yamhill to corvallis

after my longest day of cycling, about 55 miles rainier to yamhill, there was still no great soreness in my legs. i've been doing a little stretching here and there. keeping a high cadence and taking lots of breaks certainly helps.

yamhill county is oregon's burgeoning wine region. riding through this rolling countryside i was reminded of the riding i did in tuscany, italy. along the roads were crop lands and old farms tucked into the hills and interspersed with patches of woods. wheat was ripening and i saw some had been harvested already. there were many acres cover cropped with red clover. then there is the striking green of corn and many fields of hay. at a junction near some rows of homogenous houses i found my first ripe blackberries of the year!

as i entered the fringe of the city of Carlton i stopped at Cana's Feast Winery, the first one i've passed that was right on the road. it looked nice and welcoming. i thought i'd see about a wine tasting. so i brushed my teeth and headed in. they charge $10 for a full tasting, and refund it for every $40 spent on wine. i like this honest deal, but just wanted a free sample. they were gracious enough to give me a sample of one of their wines, i believe it was their Sangiovese. very sharp while filling the mouth with a feeling of wholeness.
the young man told me they source as much as they can for the restaurant locally and pointed out the small garden where they grow a lot of herbs. he said he wants to get involved with a food-exchange project when he moves to the area. in this one he knows about each member grows something, they pool the produce, and then split it up like CSA shares. cool!
when i was on my way out a woman asked me where i was riding to. she was from portland and said she and her family do some touring around the area. i noticed on their table was a thick-noodled pasta very similar to what i ate at a little hosteria in siena.

in Amity i got three more samples of wine from the area. this was at the nice shop across from a couple nice cafes and a bakery. it was an impressive little strip for the small town. this shop had hazelnuts in the shell and i should have bought some. but i thought to muself, "i can surely find them at the coop in corvallis." that is not the case. nor can you find them it seems at any natural food stores in eugene! i hear there is a guy at the farmer's markets... just seems silly to me in this land of filberts that you don't have the option to get them shelled or not.

i arrived in corvallis much later than i had intended to, but it was alright. i went straight to the coop and got some grass fed meat, eggs, cheese, a ginger brew, some mushrooms, a few potatoes and a yam. i was on my way to a BBQ! the warmshowers host in corvallis was cora and her partner mike. they were already at the BBQ. it was a nice time, and there were even some illegal fireworks shot off by some loony old guy. glad i could be there for this community gathering.

another thing i liked about this day was that once when i stopped to take a drink, in Rickreal, a guy came out of his house to see if i needed anything. make sure i had enough water... so i went in and had some water and used his restroom. he had done some cycle touring himself! nice guy and we really connected. this was the house he grew up in and he takes care of his old mother there. there was a nice grape vine outside the bathroom window he said was planted there for shade, and he keeps a patch of blackberries by the house so he doesn't have to go far for them.
then i stopped again later, close to corvallis, when i was running low on water and saw a guy out planting some flowers by the road. cosmos.



he filled my water bottle as i munched some snacks. his son had done touring like me, but had died when hit by a dump truck somewhere in ohio. the man and his wife intend to put a water fountain and bench by the road in front of their house for cyclists in his honor. i was deeply touched and thought this a great idea.

blue dog to yamhill county

this picture is me with janis, who is holding an egg i found laid on top of an oil drum. i was wondering where these chickens like to lay their eggs. probably lots of other funny places too.

i was served a nice breakfast of eggs and oatmeal(with raw goat milk!). i got to help with washing algae out of the animal's water containers and i milked one of the several does that are in milk currently. here is my tally of the animals living on these couple acres:




60-70 chickens (at least)
7 ducks
5 guinea hens
3 geese
2 turkeys
3 pigs
around 50 goats (10 kids) la mancha/alpine/oberhasli/
15 sheep shetland/black welsh mountain
10 cats
3 dogs
a miniature horse
a jenny (female donkey)
a hinny
a miniature zebu (kind of cow)
and "some turtles and birds" in the house

this is achieved by feeding them a lot of hay and other feeds. i wished so much that these folks could have more land to keep their animals on in a healthier way. they were intending to put a fence around the back, forested part, where the treehouse is so that the animals could browse there. it just takes a lot of work. marianne had planted grass seed in one paddock that was growing nicely, and she intended to rehabilitate other areas, applying composted manure to the trampled soil.

