I lay in bed this morning gazing out the window. The bright sun shining down on the leaves across the yard bring thoughts of missfortune. I slowly move my leg back and forth as I experience a dull pain on the medial side of my right calve. Cycling did not seem wise but the thought of putting off my departure for one more day made my stomach tie into a knot. Shortly thereafter my mother called wondering how my knee was doing. After explaining the situation to her she reaffirmed that she did not think it wise to continue to strain it for fear of permanent damage. The ever-wise lady suggested that I stay in Tigard and get some therapy performed on it while I still had a comfortable place to stay.
Taking her advice I began researching my options for Therapy. Since PTs and OTs generally don't work on Saturdays, I opted for a deep tissue massage and boy was it deep! I was in some major pain during the massage and it is very tender post-massage! I have high hopes that it progressively feels better all the way up to tomorrow morning. In the mean time I must go and ice my wounds to promote a speedy recovery!
Happy Halloween!
I am very eager to get back on the road. I have many days of great riding ahead of me once I get to the coast! The weather forecast looks like mostly cloudy for the next 3 days and no rain in sight! Can't ask for much better riding conditions this time of year in the coastal northwest!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Day 60 - Friday October 30th
Vancouver, WA to Tigard, OR
27.11 miles
2:24.23 hrs
35.8 max
11.2 avg
Yesterday evening I found out that I was missing my camera. I spent all of this morning looking for it. I went through all my stuff with no luck; I was devastated. I lost not only a very nice camera but all the photographs from Mount Vernon, WA to Portland, OR. Since I feel that it is necessary to document the trip, I ended up purchasing another camera, spending way more than I probably should have. I just didn't see any sense in buying a camera that I would never want to use again after the trip, so I opted for a pretty nice camera that I do not like the aesthetics and usability of. If I had the time, I would have purchased the exact camera that I wanted online but being on the road does not allow for such novelty.
As you can imagine, this happening put a damper on my day. The camera incident, paired with the overcast day, my medial leg pain coming back and leaving the comfort of the Donnelly household, made my departure from Vancouver, WA difficult and gloomy. Not to mention I did not get to say a proper goodbye to many of the people here in the Portland area because of our scheduling differences.
On a positive note: I am staying at my friend Jenny's house (a friend from camp Avanti!) and I had the opportunity to meet her lovely family and put her eldest child to bed!
Hopefully tomorrow will bring a better day. Less depressing would be nice!
27.11 miles
2:24.23 hrs
35.8 max
11.2 avg
Yesterday evening I found out that I was missing my camera. I spent all of this morning looking for it. I went through all my stuff with no luck; I was devastated. I lost not only a very nice camera but all the photographs from Mount Vernon, WA to Portland, OR. Since I feel that it is necessary to document the trip, I ended up purchasing another camera, spending way more than I probably should have. I just didn't see any sense in buying a camera that I would never want to use again after the trip, so I opted for a pretty nice camera that I do not like the aesthetics and usability of. If I had the time, I would have purchased the exact camera that I wanted online but being on the road does not allow for such novelty.
As you can imagine, this happening put a damper on my day. The camera incident, paired with the overcast day, my medial leg pain coming back and leaving the comfort of the Donnelly household, made my departure from Vancouver, WA difficult and gloomy. Not to mention I did not get to say a proper goodbye to many of the people here in the Portland area because of our scheduling differences.
On a positive note: I am staying at my friend Jenny's house (a friend from camp Avanti!) and I had the opportunity to meet her lovely family and put her eldest child to bed!
Hopefully tomorrow will bring a better day. Less depressing would be nice!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Thursday October 29th
I woke up this morning all ready to hit the road. Ok, that's a lie. I woke up and had a lot to do so that I could hit the road. After I got everything packed up and ready to go I took the bike out for a spin to test out my leg. The leg felt pretty good for the extent of the 1-2 miles with no noticeable pains. The only pain was the ice cold rain falling on my face and numbing my legs.
After checking the weather for the next few days I decided to stay in Portland for one more day. I am eager to get on my way with the trip but I would really like to leave Portland on a good note during a 'nice' day.
I will use this day to catch up with e-mails, make some phone calls, figure out health insurance, stretch, watch the Yankees and just relax in good company.
After checking the weather for the next few days I decided to stay in Portland for one more day. I am eager to get on my way with the trip but I would really like to leave Portland on a good note during a 'nice' day.
I will use this day to catch up with e-mails, make some phone calls, figure out health insurance, stretch, watch the Yankees and just relax in good company.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Monday October 26th to Wednesday October 28th
I have spent the last three days exploring Portland, OR and Vancouver, WA.
I have met up with Avanti friends over dinner (thank you for dinner Sharron!), visited the Portland Zoo, Climbed up a to the top of a waterfall while pretending to be from a different country as I said hi to every hiker I passed, Watched the Yankees advance to the World Series, Met Chris's family (Sharron's Husband), been treated to many meals (Thank you to all that cooked!), experienced Voodoo doughnut, purchased a new pair of pants for the trip, played with one of the cutest high energy kids in the world (Joe, Sharron's son), applied to jobs online, went grocery shopping, bought a book at Powells book store, visited Washington Park, socialized, went hot tubbing, received a treatment for my leg from an amazing PT, completed laundry, fixed another broken spoke on my bike, and 'most importantly' caught up on my blog!
Sounds like a great trip to me! The only question left is how will my leg feel tomorrow when I jump back on my bike? Hopefully very well! I will be sad to leave such great company though, my trip to San Fran may be very boring compared to what I have experienced in this lovely city! I still am looking forward to seeing CA though. Come on Redwoods!!! In the mean time... more socializing and enjoying my time with the Donnnelly's.
I have met up with Avanti friends over dinner (thank you for dinner Sharron!), visited the Portland Zoo, Climbed up a to the top of a waterfall while pretending to be from a different country as I said hi to every hiker I passed, Watched the Yankees advance to the World Series, Met Chris's family (Sharron's Husband), been treated to many meals (Thank you to all that cooked!), experienced Voodoo doughnut, purchased a new pair of pants for the trip, played with one of the cutest high energy kids in the world (Joe, Sharron's son), applied to jobs online, went grocery shopping, bought a book at Powells book store, visited Washington Park, socialized, went hot tubbing, received a treatment for my leg from an amazing PT, completed laundry, fixed another broken spoke on my bike, and 'most importantly' caught up on my blog!
Sounds like a great trip to me! The only question left is how will my leg feel tomorrow when I jump back on my bike? Hopefully very well! I will be sad to leave such great company though, my trip to San Fran may be very boring compared to what I have experienced in this lovely city! I still am looking forward to seeing CA though. Come on Redwoods!!! In the mean time... more socializing and enjoying my time with the Donnnelly's.
Day 59 - Sunday October 25th
MONW, WA to Vancouver, WA/Portland, OR
42.9+ miles
3:19.26+ hrs
34.7 max
11.4 avg
Well the mileage and time of riding today are off due to me not resetting the odometer at the beginning of the day so I just listed the mileage recorded after I hit the reset button. This is the first time it has happened but I am not worried because my system records the overall mileage as well so my end calculations will be correct when I end the trip.
Not a great day of riding today. My knee wouldn't stop hurting, I got a flat, it was overcast and it was rainy!
Sharron, in her typical generous form, offered to come pick me up from anywhere if I needed it. At first, there was no way I was not going to allow her to drive out of her way to unnecessarily pick me up, but after I got a flat while climbing up a large hill (900') my right leg froze up and became useless again. I had thought of getting a hotel for that night and just waiting till I could cycle into Portland on my own free will, but after much thought... I decided that it was better to save the money (of potentially a couple hotel nights) and just get a ride to a place where I could heal. So, I gave in and opted to be picked up. I still don't know how I feel about the decision to be helped into Portland but I feel that I will be able to come to terms with it. Maybe I will bike back up there and continue on my way... but if I do that then I should probably ride back up to Seattle and ride over the portion of the trip when I got a lift when my bike was broken and un-ride-able; not going to happen.
It was great to see Sharron again and meet her lovely family! They are SO nice and I can't wait to spend some time in Portland exploring the local area and catching up with Sharron.
42.9+ miles
3:19.26+ hrs
34.7 max
11.4 avg
Well the mileage and time of riding today are off due to me not resetting the odometer at the beginning of the day so I just listed the mileage recorded after I hit the reset button. This is the first time it has happened but I am not worried because my system records the overall mileage as well so my end calculations will be correct when I end the trip.
Not a great day of riding today. My knee wouldn't stop hurting, I got a flat, it was overcast and it was rainy!
Sharron, in her typical generous form, offered to come pick me up from anywhere if I needed it. At first, there was no way I was not going to allow her to drive out of her way to unnecessarily pick me up, but after I got a flat while climbing up a large hill (900') my right leg froze up and became useless again. I had thought of getting a hotel for that night and just waiting till I could cycle into Portland on my own free will, but after much thought... I decided that it was better to save the money (of potentially a couple hotel nights) and just get a ride to a place where I could heal. So, I gave in and opted to be picked up. I still don't know how I feel about the decision to be helped into Portland but I feel that I will be able to come to terms with it. Maybe I will bike back up there and continue on my way... but if I do that then I should probably ride back up to Seattle and ride over the portion of the trip when I got a lift when my bike was broken and un-ride-able; not going to happen.
It was great to see Sharron again and meet her lovely family! They are SO nice and I can't wait to spend some time in Portland exploring the local area and catching up with Sharron.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Day 58 - Saturday October 24th
Hoquiam, WA to Middle of No Where, WA
59.28 miles
4:47.56 hrs
36.7 max
12.7 avg
With a good nights sleep and all my gear dry I had high hopes for my leg. I was not granted such luxury. My leg continued to produce large amounts of sharp pain at times and I continued to cycle using only my left leg for the majority of today's trip. I did find that if I stood up while climbing that I was able to use my right leg. This only lasted for about 2 hours though then I could no longer use it for climbing.
Oh, not to mention the scenery over the past couple days has been gorgeous and it would have been so fun to go over all these rolling hills gazing off at the mountains/large hills if I were 100%! I am having fun with it though, it is all mental at this point. I just have to keep a positive mind frame.
At the end of the trip I heard some loud music coming from a house in the middle of no where. There was a husband and wife outside having a fire and drinking some beers. They waved to me as I slowly glided by and I second back to ask them about camping in the local area. The family offered up their land to me and I spent the night socializing and helping the family set up the new computer that they purchased... fair trade? I thought so considering if they were to hire someone to come in and set up their system it would have cost them about $30 an hour!
59.28 miles
4:47.56 hrs
36.7 max
12.7 avg
With a good nights sleep and all my gear dry I had high hopes for my leg. I was not granted such luxury. My leg continued to produce large amounts of sharp pain at times and I continued to cycle using only my left leg for the majority of today's trip. I did find that if I stood up while climbing that I was able to use my right leg. This only lasted for about 2 hours though then I could no longer use it for climbing.
Oh, not to mention the scenery over the past couple days has been gorgeous and it would have been so fun to go over all these rolling hills gazing off at the mountains/large hills if I were 100%! I am having fun with it though, it is all mental at this point. I just have to keep a positive mind frame.
