So I kinda didn't update this blog as I traveled down the west coast. The main reason was the lack of libraries in the small ocean side towns I cycled through. Another reason was with all the climbing along the coast (after making it across the country) my legs were sore and I was taking my time completing the 60-70 miles a day I was doing, and sitting in a library trying to update a backlog of days didn't sound appealing. The west coast was my "bonus" ride that I thought was going to be a wind down ride, which turned out to be chuck full of climbing!
So, how was the west coast? Awesome scenery, some of the best of the trip! But the roads! Oh, the roads... lots of traffic and no shoulders! If I was going to get hit by a car at any point on this trip, it would have been the west coast.
But the sights, from the ocean views to the giant redwood forests to crossing the golden gate bridge, it was awesome. And I loved the convenient state parks all along the coast, $5 hiker/biker sites and most had showers. I started getting used to this ease of camping.
I also met a whole bunch of friends along the way. The west coast route was by far the most popular route of the trip, every night the hiker / biker sites would be full of 5-15 bikers, and you would see the same people almost every night in sections where there were state parks every 60 or so miles, which was a good distance to cover for a day.
Alas, all good things have to come to an end. By the time I hit San Francisco I could tell I needed an extended rest off the bike, my knees were telling me they wanted more than a token day off every two weeks or so. Plus, my friends from home were planning on doing a cycling tour around Lake Champlain in a week's time which I really wanted to join them on.
My good friend Jose who lives in San Jose drove down to Santa Cruz and picked me up on day 82. We went back to his place and I hung out with him and his family for the weekend while I packed up my bike. I flew out on Sunday evening and arrived in Syracuse, NY, Monday around noon!
All in all, 82 days & 5,340 miles! It was an epic adventure! At times I questioned if I would make it, but I met so many great people along the way, some hosted me, some rode with me. I will remember this trip for as long as I live. What should I do next?
Seaside, OR to Santa Cruz, CA
Friday, August 31, 2012
Monday, August 20, 2012
DAY 69 - REST DAY IN SEASIDE
Ahhhh, the joys of sleeping in! When I finally got out of bed, the two guys in the RV were gone, they left early to get to a festival in Portland where one of the guys wanted to sell his bicycle-themed jewelry he made the day before (he had some skills!) Neil was gone somewhere too, so it was me and the hitchhiker just hanging out.
I ate some breakfast and hung out, eventually Neil showed up for a few minutes before heading out again, not to be back till tomorrow. He told us to just make ourselves at home and just to lock up when we left. A little while after the hitchhiker left too, to find a ride to Astoria, leaving me all alone in Neil's house!
Around lunch time I hit up the Subway down the street, and then came back and did what I haven't been able to do in a long time - took a midday nap! When I awoke I pulled out the Pacific coast maps and started plotting out my rides, something I never did more than a day or two in advance before, but since I need to at some point purchase a plane ticket back, I need to figure out about when I'll be in San Francisco.
That took a long time as I would go back and forth between looking at the map, the elevation profile, see if any warmshowers people were nearby my stopping points, and found alternate places to camp if those fell through. One nice thing along the coast is all the state parks have $5 hiker/biker sites that do not need reservations, which is very awesome, I could just go from state park to state park if I want to!
It started getting late, so I updated the backlog of days on my blog and talked to my mom, and decided midnight was a good time to stop what I was doing and turn in for the night.
For tomorrow, I ride again!
I ate some breakfast and hung out, eventually Neil showed up for a few minutes before heading out again, not to be back till tomorrow. He told us to just make ourselves at home and just to lock up when we left. A little while after the hitchhiker left too, to find a ride to Astoria, leaving me all alone in Neil's house!
Around lunch time I hit up the Subway down the street, and then came back and did what I haven't been able to do in a long time - took a midday nap! When I awoke I pulled out the Pacific coast maps and started plotting out my rides, something I never did more than a day or two in advance before, but since I need to at some point purchase a plane ticket back, I need to figure out about when I'll be in San Francisco.
That took a long time as I would go back and forth between looking at the map, the elevation profile, see if any warmshowers people were nearby my stopping points, and found alternate places to camp if those fell through. One nice thing along the coast is all the state parks have $5 hiker/biker sites that do not need reservations, which is very awesome, I could just go from state park to state park if I want to!
It started getting late, so I updated the backlog of days on my blog and talked to my mom, and decided midnight was a good time to stop what I was doing and turn in for the night.
For tomorrow, I ride again!
DAY 68 - THE PACIFIC OCEAN
I woke up to a cool, damp, and foggy morning. No one had bothered me in my "unofficial" camp site, which was nice, and I packed up, ate a PB&J bagel, and left. Sadly, it looks like my cycle computer died last night, the wheel sensor stopped working, so I no longer get a speed reading or distance, but cadence still works. From here on out till I get a new one, all daily distances I record will be based off the ACA map segments, which should be pretty close.
I ended up biking in the fog all morning to Astoria. I made sure to turn on my flashing tail light, which I really haven't been using unless I'm riding at dusk or night. I also ended up wearing my windbreaker which usually get shed very quickly as I heat up, but it was cool enough to keep it on, even half-zipped. As I cycled I was surrounded by damp forest filled with tall pine trees and smaller vegetation like ferns between them.
Before I knew it I was coming down into Astoria and the town definitely had a foggy coastal fishing town vibe to it. The traffic was a bit congested around the peninsula that was the town, and I kept wondering where this end point will be, when will I hit the Pacific? Well, as it turns out, Astoria is kind technically still in the Columbia River, as you can still see the Washington shore on the other side of the water.
Looking at the map, I would have to push on to Seaside if I wanted to get to a beach with a full ocean view. The route between Astoria and Seaside goes back into the hills a bit, taking me on a windy rural road, aptly named the "Lewis & Clark Rd" with little traffic and a small but decent climb.
Once I made it to the top, I was treated to a fast windy downhill into Seaside. I jumped onto the I-101, the coastal highway which runs down to California, and I immediately noticed - lots of traffic. I was told to expect it, but as I entered Seaside, I started moving faster than the traffic, it was the slow moving kind you'd expect to see in any tourist town.
I would be staying with a warmshowers host tonight in town, Neil, who lives between I-101 and the Pacific, so I decided to check in with him before I went for my official dip in the ocean. I found his house pretty easily and was greeted by 2 guys there who were touring the west coast in an old but working RV and another guy who was hitchhiking, but Neil was out somewhere running errands.
After introducing myself and chatting for a while, the sun had come out and I wanted to finally hit the Pacific so I left the house and traveled maybe 100 yards to the beach. Let me tell you, riding a fully loaded touring bike in the sand worked for all of 5 seconds, and even pushing it was hard work, the tires just dig right into the sand.
