Day Three-No Crybabies

Day 3 (66 Miles)- Wednesday June 20, 2007- Welches, OR to Kah-nee-ta, OR (1,038')

Russell from Delaware has the words “No Crybabies” written on the top tube of his very pretty (and well appointed) Trek bicycle. I thought that was a good summary for today’s ride. I personally thought today was the toughest ride so far- 65 miles and the first half had some big boy climbs. In spite of the challenge, everyone was in good spirits and seemed to be enjoying the first real climbs- at least they put on a good show. I heard no crybabies.

Following a nice buffet style breakfast at the Wagon Wheel, my ride began at about 6:30 AM and we started climbing almost immediately. We climbed for about 2 straight hours-in fact when I got to our first SAG at 13 miles we had climbed 2,400 feet up and had descended at grand total of 3 feet- I kid you not. Absolutely nothing but up for the first 13 miles.

Over the next 50 miles we climbed some more, maybe another 2,000 feet in total, but we also got some wicked fun descents (probably 3,500 feet in descents). We had incredible view of Mt. Hood and numerous other peaks.

Somewhere around mile 40 or so, the ecosystem began to change from tall, dense evergreen to a much drier and scrubbier environment. The difference between yesterday’s commercial nurseries as we began climbing up out of Portland to the high desert we’re in now could not be more stark.
The end of today’s ride was a blast- we had a descent that probably ran for 2-3 miles and was a series of switchbacks. Just the right incline for me. Came down it behind Ralph from Columbus and ahead of Rich from Columbus. A good time was had by all. In fact Ralph talked two other guys into riding back up it to do the descent again. Not me, no siree.

Day Two-This Must Be The Fantasy

Day 2 (75 Miles) Tuesday, June 19, 2007- St. Helens, OR to Welches, OR (85')


Our ride leader, Mike Munk, says that the fantasy and the reality of a cross country bicycle trip are quite different. Since I believe everything that Mike says, I must believe this too. But by golly, today was a whole lot more like the fantasy than the reality. The weather started cool- maybe 55-60 degrees, but sunny- a vest and arm/leg warmers were plenty. Later in the day we got into the 80's, but low 80's and gosh, it was nice to alive. The ride was glorious.



I sat on the Miller Family Train again today (that's Mike Miller on the right and yours truly on the left) and we boot skoot boogied to the first sag,.. Just prior to that we crossed a serious bridge over the Columbia that was just fantastic. The bridge had to be 300 feet above the river and we could see for miles and miles...if you had guts enough to divert your eyes from the road- no bike lane and lot's of folks trying to get to their miserable jobs on a Tuesday morning. Much of the morning was spent gliding along a bike path that ran along the Columbia. At one point I wondered aloud what the poor people were doing. Now that ain't right and I know better, but still, sometimes you wonder. We rode for a few minutes and then someone (who shall remain nameless) said "They're probably fixing our rooms up right now". I think she thought better after she said it, but it was too late and I was already choking with laughter.

I peeled out of the vest and arm/leg warmers after the second sag and then the climb started- nothing heroic, but about 1300 feet vertical in 12-15 miles. The worst grade was 8%, and that was only for a very brief pull. Most of it was loooong 2-3% grades. Then the show started when Mt. Hood really started to become visible.
Mt. Hood has a way of disappearing for miles and then suddenly it appears- a little bigger than before, with more detail and definition. It is a majestic thing- all covered with Glaciers and such. Now those who know me will tell you that I don't say the word majestic out loud. Ever. I'm willing to write it, but never say it. But I might just make an exception in the case of Mt. Hood.

"Boys and Girls, this hunk of rock is Majestic."

There, I said it. They tell me that it will lurk around the corner during most of tomorrow's ride- and that's just fine with me. Sometimes you need something majestic to help you deal with everything else- like that miserable waitress at Calamity Jane's, but that's a story for another time.

Tomorrow's ride starts some of the big boy climbs- in fact, we'll start out climbing about 2400 feet vertical (by the way, the Empire State Building is 1200 feet tall) over the course of about 10 miles. So, lot's of feet upward, but really, not so steep- just a grind for probably an hour and a half. So while you're watching Oprah re-runs, I'll be slogging it out climbing this hill. The climb will take us to about 4,000 feet above sea level (remember that's where we started). I think it will be a grind, but pretty doable- check in tomorrow and see if I'm right. Bye y'all.

Day One-And They're Off!

