tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13445544082502009132024-03-13T12:40:03.577-07:00Ride The White LineRandy Garmon's blog, recording his bicycling journeys around the US.Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.comBlogger258125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344554408250200913.post-36731445613741230972022-06-25T08:12:00.001-07:002022-06-25T08:15:13.546-07:00Off the Bike … (June 25)<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqA-Y5dL1QOrWsR44oXrbsVbN3Yc3y8Hc7TgyyZ7PfERf4bb_z4ecnFGr0UVENhbBlfXRFRKpNnWuEQoKEp0NF1LxQB61O1NRZ50lLvi-f780KO8AAQH4ohuj2jfLXbdrONkpUO84dR_6FT8qGYGUpns1GSd0rkfxCwyog7h0Oi0X48A7l_Xub3ja/s4032/IMG_1158.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqA-Y5dL1QOrWsR44oXrbsVbN3Yc3y8Hc7TgyyZ7PfERf4bb_z4ecnFGr0UVENhbBlfXRFRKpNnWuEQoKEp0NF1LxQB61O1NRZ50lLvi-f780KO8AAQH4ohuj2jfLXbdrONkpUO84dR_6FT8qGYGUpns1GSd0rkfxCwyog7h0Oi0X48A7l_Xub3ja/s320/IMG_1158.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-7e0ca18e-7fff-7263-77bb-b01073b7abe1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Made it into Portland yesterday, riding a good part of the 42 miles from Cascade Locks on either a separated bike path or the Historic Columbia River Highway (photo above). The previous day’s ride of 40 miles from The Dalles to Cascade Locks had been primarily along the Interstate, so getting off of the Interstate yesterday was a welcome relief.</span></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-7e0ca18e-7fff-7263-77bb-b01073b7abe1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Along the Historic Highway there are numerous State Parks at the many beautiful waterfalls. Lots of tourists enjoying the beautiful day … also lots of cars and trolleys along the road. Pretty nice ride, though. Interestingly enough, there were maybe a dozen E-Bike riders on what I believe were rental bikes. Nice alternative means for getting people out of their cars at attractions such as this. I did feel some resentment when they easily passed me on climbs,though.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, this ride is over, as is my more than a decade of self-contained bike touring … a little sad, but happy at the same time.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am taking the train to Eugene today and will have the bike shipped back to Tucson. All of my camping gear and touring panniers will be left behind with some non-profits. I got a lot of years and a lot of miles out of these items, but feels good to pass them onto others.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tucson calls … be home soon.</span></p><p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></p>Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344554408250200913.post-56183883198003244982022-06-23T06:30:00.000-07:002022-06-23T06:30:21.778-07:00Later that same day … (June 22)<p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-ee72038a-7fff-5c06-5b60-311abd81550c" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhohGreZ8N9TE1xT0pdeMdaFjwg5uBmPiTd1v1OuAY084izV5-PAdnJGQ-lX1KXJMxN24IfnJMcLda85frMkdEWtFDeb-nFjxS1jORiTFlmZ4xgZlAhLQcoVp3BPRbf-2iGuRWENYrTMHoomxrHNisRxNYrLG0wVGRD8vEX2tgfihtemwu12nSRSm_s/s2160/IMG_1157.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1620" data-original-width="2160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhohGreZ8N9TE1xT0pdeMdaFjwg5uBmPiTd1v1OuAY084izV5-PAdnJGQ-lX1KXJMxN24IfnJMcLda85frMkdEWtFDeb-nFjxS1jORiTFlmZ4xgZlAhLQcoVp3BPRbf-2iGuRWENYrTMHoomxrHNisRxNYrLG0wVGRD8vEX2tgfihtemwu12nSRSm_s/s320/IMG_1157.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-ee72038a-7fff-5c06-5b60-311abd81550c" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another day, another revised plan!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Upon leaving The Dalles heading south to Maupin, I was confronted with an immediate three mile 6% climb. Following were numerous mile long climbs which reduced my speed to a grinding 3 mph … which if you’ve ever experienced climbing with a fully loaded tour bike at 3 mph you will know the experience of trying to keep the bike on a straight path.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anyway, 12 miles into the planned 40 mile ride I stopped in the small town of Dufur, and my legs were cooked (hell, my whole body was cooked). In talking with a local, I was told the terrain of the remaining miles was the same as the previous 12 miles.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So I chose to turn tail and head back to The Dalles. The really humorous (sad) thing is that upon heading back I discovered I had had a slight tailwind in the ride to Dufur.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So the new plan is to head west to Portland.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the above photo, kind of hard to see, but in the middle of the yellow circle is a semi truck … that is where the road I was on leads and is typical of the constant up-and-down of that road to Maupin. OUCH!</span></p></div>Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344554408250200913.post-75333940242379683812022-06-22T09:49:00.002-07:002022-06-22T09:58:50.502-07:00A Mountain … (June 22)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdcjWB8r_MeiT32NPsBJdU1faOq2ZgIEVRK7PqQ01DjgfQfGOTK1H7UH2pALyIjkHhT8gAwcVdjebedawtexD6RLa077ZMk5cMGg6xW3Ikjjt6pnQWucbAXqpVHE7t0SI2_wmat-CJzaOPFVK8hdfVJw-L9__WH8h0Pgub1zUFQKcBQbtBnou8Pwt5/s4032/IMG_1144.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdcjWB8r_MeiT32NPsBJdU1faOq2ZgIEVRK7PqQ01DjgfQfGOTK1H7UH2pALyIjkHhT8gAwcVdjebedawtexD6RLa077ZMk5cMGg6xW3Ikjjt6pnQWucbAXqpVHE7t0SI2_wmat-CJzaOPFVK8hdfVJw-L9__WH8h0Pgub1zUFQKcBQbtBnou8Pwt5/s320/IMG_1144.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">This mountain should not be confused with Tucson’s “A” Mountain, the above photo is Mt. Hood. </span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To put the size of Mt. Hood into perspective, the photo was taken about 55 miles east of the mountain. Also, just to clarify, the river (that in this photo looks like a lake) is the Columbia River (not the Rillito at flood stage).</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don’t have much to offer in the way of grandiose verbiage describing the areas I have been riding of late. This morning I am in The Dalles, OR, and will be heading to Bend for the next four days. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On a side note, here is a explanation as to <a href="http://www.gorgeconnection.com/how-the-gorge-was-formed.php">how the Columbia River Gorge was created</a>.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since leaving Mose’s Lake,WA, I spent the following days riding to Othello (28 miles), Kennewick (53 miles), then into Boardman, OR (45 miles), Arlington (27 miles) and finally The Dalles (50 miles). The majority of these miles have been along Interstates. I was dreading the 50 miles into The Dalles as I anticipated fighting a strong headwind … but glory be, almost no wind! The high temperature today, as I head into the high desert area of Central Oregon, will be in the high 80s.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That’s the thing about bike touring … the weather is almost always a challenge.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After a short visit south of Bend with longtime friend Bill, I will be heading to Eugene, then Portland (probably by train), then flying home to Tucson on July 4.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Located between Bend and Eugene is my most favorite 21 miles of the 50,000 +/- miles I have toured. The ride down the west side of McKenzie Pass is on a nicely paved, winding road passing through a lush green forest. Most enjoyable.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Eugene I will be visiting another long-friend, Nancy. No doubt we will be making the daily walk to one of the finest ice cream parlors in the world (according to Nancy and also Former President Obama), Prince Puckler’s Ice Cream … and I agree.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I get to Eugene I plan on donating my camping gear and my touring panniers to groups that may benefit. I am through with doing self-contained touring. If I do any more long distance rides, it will be put together by a tour company and they can carry my sh … er, uh, stuff. I have been doing these rides since the summer of 2009 … enough is enough.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">While I marvel at the magnificence of Mt. Hood, I am looking forward to seeing the ever-so-not-so-marvelous “A” Mountain back home. </span></p>Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344554408250200913.post-34132197113593175142022-06-17T07:52:00.004-07:002022-06-17T07:57:06.123-07:00Change in direction, change in plans … (June 17)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfbDGJ6XHQfNe9IBsmzyeVShtIgb_TpXWc6yeq9PJO7fzWEuvr5wx-3Ks1CYjLGF2oiIyKOxMFEorV8JucPDup0Xe8JxoRuArY-47DIFVtdycWnSIqqIlOwx-2ODA3tLNvZ_rfBe0m-pP2pF8DqNU451vgCFzUWVDSM5YCSCjz8-1dS6iAa_Kzhd3t/s4032/IMG_1130.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfbDGJ6XHQfNe9IBsmzyeVShtIgb_TpXWc6yeq9PJO7fzWEuvr5wx-3Ks1CYjLGF2oiIyKOxMFEorV8JucPDup0Xe8JxoRuArY-47DIFVtdycWnSIqqIlOwx-2ODA3tLNvZ_rfBe0m-pP2pF8DqNU451vgCFzUWVDSM5YCSCjz8-1dS6iAa_Kzhd3t/s320/IMG_1130.