I probably looked out of place on the beach populated by people in swimwear, but I didn't care. I pushed my bike out until the waves licked the tires... and I made it! Mission Completed! 4,447 miles from Ithaca, NY to the Pacific ocean in Seaside, OR!
I beamed with pride looking at the open ocean, and then remembered that I should probably get some pictures! I asked a woman nearby and once she heard how far I've gone she gladly agreed to help me. After that was all said and done, I just leaned on my bike's top tube and looked into the ocean for about 20 minutes.
My trip, which seemed very daunting the first couple weeks out, was completed. All those times I thought that it might be too much, too big to do, was done. I remember cycling through the corn fields of Indiana, wondering if I'd be able to make it through the winds of Kansas; in the Kansas heat, sweating, wondering how I would get over the passes of Colorado; crossing into Wyoming, hearing stories of crazy winds and snow in Montana and if I'd be able to get through it all... and I did.
Afterward, I cycled back to Neil's house where I hung out with the guys until Neil came back and then I introduced myself. Right off the bat I could tell Neil was the type of guy who was very generous with what he had and spent a lot of his time helping other people out. He loved having people at his house, and offered his cabin up in eastern Oregon to any of us that would be passing though.
Eventually it was getting later and everyone else was still up in the dining room chatting while I excused myself to get some much needed sleep. Neil said he was going to drive some kids to a track meet in Eugene tomorrow, but I should feel free to spend an extra day at his place if I wanted. I thanked him and told him a rest day sounded awesome...
It would give me a chance to sleep in, catch up on some things... and plan my trip to San Francisco! That's right, this bike trip just got extended! I picked up the Pacific coast route maps at the ACA headquarters in Missoula in case I got to the coast and decided to tack on another 800 miles! Might as well, everyone and their brother has been telling me that the Pacific coast is beautiful to bike, and hell, I'm already out here, let's do this!
Start: Gnat Creek Campground, OR
End: Seaside, OR
Distance: 40 miles
I ended up biking in the fog all morning to Astoria. I made sure to turn on my flashing tail light, which I really haven't been using unless I'm riding at dusk or night. I also ended up wearing my windbreaker which usually get shed very quickly as I heat up, but it was cool enough to keep it on, even half-zipped. As I cycled I was surrounded by damp forest filled with tall pine trees and smaller vegetation like ferns between them.
Before I knew it I was coming down into Astoria and the town definitely had a foggy coastal fishing town vibe to it. The traffic was a bit congested around the peninsula that was the town, and I kept wondering where this end point will be, when will I hit the Pacific? Well, as it turns out, Astoria is kind technically still in the Columbia River, as you can still see the Washington shore on the other side of the water.
Looking at the map, I would have to push on to Seaside if I wanted to get to a beach with a full ocean view. The route between Astoria and Seaside goes back into the hills a bit, taking me on a windy rural road, aptly named the "Lewis & Clark Rd" with little traffic and a small but decent climb.
Once I made it to the top, I was treated to a fast windy downhill into Seaside. I jumped onto the I-101, the coastal highway which runs down to California, and I immediately noticed - lots of traffic. I was told to expect it, but as I entered Seaside, I started moving faster than the traffic, it was the slow moving kind you'd expect to see in any tourist town.
I would be staying with a warmshowers host tonight in town, Neil, who lives between I-101 and the Pacific, so I decided to check in with him before I went for my official dip in the ocean. I found his house pretty easily and was greeted by 2 guys there who were touring the west coast in an old but working RV and another guy who was hitchhiking, but Neil was out somewhere running errands.
After introducing myself and chatting for a while, the sun had come out and I wanted to finally hit the Pacific so I left the house and traveled maybe 100 yards to the beach. Let me tell you, riding a fully loaded touring bike in the sand worked for all of 5 seconds, and even pushing it was hard work, the tires just dig right into the sand.
I probably looked out of place on the beach populated by people in swimwear, but I didn't care. I pushed my bike out until the waves licked the tires... and I made it! Mission Completed! 4,447 miles from Ithaca, NY to the Pacific ocean in Seaside, OR!
I beamed with pride looking at the open ocean, and then remembered that I should probably get some pictures! I asked a woman nearby and once she heard how far I've gone she gladly agreed to help me. After that was all said and done, I just leaned on my bike's top tube and looked into the ocean for about 20 minutes.
My trip, which seemed very daunting the first couple weeks out, was completed. All those times I thought that it might be too much, too big to do, was done. I remember cycling through the corn fields of Indiana, wondering if I'd be able to make it through the winds of Kansas; in the Kansas heat, sweating, wondering how I would get over the passes of Colorado; crossing into Wyoming, hearing stories of crazy winds and snow in Montana and if I'd be able to get through it all... and I did.
Afterward, I cycled back to Neil's house where I hung out with the guys until Neil came back and then I introduced myself. Right off the bat I could tell Neil was the type of guy who was very generous with what he had and spent a lot of his time helping other people out. He loved having people at his house, and offered his cabin up in eastern Oregon to any of us that would be passing though.
Eventually it was getting later and everyone else was still up in the dining room chatting while I excused myself to get some much needed sleep. Neil said he was going to drive some kids to a track meet in Eugene tomorrow, but I should feel free to spend an extra day at his place if I wanted. I thanked him and told him a rest day sounded awesome...
It would give me a chance to sleep in, catch up on some things... and plan my trip to San Francisco! That's right, this bike trip just got extended! I picked up the Pacific coast route maps at the ACA headquarters in Missoula in case I got to the coast and decided to tack on another 800 miles! Might as well, everyone and their brother has been telling me that the Pacific coast is beautiful to bike, and hell, I'm already out here, let's do this!
Start: Gnat Creek Campground, OR
End: Seaside, OR
Distance: 40 miles
Sunday, August 19, 2012
DAY 67 - GETTING CLOSE
I woke up today feeling a little blah, probably due to the beer and going to bed late. I half thought of just hanging out in Portland for another day, but got my self up and ready to ride.
The route out of Portland left the Columbia River for long sections and I found myself in more of a pine forest type setting. By noon it was getting hot again as I had to climb up a steep grade bluff. About half way up I stopped to take a picture in a pull out and from behind I met another cyclist, Will, who was sporting a backpack on a wide rear rack and a round plastic bear box looking container on his front rack. We rode up the rest of the hill together and talked along the way. He had been out 80 days from Wisconsin but had stopped in a couple places for a few weeks. He was into lightweight backpacking before cycling, so he was just using all the same gear, just on the bike. He was cycling with his girlfriend, but she wanted to go one way and he wanted to go another so they split up a week ago and were meeting back up today in Clatskanie.
We rode to there, where he and his girlfriend were going to spend the night with a local Buddhist monk from warmshowers. I thought that was really cool but he lived 4 miles outside town and I just wanted to press on towards the coast as it was only about 4pm. I wished Will a safe ride and parted ways.
