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Day 31 - Friday June 15 Tribune, KS – Pueblo,CO (overnight in motel) 171 miles, 1952’ up, 1000’ down Upon reaching Ordway I felt strong and had good weather and road conditions. With a Smothered Burrito from the truck stop in my gas tank, I decided it was time to be on my own for a while and kept riding. My cheeks and saddle became one and the sun held in the sky so I pushed into Pueblo, CO. On the outskirts of the city I finally put on my headlamp and navigated by it to my motel in town at 10 p.m.. I still had mileage left in the legs after 171 miles. I had worse 40+ mile days. Day 32 - Saturday June 16 Pueblo – Florence, CO (overnight in tent at city park) 41 miles, 1919’ up, 1463’ down After the best oatmeal ever (plus pancakes and eggs), I toured the city and visited the city park. Finally left for the Rockies in early afternoon. A couple of baby hills in the sun reminded me what it was like to climb again after over a week of flat lands. Stopped in Florence for the evening, a nice town, especially if you are into antiques. I stayed at the city park with a couple of other cyclists on our route. We were warned that the sprinklers came on at 5 a.m. so we decided to put up our tents in the shelter. Sure enough, at 5 a.m. it sounded like a thunder storm had hit but it was just the Toro pop-up sprinklers all pressurizing at the same time. Day 33 - Sunday June 17 Florence – Current Creek Hostel, CO (overnight in hostel bunkhouse) 43 miles, 4265’ up, 1023’ down Onwards and upwards on Father's Day. Called my dad before I lost cell service early in the morning but did not get a chance to call home before I lost it. Climbed most of the morning and early afternoon and ended up at a Hostel just short of our first pass. I was only the third visitor all season. The accomodations included a well for water, a bucket shower to be filled from the well, an outhouse, and a very nice cabin stocked with hundreds of books. After my low-flow cold shower, I picked out Catcher in the Rye and spent the afternoon and early evening munching on snacks (my dinner) and reading on the shaded porch. Day 34 – Monday June 18 Current Creek Hostel – Fairplay, CO (overnight in tent behind fire station) 43 miles, 2280’ up, 1230’ down Up at 6 a.m. to get over the Current Creek Pass early before it got hot. After clearing the pass by 7 a.m., it was a fairly easy ride to breakfast. Unfortunately, when I left breakfast, a nasty headwind had kicked into gear and made the next 20 miles a slow undertaking. It took about three hours to battle the wind and minor uphill grade. I finished in Fairplay where Craig and Sharon and several other tourers had decided to spend the night rather than attacking the next pass in the wind. None of the facilities in town looked worth paying for so I got permission from the fire chief to pitch my tent behind the firehouse. Finished the night at Pizza Hut where I took advantage of the all-you-can-eat salad bar. Day 35 - Tuesday June 19 Fairplay – Kremmling, CO (overnight in tent behind old fire station) 83 miles, 2657’ up, 4993’ down Up at 5:15 and packed to leave by 6 a.m. to push up to the pass before the winds woke up. I was on the pass by 8 followed shortly by my two friends from Florence and shortly thereafter by Craig and Sharon. After a brief celebration on the continental divide at 11,500 feet (our highest point on the trip), it was a quick trip to Breckinridge for another breakfast (I had three mini-breakfasts already). After visiting town for a while (reminds me of Whistler), it was down a winding set of bicycle trails to Silverthorne. After a little library time and midday heat avoidance time I rejoined the main route on Hwy 9 at 5:00. Down the road the route guide took a longer and hillier route around the Green Mountain Reservoir which I followed rather than stay on Hwy 9. I was hoping for dinner in Heeney since it was getting late but found it was closed because of a family boating accident during the day. If I was going to have dinner, I would need to make it another 17 miles to Kremmling before dark. Along the way at the north end of the reservoir I went over the dam that had a spillway that looked perfect for tubing. I pulled into Kremmling before dark and stopped on the edge of town to study my local map. I was immediately attacked by mosquitoes and so put the map away and rushed to a restaurant recommended by a man in Heeney. As I was getting off of my bike, the mosquitoes attacked some more. I had a nice dinner and stayed inside until after dark. By the time I went back out to my bike the mosquitoes had bedded down for the night which allowed me to leisurely set up camp behind the old fire station. I thought it might be an long night as a woman was standing outside a house across the street calling for the occupant to come out. When the occupant finally responded, the woman went into a long story of why she was leaving the occupant’s friend and that he was supposed to pass along the message. She returned later and repeated the process but I think that was it for the night (or I could have slept through the rest). Day 36 - Wednesday June 20 Kremmling – Walden, CO (overnight in tent at city park) 81 miles, 3198’ up, 2467’ down Up at 5 to beat the mosquitoes out of bed. It worked and I left town before their wakeup call. This was one of the best riding days of the trip with comfortable temperatures (highs in the 70’s), good roads, and little traffic. I stopped for a filling breakfast in Hot Sulphur Springs and stopped again at a bird sanctuary where I saw Pelicans (I did not know they lived away from the coast line). The