Trip Log
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June 1, 2006-Day1
As I drove away from our home yesterday, as I’ve done many times before to go on vacation, the thought occurred to me that it would be a very long time before I would see our home, family and friends again. Today, like most of the ones to come, was a travel day, however, this day it was by plane not bike. Mary Ellen & I thanked our good friend Kevin for the lift and we entered the Bradley terminal with our gear which seemed much heavier than I thought it should.
Our flights on Southwest took us to Baltimore, Salt Lake City and, finally, Portland. Total door to door time of 13 hours, but the price was right and the scenery beautiful. Normally I like to sit by the window in order to try and pick out familiar landmarks. However, this time I found I paid even more attention, knowing that I’d be retracing my steps at 13 mph instead of 500 mph. We crossed the Mississippi River right over the Quad cities in Iowa where our son Matt lived for a couple of years and just south of where we will cross it. The Wasatch Mountains as we landed in Salt Lake City were snow-capped and brilliantly lit by the sun. But the most beautiful sight to me today was on our descent into Portland where we broke through the clouds to see a very long stretch the Columbia River knowing that in a couple of days we would be riding along its banks and wondering what it must have been like for Lewis & Clark as they explored the same area.
Mary Ellen’s sister Barbara picked us up and we drove to her home in the rain for a very welcome dinner and a chance to catch up with her husband Keith and son Kieran. Tomorrow will be spent relaxing, packing our gear, checking our maps and picking up a few last minute supplies.
Quiet and lazy day today-almost feel guilty. Mary Ellen & I spent most of the morning packing our gear. Tried to pack with a goal of being well organized, but I expect it will be a week before I remember where everything is. We received a very nice surprise today from Mary Ellen’s sister Patti and her husband Bob-beautiful bike shirts with “Rick & Mary Ellen’s Wheelly Great Adventure” embroidered on the back. The embroidery was done by Sue in memory of her mother Jewell Wilford who passed away from breast cancer. Although we do not know Sue or her mother we are privileged to ride on their behalf.
We spent the afternoon with Mary Ellen’s sister Barbara touring Lake Oswego, a beautiful Portland suburb. Everything is very lush and green-lots of tall Douglas firs. Not much else to report on-looking forward to the drive to Astoria, OR tomorrow to hook up with our bikes and ride a short distance west to the Pacific Ocean. Weather is warm and humid, but no heavy rains. I promise myself not to complain about the weather since not a darn thing I can do to influence it.
Traditions are important. Around 1:00 pm Mary Ellen & I dipped our rear wheels into the Pacific Ocean at Ft. Stevens State Park near Astoria, OR to officially start our journey eastward. It was a wonderful feeling and, by tradition, we will officially end our journey by dipping our front wheels into the Atlantic Ocean. Ft. Stevens was constructed during the Civil War period to protect the entrance to the Columbia River, the major river separating WA from OR. I’m not sure any fighting took place here so probably not a bad place to be stationed. Even the weather cooperated today-in the high 60’s and mostly sunny.
We left Barbara’s & Keith’s house about 8:30am and arrived in Astoria about 2 hours later after a beautiful drive over the Pacific Coast range. When I remarked about the size of the mountains we were driving up Keith reminded me that the Rockies would be 3-4 times higher. A sobering thought-perhaps the solution is to drink! While in the car Mary Ellen thought it would be a good idea if we sampled and rated some things as we rode across the country. She chose to sample and rate beers (only at the end of the day) and I chose pancakes and milkshakes. But since we’re a team, I’m sure we’ll help each other out.
We found the bike shop easily and they were ready for us as planned. We took a couple of pictures and headed west for about 12 miles to reach the Pacific. It felt good to ride, particularly since our gear was in Keith’s trunk. Had lunch in Astoria (good healthy fried scallops and oysters-an oxymoron?) and then checked into a B&B called Franklin Street Station which is owned by a woman who has lived in Astoria her entire life, at least to date.
We plan to check out the town before having dinner, celebrate Barbara’s birthday, which is today, and Rick’s, which is June 9, and enjoy our last night before the real trek begins. It will be a long time before we see family again but we hope to see and make friends along the way.
Total miles today = 24 Average speed = 12.1mph (we were sightseeing)
We left our B&B in Astoria this morning under overcast skies. However, our sendoff by Barbara & Keith and the 5 friends we made at breakfast (they all came out to clap and yell as we took our first pedals heading east and homeward bound) brightened our spirits. But before I continue with today’s activities I must mention the trolley ride we took in Astoria late yesterday-a 4 mile long stretch along the Columbia River with continuous entertainment by the 2 conductors. If you are ever in Astoria you should take the trolley ride. Even saw a beautiful bald eagle which Barbara said was a sign of good luck-who am I to disagree?
