Day 8!

Thompson Falls, MT to Missoula, MT - 104.4 miles, 8:14

Today was supposed to be just as hot as yesterday, and since we had further to go, this cyclist skipped the free breakfast and got on the road at 5:30 am. It was nice and cool, so I was able to ride pretty quickly. Besides getting me to my destination that much quicker, the mosquitos don't seem to fly as fast as I can ride, so I was able to avoid them. Douglas (from Camas) was not so lucky. He got a flat tire early on, and was literally covered with mosquitos while he was changing the flat. He is now known as Mosquito Guy.

Several of us stopped for breakfast in Paradise, about 30 miles down the road. Yes, I was in Paradise for awhile today.

I think I've discovered a new law of physics. The new law is: with increasing temperatures, my miles per hour drop drastically. I'm still working on the equation . . .

I didn't get as many photos today, since much of the road today was without any shoulder, right next to drivers going 70 mph. I spent a lot of time just looking at the white line!


The most interesting part of today's ride was meeting and talking with John, from Fairbanks. He's not part of our Big Ride group, but he was doing his own even bigger ride. He left Fairbanks 36 days ago on bike, and is heading to Colorado for a family reunion. Not only is he carrying all his gear, but he's got a trailer on the back for his dog! He said he's never done anything like this before, but he definitely wants to do it again. Very inspiring.

Now, we're staying in dorms at the U of Montana, and tomorrow is a rest day! I hope it's as good as my rest day in Spokane. That might be difficult . . .

Day 7!

Sandpoint, ID to Thompson Fall, MT - 90.4 miles, 7:22

This was probably one of the most beautiful routes I've been on. Most of the morning was spent pedaling in a valley past Lake Pend Oreille, past creeks and rivers, and there were mountains on either side of us.

We're in Montana!

Welcome to Montana?

The later part of the day was just as beautiful as the morning, but it was SO HOT! I don't do well in heat, so this ride was miserable. When I arrived in Thompson Falls this afternoon at 5:15 the thermometer in town read 111 degrees! Fortunately, the high school is letting us sleep indoors tonight. No worries about the heat OR the bears in town. (Daniel, our ride leader, spotted a mama and baby bear not far from here. Yikes!)



Dinner was at a local restaurant.

Day 6!

(Day 5 (yesterday) was a rest day in Spokane. Besides shopping for things I needed, getting my defective bike shoes replaced (yay!), and doing laundry, I had fun relaxing and seeing a tiny bit of Spokane, such as the Milk Bottle restaurant.)

Spokane, WA to Sandpoint, ID - 79.3 miles, 6:24

Just north of Spokane I saw the most amazing site. It's something I thought I'd never see, and I think that seeing it has made this whole trip worthwhile. Yes. I saw a gas station selling regular gas for under $4.
Oh my.
Global climate change has affected the flora and fauna of northeastern Washington.

The little town of Newport, WA was having a parade for their rodeo days. We were almost a part of it. The best part of that town was Owen's Drug store soda fountain. I've decided that if I can have a real milkshake in a soda fountain every day on this ride, I will be a happy cyclist.


I made it to Idaho!!
Some more pictures of the beautiful scenery we passed:

The weather is getting hotter and hotter. This Pacific NW native is not used to the heat, and I don't like it! One good thing, though. The heat makes me forget about my sore rear end and feet.

Days 3 and 4!

Day 3 (yesterday) - Vantage, WA to Odessa, WA - 85.4 miles, 6:57

I know why the restaurant in Vantage is called "Blustery's." The wind kept most of the riders awake all night long! I think I slept a little bit, and some didn't sleep at all, but sleep or no sleep, we rode hard that day.

This is the first day that we all left in a big pack, following Daniel (our ride leader) in the big truck across the I-90 bridge and up the hill on the opposite bank of the Columbia. The bridge is fairly narrow, so this was a way to keep us all safe.

At the top of the cliff, we could see the statues of horses in the distance. Did you know that Grant County is the nation's leading producer of potatoes? Now you know.

I rode with Barb and James (from Michigan) for much of the morning. It was flat, cool, and very enjoyable.

Thank goodness for McDonalds in Ephrata. I didn't have to use the field. Yes, for THAT. I haven't yet, but my time will come . . . and there will be no photographic evidence.

Not long after I left Ephrata (I was pedaling solo at this point), I saw a chalk sign on the side of the road. "Ice cream ahead." Daniel was handing out ice cream cones at one of the water stops. Rocky road!

After that, I rode with Janet (from Whidbey Island) and Sam (from Olympia) for the rest of the afternoon. We used any excuse we could find to stop and give our sore rear ends a break. "Look, a bird!" "Oh, I want to photograph that cliff." It was a long, hot ride into Odessa. This was definitely the most difficult day so far, but the reaction of the folks in Odessa made it worth it. "You guys are amazing!" I felt more tired and sore than amazing, but that was nice.

Some views of the route:

After a stop at the store for some refreshing chocolate milk, it was up the hill to the high school, where we set up our tents in the field. (Big Riders like to set up their tents in an orderly fashion. I like that!)

Dinner was at the Odessa HS cafeteria.
Day 4 (today) - Odessa, WA to Spokane, WA - 79.3 miles, 5:32

This was the best day, so far!

It was a chilly, but beautiful morning when we left Odessa. Not long into the ride, I could feel that the clip on my left shoe was getting loose. Fortunately I saw Nick (our mechanic, from Maryland) by the side of the road, so he worked on it for awhile. I hobbled over to the other side of the road, one shoe off, one shoe on, to take a picture. (Nick is second from the left, then Barb, Janet, and Jim, from Illinois.)