I rode another 15 miles and over the last big hill towards Astoria and stopped at the Gnat Creek campground. This was a very small campground that was a popular spot for fishing and as I made my way in I only saw 3 campsites (online it said they had 6), all of which were taken. I thought the other 3 sites might be up this gravel road at the end of the parking lot, but after following it for a good mile and a half, it turned out to be just a logging road. So back I went, and with it getting dark, I just threw up my tent in this grassy area between two of the campsites (I was still a good 30 feet from either campsite so I felt that I wasn't annoying anyone) and payed my $5 fee for campsite "threeve", finally ate the can of chili I had been carrying for a good week, and went to bed.
The pacific coast awaits me tomorrow!
Start: Portland, OR
End: Gnat Creek Campground, OR
Distance: 74.12 miles
The route out of Portland left the Columbia River for long sections and I found myself in more of a pine forest type setting. By noon it was getting hot again as I had to climb up a steep grade bluff. About half way up I stopped to take a picture in a pull out and from behind I met another cyclist, Will, who was sporting a backpack on a wide rear rack and a round plastic bear box looking container on his front rack. We rode up the rest of the hill together and talked along the way. He had been out 80 days from Wisconsin but had stopped in a couple places for a few weeks. He was into lightweight backpacking before cycling, so he was just using all the same gear, just on the bike. He was cycling with his girlfriend, but she wanted to go one way and he wanted to go another so they split up a week ago and were meeting back up today in Clatskanie.
We rode to there, where he and his girlfriend were going to spend the night with a local Buddhist monk from warmshowers. I thought that was really cool but he lived 4 miles outside town and I just wanted to press on towards the coast as it was only about 4pm. I wished Will a safe ride and parted ways.
I rode another 15 miles and over the last big hill towards Astoria and stopped at the Gnat Creek campground. This was a very small campground that was a popular spot for fishing and as I made my way in I only saw 3 campsites (online it said they had 6), all of which were taken. I thought the other 3 sites might be up this gravel road at the end of the parking lot, but after following it for a good mile and a half, it turned out to be just a logging road. So back I went, and with it getting dark, I just threw up my tent in this grassy area between two of the campsites (I was still a good 30 feet from either campsite so I felt that I wasn't annoying anyone) and payed my $5 fee for campsite "threeve", finally ate the can of chili I had been carrying for a good week, and went to bed.
The pacific coast awaits me tomorrow!
Start: Portland, OR
End: Gnat Creek Campground, OR
Distance: 74.12 miles
DAY 66 - PORTLAND, OREGON!
I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of wind when I set out this morning! I was hoping to get to Portland early enough to see some of the city and maybe meet up with my friend Jess, who I just remembered lives in Portland last night, about the same time the first warmshowers host I contacted for Portland replied that I was welcome at his house which was only 3 blocks off the route.
The day was filled with wonderful scenery, I think the Columbia River canyon just gets better the closer you get to Portland. Another bluff to climb, but the rest of the day was pretty easy. I got to go through a number of narrow tunnels, each had a button before it for cyclists to press which lit up a light warning drivers that bicycles were in the tunnels, since they had no shoulders.
As I neared Portland the traffic increased and I got into urban biking mode. The route diverts to a bike path that then goes up onto the 205 bridge, sticking cyclists and foot traffic between the two sides of traffic in the center of the bridge. About half way across I stopped and took a picture of the Oregon sign and kept on going.
On the Portland side I rode along another bike path along the river, then onto streets, most of which had bike lanes! I noticed a lot of other cyclists out and about as I passed the university and eventually found my host's house. My host, Ethan, wasn't home yet but one of his roommates, Rob, let me in and showed me around. Both Ethan and Rob were very cool people, the house had a cool style and vibe going. Ethan came home and we chatted for a bit while he watered his garden he was keeping out back. He hadn't had a car for 3+ years and biked to work, but work had moved him to a location about 20 miles away, so he was biking 40 miles/day and while it was ok during the summer, he was dreading winter. He told me I was welcome to spend an extra day to two there if I wanted to check out the city, which would be fun, but I'm so close to the pacific coast, I think I'll just keep going.
I had been trading texts with Jess throughout the day and we had decided to meet downtown at the Rouge Ale Distillery downtown, about 7 miles away. I asked both Rob and Ethan if they would like to come out with me but they were busy, so I unloaded the bike and enjoyed the unladen speed as I biked downtown. I arrived a little after 8pm and Jess showed up not soon after. It had been a couple years since last time we saw each other, so we caught up over some beers and dinner. Before I knew it, it was 11:30pm and we both needed to get going.
I was still a little buzzed as it seems alcohol hits me harder on this trip than normal. I had an interesting time riding back to Ethan's, the roads were pretty empty and I enjoyed a night ride under the streetlights.
When I got back to the house, the back door was left unlocked for me, and I walked in to a quiet house, everyone was already asleep, so I got ready for bed and passed out in the extra room!
Start: West Roosevelt, WA
End: Portland, OR
Distance: 96.29 miles
The day was filled with wonderful scenery, I think the Columbia River canyon just gets better the closer you get to Portland. Another bluff to climb, but the rest of the day was pretty easy. I got to go through a number of narrow tunnels, each had a button before it for cyclists to press which lit up a light warning drivers that bicycles were in the tunnels, since they had no shoulders.
As I neared Portland the traffic increased and I got into urban biking mode. The route diverts to a bike path that then goes up onto the 205 bridge, sticking cyclists and foot traffic between the two sides of traffic in the center of the bridge. About half way across I stopped and took a picture of the Oregon sign and kept on going.
On the Portland side I rode along another bike path along the river, then onto streets, most of which had bike lanes! I noticed a lot of other cyclists out and about as I passed the university and eventually found my host's house. My host, Ethan, wasn't home yet but one of his roommates, Rob, let me in and showed me around. Both Ethan and Rob were very cool people, the house had a cool style and vibe going. Ethan came home and we chatted for a bit while he watered his garden he was keeping out back. He hadn't had a car for 3+ years and biked to work, but work had moved him to a location about 20 miles away, so he was biking 40 miles/day and while it was ok during the summer, he was dreading winter. He told me I was welcome to spend an extra day to two there if I wanted to check out the city, which would be fun, but I'm so close to the pacific coast, I think I'll just keep going.
I had been trading texts with Jess throughout the day and we had decided to meet downtown at the Rouge Ale Distillery downtown, about 7 miles away. I asked both Rob and Ethan if they would like to come out with me but they were busy, so I unloaded the bike and enjoyed the unladen speed as I biked downtown. I arrived a little after 8pm and Jess showed up not soon after. It had been a couple years since last time we saw each other, so we caught up over some beers and dinner. Before I knew it, it was 11:30pm and we both needed to get going.
