Lynden, Washington, the last stop in the United States before we traverse into Canada for the final two days. As of right now we are 82 miles from our destination meaning I've cycled 3,919 miles from the coast of Maine. Pretty incredible and it is still totally surreal. I never thought I'd make it this far, in fact, I never thought I'd make it out of New York. But here we are, all 30 of us in western Washington only 46 miles from the Pacific Ocean.
Since my last posting we've left the Rockies and battled the Cascades which are possibly the most beautiful mountains I have ever been through. After leaving White Fish last week we had some pretty amazing downhill rides, there was in fact an entire day where we went downhill. Words though cannot begin to describe the scenery of the mountains. The color of the sky, the smell of pine, the sound of wind in the trees. I suppose that has been one of the most incredible things about this trip, just being out in the elements: rain, wind, sun, or snow - yes snow. Being in a car is a fantastic way to see the mountains, but if you want the full effect, you've got to battle it on a bike.
This week has been especially difficult and quite a test. After leaving Montana (thank god, I thought we would never get out of there) we spent an evening in a very cool town in Idaho where we spent a day building. That was a week ago and since that point in time we have been working our way through the mountains of the northwestern U.S. This week we climbed a mountain pass almost every single day, which is why I say it was a test. Several days ago we climbed Loup-Loup pass at a height of 5500 feet. It wasn't the height though that bothered me, it was the fact that we climbed uphill for nearly 30 miles. The physical difficulty of the trip is really no more. Not that days aren't hard, but we are in well enough shape that making it through a pass is less about the physical aspect and more about the mental aspect. Climbing for 30 miles does a real number on the psyche.
Yesterday though was probably the most intense day we have had on the trip. We had spent the previous evening camping in perhaps the most primitive campground I have ever been to following a day of rain. Everyone's stuff was wet and the entire night it rained. So we awoke to a cold morning with wet shoes and jersey's. Dressing for the weather was almost futile because the constant rain water logged everything and anything, water proof or not. So Anson and I - who has been my riding buddy for quite awhile now - began the climb knowing it was at least 20 miles to the peak only to be followed by a slight downhill and then another climb - two passes in one day.... So we made it up Washington Pass having climbed at least 3500 ft nearly frozen and it was snowing at the top of the pass. Everything was wet and several other riders looked as though there were in the nascent stages of hypothermia. So we flagged down a motor home and the driver, fortunately, was an avid cyclist who took us down the pass to the lunch stop nearly 17 miles away. There was no way we were going to ride 17 miles downhill cold, wet, and in 40 degree weather. We made it to lunch with bikes still at the top of the pass nearly 20 miles away. Other rides had huddled in the bathroom at the peak and several of us piled into the van to make the ride back up so people could warm up. Well we made it and nearly half of the B&B crew was in the bathroom - we seem to have an affinity for bathrooms.
To say the very least, I wasn't going to let the weather stop me. After warming up I rode my bike back down the hill and into lunch, grabbing some food, and continuing on. It was still cold and raining periodically, but the scenery kept my mind off of things. Coming around one of the corners we were struck with a look at Diablo Lake, possibly the most turquoise lake I have ever seen. The lake against the mountains with the clouds hovering there was absolutely stunning, no words to describe it. We wrapped around the lake and made it to the bottom of the hill where we found the first "service" in nearly 80 miles, a coffee shop. With a good caffeine fix six of us formed a double paceline and finished out the incredibly long day.
So here we are in Lynden and looking at a map still scares me. We've nearly made it - 4000 miles from Maine to Vancouver, British Columbia. Tomorrows ride will consist of riding over the border crossing into Richmond which is a city just south of Vancouver. Monday is it, 28 miles into the city. We will be dipping our wheels and then off to celebrate our cross country excursion.
I cannot thank all of you enough for your continued support. The trip has been difficult in a number of ways, but by knowing that there are people out there who read these silly blogs is a good feeling. I will probably post one last time when I get home, a recap of the final events and the ride home (on a plane).
Until then....
