Down The Cascades, Almost There

We left our host home on the outskirts of town with cloudy skies and a light drizzle of rain. Our wonderful hosts, Steve and Karen, made us an enormous and delicious breakfast of eggs, pepper bacon, and waffles. Almost a mile down the road I noticed the same tire on Sauder’s bike that has been giving us problems was wobbling again, another loose spoke. We pulled into Sisters and were lucky to find a bike shop open on Sunday. We spend about a hour fixing the wheel and repacking our things. By the time we were on the road again it was 11 o’clock. This had us worried because we were planning on doing 100 miles to the town of Albany, but we also had some pretty large climbs over the Cascades.

Almost straight out of Sisters we began to climb up the Cascades. Traffic was heavy on the route but the wide shoulders provided us with some sense of security. Our route included two mountain passes. We conquered our first peak winded but relatively ready for some miles, we noticed dark clouds building around us, which meant rain. The descent after the first pass was incredibly steep, we hit speeds past 40 mph before we leveled out at the bottom. We also noticed around this time, 20 miles in, that we had completely forgot to pack any significant amount of food. Digging in our bags we came across a few packs of peanuts and some energy gel packets. After a few miles of flat to rolling roads, we began our second climb, the last out of the Cascades and into the valleys on Oregon’s west coast. It was chilly and raining, something we are getting used to. The forests around us were filled with tall Juniper and Ponderosa pines which seemed to reach as high was the surrounding mountain peaks. We climbed for what seemed like a long time until we reached a sign , 6% grade for 11 miles. We had thought we had only had 4 miles left to the top, now it appeared to be 11, at 6% grades. We hunkered down for a long climb.

However, the road began to fall, we misinterpreted the signs as indicated a climb, not a descent. For the next 11 miles we flew down the cascades, winding around mountain sides and hoping we would not crash. It was raining hard at the same time making visibility through our sunglasses very limited. Traffics was moderate as well so we had to be on guard for everything from gravel to potholes to sharp turns. I never have experienced going downhill for so long at such a speed. We traveled 11 miles in 20 minutes, a new record in my mind. We went from high mountain forest of pines to a an almost rainforest environment. The rain on this side of the cascades was much more intense than the east side. Within minutes we were soaked. Our panniers barely keeping our things dry. By this time we were at 50 miles and had only eat a few peanuts, were quite hungry. We rode another 20 miles before we finally found a place to eat.

Long story short, we made it to our destination right before dark. We are staying with a mutual roommate’s family in Albany, OR. I can almost smell the Ocean from here. We are 67 miles from the finish of this long journey and I am somewhat nervous about ending it. Since we traveled 104 miles yesterday we are taking a rest day here. We have a few days to kill before we fly home so urgency to get anything done is low. So that was our day yesterday, today will be a lazy day for us, a much needed lazy day. Here are some pictures. 

Going up

Coming down

3 Days In Oregon

We have finally made it to some remnant of civilization, if civilization is defined by cell phone service, McDonald’s and Internet access. So that explains the lack of updates for the past few days.  So I will recount the past few days and events.

                 The last you heard of us we were staying the night after a long cold day in Mt Vernon OR. While we were planning to ride the next day, we were so comfortable where we were staying at in the Bike Inn, that we convinced ourselves to take a much wanted but not needed rest day. It was good to wake up knowing that the day ahead would consist of being lazy and grazing on food. We had made 6 grilled ham and cheese sandwiches for the road before we decided to take a rest day. We popped in a an old VHS movie, Gladiator, and sat eating our sandwiches. Because the Bike Inn runs off donations, the owner asked us to mow her lawn. Within an hour we had fulfilled our donation and the property had a freshly mowed law. Afternoon snack consisted of a pint of ice cream each and another movie. We had supper at the local café, burger and fries and milkshakes. At the end of the day, we were horrified at how much food we ate.

