Day Ten- Is That All There Is?

Day 10 (50 Miles)- Wednesday, June 27, 2007- Boise, ID to Mt. Home, ID

The group consensus was that our day off came at the right time and in the right place. Boise turned out to be a delightful rest point, with all the things available that one might need. Not what you wanted maybe, but what you needed-to be sure. And a world class bike store to boot- "George's" it's called and it beats anything I've seen before (no offense Joe). New, covered up with inventory and a pro level fit center with computer aided this and that. In fact, the Three D's (Jen, Brett and Russell) got dipped in the fit process and reported today that they feel the time (it took them all freaking afternoon to get it done so of course they couldn't eat with us because they were too damn busy getting fitted) and the money (I didn't ask, but I'm sure they spent well over a million dollars on it). Unfortunately, they wouldn't ride with any of us today- I suspect they're covering something up- we'll find out what the real deal is soon enough- I've got some of our best people working on infiltrating that little operation.

The Miller Train pulled out of the station bright and early. The route today was short and, I hope, the most boring we'll see on the tour. It was bike path for a ways, but interstate most of the way- primarily flat, loaded with debris (gravel, rubber and bungy cords) and we were surrounded by scrubby, high desert. The view leaving Boise was worth a shot, but maybe not, as it exposed a smog layer worthy of Southern California at its best. After that the only thing of interest was another alien sighting,

and a view of our double pace line on I-84. We encountered a couple of Angry Horn Blowers (known in latin as "Headupus Posteriorus"), but mostly folks gave us a break and left us alone. Arriving in Mountain Home (Pop. 3,000??) by about 11:00 AM, we decided to have an early lunch and found a place called The Ole Steakhouse. It was great- the best waitress we've had all trip, delightful onion rings and a Men's room with " Important Original Works of Art" on the walls. In spite of the tight security, I managed to get a couple shots of the work. The exhibit had a nautical theme and featured works entitled "Red Rubber Fish Stuck to the Wall",




"Orange-ish Jellyfish Looking Thing" and




"A Million Little Yellow Fish With Too Big Eye Balls". Following lunch, we rode to the exhibit of the "Actual Living Dinosaur at The Gas Station" that Derek, Michael and Bern got too close to as this picture clearly shows. They could have been injured and had no one to blame but me- and I'm getting sick of taking the heat for everything.

The weather has turned hot, clear and sunny (isn't that redundant?), with temps pushing the century mark. Glad we got in early, though over the next few days, I don't think that strategy is going to work- long days will mean we're going to be in the heat- just get used to that idea. I bought a Camelback yesterday which is a 2 liter(??) back pack with a drinking nozzle and also bought two insulated water bottles. Its what all the cool kids have, so it must be the right answer. All kidding aside, I think both were wise buys and will be important in the coming days as staying cool and hydrated become much more important than what we've experienced so far. Tomorrow is one of our three centuries on this leg (actually 97 miles, but who's counting), so it will be a long day- not much climbing- only 1954 feet, so it shouldn't be a wicked time, unless the heat or headwinds attack. If so, we'll just have to put on our daddy's shoes and get to work.

BTW, thanks to Ron, Keith (again), Danny (again) and my new Toccoa friend, Jon Neely for their encouraging/smart ass words- keeping 'em coming- it's fun hearing from people.

Day Nine- A Day Off in Boise

Day9-(Zero Miles) Tuesday, June 26, 2007- Boise, ID


Today is a rest day and my plans are to get a two hour massage this morning. Everything else is subject to my being able to walk upright after that. I expect that I'll be returned to my hotel in a large zip lock bag, so I'll spend my afternoon doing whatever large, liquid masses do- Flowing down hill? Forming a puddle on the sidewalk? Getting absorbed by a roll of Bounty- the quicker-picker-upper? Whatever.

The picture above was taken a couple of days ago. As the more astute readers have already figured out, it's a group shot of our riders. I'm in the back row towards the left side. Pretty impressive collection, eh?

Last night I crashed at 7:00 PM and slept like a hibernating bruin. I skipped the group dinner, ordered room service, watched the tube for a few minutes and then slipped into that bone tired, inky black, dream free sleep. Today I feel refreshed and only slightly worn. Free from saddle sores, I do have some deep tissue soreness in my legs that I expect my masseuse will tend to this morning. I may do a short spin this afternoon, based on advice from Danny Short and Mike Miller. On the other hand, who died and left you guys boss?

