The Wingnuts Wanderings

What a dramatic change in scenery once I headed inland away from the coast. Rolling hills and wide valleys. Large farms with cattle, vegetables and grasses. I had fresh Oregon strawberries, good, but not like ours. That evening I grabbed a hotel in Corvallis for 2 nights to allow for a rest day. Corvallis is the home of Oregon State University. A nice small older city with lots of small shops, breweries and restaurants. Saturday morning there is a farmer's market. I bought fresh strawberries, fudge and smoked salmon. What a combo. Monday morning on the road again. More quiet roads with great views. I peddled to Eugene Ore. and found a nice campground a short distance from town. I spent 2 nights here. Monday I went into Eugene and spent the day there. I went to a couple of really nice parks. One right next to Oregon University, the home of the ducks.

The TransAmerica Bicycle Trail starts in Astoria Ore. and travels south along the coast for a short while. The coast of Oregon is not like anything I have ever seen. Dramatic vistas, steep cliffs and more scenic views then imaginable. The first day I traveled from Astoria south along the coast through the towns of Seaside, Cannon Beach, Arch Cape and onto Nehalam Bay State Park. I continued down the coast past Manhattan Beach, Rockaway Beach and on to Tillaook. Free tours of the cheese factory are available. I passed on it. Trying to be dairy free. That evening I camped in Pacific City at a nice county campground that had the biggest rabbits roaming that I have ever seen. They liked strawberries. From Pacific City the route went just a short ways farther before turning inland away from the coast. Every turn and every corner produced one incredible scene after another. My short time on the coast was rememerable.

The Trans America Bicycle trail starts in Astoria Or. I arrived here on Saturday May 18. I assembled my bike and started to prepare for my departure. Originally I wanted to start to ride on Monday. There were complications with my shifting and I decided to delay my start until Tuesday so that the bike shop in town, Bikes and Beyond, could take a look at it. I'm glad I did. The extra day gave me a little time to look around the town.

There many people that need to be thanked that have made this trip possible. First I need to thank my amazing wife, my girl Fred, Kathy Pelletier. Kathy's complete support and encouragement has been beyond belief. I think see is more excited about this ride then I am. To know that Kathy believes in  me will help make this adventure more enjoyable. One day last April on a whim I went for a car ride to Saco Maine to check out this little touring orientated  bike shop. I went to look at the Rivendell bikes and after talking bikes and the utility nature of touring bikes I decided a Kona Sutra would better serve my needs. Jason and Mike built me up a great bike customized to my needs.                                                                                                                                                        A constant source of encouragement and resource for all of those little things you never knew you needed has been my old friend Jim Hartman. I am

It is to wander. The stars have aligned, and time is allowing me to fulfill a long time quest. Anyone that knows me knows that bicycles have always been a very important part of my life. One of my mottos is " Long live long rides". I am off on the longest ride of my life. Astoria, Oregon to Bar Harbour, Maine are going to be the starting and ending points of this cross country bike tour. I will be following routes printed by The Adventure Cycling Association.  The ride follows the Trans America Bicycle Trail from Oregon to Idaho,Montana, Wyoming,  Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and into Kentucky.  In Kentucky I plan on following The Underground Railroad Historic Bicycle Trail north through Ohio to Pennslyvania near Lake Erie to join the Northern Tier Bicycle Trail and ride across New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and on to Maine. Follow me here as I wander across this great country of ours. I am also on Facebook @ Robert Winot and Instagram @robertwinot