Anne's Bicycle Journal

How did I let six months go by?

2010-12-10T19:01:00.001-05:00

It has been almost six months since I have posted, and in that time, I have had a new granddaughter born, ridden my bicycle many miles, and enjoyed life with my awesome husband! Life is good and I cannot say that I would change much in my life. All my boys are doing wonderfully. Ben loves retirement and I am cycling, quilting, gardening (in season!) and enjoying my volunteering. It is hard to believe that I have been at the hospital nearly 17 years, and over 4500 hours. It has been fun and I plan to continue, for sure.

Ben and I went to FestiVELO in Charleston, SC last weekend and had a great time with old and new friends. It was fun. ...but a bit like riding on the trainer for 6 hours in a row! ...FLAT. We rode a century, a half century, and then a 3/4 century in three consecutive days, all the while camping out in the cold, and learning about cycling in the cold. We met some great people, rode with our good friends Randy and Seba and had lots of laughs, lots of good times.

Today I received a check in the mail from RoadID, who gives 10% of sales via my website to Hospice. I do not even know who has bought something but it is wonderful to receive a small check for Hospice each quarter.

Next summer, we plan to ride Bicycle Tour of Colorado with two of our sons. It is an epic ride with big miles and lots of climbs. I feel very confident that I will be up to the challenge. I would NEVER have said that two years ago! Cycling has been the most wonderful addition to my life and health in the past few years. I hope I can continue for many years. We have several rides planned in the spring as a lead up to the Colorado ride. Bring 'em on!

Wishing anyone who happens upon this blog a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Wellmont Hospice House Honor

2010-06-17T08:16:00.010-04:00

The newspaper had a wonderful article this morning and I was honored, along with Ben to have the newly renovated lobby of the Hospice House named for us. I have not kept up this blog as I am not doing long rides, only 30-75 miles in our local area! However, do not give up!! I do plan another long ride and this will be where you read about it when the time comes!!!

http://www2.tricities.com/tri/news/local/article/quilt_unveiled_for_bicycle-riding_fundraiser_anne_cowan/47727/

Thanks to everyone who has supported me during the last three years with donations to hospice. They have used the funds well and the Blue Ridge Quilter's Guild has made the most amazing quilt for the house as a tribute to my journeys and to the journeys that are made in the lives of the many people who pass through the Wellmont Hospice House each month. I can never give credit to everyone who has been so generous to hospice over the three years. It has been a humbling experience.

THANK YOU!

January

2010-01-07T13:49:00.002-05:00

Well, I have not been very good on the blog this month. From Thanksgiving and the death of Ben's mom, it has been a whirlwind of visitors and family. We had a quiet (?) Christmas, hosting Laura, Robert and their twin 3 yr. olds, and their 5 yr. old for dinner. Laura is the new Hospice and Palliative Care physician for Wellmont, and Ben is totally retired. I cooked food from the 26th to the 31st in preparation for the arrival of all the Cowan clans.

On December 31st, Blair and Reid arrived after driving from Colorado together with Nash, the chocolate lab, in the back seat! They had a layover day in Nashville and swapped cars with the Cowans in Nashville, getting their big van and bringing the four cousins to Bristol. Graham, Sherri, and Morgan also arrived the 31st. This was the first year in over 10 that Hans and Mary were both on call in Nashville and could not come up. The kids would have none of it, so the pickup-carswap plan was hatched! Mary sent a complete dinner with them so I did not have to cook for the whole crowd. Thanks, Mary, that was such a treat!! We loved it.

Aggie arrived late on the night of the first with her two boys and we had our big New Year's Day dinner on the night of the 2nd after Mary arrived from Nashville in Reid's Subaru. Everyone enjoyed the usual puzzle, only this year it was a very hard 2000 piece one with lots of SKY!! Graham brought some movies which the kids enjoyed and we all went for a hike to the spillway.

On Sunday afternoon, the long awaited piano moving took place with Graham, Blair, Reid, and Nicholas putting it in Ben's truck, all of them padding it and tying it down and then driving it to Knoxville. We got to keep Morgan in Bristol, though! Later, Mary left with her kids, and Sherri drove her car back to Knoxville. They unloaded the piano in Knoxville with more help from Sherri's cousin and Blair, Reid, and Nicholas came back in the truck after pizza and a movie!

My boys really enjoyed Morgan and really had a chance to get to know her. After all, it was a full year ago that they saw her, as a one year old. Now she is a potty-trained, talking, walking, and delightful two year old!

It was a delightful, if crazy weekend, but we all enjoyed each other and everyone had a blast. Each year, I get so nervous about having such a big crowd here, but each year it gets easier. The kids all help, Morgan is older, and Ben was here 24/7 and willing to do anything and everything to help me.

Cowan update and Ben's mom's passing

2009-12-08T19:35:00.002-05:00

It has been a while since I updated this blog, mainly due to many events happening recently. Ben's mom passed away in the wee hours of Thanksgiving morning and we have been very busy since then with all that an event like that entails. It was a blessing for us that her life has ended as she would never have wanted to live the way she has been in the past three years and especially in the past year. We have received so many cards and notes, food, and donations to her favorite charities. We will continue to provide dinner at our house for Ben's dad, as we have been for these three years. I am now doing his grocery shopping for him as it is just too hard for him.

Most of the family came in for the visitation last Monday night, and went home the same day! The Nashville Cowans had a very long drive that day, coming up and driving back. Graham and Sherri came from Knoxville and Sherri got a bug that had been going around her family so she went back early with her cousin who kindly drove up for the visitation and her son stayed to drive back with Graham. Thanks, Michael. Then I went down to pick up Morgan on Tuesday morning from Sherri's parents so that Sherri did not have to deal with Morgan while being sick. Morgan already had the bug right after Thanksgiving!!

Morgan stayed all week and then Graham and Sherri came on Friday. Sherri and I had a ladies night out in Johnson City, with dinner and a trip to a craft show/sale being run by some friends of mine, and then the computerized light show in Bristol, which we loved. On Saturday, we had a great trip up to Whitetop to cut our Christmas trees, then back to decorate ours. We had a 2" snow and Morgan had a blast playing, throwing snowballs and making a snowman. Later in the day on the 5th, some of their friends and two daughters from Knoxville drove up for dinner and then went to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Fantasy in Lights show. It was four miles of Christmas lights. It was wonderful but the wait was really long for the three little girls. Once in, it was fun and the guys driving the two car loads loved speeding down the dragway and around the racetrack and up on the banked turns within the track! The friends left to drive back to Knoxville and we started home and then decided to go to the "other" light show here in Bristol which is all computerized to music. It was terrific (2nd time for Sherri and me!) and all the adults seemed to enjoy that one much better than the lights at the speedway.

It has been a busy and emotional two weeks and I am barely thinking of Christmas. But having Morgan for the week last week made me get out the decorations and she helped put them up!

Happy Birthday, Granddad Cowan

2009-11-22T19:34:00.004-05:00

Two of Ben's siblings and their families, as well as Graham, Sherri, and Morgan, and several friends came to dinner last night (Thanksgiving dinner for us) to celebrate Granddad Cowan's 90th birthday. Since he was born close to midnight, he is not sure which day is really his birthday. His birth certificate says the 21st, and his mother told him it was after midnight, so the 22nd! It doesn't matter which day...we celebrated on both! It was a delightful day yesterday, with tons of food, and almost everyone staying here at the house. It was a zoo, as it always, is when all the family is together. The food intake by 6 teenagers is unfathomable! Most of them are coming back for New Years. Plus, Blair and Reid will be here, too.

Today we ate all the leftover Turkey and dressing, cranberries, etc. Yum. Lots of plans brewing on how to get the Nashville cousins to Bristol for the New Year, with both their parents working that weekend. We will work it out. It will be another crowd here!

Warmshowers.com and 4000 miles

2009-11-17T20:45:00.005-05:00

We have been long time members of two websites for hosting visitors to our area, with warmshowers.com being specifically for cyclists, and couchsurfing.com for other visitors. We have hosted several people from CS and know a couple from Bristol who also host. Last night, we had a young (25-ish) Polish couple, Ania and Kris, stay with us. They had ridden from Toronto, Canada, leaving there on September 1st. They contacted us a few days ago and needed a place to stay for one night. We read their profile and their story and welcomed them here yesterday afternoon. (We had just arrived home from a ride ourselves!)

What a delightful pair! We, of course, had a lot in common as cycle tourists ourselves, and were happy to see their bikes and gear. After a huge meal, we talked late into the evening. This morning, after much discussion, they determined their route was going to be 11W all the way to Knoxville. (they are headed from there to Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, and then back to Florida, the Caribbean, and South America. They will do the Western half of the USA on their next trip. I decided to ride out with them, through the downtown Bristol sign and then out State St. to 11W. I rode about 15 miles west towards Kingsport with them before turning around. Their bikes were really loaded but they are prepared for all weather.

On the way back to Bristol from riding with them, I realized that I would pass my goal for the year, 4000 miles. Wow! I was not sure a week ago if I could do it but five straight days of gorgeous weather and 175 miles and my goal was met! I am really pleased with that total. I love to ride and don't know when my next trip will be. It has been hard watching Ben planning for his Southern Tier ride, knowing that I probably will not go. I will have to ride alot of miles to catch him next year! The year I did the ST, my total was over 6000 miles!

2009-11-17T20:13:00.000-05:00

Ania and Kris at the Bristol sign

Trip Journals

2009-11-11T14:12:00.000-05:00

My three major trip journals are now easily located with the links on the right sidebar. Just click on the trip you would like to read about and it will take you to that journal. You can also look at this year's trip journal on this website by clicking on the blog archives for August. Thank you for your interest in reading my journals.

Donations to Hospice are also easily accessed by the links on the sidebar.

A gorgeous weekend!

2009-11-08T21:56:00.002-05:00

With Ben being gone since the 31st, it has taken some motivation to ride by myself. However my friends came out in force this weekend and I racked up 90 miles in two days! I rode from my house yesterday and found that the extra 14 miles to the ride start were very nice. It makes me crazy to DRIVE 7 miles to the start of our ride! The route is nice, a good warm-up, and not a bad return home after the ride, provided it is light enough.

Today, two of my friends had 25 and 35 miles each to get to 3000 miles for the year! It was fun to see them make that goal. This has given me lots of motivation to ride the last 200 miles to make it to 4000 miles for me this year. While adding the extra miles to finish, Randy and I rode up the Holston River 6 extra miles and I broke a shifter cable at the far end! Fortunately, the road back to the car had only moderate rollers. I did have to stand on every hill, though, as the chain was stuck in the little ring in the rear! A trip to Boyd's Bicycle in the morning will have me back on the road by tomorrow afternoon when I plan to ride again. Then the prediction is for rain for two days. I volunteer at the hospital on Tuesdays anyway, so wouldn't be riding!

Last night, I went to the Kingsport Bicycle Association pot luck supper as I am now a member. It was a nice evening and Bob and Ellen did a great job on the photo presentation of their bicycle trip in Montana and up to Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper. The pictures of Glacier were awesome and really brought back memories of the fantastic trip Ben and I made out there in 2005. We hope to cycle there in the near future as our last trip was a hiking adventure!

New Total for this year...

2009-10-28T20:55:00.000-04:00

My new total for this ride is now $20,505!!! Many thanks to everyone for their support.

- Posted very slowly using BlogPress from my iTouch.

Totals

2009-10-26T12:04:00.003-04:00

I have an updated total for the three ride, three year, 7700 mile bicycle rides for the Wellmont Hospice House....over $88,300!! Wow.

Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed, supported, and otherwise given me encouragement during these rides.

Have a great day!

Oh, and Morgan came to visit for a few days and what fun we had!!!

Joining the 21st Century

2009-10-14T21:45:00.000-04:00

I bought an iTouch and am now learning how to use it for lots of things, like blogging! Right now it is pretty laborious to type but that will come, I am sure. Never having sent text messages before makes this alot harder!

My favorite part is having music to listen to in the car. Once I get playlists figured out I will be doing well.

- Posted laboriously using BlogPress from my iTouch.

I did it!

2009-10-11T11:22:00.002-04:00

Well, I made it over $20,000! Donations are still arriving and I am up to $20,350 and change!!! Thanks so much to everyone who has contributed. The thank yous are done and I am back riding on a regular basis now, having recovered fully from my fall a month ago. It is a nice feeling to be back on the bike.

Ben is going to be fully retired on December 15th. He has had enough of the 24/7 on call schedule and has taken off some time lately...ridden 5 days in South Carolina from State Park to State Park, ridden Cycle North Carolina, all this in between traveling to various locations to judge beer competitions. He took the judges certification exam in May (after his 1000 mile self supported ride) and STILL has not gotten the results. However, he is still allowed to judge and had a great time this weekend doing the judging thing!

Big news is that he is planning to ride the Southern Tier next March. He has had an ad on the ACA and Crazyguy websites and has gotten a nice group of men and women (total of 9) to ride. He is so incredibly excited! I know now first hand how he must have felt as I prepared for my Southern Tier ride. Maps, gear lists, plans, training, and the start is less than five months away! The emails are flying back and forth among the group and the excitement is palpable. This will be an entirely self supported ride, so there are many questions from the group about gear, camping plans, etc. I will plan to train alongside but will not be going as I am going to be the designated home person! Life is like that! Someday we will be able to ride together on the same trip and the Northern Tier is at the top of our list!

While Ben has been beer tasting and visiting with Graham, Sherri, and Morgan, I have been playing with my new toy, an iTouch. After my OLD Palm Zire refused to hold a charge for any usable period of time and all my data was lost (I did have it backed up on the computer) I decided to start looking for a device a bit more up to date. I did not want to have everything in my life, contacts, music, email, etc on a phone so I wanted a separate "thing". My phone is a small simple, make a call kind of device...that is all I want for a phone. The iTouch has all the music I have had on my computer, all my contacts and the biggie for me...my calendar. It also has weather, email (with a wireless connection if available) and a note taker...which I use constantly, as I cannot remember anything for more than a nanosecond these days! It also holds the 3GB of music I own!

Since it was raining yesterday, (no bicycle ride) and I had laundry and other stuff to do, I played with it alot, really alot. I finally got ALL my contacts in one location, with phone numbers, emails, and info, including all my friends from my rides (so Ben can call them on the ST!!!) I hope it will suit my needs and it plugs into the car jack to play music while I am driving. I can download audio books (some free) or music that I used to have when I had my van with a cassette player..remember those? I had a nice little collection of cassettes and I do miss them. My collection of Irish music we bought on our bike trip and tons of other CD's have been loaded on my computer over the past two years and now they have a home on the iTouch. Am I happy about this..you betcha!!

Now I just have to learn how to use all the features, and I have heard that you can use it as a phone with Skype, so I will have to look into that...but I need a wireless connection to use that feature. My little simple phone is fine for me!

Well the sun is trying to peak through and I am going for a ride. :-)

Time flies!!

2009-09-26T20:12:00.003-04:00

Well, here it is the 26th of September and I have not posted for a while. So here is an update.

On the weekend of the 12-13 we had a simply fantastic overnight ride from Abingdon, VA on back roads to Marion, VA, through Saltville, where we visited a fascinating local museum, ate lunch, and then rode on for Marion, coming over Little Walker Mountain (very steep for 3 miles!) and into the back of Hungry Mother Park. We stayed overnight at the Francis Marion Hotel which is quite delightful, despite the small rooms. We locked our bikes in a building next door that is under renovation and belonged to the hotel.

There were 10 of us, 8 riders and two spouses driving the SAG/luggage vehicle. After a delightful dinner with the group, some specialty beer tasting, led by Ben, we turned in, ready to sleep after the 56 mile 4,000' climbing day. Sunday was another gorgeous day and we returned to Abingdon via Rt. 16, past the MT. Rogers ranger station, down towards Troutdale, VA, and then 603 past Fox Creek, the horse camps, Konnarock, and down 58 to Damascus where we had lunch at our favorite place, "In the Country". It was then on to Abingdon on back roads I had never been on, just an all around lovely trip, totaling 120 miles.

Thanks to Bob of Kingsport Bicycle Association who put the route together and did a wonderful job on cue sheets, hotel, meals, AND weather! We had a great time and were glad to be invited to join the group.

The next weekend, the 19-20th, Graham and Morgan came to visit and go to Rhythm and Roots Reunion Music Festival here in Bristol. We had a blast and Morgan seemed to love the music! I sure loved going with her.

I am over all my injuries from my fall in Astoria on the next to the last day of my long ride except for the thumb which will only be totally better when the nail grows back. It is still really sensitive but the bone is healed now.

Ben and I have been picking raspberries non-stop and getting a gallon about every other day. We now have over 24 jars of jam and at least 3 quarts of sauce made. It makes the best sauce for ice cream and/or cake and is the most requested dessert at my home!! I will be picking berries and making jam alone until October 4th as Ben has gone to Cycle North Carolina which starts in Blowing Rock, NC tomorrow. It has poured rain, nearly 2", all day so I am totally ready to ride tomorrow if the roads dry out. I wussed out on the half century I was going to do today with a friend in Johnson City as I did not want to ride in the rain, remembering the bad fall I took just three weeks ago on wet roads. I think I made the right decision!

FInished my letters!

2009-09-18T14:11:00.002-04:00

Happiness today! I finished writing all the thank yous for my fundraising! That was really a job but I am thankful for all the wonderful donors to Hospice during my ride.

Here is the latest update:

This ride $19,700

The total for the 3 year, 3 ride, 7800 miles is, drumroll, over $87,500

I am so thrilled with the support I have gotten. Thanks again to everyone.

Thank you!

2009-09-03T12:58:00.003-04:00

I have received so many calls and emails asking how I am, and I am doing fine! My thumb will just have to heal on its own time and the soreness of my right elbow, shoulder, and leg will go away when it is good and ready. The ding on my head is slowly healing in.

It was back to the real world today as I did a huge grocery order to prepare for the upcoming Labor Day weekend. Graham, Sherri and Morgan are coming tomorrow morning and Ben's sister and one of her sons will arrive tomorrow night. So, I am cooking and getting ready for that.

I visited Hal today, my favorite bike shop owner and let him know of my bike's arrival soon, (I hope), and of its wheel out of true and a bent spoke. Once that is done, I will be good to go and hopefully ready for next weekend's rides. Back to work...

Last day of the month post for Hospice

2009-08-31T17:28:00.000-04:00

As in the past, I have made my plea for donations to the Wellmont Hospice House on the last day of the month. Since this is primarily a bicycle journal, I have no intention of pleading for funds. Today might (!) be the last one you will hear as my ride is over but I am still hoping to make my goal of $32,000. It is a long way off. However, I never give up hope and think that there are some of you who might have delayed your donation until I was finished or until the journal was finished! My total as of today is $18,545 and I have two checks totaling $120 in my hand to mail.

I am delighted with the support of friends and family who have supported me so well. Thanks to everyone who has supported the Hospice House in honor of my Northwest Loop Ride.

Y'all have a great day, now!!!

Portland, OR to Bristol, TN

2009-08-30T16:56:00.000-04:00

Well, I am home, feeling much better and so very happy to be here with my dear Ben. I flew to Atlanta which had the airport closed for a while before I arrived due to thunderstorms. When I arrived the airport was like the Sunday after Thanksgiving. There was not a seat in the place and passengers for dozens of delayed or canceled flights waited in lines to appeal to gate agents for flight status and standby possibilities. I patiently waited when I realized that there were two flights to TRI before my scheduled flight at 11 PM, hoping to fly out earlier. The gate agent actually changed my flight for free and then the wait began, and the gate changes started, and the times changed, and changed again. Finally, I was on the plane and arrived in Bristol at precisely the time I was supposed to arrive without any changes, midnight. Also on the plane were my neighbors, Steve and Alice, returning from a hiking trip in Wales, their friends, another doctor and his family from here, and an oncologist from Abingdon! I think I have never been on a plane back to TRI without knowing someone.

We gave Steve and Alice a ride home and I dropped into bed for the best sleep in 30 days. It will take me some time to get all my thanks yous out but I do so appreciate all the emails and notes regarding my fall. I will be back on the bike in a few days and enjoying it as much as ever and planning the next adventure.

Thanks for tuning in. My blog will be staying up as it is not just a trip blog! I report on some other trips, too, so stay tuned if you wish for other updates. I will certainly have a donation update in the next few days.

Astoria, OR to Portland, OR

2009-08-29T23:48:00.000-04:00

Miles: 103.4
Total miles: 1491.6
Climbing:3578’

Well, I can’t say that I had a very restful night. There was not a comfortable position that did not either entail lying on a sore spot or rubbing on an abrasion. The mist and rain out of the window did not make for a very easy decision about whether to ride or not. The helmet issue was already resolved…the glasses cut my head and the helmet was not broken. I would wear the helmet rather than trying to use a borrowed one from someone not riding in the rain. Usually, the rule of thumb is that if a helmet is in any sort of fall, it gets replaced. This one was examined by several people as well as me and my peace of mind relied on using my own fitted, sized helmet. The tour leaders recommended a new helmet but I had neither the bike shop for buying a new one nor the will to wait until it opened.

We started from Astoria a bit after 7 AM as it was dark, misty, and not a great cycling day. I had gotten up early to bandage my thumb and head for the long ride ahead. My elbow seemed to be the sorest thing on me and it was increasingly bruised and ugly! So off Kathy and I started, with Astoria fading in the mist and Portland in our gun sights!

For me the ride was one of endurance more than anything else today as I definitely did not feel my best. Within eight miles, we entered a “no-car” kind of area where only support vehicles for the Hood to Coast Relay Run could drive! That was great for us...no traffic to worry about in the same direction as we were riding. The relay consisted of teams of 12 who began the run on Mt. Hood the day before and were to run 197 miles in 4-8 mile blocks, depending on the terrain, to Seaside, OR. We had seen the preparations yesterday! For the next 40, yes FORTY, miles, we passed runners on the road going the opposite direction, over 12,000 of them. Their support cars were on the other side of the road, humorously decorated with all kinds of signs, stuffed animals, blow up mannequins, and other hilarious items, all to support their teams. We passed tent cities, feed zones, water trucks, and port-a-pots, which we used, too! We and our support vehicles were the only ones allowed on the roads going toward Portland.