It's now about 3:00PM. I had my massage (good, not great), lunch (good, not great) and am now going to finish this blog and vegetate (great, not good). The day has turned off warm (boy that sounds southern, don't it paw?) and I'm hearing that temps are headed north from here (that would mean higher). Good time to be hydrating (my new favorite word). In fact, I asked the waitress at Perkins today if she'd mind hydrating me. She called her supervisor over, but with some fast talking, I was able to stay and finish my lunch. It was a close one.

I would like to announce that most of my previous posts have had implants added. (NO, not "UU" implants, another kind of implants) Those of you who read and then re-read my blog have already picked up it, fo' shizzle. You slam-bam-thank-you-mam types may want to go back. See, as I read some other folks blogs, I saw some dandy pics that I thought would look great on my blog too- so I ripped 'em off. Call the cops- but I did it and I'm proud of it. The beauty of this big ole digital age we live in now. Betcha can't tell which ones I took and which ones I stole, can you? So take that precious little mouse of yours and revisit my blog, new and improved, original and ripped off, mine and theirs, all co-mingled in a flagrant case of "man-sees, then man-takes".

Tomorrow we're back to work, but the ride is our shortest yet-only 50 miles. Here's a preview of what's in store for us: 9 days of riding (5 days in Idaho, 4 days in Wyoming), 704 miles (featuring 2 century++ and one near century) and nearly 21,000 feet of climbing (including our biggest day in Jackson-5,989'- where I believe we'll do the Grand Teton crossing). So, compared with our first segment: one more day, 100 more miles, but 5,000 fewer feet of climbing. The wild card is the weather, but the smart money says it gets hotter and more chance of headwinds. Stay tuned- I'll have it for you as quick as I can find an internet connection. Peace out.

Day Eight-The Day Off Before The Day Off

Day 8 (62 Miles)- June 25, 2007- Ontario, OR to Boise, ID (2,739')

At 3:00 AM this morning I awoke and, unable to go back to sleep, I decided to drag this sack of bones out of bed, have an early breakfast and prepare for our ride in a relaxed manner. You know, southern style. So I dillied and dallied for a couple of hours and finally stuck my head out the door. Cool and windy- but since I was unsure of the direction of the wind, I drew no conclusions about our ride today- other than I'd be wearing arm and leg warmers. The morning broke in the mid 40's and only climbed into the mid 70's by afternoon. After being out in it for a few minutes, I decided that a jacket was also in order. The ride today was a mere 62 miles with only 1,500 vertical- child's play for us.

After we loaded luggage, a dandy group began to form in the parking lot- The Miller Train, Uncle Bob, The Three D's (Jen, Brett and Russell), Joel and Allison and assorted others and we immediately formed a pace line and then just as quickly shut it down for the obligatory state line crossing photo- i.e., "Welcome to Idaho".


It's amazing to think that it has taken this kind of time and effort to ride across one state. But Oregon has been a beautiful companion-a really magical place that's been on its best behavior during our entire stay. I believe that the ride stats so far are around 550 miles ridden and about 24,000 vertical feet climbed and every bit of that's been on Oregon soil.

So after a quick start and stop, the Miller Train regrouped, someone called "All Aboard" and the twin teen diesels slowly pulled a pace line with 15-20 riders up our first short hill as we began our initial probe into Idaho. The morning remained cool with brilliant sunshine and little wind of any consequence. We ripped along nice, flat two lane country roads, occasionally picking up a rider and maintaining a comfortable pace through a primarily agricultural area that became suburban, then finally became the "artsy-fartsy" area that Mike Munk promised us. No one was in the mood to break anyone's legs today as we were all eager to get to Boise and start our day and a half off. Still, spirits were high and the group spent the next hour and a half spinning our big rings, making up songs, laughing and, at times, just being silly.

Somewhere after our sag stop, I suggested that we start a double, rotating pace line and Mike Miller was happy to oversee the effort. Soon enough he had us charging down the road in a reasonably well disciplined group. Granted there were a few that would not/could not ride off the wheel in front of them, but for the most part everyone got it and I thought it was really fun.