these folks were so kind to me and i left feeling invigorated. they had told me about a spring where folks in this area like to get their water. for those travelling through this area, check it out. it is on a gravel road, just off of apiary rd, on the left near a red barn that reads 'TEEN TREES'. i filled my water bottle there even though i was still climbing. i especially enjoy this riding through forested areas. many loaded logging trucks passed me, headed for the mill on the columbia river. i might have been less comfortable if i'd been going in the same direction. as it was i felt safe even with a fairly narrow shoulder much of the way. thimble berries continued to provide nourishment and i found some good salmon berries too!

at vernonia i got on a bike trail that is built on an old rail way. it was a really nice 21 mile stretch. i met a chef from portland on the path i had seen him in vernonia and he caught up to me when i stopped to stretch. the second half of that bike path went by a lot more quickly with the conversational company. he then gave me a ride 6 miles down a boring section of highway to the city of forest glen. i gave him some peppermint a woman had pulled out of her garden by the roots for me. he doesn't have space to grow a garden where he lives, but i thought this mint would be a great potted plant!

in forest glen i was feeling kind of low. the library was closed. i wasn't sure whether to ride on and seek a place to stay near one of the smaller towns. but then some pleasant experiences lifted my spirits. i happened upon a cool little school-garden project nestled in a space between two ugly warehouse buildings. it metal gate made by a local artist and a double cob bench with green roof! a girl was there harvesting some wildflower seeds. she told me a bit about the garden and i told her a little about what i was doing. she recommended checking out a couple permaculture gardens there in forest glen. one of them happened to be on my way out of town. it is called 'B st. gardens' and it sure looked cool from the gate. but it was closed, so i headed on out of forest grove, feeling satisfied.

as i rode on i was thinking i would be okay with sleeping under some bush by the side of the road, or in a nook of some building in a town, but i could also find another place like i did the night before. so i opened myself up to that. i turned my intuition up to high and kept riding.

four miles before the city of yamhill, in yamhill county, i rode by a small home where a couple were sitting in lawn chairs at the mouth of their garage. i thought i noticed some signs of garden in the back... but anyway i felt compelled to stop and do my pitch, which in my head was something like, 'i'm travelling around the country offering my help in folk's gardens and on small-scale farms, and i'm in need of a place to stay tonight.' it came off alright, though a little clumsy, and they said i could use their guest room for the night!

at their place i was able to do justice to the kale i had carried from blue dog farm. i also enjoyed fresh mint/lemonbalm tea (mint from a woman i stopped to talk to in vernonia, LB from blue dog). they baked me a potato for the next day's lunch.
it is just the warmest feeling to be hosted so graciously by folks i just dropped in on. they seemed grateful that i had shown up too. there is something magical about relating this way.

longview to blue dog farm in rainier

left late in the day 8/4 from longview, riding through the heavily congested area felt a bit oppressive. when i saw another touring cyclist as i appeoached the bridge, i expressed this to her. she as where i was headed. she was heading accross the bridge too but was a little concerned about the narrow shoulder. i told her i'd ride behind her we headed over. it was nice to meet a kindred spirit just then, as i feel often happens when i need a lift of spirit.

i'd decided to bicycle from longview down through the willamette valley, even though there was a place i could stay in astoria, while heading this way i had no idea where i would spend the night. i wanted to ride where i've never ridden and open my agenda up to chance.

the guy at the chainsaw carving place in rainier advised me that there is a road winds up the hill, but thought i was a little crazy to ride it. old rainier road turned out to be quite pleasant for me due to the shade of the trees, very little traffic, and abundant thimble berries. all this makes a long climb less tiring, even kind of fun! i would reccommend this road over turner rd. even thought that way may be shorter in distance.

