Pinkbike.com takes to the road-Day 1:Chilliwack, BC to Hood River, Oregon

Apr 7, 2007

The last few weeks in the office have been long to say the least, but there's been a light at the end of the tunnel. A road trip and this time the bikes get to come along too-HELL YEAH! Pinkbike.com is on the road and headed to the Sea Otter Classic at Laguna Seca Race Way in Monterey California. This year we are loading the bikes and making an attempt to get some rides in along the way from Chilliwack BC to Monterey California.

Normally I am a planner when I hit the road with a bike destination, but this time I knew that my travelling partner had tasks that had to be achieved before we could set out. Radek has been living attached to his keyboard night and day for the past week or so building, repairing and programing away with coffee just been pumped into him via intravenus. Ok so the coffee part isn't true, but that guy is one dedicated programmer.

With his tasks completed and things running smoothly, we were able to pack up and hit the road at about noon today. Step one when heading to the states is always a smooth border crossing and that was today's very first goal. Passports, birth certificates and driver's licenses in hand, we pulled up and began the light interegation.

-yes we have jobs in Canada (and homes) and we were not in fact looking for work in the USA.
-yes we are going to a BIKE festival in California.
-no we are not professional cyclists-cause we're too fat!! (he laughed a little and let us to go on our merry way)

We (two folks that have let the desk side of work get the better of us lately and we've become fuller for it) now found ourselves in the land of plenty-3L cokes in case 2Ls wasn't enough, beer at every gas station incase you are drinking and driving and need to fill up on both and lots more well rounded individuals like us where ever you looked. Finally we were fitting in (maybe not into last summer's riding shorts, but its a start).

So the van is loaded up with our bikes and the trusty laptop so that I can get some riding in and share the ride with you. Today was a travel day, so you get to hear about going to Fry's Electronics (twice). If you reading stop here, I won't judge you. Haha!

So just south of Seatle, is Renton Washington, where tonight was the Northwest Dirt Culture 2 Premiere. We were going through town way too early for that, but never too early for a stop at Fry's Electronics for some good old fashioned geek bits. Ok so Radek is the computer geek and I'm jonesing to see the new bike parts at Sea Otter, but we each need our time to check out the latest and greatest in each realm. So walking down the game console isle, we see this kid rocking out on Guitar Hero 2. Radek quickly threw the kid aside and took charge to rock out. After a quick riff or two it was decided to just get what we were there for and move on down the highway. (but I could tell the seed had been planted)

Well as soon as we crossed the border into Oregon the wheels in Radek's head tuned into Fry's again (something about no tax here) and the next search for Fry's #2 began. Wilsonville was our next destination south of Portland-totally the wrong way from Hood River, but this guy was like a Hound Dog on the trail of a Racoon and it was Fry's or bust. This time the shopping was serious for both of us. I walked out with a new Garmin Edge 305 HR GPS unit for biking (which I'll be returning in the next two days as some dumb ass charged me for the HR model, but this dumbass didn't notice that it was the cadence-road bike- model that was handed to me at the till-ARGH!), an XBOX 360 with Guitar Hero 2 (so that Radek can play too and not bully kids for the sample set ups-Aaron, when is the next comp at your place?), oh and of course the latest editions of Mountain Biking and Decline magazines (we all need our porn). I'm not sure what Radek picked up-probably some new lazer/bluetooth mouse with built in phone or the newest iPod hologram projection thingy, but either way I'm sure he's stoked.


Arms full of geek bits, we loaded up the van again and headed back to Portland and then east to Hood River. Neither of us have ever been here, but since arriving at about 8 pm, I am betting we'll be here for atleast 2 days and skipping one day from elsewhere on our list of destinations. The town has a great feel to it and after making a few calls the trails sound sick too. We've checked into a hotel, set up Guitar Hero 2 and the computers and are stoked to get out on the bikes tomorrow.


Radek:

Hold up one sec there Tyler. Talk about geeking out. I think you are way more of a nerd than me.

So we roll into Hood River, still on the off ramp into the city, and here is Tyler hounding out through the dark, some sign on some building. "hey, that's a big Dakine sign on that building". Yeah, that's great Tyler. Yes, I know you have their 6 piece travel luggage set with all your gear in the back of this van, and probably a set of Dakine embroidered ginch but it's 9 pm and I have to take a piss and get some food, so lets move on. "Hold up, I think Dakine is in Hood River. Yes...yes..yes, let's go there, it's just around the corner, turn here, that must be it."


Well there is no stopping him. My first experience in Hood River is watching Tyler stalk the Dakine building, rattling all the locked doors, and jumping up to peek through the windows that are just a little too high for him. 30 minutes later, I started to see the rest of the town.

See you on the trail Butter!-RB


I'll have bike shots in tomorrow's update for ya'll. If anyone out here in Hood River wants to show us around, please drop me an email at tyler@pinkbike.com