Month: June 2017

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Start: Welches, Oregon
End: Kah-Nee-Ta, Oregon
Mileage today/cumulative: 65.5/235
Elevation Ascended: 5,150
Weather: Cool and overcast, 50° at start; sunny, 83° at finish
3D Video – click for a brief flyover view of today’s ride (note that a small section of today’s video goes black – maybe aliens crash landed there?)

ABB Ride Journal (the staff blog daily and include photos of riders)

Day three took us from the cool coastal climate of western Oregon to the hot and dry eastern side. We successfully climbed over the Cascade mountain range, circling Mt. Hood and descending into the high desert. Our initial 13 mile climb up US 26 was nice and steady with no difficulty but we were glad for our SAG (Support And Gear) stop at the Government Camp summit. A quick potty stop, chow down a bunch of Oreo cookies, refill water bottles, and we were off to ride a long, screaming descent that was eye-popping gorgeous. The descent was long with a smooth, wide shoulder for about half of it. This included a stretch where there was no traffic and the only sound was our wheels flying down the highway. We eventually hit a  stretch of newly paved roadway but, unfortunately, the Oregon Department of Transportation chose not to repave the shoulder we would normally ride in, so it was pretty chewed up and full of crushed red volcanic rock. We were all happy when we turned off the highway and headed through the desert to Kah-Nee-Ta.

Mt. Hood was the star attraction today but we also got crystal clear views of the entire back side of the Cascades, including Mt. Jefferson, Three Finger Jack, and the Three Sisters. It is rare to see the entire range completely unobstructed and we kept pinching ourselves.

No major issues with our bikes but this is the first day we finished with tired legs. We still have a lot of climbing before we eventually drop down into Boise next Monday, so it’s time to get used to riding on tired legs. Also, the average daily mileage for the entire trip is 81+ and we’ve been below that in each of the first three days. That means a sufferfest is coming. Time to fuel up and get ready!

 

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Start: St. Helens, Oregon
End: Welches, Oregon

Mileage today/cumulative: 74.7/169.5
Elevation Ascended: 3,058
Weather: Partly cloudy, 59° at start; sunny, 73° at finish
3D Video (click for a brief flyover view of today’s ride)

Day Two was one of those days that Oregonians wait ten months each year for – sunshine and perfect temperatures for any outdoor activity. Riding conditions were ideal and we are grateful for this nice start to the trip. It was also a “flat free” day and we are equally grateful for those.

Today’s route took us out of the timberland, through the outskirts of Portland,  ending just outside the entrance to Mt. Hood National Forest. Today’s ride was backloaded with all of the climbing in the last 30 miles. Nothing difficult – just a couple of steady extended climbs and a lot of rollers that reminded us of so many roads in Tennessee. As we crossed the St. John’s Bridge, over the Williamette River, we could see downtown Portland in the distance. A bit further along, we rode many miles on a dedicated bike path with a portion of it running parallel to the Portland International Airport runways (you can see the airport on the 3D video). Planes landed and took off directly above us as we rolled along!

As we left the Portland sprawl, we finally got our first view of Mt. Hood in the distance at mile 56, where there was a nice overlook for photos. We continued through the town of Sandy, which bills itself as “The Gateway to Mt. Hood”. Once we got through Sandy, it was a nice steady climb on US 26 before a beautiful, straight descent on a wide, smooth shoulder. Mt. Hood kept making cameo appearances and she should be the main attraction tomorrow, as I believe we circle around to the back side and also get our first look at Mt. Jefferson and other peaks in the Cascade Mountain Range. Tomorrow will be our first challenging day with a steady 13 mile climb right out the gate before dropping down into the Oregon high desert.

Monday, June 19, 2017

Start: Astoria, Oregon
End: St. Helens, Oregon
Mileage today/cumulative: 68.3/94.8
Elevation Ascended: 3,388
Weather: Marine layer, 56° at start; sunny, 83° at finish
3D Video (click for a brief flyover view of today’s ride)

Today they said “Go East, Old People!” and so we did.  We said goodbye to the Oregon coast and headed toward New Hampshire. This was a day of firsts for us – the first official day of riding, our first “morning routine”, and our first flat tire.

Today’s  route was very straightforward – turn left out of the hotel in Astoria, ride 68 miles on US 30, turn right into the destination hotel. Even I couldn’t get lost today and some of my Tennessee cycling friends will appreciate the humor in that.  Be sure to check out the 3D video of our route each day. It takes about a 60-90 seconds and gives you a flyover view of where we rode. The link is always in the stats section above. Note that the elevation total on the video will vary from the official ABB numbers and we consider the ride organizers’ stats to be the final word.