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-4afda718-7fff-8397-ec4b-2fd3aa5d9fb2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The return to blue skies and relative warmth (70 +/- degrees) has been a great relief to me.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This morning (Friday, June 17), I am in Mose’s Lake,WA. Since leaving Cheney Wednesday morning, I have covered the 52 miles to Ritzville and 44 miles to Mose’s Lake. As I mentioned, my fitness level is pretty good … even with fighting headwinds both days.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also, as I mentioned, the thought of camping is being ignored which makes for much more comfort. The down side of this comfort is the cost of staying in hotels. Inflation has definitely hit the costs of traveling in areas other than fuel costs. I honestly do not know how families can afford to vacation. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Sandpoint I ate in a place specializing in burgers and chicken sandwiches. Most of the sandwiches were priced around $15, fries at $4.50 and drinks at $4.00 (or more if beer). At an adjacent table there was a family of two teenagers and parents … their LUNCH probably ran up close to $100!</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Back to the cost of comfort. Hotels that two or three years ago were in the $90 to $100 range now are going for $150+. Adds up in a hurry … but as I said, I despise the idea of camping.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I travel down the road, I typically have an idea of overnight towns for the next three nights and make a reservation the previous night for the next night. When I reached Mose’s Lake, my plan was to ride the next day the 20 mile distance to George, WA, then the 50 miles to Ellensberg the following day. Other than one hotel in George, there is nothing in between Mose’s Lake and Ellensberg. So my plan looked very doable. Problems arose when attempting to book a room in George. Near George is a popular music venue called The Gorge, a 20,000 seat amphitheater which is hosting a two-day festival this weekend. The lone hotel did have a room available, but even by my free-spending ways, the $450/night (two night minimum) turned me away.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So I am now changing course and heading south to Othello and Pasco. Unfortunately this new route will result in having to ride westward along the Columbia River … major, major, major headwinds. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As of this writing my plan is to visit friends in Bend and Eugene, OR, then fly home on July 4.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have proved to myself that I am physically able to do this, but the lack of enjoyment and the resulting mounting expenses compels me to return home. I can’t complain about the experiences, but I just can’t afford the expenses.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oh well, at least I can enjoy the warmth of blue skies.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /></div><p><br /></p>Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344554408250200913.post-40254272855332763792022-06-15T07:18:00.001-07:002022-06-15T21:29:25.299-07:00Heading South … (June 15, 2022)<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_oQ3tKSjAjw3dPw0cws3gpa5-IIQF3yZllJXw7KtQzGNi5dTPPBSGABV3Z2H-Bkt-4F8YXP_tABO6vsFnnfJUuQdHTdXVZSwmX_CGKchKu-Ir0ASylloFFcpeyz8_asU44ZOodFh3EbTDBAiId5stF8DTIKH68Zmj-Eexatm0mZNwKa9ujSxWi5F4/s4032/IMG_1128.HEIC" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_oQ3tKSjAjw3dPw0cws3gpa5-IIQF3yZllJXw7KtQzGNi5dTPPBSGABV3Z2H-Bkt-4F8YXP_tABO6vsFnnfJUuQdHTdXVZSwmX_CGKchKu-Ir0ASylloFFcpeyz8_asU44ZOodFh3EbTDBAiId5stF8DTIKH68Zmj-Eexatm0mZNwKa9ujSxWi5F4/s320/IMG_1128.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Really not at all sure if my decision to head south was based upon wisdom or fear.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But indeed I am heading toward Southern Washington and Oregon. Not quite sure of the chosen path, but intend to make visits with friends in Bend and Eugene. After that ???</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today is Wednesday, and I will be riding between Cheney and Ritzville, both in Eastern Washington … 55 miles.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This past Sunday I had an easy day of 24 miles riding between Sandpoint and Priest River, ID. Nice partly cloudy day passing through quite beautiful forested river and lake country. Very nice indeed. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So much for nice … Monday’s ride of 45 miles into North Spokane was most miserable. For the entire 45 miles it rained, with a high temperature of (coincidentally) 45 degrees. The euphoria of seeing the Best Western Hotel (for which I had made a reservation) was indeed euphoric! Oh my, a hot shower and refuge from the weather. Oh my.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Upon leaving the hotel yesterday morning, I followed Google Map’s meandering cycling route through the Western Spokane suburbs. The main shopping area was comprised of all of the usual stores, and could have been located in any large western city, but the residential areas were definitely different than those located in the Southwest. Lush green vegetation with many varieties of flowering plants. Economically the neighborhoods varied from middle class upward, with a smattering of newer apartment complexes.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Following the meander, I came upon a wonderful 8 mile rail-to-trail paved path that brought a traffic-free calm. Weather was cloudy and in the low 50s, but nary a raindrop fell upon me. The day’s 23 mile ride ended at Cheney, in another hotel. I am really questioning why I am packing all of the weight of my camping gear. Even when the weather is wonderful I despise the idea of camping. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Speaking of camping, when I was riding through the cold rain the other day, I talked with two other touring cyclists. They were planning on camping again that night (a matter of pride, I think). More power to them … but that ain’t me.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As mentioned earlier, today’s ride will be a long one, but a dry one. My fitness level seems to be pretty good, but my mental state presently does not include the sense of adventure and joy I have experienced in the past. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If indeed my decision to head south was fear-based, I have no regrets. I am a desert boy, and while life may not have reached the “Life is Good” status yet …warm is definitely good. </span></p>Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344554408250200913.post-84473077834058362562022-06-11T21:04:00.002-07:002022-06-13T06:51:28.283-07:00Ride onward, oh Wise one … (June 11, 2022)<p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-3a8f836f-7fff-0d3b-f0cf-7b12b9bf9e9f" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They say with age comes wisdom. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgw5DRyfYX9Zb6rzY-fAqC5FB_2f3PUNvzKdTGKWc4yrxabJXZBtcCrfID_Ng6mO0UPpqgm3RUr0NucC617QFz_Vp2ZyH_DreIV_kM1Oe4CDYK-V2kj2a7fK8FX1z0bjA3hK5bez0ELE1ZBMqN37mNcB73W7WgMcNKWP0TRP5HyXUxjTxa53hpXwgW/s4032/IMG_1121.HEIC" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgw5DRyfYX9Zb6rzY-fAqC5FB_2f3PUNvzKdTGKWc4yrxabJXZBtcCrfID_Ng6mO0UPpqgm3RUr0NucC617QFz_Vp2ZyH_DreIV_kM1Oe4CDYK-V2kj2a7fK8FX1z0bjA3hK5bez0ELE1ZBMqN37mNcB73W7WgMcNKWP0TRP5HyXUxjTxa53hpXwgW/s320/IMG_1121.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maybe yes. Maybe no. My current activity would suggest a very resounding “no” … I am currently in Sandpoint, ID, three days into a bike tour of the Northwest.</span></p><p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I flew into Spokane this past Tuesday and spent Wednesday unpacking/reassembling my bike and walking around the downtown area. Can’t speak to the Spokane suburbs, but the downtown area is very interesting. The Gonzaga and the Washington State/Spokane campuses are in this district. So in addition to the area being the commercial center of Eastern Washington, there are many restaurants, bars, music venues and a wonderful bookstore. There is also a very impressive City Park that highlights the Spokane River rapids and falls. If I were thinking about someplace to spend the summer months rather than in Tucson (which I am not), this would be high on my list.</span></p><p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anyway, back to my self-perceived lack of wisdom (or stupidity, as has been claimed by some). </span></p><p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Over the past twelve years of touring, one of the things I had come to believe was that it is not a good idea to be too specific as to an itinerary for a coming ride. However, I let my ego get involved and layed out to some friends a very impressive trip. Sandpoint, Selkirk Loop (Canada), Glacier National Park, Calgary, Banff, Jasper, etc., etc., etc. Intensive research/deep thought has never been my strong point when it comes to planning a tour … just breakout the road maps and begin fantasizing.