Day 1 (75 Miles)- Monday, June 18, 2007- Astoria, OR to St. Helens, OR


So the fun begins! Day one was a great ride- 70 miles long and, all things considered, very tolerable weather. Overcast and drizzly at times, but temps in the 50-60 degree range. I spent the entire ride with the Miller family (that's Bern and Derek to the right) from Ocala, FL and they were a delight to be with. All four are strong riders and the boys (16 and 20) did most of the pulling. However, Ole Uncle Bob did lead the parade for the last 10-12 miles and that was fun too.






The ride was flat for 20 miles or so to start, then we had two pretty good climbs (Dicks Hill type stuff for my friends back in North GA) and then things flattened out for the last 20 miles. The climbs were 5-6 %, very consistent grades, with nice shoulders/ bike lanes. I love Oregon's approach to bike lanes- the only thing they could do is run a street sweeper down them- they have a fair amount of trash- mostly gravel and bark from all the logging trucks. The picture above is the last big downhill- I think it brought us into the town of Ranier, OR.

Speaking of trucks- they got the big boy trucks running around here. They come by you at 60-65 and just off your elbow. Best you be payin' attention boys and girls. I noticed when those trucks would roll by that it seemed like you were in a tunnel- a wall of trees to the right and a wall of truck to the left. Eyes straight ahead- Focus!!

Day Zero-Are we ready to go yet??

Well, it's Sunday and I'm ready to go. I decided not to ride today, since I'd just finished doing my laundry and cleaned my bike after yesterday's wet and windy ride. I returned my rental car and had a panic attack when I realized that I am now "car-less" for the next 6 weeks. Being the ultimate control freak- this is a real test for me. I am now officially subject to how far I can ride a bicycle or beg a ride from someone else- that's a place I haven't been since I was in the 11th grade. Didn't like it then and don't like it now.




Spent some time rooting around Astoria and took a few pics of the town and some scenes of the Columbia River. The river is really busy and from what I've read, a real handful to navigate- the tides and currents make it challenging.

Tomorrow the ride begins and it's none too soon for me. The ride is about 70 miles, back to St. Helens, OR. There are a few minor climbs, I guess, but a lot of really flat roads and the weather is supposed to be nearly perfect(partly cloudy, 50-72 degrees). Hope we all make it out of town without getting tangled up. I'm sure everyone will be wound pretty tight. I plan to take 'er slow and easy, but you know how plans go. I'm guessing that we actually start riding by about 7:30AM which should get us there by 1:30PM or so?? Then the real routine begins. I hope to get into a rhythm in terms of unpacking, doing the wash, posting, eating, packing, sleeping, riding... and so on. Thank the little baby Jesus I have no room mate to deal with. I'd be planning a murder by Wednesday- this much I know for sure.

We have our orientation in an hour or so. Gonna learn the official handshake and other IMPORTANT things. We'll also cover tomorrow's route, so it will pay to be there and LEARN.

The Process Begins

Things are starting to happen- the riders are beginning to arrive-in fact, I met several of the folks in the hotel lobby and had some fun getting to know them. They are from all over the U.S.- and I think there are some folks from other countries as well. I went through the registration process and had my bike inspected (a slight glitch was pointed out to me in terms of how I routed the brake cable I discussed earlier- OK, so I'm not perfect. Sheesh.), got my ABB jersey, etc.

Earlier in the day I rode around town a bit, concluded that I had the wrong clothes on for the weather (50's and light rain), went back to the hotel and fixed the wardrobe. I then decided to head down the coast and ended up in a little beach community called Seaside (appropriate enough). Had lunch at a spot near the ocean and then came back to Astoria, logging around 40 miles. The total feet climbed was- get this- around 400 feet. Flat as a pancake. Got a real case of the heebie-jeebies crossing a bridge over the river- really narrow with a wicked cross wind and a ton of traffic. Not for the faint of heart.

The weather man was working OT today- we had overcast skies, light rain and then blue skies. Since then we've had wind and more rain- I'm expecting snow, hail and Vulcan lightning balls by morning. Not really, but the weather really keeps you on your toes here. Could make dressing for the ride a challenge.

While riding to Seaside (I was on Highway 101) I met a guy who, together with his female companion, was riding from Seattle to San Francisco- self supported. Looked like an interesting way to go. There are camp sites everywhere and the weather has to be pretty moderate. Talk about scenery- forget about it! This guy annoyed me somewhat- I passed him while he was on the side of the road doing a wardrobe adjustment. Several miles later he pulled along side of me riding a fully loaded touring bike. Hey man, do you have any idea what that did to my ego. Couldn't you at least have appeared to be winded??

