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Sunday, June 30, 2013

Across America North - day 14 - Pocatello, ID --> Idaho Falls, ID

This should have been an easy day and I guess it was. It was easier than other days. It wasn't as easy as it looked possibly because of the cumulative effects of riding 990 miles in two weeks. We set off for Idaho Falls at about 7am and I arrived at about 1:30, long after most of the group. I stay too long at the SAG stop and stop too often.

Hundreds of miles of chip-seal road have been hard on my tires but especially hard on the rear one. With Teton Pass tomorrow, I was too worried about the rear tire to let it go any longer so I replaced it tonight. Whew.

Tomorrow we see a new state but only after about 60 miles. Then we get to climb Teton Pass. Practically everyone has been worried about this day. The two miles at the top of the pass are 10% and steeper. That's near the end of a 90-mile day. No wonder we're a little worried.


Saturday, June 29, 2013

Across America North - day 13 - Burley, ID --> Pocatello, ID

Today was a hot one. Towards the end, I was wishing for it to be over even more fervently than I did on that recent cold, wet day. Part of the route was a 9-mile stretch on the interstate highway. I noted as I turned on to it that it seemed smooth and clean but it turned out to be not clean enough for me. About two miles later, I had another flat tire. I'm batting 1000 for interstates so far. As I looked in vain for the cause of the flat, I noticed that the tire has taken a beating. About 25 minutes later, I was on my way again.

It was cool in the mnorning because the clouds shielded us. In the afternoon, however, we baked. On a long, 9-mile stretch next to a railroad track, we didn't see shade for uncounted miles. After 70 miles, it had been a long day.

I resolved to take the next possibility of shade to cool off a little. That turned out to be a house at the top of a steep hill. The driveway was dirt and rocks in the shape of a spiral staircase. As Ya Qi and I climbed it, I wondered if it was worth the trouble. At the top, there was some shade in a driveway. We parked our bikes against the garage door and sat down. A few minutes later, we heard a door close inside. Thinking that the garage door might open at any moment, I moved my bike. But out another door came the woman of the house. I said, "I hope you don't mind our sitting in your shade." She said no and we could use the hose lying beside us, too. She went back inside and we sat. A few minutes later, she came out with a bag of ice. We truly appreciated that and she went back inside. A few minutes later, she came out with a bag of grapes. They were very good. We filled out water bottles with ice and ate the grapes. I knocked on her door to thank her again and to tell her that we were leaving. There was no answer so we left. On our way past her house, Ya Qi saw her and we waved goodbye. One might think that this was lucky but I submit that it wasn't. It's notlucky because it happens often enough to be normal. It happens often enough to be normal because most people are pretty good.

Tomorrow is only 65 miles and the day after is 90 miles across the Wyoming border and over Teton Pass.



Friday, June 28, 2013

AAN day 12 - Twin Falls, ID --> Burley, ID

Today is the shortest day of the tour at 39 miles. However, with detours to Shoshone Falls and Twin Falls, it turned out to be 45 miles. That's still the shortest. The bonus miles had grades of 8% to 13% so they ought to have some extra credit.

Once again, we saw lots of farm land. Many farmhouses seemed to be tiny islands in a sea of green. I stopped quite a few times to take pictures of them but none of them seems good, at least on this little computer. Maybe if they were large prints... To allow that, I should make the resolution higher but there are disadvantages on the road.

If I were alone, I would take a day or two off but we roll on with a schedule to keep. The next rest day is in Casper, Wyoming, in about another week. I ride alone much of the time because I'm usually the only one who likes my (somewhat erratic) pace. I'm getting slower as we go so maybe I'll merge with the group behind me. It seems certain that I'll never catch the one ahead. As usual, the more uphill there is, the slower I get. The more downhill there is, the higher my relative standing. Maybe Minnesota and Michigan will be steadier and smoothe r for me.

We passed Woodstock Farm and Joni Mitchell's rendition of Woodstock came to mind but didn't persist long enough to be the song du jour.

The weather today was hot again with little to no wind and it's expected to continue tomorrow. The prediction is 91 degrees.



Thursday, June 27, 2013

Across America North - day 11 - Mountain Home, ID --> Twin Falls, ID

Today was a long one: 97 miles on a day whose high temperature was 97 degrees. The first half was through farm land with a great variety of crops being irrigated by a vast system of immense sprinklers. And cows. So many cows. We were passed by many huge, silver tank trucks carrying milk from those cows.