Friday, August 22, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
The Final Stretch
So it's been several days since my last posting and for that I apologize. Last time I wrote I was in North Dakota traversing the grassy plains; now though the terrain has changed completely. I suppose I wasn't writing because there wasn't really much to write about - western North Dakota and eastern Montana are fairly banal. The first two days it was a nice change of scenery from the cornfields of the Midwest, but by day 10 or 11 I had lost interest. Within that stretch of time though we did come upon some interesting things. Other than the number of ridiculously small towns that eastern Montana has and the relentless wind, we also managed to ride through Glasgow, MT whose claim to fame is that their mosquito population is more dense than anywhere else in the world. 50% deet did absolutely nothing and some riders on the trip had bites on their necks the size of golf balls.
On Monday we finally crossed out of the plains and into the Rockies. What a site too. Pedaling along in the flat country of the plains only to be hit with a view of the Rockies was a site that could easily have been a painting on a wall. Absolutely incredible. The morning consisted of intense head winds, but by the time we got into the range the wind had dissipated and the only thing to worry about was the climb.
That evening we pitched camp right outside of Glacier National Park. Yes another camping night, but no horror stories like Teddy Roosevelt. The pass through Glacier, known as Logan's Pass, is a 7,000 ft monster with one road that goes through it - Going to the Sun Highway. The highway was constructed during the works projects era of the 1930s and has had little work done on it since. So we learned upon our arrival to the campsite that the road going down the other side of the mountain would be closed from 10am-4pm to cyclists because it was a one lane dirt road with no shoulder. So the options were this: get up at 5:15, make the 50 miles out of the park by 10am and have the rest of the day to do whatever or wake at 6:30am and wait until 4pm to finish about 55 miles. Well I opted for the first option and several of us woke at 515 to some pretty intense wind. We were on the road by 6am and manged to make it to the 7,000 foot summit by 8:15. During this time we were also able to watch the sun rise over the Rockies which was incredible. Being way up in the mountains on a bike is a pretty humbling experience.
By the time I got to the summit the group had broken apart and I was by myself. I got to the top without knowing fellow riders were in the lodge so I started the journey down, stopping though to take a picture of the Continental Divide sign and the 6% downhill for 12 mile sign as well. It should also be noted that the temperature at the peak was about 39 degrees and though I was all dressed up in long spandex pants and a shirt, when you've hiked 7,000 miles up and are really sweaty and then take a 30 mile ride downhill not needing to pedal, sitting on that bike gets really cold.
So I made it out before 10 and the group rejoined to take the 26 mile ride into White Fish, Montana. We were in by about 12 and the entire day laughed at the fact that even the first riders who had waited wouldn't arrive at the church until almost 7. So the few of us showered, hit the library for computers, ate several times, watched the Olympics, napped, ate dinner at the church, you get the idea. It was a fantastic idea to wake an hour early and save 7.
Since our Glacier Climb we have been in the mountains which words don't begin to describe. Riding a bike in the Rockies is something everyone should do.
So the clock is ticking and we're almost finished. Tonight is the last night in Montana and tomorrow we're going to Idaho. 2 build days leaves us with 8 more days of riding (not including today's).
I will blog again when I get a chance and again, comment or email, always good to hear from you.
On Monday we finally crossed out of the plains and into the Rockies. What a site too. Pedaling along in the flat country of the plains only to be hit with a view of the Rockies was a site that could easily have been a painting on a wall. Absolutely incredible. The morning consisted of intense head winds, but by the time we got into the range the wind had dissipated and the only thing to worry about was the climb.
That evening we pitched camp right outside of Glacier National Park. Yes another camping night, but no horror stories like Teddy Roosevelt. The pass through Glacier, known as Logan's Pass, is a 7,000 ft monster with one road that goes through it - Going to the Sun Highway. The highway was constructed during the works projects era of the 1930s and has had little work done on it since. So we learned upon our arrival to the campsite that the road going down the other side of the mountain would be closed from 10am-4pm to cyclists because it was a one lane dirt road with no shoulder. So the options were this: get up at 5:15, make the 50 miles out of the park by 10am and have the rest of the day to do whatever or wake at 6:30am and wait until 4pm to finish about 55 miles. Well I opted for the first option and several of us woke at 515 to some pretty intense wind. We were on the road by 6am and manged to make it to the 7,000 foot summit by 8:15. During this time we were also able to watch the sun rise over the Rockies which was incredible. Being way up in the mountains on a bike is a pretty humbling experience.
