Day 79 - North Roosevelt, WA

slept like a rock last night, which has been easy to do all tour long; 6-8 hours of saddle time make it easy to physically spent each day, but seldom so trashed that the next days ride is hard as a result .... it rained during the night, plus I was up late fixing the front flat, so for me, the early departure wasn't happening. I used both new tubes and was able to repair only one, so traveling lean. Josh was able to accomplish the early get-going, so he was off ahead of Dana and I. she and I got going with the goal to catch up with Josh in Biggs Junction, about 85 miles away. the early start was intended to get in miles before the vaunted headwinds kicked up. these wind conditions thru the Columbia River Gorge are legendary: stiff and sustained, with gusts that can stop you cold. nasty, especially with all the exposed surface areas of the bike and panniers. anyway, Dana and I met up with the winds and settled in a good rhythm of swapping pulls every few minutes. along the way, I got ANOTHER rear flat, again of the slow-leak variety (compared to the instant large puncture PSSSST... ). i had to use my last tube. i discovered then that the winds had caused carnage to my bike bling (the USA and Texas state flags that had been prominent on my rig since Day 1): the USA flag had been blown off. Texas would have to fly alone.  by the time we reached Roosevelt, I needed a water bottle reload and some food. Dana had already packed best westerns so we expected a quick turnaround to continue the 8 mph grind to Biggs. we happened upon a bit of a social event (see below), so we settled in for a beer or two with lunch. ended up staying all day and tenting in a yard out back. a tough ride today, but not as many miles as hoped. we actually had caught up to and visted with Josh, but he decided to pass in the festivities and head for Biggs on his own. hopefully we'll reconnect before the coast. he gave me a new tube, so I could breathe easier till I repaired one of my own or got to an upcoming bike shop.


today: 50 miles
to date: 4352

On our way from Umatilla, Dana and I stopped in North Roosevelt for a water bottle reload and to munch on Best Westerns. we stumbled upon the annual Roosevelt Wine, Wheels, and Tunes Festival.  great local wines, microbrews, and live music. water stop turning into the overnight camping stop. excellent find and great happy hour....

Day 78 - Umatilla, OR

Nice sunset while cooking out grilled chicken, catfish, and mixed skewered veggies. not a bad menu for touring cyclists on the road ...

Day 78 - Umatilla, OR

after enjoying an awesome sleep under the stars without the tents, we awoke to a beautiful, sunny warm morning in Walla Walla.  this was our first day in several that we could dress light, no jackets or rain gear. winds were looking to be mostly cross and tailwinds, so our spirits were high this morning !  we stopped at a safeway grocery store for a starbucks (first time all tour) and road snacks (bagels, granola bars, the usual fare ...) on our way, passed several local wineries; too early for wine tastings. we headed on generally flat terrain toward the Columbia River, along which we will ride for several days, looking ahead to the notorious fierce headwinds. BUT, for today, the winds would be at our backs, so we enjoyed motoring along ! my momentum was stalled by a flat rear tire, of the hard to repair on the road slow-leak variety. replaced the tube instead and was on my way. our goal today was a shorter day to Umatilla, a relatively short day of 50+ miles; laundry and library (PC access) were on our minds, but we second-guessed ourselves, partly wanting to keep going with the rare tailwind. made camp, did the laundry and library things, had a fun cookout and another fun camp evening.

just before turning in, I discovered ANOTHER flat, this time up front. fixed one spare tube after dinner, so now running on fumes without any spares. not good. Grrrr...



today: 64 miles
to date: 4304

Day 77 - Walla Walla, WA

this morning offered another breezy and cool outlook. we ventured toward Walla Walla today, a ride including another long steady climb. the headwinds picked up early and made it easy to scream out loud at the wind in frustration. and it wasn't just me; my riding partners also confessed to similar outbursts!! the descent into Dayton for a lunch stop was welcome. a bowl of bean soup and a pre-happy beer brought me back and ready for the push to Walla Walla. the skies cleared and warmed on the way, and the winds picked up as well. on the way, i began to feel some flare-ups of ITB issues. need to be conservative with this..... we got to Walla Walla with great weather around us, a mood enhancer to say the least!!! found a stealthy place to camp behind the gym at Whitman College. a stop at the mill st. pub / micro-brewery got happy hour moving along. a walkabout search for food ended us at Sapolil's, a fun local place. the owner was nice enough to offer us dinner when we told him were on a hunting mission for food !  the night-time weather was so nice that we all slept out in our sleeping bags sans tents. a great day and a good ride, even though the first half was very tough..



today: 72 miles
to date: 4238

Happy Hour in Walla Walla, WA after a tough ride today that did have a nice finish in clearing and sunnier weather.

 

Bill, owner of Sapolil Winery, with Josh and I at post Happy-Hour

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dana with the evidence.....