In the first half of the ride, the weather was nice and cool. I got on the wheel of two fast riders for a couple of miles and rode a good pace at about 21 mph. Then the pulling rider changed and the new leader pushed the pace to 23.5 mph while we were going up a 2.5% grade. I was dropped. As the hours passed in the second half, the temperature went up to the promised high of 97. I was not in trouble in the heat but was beyond glad to get to the hotel. A few others needed relief at the SAG vehicle. There but for grace...

The roughest part of today's ride was the endless chip-seal roads. I know that it's a financially appealing way to build a road and it resists the formation of sheets of ice. Still, it shortens the life of all tires, be they car, truck, or bike. Today's ride took a lot of miles off of our tires.

The song du jour, determined by forces beyond my conscious control, is Slip Slidin' Away by Paul Simon.

Slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin' away


After a dip in the cool pool and a longer soak in the warm jacuzzi, we went to dinner at the Golden Corral, a 10-minute walk from the hotel. It's a good place to go after a long day in the saddle. Then came the unexpected chance to use a washer and dryer in the hotel. With laundry done and after some time with this blog, it's beddie-bye time now.

Tomorrow's ride is to Burley, a mere 39 miles away (not counting side trips to a couple of waterfalls here at Twin Falls. The hot weather is expected to continue until we get some altitude at Jackson Hole, wyoming.

(The following data show only 83 miles because a spontaneous reset of my computer lost the first 14 miles.)


Wednesday, June 26, 2013

AAN day 10 - Boise, ID --> Mountain Home, ID

Across America North - day 10 - Boise, ID --> Mountain Home, ID

Today was a cool, sunny day in Idaho. We set off for Mountain Home, Idaho at about 8:00am, which is later than usual. Only a few rolling hills so it was an easy 54 miles. I spent the last 20 miles in a paceline being pulled by our locomotive, Brian. Our average speed was about 18-19 mph so it went by much faster than riding alone.

Another song runs through my head occasionally.  Dear Diary is from On the Threshold of a Dream by the Moody Blues.
 
Dear diary, what a day it's been.
Dear diary, it's been just like a dream.
Woke up too late. Wasn't where I should have been.
For goodness sake what's happening to me?
Write lightly, yours truly, dear diary.

Tomorrow night we'll be in Twin Falls. It's 97 miles away and the high tomorrow is 97 degrees. We'll get up for this at 4:30, have breakfast at 5:30, load the bags in the trailer at 6:30, and be on our way at about 6:45. When I'll arrive seems uncertain because I'm getting slower.

The first week of riding ended last Sunday with 550 miles logged. That's the most I've ridden since crossing Texas in 8 days back in 1980. As I remember it, the task is somewhat more difficult now. That comparison leads to Dylan Thomas: Do not go gentle into that good night / Rage, rage against dying of the light.


Tuesday, June 25, 2013

AAN day 09 - rest day in Boise, ID

Across America North - day 09 - rest day in Boise, ID

Today we stay in Boise, a nice, small town where I could spend more time. But the schedule rules and tomorrow, early at least, if not brightly, we will pedal onward. When I sit on a real chair, I think, "this chair is sooo soft!"

The weather channel has become our favorite TV and smartphones everywhere are tuned to weather apps. The reports say that we'll be beyond toasty crossing Idaho and Wyoming. I followed the crowd yesterday and bought something called "Sue's Ice Cold Necklace". The directions say to "Soak 10 min. in tap water. Tube expands and stays cool for hours... Keeps you cool while gardening, camping, hiking, fishing, rafting, jogging, exercising, square dancing." I don't know what's in it or how it's better than a rag but I'll find out soon.

My roommate, Gar, and I went for a walk around town this morning. First, we we went down the street and took a left across the Snake River. On the bridge was a sign warning of legal peril if caught jumping within 50 feet of a floater. I can only assume that this means that people float down the river on inner tubes and other inflated things. That's one of my good memories of Florida --- it was good to float down the Itchetucknee in the summer.

Across the river was the Anne Frank Memorial park with extensive displays of text. The park was about an acre and tended with great care. From there we walked to the capitol. Boise is about the right size for walking and it's green, too. We'll see more of it starting at 4:00pm when a few of us will take the trolley tour of the city. Maybe I'll write about that later tonight.

Monday, June 24, 2013

AAN day 08 - Ontario, OR --> Boise, ID

Across America North - day 08 - Ontario, OR --> Boise, ID

We crossed the border into Idaho today. Six days in Idaho will be followed by 5 riding days in Wyoming. Today was a short ride of only 63 miles mostly in rural Oregon and Idaho. Quiet, country roads with little traffic, cool temperatures, and only a few hills made this an easy, pleasant cruise. Racking up 580 miles in a week had a certain effect on the rider so he had to stay out of the saddle as much as he could the last 20 miles. Tomorrow is the end of the first leg of the trip and we have a day off. Just in time for me.