Today we rode 49 miles and averaged 12.8 mph. It was a tough day with lots of big climbs, the most difficult a 2.8 mile one. The traffic was busier than we expected, with a number of large RVs and SUVs pulling boats trailers. We expect to be riding on much flatter terrain for next several days and hope we won’t see terrain as tough until we get to Idaho and the Rockies.
We ended the day in full sunshine. Fortunately we were eating lunch when the only steady rain hit. Needless to say we really enjoyed our first lunch-break on the road and didn’t feet a bit guilty as we drank our first milkshake, marionberry, at the Berry Patch Restaurant in Westport. It was delicious-we scored it an 8 out of a possible 10 and we are looking forward to rating many more.
We pulled into Ranier, OR about 3:00pm and settled into the Ranier Budget Inn. It’s not a place we would normally be excited about staying at, but it’s clean, at the right location, and Victor, the friendly manager, brought us a coffee maker and a pound of Starbucks!
Across the river is the biggest paper processing plant I’ve ever seen. Timber is still big business in this neck of the woods.
Tomorrow we plan to be on the road before 7am and ride about 20 miles before we stop for a full breakfast. Goal is to get through Portland and spend the night in Camus , WA
Now I know what it is like to be in a wind tunnel. As we said goodbye to Portland, OR and hello to Camus, WA we had to cross the Columbia River on an 8 foot wide and a 2.8 mile long bike path on the bridge that was centered between the north & south bound lanes of I-205. It was very loud and windy, but safe.
Today we traveled 66 miles from Ranier, OR to Camas, WA. The ride from Ranier to Portland (about 40 miles) was on busy Route 30, but it was relatively flat and generally had good shoulders. We crossed the Willamette River by walking over the St. John’s Bridge. There we met one of my West Point classmates, Fritz Goetz, a Portland area resident, who read our web site and contacted us yesterday. Mary Ellen & I really enjoyed visiting with him.
The ride through Portland, a bike friendly city, was very nice. As I mentioned in the first paragraph, the ride over the bridge from Portland to WA was something I could have done without, but it beats swimming.
We are staying at a very nice B&B in Camas. Only problem was that it is located 750 feet above the river from where we started the climb. For the first time ever I had to get off my bike and literally push it up the very steep hill. I hope I don’t have to walk over the Rockies!
For the next several days, we will be out of what I consider civilization. I hate to disappoint our faithful readers, but it will probably be several days before we have internet access again.
Today’s mileage 66; Today’s average speed = 13.7mph
As I type this, I’m looking up at the southern base of the Cascade Mountain range. The lush green in the Portland area has now been replaced with dry range land.
We started our 3 mile climb from the Columbia River into the Columbia River Gorge after about 15 minutes of riding. By the time we reached the summit the sweat was pouring out like a faucet. It was a great way to start the day!
We rode 53 tough miles today paralleling the Columbia River, one of the most beautiful places we have ever been. For almost all of the ride, the road had a nice shoulder, the traffic was pretty light and the truck drivers were courteous. We would have enjoyed it more if our legs were not so tired and my derriere was not objecting to the bike seat. We’re hoping the legs rid themselves of the lactic acid build-up eventually.
The highlights of our ride today included a view of the River and surrounding valleys from 750 ft, a stop at the Bonneville Dam, watching the hundreds of windsurfers who come to the River for its steady winds and checking into our first ever hostel in Bingen, WA (population 672). The Bonneville Dam has a visitor’s center where we watched the fish swim up river to spawn-an amazing sight.
Our room in the hostel, a former school, is a classroom, complete with blackboard and chalk. It also has a washer and dryer, a real bonus since we have been washing our clothes by hand nightly. The difficulty is getting things dry in time to wear the next day. No complaints about the weather though, clear, dry and warm. Bikes have been great except they have no motor!
Tomorrow will be a long (70 hilly miles) tough ride capped off by spending our first night camping in a town park that has no water or facilities. Mary Ellen is a real trooper. We are both looking forward to Thursday night after when we plan on staying at a motel in Umatilla, which will seem like Buckingham Palace.
Today’s mileage = 53 Average speed = 13.8 mph (due mostly to good tailwinds off the River)
I write this entry from the Tillicum Inn in Umatilla, OR on June 8 th as we have been without most normal services for the past two days. Before I proceed to describe the key activities of June 7 th, I want to mention the Viento Restaurant in Bingen (pronounced “binge” not “bing” as I was corrected by the City Hall clerk), WA. Both the food and service were surprisingly good and upscale, particularly since the best place to stay in town was the hostel.
Today we rode 69 miles (our longest so far) at an average speed of 14.3 due primarily to a good road and tail winds from Bingen to Roosevelt, WA., the route continuing to follow the Columbia River. The terrain has changed dramatically from the tall fir trees in the west to arid range land. In fact, we saw two buffaloes today all by themselves on a rocky hillside, as well as cows, hawks and crows. We had to carefully plan our water and food today as there were not many services. In fact we saw a sign that said no gas for 82 miles, luckily we didn’t need any.
