Making Progress

Rode yesterday from Heyburn, ID to American Falls, ID and, despite heat and headwinds, managed to cover a respectable 53 miles. Also, despite slathering on SPF 50 sunblock, I now officially have a "cyclist's tan" on my arms, legs and face. Never thought I'd see the day when my pale, pale skin would actually start to turn some shade of bronze. Will be sure to get a skin cancer screening when this trip's done ;-) Well, just outside of town is the Willow Bay park, right along the banks of the American Falls reservoir, where they have a cafe, an RV park and a boat launch. I spoke with one gentleman who was curious about my trip and we compared fuel costs - gasoline for his big RV and food for me on the bike. After learning that his RV gets about 7 MPG we decided I was the hands down winner. We then started talking about my sprinkler incident in Filer, ID and, within three minutes, the sprinklers came on in the lawn area! One of them was just grazing the front of my tent but I managed to put a heavy rock over the offending spigot and avoid any more problems (and the lady at the check-in office specifically told me there would be no problems with sprinklers!). Then I watched a beautiful sunset across the water and managed to snap a few shots to share. Overall, I'm feeling pretty good about the trip. My Achilles tendon is under control with the ankle support I'm wearing, my knees aren't hurting since I've managed to reduce the amount of hills I have to climb, and my attitude about the trip is becoming more positive since I now see how far I've come (almost 1,000 miles!!!) and know that I'm capable of continuing. Still, I somehow feel like I should be making more progress. This is an adjustment I'm still working on, though, and I'm trying to focus more on the journey itself than on any particular distance goals. Even at 50+ miles per day it takes a long time to get across any decent sized state (and I've got a few more of those coming up!)

Total mileage so far: 951.

Please consider making a small donation to help cancer survivors (sadly, my mom was not one of them) http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots2008/steveonhisbike

Into every life....

So far Idaho has been a pleasant mixed bag. I started out riding along interstate highway 84 since there are no local roads going all the way across the state. Saw lots of huge rigs - some trucks out here actually pull THREE trailers! Looks like a small train! When they go by the wind actually gives me a boost and I was able to do over 73 miles in one day! However, I was able to get off the highway for a while and take local Route 30 through some beautiful farm country. The first photo is the Snake River. Yesterday I rode through part of the Thousand Springs area in which underground water pours out of cracks in ancient lava formations and tumbles down into the river. The next photo shows bales of early summer hay which are stacked just about everywhere. It also seems that many small towns have their own small museums, most of which feature pioneer history and fossils found in the area. Well, last night I pulled into the small town of Filer, ID and was looking for a place to camp (even inexpensive motels can really start to add up night after night!). I couldn't find a campground or an RV park so I asked a couple of EMT guys I saw cleaning their ambulance. They said there's a rest stop just at the western edge of town and that I could camp there. I'd passed it on the way in so I knew where it was. Found a nice picnic table and had some dinner while I wrote in my journal. Unfortunately, there was no indoor running water, only hole-in-the-ground park toilets, so I wasn't able to wash up easily. I waited until it started getting dark and then did my best to wash up at one of the few outdoor cold-water spigots! Brrrr.... Then I snuggled into my nice, dry and warm sleeping bag for the night. Well, around 3:45AM I was awoken to the sound of what I thought was rain on the tent. But I had pitched it under a small shelter covering the picnic table. What could it be? Guess those nice EMT guys forgot to tell me about the park's lawn sprinkler system! So, in the middle of the night I was forced to quickly grab all of my gear, move the bike and pick up the empty tent and move it all to another area that didn't have sprinklers. It's all very funny now but, I can tell you I wasn't laughing last night! Somehow I managed to dry off and get back to sleep for another couple of hours when the sun came up. Mental note to self: look carefully for buried sprinkler heads before deciding where to pitch your tent! The rest of today should also be pleasant back roads and then I'm back to the interstate for another 60-70 miles before I get off again and start heading into the eastern edge of the state.

Total mileage so far: 824.

Please consider making a small donation to help cancer survivors (sadly, my mom was not one of them) http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots2008/steveonhisbike

Idaho Eats

FINALLY CROSSED OVER INTO MY FIRST NEW STATE!!! (Other than the old and well-known state of exhaustion ;-) After a hot day's ride and crossing over the Snake River into Idaho, I found some quiet back roads and got into the small town of Emmet, ID. This is a sweet little town with an even sweeter little BBQ truck just on the side of the main street. I was almost going to eat at another place a block away but the smell of pulled pork just grabbed me like a magnet. Turns out the folks there are as nice as the food and I had a wonderful time talking and joking around with owners Tim (Bubba) and Heidi as well as their friend Coleen who stopped by on her bike. If you ever find yourself in or near Emmett I strongly recommend a stop at Bubba's BBQ. Today I got up and had a nice ride into nearby Boise, ID. While scoping out the downtown area I came across another local food adventure and met Jeremy and Casey at their cart (they are the only food cart I've ever seen that accepts Visa!). Their specialty is a chicken, bacon tater wrap and oh was it good! These guys have been doing this for about 4 years and seem to know everyone and everything going on in the downtown district. So I'm now two-for-two on great meals in Idaho. As for the riding, only travelled this morning since I'd like to spend the afternoon seeing what Boise is all about. Tomorrow I hope to move on to Mountain Home, ID and further my trek across the southern part of this state. Then onto Wyoming. Hope everyone's having a great summer. Keep those comments coming!