</span></p><p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While Tucson is enjoying dry 100+ degree days, this area is experiencing highs in the upper 60s/low 70s and a boat-load of rain. For about 30 of yesterday’s 52 mile ride it rained … not downpours, but a mixture of a steady drizzle with occasional heavier rains. After Thursday’s very enjoyable 24 mile ride along the Spokane River (photo above) to Post Falls, ID, yesterday’s ride was a real test. </span></p><p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As originally planned, tomorrow I will be heading west to Newport, WA. My plan was then to head north and ride the <a href="https://selkirkloop.org/maps/bicycling-map/">Selkirk Loop</a>. The</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> fifteen-day weather projections for the 280 mile Loop area calls for a steady supply of rain with highs varying from the mid 50s to the mid 70s (and the overnight lows get real ugly). On top of this, it appears that Logan Pass, at the top of the Going to the Sun Highway in Glacier National Park, will not be open until early July. </span></p><p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am currently rethinking my path of travel and considering heading south from Newport. Also, my (ain’t I amazin’) comment about staying out for three months is being strongly questioned by my 3:00 AM (tossing and turning) thoughts. </span></p><p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Any wisdom in this aged body? We’ll see.</span></p><p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></p>Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344554408250200913.post-47849702085271999552019-07-20T06:44:00.001-07:002019-07-20T09:24:05.118-07:00The Ride is Over (July 20, 2019)<br />
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<img alt="Image result for don corleone" class="rISBZc M4dUYb" data-atf="1" height="320" id="dimg_4" src="data:image/jpeg;base64,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" style="margin-right: -1px;" title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vito_Corleone" width="252" /></div>
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If it is not one body medical condition, it is another.<br />
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Two years ago I had to cut my Northwest ride with Kim short due to an inflamed prostate ... this year my ride has been shortened due to a dental problem which has caused my jaw to swell ... kind of looks like this guy, but only more pronounced.<br />
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So instead of doing the planned ride until August 4, I am flying back to Tucson, from Seattle, today.<br />
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Kim will be pedaling on for another several days prior to her return to Atlanta.<br />
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After a wonderful rest day in Spokane, we rode the 39 miles to a small town west of Spokane by the name of Davenport. I mention riding west because the wind was definitely coming out of the west ... definitely!! Tough day.<br />
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Upon awaking the next morning, my left jaw was quite swollen ... kind of like that Vito Corleone guy, but only MUCH more pronounced. After riding the 20 miles (again, strong wind out of the west) to a breakfast cafe in Creston, WA, we made a decision to modify our plans and ride the 29 miles to Grand Coulee and rent a U-Haul truck (then drive to Seattle). Again, LOTS of wind riding those 29 miles.<br />
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The road was very straight and seemingly aligned perfectly with the source of the wind. The road was also seemingly forever going quickly down and slowly, painfully back up. <br />
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My attitude was not good. On top of the disappointment of curtailing the ride due to my dental problem and an over all feeling of being physically tired, I had been dealing with a number of tire problems.<br />
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Okay, what else could go wrong?<br />
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About 8 miles outside of Grand Coulee, after the many, many, many short climbs, the road leveled off. "This is good," thinks I. Then the road sign all touring cyclists enjoy appeared (sign indicating 6% down slope, for next 4 miles). "Whew," thinks I. I am flying down the hill at a very controlled, comfortable speed of somewhere between 20 and 25 MPH ... "Happy, happy, happy," thinks I.<br />
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In a nano-second a gust of wind pushes me off the pavement into the 1 1/2" deep gravel, heading toward a ditch. "Oh, shit!", thinks I. (A moment like this does not encourage civility of thought.)<br />
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In a situation like this, things really do seem to slow down, and different trains of thought co-exist: 1) Do not brake too hard, just brake easy and try to keep the front wheel straight, 2) Don't panic, just stay upright, and finally 3) "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit." Actually ... "finally" was hitting the ground with helmet, left forearm, left shoulder and left knee. Years ago there was a great Daniel Day-Lewis movie called "There Will Be Blood". Indeed.<br />
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Other than the blood, there was no real damage to body or bike ... seven hours later we had covered the 200 miles between Grand Coulee and North Bend, WA (30 miles from Seattle). Smallest truck they had was a 20 footer ... more than ample space to place two bikes and assorted pannier bags.<br />
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Yesterday, after dropping Kim off so she could plan out her remaining days, I (and the lady Google hired to voice the Google Map directions) spent the day driving a 20' truck all over the Seattle downtown and Sea-Tac Airport areas ... quite a rude immersion back into the world of cars and trucks from the bike touring world.<br />
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Things happen that oft times can (and should be) prevented. Plans change without prior approval. But in the over all, it really does not impact worldly events very much.<br />
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But ... "Ah, shit!", thinks I.<br />
_________________ <br />
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Side note: Due to having taken four years of English 101 in high school, I have never understood where a closing quotation mark should fall in relation to commas, periods, etc. If, while reading my words, you feel uncomfortable with my lack of knowledge in this area, then I would suggest you re-think what may, or may not, be important in your world. <br />
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Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344554408250200913.post-15630003649965496422019-07-15T07:33:00.001-07:002019-07-15T10:33:54.970-07:00Tao (July 15, 2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xuwo92uC-qE/XSx7kdv9fAI/AAAAAAAAK98/CEoOdvBU2lsFKDiZarn7qeGJb0TRJnpcgCLcBGAs/s1600/Trail%2Bof%2Bthe%2BCoeur%2Bd%2527Alenes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xuwo92uC-qE/XSx7kdv9fAI/AAAAAAAAK98/CEoOdvBU2lsFKDiZarn7qeGJb0TRJnpcgCLcBGAs/s320/Trail%2Bof%2Bthe%2BCoeur%2Bd%2527Alenes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Tao ... in Chinese philosophy means "the way or the path".<br />
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For me, the path(s) are definitely the way. Since leaving Glacier National Park eight days ago, we have been blessed with a number of paved paths that allow for stress-free, car-free riding. The Departments of Transportation of Montana and Idaho seem to have been very generous in their consideration for touring cyclists ... with one notable exception which I will discuss later.<br />
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Some of the paved paths run along side of the main highways, while others are wonderful rail-to-trail paved paths. Fortunately for us, a few of the rail-to-trail paths the last few days included a slight downward slope and a slight tailwind ... nirvana to tired legs/bodies. It would be wonderful if more states would embrace the philosophy of bike touring Taoism and provide separated bike paths ... but then I have often wished for World Peace and I doubt either will ever be achieved.<br />
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Since leaving Missoula (after a wonderful rest day), we have traveled the 36 miles to Alberton, the 47 miles to St. Regis, 67 miles to Kellogg (all in Montana), and finally yesterday the 56 miles to Post Falls, ID.<br />
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Post Falls is 10 miles west of Coeur d'Alene. We stopped here so that I could spend some time with high school and college friend Phil Beckhelm, whom I had not seen in some 45 years. Spent a very enjoyable evening with Phil and his wife Libby ... unfortunately Libby had to put up with Phil and I talking about people and events that she did not experience. But she smiled and allowed us to reminiscence about days long gone by, so she should be applauded.<br />