Day 76 - Pomeroy, WA

awoke today to light rain, cool temps and winds in our faces. it has become a bit disillusioning to be continuing to have what even all the locals refer to as unusually rainy, chilly and WINDY weather. ugh. after convenience store coffee this time, we got rolling along. today's goal was Pomeroy, WA. we motored along rather smoothly and uneventfully, stopping in Lewiston, ID for a lunch stop. heading across into Washington state, we began another long climb; not steep, just long (and not specifically mentioned on the map). motored nicely on the descent into Pomeroy. the plan was to camp at the town fairgrounds, located about a mile short of the town of Pomeroy;  i waited for josh at the turnoff to the fairgrounds while dana did a recon trip to town. while waiting, a nice lady drove by to fill me in on the nice setup they had at the fairgrounds; after josh arrived, he went up the road to recon the grounds and while he was off, ANOTHER lady stopped by to promote the cycle-friendly facility - they are really promoting it here ! nice ! sure enough, the grounds were well maintained and the other facilities were sweet: covered area for bad weather bailout, hot showers, a good find. a pretty good ride today in acceptable weather, and a great camp site. cooked up yummy dinner of pasta with tomatoes.   Dana surprised Josh and me with a treat of chocolate cookies she got in the earlier recon ride. 2 lbs. of cookies. we ate almost all of them.  :)

today: 71 miles
to date: 4166

Day 75 - Orofino, ID

enjoyed a great sleep under the pavilion. the gents there were so kind to make us a pot of coffee, so we didn't have to. it was sooo weak! but, I didn't have the heart to make my own so we enjoyed it anyway. a pot of oatmeal and granola, a batch of best westerns and we were on our way. weather looked good, so we kept our fingers crossed it would stay that way. continued to lose elevation as we headed on westbound thru Idaho toward orofino, about 85 miles. the skies cleared nicely as we continued to ride along the Clearwater River (which was the lochsa
river.... ) the entire day. very beautiful scenery as the river and hwy 12 traversed a steep valley. we stopped in Kooskia for a lunch break; soup and chocolate milk !! on the way back onto the route, i took a moment for a very quick dip in the the Clearwater river to cool off and refresh for the ride !!! felt great !  the headwinds picked up a bit late in the day, but no real issue as we pulled into orofino to pick up beers and ice for camping happy hour! found what we felt was not our target campground, but a nice spot along the river. took a bath in the clearwater river since we missed an opportunity yesterday. had a mishap and cut my left calf pretty well, but nothing serious. cooked pasta with tomatoes and josh's oriental chili sauce. yum! a clear night to camp. hoping to miss anticipated deteriorating weather.

today: 89 miles
to date: 4095

Day 74 - Wilderness Gateway Campground, Clearwater National Forest, ID

after a couple of relaxing rest days in a very fun town, it was time to get back on the road. we had to backtrack a few miles from Missoula to Lola, where we would intersect with the next ACA route, the Lewis and Clark Trail, at Hwy 12 west toward Idaho. had nice weather today, so the ride started nicely. we had a very gradual 40 mile climb to reach Lola Pass (elevation 5235'), after which we would begin a nearly 100 mile gradual decline in elevation as we traveled into Idaho. the Lochsa River paralleled the hiway as we rode along, a very scenic and beautiful ride. we continued into the Clearwater National Forest, and decided to camp near the Lochsa Historical Ranger Station. true to form, the pretty day turned into a rainy evening just as we reached our campground. go figure. we wanted to pitch our tents under the pavilion, but it was occupied by a group of seniors there for a week for an annual gathering of bluegrass aficionados, there in their 30th year. they invited us in to pitch our tents under the pavilion, so we had a dry place to crash plus entertainment ! another sweet ending to a great long ride and a great day, even with the evening rain shower !

today: 101 miles
to date: 4006

Day 73 - Another Day off ....

enjoyed some excellent tent camping in doug's yard, as the weather has been excellent since arriving in Missoula. took the day off from anything strenuous. we all went out to breakfast at a small local place near doug's. Josh and I joined him on a casual bike-around tour around town which was fun. Doug should be with the chamber of commerce given his knowledge of the area. Missoula is an impressive town regarding its investment and support of the many parks, playgrounds, ball fields, and outdoor activity in general. lots of kids out playing, something I don't see much of at all back home in Katy, Texas.

We cooked out that evening at Doug's; some of his other friends came by with a killer spinach salad. I contributed by grilling salmon and sweet potatoes (basted with butter and brown sugar- YUM !!). I made a topping for the salmon of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, sliced almonds, cilantro and garlic. was a hit !! a nice ending to a relaxing day.

Doug gets the tour's second Best Host Award for his hospitality and his time showing us around all over this terrific town !


'days-off' local miles: 17 miles
to date: 3905

Big Dipper. KILLER homemade ice cream. very decadent. stopped in 3 times over the weekend. double scoops of chocolate and coffee, then dipped in chocolate. obnoxiously good. good thing we're riding lots of miles !!!