Several people asked if we were having a relay! I wished! Others asked why we EVER scheduled a ride on the same day as the relay, but they did not realize it was the last of a 30 day ride of 1500 miles!! Some of the runners wished us well as we climbed steep hills, and they were running down, and we encouraged them as we were riding down and they were running up! We were all enjoying our own sort of misery (or fun?) in the mist and intermittent rain. What a day! But, all the activity kept us interested, (and my mind off my various aches of the day!) and definitely very alert, as runners approached the relay points. They had to take off a bracelet and pass it to the next runner on the team. We had to pass through these points numerous times during the day. There was very little to see in the rain but the forests were lush and green! I took very few pictures all day as the effort to stop and get the camera out of the dry bag was more than I could do.

We finally met up with our first SAG stop at mile 21 at the top of a big climb and she had cookies made by Linda as a surprise for us. Amazingly, the organizers of the race allowed our van and trailer on the road as about the only vehicles on the road! Kathie and I caught up with them at mile 40 where I ate a peanut butter sandwich and refilled my water bottles. I was doing ok and Kathie was staying close by. It was possibly my last opportunity to SAG into Portland in the van but I chose to ride.

The runners kept us on our toes but the downhills were hard for me as the roads were wet and I could not shift into my big ring due to thumb issues. Coasting down the wet roads worked out fine. There were way more hills than I expected, though!

Later on, the sun began to creep out a little bit, and then we had some more showers. I looked for rainbows as I sign that I would be able to finish but none appeared. However, this bicycle made me realize that I could finish! I don't know why, but I just figured it was a sign!!!

The Golden Bike

It was a very mixed day of rain, mist, and a bit of sun. There were 17 miles of busy road riding before the final five miles into Portland with multiple turns and cues!

The most welcome sign of my life, with 5 miles to go!

Anne and Kathie, my ride partner arriving in Portland

Kathie and I rode into town with Barb S. and when we arrived at the Marriott, Ken, Kathie’s husband was there, and Barb’s family (with three granddaughters) was waiting. Our bikes were a mess with mud so we cleaned them up and I rode to the bike shop for shipping. Ken drove several of us back to the hotel where I got everything packed up!

The banquet was delightful, but always a bittersweet moment for us all. There was a wonderful meal followed by the riders telling something about themselves that no one knew, and then any other comment. The overwhelming thoughts were that it was the best group any of us had ridden with! I wholeheartedly agreed and thanked all those who took care of me after my fall! After the meal, we went back to the room, where I was with Barb S, the last woman I had not roomed with during the trip. We both agreed that the group could not have been more supportive of each other and more friendly. I fell into bed, awaiting the early wake up call for the WomanTours shuttle to the airport.

Astoria, to Portland

2009-08-29T23:45:00.002-04:00

Miles: 103.4
Total miles for trip: 1491.6
Climbing for today: 3578'
Total climbing for trip: 63,843

Well, I did it. I rode the century. Never mind that I could not shift into my big chain ring all day because of my left thumb, and never mind that my thumb was a real pain (literally and figuratively) and that it rained and misted for half the day. I made the 100 miles (plus the 3 to the bike shop to get my bike packed and shipped) Kathie was great and rode with me all day. It took me 7 hours and 41 minutes of ride time. I sure was glad to get there.

Our banquet was last night and I am now at the Portland Airport trying to finish this before I board. If not, I will try to post pictures when I get to Atlanta tonight where I have a three hour layover.

Thanks for all your support and comments. Thanks for all your donations. I will give a report later regarding my totals.

Manzanita, OR to Astoria, OR

2009-08-29T23:37:00.001-04:00

I took a fall today, after I had arrived in Astoria, riding on a bike path and fell on some wet trolley tracks that crossed the bike path. I am ok but may not be able to ride tomorrow. I will reserve judgement until the morning. Remember that helmets are good things to have on your head when you fall!

Sorry that I have no narrative today, but I just can't get it up. It may be a day or two as we have a 100 mile ride into Portland tomorrow. I will be shipping my bike if I get there by 6 and then have a banquet tomorrow night. I will be flying home to see my wonderful husband on Sunday!

THanks for all the wonderful comments and donations. I hope to have an update by tomorrow afternoon.

Again, I am fine, just a bit bruised up. My precious Tifosi sunglasses are broken beyond repair! I wore them faithfully for 2 1/2 years! Oh well, I can replace them!

Manzanita to Astoria, OR

2009-08-28T23:22:00.008-04:00

Miles: 47.0
Total Miles: 1388.2
Climbing: 2960’

Today started out fairly nicely and the sun actually peeked through enough to get a nice beach shot.

Early morning, only sun of the day, from Manzanita Beach

The only sun we saw today!

Our route took us out onto the treacherous 101 where we had an early morning climb out of Manzanita, but some beautiful views. The climb was up the western shoulder of Neahkahnie Mt, 1661 feet high. It was one of the highest points on the Oregon Coast.

View of Manzanita from Highway 101

Later, we passed through a tunnel where cyclists push a button to activate flashing lights so that motorists know that there are cyclists in the tunnel. I also had the flashing lights on my bike and on my helmet. Fortunately we had no traffic come in behind us.

We entered Cannon Beach, named for the ship “Shark” which was captained by Lt. Howison, USN. It was shipwrecked in 1846 and the cannon washed ashore, thus the name of the town. This was a very touristy, quaint little town, but we enjoyed seeing the Haystack Rock. It was 235’ above the low tide line and was the 3rd largest coastal monolith in the world. It was quite impressive on this misty morning. Many birds make their homes on this rock, including two kinds of cormorants, murres, guillemots, oyster catchers, and puffins.

Haystack Rock

We wove our way slowly through the to a glass shop which just HAPPENED to have a quilt shop next door which just opened! Several of us went into each place. I must say that it was one of the nicest shops I have ever been in, with lots of samples, patterns and books. The fabrics were bright and arranged so well. It was a delightful place to visit as well as having friendly women working there. I guess that is true for most quilt shops I have visited in my life! Of course, they were very interested in our ride and warned us of the Hood to Coast Relay which we will ride through tomorrow! That should be interesting!

Back on to 101, we headed to Seaside OR which was a very popular ocean destination. It was absolutely hopping with activity.

Bright flowers on a dreary day in Seaside, OR

I was delighted to get off 101 and onto a bike path to go the length of the town. The homes were lovely and the bike path separated the homes from the dunes and beach which were a long walk from the path.

Bike path in Seaside

The flowers were gorgeous everywhere we looked. In the middle of town was a statue to Lewis and Clark who had their winter camp nearby. There was also a monument to their Saltworks operation in Seaside. The men worked around the clock for nearly two months during the winter of 1805 to turn 1400 gallons of sea water into 4 bushels of salt for the return trip to the Missouri River where they had supplies cached. They also used it to season meat that was spoiling before they could eat it during the long winter at Fort Clatsop, their western location prior to their return East.

Lewis and Clark Expedition, Saltworks operation

Lewis and Clark Statue in Seaside

That statue was the end of a WT bike trip, the Lewis and Clark ACA bike route, a few years ago and several of the women who rode that trip were on this one. Funny that they said, "oh we should take a picture of this because we will never be here again!" ...and here they were, back at this same place!

At that location, a huge tent city was being erected, as well as bands' platforms, food stalls, massage tents, and the finish line for the Hood to Sea Relay race, to finish tomorrow at this location.

Poster for the Hood to Coast Relay which starts tomorrow

Finish line for the Relay

It was a ZOO in town and it was just starting to mist so we rode on after a nice stop at a little bakery for a snack. The ride was nice, on rolling hills and with much less traffic for a while. We made a stop at Fort Clatsop, the camp where Lewis and Clark lived in 1805-1806 during the winter. The visitor’s center was very nice and we watched two twenty minute movies, hoping the rain, which had begun in earnest, would decrease so that we could enjoy the fort itself. Since that did not happen, Kathie and I decided to ride on in to Astoria, about 9 more miles. We suited up in rain gear for the last bit of riding.

Those nine miles were tough with mist and rain and a bridge where we had to press a button to warn motorists of bicycles on the bridge (same thing as the earlier tunnel). The roads were busy but we had a good shoulder/bike lane. The last two miles were very difficult in the rain and traffic and we were very glad to see the Holiday Inn on the river!

After checking in, the rain stopped and I decided that the bike path right outside our window would be a great way to go to downtown Astoria to see the sights, so I ate my trusty PB&J in the room and started out for a ride to downtown. Kathie decided to take a shower and relax, later taking the trolley to town. I should have done that, too. The trolley crossed the same bridge as the bike path and you had to look for it before crossing the bridge, which I did. I knew the wooden bridge was wet and slippery so I did not even clip into my pedals. At the end of the bridge, I had to cross one of the tracks onto the paved bike path. It was then that my rear wheel went out from under me and I found myself on the ground. There was a young boy right there asking if I was ok, and I was, mostly. I did not get knocked out, but hit my head (helmet on) and my cycling glasses broke and that was what cut my head. I bruised my hip and elbow but was otherwise ok, until I looked at my left thumb! How it got injured I will never know but I lost part of the nail right out of the middle of it. My head had a large knot on it!

So, I walked my bike back to the hotel, which was about 100 yards away and got ice from the cooler in our van. I went back to the room, and was immediately taken care of by my wonderful roommate, Vickie V. who called one of the nurses in the group to come take a look and see if I needed an ER trip! No way I was going to the ER!! They would say I hit my head and needed all kinds of tests. Besides, I knew that the date was 1968 and the president was George Washington! So, with no clean margins to stitch up on my head, Mary, another nurse in the group went to the drug store to get some first aid I could have with me for the rest of the trip. WT had lots of supplies but not wanting to clean out their box, Mary fixed me right up. Thanks to all those angels of the day, especially Mary and Karen, a former hospice nurse!! My thumb seemed to be the biggest issue for me. But, I am fine and god-willing, will ride tomorrow.

So, I never got to see any of Astoria, much to my chagrin! I guess I will have to do a Transamerica ride sometime in the future, because that is where the route starts!

Bridge from Astoria, OR to Washington State, right outside my hotel window

The nasty tracks which reached out and grabbed my bike today

Rest Day, Manzanita

2009-08-27T22:39:00.006-04:00

Miles 3.1
Total 1341.1

It has been a great, lazy rest day. It was very foggy and did not clear off until about 3:30 PM and we walked through the small town shopping and I updated the blog. That takes alot of time!

Dressed up warm for the very cool morning off

Nancy B thinks WT should have this pup as a mascot

After lunch and when it was starting to get sunny, Ramsey and I took a nice long walk on the beach.

This water is FREEZING!

Next I cleaned my bike and super glued the holes in my tires. The are so beat up from the rides, especially on 101! I also adjusted the brakes and the wheel appears to be a bit out of true. Nothing I can do about that myself! I took a test ride down to the end of the town, about one mile and checked to see if all was well. It was then that I saw a coyote crossing the road. I have been very lucky seeing wildlife.

The day was nice and I am going for a final walk on the beach! Good night.

Another gorgeous sunset at Manzanita, probably my last on the West coast for a long time

Neskowin, OR to Manzanita, OR

2009-08-26T22:09:00.003-04:00

Miles: 73.5
Total Miles: 1338.1
Climbing today: 3226’ (who says the coast is flat?)

The day was positively gorgeous and I took full advantage of the ride despite the steep climbs and rough roads. Proposal Rock was stunning this morning, with no fog or mist to shield it from us. I loved waking up and looking right out onto the beach, which was so much calmer this morning than last night. The tide was very low and I was sorely tempted to climb up the rock but we had a long ride ahead with lots of hills.

Proposal Rock taken early this morning before the ride

We followed the 3 Capes Scenic Route and the Oregon Coast Bike Route. Staying off of Route 101 was a primary objective today but sometimes there was no other route. It was full of traffic, debris filled shoulders and narrow bridges. Our route took us through Pacific City, with its huge Haystack Rock, (not to be confused with the one farther up the coast in Cannon City!) which is one of the two largest monoliths on the Pacific Coast of the USA. There was also a huge sand dune which people were climbing but not I!

Haystack Rock

Cape Kiwanda with the huge dunes

The Pacific City Dory Fleet is well known for being able to launch in the lee of Cape Kiwanda, the large dune in the picture, using oars until well into the surf, when they use small motors to get into the ocean. Many are the sons and grandsons of dory fishermen from the 20th century. When ocean conditions permit, the dories launch off the beach and into the Pacific Surf. They fish for salmon, Dungeness crab, and tuna. In the past 100+ years, only 6 men and women have lost their lives, an amazing safety record.

As we made our way north, we passed several dune filled forests which were quite a bit inland from the ocean, as we pedaled on and away from the coast toward Sandlakes.

Dunes in the forest

Oregon Coastline

After this town we climbed up and up, a nearly 2 mile 10-12% climb and then down into Netarts. (although the map meeting led us to believe it would be lower grades!) About 2 miles after the top of the climb, where we had no view, we came out to stunningly beautiful views of the coast.

Kathy and I opted to ride into Oceanside, a small town with stunning views. Several generations of the Rosenberg family donated land in this area to forever allow anyone access to the beach. There was a tunnel through Maxwell point and it was dug by the Rosenbergs in 1926. Kathy and I enjoyed the some of the miles of blackberries we passed today while in Oceanside. They were much sweeter and less seedy than those I have eaten in Bristol.

Kathy eating blackberries

Oceanside, OR

Our next stop was at the Cape Meares lighthouse, a one half mile each way, 12% grade round down to the lighthouse. But, we might not be here again so we ventured in and what a great stop it was. The birds were amazing, though too far away to identify. Many people were out watching with scopes, however. We were told that we should look for sea lions, and though we did not see any, Ramsey did, through a scope. There were numerous kinds of birds which nested in the walls of the rocks along the coast in the unique coastal area. It is also a prime whale watching location in December and January.

Viewpoint from Cape Meares

It was such a gorgeous day, we ate our lunch there and then walked to the lighthouse, another .2 mile down hill! The lighthouse was shortest one in Oregon at 38’ but it was 217’ above the ocean. The eight-sided, one ton, Fresnel lens was ground by hand in 1887 in Paris and shipped by boat to Oregon. It was lifted up to the present location by workers using a hand operated crane. It was first “lit” in 1890 and its beam was visible to ships 21miles away. The light was finally decommissioned in 1963. Kathy and I finally tore ourselves away as we still had nearly 40 more miles to ride for the day. The road out of Cape Meares certainly got my heart rate up but not nearly so much as the road down the hill after that side trip. It was terrible, with pot holes, rotten pavement, and no shoulders. I was never happier to get off a road!

Anne at the Lighthouse

Kathie through the lens

The hills have been a challenge for Barb M and her recumbent bike

Our next stop was at the Tillamook Cheese visitor’s center. This was definitely a tourist attraction so we stopped in for the best (and cheapest) ice cream cone I have had in a long time. A local couple told me to definitely try the Tillamook Mudslide flavor. It was chocolate ice cream, with chocolate chunks, and chocolate ripples through it! Sinful, but delicious. I deserved it for the calories expended during the ride! A tour of the cheese packaging plant was fascinating. I have always loved the mechanical side of things (genetics, I guess…I come from a family of engineers and creative people). Since I went to the Hershey chocolate factory in 1964, I have been fascinated by the production lines for things, though I have not seen many! I loved this place despite the tourist air of it all! There is more than 1.7 million pounds of milk arriving at the plant every day and 167,000 pounds of cheese is made there daily!

We had to ride on 101 through this part of the day and it was terrible. I missed the Tillamook Quilt and Textile place almost next door and am sick over that. The road was so terrible that I barely saw anything through that area. The shoulders were full of rocks, glass and debris and were sometimes very narrow. Fortunately, we were able to get onto Miami River Rd, a lovely and flat road avoiding all of 101 for over 12 miles. We felt very far from the Ocean at that time and were definitely worried about another climb over the Coastal Mountains back to the ocean. That did not happen, as we turned onto Hwy. 53 and then onto 101 for only a few miles until the junction for Manzanita.

Nehalem River

We were definitely happy to see the end of the ride today. More traffic and bad roads made for a tough day although the sights along the way were spectacular. We saw many loaded tourists today, with some looking like they might be going for a few days. Our motel is right on the ocean and the beach is beautiful. We had to walk dozens of yards to the water last night at low tide, since the beach was so flat. Tomorrow is a rest day with nothing to do but walk. I did my laundry in Neskowin!

Karina will leave in the morning before the last two days of riding. She is a professor at a technical college in Boston as has to leave to start her school year teaching on Monday. We will all be sorry to see her go.

Looking north from our hotel

Artichoke in bloom in Manzanita

Coastline north of our motel

Barb S and Kathie on the beach in Manzanita at sunset

The trip is rapidly coming to a finish. We are all stronger and more fit than a month ago. It has been a wonderful group, both in terms of skill and abilities, but also in terms of friendliness and compatibility. I have so enjoyed the camaraderie of like minded women. More and more I realize the bond that we have and now can boast friends all over the country. I certainly hope to visit the ones on the route when Ben and I ride the Northern Tier.

Corvallis, OR to Neskowin, OR

2009-08-25T22:22:00.007-04:00

Miles: 81.6
Total Miles: 1264.6
Climbing today: 3100’

Today was the first day where we had clouds and misty weather when we left the hotel. I did not wear my raingear but wore my bright yellow wind jacket. I got wet but was too lazy to dig out the rain gear. Our ride on 99W left much to be desired. The shoulder was narrow and there was lots of traffic. That turned out to be the story of the day…traffic, shoulders with glass and gravel, and, oh, did I say traffic? Remember that we were very close to the ocean and it was, after all, high summer season. Some of the roads had very rough pavement, sink holes, and other hazards! The nicest part of the day was 11 miles on Old Route 101. However, we had some long climbs on that road and at the end of an 80 mile day, it was tough riding. The forest was lush and green, with moss on the trees and many wildflowers which were finished blooming.

Lush forests

I saw what another rider also thought was a bobcat dead on the road. It was too big to be a house cat and was colored like a bobcat. There were also the usual deer, chipmunks, squirrels, and skunks, but no snakes today. I also saw my first porcupine road kill.

There was a wonderful field of sunflowers in the misty weather that cheered up my day. I did have a good day after two kind of slow days! That was good as an 81 mile day would have been tough otherwise.

A bright spot in a dreary morning

This was a day of seeing fully loaded cyclists! All were going the opposite direction from us so I could not talk to any of them with the traffic volume. There were about 6 in one group, then a couple, then two guys who spoke a greeting in German and wore no helmets, and then another couple. Today was also a day of wineries. Grapes are grown all over this area and there were wine tasting locations frequently. The fruit continues to be in abundance with blueberries in U-Pick fields common along the route. The wild blackberries are everywhere and delicious and very sweet.

One of many vineyards today

We entered the town of Neskowin which was very small. Our accommodations, right on the beach, were in condominiums. The beach was very close and fairly warm and sunny by the time we arrived, mid to late afternoon. The water was very cold, very, very cold! Right in front of our housing was a rock called Proposal Rock. Apparently, it was named that because it is a romantic place for proposing. Today, there was a rip roaring tide around the back of the rock and I can’t imagine going across it to get to the rock. Six weeks ago, a man was planning to propose to his girlfriend and she was swept away by a rogue wave as they tried to cross to the rock in low tide and it swept her away. I was talking to Ben on the phone as I watched the rock from the beach and it was really scary the way the water came rushing around behind the rock as the tide neared the high for the day and the waves crashed on the front of the rock.

Proposal Rock

Beach in front of our motel

The beach was beautiful and we look forward to a day off after a 70+ mile ride tomorrow. We will be in Manzanita, OR in a beach front motel. Our route is supposed to be gorgeous, but with lots of climbing. The ACA maps show a very tough day ahead. Today had 3100’ of climbing and lots of rollers as we crossed the Coastal Mountains. The coast has lots of rolling hills, too, so I am sure we will have more of the same tomorrow but with better views.

Our dinner tonight was cornbread and chili with salad and brownies for dessert. The gulls were sitting on the roof overlooking our chairs set up in our usual circle for dinner. They were obviously eyeing the food. As soon as everyone went through the buffet line, a gull flew down to the top of the trailer near the food tables and was interested in being a part of our buffet. One of our riders quickly chased it off! I wish I had a picture! It was quite hilarious.

Vickie, Denise, and Linda...sous chef, guide, and chef

Jackie Marchand, President of WomanTours and Pat

Valerie in her sparkly purple hat

Eugene, OR to Corvallis, OR

2009-08-24T20:09:00.017-04:00

Miles: 45.8
Total Miles: 1183
Climbing: 153’ (the trend continues)
Elevation here: 235’

The ride did not start until 8:30 today, giving us time to sleep in, eat breakfast in the hotel and have a leisurely departure. We said our goodbyes to Rebecca and had a Southern Tier reunion photo! Sorry not to see you, Barbara, and to thank you again for the wonderful after dinner walk and talk through the park. We are headed north today, and tomorrow, will be on the coast. The time has flown by! We have some big mileage days ahead of us now and will be enjoying a totally different landscape than previously.

The Southern Tier '07 Crew

The ride was very flat and with some headwinds. There were many sheep farms, sod farms, and orchards today. Lots of peaches, pears, blueberries, pumpkins, and hazelnut trees were awaiting harvesting. I saw several dust devils including one that had a spout fifty or more feet high, a veritable baby tornado!

Dust devil which had about a 50' high "spout"

There was a Mennonite school on our route so I am guessing that some of these huge farms and farm markets along side of the road were run by them.

Today's flat roads with the Coastal mountains in the distance

They make alot of hay here

Loved this sign

Hazelnut groves

After the second SAG stop today, I hooked up with Judy and Barbara S. for a pace line in the wind. Soon, Denise, our guide joined us and we were in Corvallis in no time! I checked in at the hotel and our rooms were ready even though it was only 11:30. I put my luggage in the room along with my roommate’s (Hille from the ST ’07) and got on the bike to explore the town. I rode out to the Willamette River, which we crossed getting here, and down the wonderful bike path to Avery Park where there was a beautiful rose garden. It was not as big as the one in Portland, but the flowers were every bit as colorful.