The ride today was generally flat, with maybe 2,000 feet gained- an effort that most people thought was like a day off. I don't think I broke a sweat the whole morning. The one bit of excitement was when Derek's front tire began to delaminate (isn't that what they call sheep giving birth??) and the group stopped to generally mill around and pretend to help. Shortly thereafter we reformed and motored into our hotel- a very nice Courtyard by Marriott.

I was thinking about how to spend a day off and concluded that I may get a massage, but probably will spend most of the time doing absolutely nothing- and I'm darn good at that- just you watch.

Today's ride brings our total miles ridden to 614 and our vertical feet climbed to nearly 26,000. I am noticing a deep fatigue setting in and decide to call for "lights out" at 7:00 PM. Twelve hours sleep sounds about right and then I'll make a call on what tomorrow will look like. ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz...........

Day Seven- Zoom, Zoom, Zoom

Day 7 (83 miles) Sunday June 24, 2007-Baker City, OR to Ontario, OR (2,153')

Today's ride was a rip roaring, heapin' plate fulla good clean fun. We had crazy speeds for insane distances, curvy descents in the sunshine, tailwinds and headwinds, clouds of bugs to inhale and views galore. So, how did you spend your day?

Just after breakfast my friend Gerard from Holland asked if I'd like to ride with him. Now I thought- this guy is a very good rider- so what's he gonna do- a science experiment on me?? I figured that after 5 miles he'd ride off and leave me, so what harm could come of it. Sure, I said, that would be nice. So off we rode, poking along at a 58 year old's pace and we made nice chat as we soaked in a gentle climb for the first 10 miles or so. Temps were cool- 43 degrees or so, and I wished I'd done more to cover up- but that didn't last for long.

Shortly after our climb ended, we spotted Ernst (63 years old, but strong, like bull) a half mile ahead and it looked like we could catch him without killing ourselves. So I lowered my profile, kicked it up a couple of gears and began to hammer. Surprisingly (remember I've got nearly 500 miles on these old legs in the last week), I felt great and sooner than I'd thought, we reeled in Ernst. At that point two things happened. First, the terrain started to drop and second, Ernst started to really get his mojo working-and I thought I heard him singing "If I had a hammer...". Twenty became twenty-five became thirty and as we passed rider after rider the ride, in fact life itself, became a thing of joy. My focus was on pushing my pedals as hard as I could, staying just off Ernst rear wheel and dodging rocks, rubber debris and wahtever else I could see in the road. Apparently Ernst had ordered before midnight, because in addition to the curvy, too-cool-for-school downhill, they also threw in a 20 MPH tailwind. Ladies and Gentlemen, we rode like a band of scalded dogs- yippin' and yelpin' our way through traffic as though we were late for something all together more important than just the next sag. As Phil Ligget says, we were "charging down the road like a Grahn Prix Mootor Car ".

And so it went- downhill, tailwind, curves, hammerin' and smiling at our silliness until, at about mile 60, we finally ran out of downhill and were forced to begin actually doing some work. The route flattened, a cross wind kicked up and the last 10+ miles turned into a bit of a grind. I paused to take a picture of Rich and Sarah pass us, then Joel and Allison and as I remounted, I immediately realized I'd flatted. A quick tube change revealed that I'd taken one of those tiny wire strips straight through my tube. I did a roadside wirectomy, a tubal replacement and administer some life saving compressed CO2. The operation was a success and Gerard and I hopped back on the road and sailed into scenic (not) Ontario, OR- our last stop in the really fine state of Oregon. Today's trip brings our elapsed miles to a total of 552 and our total vertical feet gained of 24,474. Golly Mister.

The weather has been absolutely wonderful since we left Astoria. With the exception of day one, we've had sun, low humidity, tailwinds or no winds and highs in the low 80's every day. It's been weather I could never have imagined, the scenery has been at times truly breathtaking and the ride has really been better than I could have hoped for. My thanks to whomever is responsible.

It's a short (62 miles) day tomorrow and then we get a well deserved day off on Tuesday. See ya.....

Day Six- Am I Tough Enough?