By the time I got to the summit the group had broken apart and I was by myself. I got to the top without knowing fellow riders were in the lodge so I started the journey down, stopping though to take a picture of the Continental Divide sign and the 6% downhill for 12 mile sign as well. It should also be noted that the temperature at the peak was about 39 degrees and though I was all dressed up in long spandex pants and a shirt, when you've hiked 7,000 miles up and are really sweaty and then take a 30 mile ride downhill not needing to pedal, sitting on that bike gets really cold.
So I made it out before 10 and the group rejoined to take the 26 mile ride into White Fish, Montana. We were in by about 12 and the entire day laughed at the fact that even the first riders who had waited wouldn't arrive at the church until almost 7. So the few of us showered, hit the library for computers, ate several times, watched the Olympics, napped, ate dinner at the church, you get the idea. It was a fantastic idea to wake an hour early and save 7.
Since our Glacier Climb we have been in the mountains which words don't begin to describe. Riding a bike in the Rockies is something everyone should do.
So the clock is ticking and we're almost finished. Tonight is the last night in Montana and tomorrow we're going to Idaho. 2 build days leaves us with 8 more days of riding (not including today's).
I will blog again when I get a chance and again, comment or email, always good to hear from you.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Hot on the Trail of Lewis and Clark
So Minot may not have been the most exciting place in the world, but I must say, they have an Amtrak station and Columbus doesn't, so perhaps I have not given Minot enough credit. The Empire Builder runs right through Minot and will take you to Minneapolis if you go east and Portland or Seattle if you go west.
Friday morning we left Minot for New Town, ND which is a small town located on an Indian Reservation. A hot breakfast was served upon wakeup and during our first 5 miles, we were chased by a news crew which was doing a story on Bike and Build for the evening news. This isn't the first time we've dealt with the media, but this is the first time that they've done some filming on the road which, after viewing the news clip, was pretty cool.
We rode due south of Minot for New Town - directly into a head wind - and after making it nearly half way to lunch, we learned that there would be no lunch stop because the van wasn't able to shift. It was towed to a local garage for repair, but we wouldn't see the van until much later that evening. The ride though was very pretty: rolling hills, lots of agricultural fields, and little development. Even without the van, Bike and Build did provide lunch; peanut butter and jelly from a small convenience store in the middle of nowhere.
Well we made it to New Town which I found quite fascinating. It is the town center for the Sioux Indian Tribe reservation and its Native American population is nearly 80% of the total population. I was fascinated by this because it is a population which is discussed so often in text books and within America as a whole, but little contact is made unless one ventures onto a reservation. After grabbing some lunch in town and wondering around checking the sites, the van made it in and we were able to throw some dinner together after a long day.
Incidentally, during the time that the dinner crew was putting together pasta and sauce, it began to hail outside. Pea size hail fell for about ten minutes and left the sky nearly black. Weather in the state of North Dakota is quite strange and very sudden, there is no telling what could happen in a given day.
The next morning was one we were all looking forward to, our ride to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. This day though more than any other day was one I will not forget. I know I have done a descent amount of complaining about the scenery, but the ride from New Town changed all of that. No longer were we in the farm fields of the Midwest, we had ridden all the way to the grassy plains of North Dakota. I spent most of the day riding by myself and just thinking about how breathtaking the scenery was. Grass covered hills for miles with mountainous buttes rising off in the distance; I loved the ride so much I didn't want it to be over. Fortunately though, the finale, after lunch and all of the stops for pictures along the way was incredible, was a nearly two-mile steep downhill into the park which allowed my bike and I to go over 50 miles per hour. It was incredible and the scenery on the way into Theodore Roosevelt was even more amazing than that which I had seen all day.
(Now this camping experience which I will discuss is one I will never forget, one which will go down as one of the most ridiculous evenings I've ever had.)
Some debate occurred when we arrived at the park: should we stay or go back to town because we would be returning there in the morning. (Bike and Build has been visiting the park for 7 years, but riders must make a trip nearly 25 miles out their way to get to the park). Was it worth it? Would it be better to go back and shorten the ride for the following day? We decided that it was worth it and continued on to our camp sight where we pitched tents, fired up the grill, and watched the sunset over the mountains.
Now watching thirty city people try to pitch a tent and fire up a camping stove is quite a site. Bags unpacked and stuff flying everywhere, who knew camping required so much skill? There was also no shower; only a small building which had guys and girls bathrooms. Many of us decided showering in the sink was worth it, but many did not, definitely a mixed bag.