One of the beautiful roses I saw in the garden at Avery Park

After that, I rode through the campus of Oregon State University and visited several old buildings in town, including the Old Courthouse which still had the original wooden toilets, including wooden tanks!

After a shower and washing the bike clothes, I roamed the streets, window shopping, and occasionally talking to locals. I went into a little place for a cookie and the lady immediately asked me if I was with the bike group! (I guess it is the “WomanTours look”…short hair, lean, and wearing some kind of bike shirt!) There had only been one other woman from our group in that little shop! I definitely got a kick out of that. There were so many bike shops here that it was amazing. One guy told me there were seven! It is a designated "Bicycle Friendly City" and there were bike lanes, bike racks, and every kind of bike imaginable. The traffic lights even changed when a bicycle was in the bike lane. They are ranked 9th in the nation for the proportion of people who cycle to work. The university had dozens of racks in front of every building.

A few other facts about Corvallis, gleaned from in-motel literature:

...one of the highest per capita computer users in the country
...the highest library use per capita in the USA
...highest education level per capita in the USA
...birthplace of inkjet printing technology by Hewlett Packard (largest HP campus is here)
...Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling was an OSU graduate
...the inventor of the computer mouse graduated from OSU
...greenest city in the nation with “many people making small contributions making a big difference”

Corvallis was a city begun in 1845 with the purchase of land from the local Indians. With the Willamette River in the city, it quickly became a trade center when the steamboats were common. However, it became even more of a center for produce in 1870 when the railroad arrived. The Willamette Valley, as we saw today, was a big produce and timber producing area.

Tomorrow, our ride will take us to the Oregon Coast. Initially, we will be on 99W to Monmouth, and Rickreall, then on 22 to Buell, then 18 through Valley Junction, Grand Ronde, Boyer, and then Old 101 for the last few miles into Neskowin, our destination for tomorrow night.

Blue River, OR to Eugene, OR

2009-08-24T00:32:00.011-04:00

Miles: 60.8
Total Miles: 1137.3
Climbing: 582’ (do you get the trend here?!)

As was the case in the past few days, it was a VERY chilly start, with full warm clothes to start the ride. I rode almost all the way in those clothes but shed some at the last SAG stop. For the most part, our ride was slightly downhill, perhaps 1 or 2% but with a headwind to keep us from going too fast. My average was 15.8 until we hit town and went sightseeing in Eugene. It was not my most energetic day and I did not feel right starting out. It turned out that my brake was rubbing on the wheel causing me to work very hard to pedal! No wonder that I could not keep up with my ride group today. I usually check that each night but I guess I overlooked it last night.

But, to back up a bit….We rode along the lovely McKenzie River for much of the ride today. It was beautiful, with some rapids and some slow moving water. If it had not been so cold, a swim would have been very welcome today, on a short mileage day (only 55 miles...the other miles being in Eugene) We passed a covered bridge along the route which was a nice surprise!

Covered Bridge

Beautiful morning along the McKenzie River

Didn't see any and have never seen a sign like this!

Most of the ride was through farms, Christmas tree nurseries, and hazelnut groves. These nuts are not harvested until a freeze pops open the hulls!

Hazelnut Groves

The last few miles into the city were on fairly busy roads but we arrived at our hotel without a problem except that it was about three hours before check in time. Mary had gotten directions to REI so several of us rode downtown to see it, mostly on a bike path as this city is VERY bike friendly. I did not buy anything but we soon found a place to eat lunch, though they only served breakfast on Sundays, so we ate breakfast again!

Rapids on the Willamette River in Eugene

After a ride along the Willamette River on the bike path, we headed for the hotel. When I checked in, I received a message from Paul and Dorothy, cousins of Sherri (my daughter-in-law) to call them. I did and we arranged to meet after I showered and got changed out of bike clothes. We had a wonderful visit and chat in the park of a local shopping area. They brought me a bag of mixed chocolates which I shared with the group for dessert tonight and made a generous donation to hospice! I always knew that Sherri had lovely family and they were no exception. Thanks so much for the wonderful welcome to Eugene, Paul and Dorothy!

Dorothy (Sherri's mom's cousin) and Paul

When I returned from the visit with them, I saw Rebecca S. in the parking lot with Barbara, her partner. Rebecca rode on the Southern Tier with me and lives in Seattle. They drove down to see the seven members of the ’07 ST group who are also on this ride. They also brought produce from their garden and a case of peaches from the farmer’s market in Corvallis which we ate for dinner tonight. There was a nice wine and cheese party and hors d’ouvres to welcome Jackie M. (the president of WomanTours) to the group as well as several visitors who were here tonight, friends of other riders.

After dinner and the map meeting, I went with Rebecca and Barbara for a nice walk on the river walk along the Willamette. Barbara was a hospice nurse for three years and was very good providing insight into how people deal with illness and dying. Thanks for your help in understanding my questions and providing such good information!

We have only 40 miles to ride tomorrow so we will not be leaving until 8:30 to avoid the cold and the Monday morning traffic. That is fine with me! Good night to all my faithful followers! Only 6 more riding days...

Sisters, OR to Blue River, OR

2009-08-22T23:37:00.006-04:00

Miles: 48.35
Total Miles: 1076.5
Climbing: 2,605’
Total descent: 4519’

What an absolutely fantastic day! It was cold (42°) to start and I wore layers, as usual, with tights, long finger gloves, jacket, and arm warmers. We had about 6 miles of warm-up for our 15 mile climb to the top of McKenzie Pass, our last high pass and our last day in the eastern high desert country. It was an absolutely gorgeous sunny day without a cloud in the sky, a perfect day to ride up the pass. It was apparent that quite a few other cyclists thought so, too, as we were passed by many cyclists today. The 9 mile climb was not nearly as hard as everyone had imagined and as we neared the top, the views became more and more stunning when we came out to a viewpoint called Windy Point.

It actually was not that bad of a climb!

Anne at Windy Point

Nancy J. and Virginia at the lava fields near Windy Point

Barb enjoying the gorgeous day

I am sure it is aptly named but we did not have any winds today. The view was surreal, with lava beds all around, almost like a moonscape, with the beautiful mountains in the background. NASA actually came here to test the moon landing vehicle. It looked to me like earth moving equipment had been pushing around dirt, but it was all lava. The last time there was an eruption here was 1500 years ago. A few trees had made their way out of the rock; otherwise, it looked totally barren, or as if a fire had swept the area recently. As we climbed higher, the mountain views became even more beautiful.

Belknap Crater, erupted 1700 years ago to leave much of the lava in the area

At the Dee Wright Observatory, at the top of McKenzie Pass (elevation, 5,325) named for the man who built the structure we saw, we were able to look out each little window and see a mountain identified. He had been a CCC foreman and in 1933 began the building after working many years for the forest service/CCC. He also located some of the Pacific Crest Trail, which crossed McKenzie Pass.

Paths through the Lava fields, including the PCT

Dee Wright Observatory

Two of the three sisters from McKenzie Pass

Our ride down the mountain was wonderful. The road was brand new and just opened last week. However, there was some loose gravel on it and it had no shoulders. Since no trucks or RV’s over 35 feet were allowed on it, we had only car traffic. It had dozens of hairpin turns, switchbacks, and straight-aways. I loved it! Several cyclists were coming up and several passed me going down so fast it was scary. I guess they are local riders and used to all the turns. The main thing about the ride down the western side of the Cascade Mountains was that it was no longer dry. The vegetation was green like the Smokies! It was just amazing the change in the landscape. Ferns, flowers, rhododendrons, and trees were all growing on the west side. What a change from the previous few weeks of high desert riding!

The ONE lupine I saw in bloom among thousands of finished blooming

On the way down, I saw a sign for Proxy Falls so naturally I had to find out how far it was. A sign for 1.2 miles was enough to get me stopped and on the trail to see the falls. Several of us decided to walk the loop trail and it was definitely worth it. The trees were huge and the falls beautiful, though some of the lava rocks could be seen along the trail.

Hiking along the trail to Proxy Falls

Peg looks pretty small next to that tree!

Proxy Falls

We continued down the hill and I saw a large black object in the road about 50 yards away. It looked up at me and then ran into the woods, not to be seen again. It was a black bear. It had been a long time since I had seen one and I was thrilled! What a sight!

Later, we took another detour off our route to see the Belknap Hot Springs Resort which had hot springs and beautiful gardens. There was a wedding going on in one of the gardens so we had limited access to the area. What a disappointment!

Beautiful gardens at Belknap Hot Springs

The McKenzie River flowed through the resort and we saw a raft and a kayak go by in the most pristine water I have seen in a long time. The flowers near the resort were beautiful and well kept. Hunger kept us from spending too much more time there, however, and we soon arrived at our motel and ate a very late lunch in the café across the street.

We are headed to Eugene, OR (elevation 430’) tomorrow and towards the coast. The ride continues downhill as we head toward sea level. We are still at 1200’ of elevation but will lose all that as we head for the Pacific Ocean. It is amazing that our trip is rapidly coming to an end. It has been so awesome to be riding in this varied climate, vegetation, and landscape. Our weather has been perfect so far. Jackie Marchand, the president of WomanTours will join us tomorrow for the rest of the ride which ends in Portland next Saturday. I guess we have to be on our best behavior!

Sisters, OR Rest Day

2009-08-21T22:09:00.000-04:00

Miles: 3.6
Total Miles: 1028.2

The first thing we saw on getting up this morning was about 15 mule deer next to the parking lot! A motel employee had just dumped several piles of corn to feed them and they all came trotting over for breakfast. The chipmunks and ground squirrels also had a great meal!

Coming in for breakfast

Kathie and I also ate breakfast early and then did chores like bike cleaning and maintenance. I have noticed several loose screws on the bike after all the rough pavement of the last week. They are now all tightened up, ready for the next ride tomorrow. Tomorrow, we will be riding across McKenzie Pass, the last big pass on the trip (I think) and will be leaving the Cascades behind and heading for the Pacific coast. The trip is rapidly coming to the end with 7 more days of riding and one more rest day.

I was going to walk downtown but decided that I would ride since it was almost a mile! I visited the quilt shop again but did not buy anything at all. Oh what self control! The shop was awesome with samples, patterns, fabric packs, and books but I resisted! After I met Kathie, her sister, and niece downtown, we ate lunch together, and then I headed back to the motel to meet Nola for our trip to Bend.

ANOTHER picture of the Three Sisters!

She had said that I could bring another cyclist if I wished so I asked several people if they were interested. Only Valerie said she would like to go, though several others had already arranged a ride to the High Desert Museum.

The museum was fantastic! It housed both indoor and outdoor exhibits including an old sawmill, an 1880’s homestead ranch, a Native American Camp, otter exhibit, and a raptor center. Inside were galleries with Indian artifacts, and multiple other galleries and exhibits. It was really a wonderful afternoon and not nearly as hot as yesterday. As we were getting ready to leave, there was a bluegrass band playing in the alcove where we were in the museum. Apparently, they are playing for an event tomorrow and were testing out the acoustics. It was delightful to hear music that reminded me of home!

Willow branch corral, how they made enclosures before barbed wire

Anne and Nola in front of the wire horse sculpture

I guess Carolyn had enough museum for the day

Nola then suggested that we go eat at a restaurant on the Deschutes River, which runs right through Bend, OR. We had a nice Italian meal on the river on an outdoor patio. It was a wonderful evening with a quick visit to REI and a little window shopping. I enjoyed my day off thoroughly and it was nice to catch up with my friend. After dinner we had a short tour of Bend and then came on back to the motel. Thanks for the day, Nola. I hope you get to Tennessee sometime! Our door is always open.

Sunset picture of the Three Sisters

Sisters, OR Rest Day

2009-08-21T10:00:00.002-04:00

I am 3/4 of my way to the end of my ride and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank my contributors so very much.

MY NEW TOTAL IS over $16,000! I am so pleased but I have a ways to go to reach my goal of $32,000. If you are considering a donation to hospice in honor of my ride, please consider making it in memory of a friend of mine who passed away from cancer this week in Bristol. That was a sadness that I heard this week from home.

It is wonderful to know that so many people believe in the work that Hospice does and I am in awe of the many donations they have received because of my ride. Thank you all very, very much.

Prineville, OR to Sisters, OR

2009-08-20T22:18:00.010-04:00

Miles: 47.8
Total miles: 1024.6
Climbing: 1064’

Because our day was forecast to be near 100, we got an early start this morning, 6:31 am! It was tough to get the air in Kathie's tire today.

What is WRONG with this pump?

It was cool and I started with arm warmers but did not need the tights. The ride West out of Prineville was on the valley floor and we had basalt towers on both sides of us. The terrain was rolling today with only one or two climbs which were small and short compared to some of our other days.

Valley between Prineville and Redmond

Our first faint view of the Cascades, with Mt. Jefferson on the far left just visible

On the Southern Tier, we gauged our progress by the interstates we crossed riding east. Today we crossed I-97 riding west near Redmond, OR. We had numerous railroad tracks to cross and they are always a bit nerve wracking and VERY rough. Today was no exception and as we entered Redmond we had 3 sets of tracks to cross. My rear light was so jarred that it fell off but several other riders saw it and I stopped to get it. I saw a truck coming and pointed to the light and he actually veered over to run smack over it even though it was right on the yellow line in the middle of the road! One truck + one light on the road = one flat light. I think our arrival in Redmond (even on the outskirts) was not appreciated at 7:30 this morning! Someone else had something bounce out of a rear pack, too, but we got that safely.

We looked for a bakery for a little snack in Redmond but were not successful! So, on to Sisters, OR, “Gateway to the Cascades” where we rode on a wonderful, wide bike lane with little or no debris on it. What a welcome change! We began to see the mountains with Broken Top, the Three Sisters, Black Crater, Mt. Washington, Three Fingered Jack, Black Butte, and Mt. Jefferson all coming into view. Ponderosa Pines were also back in the landscape as we have not seen them in several days.

First view of the Three Sisters

Mt. Washington, 7.794'

Broken Top, 9,175'

Three Sisters-South, 10,358', Middle, 10,047, and North, 10,085'

As I came into town, I immediately went to the bike shop to get my brakes fixed and my light replaced. We will soon be out on the coast and will definitely need the lights if it is foggy. Ben has also sent me the helmet light for the front of the bike. Ben’s assumption that the volcanic dust which we have been riding in for weeks is partially responsible for the brake pads wearing out was definitely confirmed by the shop. Of course, I have been braking to take pictures for three weeks, too! With that job finished, Kathie and I rode through the picturesque town of Sisters, Or where we will spend our layover day tomorrow.

The town was formerly a small, short-lived military camp in the 1860's. Taking advantage of its location, Sisters quickly became a bustling town. In the late 1800’s it was a resupply point for sheep herders who passed through on their way to pasturing in the Cascade Mountains. The town was formally established in 1901. Lumber was also a very big industry during the early 1900’s but the last mill closed in 1963 and the population began to decline. However, as highways improved, so did tourist related traffic. The town adopted an 1880’s storefront style and over the years, it has become a unique place to shop and visit. The town is full of art galleries, local craft stores, jewelry, and clothing stores. It is also home to The Stitchin’ Post, a fantastic quilt store which I have heard of for years. Indeed, Sisters hosts a quilt show each year in July which brings thousands of quilters from around the world to see the town totally decked out in quilts. This show started in 1975.

After a wonderful lunch at Seasons Café, (highly recommended by the bike shop and several others) Kathie and I visited several stores with the quilt shop at the top of my list. There were many tourists in town visiting the various shops. We walked around for a while toting our bikes but the 100° heat brought us to the motel as soon as we could check in and we soon headed for the pool for a swim. Many of our cyclists were already there!

My friend, Nola, who lives here, picked me up in the late afternoon for a lovely dinner at her home here in Sisters. She has been here for ten years and seen the many changes and growing pains of the town. We met in 2001 on the internet when I was finishing a quilt and found myself short by a very small amount of fabric. I posted a photo of the fabric on a website called missingfabrics.com and she saw it and emailed that she might have a match. It was a match and she sent me the fabric I needed. For the price of postage, I was able to finish the quilt. Later, she was in Nashville with her husband for a meeting and she drove to Bristol to meet me. We have been emailing since then, and she has tried to get me to come to the Sister’s Quilt show each year but it has just not worked out. When I realized last year that I would be here for a layover day on my cycling trip, I emailed her immediately! We picked up right where we left off….ah the glory of quilting friends. They are wonderful!!

Nola on her front porch

It was a lovely cycling day and a wonderful reunion with Nola. What more could a person ask for?! Tomorrow, she will pick me up and we will go to a museum in Bend, OR and several of the ladies here said they had been and it was really great so I am looking forward to it. What a great location for our second to last rest day of this tour!

Mitchell, OR to Prineville, OR

2009-08-19T22:32:00.001-04:00

Miles: 47.4
Total Miles: 976.7
Climbing: 2452’

Mitchell Rock, just West of the town on Highway 26

This was the first day that I have started riding with only a light weight jacket on and I had it off within 10 miles. That was because we had a 10 mile, 5-7% grade climb! As we climbed, the predominant smell was the burning brakes on the trucks going down the hill as we climbed up. The climb was tough in the heat, but it was followed by a 16 mile downhill or level ride.

Anne at the top of Ochoco Pass

Ponderosa pines reminded me of Philmont

The road was very rough so we had to pedal almost the entire way, not my idea of a downhill! It was a gorgeous day again but back up in the high 90’s. What a change after the mornings we have had recently! We were told that there was a very nice County Park outside of Prineville where we could go for a swim. However, the water was not particularly inviting with many geese around and with the water levels way down for this time of year, we passed. However, Kathie and I drank chocolate milk from a nearby store and ate our sandwich.

We arrived in Prineville at a little after 12 and fortunately the rooms were ready at the very nice Stafford Inn. My roommate is Marilyn who was on the UGRR last year with me until she fell and broke her pelvis. She has been across the country so many times, she has almost lost count! I want to be like her when I grow up! We spent the afternoon working on the bikes. She was changing out a severely damaged tire and I was rotating my brake pads, as they have become very worn on the rear with so many huge downhills. I had a problem but it was soon resolved with the able knowledge of one of our older riders who knows all about bicycles. Thanks, Carolyn.

Our cook, Linda, continues to amaze and delight us with her delicious meals. We eat very well, healthy, and hearty. She keeps us full and happy!

Road kill today: Numerous rabbits and deer. 3 skunks, a chipmunk, a fox and bones, bones, bones. I am guessing that the bones are mostly deer as they are scattered and near the road, and are large animals.

John Day OR to Mitchell, OR

2009-08-18T22:39:00.000-04:00

Miles: 74.9
Total Miles: 929.3
Climbing: 2930’

The start of the day was cold again, but the prediction was for the high 80’s. These 40 degree temperature spans assure that the SAG Subaru is full of the warm layers by 20 miles! The ride was very nice with flat or rolling terrain.

Leaving John Day, OR

Nancy J, Nancy N, and Nancy B...good thing I am using my real name and not my nickname!

We passed through the town of Mt. Vernon. It had a wonderful, marked bike lane…for two blocks. That was how big the town was, too! Just after that, we caused a sheep stampede and later a horse stampede. It is always fun to have horses galloping down a field next to the road with us! There was a sign saying “Wildlife Migration next 30 miles.” Unfortunately, I saw no animals. It was probably too hot by then to move!

We rode along and crossed the John Day River several times today. As we approached Dayville at mile 31, several interesting rock formations were visible.

Outside of Dayville

Entering Dayville

It is always amazing to me what erosion leaves behind in the form of rocks and layers. Several of us stopped for a break in Dayville and played around with the small storefronts which looked like old movie sets in miniature.

Dayville City Hall

Kathie and Anne in Dayville

Picture Gorge...there was actually a road through there

"To many, the sharp, steep walls of Picture Gorge suggest a sudden cataclysm and not the sudden relentless forces that actually shaped it. Each of the seventeen dark layers in the gorge was once a widespread flow of lava that flowed from cracks in the earth 16 million years ago. The average time between flows was 8,000 years."

The road through Picture Gorge

Picture Gorge was named for the pictographs which were made by Indians in one of the brick red, soft stone layers in the area.

Basalt layers in the gorge

Some of the red layers are visible here near the John Day River

Sheep Rock

The area around Sheep Rock was not always juniper and sage. The area was once a hardwood forest which housed many strange and unusual animals, all competing for survival. The John Day formations are made up of many layers, from the top of Sheep Rock to the bottom of Picture Gorge. These rock formations make up only one tenth of the depth of the fossil bearing layers in the John Day Fossil Beds.

The highlight of the day was a trip to these fossil beds. This extraordinary place has some of the richest fossil beds in the world. They span an almost continuous 40 million year record of the diverse plant and animal life that existed in the area. The fossil beds contain evidence of ancient habitats and the geologic processes that formed them. There are fossil remains of jungles, savannahs, and woodlands that once thrived there. The area encompasses over 14,000 acres in three separate sections. We visited the Sheep Rock area which also houses the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center, a wonderful and educational visitor’s center. There, we saw a wonderful movie about the area and the work being done by paleontologists. Their work areas were visible behind glass and the work being done was explained.

Fortunately, the area was recognized as a very important site as early as the 1860’s by Thomas Condon, for whom the center was named. He recognized the treasures of the area raised interest in preserving them. From there, the scientific world has studied, cataloged, and preserved thousands of specimens. This was an area not to be missed and any Transamerica cyclist should make the small detour.

After a snack and water refill, and the heat of the day increasing, we decided to ride the last 34 miles. All along the route, there were rocks along the road and rocks that had fallen into the road's edge and I had this great urge to look at everyone of them to see if there was a fossil!

We had been told to look for a “shoe tree” along the route today. And there was a huge tree filled with shoes deposited on the tree like Christmas ornaments placed by three year olds! There were tennis shoes, hiking boots, ski boots, and all manner of other shoes. Since we had prepared for this with a visit to a local thrift store, we had a pair of tennis shoes signed by all the women on the trip and Barb K was charged with the job of getting them into the tree, and she did! So, we are memorialized in the “shoe tree” of Grant County, OR.

The Shoe Tree

The shoes we added to the tree today!

