Civilization ... (July 27, 2009)



After spending what seemed like a lifetime getting to, and staying in Pomeroy, it is indeed a joy to arrive in the bustling metropolis of Clarkston, WA/Lewiston, ID. Arrived after the short ride around noon, and proceeded to do some much needed shopping ... bike shop for a new heavy-duty tube and the grocery store for misc. items.

The best part of getting into this area was spending the evening with Ilene and Larry McLain. As I mentioned in an earlier posting, they are heading to Gig Harbor, WA. We enjoyed great conversation over a delightful meal, then headed over to the Hells Gate State Park where they were staying for a couple of nights. They gave me a tour of their RV, which reinforces my changed view of RVs. Me thinks RVs are the way to travel ... mosquitoes outside, but not inside ... plus air conditioning and very comfortable chairs/couches. The evening was very special for me ... maybe I should dump the bike and hitch a ride with them.

During today's ride, I stopped at a historical marker ... one of many in this area pointing out points of interest concerning the Lewis & Clark Expedition. At this particular location, one could see the actual trails used by the Expedition, coming down one side of the narrow valley and up the other side (trail runs diagonally down right-to-left, at about mid-height of photo ... click on phote for enlarged view). This trail, which was pointed out by a local tribe, was the overland trail that saved the L&C traveling party quite a bit of time and miles. At this site, there was a junction of three Native American trade routes, used for thousands of years prior to Lewis and Clark coming into the area. Quite stunning to think about what little information is available concerning the history of the Western States prior to the arrival of the Euro/American explorers. As one of the historical markers pointed out, most of the travel done by the the explorers/fur traders was on well established trade routes developed over the previous thousands of years ... information about these trails was provided by the Native Americans.

While pondering the time periods involved in the habitation of this area, a rather astounding fact jolted me ... Lewis and Clark "opened up the West" in 1805, which is a little over 200 years ago. I am currently 60 years old, which means that I have been alive for most of the final one-third of the time since Lewis and Clark did their epic trip. Kind of changes my perception of time/American history.

Heading into Idaho today ... looking forward to cooler weather and prettier scenery.

Lot's of Wheat ... (July 26, 2009)


The first twenty miles of today's ride to Pomeroy, WA, was through beautiful rolling hills ... and the hills, while not alive with music, were covered with wheat. The road that wound through (up and around) is a lightly traveled road that made for very peaceful riding.


Western Washington is currently experiencing a hot spell ... temperatures in the late afternoons get up in to the mid 90's. I mention this because today's ride of 71 miles lasted well into the late afternoon ... hills and headwinds for the middle third of the ride. Very little in the way of water sources during the later part of the ride.


If one has been to Pomeroy, one would no doubt question my joy in arriving in Pomeroy. Talked with a couple of people about campsites ... not much help. Ended up spending the night at the County Fairgrounds' RV park. Turned out to be the best part of the day.


The night sky is to be seen to be believed. I have not seen so many stars ... ever. Constellations such as the Big Dipper (limit of my constelation identification skills) stand out dramatically.


Short ride (33 miles +/-) into Clarkston, WA tomorrow.

Walla Walla ... (July 25, 2009)


Walla Walla ... boola boola.


Left Oregon this morning, heading across the southeastern corner of Washington, finishing in Walla Walla, WA.


Today's ride followed the Columbia River Gorge for the final time. The canyon faces of the Gorge are quite dramatic. Google "Missoula Floods" for information about the cataclysmic floods that formed the Gorge 12,000 years ago. Cable News would have lots of news to report should such an event occur today.


The weather for this 56 mile ride was much milder than I had anticipated, and other than one short and steep climb, the ride was quite flat.


Walla Walla is an interesting town. With a population of only 60,000, the downtown is quite active ... more food, drink and music activity than I have seen in Tucson or Phoenix. The downtown area has been a commercial center for this part of the state since the 1920's, so the architecture is quite interesting. Walla Walla has a very active winery trade, and is also well know for the Walla Walla Sweet Onions (or so they say).


Looking forward to meeting with Ilene and (cousin) Larry McLain in Clarkston, WA Monday night. Ilene and Larry are heading to Gig Harbor, WA to celebrate the birth of a grandchild.


On to Pomeroy, WA tomorrow ... population about 1500. Should be a quite night.

Sign Humor ... (July 25, 2009)


Guess the people who developed Washington's motto did not visit the southeastern part of the state.