Riders can sign up for legs of the full trip across the country. Today is the end of the first leg and the beginning of the second so riders may come and go during the rest day. One half of a couple is going today and her husband will continue to the Atlantic coast. There are others who join the tour for this leg but we don't know who they are, yet.

Many others have been stopping for lunch but I don't even think of it. I usually have a banana, some gorp, and some cookies at the SAG stops, which are enough.



AAN day 07 - Ontario, OR --> Boise, ID

Across America North - day 07 - Baker City, OR --> Ontario, OR

Today was a pretty good cruise. One look at the elevation profile in the Garmin data will tell you that the first half was mostly downhill. There were a few hills in the second half and the last 15 miles were straight and flat. The last 15 miles were vast fields of corn (GMO corn according to one rider who seemed acquainted with the varieties) and another crop that I never identified. When we get to South Dakota, I wonder if my standard of reference for "vast" will be reset.

The day included about 10 miles on the interstate highway. It's one thing to cruise down the highway in a car that insulates you from the noise, the buffeting of the wind, and the destructive trash left on the road by separated tire tread. It's another to live with all those things on the interstate. When a tread separates from a tire, it spreads tiny wires on the road that are fatal to bicycle tires. I had a flat tire on the interstate, which I fixed as fast as I could and got out of there. We were using that road because it's the only way from here to there.

Tomorrow we will bag our first state line. That moment will definitely be a photo-op. We already crossed the time zone boundary into Mountain Daylight Time. That's 15 degrees of longitude so we've gone 1/24th of the way around the world. (Well, not quite because the Pacific coast probably isn't on a time zone boundary.)


Saturday, June 22, 2013

AAN day 06 - John Day, OR --> Baker City, OR

What a stark contrast with yesterday today was! Besides the scenery for which Oregon is well known, we passed through little towns that seemed like a good place to be. One of them, Prairie City, struck me as a cross between Disneyland's main street and a Prairie Home Companion set. If I were coming back to Oregon, I would try to come back to Prairie City for a longer look.

We were tired after yesterday and up at the usual 5:00 am to prepare to roll out of there at 7:00 am. The choice of clothes was more difficult because of yesterday when I was woefully underdressed for the surprising weather. It turned out to be a great day with a clear sky and stunningly beautiful views of the snow-capped mountains in the background with neat, well tended farms‌ in the foreground. There were so many perfect pictures and so many places where a photographer could set up for the day and look for the perfect light.

There were three big hills on the route. Each one had a good, smooth road and was great for a fast, smooth 6% descent through gentle, sweeping curves. The third hill was the steepest climb with grades of a sustained 8% and briefly becoming 9-10%. Even Colorado seldom has roads that steep. (The Pikes Peak road comes to mind but there are many places in Colorado that I haven't seen.)

A song runs through my head occasionally the last few days. I hear it with the full orchestration typical of the Moody Blues. The song is Out and In from the album, To Our Children's Children's Children. The only verse that I remember is this one.

Gazing past the planets Looking for total view I've been lying here for hours You gotta make the journey Out and in Out and in Out and in

Why this song bubbled to the surface, I have no idea. But I hear the music in my head and I like it.

The second SAG stop was in a perfect roadside park overlooking a lake. It's a birdwatching site where bald eagles and ospreys can be seen fishing. It was definitely a place to linger. I did that but Baker City was still 20 miles away and headed out. By then, I could smell the barn and treated the downhill ride to Baker city as a time trial. It was fun but I can feel it in my legs now.

Tomorrow, we ride 83 miles to Ontario, Oregon. The elevation profile of the route looks great --- it's practically all downhill.



Friday, June 21, 2013

AAN day 05 - Prineville, OR --> John Day, OR

Day 05 - Prineville, OR --> John Day, OR

Today had an early start. We had breakfast at 4:50am and rolled out of the parking lot at 5:50am. The beginning was easy enough until the rain started along with the climbing. The second hill started at 2-3% but the second half of that 8-mile uphill was 7-8%. Along with a cold rain, it was a long one. At the top of the second hill, about 5000 feet, the temperature was a brisk 35 degrees. The weather forecast said no rain and temperatures in the 50s so no one was dressed for this. There were some extra clothes in the truck and I was relieved to get a rain jacket, which made life bearable.

At mile 95 of 117, I was heading into the home stretch. It was raining and I was interested in getting out of it. Then I had a flat tire. Everything was wet and had a layer of gritty dirt on it. I had to use my water bottle to clean off the tire to find the damage. Replacing the ire with my spare was no good because it had a hole in it, too. Then the support vehicle went by and rescued me with another spare tube. On my way again, I spent another hour in the rain to get to the hotel.