As we were headed toward our final climb, we came upon a young man (perhaps low 20’s) who, ten minutes earlier, had gotten a wheel into the gravel shoulder, over corrected and run off the road and flipped the car down a 15’ embankment and then landed upright. Seat belts saved both him and his sister, though the car was totaled completely. We gave him water (the sister was sitting nearby in another car, uninjured) and someone went for help as there was absolutely no cell coverage there. After assuring us that he was ok, we rode on and shortly saw rescue vehicles headed his way. Later in the afternoon, we saw the car on a flat bed truck after being towed out. Scary to see, but seatbelts were the lifesaver.

Our last hurdle for the day with rising temperatures was a climb to 4,357’ at Keyes Creek Summit. It was a sleeper of a climb over many miles and the top came before we barely realized we had been climbing steadily for 20 miles, albeit 2-4% grades. The ride down the mountain into Mitchell was wonderful on smooth pavement. The town of Mitchell was tiny and we definitely made people turn their heads! We were in three different motels within a short distance.

Mitchell, OR

Ours has only six rooms and one of them was occupied by Allen Alley, who is running for republican governor of Oregon next year. He is walking through Oregon visiting the people! We think he could visit many more people on a bicycle! There is NO ONE out here for miles and miles!

Nancy J, one of the wonderful women who hosted us at her summer home in McCall, ID last week was my roommate and we have a two room suite! I must say that we probably lucked out this time as the van and trailer were at this motel and the others who were down in the town itself at the other two motels had to walk up a very steep hill for dinner. After dinner, Ramsey and Barb K each did a song related to the day’s events and both were very humorous. It is always such fun after dinner and the map meeting to see what talents show up! With no cell phones and no internet, we sat around outside and chatted about other WomanTours rides and where we have been on rides. Great end to a great day.

Peg, Barbara S, and Nancy J at the Sky Hook Motel

John Day, OR Rest Day

2009-08-17T19:54:00.005-04:00

I actually went to bed at 8:50 last night and slept until 7 this morning. It was amazing. I cannot remember the last time I was in bed for 10 hours! …and it was delightful! After a light breakfast at the motel, it was onto bike cleaning before the heat of the day.

The Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site was absolutely fascinating and almost next door to the Best Western where we are staying. Only ten people could go on the tour at one time, so I gave up my space to a couple traveling through town without a few hours to spare waiting for a space. The museum then gave us a ticket for the next hour and when I returned, there was another group of four and I gave up my ticket, along with three others from our group until the 1 PM tour! It was no problem and the tour was well worth waiting for. We also watched a 30 minute video that was aired a few months ago on the Oregon PBS station.

Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site

The old building housed the Kam Wah Chung, a place of business for Ing “Doc” Hay and Lung On, Chinese immigrants who came to this country during a time of great unrest in China. Lung On was an entrepreneur and Ing Hay was an herbal medicine practitioner. The building also housed their home, a stockroom, a general store, kitchen, herb room, and a bunk room. It also served as a post office and a center for Chinese social life, even though they were heavily discriminated against at the time. The wave of Chinese immigrants in the mid to late immigrants came to this area seeking gold, as many others did back in the gold rush times. These to men sought to capitalize on the Chinese population in the area. Their partnership lasted over 50 years. Doc Hay actually treated patients in his clinic until 1948, using herbs and weeds to treat various illnesses. He was fluent in English and well educated.

Some of the many herbs which were imported from China and left when Hay died

Lung On was a very skilled merchant, changing his supplies to accommodate the latest needs of miners and others located in the area. He had a very successful dry goods store and also an import business. Later, he became a mediator for the Chinese community which was segregated from the “whites”. At the beginning of their business, they had to bar the windows and doors as they were frequently bothered by thefts and “Saturday night drunks”.

A small part of the contents of the general store

The building was closed up for 30 years after Hay died in 1952. When bought by the State Park system, it was remarkably intact with food dried in the Oregon weather instead of molded. There were many cans of food as well as herbs, letters, dry goods for sale, a Buddhist alter, tobacco, liquor, and a cleaver (or more than one) in each room. The Chinese were not allowed to have handguns or rifles, so they used cleavers for protection. Also found in a trunk under his bed was $23,000 worth of uncashed checks for services rendered. Several theories as to why he had these were given. Perhaps they were bounced checks. After the gold boom, the town mostly disappeared and people were very poor during the depression. It has been thought that maybe he did not cash the checks for medical treatment because he knew that it was a stress on the person’s budget. Today, that money would be worth a quarter of a million dollars.

Hay and On were buried in this town, unlike most other Chinese immigrants whose bones were shipped back to their families in China. The families of these two men were never brought to America and they never went back. Several poignant letters were found in the old house from the fathers and wives begging them to send money or to return to visit but they never did. The museum was a fascinating place to visit on our day off. It should be a highly recommended stop on any Transamerica Bike Route trip.

Baker City, OR to John Day, OR

2009-08-17T17:51:00.012-04:00

Miles: 79.9
Total Miles: 854.4
Climbing: 4408’
Maximum Speed: 39.1

The day was very cold, 36°, but sunny and gorgeous! Everyone dressed warmly, with long fingered gloves, ear bands, wool socks, and layers. We knew it was going to warm up by about 45 degrees by the end of the day! I was very glad to have the layers to start!

Map of the day

The mileage for the day was among our highest of the trip, though we will have a century (100 miles) on the last day. What made the day memorable were the three big climbs! About six people did not make the ride today. Ramsey was suffering from Achilles tendonitis, several people were just in need of a day off, and a few feared the terrain. A few rode the SAG vehicle part of the day. Barely before Kathie and I had gotten to the edge of Baker City, we flushed a huge covey of quail, at least 20 so that started the day with a flourish!

There were many basalt towers today along the route and a map I saw showed this area of Oregon to have the most of any place in the state. If you missed my post on basalt, you can look at 8-05, Umatilla to Walla Walla. The ride was lovely, along the Powder River, on the Sumpter Stage Highway, also know as Route 7 and now we are on the due west portion of our ride. It is hard to believe that I have already ridden over half the ride. It has been spectacular every day. Michelle, our guide from the Southern Tier used to start every map meeting with “tomorrow is one of my favorite rides!” I think that if I was guiding this trip, I would be saying the same thing. Every day has been unique and beautiful.

There was an osprey nest high atop a pole on a platform, obviously place for that reason. There were two birds in the nest and they looked very close to fledging to me, standing on edge of the nest. Many hawks were also along the route today as well as numerous small birds dead in the road. I am guessing that they were nesting in the numerous dense shrubs along the road and when the flitted out, they got slammed by a car or truck. Reminder to self: never go on a bike trip again without binoculars!

At the top of the first climb, Sumpter Pass, 5,082’, there was a wonderful cheering bunch of women, all those who did not ride, awaiting us. Since the climb was at mile 30 and the Subaru SAG was at mile 15, the van was leap frogging the SAG today. It was really great to finish the first one to such a group, with Ramsey the ringleader!

Elizabeth, Anne, and Kathy celebrate the completion of the first climb

Barbara, on the recumbent, finishes the first climb

Marilyn, who broke her pelvis on the UGRR last year with me, is back on the bike and riding well!

Thanks, you all! After each climb, we had a long wonderful downhill with smooth pavement and I did not brake all the way down, except when a big RV towing a car passed me on a curve. The lack of traffic on this Sunday morning was a blessing, for sure.

The second climb was to Tipton Pass Summit at 5,124’ and again, we had a fantastic downhill after it. The weather had warmed up enough to strip off all the heavy layers, long finger gloves, tights, fleece ear band, socks, arm warmers, and extra shirt! I did keep my jacket on for the downhill as it was still cool.

Tipton Pass Summit sign

This area reminded me so much of Philmont, NM, on the Venture Scout trip in 2004

The van and trailer rig, with bikes from those not riding today

Before the last climb we had lunch in a small café which had a bar built in Chicago in 1850. It was beautiful. Ramsey, realizing the waitress was getting overwhelmed by the group, took up the chores behind the bar.

Ramsey serving Judy in the old bar

The third and last climb of the day was to 5,277’. This downhill was really exhilarating as we had spectacular views of the Strawberry Mountain Range. I had never heard of it either! However, the highest peak was just over 9,000’.

View of the Strawberry Mountains coming off the last climb of the day

We had hoped to stop in Prairie City, OR (13 miles before John Day) for a quick snack or ice cream but it was closed up tight on this Sunday afternoon and we blew on through hoping to find a place in John Day. Kathie and I were immediately pulled into the giant magnet that the Dairy Queen had and a hot fudge sundae was quickly consumed, with our motel, a Best Western, right across the street.

Basalt towers near John Day, OR

I made it 80 miles!

I felt really good after the 80 miles and so got on the laundry list. When we arrive at a motel before a day off, we immediately take over the washing machine (there were two here) and anyone who wants to use it puts her name on the list with a room number and the laundry gets done in a very orderly fashion. I got mine finished before dinner! Tomorrow, I will clean the bike and visit a museum here, buy a few little incidentals like sunblock chapstick and a mailer for a motel key I accidentally “stole” in my jacket pocket in Halfway, OR. It had a very nice brass room number on a special hotel insignia so I felt I should return it! I am really ready for the rest day!

Halfway, OR to Baker City, OR

2009-08-16T00:06:00.002-04:00

Miles: 57.7
Total miles: 774.5
Climbing: 3991

The day started out very chilly and when Linda served hot chocolate for breakfast, she immediately had many takers. It did not top 65 today, I don’t think, and I had a jacket on almost all day. It was perfect riding weather except for the continued headwind. We only had two miles to warm up before we had a 5 mile climb with 6-7% grades.

Lots of climbing again today

Anne and Kathie at the top of our 5 mile climb today

It was not too hard for me! The elevation topped out at 3653’. Then, we had a fantastic 4 mile downhill, although it was a very chilly ride! There was a great view of Richlands, OR from the big downhill.

Nancy B with her Sponge Bob shirt, 2007 Southern Tier riders will understand this one!

One of our great downhill runs today

The scenery was dry, dry, dry, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. I again felt very small today. Except for several clusters of the Blazing Stars I identified from yesterday and the green surrounding the Powder River which we followed for a long time today, it was dry.

On one hill (we had quite a few today) I saw horses galloping across a field and then saw an ATV and a dog rounding them up! I guess they don’t use horses to round them up anymore! I also saw several great blue herons on the Powder River.

We passed the Hole in the Wall slide of 1984 left a huge scar on the side of the mountain. For several days, the dry foothills around the Powder River received multiple inches of rain. The water percolated down to the layer of basalt and then through cracks in the rock to the clay below. The basalt blocks slid over the clay like bricks on ball bearings and roared downhill. The slide continued to creep downhill at the rate of a half inch per day until over ten million cubic yards had slid into the road below and into the Powder River, completely blocking the river and creating a half mile long lake.

Hole in the Wall slide

The old road is barely visible next to the River

We climbed up and down, staying on the Powder River which made a ribbon of green with all the dry areas along our route today. These riparian zones are rich with greenery and wildlife that would never be able to survive in this environment without the water. We saw at least four great blue herons on this river today.

Ribbons of green brighten up the otherwise very dry high desert of Eastern Oregon

The Oregon Trail Interpretative Center was about 8 miles before our destination of Baker City, OR today.

Absolutely wonderful museum chronicling the history of the Oregon Trail

View of the valley from the Oregon Trail Center, top of the hill

At our map meeting last night, one small bit of information about this place was omitted! It was a one an a half mile climb up a 9-12% grade. That was steep for me! But Kathie, great ride partner that she is, rode up to go to the museum. One of our older riders who did not ride today was already there (dropped of by the van) and she had a golden age pass allowing her to take three others with her, so we got in free. Thanks, Judy. The center was fascinating with full size depictions of the wagons, stock, and horses. There were movies and many other exhibits which I enjoyed thoroughly, depicting the hardships and the joys of the settlers who came to Oregon on the Oregon Trail in the 1800’s. As we were getting ready to leave, there was a park ranger looking down the hill with binoculars and said that there was a reenactment of an Oregon Trail wagon train coming across the valley. Indeed, we saw it and hurried off the high hill to see them arriving in their encampment for the night. We were among the very few of our group who saw them at all. I guess that was the repayment for our big climb to the top of the hill to see the museum!

One of the Reenactment Wagons

...and another wagon

As we left to continue our ride to Baker City, we saw another sign (which of course we had to stop to read) and it led us to see the actual wagon ruts left from the original wagon trains. We saw several sets which passed through the area. There was also an Oregon Trial Memorial monument to the many pioneers who died while en route.

Actual wagon ruts from the original Oregon Trail

Just before Baker City, I saw this newly cut hay being raked by a farmer. There was a hawk was sitting atop a post very nearby, watching... well... like a hawk, for any small mammals to be rousted out by the raking. I did not see it fly, but I am sure there were several meals to be had in the huge field.

Raking the newly mowed field

Oregon Trail Center from the field below, where the tracks were located

Where old farm machinery goes to die

Finally, we rode on down to Baker City, a small town with much history, and a hub of activity at the turn of the century for those seeking gold and those seeking a new life. It was a wonderful riding day despite the headwinds which we had most of the day.

Linda fixed a wonderful dinner, as usual, and Denise told of our big day tomorrow, 80 miles to John Day, OR and our rest day after that! Three big climbs will be on the agenda for tomorrow, all over 5,000' high. It should be beautiful.

Why we love Linda, our cook!

the rest of the dinner

Cambridge, ID to Halfway, OR

2009-08-14T23:32:00.009-04:00

Miles: 60.4
Total miles: 716.8
Climbing: 3690’

Haha! surprised you didn't I. I did not think I would have internet tonight but I do. I may not get the pictures up but I will try.

It was very windy this morning, a straight-on headwind. There were rainclouds, blue sky, rain drops, and a rainbow at various times. I put on my raingear when I was sure that we were going to get hammered by rain, and it was literally in the field next to me but I did not get wet. I guess because I put on the rain jacket five minutes earlier! Later on, up the road, it had obviously poured rain as there were puddles and water running down the road, but it did not rain on us. Good karma. It was cool enough at the start for a long sleeve jersey, socks, and tights. For 16 miles, we struggled against the wind. It probably added about 2000 calories to my daiy. (I hope so, as I had fried onion rings for lunch!) Several people gave up and rode the van. It was definitely a very hard ride.

The beginning of the climb up to the pass with no name

Karen, today's SAG driver "dressing up".

At the top of the pass, we were at 4131’. From there we had the most glorious ride into Hell’s Canyon. It was 7 miles of downhill at 7% grade.

The beginning of our descent into Hell's Canyon

Anne on the descent

I had to stop several times, not for the speed but for the beauty of the canyon and scenery. Hell’s Canyon, at its deepest is nearly 8000’ deep. I felt very small today going down into the depths of that canyon! Several locals told us how lucky we were as it is usually 110° there in August. We had jackets, though by the time I got to the bottom I had my tights off but my jacket still on (as a vest).

Many of us made a stop at the café at the bottom and the line of bicycles was a sight to see!

Parked bikes=food or shops nearby!

I did not eat there as it was too early. Later, our little ride group stopped at a roadside park and then helped one of our riders change her tire, twice. Long story! Soon, we were all back on the road. The original four had decided to ride up the canyon further than the cue sheet turn so that we could possibly see some rapids on the Snake River but after about 2 miles, we realized that the scenery was mostly the same so we turned around. By that time, we had crossed from ID to OR to ID to OR. ...worth an extra margarita tonight.

Barb K crossing from Idaho back into Oregon...they don't want to make it easy!

There were many birds today, hawks, an osprey with a nest on top of an electric pole, a flock of turkeys, and a covey of quail. I also saw a mule deer buck and several flat snakes. Several people have seen eagles in the past week but I have not seen one.

The Snake River was very large, but not as wide as the Columbia. There were unsuccessful attempts to mine gold there. It is now a tourist attraction, with boating, fishing, and rafting. Although I wanted to see some of the whitewater, there was no way to cycle far enough into the area to see it! There were many raft companies willing to drive you there, however!

Brownlee Reservoir, our first view of the Snake River

Snake River (dammed above Brownlee Dam

Snake River below Brownlee Dam

Snake River

I did see a very nice flower which I later identified using a wildflower book that I gave to WomanTours after my Southern Tier trip. It was a Blazing Star and such a beautiful flower! It was growing in the most inhospitable location in rocks and hardly any soil and so dry!

Blazing Star

We finally started for Halfway, OR after crossing the river on a bridge from Idaho. Halfway was named because it was halfway between Cornucopia and Pine. They have a population of 337. We have been staying in some really big cities!!! The town actually changed its name to Half.com during the internet craze of the late 1990’s but it remains halfway to us, halfway through our trip!

Pine Valley Presbyterian Church in Halfway, OR

This one is for Ben

Tomorrow we are off to Baker City, OR and will be in Oregon for the rest of our trip.

New Meadows, ID to Cambridge, ID

2009-08-13T19:16:00.020-04:00

Miles: 48.8
Total Miles: 656.3
Climbing: 1435’
Total descent today: 2676’

Nancy N. and I were supposed to have our pictures taken by Peter this morning but a small communication error had him going to Nancy’s place at the lake instead of our motel…and he was up at 7 am. Sorry we missed you, Peter!

The ride today was mostly very easy, though started out very cool. I have been seeing lots of “Open Range” signs and today we saw why! Right on the side of the road was this bull!

Believe the signs

...and there he was, looking at us riding by...

Scenery from the day

That is what they do here

At the same time I was trying to get the photo, a 15 vehicle army convoy was going the other direction! We rode through Council where I stopped to see a small museum about the area and it was well worth the 30 minutes I spent there. There was much excitement in 1898 when the RR came to Council to transport copper from the mines that were located in the area.

Old RR engine in Council, ID park

There are at least three times as many different jerseys on this trip as there are women. Some days we just look alike and today, for some reason, lots of us wore the same one, our tour jersey.

And this one is for Graham and Sherri. I had to get my grand dog pats in and this one had to do for me today.

Hello Tesla, eat your heart out! Meet Baxter!

This guy had some nice bikes for sale!

Just me and my shadow

We have been seeing many snakes as road kill but today, I saw a live one, about 3’ 6” long and this afternoon I identified it as a Gopher Snake. It was not the first one I have seen! I also saw a fox roadkill today. I also saw several hawks as well as heard them.

Gopher Snake

The trend of the ride today was definitely downhill, though we had at least a 20 mph headwind for the last 15 miles. I hope this was not a taste of what will come as we begin our ride West in Oregon tomorrow! Once in Cambridge, population 360, I looked for bicycles, as I was one of the last to arrive after my museum visit. The bikes by a restaurant always means FOOD, and cyclists there. We were creating quite a stir, especially when Nancy N. waltzed in wearing the Tutu that she had bought at a little store earlier today!

Nancy showing off her tutu

The locals just knew we were nuts when they heard “the rest of the story.” It is always fun to talk to people about what we are doing! This community is a small farming, ranching, and logging community. It is also the gateway to Hell’s Canyon where we will ride tomorrow, the deepest river canyon in the USA. Since I will have no internet tomorrow night, you will have to wait a bit for that blog entry.

How they tell the weather in Cambridge

I have found ANOTHER new bike, Ben. Can I buy it, Ben, huh, can I?

We are at the Frontier Motel tonight and it is a nice little place which I am sure is a very busy place on weekends due to visitors to the Canyon. They had a great sign out front!

The four sag drivers and the sous chef need an attitude adjustment...perhaps a margarita as we go back into Oregon tomorrow!

Praying Mantis I saw outside our room tonight

New Meadows, ID -- Rest Day

2009-08-13T18:29:00.017-04:00

Rest day
NO MILES!

After an early breakfast at a local café, I went with my computer to the lobby of the main house where we are staying and was able to get the blog and pictures up. My room did not have a connection that allowed a good signal. Later, I cleaned and lubricated the bike, as well as put super glue in the little slits in my tires. The narrow shoulders we have been riding on have lots of debris and my tires have taken a beating!

We are on the Transamerica Route and will be from here on and I am delighted to see so many touring cyclists on it. Most of the riders I have talked to started in Yorktown, VA, the Eastern end of the route and will end where we will be the next to last day, in Astoria, OR. I also met a rider at the café who is doing over 100 miles per day on the route, riding East to raise funds for Parkinson’s disease, as his father suffers from this. His mother and girlfriend were carrying his gear and he was riding a very light bicycle.

We gathered at about 1:15 to start shuttling all of us up to Nancy J’s house. With the van, SAG Subaru, and two trucks, most of us made it to the lake, about 12 miles away. Several other women had plans with friends and arrived later in the day. The location of the house was on Payette Lake in McCall, Idaho. (elevation 5021')

View from the deck out to Payette Lake and the mountains beyond

The house was absolutely gorgeous and the lake was cold and clear, but refreshing, and many of us (me included) went for a wonderful swim. There was also a jet ski (yes, I did ride it, but only as a passenger) which Linda, our tour cook drove with great skill, and speed, I might add. She took many of us out for a spin, uh, a ride!

Linda and Anne on the Jetski

The lake was fed by mountain streams and Ed, Nancy’s husband, said that this is the ONLY time of year that the water is warm enough to swim. Ed also took many of the women for rides in their motor boat, showing them the shoreline, particular homes of note, and generally giving a commentary of the area. Everyone loved the day.

Barb, Pat, Judy, and Karen enjoying the food

Group bonding time!

Ed and Nancy

The comfortable deck chairs, wonderful food, and gracious hosts and hostesses (Kaye, another cyclist in our group and her husband, Bud, helped with the food and the cooking) made us all feel welcome. We watched an osprey dive for fish right from our chairs on their deck.

Kaye, Bud the Cook, and Ed surpervising!

Kathy, Virginia, and Judy

It was really nice to see everyone relaxing together and enjoying the day off. The food was delicious with afternoon snacks including guacamole, cheeses, cantaloupe and watermelon, as well as chips and salsa. The guys cooked hamburgers on the grill assuring that the neighbors were jealous of our meal! With all the fixings, including tomatoes, potato salad, sweet onions, etc., we did not go hungry. We even had banana splits with all the toppings for dessert! I held back a little by then!

One of the women in our group left yesterday to visit with friends for the rest day. They also lived near the lake and did not know exactly where Nancy and Ed lived so they got in their motor boat with Pam and her luggage and motored down the shore line looking for our party! We all got a great laugh at Pam arriving with her suitcase from the boat just in time for the afternoon picnic!