At the end of the trip I heard some loud music coming from a house in the middle of no where. There was a husband and wife outside having a fire and drinking some beers. They waved to me as I slowly glided by and I second back to ask them about camping in the local area. The family offered up their land to me and I spent the night socializing and helping the family set up the new computer that they purchased... fair trade? I thought so considering if they were to hire someone to come in and set up their system it would have cost them about $30 an hour!
Day 57 - Friday October 23rd
Humptulips, WA to Hoquiam, WA
25.67 miles
2:20.56 hrs
27.1 max
10.9 avg
I woke up i the middle of the night and found a mini lake in my tent. Part of my footprint (tarp under the tent) was sticking out of the rain fly and collected a bunch of water and allowed it to funnel, collect and seep into my tent from underneath. There was nothing I could do to save much of my gear besides fix the footprint and hope that it did not continue to leak in for the rest of the night.
I ate breakfast with my local neighbors at the campsite that morning and got to an early start biking. To top off the morning my leg was in more pain than ever and I ended up riding the 25.67 miles into Hoquiam with my right foot behind me, on the rear rack of my bike as to provide stability and a nice place to rest. With as much pain as I was in and with all my gear wet, I decided to cut my ride really short and get a hotel room. I was able to talk the guy at the econo-lodge down to $45 dollars a night and spent the rest of the day drying my gear out in front of the heater and resting.
25.67 miles
2:20.56 hrs
27.1 max
10.9 avg
I woke up i the middle of the night and found a mini lake in my tent. Part of my footprint (tarp under the tent) was sticking out of the rain fly and collected a bunch of water and allowed it to funnel, collect and seep into my tent from underneath. There was nothing I could do to save much of my gear besides fix the footprint and hope that it did not continue to leak in for the rest of the night.
I ate breakfast with my local neighbors at the campsite that morning and got to an early start biking. To top off the morning my leg was in more pain than ever and I ended up riding the 25.67 miles into Hoquiam with my right foot behind me, on the rear rack of my bike as to provide stability and a nice place to rest. With as much pain as I was in and with all my gear wet, I decided to cut my ride really short and get a hotel room. I was able to talk the guy at the econo-lodge down to $45 dollars a night and spent the rest of the day drying my gear out in front of the heater and resting.
Day 56 - Thursday October 22nd
HOH National Rain Forest, WA to Humptulips, WA
68.13 miles
5:14.07 hrs
29.3 max
12.8 avg
Yes, I did choose today's destination because of the name... immature, but at the time I found it hilarious! I stopped at Ruby Beach for an hour or so and had a great time taking some pictures of the ocean and dipping my feet in the frigid waters! It was very scenic and it felt good to finally be at the ocean with large waves and high cliffs!
My leg is progressively getting worse and at the end of the day I had severe pain running through my leg with each stroke. NOT GOOD! I spent the last 30 miles of the trip pedaling with only my left leg. I almost gave in and purchased a hotel room so that I might allow proper healing but the elevated rates of the motel in Amanda Park convinced me to continue riding to free camping just outside of Humptulips, WA. Good idea? We will find out...
68.13 miles
5:14.07 hrs
29.3 max
12.8 avg
Yes, I did choose today's destination because of the name... immature, but at the time I found it hilarious! I stopped at Ruby Beach for an hour or so and had a great time taking some pictures of the ocean and dipping my feet in the frigid waters! It was very scenic and it felt good to finally be at the ocean with large waves and high cliffs!
My leg is progressively getting worse and at the end of the day I had severe pain running through my leg with each stroke. NOT GOOD! I spent the last 30 miles of the trip pedaling with only my left leg. I almost gave in and purchased a hotel room so that I might allow proper healing but the elevated rates of the motel in Amanda Park convinced me to continue riding to free camping just outside of Humptulips, WA. Good idea? We will find out...
Day 55 - Wednesday October 21st
Port Angeles, WA to HOH Rain Forest, WA
80.86 miles
6:03.07 hrs
30.3 max
13.3 avg
This was the first day that I really got to test my new rain jacket and it was amazing! Great to be fully dry while it was down pouring! I am not complaining about the rain because it really enhances your awareness of the ride and allows your whole body to feel it with every drop that hits your skin/clothes!
The ride around Lake Crescent was AMAZING and I really wish I had someone to share that ride with. The mountain tops were covered by foggy clouds, the lake was clear as glass and it was just gorgeous. During this portion of the trip I thought about Kevin McGinnis's request to do a bike trip in the future and I started planning it out as I rode. Can't wait for that trip and I am not even close to done with my own!
People have started to contact me about potential jobs, of which I have been applying to weekly. Hopefully they can wait a little while to hear back from me and are willing to put off interviews until I am done with the trip?!
At the end of this days journey my right leg started hurting on the lateral side of my knee. It is a dull pain that would be very annoying if it continues. At least it did not last all day! The pain started right after I went through Forks, WA (no, I sadly did not see any vampires!) but I was glad to continue on and make it to HOH where I had free camping!
80.86 miles
6:03.07 hrs
30.3 max
13.3 avg
This was the first day that I really got to test my new rain jacket and it was amazing! Great to be fully dry while it was down pouring! I am not complaining about the rain because it really enhances your awareness of the ride and allows your whole body to feel it with every drop that hits your skin/clothes!
The ride around Lake Crescent was AMAZING and I really wish I had someone to share that ride with. The mountain tops were covered by foggy clouds, the lake was clear as glass and it was just gorgeous. During this portion of the trip I thought about Kevin McGinnis's request to do a bike trip in the future and I started planning it out as I rode. Can't wait for that trip and I am not even close to done with my own!
People have started to contact me about potential jobs, of which I have been applying to weekly. Hopefully they can wait a little while to hear back from me and are willing to put off interviews until I am done with the trip?!
At the end of this days journey my right leg started hurting on the lateral side of my knee. It is a dull pain that would be very annoying if it continues. At least it did not last all day! The pain started right after I went through Forks, WA (no, I sadly did not see any vampires!) but I was glad to continue on and make it to HOH where I had free camping!
Day 54 - Tuesday October 20th
Seattle, WA to Port Angeles, WA
69.29 miles
5:33.49 hrs
33.7 max
12.4 avg
I woke up at 9am today and rushed off to REI. I bought a couple extra stakes for my tent and was tempted to by a new tent all together. I would really like to have a tent of my own anyways and what better of a time to get one when I am going to be able to use it MANY times! In a common shopping fashion I am putting off the purchase until I am fully convinced that I need one.
After REI I wanted to stop by the post office but was running late on time to make the ferry to Bainbridge Island, across the Puget Sound. Fortunately, the ferry was late arriving, for I would have missed it and been delayed in Seattle for another hour or so. The ferry ride was really cool, I enjoyed taking in the scenery without having to do any work! Very relaxing!
I am still worried about my rear wheel even though my chain does not produce as much slack when I stop pedalling as before. I can't believe that I have broken so many spokes! I am going to have to take up all my issues with the assumed responsible parties after my trip. In the mean time I need to concentrate on riding!
With high chances of rain today, fog engulfed Seattle this morning. After crossing 'The Sound', the weather almost cleared up before turning extremely foggy again. I had small glimpses of the mountains around me and the ride ended up being very pleasant! Even more pleasant than the ride was the company that I had found on Couchsurfing.com to put me up for the night. I was given a nice shower, food and some music lessons on the harmonica that I purchased back in the Black Hills! Hopefully I will be able to go back to Port Angeles in the near future, visit my new friends and be well enough versed in Harmonica to have a little jam session!
69.29 miles
5:33.49 hrs
33.7 max
12.4 avg
I woke up at 9am today and rushed off to REI. I bought a couple extra stakes for my tent and was tempted to by a new tent all together. I would really like to have a tent of my own anyways and what better of a time to get one when I am going to be able to use it MANY times! In a common shopping fashion I am putting off the purchase until I am fully convinced that I need one.
After REI I wanted to stop by the post office but was running late on time to make the ferry to Bainbridge Island, across the Puget Sound. Fortunately, the ferry was late arriving, for I would have missed it and been delayed in Seattle for another hour or so. The ferry ride was really cool, I enjoyed taking in the scenery without having to do any work! Very relaxing!
I am still worried about my rear wheel even though my chain does not produce as much slack when I stop pedalling as before. I can't believe that I have broken so many spokes! I am going to have to take up all my issues with the assumed responsible parties after my trip. In the mean time I need to concentrate on riding!
With high chances of rain today, fog engulfed Seattle this morning. After crossing 'The Sound', the weather almost cleared up before turning extremely foggy again. I had small glimpses of the mountains around me and the ride ended up being very pleasant! Even more pleasant than the ride was the company that I had found on Couchsurfing.com to put me up for the night. I was given a nice shower, food and some music lessons on the harmonica that I purchased back in the Black Hills! Hopefully I will be able to go back to Port Angeles in the near future, visit my new friends and be well enough versed in Harmonica to have a little jam session!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Monday October 19th
I spent the day exploring Seattle. I biked to REI to get my bike fixed, again. It is finally in working order. I need to take the broken spokes up with the bike shop I bought the wheel from. What is it with me and transportation systems? Something negative always seems to happen!
I loved all the coffee shops around town and it was fun to walk around the pike place market! I ran into a couple at the Pike Pub and Brewery and ended up spending the late afternoon together conversing over a beer and a bowl of "non-dairy clam chowda". It was great to connect up with some random people and learn about their lives instead of having the focus always be on me and my trip. Although, I did give them my website and they had a bunch of questions for me.
The evening was spent wondering around the city trying to figure out how I could catch a glimpse of Mt Rainier. I was going to go up in the Space needle but was advised by the ticket salesman that if I wanted to see Rainier it was not going to happen from the space needle with the current weather conditions. So, instead I visited a couple local hotspots and soaked in the Seattle demeanor. The whole time I was wandering around I could not help but constantly think about "Sleepless in Seattle". Flashbacks to the movie kept on popping into my head; I need to watch that movie again!
There are still somethings around Seattle that I would like to do but I don't think that it would be worth sticking around town for another full day just to check them out. I have a feeling that it could be but by not visiting them it will ensure that I make it back out to this area again sometime in the near future! I do really enjoy this area and if it wasn't for the darn weather I would highly consider moving out here. If I love Seattle I can't even imagine how much I am going to love the other cities on the West Coast. Although, I have a feeling that Seattle is probably going to be the most outdoorsy of all of them.
A special thanks to my host this evening for supplying me with a home cooked meal! It was very gracious of you to offer me dinner! Also, thank you for putting me up for the past two days! Your location was perfect and your company even better!
I loved all the coffee shops around town and it was fun to walk around the pike place market! I ran into a couple at the Pike Pub and Brewery and ended up spending the late afternoon together conversing over a beer and a bowl of "non-dairy clam chowda". It was great to connect up with some random people and learn about their lives instead of having the focus always be on me and my trip. Although, I did give them my website and they had a bunch of questions for me.
The evening was spent wondering around the city trying to figure out how I could catch a glimpse of Mt Rainier. I was going to go up in the Space needle but was advised by the ticket salesman that if I wanted to see Rainier it was not going to happen from the space needle with the current weather conditions. So, instead I visited a couple local hotspots and soaked in the Seattle demeanor. The whole time I was wandering around I could not help but constantly think about "Sleepless in Seattle". Flashbacks to the movie kept on popping into my head; I need to watch that movie again!