Total mileage so far: 710.

Please consider making a small donation to help cancer survivors (sadly, my mom was not one of them) http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots2008/steveonhisbike

A Major Shift

Stayed at the Farewell Bend state park on the Snake River last night and, man, was it windy! Beautiful scene, though, since the river widens out and almost looks like a lake at that point. Unfortunately, the library computer I'm using won't let me upload photos. Also, I have made a pretty serious change in route. Since my knees have been hurting I have decided to avoid going over the Rockies and am now going around them. I'll be traveling through Boise, ID and on east through the southern end of the state and then into Wyoming. This path around the mountains allows me to avoid serious knee-busting hill climbs and will also save me a couple of hundred miles. I'm now in the town of Ontario, OR (the "other" Ontario) and hope to make it to Boise tonight or tomorrow. The one trade off in this plan is that I'll have to spend some time riding on interstate highway 84. I've covered about 40 miles on it so far and it's actually been pretty good. There are nice, wide shoulders and lots of places to stop for food. I guess it's a small price to pay to avoid possible knee surgery! Hopefully the next computer will allow me to upload photos....

Total mileage so far: 634.

Please consider making a small donation to help cancer survivors (sadly, my mom was not one of them) http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots2008/steveonhisbike

Making Passes

After surviving the cattle drive, I visited the John Day Fossil Beds and got a great introduction to the wealth of finds in the area. Then on to Dayville, OR where the local Presbyterian church doubles as a hostel for travelling cyclists. They provide showers, laundry and kitchen facilities and a sign encourages visitors to lay their sleeping bags out in the sanctuary (but please don't use the pew cushions). I then headed east to Prairie City for dinner at the Branding Iron restaurant. Today was a particularly tough day since I had to ride over not one or even two but THREE long and steep mountain passes! I got an early start and was grinding up Dixie Pass for 9 miles. Once at the top, it started drizzling and the rest of the day, over two more 5,000+ foot passes, I rode through rain and thunderstorms. The up side of this was that it was cooler and I didn't have to worry about getting sunburn. After the mountain passes I still had about 30 miles to ride into Baker City, OR but I took a break to stop and see the Sumpter Valley Railroad - a working steam locomotive from 1920! Finally got into Baker City to find that they were in the middle of hosting a professional bike race! After nearly 70 miles of riding I was greeting by teams of guys in colorful Lycra racing outfits and some of the slickest road bikes I'd ever seen. Sadly, the last race of the day was called on account of rain so I didn't actually get to see any racing. Perhaps tomorrow.

Total mileage so far: 548.

Please consider making a small donation to help cancer survivors (sadly, my mom was not one of them):http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots2008/steveonhisbike

Coast-To-Ghost?

After my rest days in Bend, OR, (and the purchase of an ankle support at a local drugstore) I was feeling better and headed out again. Made it through the town of Prineville, OR where I stopped to see the Bowman Museum. This free attraction highlights the history of settlers in Oregon and the eventual establishment of towns and cities. There were some great exhibits including old maps, six-shooters, railroad photos and family histories. I then stopped for the night at the Ochoco Reservoir state park and met a few other cyclists who were heading my way. In continuing the "old west" theme, we rode together the next day across the Ochoco Pass and into the former stagecoach stop town of Mitchell, OR. This "living ghost town" still has some very old buildings. Also, when I ordered breakfast at the one cafe in town, they apologized that they didn't have any bacon or potatoes because the weekly delivery truck was running late! Now THAT'S remote. On the way down from the 4,369 foot Keys Creek Pass I encountered a unique type of traffic jam. I just got off my bike and watched about 250 head of cattle cross the road. Most of them didn't pay me any attention but just mooed their way from one pasture to the other. Tonight I'm staying at a rather unique place. The Presbyterian Church in Dayville, OR is open to passing cyclists and allows them to sleep in the sanctuary! They also have a shower and laundry facilities. Should be a quiet night....

Total mileage so far: 436.

Please consider making a small donation to help cancer survivors (sadly, my mom was not one of them):http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots2008/steveonhisbike