ride to Willow Creek Pass was fairly easy. I passed a pair of TA riders on the way up – one from CA and the other from Germany. After crossing the pass, I entered the North Park area with plains as far as you could see. In the middle of the plains with nothing else around, the very small town of Rand had a unique gift store with some wonderful artwork. The owner indicated a severe wind warning was in effect for the afternoon, however it did not materialize. I arrived in Walden around 3:30 to find Craig and Sharon who had taken a more heavily traveled 20-mile shortcut. We camped at the city park that night along with two others. This was the most crowded town of TA riders along the whole trip as I counted at least 14 riders in town that night, all headed West. Day 37 - Thursday June 21 Walden, CO – Lamont, WY (overnight in tent next to café) 141 miles, 3251’ up, 4629’ down Up at 5:30, packed, off to breakfast, and on road by 6:45. It appeared I was the first of the 14 to leave town. The next services were 50 miles down the road at Riverside. After a pleasant ride and crossing the CO-WY state line, I stopped at a minimart in Riverside for a sandwich at 10:00 and then continued up the road to the nice town of Saratoga for a filling salad bar lunch (my favorite kind of lunch) at 11:30. The wind started to pick up after Saratoga but was mostly tail and side wind. I passed a young man from S. Korea who had a regular front suspension mountain bike with lightly loaded metal baskets on back in place of panniers. He was wearing surf socks but appeared to be doing fine as he had gotten this far heading East on the TA route, camping along the way. I passed two more East bounders on a different route farther up the road who were outfitted with more traditional touring gear. I reached Walcott and I80 just as storm clouds started rolling in. As I was pondering my next move, a lady told me the clouds were typical for the afternoon and would not pose much threat. I told her she could come pick me up if she was wrong. She was right, but the very strong winds were coming out of the West and I was heading due West for 20 miles to Sinclair and Rawlins. The first 11 miles were along I80 which had a wide shoulder but all of the normal interstate traffic whizzing by. The next 9 miles were on frontage roads that included a trip by a large chemical plant. The winds during this final section were so strong that I was almost stopped in place several times. I passed a couple who were riding from AZ to Jasper Provincial Park. I stopped outside of Rawlins for a Pizza Hut salad bar dinner and called up the road 33 miles to Grandma’s Café to see if I could spend the night next to the café. She said it was OK but the café would be closed when I arrived. It would be open for breakfast which was critical. I battled a shifting wind and poor shoulders (but crossed a barely noticeable Continental Divide) all the way to Lamont to arrive shortly before sunset where the mosquitoes were there to greet me at the dusty area next to Grandma’s. Day 38 – Friday June 22 Lamont – Landers, WY (overnight in tent at city park) 101 miles, 2230’ up, 3280’ down Two semi trucks pulled in front of café during night to get there rest time, however they left their generators running. What should have been a dead quiet night in the middle of nowhere turned into a sleep disturbed night. I was up at 5:30 and into Grandma’s Café shortly after 6. Grandma was serving and cooking. Since there were few services along the way, I stopped in Jeffrey City (pop. 106) for an early lunch at 10:30. I was waited on by a 10-year old boy, had his 12-year old sister fix my lunch (a grilled cheese sandwich), and had the 14-year old brother ring up my bill. It was truly a family operation. The whole time I was there Mom was talking business and letting the kids handle the operations. They also ran the minimart and gas pumps at the same time. Along the way I met Tim from NH who was fully loaded with a BOB (trailer) in addition to front and rear panniers. It looked like quite a load to get up into the mountains. The day was hot with some nuisance headwinds that made the moderate uphill grades seem tougher than they should have been. I was running out of liquids when I got to Jeffrey City only to find there minimart was closed. Fortunately it was one of the very few places off of the interstate to have a rest area and good drinking water. I got to Landers (pop. 6867) around 4. It was in between swim times at the public pool but I still got a good shower. I camped in the city park on the outskirts of town and had a good dinner in the very nice town. Just as I was ready to call it a night, I went to check out a breakfast spot for the morning and ran into Tony who had just gotten into town. We had first met him in Kentucky and seen him many times since. I sat with him while he ate dinner. He always parted with “Maybe I will see you, maybe I won’t”. This would be the last time I would see him (on this trip, anyway). Day 39 – Saturday June 23 Landers – Lava Mtn. Resort (overnight in tent at campground) 97 miles, 3822’ up, 1512’ down Up at 5, to breakfast by 6:15, and on the road by 7. This was going to be another ride with few services so I stocked up on supplies down the road in Fort Washakie on the Wind River Indian Reservation. The morning and early afternoon riding was great with comfortable temp’s, moderate hills, and negligible winds. Around 2 I entered the canyon for Wind River and the winds were being funneled down into my face. It was a beautiful, but difficult, ride. The wind evaporating my sweat caused me to go through more liquids on this segment than