During the day, I imagined the jacuzzi at the hotel and how good it would be. Well, the county inspected it two days ago and shut it down. Everything was wet and gritty from many hours on the road today so let's do some laundry. Nope. One of the two washers is broken so the competition is too high for the one that does work. Off to thelaundromat about a half-mile away.

I barely had enough time to do a load of laundry when it was time to walk back to the nightly meeting about the next day. That'll be to Baker, Oregon, 81 miles away with lots of climbing.

Dinner was ok a buffet of chicken and pasta. Then it was time to clean up my bike from the day's abuse. Wake-up time is 5:00am again.

Even with the difficulties today, Oregon is still a luxuriously green state with so many picture-postcard views.


Thursday, June 20, 2013

Day 04 - Ka-Nee-Ta, OR --> Prineville, OR

Day 04 - Ka-Nee-Ta, OR -> Prineville, OR

Rain was predicted yesterday with much certainty but only several drops fell on me. Now it seems that the probability of rain for the next couple of days is negligible.

The hills are big and long, although not as big and long as Colorado's. Grades of 5% are common, occasionally becoming 8%. We're tired enough to find tomorrow's ride a cause of concern. Tomorrow we go to John Day, a ride of 116 miles and 5000 feet of climbing over two big hills. Tomorrow starts at 4am with breakfast at 5am and hitting the road at 6am. Everyone has to be finished by 6pm or ride in the SAG van.

It's 8:30 now and time to go to bed.



Wednesday, June 19, 2013

 Day 03 - Welches, OR --> Ka-Nee-Ta, OR

The ride began with a downhill cruise to a restaurant which had a buffet set up on the bar. It was good food but I tried to eat less because we had a long hill to ride starting right there. The hill was an average of 4% for 15 miles with many more hills to follow. Today's total was over 66 miles with 5600 feet of climbing. After the previous two days, that was a little daunting but it turned out ok and here we are, ready for another day of climbing tomorrow.

Everyone seems to be settling into the daily routine of taking care of things. It's definitely a significant project management exercise. During the day, we, the tourists, enjoy the scenery and consolidate in our minds and our muscles the memories of sights seen and efforts made.

The more climbing there is, the slower I become. That continues without exception. I think that I'll have easier days when we get to Minnesota. When I'm climbing and when I'm not, every time I get on my new bike I think, "Ahh, nice bike". I'm lucky to have it and lucky to get to ride it here. I also frequently think that I'm lucky that I have a wife whose forbearance made this possible.

The next few days will be difficult. An especially long one is coming up soon.


Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Day 02 - St. Helens, OR to Welches, OR 

The weather report was full of ominous warnings about rain, showers, thunderstorms, and a thesaurus full of ways to say the same thing. I think that I felt 2 or 3 drops and am not sure about that. Otherwise, a cool, dry day in Oregon. So I didn't make any use of the rain and cold weather clothing in my light, nylon backpack. It appears that I'll be wearing those clothes when we start tomorrow.

I didn't take a camera today. I know that my phone has a camera but it's just too hard to see outside. I just guess and shoot in the general direction. Maybe I'll post those pictures later but now it's too late.

The first half was an easy cruise mostly along the Columbia River. After that, the 3000 feet of climbing began in earnest. Yesterday was over 3000, today was over 3000, and tomorrow will be over 5000. Given yesterday's effort, I thought that today would be much harder than it was.

Tomorrow begins early with loading the luggage at 6:15. Time to tend to that.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Day 01 - Astoria, OR to St. Helens, OR

There was not a drop of rain today as we pedaled 69 miles on Route 30 with no turns. Arrived at the hotel at 1:00 and checked in. By that time, the luggage truck had been unloaded and I took my bags to the room. How's that for efficiency? The day was cool and the terrain was hilly. We see good reason to believe that 25% of the climbing on this trip is in Oregon. Tomorrow is 75 miles more of the same at the base of Mt. Hood.



Sunday, June 16, 2013

Across America North - day 00

The trip to Astoria started at 5:30 Wednesday morning to the train station for an 8:05 train. All went well despite a construction project at the train station that had the ticket desk and waiting room moved a block away and across the street. The train left the station on time. So far, so good.

The trip to Sacramento went as expected. After all, a train schedule is synonymous with running on time. On time in this case meant a 10-hour layover in Sacramento. At hour 8, however, there was trouble. A freight train on the Oregon border had derailed, blocking north-south train traffic. Amtrak had decided to ferry the passengers by bus around the blocked track. Amtrak told us that we would still be there on time because going by bus in that area was faster than the train. Ok, that's not a show-stopping problem.