There are still somethings around Seattle that I would like to do but I don't think that it would be worth sticking around town for another full day just to check them out. I have a feeling that it could be but by not visiting them it will ensure that I make it back out to this area again sometime in the near future! I do really enjoy this area and if it wasn't for the darn weather I would highly consider moving out here. If I love Seattle I can't even imagine how much I am going to love the other cities on the West Coast. Although, I have a feeling that Seattle is probably going to be the most outdoorsy of all of them.
A special thanks to my host this evening for supplying me with a home cooked meal! It was very gracious of you to offer me dinner! Also, thank you for putting me up for the past two days! Your location was perfect and your company even better!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Day 53 - Sunday October 18th
Mount Vernon, WA to Seattle, WA
22.88 miles
2:02.36 hrs
31.8 max
11.2 avg
Today was supposed to be a very long day (95 miles) but turned into a very short day with a little bike trouble. 20 miles into my trip I was climbing a hill and I heard a "pop". I immediately connected the noise with a broken spoke. I looked down at my spokes as I rolled along slowly and did not notice any of them broken. I then contributed the sound to a slip in the gearing; as sometimes I get a "ting" noise when I am changing gears under high tension of the chain. Due to the whobble in my tire from the previous day I decided to stop for lunch and true my wheel.
Once off my bike, with sandwich in hand, I noticed that I actually had 4 broken spokes all on the opposite side of the cassette. To me this meant that the bike shop that I purchased the wheel from did not tighten the spokes properly after receiving the wheel from the manufacturer! I will be taking this up with the bike shop at a later date. Upon realizing that all the bike shops on the island were closed (Sunday!) I immediately proceeded to look up the location of the nearest REI, 40 miles away. Being that I could not safely ride my bike to the store I resorted to old school tactics: I put on my "help me face" and went to the side of the road where I proceeded wave to strangers passing by with my thumb. Now, hitch hiking may be hard enough with only a backpack but imagine the frequency of someone wanting to pick up a hitch hiker with 120 lbs of gear with him! Sue enough, after about 15 min of watching traffic zoom by me and giving me looks of disgust, a nice Reverend picked me up in his minivan and drove me all the way down to Clinton so that I could fetch the ferry over to the mainland. From there I took the bus to the mall where the REI was located. I almost was not allowed on the bus with all my stuff but the bus driver was very understanding of my story and said that I could do it "this one time".
The people at REI fixed my wheel but took about 2 hours to do so. They put a beginner tech on the job and at some point during the process he placed the plastic guard on wrong and it made the cassette catch and spin with the wheel. Nobody could figure out what was wrong with it and they sent me off with an imperfect bike saying that I should bring it down to corporate REI when I got to Seattle and have them look at it. They mentioned that I was covered by REI's insurance policy and therefore if they truly did mess something up in the hub (their current diagnosis was that they tightened the cassette down to hard and ruined the hub) they would give me a replacement wheel for free.
Fortunately, I had a contact in the local area who was willing to come and pick me up and bring me into Seattle from REI. She even treated me to dinner at my favorite restaurant that I have found on my trip thus far. I don't stop at nearly any restaurants while biking but this restaurant is one of my favorite of all times! It is called "........" (I forgot the name but will get it and let you all know later). They make their noodles from scratch, their dumplings from scratch and have amazing green beens!!! Unbelievable food! Thank you Melissa for treating me to that wonderful food and giving me a ride into Seattle! You are a life saver!
22.88 miles
2:02.36 hrs
31.8 max
11.2 avg
Today was supposed to be a very long day (95 miles) but turned into a very short day with a little bike trouble. 20 miles into my trip I was climbing a hill and I heard a "pop". I immediately connected the noise with a broken spoke. I looked down at my spokes as I rolled along slowly and did not notice any of them broken. I then contributed the sound to a slip in the gearing; as sometimes I get a "ting" noise when I am changing gears under high tension of the chain. Due to the whobble in my tire from the previous day I decided to stop for lunch and true my wheel.
Once off my bike, with sandwich in hand, I noticed that I actually had 4 broken spokes all on the opposite side of the cassette. To me this meant that the bike shop that I purchased the wheel from did not tighten the spokes properly after receiving the wheel from the manufacturer! I will be taking this up with the bike shop at a later date. Upon realizing that all the bike shops on the island were closed (Sunday!) I immediately proceeded to look up the location of the nearest REI, 40 miles away. Being that I could not safely ride my bike to the store I resorted to old school tactics: I put on my "help me face" and went to the side of the road where I proceeded wave to strangers passing by with my thumb. Now, hitch hiking may be hard enough with only a backpack but imagine the frequency of someone wanting to pick up a hitch hiker with 120 lbs of gear with him! Sue enough, after about 15 min of watching traffic zoom by me and giving me looks of disgust, a nice Reverend picked me up in his minivan and drove me all the way down to Clinton so that I could fetch the ferry over to the mainland. From there I took the bus to the mall where the REI was located. I almost was not allowed on the bus with all my stuff but the bus driver was very understanding of my story and said that I could do it "this one time".
The people at REI fixed my wheel but took about 2 hours to do so. They put a beginner tech on the job and at some point during the process he placed the plastic guard on wrong and it made the cassette catch and spin with the wheel. Nobody could figure out what was wrong with it and they sent me off with an imperfect bike saying that I should bring it down to corporate REI when I got to Seattle and have them look at it. They mentioned that I was covered by REI's insurance policy and therefore if they truly did mess something up in the hub (their current diagnosis was that they tightened the cassette down to hard and ruined the hub) they would give me a replacement wheel for free.
Fortunately, I had a contact in the local area who was willing to come and pick me up and bring me into Seattle from REI. She even treated me to dinner at my favorite restaurant that I have found on my trip thus far. I don't stop at nearly any restaurants while biking but this restaurant is one of my favorite of all times! It is called "........" (I forgot the name but will get it and let you all know later). They make their noodles from scratch, their dumplings from scratch and have amazing green beens!!! Unbelievable food! Thank you Melissa for treating me to that wonderful food and giving me a ride into Seattle! You are a life saver!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Day 52 - Saturday October 18th
Bellingham, WA to Mount Vernon, WA
30.34 miles
2:32.03 hrs
29.8 max
11.9 avg
This morning was full of contemplation. "It is raining hard, should I start riding now or should I wait to see if it settles down a little? Since I have a connection in Bellingham should I stay another day, tomorrow it is supposed to clear up a little? Should I push myself to ride all the way to Seattle tonight or should I break up the ride?" Of course this morning was no different than any other morning on my trip when I wake up and decide exactly what I am going to do. The only difference was that I am no longer in a HUGE rush to get over the Rockies so I have a little more freedom in what I do and where I decide to take a day or two off.
As I woke up it was raining pretty heavy and I had a huge urge to get down to Seattle! Before I could do so I wanted to stop at my favorite Co-op I have run into thus far on my trip to restock on some almond milk, granola and my new favorite kind of chocolate bar; "Equal Exchange Chocolates". After purchasing my special items, I sat outside staring at a map trying to figure out the logistics of getting to Seattle. It really didn't make sense to me to push myself 120 miles in the rain. Instead, I decided to ride down to Mount Veronon and spend the night at the Moffitt's again. This would take 30 miles off the commute to Seattle and give me better weather while riding across the islands.
Luckily, Kit and Charlotte were more than happy to allow me to stay at their place again! So, I set out for Mount Vernon around 1:30pm ,allowing ample time to take in the scenes and find a new memory card for my camera (found an 8 gig card for $18 at Target! The card might not be that fast but I am not taking action photos or anything). Oh, I also bought a new raincoat that was on sale for 60% off with the money I received from my birthday! What a gift! Thanks Grandma!
Of course, tomorrow is Seattle... I can't wait!
30.34 miles
2:32.03 hrs
29.8 max
11.9 avg
This morning was full of contemplation. "It is raining hard, should I start riding now or should I wait to see if it settles down a little? Since I have a connection in Bellingham should I stay another day, tomorrow it is supposed to clear up a little? Should I push myself to ride all the way to Seattle tonight or should I break up the ride?" Of course this morning was no different than any other morning on my trip when I wake up and decide exactly what I am going to do. The only difference was that I am no longer in a HUGE rush to get over the Rockies so I have a little more freedom in what I do and where I decide to take a day or two off.
As I woke up it was raining pretty heavy and I had a huge urge to get down to Seattle! Before I could do so I wanted to stop at my favorite Co-op I have run into thus far on my trip to restock on some almond milk, granola and my new favorite kind of chocolate bar; "Equal Exchange Chocolates". After purchasing my special items, I sat outside staring at a map trying to figure out the logistics of getting to Seattle. It really didn't make sense to me to push myself 120 miles in the rain. Instead, I decided to ride down to Mount Veronon and spend the night at the Moffitt's again. This would take 30 miles off the commute to Seattle and give me better weather while riding across the islands.
Luckily, Kit and Charlotte were more than happy to allow me to stay at their place again! So, I set out for Mount Vernon around 1:30pm ,allowing ample time to take in the scenes and find a new memory card for my camera (found an 8 gig card for $18 at Target! The card might not be that fast but I am not taking action photos or anything). Oh, I also bought a new raincoat that was on sale for 60% off with the money I received from my birthday! What a gift! Thanks Grandma!
Of course, tomorrow is Seattle... I can't wait!
Day 51 - Friday October 16th
Vancouver, BC to Bellingham, WA
72.67 miles
5:41.23 hrs
37.7 max
12.7 avg
Another day that starts out raining really hard and makes me rethink my travels for the day and then all of a sudden lightens up! If there is one thing that I am learning, and learning well, about weather forecasting in the NorthWest, it is that the weatherpersons need to find different jobs. No, it is not their fault, the weather is just so unpredictable up here... winds are never constant and are always changing direction so you can never tell where a storm system will really end up.
After a delayed start due to weather, I headed up to the University of British Columbia and rode around the campus. The campus was gorgeous and it made me really jealous that I didn't look around more at other campuses around the nation before picking SLU. Of course, SLU was gorgeous as well but UBC was a LOT larger! Don't worry, I am still glad I went to SLU, this was just a thought that I remember having when riding by UBC.
The rest of the trip to Bellingham was long and pretty boring. I went through a bunch of residential areas that did not provide much scenery. Although I did see a bunch of really interesting houses. I even drove by a house where a film was being shot... I am pretty sure that I saw Ridley Scott! How exciting!
I didn't get into Bellingham till about 9pm. This meant that I spent quite a few hours riding in the dark. At times there were no cars on the road at all for miles and miles. This was good and bad for it would have sucked if something would have happened to me while riding but it was nice to ride in the middle of the lane where the surface conditions were a little better. Not to mention that there was not shoulder on the road I took so if there was a lot of traffic it may have been a little dangerous.