The tents provided by Bike and Build were definitely not the newest model and several of them failed to possess the rain cover which when pulled taught allows any water to drip off the side and not into the tent. (I opted for one with a cover). Upon arrival to the park the ranger had nonchalantly mentioned the fact that there was a 40% chance of rain, something that perhaps we should have listened to a bit more closely.
Most were in bed by 10 and a few drops fell at around 12. Around 3am I was awakened by some of the brightest lightening I have ever seen, blinding lighting that illuminated the whole sky. The four of us in the tent figured we could hold out if anything happened and thought little of it. The few drops of rain and wind went from bad to worse extremely quickly and within several minutes the wind was so bad that our tent collapsed. We heard screams and laughs and saw many others making a break for the bathroom; we proceeded to do the same. After shoving my sleeping bag into its waterproof bag, grabbing my shoes, and my toiletries, I made a break for the girls bathroom. People were yelling and when I got to the bathroom, a small two sink two stall room intended for 4 people at most, there appeared to be about 21 people standing there cold, wet, and half asleep with as much stuff in their hands as I had in my own.
We hoped the rain would stop for a second, but it didn't, not at all, in fact it picked up. Seven of the eight tents pitched the night before had collapsed and those that had not prepared for the storm (which I had) were looking at all of the stuff in their tents get completely soaked. So we realized that the only option was to sleep in the bathroom. Several of us ran over to the mens room and within minutes I found myself sitting in one of the bathroom stalls while other scurried to dry their thermarests and sleeping bags. It was 3am and we were not going to wake until 6, so with wind and rain still demolishing our camp site, I fell asleep in my own private suite: the bathroom stall with my legs around a toilet.
I awoke hoping that it was all a dream and that I would be in the tent, but I was still in the bathroom and still straddling a toilet. The morning was chaotic, people trying to find clothing, bags, iPods, and anything else that had been left at the camp site. Being quite good at planning ahead, I had put all my bags in the trailer the night before and had grabbed everything from the tent in the heat of the moment leaving me with very few wet items.
The chaos of the evening was quite a precursor to our 95 mile day which left Theodore Roosevelt and took us to Culbertson, Montana. It began with a bike back up the massive 2 mile hill we had all ridden down the day before as well as some run-ins with the bison in the park. It was a long day with a lot of hills and some relentless wind, but we all managed. We threw all of the wet things into the church lawn and manged to dry just about everything in the evening.
So it has been an interesting last couple of days. Gorgeous scenery, arrival into Montana, and perhaps one of the most ridiculous evenings we've had yet. And perhaps the most ridiculous part of the evening in the park was the fact that it is the only night thus far that we have had to pay for our accommodations. $110 for the whole group and I woke up in a bathroom stall.....
I'll keep writing when I have more exciting things to mention, keep reading and commenting.
Friday morning we left Minot for New Town, ND which is a small town located on an Indian Reservation. A hot breakfast was served upon wakeup and during our first 5 miles, we were chased by a news crew which was doing a story on Bike and Build for the evening news. This isn't the first time we've dealt with the media, but this is the first time that they've done some filming on the road which, after viewing the news clip, was pretty cool.
We rode due south of Minot for New Town - directly into a head wind - and after making it nearly half way to lunch, we learned that there would be no lunch stop because the van wasn't able to shift. It was towed to a local garage for repair, but we wouldn't see the van until much later that evening. The ride though was very pretty: rolling hills, lots of agricultural fields, and little development. Even without the van, Bike and Build did provide lunch; peanut butter and jelly from a small convenience store in the middle of nowhere.
Well we made it to New Town which I found quite fascinating. It is the town center for the Sioux Indian Tribe reservation and its Native American population is nearly 80% of the total population. I was fascinated by this because it is a population which is discussed so often in text books and within America as a whole, but little contact is made unless one ventures onto a reservation. After grabbing some lunch in town and wondering around checking the sites, the van made it in and we were able to throw some dinner together after a long day.
Incidentally, during the time that the dinner crew was putting together pasta and sauce, it began to hail outside. Pea size hail fell for about ten minutes and left the sky nearly black. Weather in the state of North Dakota is quite strange and very sudden, there is no telling what could happen in a given day.