Day 6 (81 Miles)- Saturday June 23, 2007- John Day, OR to Baker City, OR (3,446')


Ok- so yesterday was supposed to be the monster and it wasn't and today looked like a romp and it wasn't. Although the miles were only 81 today, the ride had nearly the same amount of vertical feet- close to 5,000. We had three serious climbs, with long, long grades of 5-7%. Now I've been doing climbs in Georgia with 10-17% grades- so we laugh at 5-7% right? Wrong. When a climb is 8, 15, 20 miles long, you don't get to laugh at much. We're talking climbs that take and hour or two, and that just ain't right.


After a rough night- Friday night is Kareoke night 'til 2:00Am at the restaurant next to out motel (I think I had the Lucky Strike Suite) we had an early load and breakfast. The morning was cool and promised clear skies all day with temps in the low 80's. Our first climb began almost immediately and lasted until about mile 22, where we crested Dixie Mt. Summit at 5,277'. Then it was payback time and we descended for nearly 10 miles- the boys playing cat and mouse as we approached 40 MPH on the way down.
Along the way we stopped long enough to have an alien encounter and I was fortunate enough to have my digital "Brownie" on the ready and captured this image- really. No kidding. I'm totally serious. Gathering our wits about us, we then rolled into our first sag and the only restaurant we'd see until Baker City (our destination today) at mile 29.

After enjoying our downhill playtime, we again strapped on the harnesses and began our second 5-7% climb which ran about 6 miles and delivered us to Tifton Mt. Summit at 5124'. This climb began to expose us- we all suffered some on this one and I began to start adding up all the miles we'd ridden since Monday (more on this later). I wasn't beat, but was starting to fray around the edges some.

Following this climb, we hd another thrill ride as we descended for nearly 10 miles and the began our third and final climb for the day. This one was another real grind- one of those climbs where you swear at every crest or curve, that this must be the summit. But time after time, the road was cruel to us and pitched upward, leaving us to wonder if there really was a summit. Finally we crested at Snall Summit and the began a beautiful descent, nearly 30 miles long, through a canyon with the beautiful Powder River slithering along beside us.

With 15 miles of relatively flat terrain to go Mother Nature decided to kick up her heels and started throwing us a brisk headwind. But we had the answer and the Miller Train reformed with the young guns Michael and Derek Miller pulling us all into Baker City. Along the way we picked up 2 or 3 more riders who happily sat in on the wake of our diesel powered teens. Those of us in the pace line thanked our lucky stars for another incredible day- maybe not the romp I'd expected, but certainly more than I deserved.

As soon as we arrived in Baker, as the locals call it, we found sidewalk seating for the pro bike races and watched the Cat 4/5 riders duking it out in a thrill a minute Criterium



as we gorged ourselves on some seriously tasty pizza pies.

Today brings our total miles ridden in six days to 470 and we'll bring this total to614 before we get a day off, so there's another 140 miles or so to go. I'm tired and headed for bed-see you tomorrow.

Day Five-The Monster is Dead

Day 5 (117 Miles) Friday June 22, 2007- Prineville, OR to John Day, OR (3,083')

Well day five has come and gone and it was nothing like the monster I’d imagined it would be. In the lead up to our tour I have had big concerns about today’s ride. In my fears it was going to be the ride from hell- hot, boring scenery, headwinds, etc—in short, a Monster. In fact, the ride was a solid gold blast- nothing like what I’d imagined.

The day started early- I loaded luggage at 5:15 AM, ate a nice breakfast and joined forces with Jennifer and her husband Brett and their friend Russell (to the right). Others came and went through the day, but I hung with these three throughout the day. I’d ridden a bit with them before and thought we’d be compatible, which we were. All three are strong riders and are very funny. Plus they laugh at my stupid jokes, so that makes me really like them.

Since the ride today is one of the longest of the tour (117 miles) and has a total of 5,100 feet of climbing, we were on the road by 6:30. The day started with a 30 mile climb in which we gained about 2,000 vertical feet or so. Actually it wasn’t all that bad and I think we crested Ochoco Pass (4720’) by about 10:00AM. From there we had a 12 mile descent (everything comes in serious proportions) that was an absolute scream.

