8-5-10
Thursday 7-29-10
We rode to Umatilla, 56 miles. Spent the night in my tent at the fair grounds. Woke up to two flat tires. Ended up fixing both before getting down the road. Had to change another one later. In the evening Larry presented me with 2 puncture resistant tubes. Many thanks for them. These are tubes with about 1/8 thick rubber on the outside. Came in handy a couple days later when I picked up some tire scrap, steel belt wires are bad, go right through tires. Umitilla is a heavily hispanic town, we guess for picking crops - Onions are a big one. The hotel clerk where we rent 4 rooms, was not very friendly. As Cecil put it some people are in the business of renting rooms, others, providing hospitality. This place did an exceptional job of just renting rooms.

8-6-10
Friday 7-30-10
We rode from Umitilla to Biggs outside of Marydale, 83 miles of 10 to 15 MPH head wind, 90+ deg heat and ended with a big hill. Neat area, there was a reproduction of Stone Hinge which we visited on the way in to the Mary Hill SP. This was probably the hardest day of the ride thus far due to the constant head wind. From our experience the next day and what locals said we were lucky to face just 10 to 15 mph winds, 30+ are more typical. There were no services between Umitilla and Biggs except about 1/2 way in West Roosevelt which is where there is a small restaurant, the road up to the plateau where they haul wind turbins up, 2 sets of blades and a top and 1 piece of a tower had passed us on the way. You really notice them when they go by you when you are on a bike. The blades are around 160 ft long. This is also where there is a train yard where they break up trains to go over the mountains I am guessing. Lots of containers.

We all had lunch in West Roosevelt then headed out. The vans, Larry and the red van pulling the trailer, stopped every 5 miles for people to get water and rest a little.

When we finally got to Umitilla we meet up with a family, some of us had meet earlier on the ride. It is a husband and wife, 2 older boys in college and just graduated and a couple of teens, 15 year old girl and what looked like a 16 or 17 year old boy. They are from Colorado Springs and never ridden much. They bought bikes on line had them delivered to Bal Harbour Maine. They flew out in mid May I believe, put them together and started riding self contained. Very bold move. They finished in Seaside a day or two infront of us. Selling the bikes on Craigs list and driving back to Colorado Springs.

Our friends the Murrs are behind our group a few days. They rested in Missoula a few days, leaving there last Monday. They need to be back in MO Aug 15 for Jane to start kindergarden Monday the 16th.

Sat. 7-31-10
We rode today from Biggs OR to Bingen WA, across the Columbia from Hood River OR. We rode 56 ml today in a fierce head wind. It was cloudy most of the day so that helped a lot. We all made it okay but it took some time for such a relatively short distance. We got into Hood River around 3:30. We had to be ferried over the bridge (toll with steel mesh decking and narrow) in the vans and RV to the WA side.

We stayed at our first hostel, a new experience for me. It was what I expected, bunk beds in a large room that was split up by partial walls with a couple of bunks in each area. Had small private shower stalls. A new experience. We stayed in our next hostel the following night, much different.

Sun. 8-1-10
This is a rest day. Lori had set up for us to go on the Hood River Railroad 4 hour train ride up toward Mt. Hood. It was very relaxing. I think we all slept during some part of the ride. It ended at a small town called Parkland, where we had a picnic and celebrated William Clarks birthday. Made for a very relaxing day after 2 really hard days of riding.

Monday 8-2-10
We rode From Hood River to Troutdale which is on the east side of Portland along much of the Columbia Gorge Scenic HWY. This was one of the prettiest days of the trip. We rode 55 miles. Started the day with 11 miles on I 84 which definitely had some wind, but then switched over to the frontage roads and highway. The highway was built back in 1914-15 from Portland to the Dalles. Some of it is gone due to construction of other highways, some is just bike path and some has been widened and open for cars again. It was built for people to come and see the gorge and it’s natural beauty. It was ahead of it’s time. It goes by several water falls and has a couple high overlooks, Rowena and Vista House ( a building, actually built by the county on this one high out crop). The climbs to these outlooks was not bad because the engineering. Hill and Lancaster had gone to Europe to study how roads over the mountains had been built there. The grades were long with many switchbacks but fairly gradual at only 5 or 6%. It was very lovely and peaceful as there were not many cars taking advantage of these sites.

We ended the day on a nice long down hill without wind (didn’t have to pedal downhill like some previous days) that took us into Troutdale where we stayed at Edge Field McMenamins Hostel. It is a large complex that was once a home/farm for the indigent. This was quite the place. We did all sleep in a large room with bunks. They had very nice private full bathrooms to use, a hot springs type pool to soak in with rock and torches around it, robes to wear to and from the pool, several restaurants on site to eat at. The help was all very accommodating. All for $30, a very good value.

Tuesday 8-3-10
Today we had a guided tour around the outskirts of Portland mostly on bike paths lead by John and Ed. Then onto US 30 again to Clatskanie City Park on the west side of Portland. we did a pretty easy - flat, minimal wind 78 miles. It did end with a pretty steep and long 3 mile climb, but then an equally steep decent into Clatskanie.

We camped in the city park which was getting ready to host a Bluegrass Festival starting the next day so it was pretty busy. We walked around town some, then went to bed.