Pam arriving by boat to join in the fun

Kaye, Linda, our usual cook, and Nancy N.

Just when we thought the day could get no better, most of us went to see a local garden which is kept up by the citizens of McCall and it was absolutely spectacular. My pictures do not even come close to showing how beautiful it was. There were flowers of all colors, shapes, and sizes. Things that bloom at my house in early May were blooming here. The columbine was in full bloom, as well as astilbe, delphinium, crocosmia, daisies, roses, larkspur, violas, and dozens of others, too numerous to list. It was just fantastic. There were ponds, water gardens, and stone steps down hills and through the woods. I am guessing it was about 2 acres. They had to drag me away! What a wonderful end to a truly wonderful day.

Flowers

Bee on a Bachelor Button

Daisy Variety

Thanks to Nancy and Ed for sharing their lovely home and dock and to Kaye and Bud for the cooking and thanks to them all for the food. Nancy also arranged for a newspaper reporter to come to interview me and Nancy N. since we are the only ones raising funds on our trip. Peter did a great job and asked good questions to learn all about hospice and the work they do. He was well prepared and I look forward to reading the article in the McCall paper when it comes out next Thursday. Nancy will get Ed to buy some extra copies to send to us. Coincidentally, Peter is moving to Italy in a month and he will be very close to where Ben and I spent our two and a half years in the army. He is going to work for his brother who lives there and has a travel agency. He likes to cycle, so he will love it there.

Thanks so much to everyone who has been leaving comments. I enjoy reading them so much and try to answer them when I can! I am going to bed now, as we ride again in the morning and it is supposed to be very cool, perhaps 48 degrees and maybe with rain. That is a change from the high heat we have had recently. We shall see. I ride no matter what!

Whitebird, ID to New Meadows, ID

2009-08-11T22:30:00.021-04:00

Miles: 62.4
Total Miles: 607.5
Climbing: 2951

Total climbing so far: 27,474’

Since our group was split into two motels two miles apart last night, they brought the van to our motel for breakfast and everyone had to bike down to us!

Linda, our cook making breakfast with others fixing snacks for the day

Typical morning scene

View from motel in the direction we rode today

We were soon on the road on another warm day, though I started in arm warmers as we were in the shade and it was a chilly ride along the beautiful Salmon River. This is the longest free flowing river in the USA. (i.e. no dams along its entire length) The Salmon River Canyon, which we rode through today, was formed over 15 million years ago. The river ran across lava flows and started to carve the canyon. Then the mountains began to rise and the river cut through to older rock below.

Early morning in the Salmon River Canyon

Salmon River

Can you tell that I enjoyed the ride on the Salmon River today?

Glenna picked a great view for a SAG stop!

We rode over 25 miles along the river which was alternately flat and then with some Class 1 and 2 rapids. We saw one group of rafts along a flat section and many of the kids were in the water. The current was quite swift, though.

The bridge into the mountain time zone, we will be back in Pacific in two days!

Nancy B, a cyclist who rode the Southern Tier in '07 with me

Soon after, in Riggins, we passed into the Mountain Time Zone. This town has dubbed itself the Whitewater Capital of Idaho! The main street was lined with companies who claimed to be the best for guiding, rafting, kayaking, or fishing expeditions. We were interested in only one thing…food! We knew that even though it was only mile 28 of our 62 mile day that there were no more services along the route. So we had a nice late breakfast.

View down the Salmon River Gorge

We are seeing many, many loaded cyclists now that we are on the Transamerica Cycling Route. These two were struggling in the headwinds with heavy trailers. Give me panniers anytime! This morning, we saw them camped in the city park.

Back on the road, we saw two military jets flying down the canyon, and then two more, or they were the same ones. They were low and loud. A bit later, two (or 4) more came through. Tonight, we were told by a visitor to the group that they might be from a Utah air base.

Signs along the way tell us who is responsible for the “Adopt a Highway” program. Today we saw one which was very unusual. It said that the group responsible was “Yahweh’s 666 Warning Assembly.” We had heard at the map meeting last night to be on the lookout for the compound of this "religious cult". It was a group of ramshackle houses within a fence and we saw no one anywhere around. You could probably find it on the internet as they advertised a website on a sign but we did not even have cell service today, so I imagine that there was not much internet!

Religious cult on the road!

It was a hot, dry, very windy day. It was a headwind, relentless, all day. This was one of my hardest days so far. Our average speed was only 11 mph and we had to pedal down every incline to keep up that low speed. Peg had to SAG in as she had the beginnings of heat exhaustion and probably did not drink enough all day. So Kathie and I were left to get in together. We were not the first to arrive, but among the front of the group. I could not even count then umber of bottles of water we drank. We filled up at every SAG stop.

We crossed the 45th Parallel today, which means that we were halfway between the equator and the North Pole. What a thought!

We were only 2 miles out of our destination at the time, so took the requisite picture and rode on in to New Meadows, ID where we will spend our rest day tomorrow. The flags show the wind we had facing us today!

Windy Day

New Meadows was aptly named

Another pastoral scene in New Meadows, ID

Two of the women on the trip, lifelong friends, each own cabins very near here which they use in the summer months. They have invited all of us to visit them for our day off and their husbands are going to cook for us. We are usually on our own as far as meals go on our day off (cooks day off, too!) So, tomorrow afternoon, we will shuttle the 12 miles to the cabin on a lake and have a leisurely afternoon with a cookout. Everyone is looking forward to that, so bike cleaning and laundry was the order of the late afternoon and evening so that we can enjoy the day tomorrow.

Nancy N. and Pat, our recent birthday gals

I have been asked about road kill. Yes, there are lots of dead animals. Deer and snakes have been the number one and two dead things on the road. Rattlesnakes are the main type though many of them are flat and unidentifiable! I have seen an occasional rabbit. Today I saw two badgers! I was not sure, but looked at a picture on the internet when I got in and now I am sure!

Peg and I took a walk after dinner and located the breakfast spot for tomorrow morning, the post office so I can mail some things home that I am not using, and the local bar. We decided that it was time to go to bed! The motel we are staying in has a main house and a bunch of motel rooms. I am alone in the room so it will be quiet. If I wake up, I might look at the Perseid meteor shower. I hope I sleep!!!

PS I just got an email from Jennifer, the Wellmont Foundation person in charge of my ride donations. She said my total so far was over $13,000 so I am so excited! I am only 1/3 of the way on my trip and this amount is almost half way to may goal of $32,000. Thank you to everyone who has made a donation so far! I am delighted that Hospice is going to be the recipient of the donations! Keep them coming, please.

Kamiah, ID to Whitebird, ID

2009-08-10T22:25:00.002-04:00

Miles: 49.56
Total miles: 545.1
Climbing today: 3,791’

It was cool this morning and I wore arm warmers for the first hour or more. Everyone was tired from yesterday and that included me, for sure. It was just hard to get my legs working. I saw a farm with beehives that looked very disheveled compared to the order of the beehives had when we had them. That was kind of the way I felt today!

We left Kamiah and rode along the Clearwater River, which was cool and lovely.

Riding along the Clearwater River out of Kamiah

We have now completed the eastward part of our ride and are now headed south. The ride took us through the small towns of Kosskia (coo-ski) with gorgeous scenery and continuing on the river, Stites, and Harpster. Harpster was a mining town which hoped for a railroad which never arrived. In its hayday, it had several saloons, a hotel, general store and livery. We rode Highway 12 to Kooskia and then took Highway 13 toward Grangeville. This fork in the road took us up a ten mile climb with 5-7% grades.

The long road up the hill to Grangeville, ID

Took this one from the bike during the climb!

It was a very tough climb for all of us. With a few ups and downs, we arrived in Grangeville, ID and looked for a place to eat on the main street as fast as we could! Lunch was leisurely, fun, and filling! However, we knew that another big climb awaited us up to Whitebird Pass. As we headed out of town, we took Highway 95 toward Whitebird. It was a beautiful ride through farms with huge rolling hills in the distance for about 5 miles. We then came to road repair signs and a flag person who was alternately stopping traffic for a one-way, three mile stretch. This encompassed our whole climb. After receiving instructions from her, we began the climb, with traffic going up the hill in a single lane with us on the side. The road looked like it had cracked away, as if from an earthquake. They seemed to be clearing so that they could move the road away from the downhill side. The five of us who were making the climb at the same time slowly made our way to the top in blazing sun. The smell of the pines that the workers were cutting was welcomed!

As we climbed, the traffic from each direction alternated and we finally made it to the top with a glorious view on a pullout where the SAG was parked. Nancy B., the driver today was definitely a wonderful sight. She had the water and Gatorade to refill our bottles for the last 8 miles. We could see the old road across the valley with multiple switchbacks and were glad that we were not on that!

Switchbacks left from the old road

This sign says it all about the old road!

Peg, Anne, and Kathie celebrating at the top of Whitebird Mt.

To the wonderful person who gave Ben the Smiley Face Neck cooler (around my neck in this picture)...I have used it almost every day since the ride began. Thank you for giving it to Ben in his "retirement gift box" and thanks to Ben for letting me have it for the ride! It works like a charm on these hot days and can be rehydrated for additional cooling during the day.

The road going down the mountain

After a good rest and photos, food, and water, we decided that our best bet would be to wait for the flow of traffic to stop on the 8 mile downhill and then we would have the road to ourselves. (Remember that it was alternating a single lane as we did our climb) It worked great until we took a break on the steep descent and the traffic started coming down. The road was rough chip seal so I could not go nearly as fast as I would have liked, even though the sight distance for speeding was really long. (I did get up to 38 mph) We just pulled off to the side while all the cars and trucks passed. (It was scary as it was a single downhill lane with 7% grades and runaway truck ramps at three different intervals).

Peg and I were happy to make a rest stop on the long downhill, 8.2 miles, to take a picture and let the next wave of vehicles pass

We definitely stay in some, uh, interesting places! This was clean, cool, and I slept well..oh, and we had our own bathrooms!!

View from our motel, up towards Whitebird Mt.

Since we were in two different motels a mile apart, the van came to pick us up for dinner. It was Pat’s birthday so we had a birthday cake, and an extra cake…we eat a lot!

Valerie and Pat, the birthday girl..note the WomanTours white dinner chairs, not fancy...years ago on the first long tours, they had little stools to sit on. The resin chairs fit the bill and are quite comfortable! They stack in the trailer each night!

Karina at the town sign before we walked back to Hoots Motel

After our map meeting, Karina, my roommate and the youngest (at 44) on the trip, decided to walk the two miles back to the motel. It was very quiet and when we got to our motel we saw a mother mule deer and her twins come down the hill and through the parking lot. I tried to get a photo but it was too dark! When I returned to my room, Kathie had folded all my laundry! Thanks, Kathie.

There were gorgeous views out our motel window. We will start from here in the morning, since the van/kitchen will come here and Linda will cook breakfast while we load luggage. When we are in two different motels, a mile apart, there are a few more logistics but the walk back from dinner made us realize that sometimes that is not a problem!….no phone service and no internet!

Lewiston, ID to Kamiah, ID

2009-08-09T23:36:00.012-04:00

Miles: 90.4
Total Miles: 495.5
Climbing today: 5475’ (wow, big day!)

The ride started at 6:30 AM since we knew it was to be a BIG day, with lots of climbing! Riding on the bike trail in Lewiston was wonderful, cool, and I had a jacket on to start. The wheat which is growing everywhere is in the process of being harvested and I was hoping to see a threshing machine today but it is Sunday and there was very little farm work going on. The fields were so many different colors and it was really a gorgeous ride.

Riding out of Lewiston, the Snake River

The first 30 miles were a warm up for “the big climb” which was 10 miles long, but through breathtaking scenery of wheat, finished wheat, newly plowed black fields, and new light green shoots from planted seeds. We made a quick stop at a convenience store to get Powerade and to readjust and get ready to climb. The three of us, Elizabeth, from the Southern Tier, Kathie, Peg, and I rode together all day and were among the first to hit the top of the hill. Only our 44 year old rider and her ride partner were faster and started earlier that most of the other riders.

The long road UP!

Two riders (dots) with high vis shirts are making their way up the hill

Double click on the photos to make them bigger.

Anne, Kathie, and Peg are happy to have finished the big climb

At one of our SAG stops today, there was a coyote that was dead (fresh kill) and hanging on a fence. We all wondered how it got there! We also saw lots of wild life today, including quail, many hawks, a killdeer, and heard a pileated woodpecker. Later we stopped to eat in Winchester at Miss Lilly’s and we were glad for the calories after that 40 miles.

This hangs over the main street in Winchester, ID

Wheat Farms

Our last mileage of the day was a ten mile downhill run all the way to the motel, which is actually an RV park/camping place with some motel rooms and cabins. We have all the rooms! Tomorrow we are headed to White Bird, ID and will be in two hotels a mile apart as there is not enough room in one for all of us. Several of the riders have done some of this ride in the opposite direction when they rode the Lewis and Clark Adventure Cycling Route a few years ago so all of them had their picture taken with Lewis and Clark at our motel. Kamiah is pronounced cam-ee-eye! People laughed when we pronounced it the way it is spelled! Oh well

Marilyn, who broke her pelvis on the Underground RR last year is back on the bike and riding strong

The gals who rode the Lewis and Clark ride in 2006 together

Dayton, WA to Lewiston, ID

2009-08-08T23:59:00.011-04:00

Miles: 76.9
Total Miles: 405.1
Climbing: 3062

It was chilly this morning and many people started with tights, arm warmers, and/or jackets. Many went to the Patit Creek encampment reenactment done in silhouette which I saw yesterday, but my ride partner today, Kathie, had not seen it so I rode out again. After we were back on the main road, we had a wonderful tail wind and were going 28-30 mph on the flats. It was awesome! We had a short climb and then a 6% downhill for three miles. Ramsey went 46 mph! I cannot do that but had a high of 39.1 mph. The road was smooth, straight, and windy. A SAG stop about mile 30 was the "strip the layers" and sun block stop. At 36, Kathie and I stopped in Pomeroy at Donna’s Place for a nice late breakfast sandwich and a stop at the Courthouse, a really nice, old building.

Courthouse in Pomreoy, WA

We were warned about the 2.6 mile “climb” for today, followed by a 15 mile downhill. Where I come from this would not count as a climb but just a hill! It was a 3-5% grade and I climbed it going from 8-10 mph, but with a headwind. I reached the top of Alpowa (rhymes with Alcoa) Pass at 2785’ and Kathie was waiting. (She is a great climber) I snacked up and put on my jacket which was in the SAG vehicle and started down the 15 mile, greatly anticipated downhill all the way to Clarkston, WA. However, the downhill was about 3-4% and I never had to brake even once on the whole trip down, going about 30-35 all the way….with a headwind. By the time the 1% downhill grade came, we needed to pedal every bit of the way!

Starting down the 15 mile hill

Kathie, who is not crazy about the downhills was glad to get to the bottom!

Lewis and Clark sign

Faint switchbacks may be seen on the hill where Lewis and Clark passed in 1806, in the area where we rode today.

A short stop at Chief Timothy Park and Lake was a nice diversion, although the lady at the gate was VERY worried about letting us in without the use fee. She said we could ride through if we came out in five minutes! What a joke! We rode around the lovely park on the lake for 15 or so minutes!

Sign in the Chief Timothy Park

We decided not to hike through here!

Just after that, we saw some basalt cliffs like Hat Rock (from a few days ago).

Basalt Cliffs

In Clarkston, there was a magnetic force that pulled Kathie and I right into the Baskin Robbins for a chocolate milkshake. After 77 miles, we needed that recovery drink for the 91 tomorrow! Soon after, we crossed the Snake River into Idaho, but the Welcome to Idaho sign was right on the bridge where we were pedaling as fast as we could to get across! So my dear readers, you just have to imagine the sign! Lewiston was a nice little town with Saturday traffic and not much open in the downtown area. We did see a wedding party on the street as we passed by. I decided to forego any sightseeing in this town as our motel was located on the far end and it was too late to go back to visit the few sights.

Nancy B. rejoined the group tonight and Nancy N. celebrated her entry into the Medicare years with a little birthday celebration and a delicious (as usual) dinner by Chef Linda.

Birthday Girl, Nancy N from my Southern Tier ride, too

Our after dinner map meeting was lengthy due to the long ride for tomorrow. The cue sheets covered two full pages but there is some bike trail riding out of this town. Everyone is nervous about the length of the climb from mile 30 to mile 40, 10 miles of 4-7% grades with some up to 9%. Sounds just like Holston Mountain to me, my home training grounds. I can’t wait! I may not be able to make too many side trips tomorrow with the length of the ride, but I will decide that as we go.

For those map lovers, our route will take us through Hell’s Gate State Park, onto Hwy. 505, probably not on the map and onto 95-S to Craigmont. We will then ride on Old Hwy. 7 and then Route 12 East toward Kamiah, our destination for tomorrow night.

Walla Walla, WA to Dayton, WA

2009-08-08T00:03:00.018-04:00

Miles: 39.4
Total Miles: 328.2
Climbing 1812’

When I got up at 6 AM it was pouring rain and 55°. It certainly was a huge difference from the very hot weather of a few days ago! I was thankful that I had gotten the bike totally prepared for rain last night…Ziploc bags for electronics, rain gear out, handlebar bag loaded and shower cap helmet cover. Everyone was congregating in the breakfast room at 7 and it was announced that we would leave at 9 instead of 7:30. With the extra time, I called my parents and wrote postcards, which of course, I have not mailed yet! The rain actually stopped and we left the hotel at 8:30 wearing long sleeve shirts and rain gear as there was intermittent light rain. The scenery was beautiful, gold and brown with little bits of green…wheat fields, fallow wheat fields, and trees! There were long rolling hills and I thought the ride was wonderful.

Barb K among the fields of wheat

Anne with "the farmer"...note warm clothes!

We had a long downhill into Waitsburg where I got up to almost 39 MPH. What a fantastic ride! But I was cold after that and was glad to arrive at the Wild Stallion café where several bikes were already parked. I had the best hot chocolate I have had in ages, followed by the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich that I had been craving since the 90 mile day. Knowing that we had only 10 more miles to ride, we lingered there as the rain had started again.

Where there is food, there are WomanTours riders to enjoy it! Clark and Virginia share a huge cinnamon roll.

There is alot of wheat out here!

This one is for Ben

The town of Dayton was delightful as every small town has been, with many little things to do, sights to see, and people interested in our ride. Dayton was no exception. I just LOVE coming to town after the ride. This was a one stoplight town, with a main street full of life, but also with many shuttered store fronts. Since there was no one place that all of us could stay, we had four locations, three B&B’s, and the old Weinhard Hotel. I was at the hotel. Since one of our ride partners was at a B&B we went to her place first and were graciously invited in to see the rooms, one of which Kathie had to pick, but which one.

Kathie at her B&B

All three were lovely themed rooms, with high ceilings, lovingly restored and furnished with antiques. We rode by The Purple House B&B and it was also very cute. The hotel was wonderful with friendly owners, a huge Victorian lobby with a piano, wonderful 12 foot ceiling rooms, and a roof top garden full of flowers.

Rooftop garden at the Weinhard Hotel

By this time, the sun was coming out so I dumped my luggage and went to see the town. It was only noon! The Columbia County Courthouse was my first stop. It was the oldest continuous use courthouse in the state of Washington and was built in 1887. County offices are housed in the building as well as the courtroom which was the original. Although we were unable to go into it, I took a picture through the window. The building has been restored and many original parts of it were used both outside and in the interior.

Columbia County Courthouse

Dayton itself is in the Touchet River valley and it was the summer meeting place of many Indian tribes. They would come to the area to trade goods and also to have competitions, to socialize and to gamble. The town was located on the Nez Perce Trail where Lewis and Clark came through in 1806 on their return from the Pacific Ocean. I went into a few small shops and then found out that there was a quilt shop here in town so rode to that! The lady was very nice and I watched her working on a quilt on her long arm quilting machine, fascinating.

My next stop was the old train depot. It was the oldest existing depot in the country and was built in 1881. Originally across the Touchet River, it was moved to its present location by moving it on roller logs and winching it with horses.

Dayton Depot

Barb K was headed out to see the Patit Creek Campsite of Lewis and Clark so I joined her. This was a diorama like, full size replica of their campsite in 1806. It was made with silhouettes of the men, horses, and activities of the site. I am guessing that each figure was cut on a plasma table and my oldest son will understand how it was done, as he has built a table himself! The 5 mile round trip was well worth the ride as it is not on our exit route from Dayton tomorrow and we told others of this so that they can see it before they leave town in the morning. We also stopped at the very small farmer’s market where lots of fresh fruit and vegetables were available.

Endless wheat fields

Lewis and Clark at the Patit Creek Campsite in 1806

We hurried to return to the hotel as we were told earlier that every Friday night from 5 to 6, an elderly couple came to play the piano and drums and that we should be there. Well, it was such fun. They played and played and then gave out all kinds of little percussion instruments to all of us (I think that 20 of the group of 27 were there) and we all had a wonderful interlude. Dinner was moved up so that we could stay the full hour. I think that we all enjoyed the music as much as they enjoyed having us to play for them.

Music in the lobby of the hotel

Clark and Nancy enjoying the music

Dinner was delicious, as usual, as Linda is a fantastic cook and we ate on the front lawn of one of the guest houses where the group leaders were housed. Tomorrow will be a 70 mile day, so I am going to bed. Thank you all for the many messages on the comments part of the blog. I really appreciate seeing them each day, especially after I have had a long ride. I am doing great, loving the gorgeous scenery and taking every opportunity to see all I can of our beautiful and expansive country.

Photos

2009-08-06T20:57:00.001-04:00

You can blow up any photo by clicking on it! They really are better when you do that!