Along our journey today we stopped at the MaryHill Vineyard and had six bottles of wine sent home. We didn’t even taste the wine as Mary Ellen has a strict rule about not drinking when we ride. When we reached our day’s destination in Roosevelt, WA we met our first other bike rider, Ed Carlin, a very experienced cyclist riding the Lewis & Clark trail from St Louis to Astoria. He had had a very tough day riding into the wind only averaging about 9 mph. We enjoyed each other’s company and we filled each other in on what lay ahead.
The only place to eat and drink was Rebecca’s Mini Mart. Mary Ellen and I got some frozen hamburger, cheese, the one available tomato, and 4 Buds which we carried to the camp ground on the banks of the River. Our map told us there was no water at the campground (which we took to mean no services) so we were thrilled to learn there were flush toilets and cold showers!
Our first night camping was really enjoyable except when the sprinkler system came on at 1:45am and the water went right in the front tent opening onto my sleeping bag! The other campers were all windsurfers who told us that the spot was the best along the Columbia River.
Today’s mileage = 69 Average speed today = 14.3mph
Today I heard it before I felt it-the wind that is. Lying in the tent at 6:00am (getting lazy and sleeping late) I could tell the wind was blowing hard, fortunately from west to east. There were gusts up to 40 mph which made today’s ride a dream. The winds were so strong that, we had to walk our bikes the short distances we headed north-south since the wind would literally blow us over.
After having a couple of pancakes at the local greasy spoon we headed east toward today’s destination, Umatilla, OR. We covered 50 miles today at 16.1 mph which I’m sure will be the fastest average speed on our entire trip. We met a very friendly truck driver at a little local store/restaurant who must have needed someone to talk to so we were happy to accommodate him as our safety often is in thrucker’s hands.
We just checked into the Tillacum Inn ($49 with AAA). Shower and shave felt great. Next to the OR Welcome Center to use their internet service and then to find a Laundromat and place to eat.
Today’s mileage – 50 Today’s average speed – 16.1 mph
We said good-by today to a good companion,the Columbia River, which has kept us company from the beginning of our trip for about 340 miles. The River turned sharply north as we continued our journey today from Umatilla, OR to Walla Walla, WA. We find the roads to have mostly excellent shoulders for riding, and the truckers, courteous. The traffic was moderate, the terrain gentle and the weather, beautiful.I want to thank the many people who called or emailed me today wishing me happy birthday. It’s been a great day and I’m very happy to be 59 and healthy enough to do this ride.
Walla Walla is the largest town we have been in since Portland. It has 3 colleges and a nice downtown. We hired a taxi to bring us to a bike shop and pharmacy. I’ve been waiting for about 5 days to buy some moleskin to help alleviate my sore derriere. Mary Ellen, on the other hand, has enough padding and no need for artificial help.
This evening we are having dinner with Skip & Linda Fjeld. They live in Yakima, WA and we met them in 1971 when Skip & I were 2LTs stationed in Germany. They, of course, are driving here. It will be a wonderful b-day present to be able to visit with them.
To give you a sense of our next week, here is our general itinerary for the next week. Since we will be heading towards and over the Rockies, we don’t expect to have email and cell phone for most of the next week. Tomorrow, we have a very long day - about 70 miles to Pomeroy, WA. Then 33 it’s miles to Lewiston, ID (where we should have coverage) then 44 very steep miles to Winchester, ID. On Tuesday, we go 74 miles to Lowell, ID then 62 miles to Powell, ID, our jumping off point to ascend LoLo Pass through the Rockies. Plan is to arrive in Missoula, MT next Thurs for a much needed layover day and some pampering, maybe a massage.
Today’s mileage = 53 Today’s avg speed = 13.5mph Total mileage to date = 367
June 10, 2006 Day 10 ( Walla Walla , WA to Pomeroy , WA )
With mixed emotions we bid farewell to our dear friends Skip & Linda Fjeld on a clear beautiful Saturday morning. Although we hadn’t seen them in many years we spent the prior evening catching up on our children’s activities as well as our own. In addition, Linda made a brownie cake to celebrate my birthday. Our visit served was a reminder of the importance of friends in our lives and that the need to stay in contact with them even if it takes effort.
Today’s ride was both beautiful and difficult. We covered 65 miles at an average speed of 12.4 mph. We had 3 big climbs of 3-5 miles up followed by descents of similar distance. Unfortunately it takes much longer to climb than to descend. Generally we followed valleys which meandered among large green hillsides covered with wheat, canola, and peas. Most of the hillsides were also patrolled by herds of range cows who seem to have a pretty good life, probably a lot better than the people who own them. Again, we had good weather, smooth roads and light traffic – we must be living right!