Apparently, someone at Amtrak found a way to route a train around the derailment. It involved a freight line that hadn't seen passenger traffic since 1912. It also went through hundreds of miles of northern California that was practically untouched by development. Ok, this could be worse.

Along the way was some rolling stock on the track that had to be moved. The crew used a convenient sidetrack for that and we were on our way an hour later. I thought that the terrain was surprisingly rough for a train. Building this line must have been a stupendous amount of work. This means that the average speed was often 10-20 mph --- it took a long time. It took such a long time that the crew was pushing an apparently iron-clad, rock- solid, inviolable rule: No crew can work more than a 12-hour shift. When the clock said 12 hours, the train stopped and we waited for a new crew to arrive. But, out in the middle of nowhere, that took some time. So, near one of the very few towns, we waited for 4.5 hours until the crew arrived by train.

There were numerous other waits but I've forgotten where and how long now. Maybe I could have taken notes but I didn't and the details are lost forever now. The delay was becoming long enough to be a problem. The train ran out of water. Most of the toilets didn't work anymore. There was talk of supplies running low for some babies and drugs running low for some people. A new conductor came on with the new shift and he must have been compelled to walk down the train of irate passengers inviting questions. I can only imagine the heat that he must have taken.

Eventually, we arrived in Portland. A couple of hours before, Amtrak had decided to cancel the train and put all of the passengers heading north onto buses.

My bus left on time and arrived on time. That was the turning of the tide. After checking into the hotel, I got my bike, took it to my room, and set about assembling it. The headset was not as I expected so I took it to the ABB mechanic who simply pushed harder than I did to make everything fit as it should. All's well now.

Today we went to the beach at Fort Stevens State Park. It was an easy ride of 15 miles. There we dipped a rear wheel into the ocean, took a few pictures, and rode back to the hotel.

On the way back, about two miles from the hotel, I heard a ka-boom and suddenly I was riding on my rear rim. Uh, oh. It sounded like a blow-out and it was. While waiting for the glue to dry to patch the tire, I ate a Clif bar. The wrapper was going to reinforce the damaged sidewall. I pumped the tire up to about 50 pounds and rode the last couple of miles. After getting a second opinion about the tire, the mechanic kindly took my spare tire and mounted it. Now I have a mismatched set of tires: one blackwall and one whitewall. But it's good now.

We had a long orientation meeting and went to dinner. Tomorrow starts early at 5:00.

 

https://picasaweb.google.com/105028088691793142510/June162013?authuser=0&feat=directlink


Thursday, June 6, 2013

Sending my bike to Oregon

To ship my bike to Oregon in June, I bought a BikND travel case back in January.  Tuesday afternoon, I bought a FedEx shipping label from ShipBikes.com.  I called ShipBikes to ask something about the label and heard that my case is unacceptable to FedEx because the straps, buckles, wheels, and handle may be torn off by FedEx's sorting machinery.  All this was happening very close to the time at which I have to ship the bike in order to be reasonably certain that it will arrive by Saturday, June 15.

The guy at ShipBikes seemed to me to be the voice of experience so I believed him and started working on other arrangements.  One idea was to find a bike box big enough to hold the bike + case.  I left a message at BikND's Facebook page, too, and saw a reply very soon.  BikND doesn't know of any problems with FedEx.  With these contradictory assertions in mind, I packed the bike in the case and took it to FedEx on Wednesday to hear the verdict from the source and expecting the worst.

Going down the hall and out the door.
After hours of worrying about this, I heard in about 30 seconds that for a trivial $8 more, this package could be flagged as "unpackaged" so that it will never run the gauntlet of the sorting machinery.  No problem.  Much anxiety for nothing.  FedEx says that my bike will be at the hotel in Astoria on Monday, June 10, four days before I arrive.

Committed to the tender mercies of FedEx and Ross
It's remarkably easy to put a bike in the BikND case.  Remove pedals, wheels, rear derailleur, stem + handlebar, seat + seatpost.  Secure the fork and bottom bracket.  Install rear dropout protector, chainstay and chainring cover, fork covers, stem cover.  Install hub protectors while packing wheels.  Zip it up halfway, stow the parts, pump up the air bladders, finish zipping.  Buckle the straps.  Ship it.

All that's left now is to find it in Oregon as I shipped it west and to put it back together.  Then I can ride off into the sunrise and ship it west again in New Hampshire.

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Today required quite a bit of climbing. The more I climb, the slower I get. It was a hard day.