I was still a little buzzed as it seems alcohol hits me harder on this trip than normal. I had an interesting time riding back to Ethan's, the roads were pretty empty and I enjoyed a night ride under the streetlights.
When I got back to the house, the back door was left unlocked for me, and I walked in to a quiet house, everyone was already asleep, so I got ready for bed and passed out in the extra room!
Start: West Roosevelt, WA
End: Portland, OR
Distance: 96.29 miles
DAY 65 - ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE DAYS
I woke up and it was already windy out. I exited my tent and while I was packing stuff up one of the wind surfers told me it was going to be a windy day all day today and that I should just hang out till tomorrow, but such is the life of a touring cyclist, I don't get to pick my days, I get to ride though it all... well, mostly, I'll be honest, if it was something crazy like 45 mph winds, I would have just stayed put.
The theme of today was just a constant headwind, from morning till night. There wasn't much I could do but just keep pedaling. At least the canyon scenery was great and it was mostly flat except for a 750 foot bluff I had to climb. I was on the side of the river with less services, and was a little concerned when the few services on the map turned out to be either out of business or way down the bluff near the water, meaning I'd have to go down and then re-climb this bluff, something I was not really wanting to do.
A little bit after noon, on top of the bluff I found a pavilion along side the road and stopped to eat some lunch in it's shade. It was getting hot again, but at least the headwind helped keep me a little cooler. While eating I had finished up all the water in my water bottles, and found out that I should have changed the water in my reserve bottles because there were some interesting things floating in them.
Since it was still some distance to the next service that may or may not be there, I had to once again go knocking on the door of one of the few houses along the route. I was very happy that they allowed me use of their hose and I filled up on water and continued my ride.
A couple hours later as I had descended and was getting close to a legit town, a man in a work van stopped ahead of me and came out to greet me. It turns out he was also a cyclist and had done a bunch of tours and was a warmshowers host in Portland. He offered me more water and then a place to stay when I got to Portland if I need it. I love that there are people like this out there.
After a full day of fighting the wind, I made it to Bingen and went looking for the hostel, which was a re-purposed old elementary school. $19 got me a bunk there for the night. I took a much needed shower and then did some exploring around the place as it was just interesting, lockers still lined the hall walls and the gym was open for anyone who wanted to use it. Before I knew it, it was 10pm, lights out time in the bunk rooms, and I fell fast asleep, enjoying another night in a bed!
Start: West Roosevelt, WA
End: Bingen, WA
Distance: 69.52 miles
The theme of today was just a constant headwind, from morning till night. There wasn't much I could do but just keep pedaling. At least the canyon scenery was great and it was mostly flat except for a 750 foot bluff I had to climb. I was on the side of the river with less services, and was a little concerned when the few services on the map turned out to be either out of business or way down the bluff near the water, meaning I'd have to go down and then re-climb this bluff, something I was not really wanting to do.
A little bit after noon, on top of the bluff I found a pavilion along side the road and stopped to eat some lunch in it's shade. It was getting hot again, but at least the headwind helped keep me a little cooler. While eating I had finished up all the water in my water bottles, and found out that I should have changed the water in my reserve bottles because there were some interesting things floating in them.
Since it was still some distance to the next service that may or may not be there, I had to once again go knocking on the door of one of the few houses along the route. I was very happy that they allowed me use of their hose and I filled up on water and continued my ride.
A couple hours later as I had descended and was getting close to a legit town, a man in a work van stopped ahead of me and came out to greet me. It turns out he was also a cyclist and had done a bunch of tours and was a warmshowers host in Portland. He offered me more water and then a place to stay when I got to Portland if I need it. I love that there are people like this out there.
After a full day of fighting the wind, I made it to Bingen and went looking for the hostel, which was a re-purposed old elementary school. $19 got me a bunk there for the night. I took a much needed shower and then did some exploring around the place as it was just interesting, lockers still lined the hall walls and the gym was open for anyone who wanted to use it. Before I knew it, it was 10pm, lights out time in the bunk rooms, and I fell fast asleep, enjoying another night in a bed!
Start: West Roosevelt, WA
End: Bingen, WA
Distance: 69.52 miles
DAY 64 - BEWARE THE SPRINKLERS
I woke up early today and got to say good-bye to Chase before he left for work. Ari, who has been feeding me wonderful meals the past two days, made me breakfast before I rolled out. I hope next time I see them, it won't be as long as it has been!
I had to zig-zagged down several streets for about 7 miles to get to over to interstate 82, which I was mostly sure allowed bicycles (Most interstates in the west do) and rode its wide but littered-with-blown-tires shoulders. It wasn't bad riding, about 30 miles, and I had to climb over some hills to get back to the Columbia River.
I got off the interstate right before it crossed into Umatilla, Oregon, as I decided to take the "Washington Option" route which went along the Washington side of the river. It had lighter traffic than the Oregon side, but also less towns and services.
I rode a few miles along the river to a camping area right outside town where Johannes and Rebecca (the Irish couple) were spending a rest day. We had been keeping each other up to date on where we were via texts, so I stopped in to say hi but when I got there all I found was their tent and bikes. I texted them that I was looking at their tent as I took out my food and had a PB&J bagel for lunch.
A few minutes after I finished and was thinking of leaving them a note and get going, Rebecca showed up, she was recharging her phone at the bathrooms and skyping with relatives. We hung out and chatted for about an hour until Johannes came back from the library and he joined in, before I knew it I had already been there for 2 hours. They asked me if I wanted to just crash at the camp site and head out with them tomorrow, which sounded really tempting, but I had only gone about 40 miles today and some strange urge told me I should keep going.
I wished them well and joked about how we'd probably run in to each other again, and left to continue my ride. It may have been a bad decision, as now it was mid afternoon and pretty hot and about 10 miles later I got my 3rd flat tire of the trip! This time there was no place around for shade so I got to change it with the sun beating down on my back. I found a small steel wire poking through the tire, I have a feeling I picked it up on the interstate, with those retreat tire pieces all over the place.
After changing out the tire and pumping the frame pump like mad, I was on my way. After changing a flat I find I am very paranoid for the rest of the day, looking down at the tire every other mile making sure its not losing air! The last 10 miles of the ride, a headwind picked up, slowing me down decently, but I was already expecting it from the warnings of others, so I just put my head down and pedaled through.
At a little after 6pm I rolled into West Roosevelt, where there was free camping at the town park, which was popular with wind surfers, probably due to this headwind I was fighting. I stopped at the town's only minimart/restaurant and got a beef burrito to go as they were closing, and this thing was massive! The burrito itself was way too hot to eat, so I threw it in a pannier and headed down to the park.