The end of the night worked out well, I stopped in at a motel just to see what rooms were going for in Bellingham and when I told him that I would pass because I was on a budget he pretty much gave me a room for what I told him I could afford! He even upgraded my room so that I could fit my bike in there comfortably. The rooms were very nice and I am going to have to go online to hotels.com and write a favorable excerpt for him! Too bad more people aren't as gracious as this fellow, he didn't want me sleeping out in the rain (I was totally ok with it though). I had a church yard picked out and ready for me to pitch away!
72.67 miles
5:41.23 hrs
37.7 max
12.7 avg
Another day that starts out raining really hard and makes me rethink my travels for the day and then all of a sudden lightens up! If there is one thing that I am learning, and learning well, about weather forecasting in the NorthWest, it is that the weatherpersons need to find different jobs. No, it is not their fault, the weather is just so unpredictable up here... winds are never constant and are always changing direction so you can never tell where a storm system will really end up.
After a delayed start due to weather, I headed up to the University of British Columbia and rode around the campus. The campus was gorgeous and it made me really jealous that I didn't look around more at other campuses around the nation before picking SLU. Of course, SLU was gorgeous as well but UBC was a LOT larger! Don't worry, I am still glad I went to SLU, this was just a thought that I remember having when riding by UBC.
The rest of the trip to Bellingham was long and pretty boring. I went through a bunch of residential areas that did not provide much scenery. Although I did see a bunch of really interesting houses. I even drove by a house where a film was being shot... I am pretty sure that I saw Ridley Scott! How exciting!
I didn't get into Bellingham till about 9pm. This meant that I spent quite a few hours riding in the dark. At times there were no cars on the road at all for miles and miles. This was good and bad for it would have sucked if something would have happened to me while riding but it was nice to ride in the middle of the lane where the surface conditions were a little better. Not to mention that there was not shoulder on the road I took so if there was a lot of traffic it may have been a little dangerous.
The end of the night worked out well, I stopped in at a motel just to see what rooms were going for in Bellingham and when I told him that I would pass because I was on a budget he pretty much gave me a room for what I told him I could afford! He even upgraded my room so that I could fit my bike in there comfortably. The rooms were very nice and I am going to have to go online to hotels.com and write a favorable excerpt for him! Too bad more people aren't as gracious as this fellow, he didn't want me sleeping out in the rain (I was totally ok with it though). I had a church yard picked out and ready for me to pitch away!
Day 50 - Thursday October 15th
Langley, BC to Vancouver, BC
42.84 miles
3:41.02 hrs
32.3 max
11.6 avg
Vancouver is GORGEOUS! It was so much fun riding around Stanley Park, visiting Granville Island (the beer is great at the brewery!) and people watching at a locale cafe'. The whole experience reminded me of a tamer, downscaled NYC with more of an outdoor adventure persona. The differences being that the buildings were not nearly as tall, nor as close together and the mountains are just a couple km away meaning that the city is surrounded by green!
There was a lot of culture in the food and different areas of the city. I loved walking around trying to figure out which locale flavor I wanted to experience while visiting.
It would be a great city for anyone who loves the outdoors but still wants a big city feel. Someone that likes culture, great ethnic food and a semi-high energy atmosphere. Overall... I could see myself living here for a while. Maybe grad-school?
42.84 miles
3:41.02 hrs
32.3 max
11.6 avg
Vancouver is GORGEOUS! It was so much fun riding around Stanley Park, visiting Granville Island (the beer is great at the brewery!) and people watching at a locale cafe'. The whole experience reminded me of a tamer, downscaled NYC with more of an outdoor adventure persona. The differences being that the buildings were not nearly as tall, nor as close together and the mountains are just a couple km away meaning that the city is surrounded by green!
There was a lot of culture in the food and different areas of the city. I loved walking around trying to figure out which locale flavor I wanted to experience while visiting.
It would be a great city for anyone who loves the outdoors but still wants a big city feel. Someone that likes culture, great ethnic food and a semi-high energy atmosphere. Overall... I could see myself living here for a while. Maybe grad-school?
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Day 49 - Wednesday October 14th
Mount Vernon, WA to Langley, BC
64.26 miles
4:18.20 hrs
33.2 max
14.9 avg
As I woke up this morning things looked pretty murky! I was not excited to start the day out in rainy weather. After slowly getting out of bed and eating breakfast, the sun had come out and the rain had gone away. Well, not fully but I immediately became excited and rushed to get everything together so I could head up towards Vancouver.
I found myself out the door by 10:30 with one planned stop in mind. I needed to go to the bike store to purchase some fenders for my bike. I had been planning on making this purchase somewhere on my journey and since I am in "the city that never stops rainning", I figured now was a good tiem. I was very decisive about the fenders that I bought but what delayed me in th ebike shop was deciding if I needed a new rain jacket and installing the fenders. The bike shop had a bunch of overstock $220 trek rain jackets on sale for $99. I know that I have a rain jacket but it leaks and my ride would be so much more pleasurable if I stayed fully dry.
In the end I decided that I would rough it to Vancouver and test out all my gear to see what exactly needed to be purchased. After the trip I have decided that I need a new rain jacket. The only question in mind is what kind, how much and where do I get the best deal. I could buy an all purpose rain jacket from REI or Patagonia and spend a crap ton of money or I could by a cycling specific jacket and spend a crap ton of money. Either way I need to find a HUGE sale. I will look tomorrow when I am in Vancouver for a deal and if I don't find one up here then i will purchase the jacket that is at the bike shop in Mount Vernon.
All this deliberation meant that I didn't leave Mount Vernon till about 1pm. I figured timing was still ok because the ride was supposed to be flat... it sort of was. There were quite a few stretches of flat but highway 11 into Bellingham (amazing views by the way!) was pretty hilly. It was nothing compared to the mountains I went through in the previous days but it wasn't a cake walk either.
With all my delays, I also stopped at a local co-op in Bellingham to get some food, I finally arrived in Langley, BC at 7:08 pm. The family that I am staying with, The Bay Family, have been nothing but wonderful to me. They gave me some food, a shower, access to laundry and most importantly a relaxing environment to socialize and have fun! Funny enough, nobody can figure out the connection/relation that lead to this arranged situation. All anyone knows is that it is a friend of a friend of a friend. Maybe someone can fill in the missing links?
64.26 miles
4:18.20 hrs
33.2 max
14.9 avg
As I woke up this morning things looked pretty murky! I was not excited to start the day out in rainy weather. After slowly getting out of bed and eating breakfast, the sun had come out and the rain had gone away. Well, not fully but I immediately became excited and rushed to get everything together so I could head up towards Vancouver.
I found myself out the door by 10:30 with one planned stop in mind. I needed to go to the bike store to purchase some fenders for my bike. I had been planning on making this purchase somewhere on my journey and since I am in "the city that never stops rainning", I figured now was a good tiem. I was very decisive about the fenders that I bought but what delayed me in th ebike shop was deciding if I needed a new rain jacket and installing the fenders. The bike shop had a bunch of overstock $220 trek rain jackets on sale for $99. I know that I have a rain jacket but it leaks and my ride would be so much more pleasurable if I stayed fully dry.
In the end I decided that I would rough it to Vancouver and test out all my gear to see what exactly needed to be purchased. After the trip I have decided that I need a new rain jacket. The only question in mind is what kind, how much and where do I get the best deal. I could buy an all purpose rain jacket from REI or Patagonia and spend a crap ton of money or I could by a cycling specific jacket and spend a crap ton of money. Either way I need to find a HUGE sale. I will look tomorrow when I am in Vancouver for a deal and if I don't find one up here then i will purchase the jacket that is at the bike shop in Mount Vernon.
All this deliberation meant that I didn't leave Mount Vernon till about 1pm. I figured timing was still ok because the ride was supposed to be flat... it sort of was. There were quite a few stretches of flat but highway 11 into Bellingham (amazing views by the way!) was pretty hilly. It was nothing compared to the mountains I went through in the previous days but it wasn't a cake walk either.
With all my delays, I also stopped at a local co-op in Bellingham to get some food, I finally arrived in Langley, BC at 7:08 pm. The family that I am staying with, The Bay Family, have been nothing but wonderful to me. They gave me some food, a shower, access to laundry and most importantly a relaxing environment to socialize and have fun! Funny enough, nobody can figure out the connection/relation that lead to this arranged situation. All anyone knows is that it is a friend of a friend of a friend. Maybe someone can fill in the missing links?
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Day 48 - Tuesday October 13th
Newhaven, WA to Mount Vernon, WA
64.47 miles
4:05.30 hrs
31.8 max
15.7 avg
Today, I broke the 4000 mile marker on my trip and theoretically completed a cross country tour. I have not yet seen the ocean but I am only 15 miles away from touching my toes into the deep blue that they call the Pacific. I highly contemplated traveling the extra distance today just to jump in to the frigid waters, to feel the accomplishment of traveling ocean to ocean. Unfortunately, unless I want to be freezing cold and wet tomorrow during my ride to Vancouver, I will have to wait until I get up to Vancouver to jump in.
According to local weather forecasts it sounds like it is going to be raining all tomorrow, and for the next week. Fortunately, it was supposed to be raining today and I didn't feel a drop! Maybe the weather people can be wrong for the rest of the week?
Since I got to sleep really early last night I woke up on my own and felt pretty good. I was happy to find that the food that I hung up on the pavilion beams was still there and no little creatures appeared to have tampered with it. Much to my dismay I found out that I had consumed all of the coconut milk and therefore could not have cereal like I had been looking forward too all night long! So, I improvised and ate some dry granola with a bowl of chili... I know, not much of a substitute. Nonetheless, still good! I was very happy to get an early start this morning and thought to myself that it may be a good idea to try and get to bed that early every night so I am as productive every morning.
As I was doing my morning duties, I happened to walk down by the river with all the dead fish of which I had convinced myself, the previous night, they were poisoned. As I took a closer look, during a time when there was actual light, I noticed that all the fish were salmon. Upon further examination of the waters at my feet, I noticed hundreds of live salmon swimming around. Heck, I said to myself, if I would have known that there were salmon I would have tried to catch a few for dinner last night (and filled up my water bottles).
The views of the countryside leading out of the Northern Cascades were gorgeous. I no longer had to worry about any massive climbs, the roads were newly paved (or so they seemed) and I knew that I did not have far to travel to the coast! All these circumstances lead to a very nice day of riding (not to mention that it was not raining!). I also knew that I could take my time getting into town because the people I was staying with were not going to be home till 5pm and I had a comparatively early start!
The day went by pretty fast and allowed for many pitstops along the way: coffee at Cascades Organics, browsing at a local bike store and even a lunch break on a bridge where I watched the salmon frolic around in the current. Overall, a great day!
Not to mention the Moffitt's hospitality. It is always great to have some good company and conversation at the ends of a days ride. Not to mention treating me with one of my favorite meals in the whole world: fresh caught salmon! What a way to be welcomed to the coast! Thanks you two!
64.47 miles
4:05.30 hrs
31.8 max
15.7 avg
Today, I broke the 4000 mile marker on my trip and theoretically completed a cross country tour. I have not yet seen the ocean but I am only 15 miles away from touching my toes into the deep blue that they call the Pacific. I highly contemplated traveling the extra distance today just to jump in to the frigid waters, to feel the accomplishment of traveling ocean to ocean. Unfortunately, unless I want to be freezing cold and wet tomorrow during my ride to Vancouver, I will have to wait until I get up to Vancouver to jump in.