Long Hot Day ... (July 24, 2009)


Phew ... what a day. Rode 84 miles from Biggs, OR to Umitilla, OR. Long day through extreme heat and rather un-spectacular terrain.

Towns, or more correctly, commercial wide-spots, are far and few between. Talked with several bike tourers who were heading to the Pacific. They were all feeling the effects of the wind of the previous two-to-three days. In-as-much-as I was heading east, I did not give them the standard wish that the wind be at their back.

As I said, it was a long day ... not much to report other than the fitness level seems to be coming back ... but I am very tired.

Tomorrow will be hot also, but only 54 miles or so.

Mt. Hood (Really) ... (July 23, 2009)



The picture to the right is Mt. Hood ... proper name applied to proper mountain certified by Mr. B. Burk.

Today's ride was a short (34 miles), wind-aided ride. Not much of note to discuss, other than the wind was very strong (up to 30 mph gusts), and thankfully at my back. I talked with a couple of twenty-something riders this evening who had come 84 miles from the east ... they were cooked, to say the least. Anyway, the ride from Lyle to Biggs, OR was just what my legs needed.

I stopped along the way to watch some wind-surfers, of which this area is a national draw. Got a quick description of equipment and technique from a retired lady who participates in the sport (on less windy days). Looks to be a lot of fun ... another example of activities in which people pursue as their passion. Bill Burk has a neighbor, in his 60's, who comes to this area from Florida, for the summer, to wind-surf.

Other than watching the wind-surfers and reading various Lewis & Clark and Oregon Trail historical signs, the day was quite uneventful ... just what I needed.

Life is good ... attitude is improving.

Sufferin' ... (July 23, 2009)


Feeling the pain of not having been on the bike much over the past three weeks.

I flew back to Portland on July 21, after having spent a glorious week in Phoenix. Had the opportunity of spending quite a bit of time with friends and family, which was a true joy.
Upon my return to Portland, I spent the evening with Cynthia Holmes and her sister ... had a great meal and entertaining conversation ... downtown Portland is a great place to spend a summer evening.
I am currently in Lyle, WA, spending the evening with long-time good friend Bill Burk. Bill lives up on a hill overlooking the Columbia River ... what a view. Question: What is it with my friends always living "up on a hill"? First it was Mary Lou and Randall in Utah, now it's Bill. Please consider buying a house on the flats should you have a friend who cycles.

Included in the visit to Arizona was a quick trip up to Payson to see my brother's airplane. Dick has been assembling this "kit" for a number of years, and is very close to having it ready to fly. This is a two passenger airplane that cruises at 70 mph, with a range of a couple hundred miles. I have asked Dick to have someone shoot a video of his first flight (I will post it here when I receive a copy). We all have dreams/adventures ... this is part of Dick's dream; the flying of this little airplane will be the adventure. Well done, Dick.

Back to the suffering ... the last two days of riding have been in the 45 mile range, but have been quite hard. I have lost much of the fitness that I had developed on the ride to Eugene. Now I just need to put in the time on the bike to get that fitness level back. Fortunately, the prevailing winds are from the west, so that is helping.

In addition to the fitness slump, I am experiencing a lack of excitement and motivation for this adventure. I am telling myself this is a result of having spent time away from the bike and with friends, and that the enthusiasm will return along with the fitness. I sure hope so.

I am heading off into the unknown tomorrow. Wonder what awaits me?

The Adventure Resumes ... (July 13, 2009)


Left Eugene yesterday morning after a very enjoyable stay.

The ride toward Albany is a flat ride along rural roads ... very enjoyable and a good road to rebuild a level of fitness. Not much to report about the ride other than the fact that the final two miles into Albany was in a downpour. Not a good way to finish up a day's ride ... very wet and very cold.

Today's ride toward Portland ended in Newberg. First part of the ride was again flat, but the middle third was nothing but rolling hills. This part of Oregon is wine country, so the scenery was quite beautiful ... but very much up. The roads in this area do not have a bike lane, so the climbs were somewhat stressful when cars/trucks approached from the rear.