As we have from the beginning of our trip, we continue to follow the trail Lewis & Clark followed in 1805 and 1806. On their trip west they came by river, including the Snake, which flows into the Columbia River . Our ride today followed their overland trip eastward. They could not return by river since the rivers all flow to the Pacific on this side of the Continental Divide.
We were in wide open spaces without much in the way of development. A highpoint was lunch in Dayton , the only town in between our starting and finishing points today with any meaningful services. We talked extensively with Bev & Jim, the owners of the Patit Valley Products, who served us excellent sandwiches and soup. They filled us in on the community and local economy. In addition to farming, building and operating windmill farms to generate energy is big business in this neck of the woods.
By the time we arrived in Pomeroy we were exhausted. We were pleased to see Larry & Gary, 2 men also riding eastward towards Maine , who we first met in Umatilla. They had planned to ride to Lewiston , ID (our destination tomorrow) today, but they were as exhausted as we were. We both ended up with a $40 room at the Pioneer Motel. Yup, it’s true, you get what you pay for.
Even though the town was celebrating it’s “Tumbleweed Festival” this weekend, the motel had vacancies and it was not hard to tell why. We are glad to have our silk sleeping bag liners to put on the bed. A hot shower, nap, pretty good meal ($23.55 total at The Pioneer Eatery-best place in town according to a local I asked) revived our spirits and bodies.
Tomorrow we’ll have more time to update our log and will include information on the best milkshakes and beers we’ve enjoyed to date. By the way, after a week, we’ve decided the conversations all center around where we will eat next, how far we’ve gone (or still have to go) and how wide the road shoulders are..
Today’s total = 65 miles Today’s avg speed = 12.4 mph Total distance traveled = 432 miles (over 10% of our trip)
June 11, 2006 Day 11-Pomeroy WA to Lewiston, ID
Only traveled 32 miles today, however, we had to climb over our highest point to date, Alpowa Summit (about 2800 ft.). Roads were okay but shoulder pavement was roughest we have encountered. Sunday traffic was very light. Landscape was arid and wide open but beautiful. Mary Ellen & I caught up with our off and on traveling companions, Larry & Gary, on the climb up Alpowa Pass. They blew by us of the way down and we haven’t seen them since. The descent was about 6 miles long on scenic switchbacks.
Other than the beautiful vistas from Alpowa Summit and the wonderful descent (nice to cover distance without pedaling) the most significant landmark of the day was crossing the Snake River from WA into ID. We found a nice Comfort Inn with a hot tub, wi-fi and breakfast for $55! We’re catching up on boring but important chores like our laundry and updating our log. We also plan to review our gear to see if there is anything we can mail home tomorrow to lighten our loads before we start the climb up the Rockies.
The next 4 days will be very difficult ones for us as we travel about 225 miles to Missoula, MT over the Rockies at LoLo Pass. We currently are at about 800 ft elevation and will be at about 4100 ft after tomorrow’s ride. The next day we descend to 1500 feet only to spend the next 1 ½ days climbing back up to LoLo Pass at about 5200 feet. In a car no big deal, but on loaded bikes it will be a hard climb. We probably won’t have internet access or cell phone coverage until Thursday when we arrive (hopefully) in Missoula. One of our maps points out that one could walk over 100 miles south of our bike route through the wilderness without encountering any sign of civilization. Mary Ellen better not get us lost!
On a lighter note, ME has started keeping her Top 10 list, including, as promised, beers. Currently on the list are Full Sail Ale ( Astoria OR) with an 8 rating (out of 10) and Top Dog (Umatilla, OR) at 7. We have to admit that we’ve had a few Buds (the best available) and they tasted good too! Must have been the ambience.
Today’s distance traveled = 32 miles Today’s average speed = 11.9 mph Total distance traveled = 464 miles
June 12, 2006, Day 12 ( Lewiston, ID to Orifino, ID)
Sometimes it is better to be lucky than smart, as was the case for us today. After riding 6 miles south from Lewiston, ID on a bike path to start our planned ascent we, once again, ran into Larry & Gary as they were heading north on the bike path. They told us that some locals that they met the evening before warned them about the difficulty of the route we had planned to take today and suggested we take an alternative route that followed the Clearwater River. After studying our map, we decided to change our original plan. Although the road surface and shoulders were the worst we’ve encountered so far, it was FLAT and very scenic. It also gave us the opportunity to visit the Nez Perce National Park Visitor’s Center which was a very worthwhile diversion. I wish I know more about our native Americans’ history and lifestyles.
We ended our day in a cute town called Orofino and had a wonderful salmon dinner at Dining on The Edge (right on the banks of the Clearwater River). While there we met a couple named Stan & Pam who are in the process of moving here from Boise to get away from the crowds (it’s all relative). They had purchased 50 acres of land to build their 1400 square foot house. We enjoyed talking with them as well as the staff at the restaurant and several other patrons who had seen us ride into town. We seemed to be local celebrities. Friendliness abounds in this place and we had a terrific evening.