According to local weather forecasts it sounds like it is going to be raining all tomorrow, and for the next week. Fortunately, it was supposed to be raining today and I didn't feel a drop! Maybe the weather people can be wrong for the rest of the week?
Since I got to sleep really early last night I woke up on my own and felt pretty good. I was happy to find that the food that I hung up on the pavilion beams was still there and no little creatures appeared to have tampered with it. Much to my dismay I found out that I had consumed all of the coconut milk and therefore could not have cereal like I had been looking forward too all night long! So, I improvised and ate some dry granola with a bowl of chili... I know, not much of a substitute. Nonetheless, still good! I was very happy to get an early start this morning and thought to myself that it may be a good idea to try and get to bed that early every night so I am as productive every morning.
As I was doing my morning duties, I happened to walk down by the river with all the dead fish of which I had convinced myself, the previous night, they were poisoned. As I took a closer look, during a time when there was actual light, I noticed that all the fish were salmon. Upon further examination of the waters at my feet, I noticed hundreds of live salmon swimming around. Heck, I said to myself, if I would have known that there were salmon I would have tried to catch a few for dinner last night (and filled up my water bottles).
The views of the countryside leading out of the Northern Cascades were gorgeous. I no longer had to worry about any massive climbs, the roads were newly paved (or so they seemed) and I knew that I did not have far to travel to the coast! All these circumstances lead to a very nice day of riding (not to mention that it was not raining!). I also knew that I could take my time getting into town because the people I was staying with were not going to be home till 5pm and I had a comparatively early start!
The day went by pretty fast and allowed for many pitstops along the way: coffee at Cascades Organics, browsing at a local bike store and even a lunch break on a bridge where I watched the salmon frolic around in the current. Overall, a great day!
Not to mention the Moffitt's hospitality. It is always great to have some good company and conversation at the ends of a days ride. Not to mention treating me with one of my favorite meals in the whole world: fresh caught salmon! What a way to be welcomed to the coast! Thanks you two!
Day 47 - Monday October 12th
Twisp, WA to Newhaven, WA
84.96 miles
6:25.24 hrs
38.4 max
13.2 avg
With the amount of climbing ahead of me today and the bitterness of the morning cold, it seemed as if today was going to last forever. Unlike yesterday, I knew what terrain was ahead of me and this allowed me to mentally prepare myself for it.
In the end, the day was not so bad. The scenery was gorgeous and with the smart purchase of handwarmers/toewarmers at the beginning of the day I did not feel like I was going to lose my fingers or toes on the long descents off the two passes. It did get very cold at the top of the passes and I would have been in some major trouble if I did not decide to splurge on the heating pouches.
Throughout most of the day I had the thought of a nice shower and warm bed to sleep in concluding my days journey. I was unhappily informed, about 20 miles outside of my final destination, that the town I was going to stop in that evening was not home to such a motel. This upset me thoroughly because it is supposed to rain tomorrow and I do not want to start the day out wet!
The man who gave me this information, a motorcyclist who pulled up beside me and continued to have a 5 min conversation as we glided alongside devil's lake, did locate a place for me to camp that night and gave me a great connection in Bellingham if I need it.
I stayed in a national park tonight, under a pavilion that would keep me out of the rain when it came overnight. I knew that this was not allowed but considering that there was one person on all of the campgrounds besides myself, what were they going to do? Kick me out? (what a rebel!) The camping was free, because there was no water and this unfortunately was not optimal given my low H2O situation! I was not overly worried due to the fact that there was fast and free flowing river no more than 20 yards from my camp site. After setting up camp I went down to the waters edge to find dead fish lining the shores. Not wanting to catch some deadly disease that would hospitalize me (my COBRA insurance has been "terminated" by the way) I decided to use my last water bottle sparingly instead of risk using a water filter.
After eating a great meal of chili, hanging up my food from a rafter on the outside of the pavilion and finishing my nightly routine I fell asleep very early (9pm). This early bed time was partially due to the fact that my mind was playing tricks on me about different animals that might attack me during the night, it was easier just to close my eyes. If it was not for the banks lined with fish I probably would have been a little more worried and maybe hung my food a couple campsites away.
84.96 miles
6:25.24 hrs
38.4 max
13.2 avg
With the amount of climbing ahead of me today and the bitterness of the morning cold, it seemed as if today was going to last forever. Unlike yesterday, I knew what terrain was ahead of me and this allowed me to mentally prepare myself for it.
In the end, the day was not so bad. The scenery was gorgeous and with the smart purchase of handwarmers/toewarmers at the beginning of the day I did not feel like I was going to lose my fingers or toes on the long descents off the two passes. It did get very cold at the top of the passes and I would have been in some major trouble if I did not decide to splurge on the heating pouches.
Throughout most of the day I had the thought of a nice shower and warm bed to sleep in concluding my days journey. I was unhappily informed, about 20 miles outside of my final destination, that the town I was going to stop in that evening was not home to such a motel. This upset me thoroughly because it is supposed to rain tomorrow and I do not want to start the day out wet!
The man who gave me this information, a motorcyclist who pulled up beside me and continued to have a 5 min conversation as we glided alongside devil's lake, did locate a place for me to camp that night and gave me a great connection in Bellingham if I need it.
I stayed in a national park tonight, under a pavilion that would keep me out of the rain when it came overnight. I knew that this was not allowed but considering that there was one person on all of the campgrounds besides myself, what were they going to do? Kick me out? (what a rebel!) The camping was free, because there was no water and this unfortunately was not optimal given my low H2O situation! I was not overly worried due to the fact that there was fast and free flowing river no more than 20 yards from my camp site. After setting up camp I went down to the waters edge to find dead fish lining the shores. Not wanting to catch some deadly disease that would hospitalize me (my COBRA insurance has been "terminated" by the way) I decided to use my last water bottle sparingly instead of risk using a water filter.
After eating a great meal of chili, hanging up my food from a rafter on the outside of the pavilion and finishing my nightly routine I fell asleep very early (9pm). This early bed time was partially due to the fact that my mind was playing tricks on me about different animals that might attack me during the night, it was easier just to close my eyes. If it was not for the banks lined with fish I probably would have been a little more worried and maybe hung my food a couple campsites away.
Day 46 - Sunday October 11th
Okanogan Family Fair to Twisp, WA
73.87 miles
5:49.24 hrs
36.6 max
12.6 avg
First off, this day was freakin' cold! Specifically at the end of my trip when I was rolling into Twisp well after sunset. I thought that today's ride was supposed to be downhill at first (13 miles) and then all flat from then on out. Boy, was I mistaken! Little did I know I had a 3100' climb near the end of my ride. I thought that I had plenty of time to dillydally around in Tonasket but I definitely paid for it later!
About 6 miles into climbing the 4000' pass I finally took out my map and realized what I had ahead of me and what time this would put me into Twisp. At this point though, there was no turning back. After going through the closest thing to hell that I have experienced on this trip, I decided to treat myself to a motel in Twisp. One redemption point of the night was that the grocery store I stopped at to pick up dinner had $1.99 10" peach pies that were delicious! I consumed half for dinner and half for breakfast. I also had other food as well, including a 1/2 off 2-lbs pre-cooked pork chop!
73.87 miles
5:49.24 hrs
36.6 max
12.6 avg
First off, this day was freakin' cold! Specifically at the end of my trip when I was rolling into Twisp well after sunset. I thought that today's ride was supposed to be downhill at first (13 miles) and then all flat from then on out. Boy, was I mistaken! Little did I know I had a 3100' climb near the end of my ride. I thought that I had plenty of time to dillydally around in Tonasket but I definitely paid for it later!
About 6 miles into climbing the 4000' pass I finally took out my map and realized what I had ahead of me and what time this would put me into Twisp. At this point though, there was no turning back. After going through the closest thing to hell that I have experienced on this trip, I decided to treat myself to a motel in Twisp. One redemption point of the night was that the grocery store I stopped at to pick up dinner had $1.99 10" peach pies that were delicious! I consumed half for dinner and half for breakfast. I also had other food as well, including a 1/2 off 2-lbs pre-cooked pork chop!
Saturday October 10th
At first I was only planning on staying at the fair for one night. It did not take much convincing to get me to stay an extra day! The combination of the need for a days rest, lack of sleep from the previous night and the cold temperatures in the morning made a convincing argument to spend another day with my new found friends.
Day 45 - Friday October 9th
Republic, WA to Okanogan Family Fair (13 miles East of Tanasket)
30.56 miles
2:41.34 hrs
35.8 max
11.3 avg
Not much to say about this day besides that the Okanogan Family Fair came a lot sooner into today's journey than expected. I thought that it was going to be in Tonasket, not 13 miles before Tonasket.
The people at the front gate of the fair liked the fact that I did not use any gas to get to the fair and they therefore waived the $40 camping cover. After locating the crew that I met the previous day, I quickly was assigned the name "Biker Dave". It was fun to spend the night in a fair atmosphere with live music, good food and good company!
30.56 miles
2:41.34 hrs
35.8 max
11.3 avg
Not much to say about this day besides that the Okanogan Family Fair came a lot sooner into today's journey than expected. I thought that it was going to be in Tonasket, not 13 miles before Tonasket.
The people at the front gate of the fair liked the fact that I did not use any gas to get to the fair and they therefore waived the $40 camping cover. After locating the crew that I met the previous day, I quickly was assigned the name "Biker Dave". It was fun to spend the night in a fair atmosphere with live music, good food and good company!
Day 44 - Thursday October 8th
Colville, WA to Republic, WA
61.00 miles
5:27.25 hrs
40.8 max
11.1 avg
Today was a great ride! I had a 5575' mountain that I thoroughly enjoyed climbing. While climbing I lost myself in thought and ascended 3/4 of the mountain, at a good rate, without even realizing it.
3 miles from the top of the climb I ran into a bus that was overheating. Post-inquiry of their troubles and destination, I had a bunch of people to hang out with (camp with) at the "family fair" in Tanasket, WA for the following couple days.
At the end of the day I was graciously granted a room at a local motel for $20. It is amazing how people will open up if you spend the time to converse and befriend them!
61.00 miles
5:27.25 hrs
40.8 max
11.1 avg
Today was a great ride! I had a 5575' mountain that I thoroughly enjoyed climbing. While climbing I lost myself in thought and ascended 3/4 of the mountain, at a good rate, without even realizing it.
3 miles from the top of the climb I ran into a bus that was overheating. Post-inquiry of their troubles and destination, I had a bunch of people to hang out with (camp with) at the "family fair" in Tanasket, WA for the following couple days.
At the end of the day I was graciously granted a room at a local motel for $20. It is amazing how people will open up if you spend the time to converse and befriend them!
Day 43 - Wednesday October 7th
Sandpoint, ID to Colville, WA
110.11 miles
7:33.39 hrs
35.5 max
14.5 avg
With a days rest under my belt, a new wheel, a new chain and a full belly I was ready to take the rest of the trip on with force! I had a few things to take care in town before I left and this lead to a late start, once again. The day was gorgeous and I was not worried about anything! I was heading towards the coast and was only one state away from completing an amazing feat in itself (cycling coast to coast).