Walla Walla, WA Rest Day

2009-08-06T16:54:00.001-04:00

Miles: 8.5
Total miles: 288.8
Climbing: 396’

Today started early with Karen leaving for the airport and I was awake anyway so got up and did a few chores, like repack and organize my luggage. I thought I would find my helmet mirror but I did not so was fine with having bought the second one several days ago at a bike shop. After breakfast, I helped Kathy, who had planned to have a bike shop clean her bike, to do it herself! Her husband always did it at home (ahem, Ben!) and so she decided she would learn! We had very dirty bikes after the dust, wind, and heat of the past week. It was lucky for her, too as she found a broken link on her chain which needed immediate attention at the local bike shop…and a new chain. How she got through yesterday is amazing. My tires have definitely taken a beating the past few days and I filled several little holes with super glue and booted two other bad spots. I think I will need some new long distance tires after this trip.

Kathy headed for the bike shop and I for the quilt shop! My project was to get them to sew the bottom of my WomanTours jersey back after I got the elastic out. The jersey’s are always tight around my, uh, back side so I generally take out the stitching and sew the hem up on my machine at home. But I had a better idea. I took the elastic out and then went to the Walla Walla Sew ‘N Vac Quilt Shop and told Terry my story. She immediately got permission from the owner to do the job but would not let me do it. Terry and the wonderful Pfaff machine got the hem in with a stretchy stitch in about 5 minutes. Then I bought a piece of fabric to recover a neck cooler that I gave Judy a few days ago. This is like a neckerchief which some crystal substance inside that absorbs water. It is absolutely wonderful on hot days as it cools your neck all day long and when you turn it, it is still cool. I brought one from the gifts that Ben got from the nurses when he retired. It was a necessity on the long hot days we have had since leaving Portland. I gave my extra one to Judy and she cooled it in the refrigerator overnight after hydrating it but it froze and when she tried to put it on, it broke and the fabric around it tore. She was going to throw it away but I knew that I could rescue it. Quilt shop!! I bought a nice red fabric to go with her bike and helmet (gotta make a fashion statement here, right?), and Terri cut it just the right width and I turned it into a cover for the torn neck cooler..after I sewed shut the hole. I will give it to her in the morning before we ride!

After those jobs were done, I headed for sightseeing. The town is the home of Whitman College and the campus was alive with music. I even saw a group singing outside a building! Lots of people were carrying musical instruments so I am guessing that they were having a summer session or a music seminar of some sort. It was on to the Fort Walla Walla Museum and park.

Where is my dirt bike when I need it?

The exhibits were just wonderful, with several huge buildings housing old farming equipment specific to the harvesting of grain. Very early farm machinery, thrashers, water wagons, box wagons for transport and hand tools were are shown. There was even an exhibit hall with a 33 mule team and Harris combine! Quite impressive. In another area, there was a typical town set up, with harness shops, jail, blockhouse, carriage barn, blacksmith shop, etc.

From there, I rode a bike path back to town through some residential areas and then returned to the room to finish some chores. Karen, my roommate returned and said that her tire had a slow leak and although I could not find a leak in the tube, even with the under water trick, we changed it, again using my tire lever trick and she immediately decided to go to the bike shop to get one. I wish I was getting a commission for all these sales!

A group will be going out for dinner later, as we are on our own for meals on the rest days. Breakfast was in the Best Western here and was very substantial. With only 28 miles tomorrow, we will not be in any hurry to leave Walla Walla! We could be there by 9 AM!!

Sorry, its a rest day so no more pictures! Thanks for tuning in and reading!

Umatilla, OR to Walla Walla, WA

2009-08-05T19:49:00.012-04:00

Miles: 58.0
Total miles: 280.3
Climbing: 1362

Today started out a bit cooler than the past few days and we had a leisurely start at 7:15 due to the short ride. We were riding right near the Columbia River on the Oregon side and had a small tailwind, for which we are always thankful.

..found our retirement home, Ben

Within 7 miles, the explorers in the group took a detour off the road to Hat Rock State Park. What a wonderful spot! It was a large round basalt piece of rock which withstood 50-100 huge floods which flowed from breaking ice dams in W. Montana. We walked up to the base of it for some great photos on this lovely morning. About 17 million years ago, a series of volcanic eruptions covered the area with layers of basaltic lava. This happened repeatedly over the next 10-15 million years and covered 63,000 miles of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho with 40,000 cubic miles of basalt, building up layers nearly a mile thick. The lava gradually cooled into a layer of basalt, shrinking and cracking in vertical columns. Erosion then stripped away the topsoil and left the cliffs exposed. This is not the only one of these exposed rocks and later in the day we saw a pair of them. They are famous in the world of geology and are the most studied basalts on the planet! After resupplying our water our group of five started on down the road. Why pass up something unusual on a day off?!!!

Hat Rock

Hat Rock

Shortly after, I had the very first on-road flat of my life!! I was riding down a 2% grade hill at about 25 mph and then whump, whump, whump, and the front tire was flat. With lots of comments from the little ride group, I had it changed in no time and learned something great from Mary…you can continue to use a CO2 canister which is not empty by locking it shut and using later! She had a half full one which I used after hand pumping as much as I could. Later, I filled up from the SAG vehicle with a real pump. The wire which I pulled out of the tire was totally invisible on the outside but was obvious when I ran my finger around the inside of the tire. A tweezer from Barb K to pull the offending wire out and I was ready to go. After just under 15,000 miles since 2005, I think it has been a miracle that I have not flatted before this! Oh, I have had a valve stem pull out from a defective pump twice on the Southern Tier on the first two days (never used THAT pump again!!) but I have been lucky…and meticulous each night taking care of the tires.

Soon we entered into Washington State to stay for a few days. The river riding was as close as we have been to the river since the start but we crossed over a tunnel and the railroad tracks were to our left between us and the road near Juniper Canyon which rose straight up to our right.

Entering Washington State

Riding up Juniper Canyon
Just after seeing the Two Sisters basalt towers, we turned away from the river, and then it was hot again, very hot.

Two Sisters Basalt Towers

Two Sisters Basalt Towers Legend

A nice stop for ice cream in Touchet, WA (pronounced tushie) and we were on the road again past numerous wineries. The area is well known here for grapes and the tasting locations were all along the road we traveled.

Grapes are being grown everywhere in this area

In Touchet, I found a new bicycle that I can use for, well, you can see what for!

What do you think, Ben, exercise while mowing!?

More wind farms

Our final stop on the way into Walla Walla and our well deserved rest day was at the Whitman National Historic Site about 7 miles outside of WW. This was a mission started by Prentiss Whitman and his wife, Narcissa in 1836. However, the Indians whom they came to teach about the “Book of Heaven” were very nomadic, making it difficult to educate them. Whitman encouraged the Indians to settle onto farms with little success. The Cayuse Indians’ interest in religion, school, and farming waxed and waned as Whitman devoted himself to all three of these, but he persisted in keeping the mission open.

A year later in 1843, Whitman who had gone to Boston to convince the American Board of Foreign Missions to keep the mission open, returned with a wagon train. Being a physician and guide, he served the group well. Those who were sick returned to the mission for shelter and care. In 1843, after 11 years of working with the Indians, it became obvious that cultural differences were insurmountable with increasing misunderstandings between the emigrants and the Indians. A measles epidemic brought by settlers in 1847 decimated the Cayuse Indians who had no resistance to the disease and in a very short time, half of them were dead. Although Whitman’s medicine helped white children and not Indian children, the Cayuse thought that they were being poisoned. In November of 1847, a band of Cayuse attacked the mission and killed the Whitman’s as well as 7 children that they had taken in several years before when orphaned on a wagon train with their parents. Several others were killed as well, and about 50 women and children were taken captive. About a month later, most were ransomed, but the killings ended Protestant missions in the Oregon country. The movie, museum, and grounds are certainly worth visiting on a trip through the area.

At the Whitman Historic Landmark, you could see faint ruts from the Oregon Trail

The Park Service worker very kindly gave us a map for a back route into Walla Walla which kept us off most main roads. This led us to the downtown area were several of our fellow bikers were walking around in a very alive and thriving downtown. After a nice lunch with Kathie, we went to the bike shop to replace my spare tube and CO2 canister and for her to buy one of the wonderful tire changing tools which I have! One block away was a delightful quilt shop were I bought some thread for a little project!

Kathie at lunch...we had a great day, last ones in!

Mural in downtown Walla Walla

Very shortly, we checked into our motel, having had a wonderful and educational day. As on any arrival in a town where we will have a layover day, laundry was on top of everyone’s list. We have a very orderly way to do it. Most roommates do it together as there is not very much to wash as we hand wash our bike clothes each night. We keep a list on the washer with the names and just sign up to do it and the room number. One pair does theirs and then they call the next pair. Even though I was the last one in, my laundry was finished and folded by just after dinner! One job done!

Dinner was great and Barb K did the first of her many funny songs for the trip! I thought that it was a perfect day to do my Australian poem, Holy Dan, and it was. “all dry and hot as hell” and “the lightening flashed and the thunder roared…” quite appropriate to the day we had yesterday! I think everyone liked it! Off to bed fairly early as my roomie is driving one of our group to the airport at 5:30 AM tomorrow morning as she is flying home for her father’s funeral…four flights to get to Illinois by 11 PM tomorrow night! It will be a long day. She plans to return on Saturday and rejoin the group on Sunday.

My layover day roommate is a retired Hospice nurse. She did it for ten years. We had a great discussion about end of life issues and the death of her 94 year old mother after several years on dialysis and the role of Hospice. It was a wonderful story of making choices together and the end of life.

Another day in paradise...on the bike, I love it! Thanks, Ben

Biggs Junction, OR to Umatilla, OR

2009-08-04T21:30:00.015-04:00

Miles: 93.0
Total miles: 222.3
Climbing: 2974’
Average Speed: 16.7 (wow!...a personal best for THAT distance!)

The day started very, very early! Everyone knew it was going to be really hot and that we had 90 miles to ride. We also had the bridge from Oregon to Washington to cross first thing in the morning. All of us left together with the SAG car flashing its lights behind us.

Gathering for the trip across the bridge

After crossing the bridge we had a 2.5 miles long hill which was 5-7% grades. It would not have been bad except that it was the first thing we did today…no warm ups! Within three miles was an optional stop at Stonehenge War Memorial.

Stonehenge War Memorial

It was a monument dedicated to the 13 men from Klickitat County, Washington who died in World War I and it was the first war memorial in the country. It was dedicated on May 30, 1929. Only three of us ventured down the one mile detour to see it since the day was to be so long. I arrived with Mary B. and Barb K soon rolled in. She and I were well known for our off route adventures during the Southern Tier and she said “I knew you would be here, and I said, “I knew you would be here!” We did not linger for long as we knew the day ahead. There was a great view of the bridge we crossed and the tiny town we stayed in last night.

View of the bridge we crossed and Biggs Junction on the far side of the river, taken from Stonehenge Memorial

The rest of the trip was hot but with a wonderful 10 mph tail wind which helped in my great speed today. Our ONLY possible stop was at M&T’s Bar and Grill about 35 miles from Biggs Junction but it was too early in the morning for it to be open. I was really looking forward to a fried egg sandwich, too! There were no other services on the entire route. We were totally reliant on the SAG, efficiently done by Karen today. She had water and snacks so frequently. We also had the van on the road today as we were very spread out on the route, with people arriving at Umatilla from noon to 5 PM. Several people had heat exhaustion and had to SAG in to the motel.

The wind towers were a dominant part of the views today, high above the river on the north side. We wondered why with the wind we had yesterday evening that some of the towers were not turning. The question was answered today as we rode by them. They were under construction and not operational yet! It was amazing to see the towers from the ground after seeing them from the air last week when I flew down the gorge on my way to Portland. We stopped to see several of the rigs transporting the parts of the towers as they were parked by the side of the road. They were positively humongous, in three parts on three huge trucks, not including the top and the arms of the windmill.

1/3 of the bottom of a windtower!

Wind Farms

Very hazy picture of Mt. Hood, just above the post in the picture

Rattlesnake Roadkill

We passed the Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge which was a 23,500 acre refuge established in 1969. This was land set aside to offset the environmental and habitat damage done to the area after the construction of the John Day Dam. The area has many different types of habitats, including marsh, open water, ponds, seasonal wetlands, and shrubs, all ideal for waterfowl, bald eagles (a few saw eagles early in the day), and nesting birds.

Umatilla Wildlife Refuge

Later, we passed through Patterson, WA where the Patterson Onion Co. was located and the whole town smelled of onions! Actually, for several days, we have seen the progression of leavings on the road of onion sets, white onions, and red onions, as well as corn and beans! We have also seen a huge truck loaded with onions going to market or processing! (I assume) Judy had a derailleur problem which no one was able to fix and was so disappointed to have to SAG in but she was a great help to the van driver at the multiple stops. Her bike was fixed by Denise, our guide and mechanic!

Judy topping the hill

I met several westbound cyclists today. One was traveling against the wind (oh, we had another great tailwind today!) pulling a BOB trailer. He looked HOT (but so were we) Then I talked to three cyclists who left Yorktown, VA (didn’t get the date) and were headed west on the Adventure Cycling Association’s Transamerica route, to end in Astoria, OR in a few more days. They were asking the perennial question asked on the Appalachian Trail… ”where is the next water source?” Since I knew precisely where it was, I told them.

At the McNary Dam and locks, we passed under a tunnel, up a ramp and onto the bridge crossing back into Oregon, all on a bike trail. I passed two cyclists, fully loaded, but they were on the bridge and not on the bike path so I could not talk to them. Several of our riders said that they were headed west, one to Portland, and one to San Francisco!

McNary Dam and Locks

The very hot ride was wind assisted and everyone was glad to arrive at the motel. Since we were in two states today, we had our margaritas to celebrate the new state, a WomanTours tradition. We will be in Washington for several days starting tomorrow, so will have them again tomorrow! Dinner was wonderful, but served with lightening and rain threatening. We were finally driven inside after the rain started falling and we had our map meeting in the hallway. After the storm passed, we ventured up to the park to see a magnificent sunset, with smoke and smoky air dominating. The land strike that we witnessed must have started a fire and the smoke filled the sky and the air tonight.

Sunset with a smoky sky after a lightening strike

Off to bed…we ride to Walla Walla tomorrow and our first rest day follows. We are all ready for that day!

Hood River, OR to Biggs Junction, OR

2009-08-03T23:11:00.003-04:00

Miles: 46.7
Total miles: 129.3
Climbing: 2047’

We had a 270 foot climb out of Hood River this morning and we left at 7 AM as the day was rumored (?!!) to be very hot. (it was 98 when we arrived at the motel) We pedalled up on a road past endless fruit farms. Cherry laden trees were everywhere as well as apricots (all finished) and other fruits and berries. Our ride was spectacular, high over the river today. However, there was a definite change in the landscape from yesterday. It was much drier, the trees were shorter, more stressed, and the land was not green! We were clearly leaving the wonderful ecosystem of the Gorge. Within two miles we started riding on the Mark Hatfield Trail which was a part of the old road and it was glorious riding, with rolling hills, shade, the Mosier Twin Tunnels, which were wonderful airy tunnels, open on one side to the river and its breezes. It was unfortunate that the trail only went for about 4.6 miles. We had a 3 mile climb, 5% grade, up to the Rowena Viewpoint which was absolutely stunning in its views. We had expansive views both east and west on the Columbia, as well as down the road which we would ride after leaving the Viewpoint. This road was fantastic, curvy, 5% grade down, and I flew down it!

Soon after the wonderful ride down from Rowena, I elected to visit the recommended Wasco County Museum and the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center. Both were housed in the same building to the left about 3 miles before The Dalles. There was about a mile long ride into the museums, against the wind and I was reminded again how fortunate we were to be riding east with the prevailing winds out of the west at 20 mph today. After a delightful hour and a half, I was on the road again, alone for a short time into The Dalles, pronounced like Pals. We had heard about a restaurant named Cousins and it was a DO NOT MISS place to eat homemade cinnamon rolls, about 3” high and 6” across. Luckily, Denise, our guide came in as a 6th person and was able to split it with me. It was delicious and calorie laden but I did not hesitate! We are burning lots of calories these days. The Dalles is the official end of the Columbia River Gorge, although it looks like the Mississippi width river. It is huge. The end of the gorge will not end our time on the river, however, as we will travel east on it for another couple of days.

Denise left in the van, having bought groceries and I rode with the other five women until we had to enter I-84 again. I took off wanting to get that 10 mile stretch done as fast as I could. With a 20 mph tail wind and a flat road, I was going 22-24 mph! It was really hot and when I stopped to flip my map (as I did not know which exit to take), Karina and Glenna said they were going to stop at the Deshutes State Park on the river of the same name and that there was a swimming hole. Well, it turned out to be the Deshutes River and it was the nicest stop I could imagine. WomanTours will need to put that one on the cue sheet for the next group! Those women already there had taken a swim in the lovely, cold water. The river had a good bit of current and a very sandy bottom.

The Deshutes Crossing was one of several rivers on the Oregon Trail and it was treacherous for the weary travelers. They often had to hire help to get their personal possessions across, while swimming their livestock. In high water, lives and goods were lost, just as they were crossing the Columbia. For us, it was absolutely wonderful, like the Neuces River in Texas where we had such a nice swim during the Southern Tier. The break in the day, with the heat, made it a perfect stop for us. Since we knew the rooms at the motel would not be ready early, and since Biggs Junction was a truck stop, a few fast food places, and that was all, we did not hurry. We ate lunch and several took another dip in the cool water. The last few miles dried our cycling clothes completely. Nancy N. and I roomed together and both of us were intent on finishing our blogs since we have a 90 mile day tomorrow, over 100° heat predicted for Umatilla, OR, and no internet at the next motel. Wish me luck. I have been hydrating all evening and our start will be at 6:15 in the morning. The ride starts with a bridge crossing into Washington State (we come back to Oregon later in the day) which we will do all together so that the SAG vehicle can follow behind us with lights flashing. Drink, drink, drink!

The past two days of riding have been some of the best I have ever done. I know that I will not do another long ride without Ben at my side. The women are fantastic company, they are wonderful cyclists, and I love being on the open road seeing new things, but the sights I am enjoying are ones which I wish that we could share, too.

PS Just for the record, my friend Nancy set up the maps for this ride and my 65th birthday is NOT this month, thank you very much!!! It is HER birthday.

Troutdale, OR to Hood River, OR

2009-08-02T20:35:00.006-04:00

Miles:55.8
Total mileage: 82.6
Climbing today: 3151

This is a long post but has some history, too. Everyone was excited to start the ride today, knowing we would be riding the most beautiful section of the Columbia River Gorge with all its waterfalls. The start was early and what a day it was. We started by riding through the small town of Troutdale and over the Sandy River Bridge, built in 1912. Once past this bridge, we entered the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, a 253,000 acre area.

“Standing here I realized the magnitude of my task and the splendid opportunity presented. Instinctively there came a prayer for strong men and that we might have the sense to do the thing in the right way so as not to mar what God had put there. Samuel Lancaster, the designer of the Columbia River Highway summarized his thoughts this way in 1913 as the survey work for the highway was taking place. It was thought to me one of the greatest engineering feats of the modern age, not only for the technical aspects but for its sensitivity to one of the most diverse landscapes in North America. Mr. Lancaster certainly did well, considering that highway building was in its infancy and the auto was not the dominant mode of transportation. He wanted to make the beauty of the area accessible to all who traveled the highway’s length.

The Gorge, the only near-sea level passage through the Cascade Mts, has been a navigable route for almost 12,000 years. It was never an easy task, however. Falls, narrows, and cascades made river traffic very hazardous no matter the method used to navigate it. People on the Oregon Trail in the 1840 have feared river travel through the Gorge. The construction of the water grade rail line on the Oregon side in the 1880’s helped greatly, but this was not an ideal situation as the people could not stop and start, but were tied to the railroad timetables. Once the road was approved, Mr. Lancaster wanted to incorporate all the “beauty spots” and to locate the road to reach all of them. As it was to be a scenic route, the road was to be 24 feet wide, with no more that a 5% grade (great for us cyclists!!), and curve radii of no less than 100 feet, with maximum scenic advantage and minimum environmental damage to the environment, truly a man with vision. He met all these criteria and more. The construction began in 1913, with lessons learned from a trip to Europe, with dry masonry walls, guard rails with arched openings, and five tunnels. Although unpaved, the road opened in 1915. Official dedication was in 1916, but the entire length of the road was not finished until 1922. The road stimulated huge economic growth in all communities. Restaurants, hotels, auto dealers and camps sprang up to accommodate the hoards of travelers coming to see the marvelous road.

Complaints started about the width of the road, nauseating curves, and faster cars and in 1966, one of the tunnels was dynamited to make room for a new road. Towns were bypassed for the new water grade straight highway and Lancaster’s dream was being destroyed for freeway interchanges. In the 1980’s, however, the increased environmental awareness led to the creation of Friends of the Gorge which successfully reversed the trend to destroy the highway and created the National Scenic area and the road is called the Historic Columbia River Highway to distinguish it from I-84, the Columbia River Highway, the river grade road.

So there you have a brief history of the old road which we explored today. The Gorge is 90 miles long and 2000 feet deep, a near wind tunnel that makes near gale force winds at times. The summer west winds flow opposite the westward six knot wind opposing river current and can create 10’ high waves. Hood River says it is the Windsurfing Capitol of the World but we arrived too late to see them in action. There were just too many things to see today to hurry to Hood River!

Our first big stop, after a long climb, was at the Portland Women’s Forum State Park at Chanticleer Point. There was a wonderful view of the Gorge from there. We could also see the Vista House and Crown Point from there.

View East from Chanticleer Point at the Woman's Forum

It was a large stone structure built on a site visible from both North and South on the road. Unfortunately we were too early to get into the building at Vista Point when we arrived there.

Vista House

Marilyn, Pam, Karen, and Glenna, our SAG driver for the day

Descending from Crown Point was quite a wonderful ride. This engineering marvel of Sam Lancaster’s design and drops 600 feet in elevation and parallels itself five times, with a winding road through a typical Cascade rain forest of fir, maple, alder, ferns, and moss. It was so lush and green, and fairly cool.

The first falls that I stopped for was Latourell Falls and was 249 feet high. I climbed to the top but the better view was about half way up.

Latourell Falls

My next stop was Bridal Veil Falls, a trail leads to the falls which were absolutely gorgeous. It is quite a hike, so there were not very many people there. I also rode a short interpretive trail that made me wish it was earlier in the spring for the wild flowers in this area are supposed to be gorgeous with several rare plants which are only found in this area.