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I mentioned earlier about a notable exception (read: great anger on my part!!) with the Idaho Department of Transportation ... so bear with me if I use some words that I would not say aloud around my grand kids.<br />
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So this is my story: In order to avoid some of the less desirable routes suggested by Google Maps' bicycle routes (often dirt roads/trails with steep climbs) we have been riding the I-90 Interstate Highway. Riding Interstates, while sounding dangerous, actually is very safe as the safety lane (to the right of the two travel lanes) is about 12' to 14' wide so we can ride well removed from the traffic. Other than the constant noise, riding the Interstate is okay with me. Also, other than the possibility of picking up small tube-piercing wires from disintegrated steel belt radial tires (of which I was guilty the other day), there is little risk.<br />
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So, we had been riding I-90 safely removed from two lanes of vehicles that most often are traveling at 75 to 80 MPH (them, not us). At about mile 40 of yesterday's ride (and after a 45 minute grind to get over the 4th of July Pass), we came to an area where, due to west bound lane construction, the vehicles had to merge onto the right-hand lane. At this point, there was a large sign indicating that bicyclists and pedestrians were to exit the Interstate and traverse the 7.5 mile detour (around a 2 mile +/- construction zone). The detour included a dirt section of road and two fairly steep and long climbs ... let me say that again ... two fairly steep and long climbs. Tired legs ... two fairly steep and long climbs.<br />
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I rarely get angry when bike touring, but I was beyond irate. At some point there was a meeting with representatives of Idaho DOT and the contractor in which they decided that it was too dangerous for cyclists to ride through the construction zone ... keep in mind that the traffic in the now merged right travel lane was now traveling at 45 MPH and that the 14' safety lane was probably continuous through the construction zone ... and it was Sunday, so they were not even working!! So it is okay to ride adjacent to vehicles traveling at 75 MPH, but not at 45 MPH!!! Extremely irate ...a dirt section of road and two fairly steep and long climbs!!!<br />
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But as you can see, I have now gotten over it. Ah, the unexpected joys of bike touring ... much like life itself.<br />
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So here we are in Post Falls, ID. We will decide this morning if we take a rest day here or ride the 25 miles (on a paved path) to Spokane, then take a rest day there.<br />
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Either way, Idaho DOT won't have an affect my emotions. Ergo, life is good. Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344554408250200913.post-50543533322925985652019-07-10T06:29:00.000-07:002019-07-10T14:10:44.450-07:00It's a Long Road (July 10, 2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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But sometimes it is a joy. The above video was taken by Kim on a paved path that runs parallel with Highway 93 south of Kalispell, Montana. This path ran for 8 to10 miles, and while providing a safe haven from traffic, it also mostly provides pure joy to we touring cyclists.</div>
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Since leaving Whitefish, we have traveled quite a few miles which provided both great beauty and great trudgery (if that is indeed a word). </div>
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From Whitefish, MT, we rode the 47 miles to Avalanche Campground in Glacier National Park. The primary goal for touring cyclists when coming to Glacier N.P. is to ride up the "Going to the Sun" road to Logan Pass. </div>
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Due to the extremely narrow road and the predominance of cars and trucks that dominate travel within the Park, cyclists are not allowed on the road between 11:00 AM and 4:00 PM in certain sections and directions. Because of this time restriction, we needed to get an early start to traverse the 16 miles from the campground to Logan Pass ... the latter 11 miles at a continuous 5% to 7% slope (my estimation), which combined with the continuous impatience of those comfortably encapsulated in their climate controlled and motor powered vehicles can wear a person down. If my bias against the restrictions placed on cyclists in order to better accommodate cars is obvious, then my words have been successful.</div>
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Anyway, we made it to the top in ample time. It should be noted that we left our panniers at the campground so the ride was much easier than when I rode this back in 2010.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M7adhcJCAI4/XSXfGAjkgjI/AAAAAAAAK6E/KYsAl35J7kEzHwR-fsMygfQXcUK5IcByACKgBGAs/s1600/DSCN0208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M7adhcJCAI4/XSXfGAjkgjI/AAAAAAAAK6E/KYsAl35J7kEzHwR-fsMygfQXcUK5IcByACKgBGAs/s320/DSCN0208.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2010</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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The time spent in Glacier N.P. was enjoyable, but it meant the end to our eastward journey from Anacortes, WA. </div>
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From Glacier N.P. we have been riding south toward Missoula, MT, where we are today. From Glacier, we rode 38 miles to Kalispell, 48 miles to Polson, and 66 miles to Missoula. Certainly the high points of the three days of riding were the extended paved paths that run along side the major highways. These paths, while not continuous are certainly a relief. Speaking of a relief, the ride into Missoula was not an easy ride. Lots of long shallow climbs (which can be very painful to tired legs) and warmer weather led to extreme "woe-is-me-ism" at about the 50 mile mark. We were both running low on water, so we stopped at a bar to fill our water bottles. While talking with the bartender and a well lubricated stool-sitter, I was told of the up-coming extremely downward 6 mile ride to come. Having heard of such promises before, I was somewhat skeptical. Six miles later the relief and smiles for both of us were extreme. </div>
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It is a rest day here in Missoula, with a visit to a few stores and to the Adventure Cycling Association facility planned. Tomorrow we head westward. Kim will be stopping in Seattle, then flying home to Atlanta later this month. I will be continuing west from Seattle to ride on the north and west edges of the Olympic Peninsula ... down to Astoria, OR, then on to Portland from which I will fly back to Tucson on August 4.</div>
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It has been a long road, but an enjoyable road (for probably 90% of the time). </div>
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<br />Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344554408250200913.post-91438359745218098982019-07-10T05:12:00.000-07:002019-07-10T14:04:29.484-07:00Glacier N.P. Eye Candy (July 10, 2019)The ride up and down the "Going to the Sun" road, while hard or gleeful ... depending on going up or down ... provides one with incredible views. Following are just a few of the vistas ... and it should be noted that the photos really do not capture the enormity, and beauty, of this area. (As a reminder, an enlargement of each photo can be viewed by clicking on each photo.)<br />
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<br />Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344554408250200913.post-14706839481916577082019-07-04T06:09:00.000-07:002019-07-04T14:13:36.247-07:00Hilly ... Most Hilly (July 4, 2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In the days of riding over the several Cascade Mountain passes, the climbs were long and tedious. For the past several days the climbs have been short, but highly repetitive.<br />
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Since leaving Noxon, we have covered the 54 miles to Libby, 70 miles to Eureka, and the 56 miles to Whitefish ... all in Montana. Today we are taking a rest day in Whitefish. Since it is July 4th, I assume there will be a parade celebrating Independence Day ... but I have not seen any tanks, so they must not be taking it too seriously.<br />
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Hills. Yes, hills. To give a true picture of how hilly the terrain has been the past three days, I should construct a paragraph consisting of only the word "hill". But this paragraph would consist of approximately 100 to 150 repetitions of the word "hill". Then when one is tired of reading the word "hill", I will add another 25 or so "hills" ... but this paragraph would also include some rain and some headwinds. <br />
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As in previous days, the scenery is spectacular ... but come on ... some flat roads and a slight tailwind would be appreciated.<br />
