Monday, June 30, 2008 – Day 8

Start: Thompson Falls, Montana
End: Missoula, Montana
Miles: 109.93 Total Miles: 628.56
Time: 8 hours 9 minutes (avg 13.4 MPH)

Our first century of the ride. We had a cool morning start, but about half way through the day, it started heating up. At the top of a 4.5 mile climb during what had to be the hottest point of the day, I took this picture at a water stop.

I thought this was a great picture. I stopped to take a picture of these two and the baby immediately ran around the backside of the mother. I waited until the mother finally moved so that I could take the picture.

The only other thing that caught my interest during the day was the fact that there are so many casinos in the state. This sign pretty much sums it up. You can stop and get gas for your car, some snacks for yourself, then to the ATM for money to hit the casino. A true one-stop takes care of it all.

Tomorrow is a rest day here in Missoula. There are a couple of things to do in the area if the weather is nice. Should be a good day other than the necessary things like laundry and bike cleaning.

Sunday, June 29, 2008 – Day 7

Start: Sandpoint, Idaho
End: Thompson Falls, Montana
Miles: 95.87 Total Miles: 518.63
Time: 7 hours 9 minutes (avg 13.3 MPH)

For those of you who have the weekends off and haven’t looked at what has been going on since Friday, we have traveled through three different states. Washington, Idaho and now we are in Montana. It was great to enter a new state, but we won’t be seeing any new “welcome to” signs any time soon. We will be in Montana for the next nine days.

We left Idaho pretty much the same way we entered it. There was a lot of beautiful scenery to see and we spent the entire day next to Pend Orielle Lake. It is an enormous lake that seemed to span the entire state of Idaho – at least the upper pan handle.

We reached Montana a little before half way through the day’s ride. That is when the day started to heat up. There are a lot of nice landscape pictures, but here was my favorite.

The temperature reached 100+ degrees today as we got closer to our stop for the day. About six miles outside Thompson Falls, I stopped to cool off my feet. Boy, did that feel refreshing to my hot feet. It was nice to take those steamy shoes off for fifteen minutes. It was hard to put them back on.

Here is what I looked like as I got close to town. I guess this is kind of proof that I am riding this ride. Hot, sweaty and sunburned.

Tomorrow, we head out on our first century ride (100+ miles). It is supposed to be a little cooler. We will see. After the ride we will spend our next rest day in Missoula, Montana.

Finally, I wanted to show you a quick video of what it is like riding on the open road. This is from Day Three leaving Vantage, Washington going up Interstate 90.

Saturday, June 28, 2008 – Day 6

Start: Spokane, Washington
End: Sandpoint, Idaho
Miles: 80.25 Total Miles: 422.75
Time: 5 hours 55 minutes (avg 13.5 MPH)

We left our comfortable resting day spot of Spokane right after breakfast this morning. We started out on the Centennial Trail.

Oh where, oh where is Market Street?

After we left the trail, we went through an industrial area. We came to a detour that our directions did account for. The only problem was the streets were not marked with street signs. We were supposed to make a right turn on Market Street but there was no sign. So, most of the group kept going straight. They accumulated what is known as “bonus miles” – extra miles due to getting lost. I broke the stereotype for males when I didn’t want to get lost. I stopped and asked what the name of the street was. Sure enough, it was Market. By that time, the others were out of sight down the wrong road. They figured it out and were quickly back on track.

One of the previous riders was telling a story before the ride began several months ago about making sure we enjoy the ride. He made sure we understood that it is not a race and we need to slow down and see the scenery. The story mentioned one rider who was always real fast and was the first to arrive at camp each day. One day when he was bragging about how quick he arrived, someone asked him if he saw the giraffe along the side of the road. I thought this was just a way of letting us know to slow down until I saw the giraffe myself.

I wanted everyone out there to also see some of these crazy roads that we have to ride. When I see these, I have to just take them nice and easy or else I will get discouraged.

We had the privilege of seeing a parade this afternoon in Newport, Washington. It was quite a show and I think the entire town was out watching. It was called the rodeo parade. They had all kinds of vehicles driving down the road.