Ahh, the park. I will always remember this park. I watched some wind surfers as I ate the burrito, and talked to a Mexican kid who was also staying there for a few days before he went up the road to pick cherries. The wind surfers were also staying at the park, in one of those old Volkswagen buses.
And the park had showers, another plus, but one of the windsurfers warned me - The sprinklers in the park go on at 10pm and have an insane range. There were about 2 dozen "diverters" next to the bathroom, pieces of PVC piping cut in half with stakes on each side, meant to be placed next to the sprinklers to block the spray.
I set my tent up on an edge of the park, and put up diverters on the two closest sprinklers. I even threw my tent's rainfly on just in case. I got into my tent and started to drift off to sleep... I awoke to sounds of water hitting my tent! I waited till a lull in the sound and got out, and saw three different sprinkers, all 50+ feet away, just arcing water distances I never thought those pop-out-of-the-ground sprinklers could. I had to race around and grab more diverters and set them up next to these long range sprinklers to protect my tent. I felt I was in a real life video game. Finally, I was able to dodge them all and set up the diverters, and still dry, I made my way back to my tent and finally fell asleep to the sounds of those insane sprinklers.
Start: Richland, WA
End: West Roosevelt, WA
Distance: 86.25 miles
I had to zig-zagged down several streets for about 7 miles to get to over to interstate 82, which I was mostly sure allowed bicycles (Most interstates in the west do) and rode its wide but littered-with-blown-tires shoulders. It wasn't bad riding, about 30 miles, and I had to climb over some hills to get back to the Columbia River.
I got off the interstate right before it crossed into Umatilla, Oregon, as I decided to take the "Washington Option" route which went along the Washington side of the river. It had lighter traffic than the Oregon side, but also less towns and services.
I rode a few miles along the river to a camping area right outside town where Johannes and Rebecca (the Irish couple) were spending a rest day. We had been keeping each other up to date on where we were via texts, so I stopped in to say hi but when I got there all I found was their tent and bikes. I texted them that I was looking at their tent as I took out my food and had a PB&J bagel for lunch.
A few minutes after I finished and was thinking of leaving them a note and get going, Rebecca showed up, she was recharging her phone at the bathrooms and skyping with relatives. We hung out and chatted for about an hour until Johannes came back from the library and he joined in, before I knew it I had already been there for 2 hours. They asked me if I wanted to just crash at the camp site and head out with them tomorrow, which sounded really tempting, but I had only gone about 40 miles today and some strange urge told me I should keep going.
I wished them well and joked about how we'd probably run in to each other again, and left to continue my ride. It may have been a bad decision, as now it was mid afternoon and pretty hot and about 10 miles later I got my 3rd flat tire of the trip! This time there was no place around for shade so I got to change it with the sun beating down on my back. I found a small steel wire poking through the tire, I have a feeling I picked it up on the interstate, with those retreat tire pieces all over the place.
After changing out the tire and pumping the frame pump like mad, I was on my way. After changing a flat I find I am very paranoid for the rest of the day, looking down at the tire every other mile making sure its not losing air! The last 10 miles of the ride, a headwind picked up, slowing me down decently, but I was already expecting it from the warnings of others, so I just put my head down and pedaled through.
At a little after 6pm I rolled into West Roosevelt, where there was free camping at the town park, which was popular with wind surfers, probably due to this headwind I was fighting. I stopped at the town's only minimart/restaurant and got a beef burrito to go as they were closing, and this thing was massive! The burrito itself was way too hot to eat, so I threw it in a pannier and headed down to the park.
Ahh, the park. I will always remember this park. I watched some wind surfers as I ate the burrito, and talked to a Mexican kid who was also staying there for a few days before he went up the road to pick cherries. The wind surfers were also staying at the park, in one of those old Volkswagen buses.
And the park had showers, another plus, but one of the windsurfers warned me - The sprinklers in the park go on at 10pm and have an insane range. There were about 2 dozen "diverters" next to the bathroom, pieces of PVC piping cut in half with stakes on each side, meant to be placed next to the sprinklers to block the spray.
I set my tent up on an edge of the park, and put up diverters on the two closest sprinklers. I even threw my tent's rainfly on just in case. I got into my tent and started to drift off to sleep... I awoke to sounds of water hitting my tent! I waited till a lull in the sound and got out, and saw three different sprinkers, all 50+ feet away, just arcing water distances I never thought those pop-out-of-the-ground sprinklers could. I had to race around and grab more diverters and set them up next to these long range sprinklers to protect my tent. I felt I was in a real life video game. Finally, I was able to dodge them all and set up the diverters, and still dry, I made my way back to my tent and finally fell asleep to the sounds of those insane sprinklers.
Start: Richland, WA
End: West Roosevelt, WA
Distance: 86.25 miles
Monday, August 13, 2012
DAY 63 - REST DAY AT THE HOWLANDS
I decided it would be a good day to sleep in and hang out with Chase and Ari some more! I also got the chance to finally upload all my photos to my Flickr account, so click on the link on the right side of this blog to see my pictures from the last 40 days or so.
Highlights of the day was helping Chase brew some beer, drinking more beer, and Chase locking his keys in his car at the supermarket. Tomorrow I ride again!
Highlights of the day was helping Chase brew some beer, drinking more beer, and Chase locking his keys in his car at the supermarket. Tomorrow I ride again!
DAY 62 - DETOUR TO RICHLAND
I awoke after a great night's sleep inside, especially after the previous night's. At about 7am I awoke and had breakfast with my hosts, Genie and Fred. Johannes woken up next and joined us, with Rebecca still asleep.
I thanked my hosts for all the wonderful food and headed out right about 8am. Two days ago I had talked to Ari, the wife of my good friend Chase, on facebook and found out that where they lived in Washington wasn't that far of the Lewis & Clark route. I decided to detour off route at Waitsburg onto Route 124 to Richland to see them.
I've been a little leery of venturing off route, but 124 wasn't that bad at all. It took me up into wheat field hills which was very cool, and I probably climbed 800 - 1,000ft. I think the cooler morning temperatures had energized me because by noon I had gone 55 miles and was on the outskirts of Kennewick. It took me another an hour and a half to make my way around the city, it always seems like urban areas slow me way down because I keep looking at my phone to make sure I'm going the right way or didn't pass a turn.
I arrived at Chase and Ari's house and had a great time hanging out with them and their kids. We had some beers, watched a movie, caught up on who was where and doing what, and before I knew it, it was getting late and I got a bed to sleep in!
Start: Dayton, WA
End: Richland, WA
Distance: 67.68 miles
I thanked my hosts for all the wonderful food and headed out right about 8am. Two days ago I had talked to Ari, the wife of my good friend Chase, on facebook and found out that where they lived in Washington wasn't that far of the Lewis & Clark route. I decided to detour off route at Waitsburg onto Route 124 to Richland to see them.