any other on the trip. I stopped mid way up the canyon to cool off in the river and have some lunch. Between the wind and the heat, I was dry and hot before I could make the short climb from the river to my bike. I battled severe headwinds as I arrived in Dubois around 4 and decided a steak dinner would be my reward for finishing that segment. Outside of my restaurant, I talked to the construction manager for the road construction up ahead. He indicated there were several miles of torn up road on the way to the pass and that riders were normally carried in trucks over that segment. However, since it was the weekend there might not be anyone there to give me a lift. That was fine since I would rather ride it. Since I wanted to get closer to the pass for a short morning climb, I headed up the road towards a resort around 20 miles away. The climb was not bad but head and side winds persisted. I hit start of the construction zone one mile before the resort. The surface was hard packed dirt and rocks, but rideable if I went slow and picked my way. There was minimal traffic so I could afford to wander widely in search of the best path. I arrived around 7:30, got a hilly tent site, took a shower, and went for another dinner. Since they did not open for breakfast, I wanted to make sure I topped off my tank that evening. Day 40 – Sunday June 24 Lava Mtn. Resort – Yellowstone Grant Village, WY (overnight in tent at campground) 90 miles, 4412’ up, 4442’ down It had been a cold night which was always welcome for sleeping. I was up at 5:30 and on the road by 7 after a camp breakfast of a bagel and some snacks. The road construction went on for another 5 miles, but was a better surface after the first mile. I reached Togwotee Pass around 9 and met a couple who were on their way to Yellowstone where they had worked together many years before. The husband had ridden cross country 35 years ago, had crossed this pass, and took joy in reminiscing about those days. I took my time riding over the flat pretty area leading to another Continental Divide and a resort only to find I was 15 minutes too late for breakfast (on a Sunday morning, nonetheless). It was another 10 miles downhill to the next restaurant which fortunately was still open. As I reentered the road after breakfast, I was immediately dumped into another construction zone with the same packed dirt and rocks. Like the previous one, no work was being done on the weekend so I was able to slowly work my way through it with minimal traffic to compete with for a path. Thank goodness for big tires (35’s). I entered Teton National Park early afternoon and moseyed along the route to Colter Bay Village where I got lunch at the market. The remainder of the ride in Teton was pleasant with little traffic, good road surfaces (some with shoulders), and little wind (the trees helped shield me from the wind). There were two good grades between Teton and Yellowstone. The top of the second put me along a ridge overlooking a gorge for the Lewis River. Looking straight down over the edge made me very conscious of my steering as there was not a lot of margin for error. With the big RVs getting thicker (CruiseAmerica.com rental RVs with their rookie drivers were everywhere), it was difficult to completely enjoy the view. I pulled into Grant Village around 6:30 and found a long registration line that was not moving. It took 45 minutes to get to the front. While waiting, the line was lectured on bear procedures since a mother Grizzly and her two cubs called this area home. After getting my campsite and setting up my tent, I went to the Lake Front restaurant for a pasta bar dinner of moderate quality but great quantity. There were two pairs of riders in my camp when I returned, a pair of young women heading my direction and a father and son riding from Eugene, OR to Estes Park, CO. Wildlife count for the day – one buffalo. Day 41 – Monday June 25 Yellowstone Grant Village, WY – 40 miles S of Ennis, MT (overnight in tent at campground) 88 miles, 2230’ up, 3871’ down Woke up at 5 to find I had not been eaten by the Grizzly bear and proceeded to quietly pack since most of the rest of the campers were still sleeping. Returned to my dinner spot for a buffet breakfast (love these buffets). I had an early pass to climb with little traffic or wind before getting to Old Faithful around 10. Watched the mandatory blow of the geyser and strolled around before getting lunch at the market and making some phone calls. The traffic and wind had picked up while I was stopped, but it was still a pretty ride along the meadows towards Madison where I came across a savage looking herd of sleeping buffaloes. I guess they were done entertaining for the day. Spotted one elk down the road for the finale to my wildlife viewing in Yellowstone. The road between Madison and W. Yellowstone was a delightful downriver, downwind ride along the Lewis River. I met a pair of eastbound TA riders at the WY/MT border, one who had my model of Cannondale with the same panniers and who had purchased it all at REI as I had (he was an REI employee). W. Yellowstone was hopping and I stopped long enough to get a DQ milkshake (I have a daily quota of 1-2 milkshakes) and Chicken Fingers before continuing the downriver/downwind ride. I had to cut west 9 miles up the road and started fighting a crosswind which eventually changed to a headwind as the road turned south. I stopped at a resort market along the way for liquids and got a recommendation for dinner up the road. Shortly before reaching dinner, I turned North and got the wind to my back again. I was looking to take advantage of the wind by having a quick