up at the top of the hill i made my way to apiary rd. where i would proceed to vernonia. seemed kind of risky to continue onto this stretch because there are no towns for thirty miles or so and i was unsure of the availabililty of water. i have a second litre bottle, but would rather not ride with two full bottles if i don't have to. so, with a couple hours left in the day, i was keeping my eye out for a place to stay the night.

a sign in a driveway on the left caught my attention. as i slowed and took a gander my senses were filled with the presence of animals, chickens and ducks roaming the yard and more, larger animals farther back. the earth was bare from being picked over and scratched. these folks live intimately with the farm animals.
the sign said, "welcome to my farm" and was over a little egg stand with sign and small fridge containing eggs. as i pulled into the driveway and approached the gate the big, shaggy dog began to bark and an old woman came down from the house.
i told her my situation, requesting a place to stay the night. she wouldn't have me in the house, i think mainly due to her concern for the safety of her and her two daughters('just me and the girls here" she explained), but maybe it was too cluttered for me to be comfortable too? and the yard belonged to the animals. so she was suggesting the park nearby or under the powerlines, where there is an easement. i was ready to do that and said i would come back in the morning if it was okay to buy some eggs if they could be cooked up in her kitchen. but her daughters had come out by this time and the idea came up from one of them that maybe i could sleep in the tree house... but my feet might hang over the edge... i brightened up at this and so they agreed to show me back there to see if it would suit me. my gentle persistence had paid off!

that evening i helped by clearing the path to the tree house, feeding the green material to the livestock(mostly goats and sheep). i was brought a plate of food, of which i ate some homemade, soft goat cheese on rounds of summer squash. in addition to this bit of food i ate my own soaked hazel nuts, salmon jerky, baby carrot greens(from the thinning i'd done that morning in longview), and cheese. the girls had a lot of chores to do, but spent some time with me talking. i meditated and got a decent rest in the tree house. feet didn't hang off the edge and there were no mosquitos!





earlier i had been feeling like i should have taken off earlier so i could have gotten farther along, but if i had passed by here earlier in the day i might not have stopped. this was clearly meant to be, as everything is.

Twin Brooks to Longview, WA

while at twin brooks farm i had some time to relax, cook meals, engage in important conversations, and pitch in on some projects. the first day i helped build a brush pile as habitat in a stand of fir trees that was planted twenty years ago. the stand is right next to a stream and used to be pasture. another of my jobs that day was to pick pie cherries from one tree that had been netted. the next day i harvested and washed some beets, removed the netting from that cherry tree, picked blueberries, and made lunch and dinner. the white bean and vegetable soup came out really good. it is great to have some vegetables right from the garden!

two WWOOFers were there during my visit and i connected with both of them over the similarities of our interests and paths in life. Yossi has been WWOOFing for two years and, like me, sometimes imagines being a subsistence farmer working in cooperation with a property owner for mutual benefit. we meditated together the first night. my arrival was an omen for him to sign up for a vipassana course. Ginger is on a mission to learn skills that will help her live the subsistence lifestyle, in which she wishes to harmonize with the deva's (spirits, elemental, divine beings). it was very affirming for me to come in contact with these people i could relate to so strongly.
i was also overjoyed to have an outhouse to deposit my valuable humanure in while at the farm.

after these couple wonderful days and restful nights i rode off on my way to longview. in this area south of chehalis there are lots of farms and ranches mixed in with homes with big lawns and patches of forest. this time of year there is a lot of hay in various stages of harvest. used to be that bringing in the hay was something a whole community did together. now, with the use of machines, it's more often a one-man job.
in winlock there is a library where i stopped to use the internet. very pleasant to sit in the cool library on a hot afternoon. i met the nicest young cyclist there who started up conversation and chatted with me for a while as i muched on some food. she said she loves her town of winlock. she's trying to get in shape for soccer. she was so friendly! i'm finding nice people everywhere i go and this day i really noted it.

i got water along the way at a park, two gas stations, the library, and a bar. it would be nice to have a public fountain in the middle of each town that cyclists could utilize. many towns in italy have them.




















it took me about five hours to ride the nearly fifty miles to longview and up the big hill to my host's house. these are my first hosts i found on this hospitality site called warmshowers. they have been the most gracious of hosts. here i was able to help out just a little in the garden by picking blueberries from one very bountiful bush and thinning a couple rows of carrots.