                Waking up the next morning I could not have kicked myself harder for deciding to take a rest day the day prior. It was cold and rainy with a mild headwind, far from the warm sunny day we decided to rest on. Regardless, we pressed on toward the small town of Mitchell. We had heard there was free camping. We met up with a brother and sister from Cincinnati doing the cross American trail. We chatted for a long time with them exchanging blog information. Soon we were passing cyclists every 5 or 10 minutes.   We stopped at a gas station to pick up some lunch and water. The parking lot greated us with over 30 other bikers. They were part of supported cross country tour, mainly consisting of older retirement aged people.  We got to chatting with one couple, surprisingly the man routinely cycled past rosedale, a small world it is. We ended up climbing for most of the day, weaving through red rock canyons and their winding creeks. The descent into Mitchel was long and steep, a good reward for a day of climbing. Mitchel is more like a little village than a town. Because it lies on the trans am trail, they have allowed free camping in the city park. Pulling in the town was surprisingly busy. Music was blaring from local cafe, which was  de facto the local bar, and men and women in leather and chaps were milling around the center of town.  Apparently, an annual party of motorcyclists was in town, equipped with large amounts of alcohol as well as food. It was soon apparent that it would be hard getting to sleep.

The alcohol fueled environment did however, make these intimating  strangers quite friendly. Our neighbors in the park invited us to their camp site, shoved bratwursts and beer into our hands and hounded us with many questions about the ride and more than enough advice about upcoming sites and routes. Also camping in the park was an Italian man exploring the US. Our drunk neighbor war more than excited to find out he was from Italy. Maximilian, an Italian mortician, wore a cowboy hat and spoke with the most stereotypical accent I have ever heard. I’m sure if you would have cut off his hands, he would have had a speech impediment.  It was nice being able to socialize with people than ourselves. We went to bed full of food and ready to sleep.

We left Mitchell knowing that we had a long day of climbing. The sun was out in full force, which while better than rain and cold, it made climbing slightly uncomfortable. A few water bottles later, we finally crested the top. We were disappointed that our reward was not a steep fall like what we just climbed, but rather a long and gradual descent. We chased a small creek all the way to the town of Prineville, just north of Bend. We stopped at McDonalds for some cheap calories and free A/C. here I saw a warm showers host was in town of Sisters, around 40 miles away. Steve and Karen said they would start biking toward us and then bike with us to their house. The last forty miles went well enough, the first half I had noticed that Sauders rear wheel had a bad wobble to it. Upon closer inception, we found a broken spoke. While it is a simple issue, correcting it is quite complex. We were lucky that the next town, Redmond, had a bike shop. We spend 20 minutes fixing the tire and went on the road toward our hosts. We met our hosts by the road and now as a group, headed to sisters. The road to Sisters was amazing. All along the horizon the peaks of the Cascades rose up, reminding us that we have to climb them tomorrow.

So that has been a condensed version of the last few days. We have 160 miles left in this trip so that is exciting. Here are some pictures!

The Bike Inn doubled as a small farm

The Bike Inn

John Day Canyons

Brother and sister going cross country

Well balanced lunch at the summit of a long climb: Jalapeno chips and left over pancakes

Steve and Karen met us on the tandem Recumbent

I had to use a pay phone for the first time

A perfect end to a good day

A Couple Days in Oregon

For the past few days we have been trudging through the Oregon wilderness. When one first thinks of the state of Oregon, “desert” “Dry” and “heat” is not the first words that come to mind. However, that is much of the climate of eastern Oregon. After visiting the bike shop in Ontario, to make sure that nothing major was wrong with Sauder’s bike, we pressed onward into the hot and dry desert. Temperatures were close to 100 for most of day, and we constantly were drinking water to replace the fluids we were losing just to keep cool. Anything green in the area was the cause of irrigation. We soon reached the town of Brogan, along with a sign that said that the next services were 42 miles away. After stocking up on snacks and water, we set up for a few hours of climbing. The heat continued with us for a while as we crept up the dry and barren mountain sides, stopping every so often to catch our breath and rehydrate. We must have stopped too much that day because we pulled into the goal town of Unity as the sun was setting. We were tired, thirsty and very hungry. Every restaurant was closed and there as only one little gas station. I pulled up by the door just as the lady was locking it. My heart sank. Would we have to make do with chewing gum, a few peanuts and lukewarm water tonight?