Sitting at Dining on the Edge for several hours also allowed us to sample Black Butte Porter and Alaskan Amber, an 8 and 7 respectively.
Although today was fairly easy and we think tomorrow will be too, the specter of the climb to and over LoLo Pass hangs over our heads.
Today’s mileage = 54 miles Today’s average speed = 12.8 mph Total distance covered = 518 miles
June 13, 2006 Day 13 ( Orofino, ID to Camp Apgar, ID)
The day began pretty much as it ended-cloudy, cool and overcast with low level grey clouds that hung like a blanket over the mountains. However, it wasn’t raining and our spirits were high from the wonderful dinner and comfortable beds at the Lodge at River’s Edge.
We knew our ride today would be difficult as it will be for the next two days. We traveled 60 miles today following the Middle Fork of the Clearwater River for about 50 miles and then about 10 miles along the Lochsa River, well known for superb white water rafting. We hope to see some crazy people tackling the class 4 & 5 rapids as we ride tomorrow. About 10 miles into our ride we got to see newly cut logs being hauled from inaccessible areas by helicopter. About 5 miles further up the road we had to stop and wait for about 15 minutes as there was about a 2 mile stretch of road under repair. This turned out to be a blessing as we thereafter had about 15 minutes of riding with no cars or trucks passing us on the narrow shoulderless road. When a group of vehicles caught up with us we simply pulled over and let them past before taking off on our next 15 minutes of riding without vehicles.
Today’s ride would have been my favorite but for the narrow and winding roads. We are riding in wilderness now. ajestic hillsides of fir trees bordering fast moving rivers kept us company all day. Tomorrow’s ride is more of the same except the terrain is starting its ascent. We are now at 1800 feet above sea level and we will end tomorrow’s ride of 60 miles at about 3600 feet. Our bodies are getting accustomed to the riding and our legs feel stronger except that my butt keeps screaming at me. Mole skin and big band aids are my way of answering.
Tonight we are camping at a beautiful but primitive campsite (that means there are only chemical toilets and a cold water spigot) on the banks of the Lochsa and I’m in my tent as I type today’s log. We had a hearty meal of lasagna & Mexican chicken & beans (rehydrated backpacking food) with Power Ade to wash it down. MaryEllen reminded that this is why she never wanted to go backpacking.
There are no services at all for our ride tomorrow so we stocked up today with peanut butter, gatoraid mix and oatmeal which hopefully will sustain us for the day. We are both tired even though it is only 8:00pm-must be the ountain air.
Today’s mileage = 60 miles Today’s average speed = 12.4 mph Total distance traveled = 578 miles
June 14, 2006 Day 14 (Campsite Apgar, ID to Powell, ID (Lochsa Lodge)
Shortly after I typed yesterday’s log (about 8:30 pm) it started to rain and it really hasn’t stopped yet. Our sleep was off and on as the beating of the rain on the tent fly was quite noisy. However, the tent kept us dry and the temperature was probably in the low 60’s. We were optimistic that the rain would end by morning, but that was not to be. At around 5:30 a.m., I left the warmth of my sleeping bag for the great outdoors to check the weather and take care of a few more natural chores. One look at the sky, even without my contacts in, told me the weather was not going to change anytime soon.
We both realized it would be extremely dangerous for us to ride the 60 miles to Powell, ID where we had reserved a room at Lochsa Lodge, the kickoff point tomorrow for our trip over LoLo Pass. MaryEllen’s motto for the trip is “safety first – and the heck with testosterone” so she suggested (and I readily agreed) that we (she) ask our campground neighbors, Ralph and Gloria for a ride to Powell.
We had met Ralph the night before and Mary Ellen remembered that they were driving to Missoula today. They very graciously agreed to allow us to load our bikes, gear and bodies into their 20 ft RV for the ride. It turns out that they had been worried about us and were happy to have the company. We really enjoyed talking to Ralph & Gloria Ulrich of Ferndale, WA and learning about their very interesting lives, including their year volunteering in Madagascar. Although there was some regret on our part to move eastward by means other than pedaling, we believe that today’s decision was the proper one. I guess there is something to the belief that with age comes some wisdom. After a hearty breakfast of huckleberry pancakes and delicious French toast and a heartfelt good bye to Ralph & Gloria, Mary Ellen and I moved our gear into a cute little cabin and started the drying out process in preparation for tomorrow. The weather has gotten considerably cooler-probably in high 40’s. We hope to wake tomorrow to a dry day. Regardless of the temperature, our bodies are sure to warm up as we bike over LoLo Pass and on to Missoula, MT.