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Tomorrow we enter Glacier National Park, then head south to Missoula. I arrived in Portland about a month ago, and have covered about 1,000 miles in those 30 days. The beauty of the Northwest is a constant companion. Still somewhat amazed that I get to do this.<br />
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Speaking of beauty, the adjacent photo has nothing what-so-ever to do with bike touring ... it is simply a photo I saw on the Internet some time ago and found the simplicity of the photo to be quite beautiful. If I knew who the photographer was, I would certainly give that person credit ... but I don't, so I won't.<br />
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For those amongst us who have not reached the vaunted status of retiree, I wish you a glorious 4th of July day-off from work. Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344554408250200913.post-63076201185114281152019-07-03T03:01:00.002-07:002019-07-03T04:49:19.499-07:00Mistake's Happen (July 3, 2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In an earlier post, I attempted to provide a link to Kim's journal.<br />
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If there is one consistent trait in my life of late, it is my constant "inattention to detail" that plagues my being.<br />
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In creating the link, instead of inputting the URL to Kim's website, I re-entered the YouTube link to the Glacier N.P. video. That has been edited in the previous post ... but in great humility, I now offer up the correct link to <a href="https://bikingwiththetailwind.home.blog/" target="_blank">Kim's Biking With the Tailwind - 2019 journal</a>.<br />
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I should point out that Kim is utilizing a different blog platform from her earlier biking and hiking journal entries. Here is the link to <a href="https://bikingwiththetailwind.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">her previous journal.</a><br />
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Along with my persistent character trait of "inattention to detail", I (more and more), have found myself searching for words that I know but can't seem to remember, while conversing with others. The other morning, while carrying on a conversation with Kim, I could not identify a word that was critical to the context of my train of thought ... oh, the irony ... that word was "Alzheimer's". 'Tis easier to laugh than cry. Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344554408250200913.post-29636734011529999872019-07-01T06:13:00.002-07:002019-07-01T07:08:25.687-07:00Vast Country (July 1, 2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Not so many days or miles since my last post, but it feels as though we have entered a different world.<br />
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We left Newport, WA, on Friday, June 28, and enjoyed the relatively easy 30 mile ride into Sandpoint, ID. The easy ride and early arrival added to the "rest and recovery" planned for the following day.<br />
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Sandpoint is a very interesting town. Located on the banks of Lake Pend Oreille, the town has a population of approximately 10,000. Being the largest town in this part of Idaho, it is very much a vacation destination for both citizens of the U.S. and Canada who live in this general area.<br />
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Sandpoint is a very lively town, with a number of local brew pubs and restaurants which cater to the younger amongst us ... and since I am chronologically placed in the "elderly" classification, the "younger amongst us" comprises a large percentage of the population. But the large number of bike riders, kayaks-mounted-on-car-racks, etc., seems to indicate a very active population of locals and visitors. Very interesting town, and my experience in Sandpoint belies my general bias regarding towns/people located in what I consider "the hinterlands", as the general vibe is not that dissimilar to Southern California beach towns.<br />
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Anyway, the day-and-a-half of rest in Sandpoint did indeed allow for rest and recovery. <br />
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Sunday brought us to Noxon, MT ... a 52 mile ride from Sandpoint. Included in the 52 miles was a 14 mile off-the-main-highway rural road that provided, for me, an other-worldly feeling due to the vastness of the scenery and the massiveness of the ice-age formed mountains. Truly awe inspiring. Truly a humbling experience, even for my massive "Leo" ego. Again, I find myself thinking how fortunate I am to be able to experience all of this.<br />
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At the same time, I am reminded of just how thin of an edge we all live on in regards to our health and mobility.<br />
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In an email exchange with a good friend I learned of her biking accident, which has resulted in multiple broken bones, an extended stay in the hospital, and current confinement in a wheelchair. Please understand that, for on old woman (her words, not mine), she is extremely fit and athletic ... she finished the last El Tour de Tucson 102 mile distance in a little over 5 1/2 hours. But for a nano-second, resulting in her crash, she is now temporarily scooting around in a wheelchair. A reminder for us all to celebrate our good health.<br />
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Today Kim and I head off to Libby, MT, and should be arriving at Glacier National Park in a few days ... then off to Missoula. After Missoula I will be heading westward toward Seattle. On the way I will be making a short stop in Post Falls, ID, for a visit with a high school friend (Phil Beckhelm), a then-close friend I have not seen in probably 45 years. I think if we both are wearing our hearing aids, then we should have some joyful conversations.<br />
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So, here we are in a landscape that is most foreign to us both (Kim being from Atlanta, and I from Tucson), so I suspect the coming days will continue to fill our hearts with awe and gratitude.<br />
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Yep ... life is bountifully good.<br />
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Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344554408250200913.post-86790104358351103122019-06-28T07:23:00.000-07:002019-07-30T04:39:07.836-07:00Consistent ... Ever So Consistent (June 28, 2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It has been eight days of riding since we left Anacortes, WA, and there have been two elements of the ride that have had a consistent presense in our daytime travels.<br />
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The ever present beauty of the Cascade Mountain Range is sometimes overpowering ... from the towering mountains to a view as simple as a beautiful meadow. After a while one seems to become numb to the beauty ... kind of a, "Oh yeah, just another scenic view worthy of capturing, but I just don't feel like taking the trouble to stop and snap the photo." The beauty of traveling via a bicycle is that biking allows one to take in most of the beauty at a slow speed (as opposed to the 60 - 70 MPH of the passing vehicles).<br />
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Although I must admit, toward the end of most days I am quite envious of those traveling down the road at 70 MPH.<br />
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We have covered around 420 miles in these eight days, which if traversed on reasonably flat roads would bring much joy into one's remembrance of those eight days. However, the majority of those eight days consisted of substantial climbing through the Cascade Mountain Range ... consistent climbing, I might emphatically add. There are four or five major mountain-top passes between Anacortes and Newport, WA ... passes that typically require four to five hours of grinding the granny gear, upward at a wobbling 3 to 4 MPH ... consistently 3 to 4 MPH ... consistently painfull.<br />
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But that having been said, the down hills are filled with 30 MPH+ pure glee.<br />
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I rode this same route back in 2010 and I have discovered that unlike fine wine, the ageing process does not necessarily improve all things. This 70 year-old body (particularly these 70 year-old legs) yearn for that that existed nine years ago. Consistently ... late in the day ... yearns.<br />
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Oddly enough, one other physical change that has apparently occurred over these past years has been a reduction in body mass that used to exist between my "sit bones" and my bike's saddle ... much less cushion these days!<br />
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But the major climbs are behind us and Glacier National Park is about a week on down the road. Today we will have a short 30 mile ride into Sandpoint, ID. We will be taking a rest day in Sandpoint tomorrow that will allow our bodies to relax and partially recover from those grinding climbs. Sandpoint is the first sizable town we have visited on this ride, so looking forward to browsing a few book stores and just enjoying a sense of urbanization.<br />