On one of these climbs, I had the opportunity of sharing a guy's road-rage. This guy, in an over sized pick-up truck, slowed down to my climbing pace (4 mph) to share with me his thoughts regarding my being on (t)his road. "You may be in the right to be on this road ... you may even be dead-right ... but you will not be any less dead!!" Clever fellow. Due to my hearing losses, I thought he was kidding at first, so I just laughed and smiled, which just ignited his anger. Thankfully, after a minute or so of his diatribe, he sped off. I later saw his truck parked at a house along the road. This road is a designated route on the Willamette (rhymes with "will-dam-it" ... emphasis on "dam" for you non-Oregonians) Valley Bicycle map. I suspect this guy probably had to give up a few seconds of his busy driving schedule, to bikers, on a fairly regular basis. Scary, to say the least.

The rest of the ride was fairly uneventful, just a lot of agricultural areas and less-rolling hills. Tomorrow I will be heading into Portland, then flying down to Phoenix for about a week. Not sure if I am looking forward to the heat, but I am looking forward to seeing familiar faces.

The adventure continues, and life is good.

Dippin' the Wheel ... (July 8, 2009)


Gettin' ready to head east.

I rode from Eugene over to Florence yesterday, and dipped the rear wheel of my bike in the Pacific Ocean. Now comes the long haul across country to dip the front wheel in the Atlantic.

The ride to Florence is not all that hard ... there are several small climbs of 500 to 600 feet, with one extremely exhilarating 7% down hill run. This down hill run is particularly enjoyable as a good part of the 7% is going through a tunnel (that does not have a bike lane). I was flying!

After the 60 miles +/- to Florence, I rode an additional 5 or 6 miles to find a beach ... then carried the bike about a quarter of a mile across the sand to get to the water. I asked a family, that was sitting close to the breaking waves, if one of them would take my picture. It is odd the varied reactions you get when talking about riding across the country. Reactions vary from "you're crazy", to "I have always wanted to do that", to "smiles and encouragement". This family was in the "smiles" category ... they were quite excited to be taking part in my adventure, and that made me feel good.

The return ride to Eugene was not so good. Having taken a little more than a week off from touring definitely had an impact on my fitness level. Legs hurt and my energy level late in the ride was greatly diminished.

What goes down, must go up ... the tunnel that was so much fun yesterday was no joy today. That 7% grade was really quite difficult, due primarily to my weakened physical state. I was pedaling like a madman trying to get through that tunnel before traffic came from behind. Towards the end of the tunnel I could hear what sounded like a semi-truck approaching from behind, and there were cars coming towards me from the front ... this did not leave too much room for a bike (or, therefore, me). The "front approaching" cars went past me, but the approaching-from-the-rear freight-train was getting closer, and I was imagining the worst. As I got to the mouth of the tunnel, the 747 turned out to be a small Toyota, which passed me with room to spare ... at this point I managed to get my fingers loosened from my death grip on the handlebars and took several very deep breaths. Scared me like I have never been scared on a bike before.

Anyway, the bike has been dipped in the Pacific ... time to head east. I will be leaving Eugene in a few days and head to Portland. I am planning on catching a flight from Portland to Phoenix to take care of a few administrative tasks (that I failed to do prior to leaving AZ), then return to Portland to continue the ride.

Actually, I just need some of that AZ heat to warm-up this body.

Taking a break ... (July 2, 2009)


After a leisurely ride along the McKenzie River, I made my way through Springfield (one last head-wind test) and into Eugene.

I kind of thought the City of Eugene might spend some extra money for a reception (marching band and big welcoming sign), but I guess with the budget crunch that government agencies are facing these days, they did the best they could.

Nancy O'Brien, a former Arizonian, has graciously allowed me to stay with her while I am in Eugene. I met Nancy a couple of years ago when several of us did the Oregon Coast ride. Nancy is an avid hiker, and I have discovered that a person does not use the same muscles for hiking as for biking. I can ride 1600 miles and feel okay ... 4 to 5 miles hiking and I am wiped out.

Eugene is a very interesting town ... very bike friendly. I have been roaming around town and discovering a wide variety of neighborhoods and many, many beautiful homes. Landscaping is much different as compared with Phx/Tucson. Green is a natural color here.

Today the temperature is supposed to get up into the 90's ... feels very comfortable to me, but the Eugene-ites have prepared emergency shelters and rescue plans for the heat. Way different from Arizona, I assure you.

My plan is to take a couple of weeks off, and with Nancy's sure guidance, experience the various attractions that abound around Eugene. Once back on the bike, I will be heading east up the Columbia River, through Central Idaho to Missoula, then Yellowstone ... then points east through Nebraska and Iowa.

Feels good to be off of the bike, and out of the tent.