Author: Greg

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Start: Kah-Nee-Ta, Oregon
End: Prineville , Oregon
Mileage today/cumulative: 59.5/294.5
Elevation Ascended: 3,457
Weather: Sunny, 59° at start; sunny, 75° at finish
3D Video – click for a brief flyover view of today’s ride

After riding through the Cascade range yesterday, today was an “active recovery” day, which just meant a few less miles and gentler climbing. The scenery included more views of the Cascades and beautiful gorges on the high desert. We passed through the Crooked River National Grasslands and beautiful farmland. Roads were good  and conditions couldn’t have been more ideal. We even had a nice tailwind for the last 20 miles or so.

My bike had a minor mechanical issue this morning that required some fussing with the front and rear derailleurs. It took the ABB mechanic some time to sort it out and get me back on the road, putting us far behind schedule for our goal of reaching Prineville and getting to the laundromat before a throng of riders descended upon it. We couldn’t push ourselves hard to make up for the lost time because tomorrow’s ride is very long and we needed to take it easy. So, we shrugged it off and rolled along at a good recovery pace. As it turned out, the delay gave us two highlights of the trip.

As we rolled down a country road on the outskirts of Madras, Oregon, we spotted an enormous bull between the road and a fence. Being city folk, we assessed the situation and determined that the bull shouldn’t be on OUR side of the fence. The bull appeared completely unconcerned about our presence, so we did what any non-farmers would do if they saw a beast who could crush them like an ant, standing on the wrong side of the fence but with a perfect view of Mt. Hood in the background. We pulled out our iPhones and snapped photos.

The bull didn’t charge at us and, in fact, he never moved an inch. We hopped back on our bicycles and went looking to tell someone that a gigantic bull was loose. We quickly came upon a farm house down the next road, where we found John and Judy Brown, who we flagged down in front of their farm. We know their names because although our intention was to simply let them know about the bull, it turns out that Mr. Brown is a storyteller. Although we were over a half-mile from the bull and on a completely different road, they both knew exactly what animal we were talking about, saying “oh yeah – that’s the Peterson bull.” Mr. Brown also commented that the bull doesn’t miss any meals. The Browns are retired farmers who own 80 acres with an unobstructed view of the Cascades and, because they’re retired, they “only” grow hay. Before retirement, they farmed garlic, peppermint, wheat, hay, and cattle. Mr. Brown said that they farmed everything you’d see on your dinner plate when you went out on Saturday night (the peppermint was in your after-dinner mint or toothpaste). They asked where we’re from and it turns out that Mrs. Brown has a brother in Knoxville who lives in Strawberry Plains, one of our favorite places to cycle. The world keeps getting smaller. They were kind enough to pose for a photo and wished us well before we rode on. As for the bull, they believed he was inside of a hot wire that runs close to the road. Mr. Brown was unable to confirm this after looking at the photo Bev took and didn’t openly  pass judgment on us city slickers taking snapshots of farm animals.

A few miles later we reached the town of Madras and stopped at their Chamber of Commerce to ask if we could use their restroom. I watched our bikes while Bev went inside to inquire. While she was gone (which was a very long time because when she came out of the restroom, Joe, the President of the Madras Chamber of Commerce, had a bunch of questions for her about our bike ride), a woman approached me and asked “are you one of those people riding to New Hampshire?”  When I told her yes, I am, she replied “I heard about you on the radio!”  She knew that we had started in Astoria and would be coming through their little town. This also explained why, as we drove down the  main boulevard, a number of people gave us a friendly honk and waved. It seems that we were big news in Madras, Oregon.

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!