dinner and trying to work daylight as long as possible, however when I came out from dinner I found the wind had shifted and would now be in my face. With that, I decided to get a tent spot in the attached RV park where the owner was trying to keep herself together while recovering from having her dog put to sleep earlier in the day and coming back to find her restaurant was out of hamburger. She had the best shower facilities of any on the entire trip. Day 42 – Tuesday June 26 40 miles S of Ennis – Dillon, MT (overnight in tent at KOA) 111 miles, 3051’ up, 3910’ down I woke up at 4:56 and was warm in my sleeping bag, but knew it was cold outside. I would have stayed in my bag a little longer but my morning first rites were demanding I get up soon. And once you are up, you might as well stay up. I packed camp slowly in the cold (I loaded my bike in the warm bathroom where it had spent the night) and had a camp breakfast before heading out around 6:45. I had on lots of layers but was still chilly, especially the fingers. It was difficult to take advantage of the downriver ride since the faster I rode the more wind chill I got. It took a couple of hours for the sun to get high enough to keep me out of the shadows and warm me. Along this segment, I passed 40-50 day riders going in the opposite direction on what looked to be a club ride. After 40 miles I reached Ennis (after passing a horse and buggy) where I stopped for breakfast at a catering/deli café and paid the most dollars for the least food on the whole trip. Leaving Ennis, I also left the Lewis River. I did not have the ACA map for this segment to show the elevation gain and my state map just showed some uphill. The grade seemed to go on forever and eventually got me 2000’ of climbing. It was a nice downhill cruise after the pass to the old western town (now tourist trap) of Virginia City. I had my daily shake (Huckleberry) there followed by a piece of pie (Fruit of the Forest) in neighboring Nevada City. I paid the price for having minimal food during the day as the next segment seemed to drag on forever with my energy level low. In the next service town, Sheridan, I got some fruit which gave me a jump start to get to Twin Bridges. The wind was starting to hit me in the side as I approached town and then changed to my back as I turned south towards Dillon. Note: it is better to ride up a slight grade with a tailwind than it is to ride down a slight grade with a headwind. This was one of the few times I had this combination in my favor and had a nice ride to Dillon, passing an eastbound rider along the way. After a pizza/salad buffet stomach stuffing at Pizza Hut, I found the KOA which I unhappily paid $21 for a place to settle my tent and bike. At least there was another rider next to me to chat with. Day 43 – Wednesday June 27 Dillon – Corvallis, MT (overnight in Aunt & Uncle’s spare bed) 145 miles, 4776’ up, 5944’ down I knew this day would be a bit of a challenge as I wanted to get to my aunt and uncle’s house in Corvallis to visit before my aunt went in for knee surgery. I had 4 passes to cross and over 140 miles to travel. I was up before 5 and in to town by 6 to have a filling breakfast at a pub. As I was headed out of town before 7 I met a rider coming into town. I asked him if he was just arriving in town and he indicated he was leaving but having a hard time finding the right route. I did not have great directions either so we hopped on I15 for a few miles which I knew would take us to Route 278. We rode together for a while and I learned he was a banker/lawyer from Amsterdam and was taking some time off between job assignments. We separated when I stopped to peel some clothes but overlapped each other a few times, once when we both stopped at the Jackson Hot Springs Resort for lunch (his breakfast) after crossing the first two passes. This part of the ride was comfortable despite the two pass climbs and the following downriver ride to Wisdom was also pleasant. I was ahead of schedule when I got to Wisdom. I had been warned about the mosquitoes in Wisdom and sure enough, the greeting committee met me outside the market where I stopped. After topping off the tank, I jumped in the saddle and started pedaling quickly before I was attacked in force. The ride to Chief Joseph Pass was pretty tame until the last few miles when the grade increased and the sun started taking its toll. When I finally cleared the pass (and my last Continental Divide), I had a downhill stretch that I thought was only temporary until another short uphill to the last pass. As it turned out, the next pass, Lost Trail Pass is only a pass for the intersecting road coming out of Idaho. For me, there was no uphill to this pass (Yippee!). I stopped at the rest area for water refills and found I was actually in Idaho as the road had a quarter mile or so of routing through Idaho before returning to Montana. From this last pass, I thought it would be an easy 50-mile downhill ride. The first few miles were the usual hang on for your life pass descents, but then when the grade lessened, the headwinds kicked in and stayed with me most of the rest of the day. A snack stop in Darby gave me the energy boost I was desparately needing to finish out the ride. As I was approaching Hamilton, my aunt and uncle drove up beside me to greet me and escort me over the back roads to their house. What a welcome sight it was! A needed shower followed by a first class home cooked meal finished my day. Day 44 – Thursday June 28 Corvallis – Missoula, MT (overnight in tent at campground) 60 miles, 426’ up, 803’ down I slept in until 6:30 – what a bonus! My aunt fixed a great