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After riding up the fabled Glacier N.P. "Going to the Sun" road (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ8_l2I3A-I" target="_blank">video of ride down the road)</a>, we will be heading south to Missoula, MT. From there I will be heading west across central Washington with the goal of riding on the north and west sides of Olympic Peninsula, and then down to Astoria, OR. After that ... don't know. At this point Kim is undecided as to where her adventure will take her after Missoula, but she is considering several exciting options.<br />
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Speaking of Kim, she has been quite diligent in providing information about our daily experiences, so for a more detailed look at our ride, please visit her <a href="https://bikingwiththetailwind.home.blog/" target="_blank">Biking With the Tailwind - 2019.</a><br />
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Sometimes I find myself wondering how I have become to be such a lucky individual so as to be able to experience the joys of long-distance bicycle touring at my age. I would like to suggest that this is all due to living a sin-free life, eating a healthy diet and generally treating my body as a temple ... but unfortunately there are too many friends still alive who would laugh at such a suggestion.<br />
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Never-the-less ... life is good. Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344554408250200913.post-70053689928016297052019-06-22T20:32:00.000-07:002019-06-22T22:08:09.060-07:00Eye Candy (June 22, 2019)As indicated in the previous post, the climbing required to get over both Rainy Pass and Washington Pass in one day was very painful ... but it led to some incredible scenery. Following are a few of the views that caught my eye.<br />
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<br />Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344554408250200913.post-14026290437512909472019-06-22T19:56:00.001-07:002019-06-22T20:45:55.791-07:00Lost Ten Pounds (June 22, 2019) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Once again ... many days, many miles.<br />
<br />
Quick summary of our daily miles and over-night locations: Left Anacortes June 20, and rode to Concrete, WA ... 44 miles; next day, 46 miles to Colonial Creek Campground; today, 54 miles to Mazama, WA.<br />
<br />
The route we are following is the initial leg of a cross-country route put together by the Adventure Cycling Assn., called 'The Northern Tier". This leg of the route basically follows WA-20 highway ... and we will be following it for the next few weeks as we head to Glacier National Park.<br />
<br />
For the most part, the first two days were flat rides, with much in the way of nice scenery. I say, "For the most part", because the final ten miles of the second day provided ten miles of ass-kicking climbing ... ouch to the MAX! But as I said, up to that point blissful riding prevailed. The adjacent photo was taken west of Concrete when we were riding The Cascade Trail. The Cascade Trail is a rail-to-trail hard-packed dirt/gravel multi-use path ... most enjoyable.<br />
<br />
What was not enjoyable was today's ride, which included approximately 5300 feet of climbing in the initial 37 miles, which when added to the final ten miles of climbing the previous day resulted in ouch to the ULTRA UBER MAX. Today we made it over both Rainy Pass and Washington Pass. As the old adage suggests, "What goes up must come down." And come down we did! High-speed descent for a majority of the final 17 miles today ... screaming high-speed descent which brings great joy to cyclists who have spent most of the day climbing at 3 MPH.<br />
<br />
There will be three or four more major climbs/passes in the next several days. So my guess is that I will either be in great shape ... or ready to be placed in a local Emergency Room.<br />
<br />
No doubt I am indeed losing weight, but the ten pounds I referred to in the title of this post has to do with the United States Postal Service and their Priority Mail service. Guess when one waits until the last moment to pack for a bike tour, one is not very discriminating as to what one brings along for the ride. We stopped at a USPS office in Burlington, and I became very discriminating as to what I really need.<br />
<br />
Had I not off-loaded those ten pounds then I would most likely be posting this from the local E.R.Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344554408250200913.post-37879610965023223272019-06-20T06:30:00.001-07:002019-06-20T07:22:35.930-07:00Off to Glacier N. P. (June 20, 2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Many a day and many a mile have passed since gloriously sailing down the west face of McKenzie Pass.<br />
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The fifty mile ride into Eugene, though tiresome, was relatively easy. Spent a couple of enjoyable days in Eugene with Nancy O'Brien ... always enjoy my visits to the very bike-friendly city.<br />
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The next phase of travel started very early on Monday, June 17 ... 5:30 A.M. train to Seattle. The train ride was very comfortable, arriving mid-day at the Amtrak King Station. From there, I had the task of making my way through the downtown area to catch the Washington State Ferry to Bainbridge Island. I had anticipated that this was to be a somewhat troublesome task due to my proclivity for getting myself misdirected. As it turned out it was a mere ten minute, eight block ride. I arrived at the preloading area for the ferry about five minutes prior to loading ... thirty minute boat ride and I was at my end-of-day destination. Glory be, not an iota of misdirection adding to my day.<br />
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The following day I rode the forty five miles to Port Townsend, for which about 2/3s of the ride was enjoyable. But, that remaining 1/3 was not high on my "let's do that again" scale. Hills and enough misting rain to require donning rain jacket and pants ... off-and-on ... both the rain and the jacket/pants. Thankfully, the final fifteen miles into Port Townsend was dry and sunny. <br />
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After arriving at my motel, showering and resting, I walked to the old town section of Port Townsend. Very interesting collection of architecturally ornate three and four story brick structures dating back to the 1880s. Some have been beautifully restored (as the adjacent photo shows), while others await being saved. <br />
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From Port Townsend I took the ferry over to Whidbey Island, then rode the thirty five miles to Anacortes. My long time riding partner since 2012, Kim Basinger, had arrived in Anacortes the prior day after spending a couple of weeks on Vancouver Island. It is a joy to reconnect after not seeing her since I abruptly stopped my participation, due to health issues, on our ride two years ago. This trip is somewhat of a continuation of what we had planned for back in 2017.<br />
<br />
So today we head out towards Glacier National Park ... two-and-a-half weeks (or so) of riding through the Cascade Mountain range. I rode this route in 2010 ... wonder how my legs have aged. Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344554408250200913.post-76122480432594171882019-06-14T16:24:00.000-07:002019-06-14T16:38:15.369-07:00McKenzie Pass, What a Joy (June 14, 2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oh what fun ... well worth the wait.<br />
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I left Sisters around 9:30 this morning, and enjoyed an easy eight or nine mile ride along a fairly flat road heading toward McKenzie Pass ... nice way to start a day's ride. Not much in the way of wind and very little car traffic. Nice and comfortable.<br />
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But as the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Not that things turned ugly, but rather things turned upward. The next six miles or so found me comfortably moving at about 4 MPH, which can wear a person down. Lots of other cyclists on the road, but most on lightweight road bikes moving at a much faster pace than I.<br />
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For the next few days a majority of the road over McKenzie Pass is closed to cars, so for we cyclist it is a joyful ride. The adjacent photo was taken at the top of the Pass and shows just a very small area of the vast lava flow beds. (click on the photo for a better view)<br />
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For some cyclists, climbing brings them much joy ... not so much for me.<br />
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But flying down the glorious descent definitely puts a smile on my face. Hard to describe the reason this is so joyful to those who have not experienced a great downhill run. Maybe <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEGNTLTtobE" target="_blank">this YouTube video</a><br />
