Day 83 & 84 Hanging out in Portland

Zac is enjoying the city of Portland for the past two days.. He has been staying at the hostel which apparently is very well run and very well located. He will be forced to enjoy the city for one more day in waiting for me to fly in. It was difficult to get room reservations in Portland due to several festivals going on, the major of which, was the beer festival.Sunday morning, Zac will leave Portland and bike the final 90 miles to Seaside, OR. The plan is dip his wheels in the Pacific Sunday night if the winds are not terrific. I am planning on following him, meeting him for lunch and then continue on and wait for him at the water's edge... It is so very amazing that it is coming to an end. There is a bike shop in Astoria, OR that is used to shipping bicycles home to any point in the world and they will be packing up Zac's wheels.
It is very late and we have been working on a mailing for the ZAC ATTACK to return back to Aiken. The following is the insert from the mailing we have done:
the ZAC ATTACK is back!
from Hunting Island, SC to Seaside, OR…
….85 days,12 states and 4,000 miles…. Completed!

Zac Holford has cycled from “sea to shining sea”
To raise awareness and funds for
the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society….


…Drop In, Say Hello, & Celebrate!…
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Monday, August 4,, 2008
Newberry Hall.
117 Newberry St. SW. Aiken, South Carolina

There is a $20.00 donation at the door. Light appetizers will be served and a cash bar. This is a chance to chat with Zac but mostly to reach his goal for the most worth cause that has affected so many families. It is expected that the newspaper will have details to follow. We look forward to seeing you.. I look forward to seeing Zac and pinching his cheeks, those with spandex and those without... We will keep you posted of hitting the Pacific waters... Thanks to so very many people......
*posted by Zac's excited Mom!*

Day 82 Zac in Portland

Only about 90-100 miles from the Pacific Ocean!!!!! Day 82 should have Zac staying at the Hawthorne House, part of Hostel International. This historic home was built in 1909 and the room rates are unbelievable, and the company is international. Hawthorne Blvd is known for it’s quaint eateries, coffeehouses, pubs, unique shops, and the famous Bagdad Brew Pub & Theatre. Hawthorne House is quick trip to all of the City’s attractions such as Powell's Books, Old Town, the Pearl District, Nob Hill, Weekend Market, Washington Park, Pioneer Square, and Willamette River Promenade. Zac actually gets a day of rest to delay so that he can wait for me to arrive in Portland on Saturday. Under the energy and guidance of Kim Sincair (who used to babysit Zac when he was a mere toddler and has many stories to share), we are planning a Drop In at Newberry Hall in Aiken on Monday, August 4th. I will post further details. So very close to the other "shining sea" on Zac's quest of "Sea to Shining Sea"!

*posted by Zac's grateful Mom*

Day 81 Hood River, Oregon

Zac finds himself at the end of this day at Hood River, Oregon and there are no campsites, so he is forced to get a hotel room....he deserves a hotel room quite often at the end of this cross country ride. Apparently the ride today was a difficult, constantly fighting strong winds and challenging terrain. Hood River County is centrally located at the heart of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. It extends from the majestic Mt. Hood, north to the mighty Columbia River, which is the only river in North America that flows through a major mountain range (the Cascades) at near sea level. The County is rich in natural resources with agriculture, lumber and recreation as sources of revenue and industry. Fruit grown in the fertile valley is of such exceptional quality that the County leads the world in Anjou pear production. More than 14,000 acres of commercial orchards growing pears, apples, cherries and peaches provide miles of peaceful scenic beauty. Hood River County also has two ports and two boat basins which service commercial traffic as well as recreational boating. Due to the wealth of natural resources, this smaller county attracts many tourists during the summer months, which swells its permanent population of 20,500 significantly.
Zac was amazed by the beauty of the Gorge. He has had to battle winds of 35-45 miles at times. Taking his earphones off at one point almost proved disastrous because of a sudden wind gust. There are many pictures to share when he has time to post them. the new wheel is on and Zac is headed for Portland. Thank you for all the messages that you are sending to him.... He will have completed his plan
of "sea to shining sea"at the end of this week and will gladly head home to Aiken for a short R & R.

Day 80, Dalles, OREGON!