I rode with Barb, Janet, and Sam, then later with Janet, Sam, and Ash and Pauline (from Vancouver, BC). Ash did the ride a few years ago, and is doing it again with Pauline, his wife. We had heard from one of the other riders about a great place for milkshakes in Davenport, and when we got there, Ash knew exactly where it was. I scarfed down a sub sandwich, then shared a blackberry milkshake with Janet. There's nothing better on a hot day. (L to R: Pauline, Ash, Janet, Sam)

We are given cue sheets every morning that tell the directions for that day's ride. Beside the directions are notes, such as, "Caution - use care when crossing to left lane in traffic." One of the notes said "Begin gradual 9 mile climb after town." The slope of this hill was almost non-existent. I, the tortoise-like rider that I am, was going 15-16 mph "up" this "hill." Near Spokane we encountered some real hills, and they were not on the cue sheet!

Moral: Take all cue sheet notes with a grain of salt!


Some views as we neared Spokane:
Sam:Chad and Greg (from Nebraska):

We're staying in dorms at Gonzaga University, and tomorrow is a rest day!! Time for laundry, runs to REI for much-needed items, and time to SLEEP IN!

Days 1 and 2!

I've finished two days of the Big Ride!!!

Day 1 (yesterday) - Seattle, WA to Easton, WA - 95.2 miles, 7:42I got to the start line at the UW by 6:30 am. I loaded my bags on the truck, took pictures, and watched the other big riders arrive. At about 7:00 we left, pedaling north along the Burke-Gilman trail. Mike rode with us, and Pat joined us a little ways north. They rode with Barb and I until Marymoor Park. (Mike's on the left. Pat's on the right.)


Once we left Marymoor, Barb, Clifford (from Arkansas), and I took the scenic route (AKA we got lost). Instead of following the route, we ended up riding along Lake Sammamish to Issaquah. From there we took I-90 eastbound for awhile, until Sharon (ALAW staff) guided the poor lost souls back to the real route. Fortunately, we only went an extra 3 or so miles. It could've been worse.

Then, it was time to scale Snoqualmie Pass. For those who know Vancouver, it's not any steeper than Lakeshore, but it goes on and on forever! At exit 47, we were able to get off the freeway and ride Denny Creek Road to the summit. I rode with Tracy (from North Carolina) for this part of the ride. There was snow alongside the road, which wound up through the forest. Beautiful!
Lake Keechelus is just east of the summit, and I remembered how pretty it was from when I used to drive over the pass to Whitman. It's even more beautiful when seen on two wheels.


After the summit, it was a mostly level or downhill ride to Easton. We camped at Lake Easton State Park, which is nice, but VERY close to I-90. Those truckers must never sleep!



Day 2 (today) - Easton, WA to Vantage, WA - 74.7 miles, 5:20

5:00 comes awfully early, but I was up and ready to go. After I packed up my tent, it was off to the "kitchen" for some oatmeal, milk, hardboiled egg, and bagel and cream cheese. After loading my bags on the truck, Barb and I headed east.

Most of the early part of the day was flat or downhill. There was one short steep hill between Easton and Cle Elum, and my thighs were complaining. "We worked hard yesterday! What's up with this?"

It was beautiful, though.

After riding through Cle Elum, we got on SR 10 to Ellensburg. If you ever are driving east along I-90, get off and take this road. You won't be disappointed.One nice thing about this ride is how they take care of us. There are 4 support people in three vehicles. They set up two or three checkpoints along the route, sometimes just long the side of the road, where they provide water, gatorade, and snacks. They also check off who's been there, so that they know where everyone is. It's nice.

The only rough part of the ride was between Ellensburg and Vantage. It was a slow uphill for me (Barb raced well ahead of me), then a fast, long, scary downhill. I don't like going fast, and all I can think of, when I'm going above 30 mph, is, "Man, it would hurt if I fell!"

Tonight we're camping at a nice place in Vantage, and there's a view of the bridge and hill that we'll be crossing tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone for all the positive comments and support. It's great to read those.

So far, this ride has been wonderful. Everyone is so nice, the weather has been perfect, the hills haven't been too steep, and I can really see that it's going to be a great adventure!

All my bags are packed

I'm ready to go . . . I think!

Later this morning we leave for Seattle. I'll drop my stuff off at Mike's house, go visit with my mom, meet with the other Big Riders at 5:00, have a pasta dinner with Mike after that, and then try to sleep tonight. We meet at the starting line by 6:30 tomorrow morning and will leave by 7:00.

This is it! This is what I've been training and preparing for since this fall/winter! I'm both excited and nervous.

If my technology doesn't fail me, my next post will be from the road!

Strawberry Century

Barb Greenebaum and I drove down to Lebanon, OR for our last big ride before THE Big Ride. We started at Lebanon High School and rode around Linn County past tree farms, sheared sheep, covered bridges, more creeks than I could count, and the Foster Reservoir. We went through the towns of Waterloo, Sweet Home, and Brownsville.

This was a fairly easy ride with only one awful hill (coming out of Sweet Home) that seemed to go straight up forever. It wasn't all suffering, though. We both managed to pass a man as we pedaled up the hill, and that's always a reason to celebrate. (I'll conveniently leave out the fact that he was elderly . . . )

This ride was probably the most beautiful bike ride I've ever done. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous, and it didn't hurt that the weather was perfect. The strawberry shortcake with ice cream at the finish line sure hit the spot. I'll definitely do this ride again.