of someone's ride down the west face of McKenzie Pass will provide understanding. This cyclist was on a road bike and traveling at a greater speed than I, but it does show how wonderfully the road winds. My downhill run lasted about 45 minutes ... what joy.<br />
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Tomorrow I ride into Eugene, then after the weekend it is off to Seattle via Amtrak. <br />
<br />Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344554408250200913.post-65380640493982942372019-06-13T14:04:00.001-07:002019-06-13T16:10:08.437-07:00Earth Angels (June 13, 2019)<br />
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Here I sit in Sisters, awaiting word as to if the road over McKenzie Pass will be open to cyclists today.<br />
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Due to damage to the road as a result of last year's forest fires, Oregon DOT has been doing a lot of repairs to the road on the east side of the Pass. Typically, when a road is closed due to construction, cyclists can walk their bike around or through the construction zone with the okay from the construction crew. I spoke with people in the two Sisters bike shops, and they all indicated that the construction crews were not at all civil to cyclists who bypassed the "road closed to cars and <b>CYCLISTS</b>" signs.<br />
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So here I sit, awaiting word if the road will be open today ... I have been assured that it will be open to cyclists tomorrow. We shall see.<br />
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Many a day has gone by since my last post. Since I have pedaled this route several times before, there really isn't much new for me to write about. The snow covered mountains are amazing, and the deep-green forests certainly are not akin to the Sonoran Desert. The route taken includes Portland, Detroit, (Santiam Pass ... ouch!), Sisters, Bend and then to Bill Burk's place south of Bend ... then back to Sisters.<br />
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My visit to Bill's place, along with subsequent tours around the area, have shown me why Bend is quickly becoming a favored destination for living and/or vacationing. When Bill was a wee lad, he grew-up in Culver, which is a (very) small town about 35 miles north of Bend. In the 1950s, the population of Bend was around 10,000 people. Currently approximately 100,000 people reside in the area, plus another 20,000 vacationers during the summer. This population boom causes old Mr. Burk to become quite grumpy regarding these recent interlopers. At the risk of being "unfriended" by Bill, I must say I find Bend to be a very attractive place for those looking for a new place to live.<br />
<br />
Anyway, not a lot to say about the days since leaving Portland, other than a pretty amazing happening that occurred on my first day of riding.<br />
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I left Portland that first day by taking the MAX rail system out to Gresham, then riding the 45 miles to Ripple Creek Campground. About three miles short of the Ripple Creek Ranger Station/store, it started raining. Prior to leaving Portland I had been monitoring the weather reports for the area, so was not surprised by the rain. What I was, though, I was deeply dreading the thought of camping in the rain that night and awaking in the rain, then riding all day on the the way to Detroit (50 miles) in the rain on the next day.<br />
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Prior to reaching the camp ground, I stopped at the Ranger Station/store to get water and a few food items. When getting ready to pay for the items, I asked (with much hope in my heart), if possibly the owner of one of the two pickups out front might be so kind as to haul me into Detroit that afternoon. Peggy, the cashier, said she would ask her husband (Ray) ... he said yes!!<br />
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Peggy and Ray are retired and work in the Northwest during the summer, and head to a RV park in Apache Junction, AZ for the winters. We shared a very enjoyable conversation during this 50 mile drive to Detroit. At one point I asked as to where they park their 5th-wheel trailer, thinking the RV park was somewhere in the Detroit area ... "Oh, we have a space back behind the Ranger station."<br />
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To suggest that I was flabbergasted that they would drive 100 miles just to help me out would be a gross understatement. There really are angels on this Earth!! An amazing act of generosity on their part. Oh, and by the way, it rained all that night and all the next day, but I was tucked into an inexpensive motel for the duration.<br />
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So here I sit awaiting a probable day of idleness filled with not much to do. Sisters is a town of around 2,000 people, so it won't take long to see the sights ... oh, but I did see a bookstore on the way through town yesterday, so that is promising.<br />
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Sometimes boring and quite is good.Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344554408250200913.post-53285214432817887282019-06-10T08:54:00.000-07:002019-06-10T08:54:40.241-07:00Crashing Against the Rocks (June 10, 2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Currently I am relaxing at Bill Burk's wonderful home south of Bend, OR. It has been four days since leaving Portland, and there are tales to be told about a few of those days.<br />
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However, my thought of the moment is to how the next several days will unfold.<br />
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The photo is of the McKenzie Pass area ... the road over the Pass runs between Sisters and Eugene, and the ride down the west face is one of my favorite rides ever ... 21 miles of pure bliss. <a href="http://bestrides.org/mckenzie-pass/" target="_blank">Here is another rider's description.</a><br />
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So here is my dilemma ... I have laid out a schedule that includes riding over the Pass this coming Thursday, but just received word that there is road construction scheduled for Thursday and that the road will be closed. My current schedule has me arriving in Eugene on Friday in order to spend the weekend with Nancy O'Brien. <br />
<br />
So do I bypass McKenzie Pass and hold true to my schedule, or do I ride over the Pass on Friday and shorten my stay in Eugene by a day? Not a major dilemma, but a decision is required.<br />
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In John Steinbeck's "Travels with Charlie", he talks of the beauty of flexibility concerning schedules when on a long-term trek. He cautions that many a sea captain crashed his ship against the coastal rocks when steadfastly adhering to his scheduled headings.<br />
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So that is my dilemma ... and I hope to not crash against the rocks. Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344554408250200913.post-68371042173460476322019-06-05T13:45:00.000-07:002019-06-05T13:50:23.304-07:00Reason to Celebrate (June 5, 2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yes indeed, a good reason to celebrate. After last summer's disappointing experience with Amtrak's shipping of my bike to Portland, I am happy (and <b><i>muy</i></b> pleased) that this year they successfully conveyed my bike between Tucson and Portland.<br />
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For an explanation of last year's debacle, go to the right of the photo to the Archive column, and click on 2018; June, and read the three entries starting with the "Ah Hell ...", June 12 entry.<br />
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So, I am in Portland, OR anxiously (and nervously) getting ready to start this summer's journey ... starting tomorrow morning.<br />
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Tomorrow I start on a four day ride down to Bill Burk's place south of Bend, OR. Then after a day of enjoying Bill's company, I will be heading toward Eugene, OR and pay a weekend visit with Nancy O'Brien ... I have my rain jacket and pants, so am ready for the usual Eugene weather.<br />
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From Eugene I will be taking the train to Seattle, on June 17. This particular train, The Cascades, is set up for rolling one's bike on without having to put the bike into a shipping box. Two days later I will be joining up with Kim in Anacortes, WA. From there, we will be heading eastward to Glacier National Park (about three weeks +/-).<br />
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From there ... who knows? We have discussed a few options, but decided to make a decision later.<br />
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So, am I excited, enthused, happy, elated, etc., to be on the cusp of another extended bike tour? I suppose those emotions are floating around somewhere in my psyche ... but the dominating emotion is much like I suspect five year-olds feel on that first day of school. Kinda unsettling.<br />
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But a good unsettling. <br />
