Monday 29 August 2011

Cycling Again

I have, so far, cycled from Skamokawa to Tillamook, and have left Washington behind me to explore Oregon.  I am beginning to think of America as being more like Europe, a conglomerate of individual states with distinct personalities and character, and distinct operational differences.  In Washington for example the bus system is amazing, cheap, covers a lot of ground, and takes buses.  In Oregon there appears to be no bus system or public transport at all.  However in Oregon there are better tourist facilities, every town it seems have a visitor information centre with friendly helpful staff, there are free maps galore, and the road is signposted regularly as being the Oregon coast bike route.
For some unknown reason I am finding the cycling much harder than my first stint, so I will say no more about it for now! Also, why do Americans feel the need to honk when they go through narrow tunnels?  I understand the holding your breadth - but honking? It was horrible!!!!
I have seen some beautiful beaches with wrecks of ships, and huge stacks and rock formations.  I went to the Columbia river maritime museum which was very good, and today I visited the Tillamook Air Museum, which was amazing, mainly for its building which is an old world war blimp hanger. It is huge!  You can see it for miles around, and then upon entering it, and looking up, it simply took my breath away, it is vast.  It is a huge tunnel basically with sides that curve upward to form the roof, and it is cathedral like, only far vaster.  It covers an area of seven acres and is 192 feet high, 1,072 feet long, and 296 feet wide.  So big that you can fly a plane through it.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Jenny!!!
    I have just read about your adventure...yes I am meant to be working, but Leeds is dull compared with your trip, and probably a lot of other things as well! It looks fantastic and I am just a little (well a lot) jealous of what your doing, especially the cycling part. I'll continue to follow with interest...take some pics of the ocean for me, I love the Pacific!
    Lizzie x (Brighton and York!)

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  2. Hey Jenny, was thinking of you when we were in America a few weeks....I am guessing you were not hit by the earthquake and hurricane Irene like we were... I will fill you in about it via email later! Sounds like you are having a great time and I wish I was travelling around america with you....really wishing I wasn't back at work! So jealous of you!! Anyway I will email you soon. Lots of love Swaati xxx

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