Right before entering Newport, I came across this sign on the side of the road. It is for any of you Big Riders who need a little relaxation. Given the fact that we will be gone the next day, I don’t think it will be of any use.

The best news of the day was that we made it to our second state. We are now in Idaho.

The coolest thing about Idaho so far is they have special poles set up for Bald Eagles to nest in. I will post pictures of the pole and an up close picture of an eagle in the nest tomorrow.

Tomorrow we head to our third state – Montana and the Mountain Time Zone.

Friday, June 27, 2008 – Day 5

Rest Day: Spokane, Washington
Miles: 5.52 Total Miles: 348.02

Our first rest day was our firs rest day and we spent it in Spokane. We spent the day in a dorm at Gonzaga University. I spent the day bike cleaning, doing laundry and walking and bike riding around downtown Spokane.

We were here at the same time as the Spokane Hoopfest. From what I understand, Hoopfest is a basketball tournament consisting of a series of three on three matches. It is huge here. All the businesses participate and have Hoopfest themes going on.

Spokane was the home of the 1974 World’s Fair. The downtown area has a park that was developed for the fair and still attracts people today. It is where the majority of the Hoopfest activities are centered. As I walked around the area, I was noticing that the streets were being prepared for the activities tomorrow (Saturday). All the parking along the sides of the streets was being marked as no parking so that they can set up all the temporary basketball hoops.

There were hundreds of these basketball hoops all over the place ready to be set up and used. I bet this place will be jumping tomorrow – literally.

For those of you who know my wife Lisa, know that she loves walking and pulling her wagon, usually with our daughter Rachel in it. Well, since Rachel is growing and once I am done with this ride, I think Lisa will need a new wagon to pull us both around in. I found it here. Take a close look at the people next to the rear wheel to get a feel for the size of this wagon.

I also wanted to show a picture of the Spokane River which runs right through downtown and by the park net to a really nice bike trail. This is Spokane Falls.

Another friend report. When I was looking at the river, a little guy came right up to me looking for food. He actually stood up and posed for me.

Tomorrow morning we pack up and head out to Sandpoint, Idaho, the second state of the many we will visit. How exciting to finally make it to the next state. Weather report says it is going to get gradually hotter. Oh boy…be prepared to stay hydrated.

Thursday, June 26, 2008 – Day 4

Start: Odessa, Washington
End: Spokane, Washington
Miles: 81.99 Total Miles: 342.50
Time: 5 hours 24 minutes (avg 15.1 MPH)

Today, the wind was our friend.

After a wonderful breakfast provided by the great people at Odessa High School, we loaded up the truck and were on our way to Spokane.

I didn’t hear a weather report before leaving, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was a mild morning and I like that for riding. The first town we reached was called Harrington. Not a lot going on there so I continued on. Shortly after leaving Harrington, I met a friend. He was watching me as I was riding by so I stopped to say hi.

After leaving my friend, I rode a bit more until I just wanted to stop and take in all the beauty around me. As I was resting on the side of the road, the silence was broken by a couple of riders coming up the hill.

I also wanted to show what we still had ahead of us on this stretch of the road.

The next town was Davenport. It was a neat little place. We then had to take on a 9 mile gradual climb. It was not something I was looking forward to, but it had to be done. Once I started up the hill, I realized I had the wind on my side. There was a tail wind that pushed us all the way up the hill. 9 miles uphill at between 17 and 20 miles per hour is just fine with me.

After the long climb, we entered Reardon. Another small town. We stopped at the local library for a water bottle refill. I thought it was funny that the library didn’t open until 5pm. Where I am from, the libraries are open all day long.

Further up the road, after a short detour due to a motor home fire on our route, I stopped to give an idea of what we are looking at for most of the day.

This is what looks like up close.

If you turn and look across the road, this is a good example of many of today’s miles.

I reached a sign that said Spokane County and it was amazing how the scenery changed. Instantly there were pine trees all around. That is what has amazed me most…the way the landscape changes from one area to the next and how fast it does so.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008 - Day 3

Start: Vantage, Washington
End: Odessa, Washington
Miles: 87.47 Total Miles: 260.51
Time: 6 hours 56 minutes (avg 12.6 MPH)

After finishing my writing yesterday, we had a great catered dinner by the local restaurant. They also served us breakfast this morning. Thanks Blustery’s!