breakfast and cousin Emily came to visit. After a little bike work and loading, I headed over to cousin Ashley’s house for a quick visit before heading out of town at noon. Between Stevenson and Lolo, there was a bike lane on the west side of the highway that got me away from the traffic flow. As I rode through Lolo feeling a little drained, I looked at the high school electronic billboard to see it give the temperature at 100º -- no wonder I was drained. I continued into Missoula where I headed downtown to the Adventure Cycling Association (ACA) headquarters for some complimentary snacks, internet access, and tour of their facility. Then I called Deb and got news that put me into a funk for the next couple of days. I had been trying to get into WA by July 1 so she could drive over to celebrate our 30th anniversary. She had been trying to figure out how to make it happen since I had suggested it a few days earlier (I had initially thought about it as I was leaving Colorado) but now she indicated she had too many hot soccer issues to deal with and would not be able to make it. With that, the need for mileage was not as important so I had a leisurely dinner and headed down the road a few miles to a private campground on the ourskirts of town. The campground was owned and operated by a couple who lived in Bothell, WA (about 5 miles from home) before they retired and bought the campground. Staying next to me in an RV was a couple from Kansas who had just finished visiting their son who is a professor at Western Washington Univ. (where Ryan attends) and they had their granddaughter who just graduated from Wash. St. Univ. (where I attended). A few more of the many small world connections on this trip. Day 45 – Friday June 29 Missoula – 5 miles E of MT/ID border, MT (overnight on picnic table at rest stop) 103 miles, 3953’ up, 3566’ down My goal for the day was to get into Idaho riding on I90 as little as possible. I was up at 5:15 and down a frontage road several miles to Frenchtown for the 7:00 opening of a café. The quiet frontage road also had a bike trail. A resident told me a school child had been killed on the road sometime ago and the community decided a bike trail was necessary. I used the trail even though there was very little traffic on the road. When the bike trail ended the frontage road took off in the wrong direction and forced me onto I90. The next 20+ miles on I90 were similar to all the interstate rides on this trip with a wide shoulder and a fair amount of traffic that was far enough away for safety purposes but too close and noisy for an enjoyable ride. Every section of I90 I pedaled also had a construction zone. Each one would narrow to one lane in each direction and for a short section have no shoulder. There were also several bridges over the Clark Fork River with a minimal shoulder. Each time I entered one of these no-shoulder sections I crossed my fingers I could either get through before any drivers approached or have attentive, patient drivers behind me. At Tarkio I was able to catch another frontage road and it separated from the interstate and stayed close to the river for several miles providing an enjoyable, no traffic route to Superior where I stopped at an old fashioned ice cream fountain for my daily milkshake. Although they only served ice cream and soda, the owner and other locals took turns fixing each other lunch there every day. After a grocery store lunch, I hopped on another frontage road that was supposed to take me to St. Regis, but I missed a turn and only got half way there before being forced to get back on I90. Since St. Regis appeared to be the last town of any size for quite a ways, I had another meal to top off the tank and then headed out on the old highway which, as it turned out, was a couple of miles longer and gained 1000’ over a long, gradual climb before losing 700’. It was a lot more work than I90 but there was no traffic, I bypassed ten miles of I90, and I saw a black bear just off of the road. Five miles before the pass and the border, another construction area straddled an interchange. I took the exit to bypass some of the construction and made a decision that could have cost me a nice place to camp for the night or saved me from a storm. There was a sign on the exit leading to the Hiawatha Trail which is a very nice multipurpose trail. I believed from earlier route investigation that this trail connected to the Trail of the Coeur D’Alenes which I was riding the next day and would allow me to bypass the rest of I90. I went 2.5 miles up the dirt road to the trailhead to find the connection was somewhere else and it would not do me any good to use the trail. It was now starting to get late in the evening (around 8) and I still had 2.5 miles back to the interstate, 5 miles to the pass, and 6 miles to Mullan, ID, plus there were dark clouds to the west. Just as I returned to the interstate the storm clouds coming from the pass let loose with lightening, thunder, and rain. The overpass provided shelter but left me trying to figure out what to do for the night. There was no place to pitch my tent under the overpass but there was a salt shed and construction trailer nearby. I checked out the salt shed but decided it would not work. I then attempted to set up my tent under the construction trailer but found it just a little low. I could have just laid out my sleeping bag but was concerned about the drainage from the storm. It was now 9:00 and the storm was mostly gone and the sky was clearing. I decided to reload my bike, make a run for the pass, and hope for the best. The best was just around the corner in the form of a rest stop