A Friend In Bend

After finding that all the campsites in Sisters were full of rodeo folks, I decided to continue on to Bend, another 21 miles of mostly flat (whew!) riding. I stayed at the Tumelo State Park campground which had a sign out front saying "No Vacancy" so I was initially resigned to going around and begging for someone to let me share their campsite. However, a ranger came up to me and said "the hiker/biker campsite is over there and it's empty." It seems most parks out here have this special section which is close to the entrance but does not have room to pull up a car or truck and is only available for folks like me who have no vehicle. Wow! Add this to the list of joys of being a cyclist - special VIP treatment at campgrounds! The next morning I got in touch with Dan Rutherford, the brother of a good friend that I used to work with. Dan and his wife Doreen and daughters Lillian and Julia, live about 20 miles south of Bend and so were too far off my route. However, they happen to be in town on Sunday for church and offered to get together with me for lunch. We wound up having a great time and they showed me around the old mill district with its beautiful park, lazy flowing river and great shops. Dan has travelled all around these parts by motorcycle and so was a great source of information for planning the next phase of my trip. After lunch, I got a tour of downtown Bend and then they helped me find a rather interesting bed & breakfast. I've decided to stay in Bend for a couple of days since my right Achilles tendon has been hurting a bit and I figure a couple of days rest and Advil will help. Turns out the owner grew up in Brooklyn, NY about one mile from me so we hit it off right away! Go figure! Today I'm taking it easy and browsing around town. Tomorrow I should be back on track and heading towards eastern Oregon.

Total mileage so far: 323.

Please consider making a small donation to help cancer survivors (sadly, my mom was not one of them):
http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots2008/steveonhisbike

Crossing The Cascades

This photo of my bike was obtained at great risk to life and limb! Yesterday was one of the toughest cycling days of my life! I rode a total of 46 miles and about 32 of them were straight uphill with 60 lbs of gear! Every time I kept thinking I was getting close to the top I'd round a corner and it would just keep on going up, up and up! At one point my front tire blew out sounding like a gunshot (probably from the altitude and being stressed by laying the bike on its side) so I had my first road repair of the trip to contend with on top of everything else. Still, I was surrounded by beautiful scenery and the smell of all the pine trees reminded me of Christmas. In fact, at one point there were reindeer circling overhead - or maybe they were buzzards, I'm not sure since I was nearly delirious. Anyway, I eventually got to the top and was FINALLY screaming downhill with the wind in my face. I then found, in the middle of nowhere, a very unexpected and lovely lakeside resort with an open restaurant. What a contrast to the rest of the day! I can't imagine what the front-desk hostess must have thought seeing me sweaty and gritty and walking into this swanky joint. But, somehow, this grueling day ended with a gourmet dinner and watching the sunset over a beautiful mountain lake! Go figure. Today I'm in the town of Sisters, OR where they are hosting the 20th annual Sisters Rodeo. The town is packed solid so I may not find a campsite here. We'll see what the rest of the day will bring.... Total mileage so far: 282.

Please consider making a small donation to help cancer survivors (sadly, my mom was not one of them):

http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots2008/steveonhisbike

Finally Heading East (sort of)

After leaving Pacific City I headed east around the Coastal Range mountains to the town of Grand Ronde. Not much there except a casino so headed south towards Eugene, OR. Why south? I don't know but the Adventure Cycling maps have blessed this as the great "TransAmerica" bicycle route so who am I to question.... Actually, I did wind up questioning after a stop at the Peak bicycle shop in Corvallis, OR. The magicians at this shop, Dayne (right), Eric (left) and others, helped me fit my bike with a lower gear in the front to help me get over the mountains to come. Since my bike is rather old (as are my knees) this was not easy and involved a couple of hours of careful improvisation, discussion and, eventually, the grinding of bolt heads! In the end, all was done and these guys may have saved my tour from an embarrassing demise. This also really helped lift my mood since it gave me more confidence that I may actually be able to make it through this thing. Eric was also a great source of local information and helped me decide that I really didn't need to go through Eugene after all. So I'm now "off route" in a town called Sweet Home, OR and plan to head east, for real, over the Cascade Range tomorrow (keep your fingers crossed for that new low gear!). After leaving the bike shop, I rode a few more miles to Lebanon, OR where I found a county RV and camping park right near a river and some railroad tracks. After a hot shower and a huge burrito for dinner I felt much better.

Last of the Oregon Coast

This is the coastal resort town of Pacific City, OR. Found a lovely county park campsite for only $5! (Plus a coin-operated shower costing 50 cents for every four minutes). The views from the beach are spectacular although the weather is variable. Was nice when I took this picture but is raining and windy this morning. Still, this is my last look at the Pacific Ocean during this trip. Tomorrow I start my eastward trek over the Coastal Range mountains and then onward through Oregon to Idaho. My legs still feel a bit wobbly but that's probably just because it's the start of this tour. Hoping to develop legs of steel within another few weeks. Until then, will persevere and walk the bike up the steep hills if needed. I do miss home but am also still exhilarated by finally being on this trip. In the end, I'm sure it will all be worthwhile.

The Fool's Journey Begins

It was misty and the wind was harsh as I dipped my rear wheel into the Pacific Ocean, just near Haystack Rock. Nevertheless, the trip has now officially begun! Rode through the light rain that characterizes this part of the north-west but was prepared with my rain suit and saddlebag covers. This morning it drizzled some more but it didn't slow me down or detract from the striking coastline scenery. Taking it easy during this early part of the trip so not doing too many miles each day. Also, got to tour the famous Tillamook Cheese factory and get samples! Hoping tonight's campground will be dryer. Not sure where I'll end up riding tomorrow but, so far, that's been half the fun! Anyway, the trip's now finally started and I'm having a great time!