I'm in Astoria

Yesterday, I flew from Atlanta to Portland and then drove to Astoria along Highway 30. The drive was beautiful and it ran parallel to the Columbia River for about 100 miles. The area is so lush and green. It clearly gets a lot of rain here- unlike my native Georgia which is languishing under a drought of biblical proportions right now. The hillsides are densely covered with evergreens that appear to be rain forest dense and are that rich green that you only find on brand new plant growth.
The photo above was taken directly behind my room at the Holiday Inn Express. The hotel is literally on the banks of the Columbia River, which at this point has nearly finished its trip to the Pacific and is forming a wide bay here. The hotel sits directly below this bridge which crosses over into Washington. Astoria is a very scenic town, albeit a bit depressed economically. The town seems to be full of 50 year old Victorian homes that look like they need a visit from Norm Abrams and the crew from This Old House-lots of potental, views galore, but teetering on the edge of being saved or "it's time to go".

The crew from America By Bicycle was arriving about the same time as me and I met a couple of them- they were pretty fixated on getting things unloaded and set up. Fortunately I was able to locate my bike box, drag it to my room and assemble it- almost. I had abit of trouble with how Joe got the brake cable out of the brake assembly with the cable end piece still on. Finally figured that he uncrimped it, slid the cable out and then recrimped it. I reversed the process and voila, the bike's assembled. (Did I spell Wah-lah right??)

The picture to the right is also behind my hotel room and is facing the Columbia River upstream. Several times yesterday I spotted huge cargo ships traveling up and down the river. I noticed on the drive yesterday that there are a ton of chemical plants along the river (what a view killer) and a couple of times I caught the whiff of paper plants- yuck!! Memories of my time in Monroe, LA which was blessed with the jobs the paper mill brought, but was cursed with the every day, sour smell that was part of the bargain.

Today, I plan to re-tighten the bolts on my bike and then take a short shakedown cruise out the route that we'll be on Monday morning. Oh yeah- almost forgot- on the drive in yesterday (which I believe we'll be following as we start the ride) I saw several touring cyclists- one guy pulling a trailer and another couple on fully loaded touring bikes- all headed east. One good thing- there was a bike lane, with generous proportions the entire way from Portland to Astoria- never seen anything like it. It even had the bike lane symbol painted on every few miles. Very bike friendly place.

The weather is a real treat- the high today is 65-70 degrees and very low humidity. There does seem to be a constant wind, but I get the feeling that it's coming off the ocean and so that helping hand will be appreciated if it holds 'til Monday. The boys in the bike shop said an 80 degree day is a warm one here, but all that changes when you get 15 miles inland. Reminds me of the Bay Area- big weather changes in very short distances.

It's Africa Hot

One of my favorite movies is "Biloxi Blues", which is a story about a group of World War Two recruits from NYC going through basic training at an army base in Biloxi, MS. As they arrive on the base in mid summer, one of the recruits remarks "Boy it's hot. It's Africa hot."

Today Danny Short and I did a 72 mile ride and by the end it was, by God, Africa hot. My truck said 94 degrees and I'll bet it was more than that on some of those stretches with brand new blacktop. The ride followed a really nice route-very scenic and mostly rollers that trended down hill for the first 65 miles. Then as we got ready to climb for the last 6-7 miles and the temperature was pegging at 90+, an unbelievable headwind started in on us. The flags in Cornelia were blowing horizontal and straight at us as we came through town. Hot, Hilly and Headwind- it just doesn't get any better than this does it Danny?

But we stayed well hydrated today (I'm getting much better at drinking while I ride) and kept a 15-16 MPH average for most of the ride- not bad for me. We agreed that we could have gone another 30 miles to make it a century, but thought it might seem boastful on our parts. After saying my goodbyes to Danny, I drove straight to the Dairy Queen and dove headfirst into a M&M blizzard- sweet relief.

So, with less than a week to go, I'm as ready as I can be. I know that I could have done more miles- but I'm satisfied with where I am (I've ridden nearly 9,000 miles in the year I've been training) and look forward to getting started. I'll probably ride a few more days this coming week and then get ready to fly to Portland on Friday. Let the games begin!!