At mile 42 we hit the town of Mitchell and made a stop at the local ranch mercantile store where we had a snack, filled water bottles and enjoyed watching the local ranchers come and go. We met the Miller Family Train and a few others in the town and then began another 12-14 mile climb gaining another 1500 feet or so and crested at Keyes Summit (4369’). From there we had, I kid you not, a 30 mile descent. That’s right boys and girls- 30 freaking miles. It was a thing to behold and we all turned into squealing school girls for over an hour as we rocked down through the canyon, along the John Day River and on through some unbelievable scenery. The area is still primarily high desert, but there are surprising areas of very lush vegetation. They told me in town that the area has Bighorn Sheep, Elk and Mule Deer.



AT 2:30PM we hit our last sag at mile 85. The 8 of us stopped and had lunch at a roadside café and at 3:00PM we saddled up to ride the remaining 32 miles. Now as luck would have it the cycling gods smiled down on us and gave us sunny skies, temps in the mid 80’s and, I saved the best for last, a big, fat, juicy tailwind. Jen, Brett, Russell and I split from the Miller Train and hightailed it into John Day averaging close to 20 MPH in a well organized pace line. We were in high spirits as we realized that we had drawn winning lottery tickets for our ride today- it was most of our longest rides ever (117 miles) and yet it was a fun, relatively easy day.



I’m happy to report that I feel good (legs are a bit achy, but perfectly useable) and I’m enjoying the tour immensely so far. Tomorrow’s ride will be a challenge, 81 miles, three pretty good climbs (totaling nearly 5,000 feet) and a really good chance for a headwind.

By the way, thanks again to Keith and Jack for your entertaining comments. And welcome to Brody and Brian from Habersham Bikes- glad you are helping me along.

Day Four- Its In The Books

Day 4 (61 Miles) Friday June 22, 2007- Kah-nee-ta, OR to Prineville, Or (3083')


Today's ride was really a big, sunny, piece of cake. At just over 60 miles and maybe 3,000 feet of climbing it was a ride that was just what we needed before tomorrow (more on that in a minute). We started with a nifty descent out of the hotel and then started a climb of around 1,000 feet. I've yet to see a pitch out here over 7-8%, and even those aren't around for long.



The big climb today was about 3-4 miles and we picked up about 1,300 feet. Tons of rear view beauty- we saw Mt. Hood and numerous other snow covered peaks throughout the day.



Today was our 4th straight day and I feel good. I've been sleeping well, eating OK and doing my best to stay hydrated- that's going to be an issue for me if I'm not careful. My saddle feels somewhere between tolerable and so-so, but I have no posterior problems- knock on wood. I'm taking two showers a day and I apply a heapin' slatherin' of butt butter before and during each ride. Now I'll admit that I can barely keep my shorts from sliding off me, but it sure helps with friction in the plumbing department.

Actually, today started with a fizzle. Right after we had breakfast everyone gathered at the box truck to load luggage and then depart. I decided to get some air and immediately found that I had a "hotel flat". It was fine when I got in, but sometime during the night the tire went flat. Fixing the flat put me at the end of the pack, so I spent most of the day trying to catch the group. By mile 40 or so I'd gotten back and finished the ride with Rich and some others.

We're in Prineville, OR which is a town of about 10,000 just about smack in the middle of Oregon. High desert and pretty hot- though it could be a lot worse. It's probably 85-90 now, but we got to the hotel by 2:00PM, so we avoided the worst of it. BTW, I rode along the Deschutes River and saw a bunch of people getting ready to launch drift boats- wish I could spend a day fly fishing. The Deschutes looked fabulous- great color and lots of water. Hmmm good.

Since I planned to take this trip, I have dreaded what we're going to do tomorrow. The route is nearly 120 miles and we'll climb over 5,000 feet. The weather will be warm- probably high 80's to low 90's. The plan is to start very early (probably be riding by 6:00AM) and to stay as hydrated as I can and to ride a slow, steady pace. We have ridden nearly 300 miles already, so tomorrow will be a big challenge for me. I expect that the ride will take 10-12 hours, so we'll be out all day.

Thanks to Keith, Jack, Joan, Scott, Danny and Sherry for sending me their thoughts- I really look forward to reading your comments at the end of the day. I'm having trouble replying to a comment that you send me through the blog, so if you want me to respond, send me an email at bobframe@hughes.net. Bye...