Wednesday 8-4-10
Today we rode from Clatskanie to Astoria, about 38 miles with our last really big hill outside Clatskanie. We spent the night in a B&B, Clemintines. We couldn’t check until after 3 so we all spent time at a brew pub (Ft George Brewery) where we got a lesson on brewing beer. learned about making the wort, then the fermentation etc. They had a real nice bakery next to it (Scorched Bakery) with some nice artisan breads. We had 6 guys in our set of rooms with 3 beds. I ended up on the floor. Had a nice breakfast though.

We all drove in the vans to the WA side to see Point Dissappointment where L&C originally headed when they got to the mouth of the Columbia Nov 10th 1805. They got stuck in a little cove by a fierce storm for several days. They almost starved to death and from exposure except for some Indians with the right kind of canoes and skills brought them food to tide them through a couple days until the storm cleared. They then paddled back up stream to a point where the water wasn’t so rough and came up the south side and around the mouth to what became Ft Clatsop. (We visited it on the next day on our way to Seaside). The ranger kept the museum open for us to look at the L&C exhibits. Very nice museum.

Thursday 8-5-10 The last day :(
Today is a short day from Astoria to Seaside, about 30 ml. Cecil, whose wife’s mother lived in Seaside, lead the way. The final destination for L&C, to winter over at was at Ft. Clatsop, between Astoria and Seaside. They did send 3 guys to what is Seaside today to make salt for the return trip. We had a special presentation for our group by the park staff at Ft. Clatsop SP and saw a couple of movies. They have a reproduction of the fort with people dressed in the period - mainly buck skins. They did a flag raising for which a guy in the crowd was a bugler and brought out his bugle and played the Stars Bangle Banner for the raising. Then a guy later did a demonstration of the flint lock musket and other weapons they brought and their purposes. Lewis brought an air rifle (worked on compressed air). It wasn’t very useful as a hunting weapon but it never failed to impress the natives and demonstrate the American know how.

When we got to Seaside, Cecil treated everyone to lunch at the restaurant his mother in law had and he helped run after she passed away, Norma’s. It was wonderful.

That evening Lori had arranged for a dinner at McKeon’s in Seaside where we looked at pictures from last year (rode the first half the route to Ft. Peck MT) and this year. We all took a quiz, Lori had put together matching events to places on our trip this year. It was a good time.

The trip was a great adventure with a wonderful group of people the 2nd half. They will be missed. The oldest person was Vern at 78, who rode the whole way over all the passes. The average age, not including the kids was 62 years.

Mileage totals for the trip are
We rode a total of 900 miles on the first half, before joining the group, May 31st to July 8th. and 1013 miles with the group. July 10th to August 5th

Rode Alton, IL to Bismark ND on the 1st half, with a couple interruptions. Ft. Benton to Seaside OR, on the second half.

Rode:
May 31 to June 6th with Marta and the pop up,
June 6 to June 11, me and the kids self contained (Booneville MO to Smithville MO outside Kansas City) with my bike and the tandem and trailer ( went to Aimee’s for the weekend)
June 15 to 17th Missouri Valley IA to Souix City IA (Marta picked up went to Dayton)
June 22 to June 28, Souix City to Pierre SD (Mary & Bob dropped me off 21st, Flew to Dayton on the 29th)
July 4th to July 8th Pierre SD to Bismark ND (fly back to Pierre on 3rd, get picked up by Lori on July 8th)
Start biking morning of July 10th from Ft. Benton MT, finish in Seaside OR Aug. 5th
I met Marta in Bozeman, courtesy of a ride from Larry headed back to Pierre Juy 18. We went up to Missoula, got the bike fixed on the 19th, and drove to Wayfare SP in Three Rivers MT(?) near Kalispel, 20th drove up to Glacier and hiked Lost lake trail at Logans pass then had dinner at Desi and Brads. July 21 drove back to the group in Lolo Hot Springs at the base of Lolo Pass. Marta and kids headed back to IL Wed the 28th got home Sat afternoon.

Total for the 9 weeks is 1913 miles.

Trivia and Truisms
1. Bikes like to get as far away from traffic as possible, if they are in the road or near the white line they have a good reason.
2. Bikers are people too, husbands, wives, mothers and fathers. Pull over as much as possible. If you can’t don’t pass.
3. Bikers check your mirrors, if an “Oversized Load” lead car passes you look back quick and get over.
4. Don’t race dogs, they don’t like mace - a lot. Westerners take better care of their dogs, don’t let them run into traffic / chase bikes. Only had 2 issues, both in MO.
5. Worst drivers from my experience are in IA (ironically, home of RAGBRI) or MT. MT drivers just in a hurry and will not slow down regardless.
6. Truckers generally are the best about passing and pulling over. RV drivers pulling something the worst.
7. Most common road kill on the first half of trip turtles and pheasant, 2nd half, deer.
8. Tire debris the worst to run over, little wires go right through tires and tubes.
9. Most common debris, besides tire debris, broken black bunge cords
10. Most common hubcaps - the little round ones, especially out west. 3 or 4 a day at least it seemed.
11. Beavers don’t stop growing as they age. Older the beaver, the bigger it is.

Will try to add pictures later

Thanks for following our adventure. It is a great way to see America, the country and the people.