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<br />Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344554408250200913.post-46110871403782652562018-06-22T11:29:00.000-07:002018-06-22T11:29:10.285-07:00A Bike Well Traveled: Part II (June 22, 2018)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In the past several years of bike touring, I (and my bike) typically covered 3,000 miles or more. So far this summer, only my bike covered that many miles ... and with no wear-and-tear!! <br />
<br />
My bike arrived back in Tucson last evening. I just did a quick test ride and all appears to be in good working order.<br />
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Bike's travel itinerary: Tucson-Sacramento-Chicago-Seattle-Portland-Seattle-Chicago-Sacramento-Tucson. <br />
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As I mentioned in my previous posting, a partially collapsed tunnel south of Eugene has shut down all train travel between Sacramento and Eugene.<br />
<br />
So, am I pissed-off? No, not really. Am I disappointed in having canceled this summer's proposed ride? Kinda ... but not doing the ride really is not very important in the overall scheme of things. <br />
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What's in store for the rest of the summer? Same answer Amtrak gave me when I asked where my bike might be ... "Don't know."<br />
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Oh, well.Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344554408250200913.post-82203978162353451352018-06-16T09:23:00.000-07:002018-06-22T11:30:12.175-07:00A Bike Well Traveled (June 16, 2018)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Much relief ... just received a call from the Portland Amtrak station ... my bike finally arrived in Portland via re-routing through Chicago.<br />
<br />
And now it makes a return trip again through Chicago. The work on the rail lines between Klamath Falls and Eugene is on-going (collapsed tunnel near Oakridge, OR); currently there are no trains running between Sacramento and Eugene.<br />
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The gentleman I spoke with indicated it should arrive back in Tucson in four to five days.<br />
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One can hope. <br />
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Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344554408250200913.post-66561686354511065622018-06-12T10:12:00.000-07:002018-06-12T22:15:18.605-07:00Ah, Hell ... Oh, Well (June 12, 2018)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Back in mid-April, I decided it was time to start planning a bike tour for the summer of 2018.<br />
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Not wanting to do one of the marathon point-to-point rides as in the past, I decided I would do some sort of a meandering ride lasting anywhere from two to three months ... two to three months that would offer not only beauty but also an escape from Tucson summer weather.<br />
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Okay (I decided), I will head to the Northwest and meander around Oregon, Washington, Idaho, maybe British Columbia ... and then, depending on various conditions, maybe down the Coast to ... well, not sure about that either. A wonderful summer's adventure loomed.<br />
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My pre-tour plans included extensive training rides (actually half-assed rides on the flat, paved Loop multi-use path), and preparing all of the bike and camping equipment. The schedule was to ship my bike via Amtrak Express Shipping so that the bike would be in Portland, OR on Monday, June 4. Southwest Airline tickets were purchased well in advance so that I would arrive in Portland on Tuesday, June 5.<br />
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Other than my abysmal attempt at getting into shape, all went well. Took my bike down to the Tucson Amtrak Station, boxed it up and paid the required shipping fees. On Tuesday, June 5th, I boarded Southwest Airlines and, again, all went well. Arrived in Portland mid-afternoon, successfully checked into my hotel and (without getting lost) mastered the Portland transit system in getting down to the train station.<br />
<br />
But ... no bike!<br />
<br />
Seems there is extensive work being performed on the tracks between Klamath Falls and Eugene. The Amtrak passengers, and passengers' luggage, are loaded on to buses between the two stations, but not so with large Express Shipping items.<br />
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So I said, "Okay, here is the tracking/shipping number ... where's my bike and when will it arrive in Portland?"<br />
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Answer was "Don't know" to both questions.<br />
<br />
Seems Amtrak does not have any kind of individual package tracking system. They can tell you where every rail car in the United States is located due to their GPS system ... but shipped items, not so much.<br />
<br />
So I have spent the "waiting game" time visiting Nancy O'Brien in Eugene and Bill Burk south of Bend ... awaking every morning at 4:00 A.M. worrying about things that can not be solved at 4:00 A.M. ... wondering if I will ever see my Surly Long Haul Trucker touring bike again ... trying to figure out on a daily basis what is the best plan should the bike miraculously reappear that day.<br />
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I have been telling myself that in the overall, this is little more than an inconvenience; that I live a charmed life as compared with many in our world. I tell myself this all the while thinking some very vile thoughts regarding Amtrak.<br />
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In fairness, the Amtrak shipping managers at the Portland Station (Mark) and Eugene Station (Nancy) have been wonderful ... they have been very patient with my daily requests should the bike appear that day; can't blame them for Amtrak's lack of a tracking system. I thank them for seeming to care about my situation.<br />
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So, unless the bike shows up today (Tuesday, June 12 ... and I fear this will happen), I will be flying back to Tucson this coming Thursday. <br />
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Ah, hell!!<br />
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Oh, well. <br />
<br />Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344554408250200913.post-2327052334668163122016-07-11T21:19:00.000-07:002016-07-11T21:21:21.289-07:00Like Dear Mother Said ... (July 11, 2016)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4ciKdkeKgEY/V4Rm-FKi_4I/AAAAAAAAEfA/wIFiN4zK8twrdbq3BmiwpLI3BORE4UVHACLcB/s1600/ibuprofen%2Bbottle.jpe" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4ciKdkeKgEY/V4Rm-FKi_4I/AAAAAAAAEfA/wIFiN4zK8twrdbq3BmiwpLI3BORE4UVHACLcB/s1600/ibuprofen%2Bbottle.jpe" /></a></div>
... "Moderation in all things." Very wise advice, indeed.<br />
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I guess I must be one of the few people my age that was not aware of the evil side affects of large doses of the wonder drug Ibuprofen.<br />
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Since doing research on possible causes of my extreme Prostate discomfort during the last few days of my Northwest ride, I have completely stopped taking Ibuprofen ... also stopped placing my ass on that wee little bicycle saddle. Lo-and-behold, the extreme discomfort (as in pain) has not re-occured, and if I may unashamedly boast for a second, I have re-acquired quite an impressive flow.<br />
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Met with my Doctor today, so my re-entry into the world of medicine has begun ... blood test tomorrow, then on to who knows what.<br />
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If all goes well, one of these mornings I will awaken and realize I slept the night through ... oh, what a glorious morning that will be!!!<br />
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I have been communicating with Kim as her bike touring continues. She is currently in Victoria, Vancouver Island, and is having a wonderful time of it ... I find myself wishing I were still riding, all-the-while understanding why I returned to Tucson. So, I sit in my evaporative (non) cooled apartment (with a floor fan blowing in my face), reading Kim's <a href="https://bikingwiththetailwind.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">daily journal</a> in which she sometimes laments the cool weather she is experiencing ... damn.<br />
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Learned my lessen regarding Ibuprofen ... Mother was indeed wise. But then she also often said, "Serve hot things hot, and cold things cold" ... and I have no idea as to how to apply that pearl of wisdom to my life.<br />
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Given what has transpired in my life recently, and comparing my travails with things that some friends are experiencing, I must say that all-in-all I live a blessed life ... in short, life is good.Randy Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01876954437630564632noreply@blogger.com0