Category: Cycling

Friday, June 23, 2017

Start: Prineville, Oregon
End: John Day, Oregon
Mileage today/cumulative: 117/411.5
Elevation Ascended: 5,108′
Weather: Sunny, 46° at start; sunny, 80° at finish
3D Video – click for a brief flyover view of today’s ride

Four years ago today Bev and I hosted a trail run with about 75 of our good friends and at the end of it she clipped a veil to her cap and ran down the aisle to our “wedding party” playing “Here Comes The Bride” on kazoos. It was the perfect beginning to our life together and every day since then has been better than the last just because we’ve been lucky enough to spend it together.  My heart still beats faster whether we’re holding hands or I’m riding alongside her on a bicycle. Each day with Bev is the best day of my life. Today was no exception.

After our first four days of below average mileage, we made up for it today. Riding 117 miles with over 5,000′ of climbing required us to be efficient with our time and limit our photo-ops. The route took us into the Ochoco National Forest, through the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, and into cattle and farmland. We rode the entire day with our new friend, Kim Brooks, who is a very strong cyclist and an all around good guy.

Tomorrow is another tough day with a lot of climbing on tired legs. Everyone is looking forward to the rest day in Boise on Tuesday but we still have many miles to ride before then.

 

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.

We booked our cross country bike trip with America By Bicycle, so all the logistics were handled by the company.  We just had to show up with our bicycles, a willingness to ride many miles, and a positive attitude.  Our group has over 45 riders, with many of us signed on to complete the entire coast to coast route.  We are supported by six very hard working ABB staff members, all of whom are passionate about cycling and providing us with an awesome experience.

Our day begins with breakfast and the time varies with the distance of that day’s ride.  For example, tomorrow’s 115 mile ride means breakfast will be at 5:30am.  Breakfast is usually at the hotel, but sometimes at a nearby restaurant.  (The cost of breakfast, as well as dinner and all food at the rest stops, is included in the cost of the trip.)   Breakfast is followed by “loading”,  a time period during which we are required to hand our luggage to a staff member to put in the trailer for transport to the next hotel.  We are each allowed two pieces of luggage, with a total weight of no more than 50 pounds.  Considering we have to lug it to/from our rooms every day, often while wearing bike shoes, Greg and I are happy we are far under the weight limit.

Once we watch our luggage go in the trailer and sign off on the rider sheet, we leave on our ride.  ABB staff will eventually head out on to the course, three on bicycles and one of the remaining three in each of the vehicles (two vans with trailers and one mechanics van).  Depending on the length of the ride, ABB staff will set up one or more rest stops to provide us with food, water, sunscreen, and extra clothing drop-off or pickup.  The mechanics van will sometimes be at the rest stop, but generally remains mobile to help anyone in need.  Every rider has to sign in at each rest stop.

Following the provided route sheet (old school paper or a digital file for GPS devices, such as Garmin or I-Phones), we ride and ride and ride until we reach the next hotel.  (Ride distance varies by the day but on average, we will ride just over 80 miles a day.  We ride for 9 days in a row and then have one rest day.)  The trick is to not arrive at the hotel too early because the ABB trailer with the luggage generally does not arrive until around 2 to 3 pm.  Also, most hotels don’t have our rooms available until that time.  It makes no sense to zoom through the ride, only to sit and wait at the hotel in sweaty bike clothes.  Each rider must sign in at the hotel and every rider must be done riding before dark.

Late afternoon and evening are busy.  We attend “Rap” so staff members can talk about that day’s ride, provide us with the route sheet and any information  about the following day’s ride, and address any other business.  We also have “Mechanics Hour”, during which we can have the mechanics assist us with any bike issues.  We are also expected to clean and inspect our bikes.  Dinner, which is either catered by the hotel or provided at a local restaurant, is a must, as we are usually all starving by 6pm.  We also have to fit in laundry, errands, contacting family or friends, updating social media, writing blog posts, and so on before we climb into bed, thoroughly exhausted, only to get up early and do it all over again.

We are having the time of our lives!

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.