The next morning was one we were all looking forward to, our ride to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. This day though more than any other day was one I will not forget. I know I have done a descent amount of complaining about the scenery, but the ride from New Town changed all of that. No longer were we in the farm fields of the Midwest, we had ridden all the way to the grassy plains of North Dakota. I spent most of the day riding by myself and just thinking about how breathtaking the scenery was. Grass covered hills for miles with mountainous buttes rising off in the distance; I loved the ride so much I didn't want it to be over. Fortunately though, the finale, after lunch and all of the stops for pictures along the way was incredible, was a nearly two-mile steep downhill into the park which allowed my bike and I to go over 50 miles per hour. It was incredible and the scenery on the way into Theodore Roosevelt was even more amazing than that which I had seen all day.
(Now this camping experience which I will discuss is one I will never forget, one which will go down as one of the most ridiculous evenings I've ever had.)
Some debate occurred when we arrived at the park: should we stay or go back to town because we would be returning there in the morning. (Bike and Build has been visiting the park for 7 years, but riders must make a trip nearly 25 miles out their way to get to the park). Was it worth it? Would it be better to go back and shorten the ride for the following day? We decided that it was worth it and continued on to our camp sight where we pitched tents, fired up the grill, and watched the sunset over the mountains.
Now watching thirty city people try to pitch a tent and fire up a camping stove is quite a site. Bags unpacked and stuff flying everywhere, who knew camping required so much skill? There was also no shower; only a small building which had guys and girls bathrooms. Many of us decided showering in the sink was worth it, but many did not, definitely a mixed bag.
The tents provided by Bike and Build were definitely not the newest model and several of them failed to possess the rain cover which when pulled taught allows any water to drip off the side and not into the tent. (I opted for one with a cover). Upon arrival to the park the ranger had nonchalantly mentioned the fact that there was a 40% chance of rain, something that perhaps we should have listened to a bit more closely.
Most were in bed by 10 and a few drops fell at around 12. Around 3am I was awakened by some of the brightest lightening I have ever seen, blinding lighting that illuminated the whole sky. The four of us in the tent figured we could hold out if anything happened and thought little of it. The few drops of rain and wind went from bad to worse extremely quickly and within several minutes the wind was so bad that our tent collapsed. We heard screams and laughs and saw many others making a break for the bathroom; we proceeded to do the same. After shoving my sleeping bag into its waterproof bag, grabbing my shoes, and my toiletries, I made a break for the girls bathroom. People were yelling and when I got to the bathroom, a small two sink two stall room intended for 4 people at most, there appeared to be about 21 people standing there cold, wet, and half asleep with as much stuff in their hands as I had in my own.
We hoped the rain would stop for a second, but it didn't, not at all, in fact it picked up. Seven of the eight tents pitched the night before had collapsed and those that had not prepared for the storm (which I had) were looking at all of the stuff in their tents get completely soaked. So we realized that the only option was to sleep in the bathroom. Several of us ran over to the mens room and within minutes I found myself sitting in one of the bathroom stalls while other scurried to dry their thermarests and sleeping bags. It was 3am and we were not going to wake until 6, so with wind and rain still demolishing our camp site, I fell asleep in my own private suite: the bathroom stall with my legs around a toilet.
I awoke hoping that it was all a dream and that I would be in the tent, but I was still in the bathroom and still straddling a toilet. The morning was chaotic, people trying to find clothing, bags, iPods, and anything else that had been left at the camp site. Being quite good at planning ahead, I had put all my bags in the trailer the night before and had grabbed everything from the tent in the heat of the moment leaving me with very few wet items.
The chaos of the evening was quite a precursor to our 95 mile day which left Theodore Roosevelt and took us to Culbertson, Montana. It began with a bike back up the massive 2 mile hill we had all ridden down the day before as well as some run-ins with the bison in the park. It was a long day with a lot of hills and some relentless wind, but we all managed. We threw all of the wet things into the church lawn and manged to dry just about everything in the evening.
So it has been an interesting last couple of days. Gorgeous scenery, arrival into Montana, and perhaps one of the most ridiculous evenings we've had yet. And perhaps the most ridiculous part of the evening in the park was the fact that it is the only night thus far that we have had to pay for our accommodations. $110 for the whole group and I woke up in a bathroom stall.....
I'll keep writing when I have more exciting things to mention, keep reading and commenting.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)