anymore.

Day 10 - Newport, OR - 0 miles

Our first full off day was well worth the wait. Exploring the town in a car with Deirdre and Seth was a welcomed change as we hit all the historic Newport sites with just one pedal: Nye Beach, the laundromat, the harbor, the ATM, the best restaurants that Yelp could recommend (there's an app for that!), and the Yaquina Lighthouse where Keeper Harry was neither impressed with Austin's inquisitive nature, nor his pronunciation of Yaquina (Ya-KWIN-a - it's not Spanish). Newport had lots to offer, but the real fun of the day was hanging out and enjoying each other's company. We laughed A LOT while swapping stories, figuring out what to do in Cali (poll to follow), and brainstorming blog ideas. Deirdre suggested we start a scavenger hunt - not the type with clues or items to collect, but one made up of activities or adventures. They started it for us with a few activities - camp somewhere illegally, take a picture with 3 librarians, and swim in the Pacific North of San Simeon. Now is where we need your help, please post any ideas you have and we will keep a running checklist. Anything goes.

Day 9 - Cape Lookout State Park, OR to Newport, OR - 68.17 miles

Cape Lookout State Park wasn't as idealistic this morning as we had to climb our way out of it. The Oregon views, however, continued to impress as expansive dunes mixed their way in with the rocky cliffs. At the top of one climb, about 500 ft above sea level, we found ourselves in an unlikely forest with a sand floor and the ocean nowhere in site. Hopefully some of our pictures captured this scenery. The first roll of film should be up in about a week - thanks, Marshall! Oh, and grey whales spotted the coast on parts of today's ride. What could be better than dunes and whales? Deirdre and Seth! Today definitely ended with a new high as we met at camp on the eve of a much anticipated off-day.

Day 8 - Astoria, OR to Cape Lookout State Park, OR - 83.81 miles

New P.R. (personal record), despite a late start today! We'd like to thank the beautiful Oregon scenery for keeping us motivated and an even more beautiful Oregon tailwind for keeping us moving. Now that we're actually on the coast and not a Washington conglomerate of bays, inlets, sounds, and rivers; our ascents reward us with views of rocky cliffs plummeting into the sea; after which we coast into cute beach villages roaring with the sounds of waves crashing and honking. Anyone looking to enjoy the sounds of the Pacific in a tent without the honking should camp in the Cape Lookout State Park - it won't disappoint.

Thanks for all the well-wishes - Austin's tummy is currently one of his few non-sore parts.

Week 1 By the Numbers

421.56 - Distance biked, in miles
350 - Starting weight of the happy couple, in pounds, bone dry
75.38 - Longest distance biked in one day, in miles
67.15 - Average distance biked per day, in miles (not including off days)
60.22 - Average distance biked per day, in miles (including off days)
39.8 - Top speed, in mph
15 - Route diversions
14 - Unintentional route diversions
10 - "Jon would say" uses by Austin (He finds it to be an easier way to give Steph advice.)
6.17 - Time spent waiting for ferries, in hours
4 - Ferries taken, in ferries taken
2 - Countries biked through
2- States biked through
1 - Off days (We counted the 18 mile day as an off day.)
0 - Headlamp uses (Day 1 was the summer solstice and we're pretty far north)

Week #1 COMMENT AWARDS!!!!

"Insert trophy image here" (the library computer wouldn't let us)

The Lewis and Clark First Post Award -Seth Walker
The Jerry Seinfeld Comedy Award - H Joshua Kotin
The Hasbro Wordplay Award - Jon Hatoun
The Tina Lehn Quantity Award - Tina Lehn
The Jon Hatoun Pun Award - Gail Guertin for her use of "recharge"
The Vodafone Long Distance Award - Austin and Nikki Conboy
The Octogenarian Blogger Award - Nana Conboy
The Marshall Spooner Co-Author Brains Behind the Operation Award - Louisa and Katie

With the added incentive of AWARDS for posting, the competition could get stiff, but don't get discouraged - your name could be on here next week!!

Award Categories Subject to Change

Day 7 - Castle Rock, WA to Astoria, OR! - 66.71 miles

Austin got a fever. We had to stop riding because Austin is sick. That's not an Oregon Trail Joke. We bought 10 Clif Bars at the Trading Post but could only carry 6. That's an Oregon Trail Joke.

We're thrilled to be in state #2 - especially since we may have taken our last ferry to cross the Columbia River leaving Washington. Astoria is beautiful and Austin milked his illness for a night in a hotel on the water with a great view and great amenities!