where I washed up and then slept on a picnic table in one of the shelters that had privacy in the dark. Day 46 – Saturday June 30 5 miles E of MT/ID border, MT - Coeur D’Alene, ID (overnight in tent at rest stop) 112 miles, 3182’ up, 4583’ down After one of my better night’s sleep, I woke up at 6. Either the picnic table was my perfect bed or my body clock had shifted to the Pacific Time Zone five miles early. I was on my way to the pass/border by 7 after bagel/snack breakfast and reached the pass by 8 MDT. It was then a downhill coast to Mullan, ID and into a café for a real breakfast. The Trail of the Coeur D’Alenes trailhead was across the street and the 72 mile trail started out with a downhill grade paralleling I90, going through little towns such as Kellogg, Wallace, and Osburn. I explored Wallace and stopped in a few others. The second half of the trail left I90 and went through remote areas with lots of lakes and marshes. It was a pleasant ride in the mid 70’s with very few riders although I did not seem to have much energy. I stopped for a salad bar lunch in Cataldo which gave me a little boost. I had just about given up on seeing any wildlife when I saw a beautiful rear end sticking out onto the trail. It was a moose with his head in the bushes. He heard me come to a stop and pulled out of the bushes, looking and sounding a little confused. He first started to trot away from me on the trail and then turned and came back towards me before heading off the trail and into a marsh. I had not seen a wild moose in many years despite looking for them in many different moose habitats. Shortly after the moose, I found a turtle next to the trail trying to bury itself or its eggs in the trail gravel bed. In Harrison I exited the trail 15 miles before the end, near the southeast end of Lake Coeur D’Alene. Given my energy level and knowing mileage was not important any more, I almost stopped for the day but found myself on the outskirts of town and decided to pedal on up the east side of the lake to the next town. Since I did not have a good map of the area I did not realize there were no more towns on this side of the lake. After one good climb and descent and many other small ones I found a resort 10 miles up the road where I sat down for a fish and chips dinner around 4:30. The young lake locals at the table next to me were offering one of the members $120 if would drink/chew the contents of the beer mug in front of him which turned out to be a lime and about an inch of spit from another member. He did it. Fortunately I was able to keep my dinner down and it helped as I felt much better when I left the resort and pedaled the last 40 miles of the day very easily despite a couple of good climbs. The road along the lake was curvy but quiet. I envisioned one of the local youths coming around a corner with impaired driving skills but got lucky and made it to the north end of the lake and I90 without any incidents. One of the I90 bridges was at least a couple of hundred feet up and made riding next to the relatively low railing a little dizzying. I exited I90 in Coeur D’Alene and pedaled downtown where I asked a couple of bicycle policemen for camping recommendations -- they did not have any. I found the local fire department but it did not have any good areas to tent. I headed for the west edge of town since that is where the Centennial Trail started that I would use to get me to Spokane. There were no RV spots and the motels were full. At Days Inn they told me everything in Coeur D’Alene, Post Falls, and Spokane was booked and they were not interested in helping me find an RV campsite. The sun had just set and I was starting to think that finding a place to sleep might become interesting. As with the night before, if you don’t like where you are at, ride on. I headed to the start of the trail and talked to a woman who was just packing up her dog from riding on the trail. After going through several poor options, she remembered that three miles down, the trail went through a freeway rest area with a very large lawn. That was all I needed and I got to the rest area just as it was getting dark. After another restroom bath, I found a big shrub that hid my tent from the lights and view of the parking lot. The good news for the night -- I talked to Deb before going to sleep and found she had been planning on surprising me the next day on our anniversary and showing up along the route but got concerned that she might miss me. We set some loose meeting plans and I went to sleep happy that I had not stopped in Harrison. Day 47 – Sunday July 1 (Deb and my 30th anniversary) Coeur D’Alene, ID – Wilbur, WA (overnight in motel) 100 miles, 1788’ up, 1738’ down I was up at 5 and packing since it was light and I did not want to get hassled by any authorities for camping. I also wanted to get as much mileage as possible up the road so Deb would not need to drive any further than necessary. A good breakfast in Post Falls 4 miles down the road set me up for the morning ride to Spokane. The Idaho portion of the Centennial Trail stayed close to I90. At the border I was supposed to cross to the other side of the freeway for the Washington portion. There was a turnoff, but no sign that I could see so I continued on what looked like the main trail. After a half mile or so I decided I had gone too far and found another route to the other side of the freeway where I also found the WA Centennial Trail. For 15 miles it followed the Spokane River into the outskirts of town where it dumped me onto a side street with a single sign pointing in the direction of the street portion of the trail. After following the