After dinner, the wind that we were warned about started. As the hot day cools off, the wind comes down the river fast and strong. I think it must have been blowing 30-40 miles per hour and even harder gusts until about 1am. It wasn’t bad in my tent though. It is small and low profile so the wind rushes right past it. We were warned to stake our tents well so that we didn’t have to chase them. Now I understand why.

The ride started right after breakfast. We all stayed together to be escorted over the bridge that took us across the Columbia River. The support vehicles blocked one lane of traffic so that we could get across safely since there is no shoulder for bikes to ride on. Once we were across, the first of many hills took us out of the Columbia River Valley.

At the top, was the Wild Horses monument.

Rocky Road or Vanilla? One of our support stops this afternoon was a nice surprise. We were served ice cream cones. They were refreshing and delicious. Then, a little down the road, I saw several dust twisters. They were pretty big. I tried to catch one to take a picture, but it crossed the road and disappeared. They were neat to see as long as they were small and not tornadoes mixed with storms.

That was pretty much the exciting part of the day. There was a lot of rolling hills with a whole lot of farmland. The farmers grow wheat, corn, alfalfa, beans and a few fruit trees. Everything has to be irrigated constantly due to the dryness of the area. The only towns/cities we rode through were George, Washington (how appropriate) and Ephrata, Washington.

The day was a warm one. It is in the mid 80s and we were supposed to have a tailwind, but I never felt it. Most of the day seemed like I had a headwind right in my face. I spent most of the day riding alone. I needed some time to appreciate the surroundings. At one point, I even got off my bike and walked about 1 mile while I ate my PB&J sandwich. I wanted to keep going but also wanted to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the area. It was so quiet. The only thing that disrupted the ride today was the large trucks transporting either wheat or alfalfa. They were all going the opposite way, but when they passed, I was blasted with bits and pieces of whatever they were carrying. I even saw one bushel that had fallen off a truck and made its way across the road to my side. It was really big and left an impression in the ground where it came to a stop. I sure am glad that I wasn’t there when it came flying across.

We finished the ride for the day at the Odessa high school. We set up camp on the field out back. It is just like being back in high school. We took showers in the gym (no privacy whatsoever). My comment about public bathrooms...oh my. Right out in the open for all to enjoy. We will be eating in the cafeteria for dinner and breakfast tomorrow morning. Understand, I am in no way complaining. A warm shower and a meal is fantastic after a long day’s ride.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - Day 2

Tuesday, June 24, 2008 – Day 2
Start: Easton, Washington
End: Vantage, Washington
Miles: 77.35 Total Miles: 173.04
Time: 4 hours 51 minutes (avg 15.9 MPH)

Last night was a cold one in the tent. I did not bring a sleeping bag since I didn’t think I would use it much after the first couple of days. It wasn’t too bad because I did bring several blankets to keep warm. The morning began at 5am with the zipper alarms (people unzipping their tent doorways). It actually started with someone making a rooster call.

We packed up our tents and gear and had a brief breakfast. Then we were off. It was a brisk ride for the first 50 miles or so while we were leaving the Cascade Mountains. Once we were out, the weather instantly changed. In the grasslands, it was a lot dryer and by the time we made it to the long climb, the temperature really went up.

The long climb was truly long. 15 miles to be exact. Every corner that we turned was another hill. We were promised that at the top of the hill we would receive a reward. We did! It was the biggest downhill I have ever experienced. Just over 11 miles right to our campground. For most of the 11 miles, I was going over 40 miles per hour. That made the hill worth climbing.

Every so many miles, I stopped to look back and take a picture of the Cascades as we left them. What a sight to see.

The main towns/cities we went through were Cle Elum and Ellensburg and then ended in Vantage. One of the riders also had a minor accident. I did not see what happened, but heard that they braked a little too hard on a fast downhill and ended up going over the handlebars. Everything is ok. A little sore, but only scrapes and bruises.