I like to think it was my good looks that got us in the store, but it was most likely an act of pity from our dirty and tired faces. Dinner would be a bag of BLT flavored chips, Ice Tea, and Alfredo Pasta. The campsite which we were told was 2 miles away was actually 8 more miles, and the cost, which we were told as $7 was actually $22. Luckily, when we realized that such a price was beyond we happened to conveniently set up camp by a large group of other cyclists as well as having no money in our Wallets. Cooking dinner turned into an adventure. I learned that cooking half a pound of pasta with a minimal amount of water. Regardless, slightly chewy pasta as much better than a growling stomach.

The storm and wind which sent us to bed was still there in the morning, but this time with rain and cold. Temperature had dropped to the low forties and the pattering on the tent fly made it clear that everything outside of the tent was entirely soaked, including the clothes I set out to dry. We decided to try and wait out the rain. The rain never went away, but only died down, the cold staying in its same place. Pulling myself out of the sleeping bag and into the cold and wet world was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Sauder and I discussed that this is probably why babies cry so much when they are born. There they are, resting in a warm and comfortable environment, only to be thrust into a cold and uncomfortable world. I would cry too.

We had to back track a few miles to the last town to grab breakfast because we did not know when we would have food next. Apparently we had missed breakfast time and had to settle for chicken sandwiches in place of pancakes. When we finally were making progress it was noon. A very late start, especially when we knew we had two large climbs for the day. We had purchased some gloves at the store simply because our finger tips were freezing off in the wind; these gloves were a life saver, until it started to rain. The rain came as we were making our first climb, a long and winding path up a mountain surrounded by towering ponderosa pines. The higher we went the colder it got. Getting to the peak was exciting; we knew that we had a few miles of descent to enjoy. However, 30 seconds into our ride down, we found out that it would not be fun at all. The cold temperatures, rain and high speeds created a quite painful experience. The rain were like little bullets stinging as they hit us, the icy air like knives making our faces go numb, the wet road soaking our shoes until they weighed heavy. There is not much one can do other than grin and bear and hope you get to the bottom soon.

It was actually a relief to be climbing again; the extra effort warms the body and gets blood running into the frozen hands and feet. But a couple hours later we found ourselves descending, this time prepared to handle he pain.  At the bottom of this mountain we found a small coffee shop in the town of prairie city, we spend at least an hour trying to regain feeling in our hands and feet while sipping warm mochas. The last 15 miles to the small town of Mt Vernon were perhaps he most enjoyable of the day, the rain had taken a break the temperatures had warmed up, the only reminder of the previous ordeal being the snowcapped peaks around us.  Our goal was a warm showers host who runs the “Bike Inn”, essentially a second house on their property which they let touring cyclists use. It is donation based and provides showers, beds a kitchen, TV and movies. Luxury when out on the road. Also staying here this night is a couple from Portland who are doing a large loop around the area. They were gracious to let us share a meal with them and we sat around talking about biking, babies, cancer and ups and down of Portland, Quite a good time of fellowship and biker camaraderie. Well, I should sleep, we want to do 80 miles tomorrow and I need the strength. So here are some pictures!.