I had a connection in Colville, WA from a dear friend and had a long way to to today. Of course with my late start and the recent loss of time via time zone change I had to accept the fact that I would be pulling into my final destination well after dark. It is now dark at 7pm and I was 20 miles, and a 2500 foot climb away from Emily's (friends contact's) house. As I climbed the mountain under the rubber of my tires I was spooked by a sudden ghostly white face looking at me from the ditch of the road. After collecting myself, I realized that the side of the roads were not fenced and there were random cows around many of the corners both in the ditches and on the road. At this point on my accent I was not using a headlight because there were no cars on the road and the stars and moon above were bright enough for me to see the road clearly. After a few of these scares from black cows with white faces, I decided to use my headlamp about half way up the accent.
Once I reached the top of the mountain, I was in awe of the stars and moon. The scenery must have been gorgeous during the day but there was no point in fretting over not seeing it because my experience that night was different than anything else I had seen thus far on the trip. It was so peaceful and meditative to be riding in such conditions. Not that you should meditate while riding a bike, in the cold and dark. If it was not so cold I would have loved to ride like that every night!
I pulled up to Emily's family's house cold, wet and with my legs feeling pretty worn out. It was about 8:30pm and was warmly welcomed by some great people! It was a pleasure to get to know the McBlair family. I appreciated the food and lodging they supplied immensely! They definitely went out of their way whenever they could to make sure I was in a good place. They also supplied me for some more potential connections for the rest of my trip. Many thank yous to the McBlair family!
110.11 miles
7:33.39 hrs
35.5 max
14.5 avg
With a days rest under my belt, a new wheel, a new chain and a full belly I was ready to take the rest of the trip on with force! I had a few things to take care in town before I left and this lead to a late start, once again. The day was gorgeous and I was not worried about anything! I was heading towards the coast and was only one state away from completing an amazing feat in itself (cycling coast to coast).
I had a connection in Colville, WA from a dear friend and had a long way to to today. Of course with my late start and the recent loss of time via time zone change I had to accept the fact that I would be pulling into my final destination well after dark. It is now dark at 7pm and I was 20 miles, and a 2500 foot climb away from Emily's (friends contact's) house. As I climbed the mountain under the rubber of my tires I was spooked by a sudden ghostly white face looking at me from the ditch of the road. After collecting myself, I realized that the side of the roads were not fenced and there were random cows around many of the corners both in the ditches and on the road. At this point on my accent I was not using a headlight because there were no cars on the road and the stars and moon above were bright enough for me to see the road clearly. After a few of these scares from black cows with white faces, I decided to use my headlamp about half way up the accent.
Once I reached the top of the mountain, I was in awe of the stars and moon. The scenery must have been gorgeous during the day but there was no point in fretting over not seeing it because my experience that night was different than anything else I had seen thus far on the trip. It was so peaceful and meditative to be riding in such conditions. Not that you should meditate while riding a bike, in the cold and dark. If it was not so cold I would have loved to ride like that every night!
I pulled up to Emily's family's house cold, wet and with my legs feeling pretty worn out. It was about 8:30pm and was warmly welcomed by some great people! It was a pleasure to get to know the McBlair family. I appreciated the food and lodging they supplied immensely! They definitely went out of their way whenever they could to make sure I was in a good place. They also supplied me for some more potential connections for the rest of my trip. Many thank yous to the McBlair family!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Tuesday October 6th
I spent the day exploring Sandpoint while I was waiting for my new rear wheel to come in. Karen's friend Krista and her family were great to hang out with. This was a great resting place for me as Krista and her family are avid travelers and really opened my eyes to some things on and about my trip that I have overlooked. My trip was coming together and I was continuing to further my understanding of the importance of this endeavour; both for myself and for others.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Day 42 - Monday October 5th
Thompson Falls, MT to Sandpoint, ID
90.24 miles
6:05.48 hrs
30.3 max
14.7 avg
What an interesting day! When I started the day out, about 10 min into my ride, as I was leaving the town of Thompson Falls, MT, I noticed an increased cyclic noise coming from my rear wheel. I noticed a lower decible cyclic noise the previous day but when I looked briefly at the wheel I did not notice anything significant. Today, the amplitude of the noise was 10 fold. I immediately stopped and thoroughly examined my wheel. I found that the seam of the wheel had fractured and the wall of the rim had peeled away from the tire like a corner of a sheet of paper being lifted off the surface of a table. I spent the majority of the morning trying to located a bike shop in the local area and with little luck I was told that the nearest shop was in Sandpoint, ID (90 miles away).
I got in touch with one of the bike shops in Sandpoint and had them order a new wheel. Of course it was going to take 2 days to get it in so I was forced to take a break in Sandpoint, ID. The bike shop told me that the wheel that I had should still be under warrenty and that Trek should replace it for free. Since I am on tour, this was not that easy and I opted to order a new wheel and lose one day versus waiting 2 weeks for Trek to send me a new wheel.
With little to lose (the wheel was already past repair) I changed the tire back to an old defective tire and performed ductape surgery on my rim. After placing the "fixed" wheel back on the bike I rode off with the rear brake unconnected.
Two broken spokes later I pulled into Sandpoint, ID with news that I passed my mom's cousin's house about 10 miles back. This was on purpose as nobody informed me that I had relatives in this area. After a phonecall from my mom I connected up with my mothers cousin Karen and she gave me a contact to stay with in Sandpoint while I waited for my wheel arrive.
90.24 miles
6:05.48 hrs
30.3 max
14.7 avg
What an interesting day! When I started the day out, about 10 min into my ride, as I was leaving the town of Thompson Falls, MT, I noticed an increased cyclic noise coming from my rear wheel. I noticed a lower decible cyclic noise the previous day but when I looked briefly at the wheel I did not notice anything significant. Today, the amplitude of the noise was 10 fold. I immediately stopped and thoroughly examined my wheel. I found that the seam of the wheel had fractured and the wall of the rim had peeled away from the tire like a corner of a sheet of paper being lifted off the surface of a table. I spent the majority of the morning trying to located a bike shop in the local area and with little luck I was told that the nearest shop was in Sandpoint, ID (90 miles away).
I got in touch with one of the bike shops in Sandpoint and had them order a new wheel. Of course it was going to take 2 days to get it in so I was forced to take a break in Sandpoint, ID. The bike shop told me that the wheel that I had should still be under warrenty and that Trek should replace it for free. Since I am on tour, this was not that easy and I opted to order a new wheel and lose one day versus waiting 2 weeks for Trek to send me a new wheel.
With little to lose (the wheel was already past repair) I changed the tire back to an old defective tire and performed ductape surgery on my rim. After placing the "fixed" wheel back on the bike I rode off with the rear brake unconnected.
Two broken spokes later I pulled into Sandpoint, ID with news that I passed my mom's cousin's house about 10 miles back. This was on purpose as nobody informed me that I had relatives in this area. After a phonecall from my mom I connected up with my mothers cousin Karen and she gave me a contact to stay with in Sandpoint while I waited for my wheel arrive.
Day 41 - Sunday October 4th
Missoula, MT to Thompson Falls, MT
111.27 miles
7:13.09 hrs
36.2 max
15.4 avg
With the cold weather moving in fast and snow falling in the mountains the course of action has changed for my route. I, sadly, am no longer going up to Glacier National Park. Instead I am taking route 200 from Missoula, MT towards Sandpoint, ID.
The ride today was very gloomy. I felt very poor for the first half of the trip. It must have been a combination of weather and stress from the trip. Or, it could very well have been from the snickers bars that I consumed in the early morning. I have noticed the effect that candy bars and nutritionally deficient food has on my body.
As I was pedalling along, the scenery along the river kept getting better and better. There are many moments of this trip that are engraved in my memory for eternity! It would have been an unbelievable ride if the weather was a little different. If the temperature was raised 20 degrees and the sun was out I can't imagine much better of a ride!
Tonight I am staying with a connection I made on CouchSurfing.com. They have put me up in a little cabin in the woods and it is great to be able to cook my own food on a real stove and have a 'large' space (comparative to my tent) where I can relax on my own. Thank you to the Gross family for allowing me to stay in your cabin, supplying me with some food and good company!
111.27 miles
7:13.09 hrs
36.2 max
15.4 avg
With the cold weather moving in fast and snow falling in the mountains the course of action has changed for my route. I, sadly, am no longer going up to Glacier National Park. Instead I am taking route 200 from Missoula, MT towards Sandpoint, ID.
The ride today was very gloomy. I felt very poor for the first half of the trip. It must have been a combination of weather and stress from the trip. Or, it could very well have been from the snickers bars that I consumed in the early morning. I have noticed the effect that candy bars and nutritionally deficient food has on my body.
As I was pedalling along, the scenery along the river kept getting better and better. There are many moments of this trip that are engraved in my memory for eternity! It would have been an unbelievable ride if the weather was a little different. If the temperature was raised 20 degrees and the sun was out I can't imagine much better of a ride!
Tonight I am staying with a connection I made on CouchSurfing.com. They have put me up in a little cabin in the woods and it is great to be able to cook my own food on a real stove and have a 'large' space (comparative to my tent) where I can relax on my own. Thank you to the Gross family for allowing me to stay in your cabin, supplying me with some food and good company!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Day 40 - Saturday October 3rd
Helena, MT to Missoula, MT
142.73 miles
9:05.56 hrs
43.6 max
15.6 avg
Even though I broke my record for the longest ride in a day I am too exhausted to really think anything about it. The day started out with a decent size climb (1800') and then it was pretty much down hill from there. OR so I thought!!! When I turned north northwest onto 141 I was greeted by a couple hills to climb and a nasty side wind that prevented me from cruising along at the 20 mph that I have been starting to become accustomed to. The 33 miles on this stretch of 141 tool way longer than I hoped and was not fun!
What was fun was cruising along at 22-25 mph on route 200 into Missoula. With a strong back wind, and a slight descent, I was able to make great time during this portion of the trip. If it was not for the climb at the beginning of the day and the strong side wind on 141 I would not have been surprised if my average speed would have ended up around 22 mph.
Erica Weekes was able to hook me up in Missoula with a place to stay. Noah and Lydia are great hosts and are very fun people to talk to. Thank you so much for allowing me to stay at your place! I really appreciate it!
Tomorrow it looks like I will have favorable winds out of the East South East! Maybe another day of high pace. Hopefully I can take a little time tomorrow downtown Missoula to check out the sites since I did not get in today until dark. Oh, did you know that T-mobile does not work in Missoula? WTF? I guess Verizon has a monopoly on this area or something. Hopefully tomorrow afternoon I will have reception.
The article that came out in the Hudson Star Observer came out last Thursday and I finally got to see/read it! It feels pretty good to be in the news. I am not used to be putting in the spotlight like that. I have received a comment from someone in Hudson who read the article, looked up my website and gave me some encouraging words! Hopefully more people will read the article and get involved!
One more thing that I spend my time thinking about on a daily basis: How can I raise more money for this cause? If anyone has any bright ideas please let me know. I am thinking of having a dinner fundraiser when the trip is through. That will raise some money but not nearly enough! Whoever comes up with the best idea I will take out to dinner when the trip is over!