I've been a little leery of venturing off route, but 124 wasn't that bad at all. It took me up into wheat field hills which was very cool, and I probably climbed 800 - 1,000ft. I think the cooler morning temperatures had energized me because by noon I had gone 55 miles and was on the outskirts of Kennewick. It took me another an hour and a half to make my way around the city, it always seems like urban areas slow me way down because I keep looking at my phone to make sure I'm going the right way or didn't pass a turn.
I arrived at Chase and Ari's house and had a great time hanging out with them and their kids. We had some beers, watched a movie, caught up on who was where and doing what, and before I knew it, it was getting late and I got a bed to sleep in!
Start: Dayton, WA
End: Richland, WA
Distance: 67.68 miles
DAY 61 - OH NOES MY KICKSTAND
Waking up early is easy when you're camping off the side of the road! I got up a little after 6am and was quick to pack up and get moving even though I didn't get the best sleep last night thanks to repeated animal harassment.
Once I got all my panniers packed and on the bike I found out that my kickstand was broke. It clamped onto the back of my chainstay and seatstay, but cracked and could no longer hold up my bike. I had never used a kickstand on my bike until this trip but found myself using it almost every time I jumped off the bike, it was so nice not having to hunt for something to lean my bike against. Oh well, I'm close enough to the end of my trip where it's not a big deal, I removed it and threw it in a pannier to trash later.
Today's riding consisted of 2 hills with about 3,000ft of climbing between them. I started early enough that it was pretty cool out while I climbed the first hill, and stopped at a rather windy rest stop on the top to eat my left over Thai food, which was a pretty good motivator to get up the hill.
Down I went as I enjoyed the views of wheat fields being harvested on the rolling steep hills. I stopped to take several pictures as this was new to me, I was used to seeing flat wheat fields but nothing like these, trucks and farming equipment going up these steep hills to harvest.
The second hill wasn't as high as the first but because it was later in the day it was much hotter and that seemed to slow me down and made it feel like the hill was a lot longer than it probably was.
Once I got over the hill, it was downhill into Dayton. The Irish couple I met yesterday said they were staying with a warmshowers host in town and I had emailed them asking if they could fit in one more cyclist and they said sure. I rolled into Dayton at 3pm and decided to hit up the library in case the host didn't have a computer I could use. I spent 2 hours there updating my blog until the library closed and then left to find the host's house.
But a problem arose! They hadn't listed their address on warmshowers nor sent it to me in their email replay. I knew the host's name was Genie C, so I googled Genie & Dayton WA, which brought me to a cyclist's blog, where I found out her last name and husband's name. I put her husband's name in a white pages lookup website and found one result that lived in Dayton.... Probabily for success - More than I started with.
I rode over to the address and struck gold, it was her! Genie and Fred were awesome hosts, we chatted until about 7:30pm waiting for the Irish cyclists to show but they hadn't so we dug into a wonderful dinner that left me more than stuffed. As it was getting dark we saw two cyclists in the distance, it was Johannes and Rebecca!
They had to hit up a bike shop in Clarkston so they hadn't started until 1pm and rode straight through the hottest part of the day. Rebecca looked drained but after they both got showers and some food they perked up a bit. We all called it an night at about 9:30pm and I passed out on a futon, very happy to sleep indoors again!
Start: 8 miles past Clarkston, WA
End: Dayton, WA
Distance: 62.57 miles
Once I got all my panniers packed and on the bike I found out that my kickstand was broke. It clamped onto the back of my chainstay and seatstay, but cracked and could no longer hold up my bike. I had never used a kickstand on my bike until this trip but found myself using it almost every time I jumped off the bike, it was so nice not having to hunt for something to lean my bike against. Oh well, I'm close enough to the end of my trip where it's not a big deal, I removed it and threw it in a pannier to trash later.
Today's riding consisted of 2 hills with about 3,000ft of climbing between them. I started early enough that it was pretty cool out while I climbed the first hill, and stopped at a rather windy rest stop on the top to eat my left over Thai food, which was a pretty good motivator to get up the hill.
Down I went as I enjoyed the views of wheat fields being harvested on the rolling steep hills. I stopped to take several pictures as this was new to me, I was used to seeing flat wheat fields but nothing like these, trucks and farming equipment going up these steep hills to harvest.
The second hill wasn't as high as the first but because it was later in the day it was much hotter and that seemed to slow me down and made it feel like the hill was a lot longer than it probably was.
Once I got over the hill, it was downhill into Dayton. The Irish couple I met yesterday said they were staying with a warmshowers host in town and I had emailed them asking if they could fit in one more cyclist and they said sure. I rolled into Dayton at 3pm and decided to hit up the library in case the host didn't have a computer I could use. I spent 2 hours there updating my blog until the library closed and then left to find the host's house.
But a problem arose! They hadn't listed their address on warmshowers nor sent it to me in their email replay. I knew the host's name was Genie C, so I googled Genie & Dayton WA, which brought me to a cyclist's blog, where I found out her last name and husband's name. I put her husband's name in a white pages lookup website and found one result that lived in Dayton.... Probabily for success - More than I started with.
I rode over to the address and struck gold, it was her! Genie and Fred were awesome hosts, we chatted until about 7:30pm waiting for the Irish cyclists to show but they hadn't so we dug into a wonderful dinner that left me more than stuffed. As it was getting dark we saw two cyclists in the distance, it was Johannes and Rebecca!
They had to hit up a bike shop in Clarkston so they hadn't started until 1pm and rode straight through the hottest part of the day. Rebecca looked drained but after they both got showers and some food they perked up a bit. We all called it an night at about 9:30pm and I passed out on a futon, very happy to sleep indoors again!
Start: 8 miles past Clarkston, WA
End: Dayton, WA
Distance: 62.57 miles
Friday, August 10, 2012
DAY 60 - CHOICES
I awoke in the Kamiah park to sounds of construction equipment moving around on the other side of the fence. I ventured out of my tent to the same empty park, plugged my phone into an outlet in the pavilion, and packed up.
I had a choice of routes today, I could climb up a 2000ft hill and go the "ACA recommended" route, or continue to follow the river which was flat but the map warned "the Idaho dept of transportation, local cyclists, and the ACA do not recommend this route due to no shoulders, heavy truck traffic, and parts of the road are lined with concrete barriers."
Yup, I took the river route! How bad could it be? It turned out it wasn't that bad, some sections didn't have more than 6" of shoulder (rode that before) and there was some truck traffic but most were cool and moved over as they went by. There were concrete barriers lining my side of the road for several mile-long stretches, but they all had about 3ft of shoulder between the white line and the barrier so I just rode there and it wasn't that big of a deal.