Anne at Bridal Veil Falls

Wahkeena Falls was in an area where the highest concentration of waterfalls in the Gorge was located, a result of floods over 13,000 years ago. There was a really nice spray from this falls as I climbed up closer to see them. Multnomah Falls was my next stop and it was like a tiny Gatlinburg! The lodge there was originally built to capitalize on the booming tourism trade. They built a bridge so that the double falls, the top one 542' high and the bottom one, 69' high, could have a path and later a bridge, for viewing. In 1914, it was the first continuous pour concrete bridge ever built in the USA. The falls were gorgeous and I climbed to the highest point allowed.

Multnomah Falls,the most popular falls, and the most crowded!

There was a 15 year old girl celebrating her Quinceanera, a right of passage for girls, a coming of age event for Latin American cultures. It was like a wedding, with photographers, fancy dresses, and videographers. I was delighted to get out of the packed area

Horsetail Falls was my next stop and by then I was riding and sightseeing alone, though I caught up with the occasional cyclist not from our group. This falls was 176’ high and visible right from the road, whereas many of the others required a short hike. I passed the Bonneville Dam but did not stop there as it was quite a ride off the road. This area was treacherous for those traveling on the Oregon Trail and many lost their lives or possessions.

Denise on the stairs with bike groove!

At the Bridge of the Gods, we had a wonderful lunch stop when I caught up with several of my Southern Tier friends. This was a steel truss, cantilever bridge, linking Oregon and Washington. As we were leaving, a lady came running up to us in a bike helmet and asked for help in loading her heavy mountain bike on her car. Her son had fallen down the road and broken his arm and she was unable to load the bike. We helped, as well as got her bags of ice to ease the swelling on the way to Portland for medical care. So much for excitement. We had to go down a three flight stairway with the bikes but it had a concrete “tray” to roll your bike on as you walked! Fun! Some of the ride today was on the OLD road, which is now a wonderful bike path. It was lush and green with foliage and quite cool.

The worst part of the day came after all these wonderful sights and experiences and that was a 10 mile ride on I-84 (yes, it was legal). The shoulder was wide but had a fair bit of debris and the traffic roared by. All of us were happy to get to the town of Hood River after that experience, hot, and scary.

Hood River was a busy town with bike shops and artsy stores, galleries, and shops. I had a very long day and headed for the hotel after buying a rear view mirror for my helmet. I just cannot live without it and the loss of mine in Portland was disastrous! We had a delightful meal of steelhead trout and salmon, grilled to perfection by one of the rider’s families. It was delicious, with salads and fresh bread, it was a meal worth talking about!

Evening facing east in Hood River

PS I saw an ad in a magazine in the hotel tonight which said that Hood River is great for fishing, hiking, shopping, wine tasting, geaocaching, cycling, and rafting! Sounds like a great place to vacation!

Troutdale, OR to Hood River, OR

2009-08-02T00:10:00.000-04:00

Miles: 55.8 miles
Total 82.6
Climbing: 3151

The day was fantastic, gorgeous, long, hot! I will fill you in on all the details tomorrow as we are starting very early as it gets hotter each day. Suffice it to say that we are doing great, eating marvelously, and having lots of adventures. Isn't that what it is all about? Please stay tuned. I just could not get it up tonight. We have a rest day on Thursday after our 90 mile day on Tuesday, so watch for pictures and blog then, if not before!

Oh, one comment for Hal, I climbed a 10-19% grade for 1.5 miles on the 12-27 with no stops!! Hoorray!! I was definitely sucking wind at the top and LOVED the 2 mile downhill after that. More later, y'all!!

Portland, OR to Troutdale OR

2009-08-01T00:09:00.011-04:00

Clark, Barbara M, Kathie, and Virginia

Breakfast at WomanTours

Mileage: 26.8
Climbing: 453 feet

Pam and I woke up early this morning and started talking right away. It is fun to have such a love of cycling in common. Breakfast, my favorite steel cut oats and all the toppings was served at 7:30 and we were off for the Salmon St. Fountain for our picture. I left a little early for the park since I knew that Edna and Dave might be there. Their recumbents were very distinctive and they greeted me like a long lost friend. I was so excited to meet them in person. Both of them managed to handle about 6 cameras each and took lots of photos. There should be at least one good one! Thanks to much to both of you, if you are reading this, for all your help! Everyone was thrilled to get her own camera pictures!

Edna and Dave came to see us off with their recumbents

Nancy N's son Matt came to see her off

From there, we were off for Troutdale, OR but first we had to get out of the city. The cue sheets were spot on and even with a few wrong turns we made it out of the city and onto the River bike path without too much trouble.

Homes on the Willamette River in Portland

We got lots of “looks” as the 27 of us rode out of town. The ride along the Columbia River (when we finally made it out there) was gorgeous. It was not as hot this morning, though it certainly was later in the day. Since the ride was only 22 miles today (though I actually rode 26 including side trips) we had only one SAG (support and gear) stop and it was more of a gathering place for us than a true stop for water and food.

Troutdale is a tiny town on the Columbia, barely out of Portland, and more of a suburb of the city. Its claim to fame is McMenamins Edgefield. This is a set of buildings east of the town center a few miles. The main lodge was a Georgian style building, built as a dormitory/rooming house for those down on their luck as well as some of those recuperating at a local nursing home. This was back in the early 1900’s. There are now guest rooms, several restaurants, a brewery, gardens, a pool hall, a glass blowing shop, a water tower (no longer used) but has hops growing on it in the summer. There was also an ice house, a potter studio, a distillery, vineyards, and a large amphitheater for concerts. Indeed, there was a huge concert last night which was the reason we could not get into our hotel early!

Ramsey and Hille at McMeniman's Garden

We ate a delicious lunch there, toured the grounds and headed for the town of Troutdale where there was supposed to be a farmer’s market and craft fair. We arrived there about 1 PM and there were about 4 vendors but I managed to buy a pound of delicious cherries, which are in high season here! Later we rode to the hotel and settled in to pass the very hot afternoon.

Several of the women ventured to the local outlet mall or to Walmart to pick up forgotten necessities. We are already settling into the routine of the ride. Tomorrow is supposed to be wonderfully scenic as we start our ride up the Columbia River Gorge, with is locks, waterfalls, and fascinating geology. I have had a smile on my face all day and am so very happy to be out here. Thank you so much, Ben!

Dinner was on our trusty white plastic chairs and the dinner, as usual, was wonderful, with salads, pasta, bread and dessert, everything needed to ride tomorrow. Oh..and chocolate, too, brownie pie. The regular map meeting, going over the ride for tomorrow, was held right after dinner. There will be a fair bit of climbing, too. We are off to bed now, as the start is early tomorrow....on the road by 7. Again, I will have to post pictures later. It is really tough to do all I have to do and get the photos up. I will do my best, or you will have to wait until my rest day in a few days.

Portland, Day 4

2009-07-31T00:08:00.002-04:00

We got up a little later today and I did my laundry, packed up for the move to the WomanTours hotel, the Marriott Downtown Waterfront. Jennifer went on a short ride to check out our route for tomorrow and came back shortly after I was finished my “chores”. The drive downtown was, uh, difficult, but we made it despite a wrong turn or two, one way streets, and traffic. It was hard to say good bye and I truly wished that she had been able to ride with us. But work and family obligations overruled and back to Sequim, WA she went. Thanks, Jennifer for an awesome three days.

There were already lots of the group mingling in the lobby and it was soon after that I started seeing some of my Southern Tier and UGRR friends. The group was quick to discover new friends and old alike! There were several long lost reunions and soon we found ourselves in the orientation meeting with introductions of all riders. Our leaders, Linda, the cook and Denise, the guide, were delightful. Linda was a chiropractor in the past and a self taught cook. She loves to cycle and came to WomanTours 2+ years ago. She said it was her perfect melding of work and play. Denise was a rider on the ST a few years ago and liked it so much that she came back as a guide. Both seemed friendly and ready to get on the road, as we all are! Many of the women have been on other WT trips and at least 17 have ridden across the country! It is wonderful to be riding with a group of such great riders!

Dinner was nice. Afterward, guests were introduced and those raising funds. Only two people are raising funds, Nancy N. and me, her for the Educational Foundation of Metter, GA, and me for Hospice.

My roommate, Pam, was delightful, and we talked late. I am ready and eager to ride tomorrow! Reid called to wish me luck and safety! I also talked to a friend met on the internet when her husband rode the Southern Tier this past spring on his recumbent. They may try to come downtown tomorrow morning and see me off. That would be so much fun.

I will post pictures as soon as I can. HA! No camera!! Sorry!

Portland, Day 3

2009-07-30T19:58:00.001-04:00

47.4 miles, total pre-ride miles 87.4

Today was supposed to be 10 degrees cooler than yesterday, wow, 96°. So, we ate breakfast at the hotel and again got on our bicycles, armed with the wonderful city bicycle map, and plotted our route for the day. We had a 22 mile ride into the city on fantastic bike lanes, streets, and along the Willamette River. It was so easy to get around. Our first stop was at the Rose Garden, after a 15% grade climb for about 1/3 of a mile! Whew! The gardens were absolutely stunning and we spent a long time rambling around looking at the hundreds of varieties of roses, from the tiny to the huge, tea roses, and the rose test garden. Portland, the City of Roses, is certainly aptly named after seeing the roses in this garden. The garden was established in 1917 and was high on a hill overlooking Portland and Mount Hood (which was hazy and not visible today). There were three terraces with 4.5 acres and over 10,000 bushes. What a place it was! There was evening a wedding about to begin as we were leaving.

One of the rose terraces

Gorgeous rose, one of thousands

Another terrace

Just TOO beautiful

A very tiny rose (my thumb!)

Jennifer in the garden of roses

After that, we rode along the river for miles and crossed the Steel Bridge (we actually crossed it coming over to the city itself), a pedestrian and bicycle only bridge across the Willamette River. We rode through several neighborhoods and parks, past the Science Center, and around the city, stopping for lunch in a bakery that would make anyone fat just for the looking! We resisted, however, and soon were on our way.

View of Portland from the east bank of the Willamette River

Since Jennifer is also a seamstress, we had noted a flier in our hotel about the Fabric Depot. Of course, we had to put it on our route back to the hotel! It was, for you quilters reading this, bigger than Mary Jo’s in Gastonia, NC! I was just amazed at the fabric lines that they carried. Jennifer was looking for a mesh fabric in hi-vis green. She makes a lightweight pullover vest to wear while cycling for, well, high visibility. They had every color in the rainbow but the green that she wanted. Since they have an online store, she will look there and probably be able to find it. And, yes, I resisted all desires to buy some fabric. They are weighing our luggage on Saturday and I am saving my excess allowance for Sisters, OR!!!

Later in the day, I received a call from Ramsey, a friend from the Southern Tier coming on this trip and she had made reservations for dinner at Paley’s Place, a restaurant she had read about it none other than Bicycling Magazine. Apparently, the chef is a cyclist! Six of the Southern Tier group from 2007, plus one of our guides were at dinner and we had a wonderful evening and absolutely fantastic food. It was a most enjoyable evening. Thanks, Ramsey. (and Jim!) Another trolley and light rail ride (about an hour total) and we were back out at our hotel near the airport. A great day followed by a great meal with great friends. What else could one ask for?

Portland, Day 2

2009-07-29T19:32:00.007-04:00

Riding up the ramp

Riding in a dedicated bike lane on the interstate.

Jennifer and I knew that to ride early was the only way we would be able to ride! We were on the road by 7 in the most bicycle friendly town I could ever imagine. There is actually a "Bicycle Authority" here and you can call it if there is a problem with the bike routes. The routes are printed on a large, waterproof map with color coded routes based on dedicated bike trail, multi-use trail, low traffic, medium traffic, and high traffic with dedicated bike lanes. We rode on ALL of these types of trails.

We rode out to the confluence of the Columbia River and the Willamette, which is the river that the city of Portland is on. Lewis and Clark, on their famous expedition, had information from the Indians that there was another river than the Columbia, however, they missed it both times they were in the area. This would have allowed them to explore South into Oregon.

Anyway, we had a great ride, in the heat, ate lunch and returned to the hotel by noon. Little did we know that Portland hit their record heat...106 on Wednesday, and we were out in it. Yes, it was hot, but as long as we were riding and creating wind for ourselves it was not that bad. I do not pass up opportunities to see things so we rode!

We crossed into Washington and rode on the Columbia and crossed back into Oregon later on an eight lane highway with a dedicated bicycle lane between, and completely separate from the highway. See photos below. The forethought that must have gone into the building of the roads here, with an eye for cycling is obvious. There are dedicated lanes everywhere and, needless to say, there are cyclists everywhere. It is definitely a commuter society!

Don't get caught in the rail tracks!

After riding in the heat, we decided to go back to the hotel. The TV pegged the temperature at 106°. We were well hydrated, had a great lunch and the ride back was fine. We talked for hours and then decided that we would ride the light rail downtown to eat and go to REI, our favorite store. The ticket machine would not produce a ticket for us and one of the machines was out of order. We figured that we should get on the rail and plead newbie to any conductor checking tickets. No one came through the rail car so downtown, we went to the tourist info center and the rail center was there. We told the clerk that we had just ridden from the airport without paying and that we were visiting and she said that it was fine, consider it a free ride and a welcome from the city of Portland! Then we bought a ticket back for later in the evening. Any street car in the city was free with the ticket so we were on our way after getting a city map.

We decided that lunch had been many hours before and when Habibi, a Lebanese restaurant appeared in front of us, we stopped. They were all so friendly, and we had a great meal, albeit with little air conditioning on that hot night. We then ventured over to Powell Books, an incredible, HUGE, bookstore with every title you can imagine arranged into colored rooms, orange, blue, etc, with a map of what was where! There was no trouble finding what you wanted, though I was not in the market for anything. REI was, of course, at the top of our list and we walked over there next. There were bicycles everywhere downtown, with bike racks common, and bike lanes on many of the main streets. No wonder this is the bicycle capitol of the USA. Several other shops caught our eyes and we had a great time window shopping.

Back on the light rail, we rode back to the station where we had parked the car (about 2 miles from our hotel but way too hot to walk!) and had a wonderful yogurt ice cream at the Cascade Station. It was really a great day, despite the heat. We finished off the day with another round of Jennifer’s wonderful Lambert cherries, which came from her family farm. Delicious!

Bristol to Portland

2009-07-28T20:29:00.000-04:00

My dear Ben got up with me at 3:45 AM so that I could catch a 5:45 flight to Atlanta, and then Portland. It was HOT when I arrived, very hot, like RECORD hot! How about try 100. That was HOT. Jennifer, my friend from the Underground RR ride last year met me at the airport and she took me to pick up my bike at the shop where it had been shipped two weeks ago. It was in great shape, no bumps or bruises. We loaded up, had a nice lunch near the shop and checked into the hotel very close to the airport.

Backing up a bit. The flight was great and I had a delightful woman and her sleeping husband next to me. Karla and I talked the whole way. They were going to visit family in Portland. Thanks for making the 5 hour flight seem very short, Karla.

The scenery was spectacular from the plane. Since each seat had a movie screen, I was able to watch the location of the plane all the way out. We passed right over the Black Hills of South Dakota, where Ben and I spent some time on his sabbatical in 2005. Then there were the Tetons with snow on top as well as Yellowstone, several ski areas, and then finally the magnificent Columbia River Gorge. We flew straight down the gorge where I will be riding in four days. I definitely sat on the correct side of the plan. It was a little hazy but I could see a large mountain in the background. I do not know if it was Mt. St. Helen's, Mt. Hood, or?. Karla thought it might be Adams, or one of several other possibiltities. Anyway, the very fertile farmland was lovely from the air, with irrigation circles and fields in many wonderful patterns down below us. I was also amazed at the number of wind farms on the bluffs near the river. There were literally hundreds of wind towers.

After getting settled in the hotel, checking out and outfitting my bike with my equipment that I brought on the plane, we decided that it was too hot to go ride. So we sat in the room and talked all afternoon. It was a wonderful catch-up time and I enjoyed it so much. Jennifer was one of my ride partners on the UGRR and we just hit it off well. She will be riding the Northern Tier next summer with Woman Tours. Finally, hunger got the best of us and after a few false starts we had a very nice meal at a seafood place right on the river. After that, I can definitely say that I crashed and burned. After 21 hours up, I slept well, but of course, being on Eastern Time, I woke up at 3:30 AM!!

Fundraising Update

2009-07-27T15:43:00.001-04:00

I never thought I would be giving an update BEFORE I even started to ride, but as of yesterday, hospice has already received $5500. I am SO VERY appreciative of all those who have donated to my cause. I can't wait to start riding. Tomorrow morning I fly to Portland. ...back to packing the last minute stuff!

Thank you all so much for your donations.

Newspaper Article

2009-07-25T11:31:00.008-04:00

Dave McGee did another great article on me for the Bristol Herald Courier. He has done the articles for all three of my rides and I really appreciate the time he spent on this.

Click here for the article

Return from Baltimore

2009-07-20T22:31:00.004-04:00

I just got back from 6 days in Maryland (my hometown-Baltimore) with two of my four brothers and their wives, my parents, and various other family members. An awesome, obligatory crab feast closed out the week and I drove back today! It will be a very busy week, with interviews, posters, maps, and packing. My bicycle arrived safely in Portland on Friday so is ready for me to pick up next week when I arrive. It is exciting and scary to think I will be leaving in one week for my next big ride for Hospice. We will be hosting the staff at our house on Friday evening for a barbecue that will be fun.

Tomorrow is my last day of volunteering at the hospital for about 6 weeks. I definitely miss them when I am gone! Maybe they miss me, too! :-)

Packing up the Felt

2009-07-13T19:59:00.003-04:00

It rained yesterday morning and after Graham and Morgan left, the roads were still wet so we did not ride. Ben decided to work in the garden in the afternoon and I wanted to finish signing and writing notes on the 600+ fund raising letters going out later this week. It is amazing to think that I have raised $68,000 on my past two rides. My goal is to reach $100,000 by the end of this ride. Can I do it? I hope so!! With your help, my dear readers, with your help!

So, today I decided I should take one last training ride. For some unknown reason, we have not ridden the mountain yet this year, "the mountain" being S. Holston Mountain. We always seemed to have someplace else that we wanted to ride, the weather was not good, or we were off somewhere riding. I decided this morning that I would ride and try to beat my best time for the 9+ mile climb, with 5-10% grades, and up to 13% in a few places. Ben was doing a locum tenens day at the office so I was on my own. It was a gorgeous day with temps in the low 80's and my ride was great. I did it in 57 minutes to the top and then descended into Shady Valley, TN. That was definitely a PB as my fastest previous ride time was 65 minutes. This is the same ride I did twice on the same day a week before I left on the Southern Tier! Shady Valley was gorgeous, green, and clear. I stopped to have a chocolate milk and then rode back up the mountain and had a screaming descent!

After I got home, I took the bike to Hal who packed it up all nice and snug in a box he had given me to save a few weeks ago for this purpose. He did it for free as his contribution to my fundraising! Thanks Hal at Boyd's Bicycle Shop in Bristol, TN. Tomorrow the bike will go to FedEx for the trip to Portland. Reality is setting in...I leave two weeks from tomorrow for Portland, OR. I can't wait!!

Happy Anniversary to Graham and Sherri

2009-07-12T20:27:00.000-04:00

Graham and Sherri, my son and daughter-in-law are celebrating their 6th anniversary today. Congratulations and best wishes for many more happy years together! I love you both (and Morgan) so very much!

Morgan

2009-07-11T14:56:00.004-04:00

Morgan has been here since Monday and we have had a great week with her. Sherri and Graham are doing such a wonderful job raising her. And talk...oh my gosh, she is just talking up a storm! "go in pool, Nana" and "walk outside in grass, Nana" are two of her standards. "eat" is also high on her list! She is just a delight to have with us. Graham is here now and will take her back to Knoxville tomorrow, sniff sniff. Then I will not see her until September when I arrive back from my fundraising ride for Hospice. What alot of changes I will see then, I am sure!!

Alice

2009-07-09T21:02:00.004-04:00

After 16 days, Alice's body has been recovered from 230 feet deep in South Holston Lake. For the family and for us, it is a relief, although so hard. Now everyone can get on with their grief, their celebration of the life of this lovely person who passed from our midst too early, too suddenly, and too tragically. Each day I look at Ben and realize how important love is and I thank my lucky stars that he is in my life.

There are several people I know right now who have been dealt a hand which is not so great, facing terminal diseases. I appreciate every day that I have here on this earth. Tomorrow could be different. Bless all of you, my friends.

Time passing quickly

2009-07-05T11:54:00.002-04:00

The time left until my Northwest Loop Ride (NWL) is passing quickly. I am riding as much as possible (it is raining today) and gathering the required gear (I don't need anything new!) The past few days have been quiet with a short trip to Asheville for Ben to enter some homebrews in a competition to be held next weekend. We stopped in at Laurey's, a restaurant in Asheville, to speak to Laurey herself. She rode the Southern Tier this year and I followed her blog! As an ovarian cancer survivor, she raised money for the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance and will speak next weekend at their annual conference in Washington, DC. You go, girl! Her blog has reflected her difficulties with reentry after the cross country ride and I could certainly sympathize. I had many of the same issues when I returned from the Southern Tier.

Next in line...Morgan (now almost 21 months) is coming to visit from Tuesday to next Sunday. Hooray! I won't see her again until the beginning of September when I return from my ride as I am going to see my family in Baltimore and then they go to the beach so I will miss them all around!

The search for Alice's body was suspended for the holiday weekend but will resume tomorrow. It has been nearly two weeks since she drowned and closure for all the family would be a welcome relief to this waiting and wondering.

Alice Bachman 1954-2009

2009-07-01T21:29:00.004-04:00

Well, there was a memorial service for Alice today. The church was packed with friends, co-workers, family, and school friends. It was so hard. Ben's brother came all the way from Nashville for the day. This service was supposed to give closure to all the family who knows she is not coming back but it is hard knowing that she has not been found and that sooner or later, that may happen, opening old wounds and affording us new grief. I have had a much harder time than I would have expected, perhaps because she was near my age, active, happily married, doing a great job with United Way of JC. It is just not right...death at an early age.