Enough of my random babble! Time for bed... Peace out!
Friday, October 2, 2009
Day 39 - Friday October 2nd
Bozeman, MT to Helena, MT
112.59 miles
6:40.50 hrs
30.7 max
16.8 avg
As I hit the road this morning I quickly noticed how cold my hands got and thought that I must stop somewhere and purchase some gloves that are a little more adaptable to the colder conditions. I opted for some cross country ski gloves because they are light weight, wind proof and provide a decent amount of insulation. As always making a decision on which ones to buy was difficult for me as I hate making wrong decisions. I found a store that actually had the gloves on sale 25% off! It is not that they were all that expensive to begin with but it always makes you feel better when you find what you need on sale. I would have liked to get some water proof gloves but in order to do so I would have had to spend in excess of $60 and I was not about to do that. I will just have to utilize the inexpensive plastic bags from a gas station next time it starts raining!
Of course as soon as I purchased the gloves and stepped outside it was much warmer out and I really didn't need to wear the gloves I had just purchased... but I did anyways. Well, at least for about 20 min until I really started sweating and didn't want to make the soaking wet. I would like to use my new gloves for something so that I feel like I made a good purchase but at the same time, if I never had to use them I would be pretty darn lucky!
People are asking me what I tend to think about during those long hours on the road. So, to give you a little insight to my thought processes while biking I will list off some of the topics that I thought about today and typically think about a little bit every day.
Career - I thought a lot about graduate school, specifically dental school and how this trip is preventing me from applying for the Fall 2010 semester at University of Minnesota. This topic sometimes makes me question if I should be doing this trip or concentrating on my future a little bit more. This trip is a dream for me but so is going back to school and doing something that I love. Maybe this trip is to prevent me from going back to school for a while so that I can explore and learn more about myself. I will be looking (not actively) for an opportunity to present itself that explains why it is that dental school may not be in my future, at least for Fall 2010.
Relocation - I thought about where it is that I want to go after I finish this trip. There are specific destinations that I need to visit in order to collect my life again but there is a lot up in the air about where in the US I will locate myself after this trip. I am nowhere near figuring this one out but things tend to shape up a little more every day.
History - There is a lot of time on the road to think about my past. My past jobs, past relationships, past choices. It is good to think about these things so that I can come to terms with myself on the decisions that I have made in life thus far. It allows me to hopefully realize where things may have gone wrong or what I could have potentially done to resolve a conflict or what I may have done different if I could do it all over again.
Oh crap! (enter object found on road here)! - This is a common thought that crosses my mind when I am pondering other things. It typically comes tot me in a dramatic, frantic and very expressive fashion. I guess that is gods way of saying "Pay attention to the road idiot!". It is never that dramatic but I think you get the picture. When I am looking around at the gorgeous scenery or deep in thought I sometimes may get distracted from the important task of watching the road in front of me. I have only run over 2 forms of roadkill thus far. One was a possum and the other was a dead bird. Hopefully I won't make that a common occurrence. When I am not lost in thought I am very frequently looking at the road, looking at my "rear view" mirror for cars and then repeating the process over, and over, and over again!
I thought about what I would be doing right now if I was not sitting on the bike for 6 hours a day peddling. This one is an open book because the options are endless. I could be in numerous places doing numerous things. It is kind of fun to think about this one, except for when I come up with one that I really would like to be doing at the moment instead of biking.
I think about my future in general and what I want out of life. I analyze what is important to me and try to visualize myself in different situations to see if I would be happy doing "x" and "y".
I think about finances and if I can afford to do this trip. I think about bills that I have to pay. I think about sports. I think about my family. I think about my friends. I think about what others are going through in life. I think about what I am going to eat next. I think about when I will have to stop at the bathroom next. I think about where I am going to sleep that night (when I don't already know and have decided to wing it, which is pretty often). I think about where the next possible place is that I am going to go that has bears (there is money on the table that I am going to be eaten by a bear). I think about happiness. I think about sadness. I think about how I want to live my life! And that is about it... If I change demeanor and start to think about important things while biking, I will let you know. What would you be thinking about if you were on a bike for 6-8 hours a day? Send me your thoughts to 7153381039 via text or email me at dlshirley@gmail.com. I will be able to reply to both while I am on the road (thank you blackberry).
The rest of my day went pretty well. I kept shedding layers and my pace was outstanding! After about 2 hours of cycling (my typical warm up cycle) I maintained a pace of at least 21+ mph for a good 2-3 hours. Once I stopped to use the rest room it took me a little while to get back into that pace but when I pulled into Helena, MT my average pace was 17.1 mph. When I started out I thought that I was holding a great pace when I was going 14-15 mph for a brief moment in time. It has now developed into thinking that 18-20 mph is a great pace and 14-15 is lagging! I wonder what my pace will be when I finish my trip?
As it has been brought up, my route has changed a little. Due to the weather I will no longer be going up to Glacier National Park and will be trying to find ways to get to the coast faster. With winter fast approaching in the Rockies it would be wise of me to stay as low as possible and out of the high altitudes so that I do not lose my fingers and toes. This means that the total length of the trip will most likely change. I have not really analyzed the route yet but it could be increased or decreased length and duration by the path I so choose. I also have decided that I will not be riding in rain, at least until I get to the coast. I do not want to die of hypothermia, although that would mean that someone could win some money from the 'going to be eaten by a bear bet'!
Tonight I slumber in the Cortez family household. They are relatives of my friend Sharron's husband. Thank you to both families for allowing me to stay in Helena tonight! It is very much appreciated!
Goodnight all!
112.59 miles
6:40.50 hrs
30.7 max
16.8 avg
As I hit the road this morning I quickly noticed how cold my hands got and thought that I must stop somewhere and purchase some gloves that are a little more adaptable to the colder conditions. I opted for some cross country ski gloves because they are light weight, wind proof and provide a decent amount of insulation. As always making a decision on which ones to buy was difficult for me as I hate making wrong decisions. I found a store that actually had the gloves on sale 25% off! It is not that they were all that expensive to begin with but it always makes you feel better when you find what you need on sale. I would have liked to get some water proof gloves but in order to do so I would have had to spend in excess of $60 and I was not about to do that. I will just have to utilize the inexpensive plastic bags from a gas station next time it starts raining!
Of course as soon as I purchased the gloves and stepped outside it was much warmer out and I really didn't need to wear the gloves I had just purchased... but I did anyways. Well, at least for about 20 min until I really started sweating and didn't want to make the soaking wet. I would like to use my new gloves for something so that I feel like I made a good purchase but at the same time, if I never had to use them I would be pretty darn lucky!
People are asking me what I tend to think about during those long hours on the road. So, to give you a little insight to my thought processes while biking I will list off some of the topics that I thought about today and typically think about a little bit every day.
Career - I thought a lot about graduate school, specifically dental school and how this trip is preventing me from applying for the Fall 2010 semester at University of Minnesota. This topic sometimes makes me question if I should be doing this trip or concentrating on my future a little bit more. This trip is a dream for me but so is going back to school and doing something that I love. Maybe this trip is to prevent me from going back to school for a while so that I can explore and learn more about myself. I will be looking (not actively) for an opportunity to present itself that explains why it is that dental school may not be in my future, at least for Fall 2010.
Relocation - I thought about where it is that I want to go after I finish this trip. There are specific destinations that I need to visit in order to collect my life again but there is a lot up in the air about where in the US I will locate myself after this trip. I am nowhere near figuring this one out but things tend to shape up a little more every day.
History - There is a lot of time on the road to think about my past. My past jobs, past relationships, past choices. It is good to think about these things so that I can come to terms with myself on the decisions that I have made in life thus far. It allows me to hopefully realize where things may have gone wrong or what I could have potentially done to resolve a conflict or what I may have done different if I could do it all over again.
Oh crap! (enter object found on road here)! - This is a common thought that crosses my mind when I am pondering other things. It typically comes tot me in a dramatic, frantic and very expressive fashion. I guess that is gods way of saying "Pay attention to the road idiot!". It is never that dramatic but I think you get the picture. When I am looking around at the gorgeous scenery or deep in thought I sometimes may get distracted from the important task of watching the road in front of me. I have only run over 2 forms of roadkill thus far. One was a possum and the other was a dead bird. Hopefully I won't make that a common occurrence. When I am not lost in thought I am very frequently looking at the road, looking at my "rear view" mirror for cars and then repeating the process over, and over, and over again!
I thought about what I would be doing right now if I was not sitting on the bike for 6 hours a day peddling. This one is an open book because the options are endless. I could be in numerous places doing numerous things. It is kind of fun to think about this one, except for when I come up with one that I really would like to be doing at the moment instead of biking.
I think about my future in general and what I want out of life. I analyze what is important to me and try to visualize myself in different situations to see if I would be happy doing "x" and "y".
I think about finances and if I can afford to do this trip. I think about bills that I have to pay. I think about sports. I think about my family. I think about my friends. I think about what others are going through in life. I think about what I am going to eat next. I think about when I will have to stop at the bathroom next. I think about where I am going to sleep that night (when I don't already know and have decided to wing it, which is pretty often). I think about where the next possible place is that I am going to go that has bears (there is money on the table that I am going to be eaten by a bear). I think about happiness. I think about sadness. I think about how I want to live my life! And that is about it... If I change demeanor and start to think about important things while biking, I will let you know. What would you be thinking about if you were on a bike for 6-8 hours a day? Send me your thoughts to 7153381039 via text or email me at dlshirley@gmail.com. I will be able to reply to both while I am on the road (thank you blackberry).
The rest of my day went pretty well. I kept shedding layers and my pace was outstanding! After about 2 hours of cycling (my typical warm up cycle) I maintained a pace of at least 21+ mph for a good 2-3 hours. Once I stopped to use the rest room it took me a little while to get back into that pace but when I pulled into Helena, MT my average pace was 17.1 mph. When I started out I thought that I was holding a great pace when I was going 14-15 mph for a brief moment in time. It has now developed into thinking that 18-20 mph is a great pace and 14-15 is lagging! I wonder what my pace will be when I finish my trip?
As it has been brought up, my route has changed a little. Due to the weather I will no longer be going up to Glacier National Park and will be trying to find ways to get to the coast faster. With winter fast approaching in the Rockies it would be wise of me to stay as low as possible and out of the high altitudes so that I do not lose my fingers and toes. This means that the total length of the trip will most likely change. I have not really analyzed the route yet but it could be increased or decreased length and duration by the path I so choose. I also have decided that I will not be riding in rain, at least until I get to the coast. I do not want to die of hypothermia, although that would mean that someone could win some money from the 'going to be eaten by a bear bet'!
Tonight I slumber in the Cortez family household. They are relatives of my friend Sharron's husband. Thank you to both families for allowing me to stay in Helena tonight! It is very much appreciated!
Goodnight all!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Day 38 - Thursday October 1st
Mammouth, WY (Gardiner, MT) to Bozeman, MT
89.32 miles
6:33.19hrs
26.7 max
13.6 avg
This morning I woke up and felt amazingly well! I did not have trouble getting out of bed and was eager to see what the day had to offer. It did take me a little while to get everything together and packed up because my bike was outside and all my gear was scattered out in the basement of the church. Well, it wasn't scattered all around but I wanted to make sure that I had it all very organized for when I set out on the road again.