I stopped at a rest area along the road about half way and ate a power bar. From behind me rode in Johannes & Rebecca, two Scottish cyclists that I met one of the nights in Missoula at the "cyclist frat house." They had tried to go the recommended route but got lost and climbed a big hill only to meet a dead end. They said the hell with it and went back down and followed the river route. We talked about possibly riding together but they had already made plans to stay with someone they met previously on the road in Lewiston, so I gave them my contact info and rode on, hoping to make it to a camping area about 8 miles past Clarkston.
I eventually made my way into Lewiston (Lewiston, ID & Clarkston, WA are right next to each other, just on different sides of the river) and went looking for some dinner. Using yelp I spotted a Thai restaurant and off I went. I ordered something close to Massaman curry and got a giant portion of curry and rice. I was lucky to eat half and took the rest for maybe tomorrow's breakfast.
The wind had picked up a bit and it was a little slow going along the bicycle path in Lewiston and across the bridge into Clarkston, but I made it to Washington! The last 8 miles seemed to drag on, probably due to the wind and it being late, but I trudged along.
When I got to the camping area it turned out to be a state park. I rode down to the little entrance office and looked at how to get a campsite and got sticker shock, $30 for a campsite!? I was only going to be there for less than 10 hours, that did not seem worth it. I rode over to the bathrooms and filled up my water bottles and went back out of the park.
On the way there I had been entertaining myself by looking for places to stealth camp along the road in case the park was full, so I backtracked about 100 yards to an area that sat below and outside a large right turn in the road. I went down to check it out and found an area behind some trees that seemed like a perfect spot.
As I set up I heard something rustling in the bushes directly behind me but didn't figure much of it, probably a small animal. I set up my tent without the rain fly and set my panniers up alongside it. I fell asleep pretty quickly but was awaken about 4-5 times that night as that animal in the bush turned out to be either a skunk or badger or something about that size, and it kept trying to get into the pannier with all my food. All it took was a quick yell on my part to send it bolting off, but eventually it would come back and this cycle repeated itself until about 5am. Oh well, I call it a tie, didn't have to pay $30 but didn't get the best sleep. Oh well!
Start: Kamiah, ID
End: 8 miles past Clarkston, WA
Distance: 82.79 miles
I had a choice of routes today, I could climb up a 2000ft hill and go the "ACA recommended" route, or continue to follow the river which was flat but the map warned "the Idaho dept of transportation, local cyclists, and the ACA do not recommend this route due to no shoulders, heavy truck traffic, and parts of the road are lined with concrete barriers."
Yup, I took the river route! How bad could it be? It turned out it wasn't that bad, some sections didn't have more than 6" of shoulder (rode that before) and there was some truck traffic but most were cool and moved over as they went by. There were concrete barriers lining my side of the road for several mile-long stretches, but they all had about 3ft of shoulder between the white line and the barrier so I just rode there and it wasn't that big of a deal.
I stopped at a rest area along the road about half way and ate a power bar. From behind me rode in Johannes & Rebecca, two Scottish cyclists that I met one of the nights in Missoula at the "cyclist frat house." They had tried to go the recommended route but got lost and climbed a big hill only to meet a dead end. They said the hell with it and went back down and followed the river route. We talked about possibly riding together but they had already made plans to stay with someone they met previously on the road in Lewiston, so I gave them my contact info and rode on, hoping to make it to a camping area about 8 miles past Clarkston.
I eventually made my way into Lewiston (Lewiston, ID & Clarkston, WA are right next to each other, just on different sides of the river) and went looking for some dinner. Using yelp I spotted a Thai restaurant and off I went. I ordered something close to Massaman curry and got a giant portion of curry and rice. I was lucky to eat half and took the rest for maybe tomorrow's breakfast.
The wind had picked up a bit and it was a little slow going along the bicycle path in Lewiston and across the bridge into Clarkston, but I made it to Washington! The last 8 miles seemed to drag on, probably due to the wind and it being late, but I trudged along.
When I got to the camping area it turned out to be a state park. I rode down to the little entrance office and looked at how to get a campsite and got sticker shock, $30 for a campsite!? I was only going to be there for less than 10 hours, that did not seem worth it. I rode over to the bathrooms and filled up my water bottles and went back out of the park.
On the way there I had been entertaining myself by looking for places to stealth camp along the road in case the park was full, so I backtracked about 100 yards to an area that sat below and outside a large right turn in the road. I went down to check it out and found an area behind some trees that seemed like a perfect spot.
As I set up I heard something rustling in the bushes directly behind me but didn't figure much of it, probably a small animal. I set up my tent without the rain fly and set my panniers up alongside it. I fell asleep pretty quickly but was awaken about 4-5 times that night as that animal in the bush turned out to be either a skunk or badger or something about that size, and it kept trying to get into the pannier with all my food. All it took was a quick yell on my part to send it bolting off, but eventually it would come back and this cycle repeated itself until about 5am. Oh well, I call it a tie, didn't have to pay $30 but didn't get the best sleep. Oh well!
Start: Kamiah, ID
End: 8 miles past Clarkston, WA
Distance: 82.79 miles
DAY 59 - SCENIC IDAHO
Reese woke up before I did and was already packed by the time I finally got out of my tent. We'd be heading in the same direction for the next 90 miles and were planning on riding together, so while I packed up he went into the restaurant and got coffee & breakfast. I ate a PB&J bagel from food I had and got packing.
We both got done at about the same time and were ready to ride. Today was a long day going slightly downhill, loosing about 2000ft over 90 miles. We continued on route 12, which was a very winding road, constantly going left and right following the river. But the views were so awesome, steep mountains covered in pine trees on both sides with a wide river (sometimes with rapids) in the middle. I didn't think Idaho would be this scenic!
We trucked at a good pace until about 45 miles in we stopped at a historic ranger station and had lunch with the food we had. The water was turned off due to contamination but the caretakers of the place were cool and let us fill our water bottles from their cooler. We hung out for a bit afterwards digesting and checked the place out.
Back on the road, we hammered out another 45 miles in good time, surrounded by the same great scenery. When we crossed into the Nez Perce indian reservation and arrived at Kooskia, it was time to split, Reese was heading south to continue the TransAm and I went north. I wished him a good ride and told him I'd text him when I got to the coast.
A short 8 mile solo ride and I was in Kamiah where I would be spending the night, free camping at the park. I needed dinner first so I went down the main strip, the town's casino seemed to be the main attraction, and settled on a pizza place. While waiting for my food an older guy struck up a conversation with me about my trip, like a lot of people have done, and then went back to his table to eat. I didn't think too much of it, but when I finished eating he came by again and sat down and dove into some crazy conspiracy theories on how 9/11 was planned by the same people who ordered JFK assassinated and it had something to do with the Doolittle raid on Japan and on and on. I was nice and listened and his conspiracy just went deeper and deeper.