Today’s mileage = 60 (BY CAR)Today’s average speed = 45 mph (BY CAR)
June 15, 2006 Day 15 ( Lochsa Lodge, ID to Missoula, MT)
After another hearty breakfast we departed the comforts of Lochsa Lodge for our 13 mile ascent of LoLo Pass through the Rockies. Although the weather was cool and rainy I wore only bike shorts and a short sleeve bike shirt as I knew I’d be sweating profusely after the climb. By the time Mary Ellen & I reached the summit and the comforts of the Visitors Center, the temperature was in the low 40’s and there was a steady cold rain. We both felt better after changing our soaking wet clothing for dry clothes and warming up by the fireplace in the VC. The only snow we saw was on LoLo Mountain, a 9000 foot peak. Our next 30 miles was a delightful descent on a good road with little traffic towards Missoula. I was disappointed that I did not see any moose or other wildlife as there were numerous signs of their presence.
Shortly after writing yesterday’s log Mary Ellen & I noted two other bikes outside the room adjoining our neighbors were Roger and Chris Hardman, a delightful British couple, also celebrating their 35 th wedding anniversary this year, who are riding the Transamerica Trail. In fact we had heard about the Hardmans from Larry & Gary. Larry & Gary had met the Hardmans at the start of their trip in Astoria, OR. Although the Hardman’s route and ours were different, we ended up at the same place on the same day. We have greatly enjoyed their company on the road and especially at meals. Chris is a priest for the Church of England and Roger, an atheist (figure that one out), has his own investment related business. They are experienced bike riders and have traveled extensively by bike in Europe and India. We hope to show them what biking in New England is like in the near future.
Lochsa Lodge (at the Powell Ranger Station – post office address is Lolo, MT, over 40 miles away) was a delightful place to stay. It literally is located in a vast wilderness of forest, mountains and rivers. The people who live in the area have the skills and characteristics to survive there. For example, the first person I observed at the bar was a big burly man (who turned out to be from Michigan) in camouflage clothing who was discussing his kill of a 160 pound bear earlier in the day. I thought it ironic that the man probably weighed twice as much as the bear!
We pulled into Missoula, MT looking forward to a rest day and the chance to catch up on our chores and visit Adventure Cycling Headquarters. Missoula, the home of the U of MT, looks like a neat small city. We plan to explore it by foot today. Tonight we plan to have dinner with Larry, Gary and the Hardmans. It will be the last time we see any of them on our trip as the 3 groups all leave Missoula on different routes for different destinations.
Montana is our fourth state, the largest one we’ll travel through (that means we’ll be in it for a long time) and has a population of 900,000 people.
Today’s mileage = 55 miles
Today’s average speed = 12.8 mph
Total distance traveled by bike = 634 miles
June 16, 2006 Day 16 (Rest Day in Missoula, MT)
It felt good to be lazy today. Mary Ellen & I walked all around Missoula, a very attractive town of about 100,000 founded in 1864 by several businessmen who named streets after themselves and their children. Missoula is the home of the University of Montana whose mascot is the Grizzly. We toured the University grounds and were impressed with the layout of the campus and the quality of the buildings. It’s also full of brew pubs and other good places to eat and drink. Since we only buy things we can consume, there was no point in looking in the interesting shops, except for Macy’s where we bought a few necessities. We were surprised and pleased to see that Macy’s was downtown and not outside of town at a mall.
Missoula is situated in a valley surrounded immediately by mid size hills and further ringed with snow capped mountains in the distance. The Bitterroot River runs down the middle of the town. Lots of people ride bicycles in well marked bike lanes. The sidewalks are lined with hitching posts for bikes not horses. And drivers actually stop for pedestrians who are waiting on the sidewalk to cross the street..
This morning I noticed my bike had a flat, the first of the trip. I repaired the tube (twice) to fix the slow leak due to picking up a small wire on the road into town. As our British friend Chris says-I had a “puncture.”
The highlight of our day was having a wonderful dinner with our new friends Chris, Roger, Larry & Gary at a local pub. We limited our drinking to a reasonable amount and my flavor of the evening was Alaskan Ale. MaryEllen enjoyed a few Double Hauls (that’s a beer). I’m bummed out knowing that we will not see our friends again on our ride as we each head off in separate directions.
Tomorrow Mary Ellen & I leaveon a 3 day trek to Great Falls, MT. We probably will not have cell phone coverage or email access until we arrive in Great Falls. Once there, we have been invited to stay with the sister-in-law of one of my West Point classmates, Kim McConville. We look forward to meeting Kim and appreciate her hospitality.
June 17, 2006 Day 17 ( Missoula, MT to Lincoln, MT)
We left Missoula today well rested and ready to continue our journey eastward on a sunny and cool day. After 75 miles of riding (our longest daily ride to date) we pulled into Leepers Motel in Lincoln, MT exhausted and hungry. We had planned on riding only about 50 miles today, but the winds were favorable and the roads generally had broad shoulders so pushed on to the next town.