After saying adieu to Sally and Jim, I calmly road by the heard of elk on the motel lawn next door and gazed up at the snow capped mountains that surrounded me. I spent a little extra time in town to call my father and give him an update that everything was alright and I was deciding to continue on my way. I know that everyone thought that I was snowed in but that was not the case.
Due to the previous days experiences with the weather I made sure that I had plastic bags to put over my socks and hands in case it started to rain. Rain was not really expected in the forecast but I was not going to take any more chances. To make sure I was warm I was also wearing, an underarmour sleaveless shirt and arm warmers under a polar fleece long sleave shirt under a cycling jersey under a heavy duty cycling rain jacket under a windproof/water resistant vest. I had legwarmers on with cycling shorts under my rain pants. I wore a thick pair of wool socks with my shoes and toe warmers over my shoes. I put my extra large pearl izumi gel biking gloves over my wind proof cycling gloves and with that combination, I was very warm. I tried to get a feel for how cold of conditions I could bike in with this setup but I did not know the current temperature to guage it by. I would say that I could probably bike in 40-45 degree weather fairly comfortably with all that gear on. I might have to stop at Walmart and buy a temperature guage for my own safety.
The day was gorgeous! The mountains were beautiful and leading all the way up to Livingston I had a slight tail wind which allowed me to make great time. Besides a flat tire (my rear tire has now been replaced along with the tube) and the cold at the top of the pass leading into Bozeman... it was a great day! My legs are now a little sore after climbing to the pass. I just hope that they will hold up for tomorrow's ride to Helena (107 miles I believe but there are no large climbs!)
As you can see, I am changing up my route a little bit. I am no longer looking strictly for the scenic route and am highly considering elevation changes due to the cold. Mountain passes no longer look like a good challenge. They are more of a dangerous misshappening that will slow my pace and prevent me from making good time. It is unfortunate that things have come down to this but I don't think that Glacier National Park is a wise choice for travel as well. I will have to see how the next few days go and if the weather starts to turn around or not but I am not expecting it to be sunny and 70 any more.
Tonight I am staying with a guy I met on Couchsurfing.com. It is a great site that I would highly recommend trying if you are looking to do some travel and can't afford a hotel or just want to meet some amazing people. Alex gave me a place to stay and his roommate made a great pasta meal to boot! Hopefully I can utilize this website more often for this trip, at least until I get to the coast where temperatures are a little better for camping.
I just ran the figures on my average mileage for the trip thus far and I come in at just shy of 83 miles per day of riding.
89.32 miles
6:33.19hrs
26.7 max
13.6 avg
This morning I woke up and felt amazingly well! I did not have trouble getting out of bed and was eager to see what the day had to offer. It did take me a little while to get everything together and packed up because my bike was outside and all my gear was scattered out in the basement of the church. Well, it wasn't scattered all around but I wanted to make sure that I had it all very organized for when I set out on the road again.
After saying adieu to Sally and Jim, I calmly road by the heard of elk on the motel lawn next door and gazed up at the snow capped mountains that surrounded me. I spent a little extra time in town to call my father and give him an update that everything was alright and I was deciding to continue on my way. I know that everyone thought that I was snowed in but that was not the case.
Due to the previous days experiences with the weather I made sure that I had plastic bags to put over my socks and hands in case it started to rain. Rain was not really expected in the forecast but I was not going to take any more chances. To make sure I was warm I was also wearing, an underarmour sleaveless shirt and arm warmers under a polar fleece long sleave shirt under a cycling jersey under a heavy duty cycling rain jacket under a windproof/water resistant vest. I had legwarmers on with cycling shorts under my rain pants. I wore a thick pair of wool socks with my shoes and toe warmers over my shoes. I put my extra large pearl izumi gel biking gloves over my wind proof cycling gloves and with that combination, I was very warm. I tried to get a feel for how cold of conditions I could bike in with this setup but I did not know the current temperature to guage it by. I would say that I could probably bike in 40-45 degree weather fairly comfortably with all that gear on. I might have to stop at Walmart and buy a temperature guage for my own safety.
The day was gorgeous! The mountains were beautiful and leading all the way up to Livingston I had a slight tail wind which allowed me to make great time. Besides a flat tire (my rear tire has now been replaced along with the tube) and the cold at the top of the pass leading into Bozeman... it was a great day! My legs are now a little sore after climbing to the pass. I just hope that they will hold up for tomorrow's ride to Helena (107 miles I believe but there are no large climbs!)
As you can see, I am changing up my route a little bit. I am no longer looking strictly for the scenic route and am highly considering elevation changes due to the cold. Mountain passes no longer look like a good challenge. They are more of a dangerous misshappening that will slow my pace and prevent me from making good time. It is unfortunate that things have come down to this but I don't think that Glacier National Park is a wise choice for travel as well. I will have to see how the next few days go and if the weather starts to turn around or not but I am not expecting it to be sunny and 70 any more.
Tonight I am staying with a guy I met on Couchsurfing.com. It is a great site that I would highly recommend trying if you are looking to do some travel and can't afford a hotel or just want to meet some amazing people. Alex gave me a place to stay and his roommate made a great pasta meal to boot! Hopefully I can utilize this website more often for this trip, at least until I get to the coast where temperatures are a little better for camping.
I just ran the figures on my average mileage for the trip thus far and I come in at just shy of 83 miles per day of riding.
Wednesday, September 30th
I woke up early this morning to hit the road with the goal of at least making it to Livingston, MT. After packing up my gear along with my wet tent, I made it all of 5 miles to Gardiner, MT before my hands and feet were wet and cold and my face hurt from getting pelted by the miniature hail coming down!
For this reason I decided that I would stop in Gardiner and do some online research of the current and forecasted weather. This was very difficult because it was a small town and every place that had computers with internet service was charging by the minute. I then proceeded to look for a pair of waterproof gloves (of which I could not find) and some plastic bags to put between my socks and shoes to prevent my feet from getting wet. I was able to obtain some plastic bags but no place in town seemed to have air dryers in their bathrooms of which I could dry my socks. Eventually I happened to talk the people at the Best Western to allow me to use their business center computer so that I was not left stranded in this city without anywhere to sleep/go. After researching the weather/hotel rates/people in the area that I might know or someone I know might know... I decided that I was just going to have to suck it up and get a hotel room. I was checked in upon at this time by the desk clerk. She wanted to know if I had found anything ... she also wanted to inform me that they usually charge non-guests to use the computer and wanted to make sure that I was actually doing what I was saying I was doing. I appologized to her for taking so long and explained to her that I was not having much luck and she said that I could go ahead and use it as long as I needed.
As I left the computer lab, 10 min later, the clerk asked again if everything was alright and I gave her a little more information on my situation. You know ... birthday, westyellowstone, cancer research, etc. She then told me of the church down the street that sometimes would allow people to stay overnight if in need. I thanked her for this information and headed in the church's direction.
Long story short, I stayed at the church, met some great people and had an overall pleasant experience. Unfortuneatley I did not have such a great first impression with the paster of the church but that story will have to come another time. Don't worry, the pastor and myself are now on good terms!
For this reason I decided that I would stop in Gardiner and do some online research of the current and forecasted weather. This was very difficult because it was a small town and every place that had computers with internet service was charging by the minute. I then proceeded to look for a pair of waterproof gloves (of which I could not find) and some plastic bags to put between my socks and shoes to prevent my feet from getting wet. I was able to obtain some plastic bags but no place in town seemed to have air dryers in their bathrooms of which I could dry my socks. Eventually I happened to talk the people at the Best Western to allow me to use their business center computer so that I was not left stranded in this city without anywhere to sleep/go. After researching the weather/hotel rates/people in the area that I might know or someone I know might know... I decided that I was just going to have to suck it up and get a hotel room. I was checked in upon at this time by the desk clerk. She wanted to know if I had found anything ... she also wanted to inform me that they usually charge non-guests to use the computer and wanted to make sure that I was actually doing what I was saying I was doing. I appologized to her for taking so long and explained to her that I was not having much luck and she said that I could go ahead and use it as long as I needed.
As I left the computer lab, 10 min later, the clerk asked again if everything was alright and I gave her a little more information on my situation. You know ... birthday, westyellowstone, cancer research, etc. She then told me of the church down the street that sometimes would allow people to stay overnight if in need. I thanked her for this information and headed in the church's direction.
Long story short, I stayed at the church, met some great people and had an overall pleasant experience. Unfortuneatley I did not have such a great first impression with the paster of the church but that story will have to come another time. Don't worry, the pastor and myself are now on good terms!
Day 37 - Tuesday September 29th
Cody, WY to Mammouth, WY
73.13 miles
5:11.42 hrs
41 max
14.o avg
Due to the fire in Yellowstone and the inability to camp on the eastern side of the park, Jim and Mary drove me up just inside the Eastern gate of Yellowstone and saw me off. It was such a pleasure to meet the Hilger family and I really appreciate everything that they did for me!
With the wildfires burning in the park the air smelled of smoke and made it a little difficult to breathe! I did not let this ruin my day because, after all, it is my birthday! I could not have asked for better weather. The temperature was 60 degrees and the sun was shining! I saw tons of wildlife and met some really cool people. I of course took my time getting through the park and made MANY stops! I was very happy to be in Yellowstone on my birthday. It would have been amazing to see Old Faithful on my birthday and stay in West Yellowstone at a BandB that I had set up but for some reason God did not have that in my cards. Instead he pushed me North towards Mammouth, MT where I ended up having a lovely dinner and spending the night at a campground that only cost me $5 because I was on a bike (Why don't more camp grounds do that?)!
I am now a Quarter of a Century old! Yikes!
73.13 miles
5:11.42 hrs
41 max
14.o avg
Due to the fire in Yellowstone and the inability to camp on the eastern side of the park, Jim and Mary drove me up just inside the Eastern gate of Yellowstone and saw me off. It was such a pleasure to meet the Hilger family and I really appreciate everything that they did for me!
With the wildfires burning in the park the air smelled of smoke and made it a little difficult to breathe! I did not let this ruin my day because, after all, it is my birthday! I could not have asked for better weather. The temperature was 60 degrees and the sun was shining! I saw tons of wildlife and met some really cool people. I of course took my time getting through the park and made MANY stops! I was very happy to be in Yellowstone on my birthday. It would have been amazing to see Old Faithful on my birthday and stay in West Yellowstone at a BandB that I had set up but for some reason God did not have that in my cards. Instead he pushed me North towards Mammouth, MT where I ended up having a lovely dinner and spending the night at a campground that only cost me $5 because I was on a bike (Why don't more camp grounds do that?)!
I am now a Quarter of a Century old! Yikes!
Monday September 28th
I spent today exploring Cody, WY. Through Mr. Hilger, I received free admission into the Cody Museum and had a splendid time. I biked around the city checking out the area and could have spent WAY too much money at the Sierra Trading Post! Don't worry, I didn't spend anything, I just wanted to! The day and weather are gorgeous and it was fun to have an extra day with the Hilgers! Thank you for everything Jim and Mary! Next time I am in the area I will definitely look you up, and I hope that you do the same!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