NVC to Twin Brooks Farm

it was not a long ride from the meditation course to Twin Brooks Farm. the weather was fine and i was feeling great after all the meditation.
riding around in this area i get barked at by a lot of dogs. sometimes the dogs are not fenced or tethered and will come out onto the road barking. this is a bit scary, but i've found they stop short of attack, and usually will not chase. i get funny looks from other animals too, like horses and cows, and sometimes startle ones closer to the road as i ride by.
a great pleasure on the way was eating some of the richest thimble berries i've ever had! i came accross on small patch first, and later on took the time to browse a much larger patch along the road. i'd been hoping for a couple years that i would have this pleasure again, and here i was being offered this bounty! i couldn't believe nobody else was interested in eating these! they tasted like sweet tarts!



i brought some to share with the folks at Twin Brooks. i learned last year that if you pick the whole stem with unripe berries on it, and put it in water in a warm spot, the berries will ripen over a few days! wonder if this can be done with other berries?

meditation course

it was a good experience serving ('dana service') at the meditation course held july 20th-31st at the Northwest Vipassana Center. the kitchen is where i worked mostly to help provide meals for the hundred or so people at the center. three times a day us servers joined in the group meditation hours in the hall. i met some wonderful people there and overall enjoyed a very beneficial and pleasant time along with a lot of hard work.
one part of the work that was especially important to me was tending to the compost. there was a huge pile there because the regular courses at the center produce so much food waste. my assessment the fisrt time i took out a load of compost was that the pile needed aeration. it was especially wet from recent rain.
in the kitchen i noticed that we were throwing away the brown paper towels that we were required by health code to dry our hands with. it occurred to me that it could be a beneficial carbon material to balance to food waste. so i began layering in the paper, and also cardboard waste from the kitchen i tore into small pieces. normally the center draws from a pile of manure they get from a nearby farm, but it had all been used up.
so while i was also giving service in other ways, i got my wish to specifically work with giving back to the soil. there is a vegetable garden at one of the residences on the land, which can make use of some of the compost, and maybe in the future this garden will expand and provide lots of nutritious food for meditators. wherever i am i'd like to be doing my part to steward the soil so that it is there for whoever comes after me. this is for my own benefit, for i may pass through this place again one day, and if everyone acted this way, wherever i go, where others have been doing this good deed, there will be abundance for me to share in.

tacoma to NVC

the day started at the house in parkland. i rode with my reasonably loaded bike over to my friend's bike shop, Defianace Bicycles, to check it out. it is a really cool little shop that chris kopp, a buddy of mine from high school, brought into service not too long ago. i got a new pair of bike gloves(planet bike brand) and pumped up my tires.



i took the train from tacoma to centralia. such a nice way to travel with a bicycle when they can just hang the bike up on a hook in the baggage car. the woman sitting next to me was a singer and we had a nice chat.

shortly after passing through chehalis, which i noticed has a most impressive wooden play structure in one of it's parks, i noticed an interesting garden on my right. they had built a structure with plants growing upside-down and buckets hanging as planters. there was a small homemade greenhouse of lumber and glass with raised beds of a large vegetable garden surrounding it. i decided i had to stop to chat and ask for a drink of water. i first met ryan, who told me when i commented on the garden, "we're working towards self-sufficiency. this is just a start." his wife and two kids came out and i got a little tour of the garden. these folks gave me a lot of hope for humanity. in addition to continuing expansion of the vegetable garden, they are going to get some milking sheep.

i made it to the vipassana center shortly before dark and was greeted with a table full of food to dig into as i liked. heavenly.