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...

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!!