Today’s route basically followed the Blackroot River. The headwaters of the Blackroot originate at the Continental Divide (about 13 miles to the east of here). The Blackroot eventually flows into the Clark Fork River which flows through Missoula, MT. We are at about 4000 feet above sea level, but the elevation did not seem to affect our breathing.
Our route brought us through spectacular and very large valleys surrounded by small mountains covered by Ponderosa pine trees. Hundreds of beef cattle grazed in the valleys. We saw some beautiful ranches. While stopped at a convenience store in Potomac, I asked the cashier who owned a large beautiful log house across the road. Her response was “an attorney, go figure.” I decided not to inquire further. We also passed signs for the Bullerama but decided we didn’t have time to stop.
One of the reasons we chose Leepers is that it has Wifi. The other reason is that it was the first one in Lincoln. After a much needed shower, we walked to a local restaurant and stuffed ourselves on the local cuisine. I felt out of place without a cowboy hat and boots.
Tomorrow we climb over Rogers Pass, the Continental Divide. At about 5600 feet elevation it will be the highest point on our journey.
Today’s mileage = 75 miles
Today’s average speed = 13.4 mph
Total distance = 709 miles
June 18, 2006 Day 18 ( Lincoln, MT to Vaughn, MT)
Father’s Day began cool, crisp and cloudless. Mary Ellen & I looked forward to our 18 mile ride to Roger’s Pass over the Continental Divide, at 5600 feet the highest point on our journey. The ascent was gradual and quite easy and, as we anticipated, the views were breathtaking. Our descent was steep and quickly brought us from the heavily wooded western side of the Divide to the treeless, open and dry eastern side. What we didn’t anticipate was the difficulty of the ride after our descent. For 25 miles we had a steady diet of steep rolling hills, the kind that sap your energy particularly as the cars go by you at over 70 mph (the MT speed limit).
Despite the difficulty of the ride, we had a tasty lunch at Bowman’s, a combination restaurant, bar and pool hall in the middle of nowhere. We were sorry (maybe) that we would not be there for the 3 day 12 th Annual Hog (the Harley Davidson kind) Rally which will be held in July. Just as we were leaving, Brin Grosfield, owner of Knickerbiker, a bike store in Great Falls, showed up and we got a chance to discuss various bike routes.
We had planned to ride about 50 miles today and camp behind a restaurant in Simms, MT. which was advertised as an acceptable activity. However, when we arrived in Simms, the “service center” (combination gas station, mini-mart etc.) was closed and as there were no facilities, just a patch of grass and a concrete picnic table, so we pushed on to Vaughn, MT. and rented a room for $37 cash only at a motel attached to a “smokers” bar. We certainly drew plenty of stares when we walked into the bar in our bike clothes to check in. Mary Ellen paid for the room (as usual) while I mingled with the crowd, who despite keeping a tight grip on their cigarettes, were very friendly and wished us well on our journey.
From the appearance of our room we both concluded that we may have overpaid. The bed was something that we would have thrown out years ago and its concave shape alerted me to the fact that my back may hurt in the morning. Once again, our sleeping bags and silk liners came in handy. However, when I turned on the TV I was thrilled to see that the Red Sox were playing the Atlanta Braves. I hadn’t seen a baseball game in over 2 weeks and hadn’t even gotten the shakes but, still, it was great to watch the Red Sox win and find out that the Yankees lost. We finished up by watching the Heat win game 5 in overtime.
Being Father’s Day, I missed talking to Matt & Jessica. However, I was able to retrieve their voice messages so I know they were thinking of the Old Man.
Tomorrow we have a very short ride into Great Falls, MT. where we will stay for the next 2 days with Kim McConville, the sister-in-law of Les Sumner, my West Point classmate. We plan on touring the town and meeting our good friends Dwight & Nancy Weed on Tuesday evening who are on their way to a vacation in Glacier. We’re looking forward to having Dwight weigh in on our Top 10 Beer List.
Today’s mileage = 73 miles
Today’s average speed = 12.4 mph
Total distance = 782 miles
June 19, 2006, Day 19, ( Vaughn, MT to Great Falls, MT)
We would have been happier to leave our lousy motel had it not been raining and gray. However, we only had about 12 miles to ride today to Great Falls (GF). GF is a town of about 40,000 people. The Missouri River flows through the middle of town. We rode on a frontage road paralleling I-15 into the old part of the city. Along the way we noted cattle auction pens, both by sight and smell. We had a hearty breakfast of cornmeal pancakes at Tracy’s Family Restaurant. Very tasty.
After breakfast we walked in the rain to Brin’s (the guy we met yesterday) Knicker Biker shop. My front tire had a slow leak that I couldn’t locate. Brin found a small burr on the inside of my tire and extracted it and replaced my tube. I was happy we stopped.
