I started my cycling vacation by catching the Amtrak Coast Starlight from Oxnard CA to Portland OR. I don't know why Amtrak insists on forcing us to use those detestable bike boxes on this train. Just install some bike racks in the baggage car like the Cascades route has. The bike boxes are wasteful and bloody annoying. I found my pedals don't use the pedal wrench I brought but take an 8mm hex key instead. Had to run over to an autoshop and bribe someone to take my pedals off for me. I swear I will never take Amtrak again if I have to use those damn boxes.
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| Picture from the train up to Portland. A premonition of weather to come. |
Arrived in Portland on Monday. Had to find a bike shop to sell me an 8mm hex key so I could tighten my pedals. My Garmin map does not realize that Portland has a one way system. It also doesn't realize that some roads have tram tracks exactly where cyclists need to ride. It seemed to delight in sending us the wrong way along roads. Found a bike store. Ate a great meal at an Italian restaurent. Found out I had only packed one pair of cycling shorts. Went back to the bike store.
Slept at a really crappy Econolodge. They put us in a room next to the soda machine that was continuously beeping, perhaps to tell someone it was empty. Had to demand a different room. When we got up in the morning the machine was unplugged. I guess enough guests complainted.
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