Tonight I went on a mountain bike ride with a couple of friends, in the Holston Mountains. The lake where Alice drowned is at the bottom and I had to drive by that lake that took her. Harry, her father-in-law, who passed away of cancer on my Southern Tier ride two years ago loved the ride we did tonight. He was always joking about stopping before the last mile downhill. He stopped at that point and turned around...he didn't want to have to ride back up! I called Jane, his wife on the way home tonight. I was thinking about her, Harry, Tom, and Alice. It is so hard for all of them. We love you, Tom. This should not happen to anyone.

End of the month Hospice Post

2009-06-30T22:35:00.002-04:00

On my past two rides, I chose not to constantly ask for funds to support the Wellmont Hospice House. I feel that the mission, the values, and their good work speaks for itself. Now that Ben is back as the Hospice Medical Director, I am doubly anxious to continue riding and raising funds for them.

One month from today, I will begin another long ride for Hospice. It will be in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. 1500 miles is the shortest "long" ride that I have done but it will still be a month of riding (with a few rest days in there). 100% of your donation supports hospice. My ride costs are all my own. Please consider making a donation to Hospice in honor of my ride. It is easy. Just click the right hand side bar where it says ANNE'S LINKS. Click on the one that says DONATE TO HOSPICE. The site is secure and safe. Thank you in advance for your support of my ride. I really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Time for a Memorial Service

2009-06-29T16:54:00.005-04:00

Although those conducting the search for Alice's body have been unsuccessful, the family has decided to go ahead with a memorial service. It will be on Wednesday in Johnson City. We have received so many nice calls and emails from so many people near and far. It is wonderful to have such support at a time like this. Thanks to all of you.

Read article

Long days

2009-06-27T17:26:00.002-04:00

Two more days have passed and they have not found Alice's body at Lakeview Dock. Today, there have been deep water divers searching, but so far, no luck. It is so difficult for all the family. We are really suffering. It has been a tough few days, with the inevitable yet to come, and some family members needing to go back to their families in other far away states tomorrow.

Bike Virginia and sadness

2009-06-25T12:11:00.005-04:00

I would write in glowing terms about our trip on Bike Virginia, but we came home to a terrible family tragedy and I just cannot write anything now. I have been doing catch up things around the house but I can't seem to focus at all. The tears flow, the pain is there, and there is absolutely NOTHING to do but wait for the inevitable.

Life is short so don't waste it.

Alice was Harry Bachman's daughter-in-law, the wife of Ben's first cousin. I rode for Harry on my 1st Great Bicycle Adventure for hospice, and he passed away of cancer 13 days into my ride.

Ben is officially UNretired!!

2009-06-17T21:42:00.002-04:00

Ben has signed a contract with Wellmont to be the Hospice Medical Director! He has been doing this for most of the past 15 years so it isn't like a new job!!! It is a 15 hour a week job and although it is not his ideal retirement choice (no work at all), he feels very connected with the hospice program here. Since he left, they have had no Boarded Hospice Physician, though they have a doctor covering call and seeing patients. It is 24/7 and no one can do that all the time. I guess the stipulation is that Ben cannot cover every hour of every day. He loves hospice, as I do, or why would I have ridden across the country twice for them and be riding this summer 1500 miles to raise funds for them? We are both dedicated to the wonderful work that Hospice does and I am glad that Ben feels that it is important enough for him to support the nurses by going back to work for them part time until they find a full time director.

A lot of soul searching has gone into this decision but I think it is the right one for Ben and he seems happy to be doing it. He will not start until we return from Bike Virginia next week. When I went to my volunteer job yesterday at the hospital, I had many people come up and hug me and say how happy they were that he was going to cover Hospice again. And then there were those who were flabbergasted that his retirement only lasted 6 weeks!

He has enjoyed the time off so much and together we have gotten so much done in the yard, garden, and house. He has brewed beer and taken his Beer Judge Certification Exam. He has ridden 1000 miles on a self supported bicycle trip. In six short weeks, he has packed in a lot of work and play. He still will, being off part time. We can make this work! I am glad he is doing it. We love hospice!

CouchSurfing

2009-06-17T21:23:00.002-04:00

In an earlier post, I said that I would talk a bit more about couchsurfing.. www.couchsurfing.com This is a web site that caters to hikers, cyclists, and other travelers by offering a way to communicate to others that you have a bed, couch, or tent site at your home that you would share with them. On the site you post your profile, your available accommodations, and any other pertinent information that would allow a visitor to contact you ahead of time to ask for a place to stay. We received a very nice email from two young hikers (college students) who also happened to be Boy Scout leaders, headed to their summer job at a Boy Scout camp 150 miles from here.

They were interested in leaving a car and getting transported to the Appalachian Trail for a 7-10 day hike. After several emails, a few phone calls, and discussions, we agreed for them to visit. After all, we know the AT in our area like the back of our hands, have lots of room in our home, and ended up having a really nice visit with them. It was their luck that our asparagus bed and our pea patch both had ample supplies for our dinner. Local strawberries are also in abundance right now. It was a delightful evening and we had many common interests, even though we are 40 years older. I think they appreciated the help with their itinerary and were especially pleased with the ride to the top of Roan Mt. to start their hike, after making a food drop at Kincora Hostel at Dennis Cove. It all worked out perfectly.

We picked them up at the end of their hike, as agreed upon, and after another good dinner here (if I do say so myself) they were on their way to their summer jobs. It was a great first experience with couch surfers and we will do it again in the future if the situation presents itself.

I had told our friend from Australia about this last year when he was flying to Denver to meet Ben and our boys for the Bicycle Tour of Colorado. He made contact with a guy in Denver who met him at the airport and toured him around until Ben and the boys arrived two days later. He has now signed up as a host in his home in Australia.

We have also met a young couple who live right here in Bristol who are signed up as a host family with CS and we have had them to eat here and gone to their home as well. They are new here and we have enjoyed meeting them.

A weekend of rides.

2009-06-14T13:36:00.002-04:00

It has definitely been a riding weekend! Kurt and Ben had not ridden the metric that Kathy, Eugene and I did on May 30th. They were really wanting to ride the route since we had said how beautiful it was. So, yesterday morning we started out at 7 am and rode that pastoral ride again. It was gorgeous ...again...though a bit hotter. There were no SAG stops this time and we did make a couple of stops along the way for drinks.

Today, we rode one of Eugene's routes and I guess after it was over, I was glad, as there was over 2700' of climbing in 34 miles and after yesterday, our legs were tired! (well, mine were...!!) It was a lovely ride in Scott County, VA and Sullivan County, TN. We crossed the border several times. I did enjoy the ride but am glad to be back at home in air-conditioning!

We are picking up our couch-surfers (more on this in another post) later this afternoon from the end of their hike at Watauga Dam. They started last Tuesday at Carver's Gap and hiked over Roan Mountain. I can't wait to hear their stories. We had a whopper of a storm several nights last week. I wonder if they did.

Next on our agenda...Bike Virginia! wahooo!

We are eating peas now, lots of peas! Yummy.

Another bowl and a coaster!

2009-06-12T10:09:00.001-04:00

This bowl and coaster were also from the same piece of fabric and the bowl I plan to give to a friend who gave me the fabric from her mother's stash after she passed away recently. Making these bowls is so much fun!

Fabric Bowls

2009-06-12T10:06:00.003-04:00

I took a workshop at my quilter's guild last week and learned how to make these fabric bowls. I came home and made several more and these two were actually made from the same piece of fabric. It was really fun, and a change of pace. Now I have to think who I will give them to, or, well, maybe, actually, I might keep them!! :-) The book is called It's A Wrap, Sewing Fabric Purses, Baskets, and Bowls, by Susan Breier. Great, easy to follow instructions...and so delightful to make!

2009-06-07T22:32:00.000-04:00

Morgan visited us for several days and we had such a great time. She loves everything outdoors and especially flowers. ...such a girl!

Detail of the Center

2009-06-03T18:49:00.001-04:00

I used the Crest of the Tokugawa Shogunate in the Center of the quilt. Here is some detail.

Memories of Japan

2009-06-03T18:44:00.001-04:00

Blue Ridge Quilter's Guild Challenge, 2009

2009-06-03T18:43:00.002-04:00

Today, my quilter's guild had its challenge quilt show at our meeting. I have worked on mine for about 6 months or so and it was good, I think, not great. But I used fabrics that Reid's friends gave me when I was there, crepes, brocades, silks, and cottons, all in the same quilt. They were very hard to work with. At times, I thought I might give it up but that was definitely NOT possible as some people have been waiting for this to be done! It now goes to the Carroll Reese Museum on the campus of ETSU for our Guild's exhibit, until September.

Giving back.

2009-06-01T15:06:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, Ben, Eugene and I went up on 87-B, one of our favorite mountain bike trails and did some trail maintenance. Eugene brought a chain saw and he and Ben chain-sawed out about 5 trees which were across the trail. I helped to remove brush and debris associated with the job! After we were finished, we could ride the entire trail without getting off the bike, something we have not been able to do in three years. It felt good to help not only the MTB community but the horseback riders who use the multi-use trail on Holston Mt. It is a beautiful place and I feel that our small part in improving the trail was a good thing.

The day today was gorgeous and with Ben retired, we could get up at a leisurely pace and ride when we wanted, and we did. We rode one of our regular routes and enjoyed the leisurely pace and the beauty of the day. We are now headed to the farm to plant another crop of corn and see how the rest of the garden is progressing...peas are almost ready! Yummy!

Jacob Francisco Memorial, Metric Century (62 miles)

2009-05-30T21:06:00.004-04:00

Ben was in Asheville today to take the Beer Judge Certification Exam. He has been taking a class since last August and the final test was today. He called to say it was really hard but that is all he said. The group taking the exam was going to hit up a few pubs and they were all spending the night over there tonight.

Since it was a beautiful day, I, of course, planned a bicycle ride. I never pass up an opportunity to ride with friends, especially at an "event". Today was the Jacob Francisco Memorial Metric. Jacob was a 6 year old boy who died from the complications of E. coli in 2004 and this ride is held yearly to raise funds for a Lectureship Fund in his name. Randy, Eugene, and Kathy, three of my regular riding friends rode it with me and what a ride! It was a gorgeous day, started out cool, and warmed up, but not too hot. The ride took us immediately on a climb over Buffalo Mt. and we rode through beautiful farmland, past fields of strawberries, corn, tobacco (yes, they still grow it here!), and other kitchen gardens. After all the rain we have had, the Nolichuckey River was running high and brown! We crossed it about five times. About 100 people rode the various ride options, 5, 25, or 62 miles. It did not seem that very many people did the long option since the parking lot at ETSU was about empty when we arrived back there.

The ride was very well supported with four rest stops with good food, friendly people, and gatorade, including a stop run by a Boy Scout Troop in downtown Jonesborough, TN. There were lots of tourists and I felt like I was doing the Tour de France!!! I was so pleased with how I rode, compared to the Metric in Burnsville, NC after I had been sick for two weeks. I had the best time of the season, so far, and rode strong the whole 62 miles. I am quite pleased with the training that I have done in the past month. It has really helped me alot. Now, I can't wait to go out with Ben again. Since he is retired, we will be able to go when WE want to, not just when the weather cooperates on the weekends.

So many people have asked me how it is having Ben at home all the time. Well, he left the very next day after he retired to do his three week ride. He returned home and spent every waking moment studying for the exam which was this morning. Maybe now I can find out what it will be like to have him here!

Thanks again to my great cycling friends for a wonderful day...the sights...mountains, rivers, and lovely farms. ...the sounds..river, birds, and groaning up the hills. ...smells...of honeysuckle, freshly mown grass, and fruit and cookies at the rest stops! It was awesome!

Graham, Sherri, and Morgan visit

2009-05-25T20:51:00.000-04:00

There is nothing better than having your family come visit and this weekend was no exception. Graham helped Ben with his dead laptop and it is no longer dead but alive and well!!! Sherri and I cooked and relaxed, and Morgan and I planted tomatoes and flowers. She, at 19 months, is curious about everything and it is such fun to watch her doing things like chase ants on the patio, feel the dirt as we plant, and smell honeysuckle for the first time. The look of pure joy in her eyes as Sherri showed her how to get that tiny drop of nectar out of the honeysuckle was priceless! Every experience is new for her and it is delightful to see her enjoy such little things. It makes us realize that we should also stop to smell the roses, too!

Having Ben here to enjoy here, too, was great. Since Graham and Sherri have two weddings the first weekend of June, we will get to have Morgan for four days! I can't wait.

Ben finishes his 900+ mile self supported ride!!!

2009-05-23T21:32:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Ben, who finished his first post retirement bicycle ride today! I left home at 6:30 in the morning to drive to Cherokee, NC to pick Ben up. He said that he would arrive at the Oconoluftee Visitor Center around noon. I figured if I got there early with my bicycle that I could ride out to meet him. He didn't tell me that it would be a LOOOOONG climb. I arrived at the Visitor's center, got my gear together, and started riding about 9:30, in overcast, but warm weather. The road immediately started to climb, with grades of 6, 7, 8, and 9%, and occasionally 10% steepness. I have been training alot lately for Bike Virginia and for my Oregon ride in August, so I had no problem. However, the first tunnel that I came to was dark and long. It was totally disorienting to ride through so I walked on the small shoulder and no cars came through while I was walking. The next two tunnels I could literally see the "light at the end of the tunnel" so I rode through. I had no headlight but had blinking lights on my helmet and on the seatpost.

The climb continued and still no sight of Ben so I got nervous that maybe I had missed him at the visitor center, but I knew he had 40 miles to ride so I knew that he could not have gotten there before me. I asked a few people in the overlook pullouts if they had seen a "fully loaded bicycle tourist" but no one had. I kept climbing, "just a little longer" and ended up ten miles up the mountain! I took a break and ate my snacks and decided to start down. If I had waited ten minutes, we could have ridden down the mountain together! But I was getting chilly, so decided to turn around. It took me an hour and a half to climb 10 miles and 2800' of elevation with several stops at tunnels, for safety, and to see the views.

It was a SCREAMER of a ride down the mountain at speeds over 34 mph. (except in the tunnels where I almost came to a stop, because they were so disorienting, and the pavement was rough). I absolutely loved the ride down for ten solid miles. That is longer than S. Holston Mountain, our local big climb! The ride down the mountain took me less than 20 minutes!! There was amazingly little traffic, mostly motorcycles, especially for a holiday weekend. I arrived back at the visitor's center and loaded up my bike figuring I would start driving up the mountain, but by the time I ate my sandwich and had a snack, Ben was riding into the parking lot. What a sight for lonely eyes!! He was finished and so happy! Everyone stared as we hugged and, oh my gosh, kissed! We changed clothes in the rest room and headed for Bristol where Graham, Sherri, and Morgan were waiting. We drove up the parkway for about 20 miles so that I could see all the gorgeous flowers, including the pale pink wild azaleas and the trillium which were in full bloom. It was a great ride home and we chatted all the way about the ride, scenery, and Jack's decision to ride North back home rather than finish in Cherokee, NC. I can't wait to see him at Bike Virginia to see how the ride went for him. There were some very big hills on the Parkway.

It was so wonderful to see how much Morgan had grown when we got home! We have not seen them for 5 weeks. She is talking so much and said both our names right off! ...a great homecoming for Ben, and a happy day for me! Welcome back, Sweetheart. Now I can see what it is like to have you retired!!

Ben rides South, Jack Rides North

2009-05-22T06:50:00.001-04:00

Ben and Jack arrived in Asheville on Thursday and went to dinner in town. Ben ran into one of his beer brewing buddies who had just won Best of Show at a Beer fest in Charlotte, NC. He was on cloud nine! They had also crossed paths when Ben was judging at a show in Asheville a month or so ago, just before he started his bicycle ride.

Ben called me early this morning to talk about the final plans for picking them up in the Smokies, at the terminus of the Blue Ridge Parkway. However, he said that Jack had decided to ride back to Meadows of Dan on the Parkway, going North. I am sorry that I won't get to see him on Saturday, but a man has got to do what he wants to do!! ...so I will pick up Ben on Saturday, and Jack will ride North starting today. The weather continues to cooperate very well this week and perhaps they will see no rain at all. Best wishes to you both for a successful finish to the ride.

Asheville

2009-05-21T20:48:00.001-04:00

Ben and Jack are now in Asheville and staying the night in a motel. They have met a guy who is cycling the Parkway and his wife, who is sagging him. He rides with the agreement that she will meet him at a certain milepost at the end of the day. She is hiking the 6000' peaks in North Carolina! Sounds like a workable plan! They are going to eat dinner together this evening.

Tomorrow, they will ride to Balsam Gap or so to finish on Saturday morning. I am excited to see Ben. It is amazing how many people have asked me how retirement is going for Ben (and me, too!!). Funny, I have not had any time with him since he retired so I don't really know how it is going to be! I DO know that there is alot of work that I depend on him for, things that that I have been doing myself, like rototilling the garden, which took me 3 hours this afternoon. That Troybilt is a big machine and loading it into the truck, taking it to the garden, and tilling, then planting, is a JOB! Thank you, Ben, for the past times when I have not appreciated you enough after getting the garden ready! At least now I know that I CAN do it myself if I want a garden!! Good stuff to know! ...and the confidence that I can load, start, and handle the tiller is great. Thankfully, the second crop of corn is up and going and the peas are flowering. The rest of the garden is ready for the warm soil crops...okra, cantaloupe, and beans. They will go in this week.

It will be a cooking, mowing the yard, short bicycle riding day for me tomorrow, and I still need to harvest the spinach. I have some more tomatoes to plant here at the house (it is always nice to have a few right here). On Saturday morning, I hope to get to Cherokee early enough to ride my bicycle North on the parkway to meet the guys. They will come back to Bristol and Lee will pick Jack up on Sunday. I am looking forward to starting retirement with Ben. Should be interesting after being by myself for the past three and a half weeks!

Ben is alive and cycling!

2009-05-20T23:23:00.003-04:00

Ben and Jack are doing well! On Monday, they were near Laurel Springs, NC. Tuesday, they camped at Julian Price Memorial Park Campground, near Blowing Rock, NC. It was really cold! They have been riding about 50 miles a day and tonight are in Crabtree Meadows Capmground near Mt. Mitchell, the highest point East of the Mississippi River. It will definitely be chilly there! They will be doing some climbing tomorrow, for sure! Tomorrow night they plan a motel stay in Asheville as they have camped the past three nights. Doing 50 or so miles a day, it looks like they will arrive in Cherokee, NC, the terminus of the Blue Ridge Parkway on Saturday morning. I plan to pick them up there.

I had a wonderful ride today, nearly 44 miles in gorgeous, clear weather. The mountains were as clear as I have seen them in a very long time. It is supposed to be like this through the weekend. That will be nice as Graham, Sherri, and Morgan are coming up on Saturday to be here for the homecoming. It will be a wonderful celebration for all of us. I can't wait to see them...and Ben!

Ben Update, or not...

2009-05-19T21:51:00.002-04:00

I have not heard from Ben in TWO days. That is a record. I have NO IDEA where he is or how far South on the Blue Ridge Parkway he and Jack have ridden. The weather is really nice during the day...a bit chilly at night, so I am sure they are trying to get as far as possible each day.

As for me, I have not ridden since the weather is so good and I have been working in the yard instead. It has been a hard choice to make but the yardwork needs to be done and the spinach is ready to harvest so...that ranks before cycling. However, tomorrow morning, I am going for a long ride! Yippee!!

Leaving Meadows of Dan, VA

2009-05-17T22:14:00.006-04:00

It rained off and on all night and was drizzling this morning when we got up. Naturally, it was raining when Ben and Jack decided it was time to continue their trek down the Blue Ridge Parkway, with the final goal being Cherokee, NC next weekend. They packed up food, panniers, and gear, donned their raingear and headed down the road. It was only a mile to the BRP, and I left soon after to return to Bristol, passing them on a big hill just before Mabry Mill. I probably would have stopped there for a tour but I had no rain jacket so decided that I would have to come again in the future.

Later this evening, I heard from Ben. They stopped for lunch in Fancy Gap, VA. The ended up staying overnight there since there intended destination, a Hostel some 30 more miles was closed due to ill health of the owner. All was not lost as they met some Northbound cyclists who were able to give them some guidance as to the passability of the Parkway further South where there have been several slides and road repairs underway which may have forced them off the road. Apparently, bicycles can traverse the gravel areas. The rain stopped for them in late morning and the prediction is for tailwinds and warmer weather tomorrow. They are looking forward to it. They both deserve some good weather!

Meadows of Dan, VA #2

2009-05-17T21:48:00.005-04:00

Ben arrived on Friday afternoon, late, in Meadows of Dan, at Jack and Lee's home. I went to MoD on Saturday morning, stopping by Trail Days in Damascus, VA to see what was new. I had missed the past two years due to my two cross country bike rides. I saw a couple of neat, new, lightweight tents but no other gear that I couldn't live without. It was too early in the morning for the Kettle Corn cookers to be out, so I went on to MoD.

It really was a beautiful ride up 58 to central VA. Jack and Lee live in a lovely log cabin about 1 mile off the Blue Ridge Parkway, North of Mabry Mills. It was wonderful to see Ben looking so happy and relaxed despite the string of rainy days that he has had. He has now ridden somewhere around 600 miles. I had a wonderful tour of the grounds, garden, ponds, flowers, rabbits, falcon, hawk, pigeons, green house, and yard. It was truly a wonderful haven of nature.

Jack then took us to Floyd, VA where we visited the Jacksonville Center for the Arts. His wife Lee is the Development Coordinator. It is a wonderful place for artists and their work spaces, exhibits, and a shop for purchase of the various art produced there. I enjoyed an exhibit of quilts and another show "the Earth is our Home." After a trip to the grocery store for Ben to resupply, we went to supper club with Jack and Lee. It was quite a "small world" event as the host and hostess, as well as several of the guests, knew my good friend, Stamps, mother in Greensboro, NC. We ate asparagus out of Fran's garden and they were delicious. The meal was delightful and the location of the house on top of a mountain in MoD was extraordinary. It was an all around great day. I have missed Ben so much and it was great to see him so happy and healthy!