Eventually I noticed that it was getting dark and excused myself. I need to remember that its going to get darker sooner as I just crossed another time zone. I rode back to the now dark park and was met with a sign that warned the park's sprinklers automatically turned on from 3am to 6am, so I went hunting for an area with yellow grass. I found a suitable location and tossed my tent down and jumped in. There was some sort of industrial company behind the park that looked like it ran all shifts as I saw a forklift go zooming past, but the noise wasn't going to bother me after such a long day's ride.
Start: Powell, ID
End: Kamiah, ID
Distance: 101.33 miles
We both got done at about the same time and were ready to ride. Today was a long day going slightly downhill, loosing about 2000ft over 90 miles. We continued on route 12, which was a very winding road, constantly going left and right following the river. But the views were so awesome, steep mountains covered in pine trees on both sides with a wide river (sometimes with rapids) in the middle. I didn't think Idaho would be this scenic!
We trucked at a good pace until about 45 miles in we stopped at a historic ranger station and had lunch with the food we had. The water was turned off due to contamination but the caretakers of the place were cool and let us fill our water bottles from their cooler. We hung out for a bit afterwards digesting and checked the place out.
Back on the road, we hammered out another 45 miles in good time, surrounded by the same great scenery. When we crossed into the Nez Perce indian reservation and arrived at Kooskia, it was time to split, Reese was heading south to continue the TransAm and I went north. I wished him a good ride and told him I'd text him when I got to the coast.
A short 8 mile solo ride and I was in Kamiah where I would be spending the night, free camping at the park. I needed dinner first so I went down the main strip, the town's casino seemed to be the main attraction, and settled on a pizza place. While waiting for my food an older guy struck up a conversation with me about my trip, like a lot of people have done, and then went back to his table to eat. I didn't think too much of it, but when I finished eating he came by again and sat down and dove into some crazy conspiracy theories on how 9/11 was planned by the same people who ordered JFK assassinated and it had something to do with the Doolittle raid on Japan and on and on. I was nice and listened and his conspiracy just went deeper and deeper.
Eventually I noticed that it was getting dark and excused myself. I need to remember that its going to get darker sooner as I just crossed another time zone. I rode back to the now dark park and was met with a sign that warned the park's sprinklers automatically turned on from 3am to 6am, so I went hunting for an area with yellow grass. I found a suitable location and tossed my tent down and jumped in. There was some sort of industrial company behind the park that looked like it ran all shifts as I saw a forklift go zooming past, but the noise wasn't going to bother me after such a long day's ride.
Start: Powell, ID
End: Kamiah, ID
Distance: 101.33 miles
Thursday, August 9, 2012
DAY 58 - IDAHO
I woke up again in the same place as the day before and it felt a little odd, I guess its been a while since I had a rest day! I was still a little undecided if I wanted to continue on the TransAm or venture off onto the Lewis & Clark, so after I packed up and ate some breakfast and talked to the guys still hanging out at the house, I ventured back to the ACA headquarters to look at their maps of the Lewis & Clark trail. I decided to pick them up and the guy who rung me out also said the Lewis & Clark route was more scenic than the TransAm, and that clinched it for me, I was going L&C.
I swung back to the house and couldn't find anyone, they must have all been off doing stuff. I knew Reese had to go to a sports exchange place that didn't open till 11:30am, so I rolled out figuring we'd meet along the way since the TransAm and L&C both follow the same route for the next 150 miles into Idaho.
I biked back down to Lolo and stopped into the post office to pick up the "care package" Lyman sent me. I was a little scared of what it contained, but I opened it and was greeted by: A snuggie, emergency whistle, bear bell, water bottle, spare tube, anti-chaffing rub, chocolate frosting, and cycling suppliments... At least there was no bowling ball or marble statue! What am I going to do with a snuggie??
I packed all my new things into my panniers and took off towards the 2,000ft climb of the day, Lolo Pass. It turned out to be a pretty easy climb as the elevation was spread out over many miles, and soon I found myself at the top and crossed into Idaho and pacific time! On the decent side, I was meet with a "Warning - curvy road next 99 miles" and thought that it would be a great road to take a motorcycle on.
Since I left Missoula later in the morning and now was getting later in the afternoon, I cycled another 23 miles where there were some forest access camping sites that looked like a good place to camp.
I turned into a camping area that I thought was the forest access but it turned out to be a decently fancy private campground with general store, resturant, and cabins. A guy sitting infront of the gas station said he was one of the owners and that cyclists could camp for free in the field behind the general store. It beat $10/night forest access with latrines, so I graciously accepted.
I was feeling hungry and didn't want to eat the can of chili I had with me so I headed over to the resturant which had wifi (I had no cell service since I entered Idaho) and got a burger and fries. When I finished up and headed back to the field, I found Reese there, he had also turned into the same place and took them up on their free camping offer. We hung out for a bit before it got dark (seemed early since we were now an hour back) and I threw up the tent and fell asleep.
Start: Missoula, MT
End: Powell, ID
Distance: 62.83 miles
I swung back to the house and couldn't find anyone, they must have all been off doing stuff. I knew Reese had to go to a sports exchange place that didn't open till 11:30am, so I rolled out figuring we'd meet along the way since the TransAm and L&C both follow the same route for the next 150 miles into Idaho.
I biked back down to Lolo and stopped into the post office to pick up the "care package" Lyman sent me. I was a little scared of what it contained, but I opened it and was greeted by: A snuggie, emergency whistle, bear bell, water bottle, spare tube, anti-chaffing rub, chocolate frosting, and cycling suppliments... At least there was no bowling ball or marble statue! What am I going to do with a snuggie??
I packed all my new things into my panniers and took off towards the 2,000ft climb of the day, Lolo Pass. It turned out to be a pretty easy climb as the elevation was spread out over many miles, and soon I found myself at the top and crossed into Idaho and pacific time! On the decent side, I was meet with a "Warning - curvy road next 99 miles" and thought that it would be a great road to take a motorcycle on.
Since I left Missoula later in the morning and now was getting later in the afternoon, I cycled another 23 miles where there were some forest access camping sites that looked like a good place to camp.
I turned into a camping area that I thought was the forest access but it turned out to be a decently fancy private campground with general store, resturant, and cabins. A guy sitting infront of the gas station said he was one of the owners and that cyclists could camp for free in the field behind the general store. It beat $10/night forest access with latrines, so I graciously accepted.
I was feeling hungry and didn't want to eat the can of chili I had with me so I headed over to the resturant which had wifi (I had no cell service since I entered Idaho) and got a burger and fries. When I finished up and headed back to the field, I found Reese there, he had also turned into the same place and took them up on their free camping offer. We hung out for a bit before it got dark (seemed early since we were now an hour back) and I threw up the tent and fell asleep.
Start: Missoula, MT
End: Powell, ID
Distance: 62.83 miles
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