 Hot day

High Desert, Climbing Ahead

Boys in Boise

Awkward wave to Jackie

Mountains we came down from

Over to Oregon

Waking up this morning, we surprisingly felt quite well, especially after a 100 mile day. Our host Rachel made us an amazing breakfast, one fit for cycling in both taste and amount. We lazily packed our bags, making sure to check for flats and being sure to patch tubes.  Before we would leave Boise, I needed to stop at a bike shop to buy a new tire. The previous 2500 miles had worn down my tire to the tread, a risky gamble to keep biking on. The city of Boise is surprisingly very biker friendly, complete with wide bike lanes and long trails. With a new tire in hand we headed toward our goal for the day, a town named Vale in Oregon. Unlike eastern Idaho, western Idaho is much more populated, with towns no more than 5 miles apart and gas stations a plenty. Our riding was much more leasuily than the day previous, today we were only aiming for 70 miles, not 100. Although we took a break from pushing ourselves, the Sun did not take a break from its job. The temperatures began to rise and we found ourselves drinking copious amounts of water and Gatorade. We must have stayed hydrated enough because although the heat was high, we kept a good pace.

One more annoying aspect of the day was the our continuing flat tire problems. Causes range from failed patches, tire thread punctures, pinch puntures and so on. Ever since Nebraska people had been warning us of Goat head thorns, which can not only puncture car tires but bike tires. We have been starting to think they were a myth because we have not seen or encountered a single one. I mentioned to Sauder that we will probably never see one. After crossing the state line into Oregon, which sadly did not have a sign indicated the event, we stopped at a ice cream shop to celebrate with some extra calories. As we were about to leave, I noticed Sauders front tire was low, the tire we had just patched. Upon further inspection, what did we find? yup, you guessed it, those pesky goat head thorns. We found not just one but TWO. One came out without a problem, but as soon as removed the second, a strong hiss emerged from the tire.

Those pesky Goat Head Thorns

We decided to end the day in Ontario, OR, right on the border instead of in Vale. Sauders rear will is having some spoke issues and we do not want to risk being 100 miles from the nearest bike shop. So tomorrow we are going to a shop here in town to have it checked. We don't know exactly where we are going to be staying but a local church here has a large lawn space. Hopefully, it will be better to ask for forgiveness than permission...

100 miles to Boise

Our amazing host in the small town of Fairfield sent us off with an enormous breakfast of pancakes,sausages,scrambled eggs and fruit smoothies. Our goal was the state capital Boise, located 100 miles away. We knew the goal was ambitious, but we just had a rest day and felt quite able. The first twenty miles went quite well. The wind was calm, sometimes indiscernible, the land mostly flat. The high sun valley plane which we had been cycling through the past few days turned into rolling high desert. Because the wind was calm, the temperatures began to rise. By the time we reached the top of any hill, sweat was pouring from our foreheads. Soon though, we encountered descent after descent. This was exciting because it helped us immensely in our goal for a century ride. I had not realized that we had been at such elevation before we started to descend. For around 10 miles we hardly even pedaled, reaching high speeds and watching my odometer tick upwards toward a hundred. We reached the city of Mountain Home around 1 o'clock, an impressive 57 miles from where we started at 9 o'clock. Filing up with food and water from Mcdonalds, we hopped on I 94 North to Boise. The last 45 miles were long but much more comfortable than I thought it would be.

So here we are in Boise, accomplishing 100 miles for the fourth time on this whole ride. Our hosts are Patrick and Rachel. Patrick is from Holland, back in the 90's, he cycled around the world. both he and his wife enjoy hosting many touring cyclists and touring themselves. We had an amazing supper here with them and their parents, and were able to clean up after a hot and grity ride. I noticed today that my rear tire is worn down from rolling over thousands of miles of pavement. We hope visit a bike shop in the morning to find a replacement before we head into Oregon. We should be in Oregon by tomorrow. The last state. The finally stretch. 