We arrived early at camp in Vantage right next to the Columbia River. It will be a peaceful night’s sleep. That is good since, as I am typing this, I am looking across the river at the hill we have to climb to get the day started tomorrow.

Finally, thanks to Jim for riding with me today. He kept me going up that long hill.

This is what it looks like when the truck carring our gear is unloaded prior to everyone arriving.

Monday, June 23, 2008 - Day 1

Start: University of Washington
End: Easton, Washington
Daily Miles: 95.69 - Total Miles 95.69
Time: 7 hours 1 minute (avg. 13.6 MPH)

Woke up real early this morning at about 4am. Hard to sleep thinking about the day ahead. Excitement, but apprehension. It is going to be great

.
Well, that was my thought prior to going over Snoqualmie Pass. OH MY!
We had a 23 mile ride on a flat commuter path. I think that was to fool us into thinking this was going to be easy. It worked. We had a water and snack stop at mile 23. Then the "fun" began. We had a climb that stretched 52 miles! The climb stopped at Snoqualmie Pass in the Cascade Mountains. Then we had a fairly flat 20 mile ride to Easton, Washington where our camp is located.
All in all, it was a great first day. When I was a kid and my mother told me to go play on the freeway, I bet she never imagined I would actually do it. We rode a number of miles on Interstate 90 and it was loud and busy, but we survived.
I was going to try to ride in a velodrome that was along the way, but I watched one of the riders give it a try and almost fell when the steep turn came. I didn't want to chance it, so we continued on.
The highlight of the day was the Cascade Mountains. They were so beautiful. I almost forgot that I had to ride through them. We came to a location called Snoqualmie Falls. It was a spectacular waterfall. Very cool to see. After that it was more climbing.

I am glad Day 1 is over.

The Day Before

I spent the last day and a half in Bellingham, Washington visiting my folks. It was a wonderful visit seeing for the first time where they live and meeting some of their neighbors.
I want to thank them for transporting me all around. From the airport to their house and then back to the University of Washington. I really appreciate the support.

Funny note - as prepared as I am, I blew it big time. After being dropped off at the university, I was running through the next day and what I need to remember to have ready. Well, my heart dropped when I realized I didn't have my bike shoes. Ooops. They were still in Bellingham. Oh well, I was able to catch a ride to the bicycle shop before they closed and pick up another pair. Crisis averted.

The day starts bright and early tomorrow and I can't wait.

On My Way to Seattle

I am leaving for Seattle today.  Tomorrow will be spent reassembling my bike and making sure it is all in proper working order.  Ride starts on Monday.  The excitement is building!

Haircut for the Ride

For those of you who may not see me before I take off, I wanted you to see me witn my hair cut really short for the ride.

Ride Starts in 7 Days

Bike is in Seattle. I am packed and ready to fly out this Friday. The excitement is building.

One Week Until I Depart for Seattle

With one week to go, I am getting very excited.  The bike has arrived in Seattle.  I am going to finish packing this weekend.  I will be ready to go.  The last couple of weeks have gotten me thinking about what it will be like.  There are only a couple of concerns at this point and they are pretty silly.  The first is that I will be sleeping in a tent for seven weeks.  I am not a camper by any stretch of the imagination.  My biggest camping and living in a tent trip was two nights.  This is going to be seven weeks!  The other thought that is going around in my head is that I will have to use public restrooms for seven weeks.  I know that is kind of weird to be thinking about at a time like this, but that is about all that I am tossing around in my head.  I know after a couple of days, those won't even be issues because I will be having fun enjoying the ride and the beautiful experience.  I can't wait!

Whoa...Less than Two Weeks to Go!

Only 13 days to go now and word was it is snowing in the Snoqualmie Pass today.  Hard to believe since it is just under 100 degrees here in Northern Virginia today.

Bicycle Shipping Out Today

The bike is boxed up and will be on its way to Seattle, Washington today.  It is sad to see it all taken apart and in a box, but I know that I will be ready to hop back on it in a couple of weeks for the ride. 

1,016 for May and Only 20 Days To Go

Finished up May with just a little over 1,000 miles. I only have 20 days until the start of the Big Ride. Hard to imagine that three weeks from today I will be somewhere in the Cascade Mountains riding my bike.