street for over a mile and having it “T” at a road being repaved, I found a local who told me I was on the right route and to ride through the ripped up road. I followed the road into the heart of town where a local rider joined me and warned me that Hoopfest had taken over downtown Spokane and that I would need to walk my bike through town to get to Hwy 2. As we approached Riverside Park, the crowds became thick and I did have to get off and push my bike. Most of the downtown streets had been blocked off and were set up with small basketball courts for all of the 3-on-3 games in progress. I stopped to watch one of the games and had a Cougar Athletic marketing person come chat with me. Another small world connection, but since I was only 80 miles from WSU and Pullman I would only count it as a minor connection. On the outskirts of town I ate a grocery store lunch and then headed up the highway. The first 30+ miles were on a perfect shoulder with moderate traffic. An In and Out in Davenport provided my daily milkshake. I had expected to see Deb by Davenport but found no signs of her in town. My cell phone was not getting very good service either, so I continued on hoping I had not missed her in town (I had seen a car like ours go through while drinking my milkshake that I was pretty sure was not ours). The next 20 miles to Creston were into a headwind/crosswind and it was getting hot. There was still no sign of Deb when I reached town and I started to get a little concerned since it was 4:30 and I had talked to her over four hours earlier when she was on her way. I found a pay phone and was able to get her. She had made a couple of long rest stops and was about 15 miles down the road. Since there were no motels in Creston, we were hoping Wilbur would have something. After getting something to eat at the market where they told me there were two motels in Wilbur, I hit the road for the last segment. I had pedaled about 100’ when Deb pulled up. After a hug and short chat I sent her back to Wilbur to find a room. She was relaxing out in front of our room when I arrived. After making myself as presentable as possible (not easy after 47 days on the road) we headed out for our 30th anniversary dinner to Doxie’s, a pizza/burger joint where the special of the day was a Bag of Burgers for $5. We enjoyed a fine pizza where another rider was also eating. We talked to Destiny who was also staying at our motel and found he was riding by himself across the state. Day 48 - Monday July 2 Wilbur - Cashmere, WA (overnight in motel) 102 miles, 3707' up, 5072' down Up at 5:15. While prepping bike outside motel room, neighbor came out to walk dog and started chatting. He was from Chehalis but heading back to Kansas for family event. When discussing my routed through Kansas, I only town I indicated we had been through was Iola which just happened to be his home town (small world connection). After packing, it was across the street for a small breakfast burrito and stale cinnamon roll at the coffee shop. Listening to the local farmers chat was the breakfast highlight. Pedaling by 7 towards Coulee City where I might find a real breakfast. The 29 miles went by uneventfully and I was able to refill my fuel tank at a cafe with a better selection of breakfast items. The next 30+ miles seemed like the longest of the whole trip. I expected a climb, a lot of flat, and then a descent to Lake Entiat. What I got was two good climbs, lots of ups and downs, headwinds, and heat. Deb passed me shortly after I started this section and then went down the road to meet me at the first restaurant she could find. When I did not show up in a timely manner, she came back to locate me and found me 7 miles out. She had some cold water, cookies, and welcome shade in the car. I told her it was good she was not with me the whole trip as I would have been stopping all of the time rather than just pedaling through the tough spots, but I sure appreciated her mobile oasis. I finished the next 7 miles to Waterville and found her in a nice cool cafe. After an early evening Fish and Chips dinner, I said good bye to her as she headed for home. After a short, steep climb out of Waterville it was a 6% winding descent for 6 miles to Orondo and Lake Entiat followed by an easy ride to Wenatchee. I thought I could get tail winds into Leavenworth but got headwinds and so decided to stop in Cashmere for a filling dinner and good motel sleep in preparation for my final day. Day 49 - Tuesday July 3 (LAST DAY!!!) Cashmere - Mukilteo, WA (overnight in my own bed) 124 miles, 4826' up, 5626' down Up at 5 and on the road by 5:15 for breakfast in Leavenworth. The only problem was that none of the breakfast spots opened before 7 so I ate some of my just purchased lunch supplies for breakfast and headed up the road. After a pleasant ride up the Wenatchee River, I stopped for a real breakfast at Coles Corner. While I was finishing my breakfast another patron indicated I was eating enough to get me to Florida. I arrived at Stevens Pass around 11:30 and had a short lunch and celebrated, knowing it was the last pass on the trip. The main descent was uneventful even with some construction work being done, however the headwinds picked up as I was descending and stayed with me most of the next 40 miles. They were not major, but were a great annoyance, having to work this hard this close to home. I left Highway 2 in Monroe and hit the back roads with a plan to meet Deb and my parents in Mukilteo for a Pacific Ocean sea level, salt water finish. I was not quite sure about all of the backroads and had to ask directions at a biker bar after finding myself in Everett. After a few more turns and hills, I finally saw the finish line with my gallery of three and landed my front tire in the salt water for the ceremonial finish picture. That was followed by a nice victory/anniversary dinner at Ivars and then home to see Ryan before he left for Mexico (I had to get up at 4:15 the next morning to drive him to the airport). SUMMARY Newport News, VA – Mukilteo, WA 49 days, 4020 miles, 82 mi/day avg., 139,000’ up, 137,000’ down Daily Mileage breakdown:
Bike: Cannondale T2000 Non-stock equip.: Jandd Front Rack, Ortlieb Panniers front & back, Novara handle bar bag, Brooks B17 saddle, SKS P45 fenders Tires: Schwalbe Marathon 35’s at 75-80 PSI; no replacement; 1 flat (metal sliver, possibly from running over piece of car tire -- patched) Brake pads: Replaced original front pads in Illinois (Appalachians are tough on pads); rear pads were new when I started. Chain: Replaced twice (one required, one preventative) Other bike problems: Overshifting into small chainring fixed by second mechanic to try (led to bent chain twice that required roadside repair and later replacement) Weight: Bike+attachments – 34 pounds; Removable load – 50-70 pounds. Weight loss: 8-10 pounds training for trip and another 8-10 pounds during trip for 18 pounds total Overnights:
Physical Issues: Little finger on left hand lost some motion early in trip and is still restricted; Sweaty cheeks caused ingrown hairs or pimples near end of trip making sitting uncomfortable at times; Various leg muscles would act like they were going to have problems but never resulted in any; Hands started to get blisters but change of gloves solved problem; Went down once on slippery surface and scraped up hip and elbow which healed fine; Back tightened up when trying to set up tent under construction trailer but was never serious and worked itself out in two days; Weight loss caused feet to become too small for shoes (Shimano cinching mountain bike shoes) and required I wear two pairs of socks so feet did not slide around. Answers to commonly asked questions: How was that Brooks leather saddle to sit on? No seat is perfect (find the most comfortable chair you can and then sit on it for 8-14 hours per day for 49 days and see if you have any issues), but I had very little time that I was uncomfortable in my saddle until the breakout problem over the last week. My only other significant problem started near the middle of the trip when I had lost weight and had a little less saddle padding. When I would work hard (typically climbing), my cheeks could get a little uncomfortable at times but could be relieved by getting out of my saddle for a few seconds. What was your favorite location? I liked everything from the mountains in the Appalachians, Ozarks, and Rockies, to the plains of Kansas, E. Colorado, and E. Washington. I also got tired of everything after days of riding and was always ready for the next segment. In the end, home was my favorite. Were you lonely riding by yourself? Not really. Most of my riding around home is done solo. Between focusing on my riding, looking at the passing scenery, singing songs of which I know half of the words (e.g., Back In The Saddle Again, On The Road Again), and thinking about life, I kept my simple mind occupied without canned music or conversation. Since I was on the bike most of the day, at the end of each day there was usually not a lot of extra time after camp arrangements, dinner, calls home, and updating my log. Many evenings I would often have someone to talk to in a neighboring campsite and usually had conversations with servers and other patrons at restaurants. When you are by yourself you tend to draw out more interest from people, especially when they see you are riding a fully loaded bike. Would you do it again? Yes and no. I am very glad I made the ride but enjoy new experiences over repeated experiences so will ride other routes, some possibly overseas. And would you ride solo? I have done several shorter trips with one or two others that worked well but this length of trip requires more attention to the likes and dislikes of each rider. I thought about my likes and dislikes on this trip. When touring, I normally like to ride rather casually and occasionally kick it into gear when I choose. I like being able to stop when and where I want without causing problems for anyone else, whether it be for a meal, a picture, some point of interest, or the end of the day. I like being surprised by what is around the next corner and the feeling of discovery that goes along with it. I like to let the day happen and not plan any more than necessary. I like having conversations with people I meet. I like talking about a day’s ride with others who have ridden it. I like being a fly on the wall and listening to local people carrying on conversations or watching them go about their daily lives. I like singing to myself (a surprise to those who know I will not sing karaoke). I like myself. Although it sounds like I would only do this again solo, there are aspects of group riding that I like (e.g., if a grizzly bear were to approach me on the road I like the idea of him having multiple meal choices). On this particular trip, I enjoyed my solo time more than my group time where the miles were split in half between the two. I talked with riders who enjoyed the solo experience and others who could not understand why I would not want to be in a group. There are lots of factors thrown into what makes for an enjoyable trip and it is possible there were other reasons for me enjoying my solo time more than the group time. In summary, I would not hesitate to do it by myself again. |