Rest Day

We have decided to take a rest day today. Seeing that we have not had a rest day since Casper and that those "rest" days were spend fighting food poisoning we took advantage of our hosting situation and spend the day eating and being lazy. We slept in late, and lounged around until lunch time. Walking through the grocery store, we let our bellies decide what they wanted. Two packs of mashed potatoes? Sure! A can of corned beef hash to mix in? Sure! Two oven pizzas? Absolutely! Although we did not bike today, we ate enough for at least 4-5 people. After lunch our host's son came over and said that we can hang out at their main house. For the next 4 hours we sat around watching documentaries on Netflix: Inside North Korea, Freakanoimcs, and one about Origami Art. Between meals and documentaries, we ran down to the local ice cream shop for milk shakes. Our muscles are enjoying the break from working and our bellies quite content as well. Tomorrow we are planning a long day, 100 miles to Boise. We shall see if we make it!

Not very nutritious, but filling...

Away from Arco, Finally in Fairfield

Although we were not sleeping in a tent last night we woke up cold and shivering if any part of our body was out of the sleeping bag. The temperatures in Arco dropped below the 40’s. When lying in a warm sleeping bag, aware of the brutal consequences of emerging from your warmth providing cocoon, you easily make the decision to sleep in. That is what we did. We slept until 8:30, when the Sun’s rays finally brought some warmth to the area. We left our gun toting, beer loving, and socially eccentric host with thanks and gratitude. Before we left the town, we stopped at the local gas station with doubled as a diner and truck stop and filled up on biscuits and gravy and cinnamon rolls.

We soon found ourselves on the road headed southwest. Our goal for the day was Fairfield, ID which was around 88 miles away. Although the sun was out, the air blowing from the south was chilly. It was cold enough to be uncomfortable but our pedaling made it too hot to put a sweater on, a catch 22. We ended up just bearing the cold and pedaling harder. After 20 miles we found ourselves in Craters of the Moon national monument. For miles around us the terrain changed into an unearthly landscape of jagged black and brown rock, remnants of an ancient volcanic eruption. While we would have loved to explore the region time did not allow us, we had 50 more miles to cover. Although we did take time utilize the visitor center to both fill and empty ourselves of water.

Around this time the winds began to increase and thus bringing down our speed. By  3 o’clock we had reached the town of Carey. We had bought a loaf of bread and can of Jelly at the grocery store in Arco and sat for lunch. For some reason, I could not eat as much as what I was working off, I managed only one sandwich while Sauder managed to eat 2 and a half.  This mistake of under eating would bite me later. The most surprising thing at this gas station was the outrageous pries of their candy bars, 1.79!! Who would pay that? I sure did not.

Due to some tire and tube issues we were back on the road at 4 o’clock, far behind schedule. We had 44 miles left to bike. In Fairfield, a couple from Warm showers offered their spare house to use so we were eager to make it there tonight. Although we were tired from the headwind and annoyed by mechanical issues we pressed on. The wind had died down allowing us to make good time. As we came off a hill and around a turn, I noticed 4 touring bikes on the side of the road, fully loaded with gear but with no riders in site. We parked beside them and scouted the scrub desert and hills around us. For a few minutes we were puzzled. Did they go hiking and leave their bikes by the road?? We got the idea that if we just started yelling we might get a response, so we did.  Soon we heard a response along with a arm sticking up waving from below a rock ledge down a hill.  Soon a person came out and said they were down there. Sauder and I walked down the small dirt path beside volcanic rocks and dry brush to see the riders enjoying a crystal clear hot spring.  This was quite a surprise; the spring was not visible from the road at all. These four riders were from all around the country, mostly friends from college and biking across America for charity, 3 guys and one girl. For the past 5 days we have met at least one rider per day, all heading east though.

So here we are, we finally made it to Fairfield. In town Sauder and I scarfed down a whole pizza and met our hosts. Tomorrow will be a rest day. We had not had a full day of rest since Casper, WY and those days were filled with the consequences of food poisoning. Each day we are nearing Oregon. Its hard to believe we have propelled ourselves this far with our own power. Well, here are some pictures! 

Lots and lots of hay

Dry and barren mountains

I see bikes, but where are the riders?

Oh there they are!