Zac spent the day in Dalles, following one of the most challenging 20ish miles of biking trail. This involved steep climbing, some of it on gravel...He had lunch with Chris and Katie, a couple that he had met earlier on the trail, a state or two ago. Zac was hoping to make it through biking the day with his wheel intact. He has had to order a new one from Portland to be shipped to him to continue his journey. This will delay his arrival at Seaside, Oregon. I am flying to Portland on Saturday which may "force" Zac to take a day of rest so that I can witness and photograph his dipping in the Pacific Ocean. Dad is not going to make it, cancelling office on such short notice. Hard to believe he has completed almost 4,000 miles on human power.
The Dalles is located in North Central Oregon, 75 minutes east of Portland in the Columbia River Gorge. The Dalles has a population of 11,880.The Dalles was the site of Fort Dalles. Established in 1850 to protect immigrants after the Whitman massacre, it was the only military post between the Pacific Coast and Wyoming.The Dalles, Oregon, has been home to humans for thousands of years. Lewis and Clark stopped here on their way west in 1805, and were followed by French trappers who noted the flagstone like rock and called the place les dalles, French for flagstone. Missionaries arrived in the 1830s, and as settlers started moving west on the Oregon Trail, Known as the end of the Oregon Trail, the Dalles was where pioneers loaded their wagons onto rafts or barges and floated down the Columbia River to the mouth of the Willamette River, then upriver to Oregon City.

*posted by Zac's proud mom*

Days 75-79 Zac is in Oregon

We have been travelling and Zac does not have his cell phone charger... so we have had difficulty communicating. Originally, since we were on the West Coast, I was going to stay and just go north to find Zac. Then, it appeared that there would be too much time between the two events.... but apparently not so. Zac got ahold of us as we were getting to our flight to return home on day 79. He was in Dallas, Oregon (I think because the reception was difficult) and has changed to another cycling route to finish. He was somehow cycling through Oregon, going into Washington State and return to Oregon, to complete this long journey at Seaside Beach in less than a week!!!! Seaside lies on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, at the southern end of the Clatsop Plains, about 18 miles south of where the Columbia River empties into the Pacific. At the end of Broadway, Seaside's main street, lies "The Turnaround." It is a roundabout designed to turn traffic around when the street dead ends at the Pacific Ocean. In the middle of "The Turnaround" stands a statue of Lewis and Clark. The statue signifies that not only tourists "turn around" in Seaside, but that Lewis and Clark turned again for home, and their report to fellow Albemarle, Virginia resident Thomas Jefferson, when they reached the Pacific Ocean. Good news.. Zac does not have to bike back! We were planning to go much further north to see his lymphoma-surviving-94-yr.old grandfather.. We are hoping to go meet him, go with him to Alberta, and then bring Zac home. We also hope to do a very relaxed drop in downtown Aiken to welcome Zac home and thank everyone for their interest and their support.. Zac has reached 85% of his goal and so I was hoping to get working on reaching that goal as Zac reaches his. I have my work really cut out for me as well. Zac is to check in today and we are scrambling to make arrangements to go and meet him. Thank you again for all your prayers, good wishes, and support.... there are so many of you out there asking about Zac and I hope he gets to read all the notes when he comes home.

*posted by Zac's grateful mom*

Day 73 & 74 No word from Zac

We have not had word from Zac in the past two days. If he is still biking with Tjoan, then they would be camping in campgrounds or remote areas. He left Missoula and the cycling map has him go west and then more south than west through Idaho. Then only Oregon to go! It is absolutely amazing. Zac has reached 84% of his goal of $15,000 and I am hoping to see if I can help reach it before he gets home. This weekend is the wedding of our senior partner's son, David. There are many memories of Zac and David at Lake Murray We wish David and Kimberly much happiness in the many years to come! Zac was hoping to be done this weekend but with the delays of bike parts and other complications, he has some way to go!
*posted by Zac's mom who has not begun to worry too badly as yet*

Day 72... What a Small World!

Day 72 ends with no word yet from Zac. He had been charging his phone at one of the bike shops a few towns ago and forgot his charger. So we have to rely on the pay phones until he replaces it... HOWEVER, today, I received the very nicest surprise. A wonderful woman from Clarks Hill, SC, Karen S. called to say that she and her family say Zac in a restaurant on July 8th in Virginia City, MT. Her son attends USC and had his South Carolina hat on, Zac was glad to talk to him. Mary and Bill chatted with him, came home, did alittle research and called me. Mary works at the University of South Carolina, The very nicest gift! Mary said he looks great and was in great spirits and I am sure, very glad to talk to someone from home. The road is getting long for Zac and he is anxious to get to the West Coast. I still believe that the Moms of the USA need to form a network to check on our children as they head out on their own.... We will wait to hear from Zac to see where he is travelling.

*Posted by a very grateful MOM of Zac!*