The road was in generally good condition with a decent shoulder.  The only potential hazard was logging trucks zooming by and the debris that lands in the shoulder (tree bark, etc). The thrill of descending a 7% grade on two wheels at 30 mph and catching the draft of a logging truck will send your heart racing and make you yell woohoo! The scenery quickly changed from coastal grasses to tall timberlands  and the sun felt wonderful when it broke through around mile 15. Another highlight of the day was a full view of Mt. St. Helens as we descended to our second rest stop at mile 47. It was spectacular, even with a huge portion of its top blown off! We weren’t able to safely pull over to get a photo but one of our new friends was able to get one and was kind enough to share it with us.

As for Team Pea, our only hiccup was a flat tire at mile 40. Bev caught some debris that cut the sidewall on her front tire. We tried the old trick of “booting” the tire with a dollar bill (to temporarily patch the small cut in the tire) and putting in a new tube but it didn’t hold and we had to call the ABB maintenance van for a new tire. The logistical and mechanical support from ABB has been remarkable so far. Jim, the head mechanic was so happy to replace Bev’s tire because he was getting a little bored!

There are a few riders from Alabama on this trip and they like us mostly because we understand them when they speak. One of them is 69-year old Clarence, who has three sisters, two who are still alive and one, the oldest, who passed away last year. Here’s the odd thing – his two surviving sisters live in our hometown of Farragut, Tennessee and as he described where each of them live, we knew the exact streets. As if the odds of that weren’t long enough, the recently deceased sister, Margaret, also lived in Farragut and the family dedicated a bench in her name on a greenway that we’ve run on. We know the exact location of Margaret’s bench. Clarence gently asked us to  “have a sit down on her bench and enjoy a moment of peace” when we get back home. We promised to honor his request and send him a photo of us enjoying that special bench. It really is a very small world.

And in case any of you are wondering, the massive consumption of food has begun. More on that in a later post but today’s intake included oatmeal, bagel, cheese omelette, three pancakes, too many Oreo cookies and fig newtons to count, a cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate milkshake. And that’s just me. And dinner isn’t for another hour.  (Update: dinner was lasagna, pizza, breadsticks, salad, and lemon bars.  I may need to dial it back a bit….)

Not many photos today due to lack of safe turnouts and rolling through logging country. Tomorrow we head to Welches, Oregon and are hoping for more clear skies and great views of Mt. Hood!

 

 

Sunday, June 18, 2017

Start: Astoria, Oregon
End: Astoria, Oregon
Mileage: 26.5
Elevation Ascended: 617′
Weather: Light rain to start; mid-50s
3D Video (click for a brief flyover view of today’s ride)

After years of dreaming and months of planning, we have finally begun this adventure. When we woke up yesterday, after spending two days exploring Portland, Oregon, I rolled over, tapped Bev on the shoulder, and said “hey, I hear there’s a small organized bike ride over on the coast and we can register for it today – wanna go?” We had a good laugh and headed to Astoria, where we would be reunited with our bikes and receive our official Across America North ride registration packets.

There are 39 of us riding all of the way to Portsmouth NH and a handful of other riders going as far as Boise or Casper. One of the things we love about group tours is meeting people of like interests from all over the world. One of our riders is from Bath, England. His name is Chris and he is blind. Chris will pedal across America on a tandem bike, behind his guide, who will navigate, steer, and shift gears while describing the scenery for Chris. His guide, who is also British, is masterful at describing anything, including today’s breakfast items at our Holiday Inn. After listing, in a matter of fact manner, nearly everything available, he said “there are biscuits and there’s something really thick with chunks of something in it that you pour over the biscuits.” The description was spot on and the delivery was perfect. It’s going to be a fun 50 days!

Today we rode very casually from our hotel on the Columbia River, to the Pacific Ocean, where we ceremoniously dipped our wheels. This marked the unofficial start of our trek and gave us a chance to slowly stretch out our legs and check our bikes before we head eastward tomorrow!

We’ve concluded (for now) that the hardest part of this cross-country bike ride is just getting our bikes and our butts to the start. This week, the bikes began their journey.

Shannon, our mechanic and owner of Smokey’s Mobile Bike Repair, made the last adjustments to our bikes and wished us well.  Shannon’s grown a few gray hairs getting our bikes ready for this trip and we’re grateful for his skills and endless patience.

We packed the bikes, opting for a system that requires building a custom box and involves a minimal amount of bike disassembly, but because my spacial relations skills are just above toddler level, assembling anything that requires folding or inserting pieces tends to scramble my brain. Fortunately, Bev is super smart and can construct complex objects with the least helpful instructions. In the end, Team Pea got the bikes secured in the fancy boxes and we’ll be experts when we have to do it all over again in New Hampshire.

FedEx picked up them up the next day and off they went to the Oregon coast. This was a lot like sending your children off to summer camp for the first time. You hope that they don’t get lost and that nobody beats them up. The FedEx guy promised me that they would take good care of the kids.

Bon voyage, bikes. Butts next.