Mary Ellen called Kim McConville from the bike shop for directions to her house. Her son, Travis, offered to pick us up in his truck. We gladly accepted the lift as the rain was very heavy. Travis drove us to his Mom’s house where we were warmly welcomed. Kim owns a Papa Murphy’s pizza store. Customers pick up the pizza before it is cooked. We had two different pizzas for dinner and they were delicious.
Kim has 2 sons, Travis & Cody. Her husband Tim passed away about 4 years ago at about the same time Kim was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She is a very strong woman who has raised two fine young men, runs a business and managed to cope in light of significant challenges. She and Travis made us feel right at home. We are grateful for their hospitality.
Travis put himself through college ( Univ. of Montana Northern) and got a business degree. He owns a 1997 Ford 4x4 truck which looks brand new. He is an avid fisherman and showed me pictures of lots of 5-6 pound rainbow trout that he has caught and released. Tomorrow is his day off and he has offered to spend it giving us the grand tour of GF to see the historic and other sights (i.e. a brewery). Cody is attending the Univ. of Montana at Missoula. We will spend tomorrow evening with our friends from Connecticut, Dwight, Nancy, Paul and Gail.
Today’s mileage = 12 miles
Today’s average speed = 12.8 mph
Total distance traveled = 794 miles
June 20, 2006, Day 20, ( Great Falls, MT)
I felt like I was on a normal vacation today and a little bit guilty because we have only covered 12 miles on our bikes in two days. Instead, we slept late and took life easy. Travis drove us to the Lewis and Clark Interpretative Center in Great Falls. We spent a wonderful couple of hours learning about the expedition, coming to realize its importance to this country’s history. It sure makes our efforts on this trip seem like a piece of cake. We also learned a little about the customs and culture of the myriad native American tribes that the expedition encountered. I’m anxious to learn more about Captains Lewis and Clark when I get home.
Following our tour of the Center, we met Kim and drove to a brew pub in Belt, MT. There we sampled some local brew and ate bratwurst. Our favorites were Pig’s Ass Porter, Harvest Moon Amber and a Beltian White (with orange slices). We also went to the Post Office to mail home our cook stove and fuel bottle. We are comfortable that we can either find a café for a hot meal or, if pressed, can purchase cold food at a grocery. In addition to wondering about the road conditions, the weather and what we’ve going to eat, lightening our load becomes an obsession.
Tonight we expect to meet our good friends from Connecticut, Dwight & Nancy Weed and their friends Paul & Gail Bakulski for dinner. They are traveling from Yellowstone to Glacier National Park. We decided to spend an extra day in Great Falls so that we could visit with them. It’s a small world after all.
After bidding Kim and Travis a warm good by and thanking them for their wonderful hospitality, we plan to head out very early tomorrow in order to reach Big Sandy, MT by late afternoon.
Rest Day
June 21, 2006, Day 21, ( Great Falls, MT to Big Sandy, MT)
Last night Mary Ellen & I had dinner with Dwight & Nancy Weed and Gail & Paul Bakulski at Bert & Ernie’s in Great Falls. It was lots of fun to talk with friends from West Hartford. We had little trouble enlisting them in our microbrew comparisons.
Our day began early. We left the McConville residence at 6:30 am. 87 miles and 10 hours later (by far our longest daily ride) we pulled into Big Sandy, MT exhausted from our day’s ride. By noon we had ridden 50 miles. Over 40 of those miles were on Highwood Road, a route which had been recommended by Brin (the biker). During that time no more than 10 vehicles passed us. We were surprised, however, by the difficulty of the terrain. Although most of our riding was on the high, short grass, flat plains, those plains were laced with steep ravines resulting in fast declines and agonizingly slow ascents. MaryEllen had a few choice words for Brin as we struggled up the 7% grades.
We had lunch in the historic and attractive town of Fort Benton. In the mid to late 1800s Fort Benton was a rowdy cowboy town. Located on the Missouri River, it was the final civilized destination for travelers heading west for adventure and other pursuits. One of the locals, probably in his 70s, approached us on his 3 wheel vehicle wearing huge goggles and carrying empty soda cans. He inquired about our trip and proudly told us that he had ridden his current bike over 5,000 miles. He recommended a place for lunch where all the locals went. He clearly was a character and I later regretted that I didn’t ask him if I could take his picture.
In this neck of the woods (or plains to be more exact as there are no woods) there is very little to see other than endless rows of telephone poles that follow the few roads. Accordingly, it’s very important to carefully plan our rides for 2-3 days in advance for purpose of finding both lodging and food. MaryEllen, the navigator, is also the trip planner.
Unlike OR, WA and even ID, except for Missoula, we’ve not been able to update our website. It remains to be seen if Eastern MT will be as internet friendly as further west. We miss getting messages from family, co-workers and other friends.
We started riding 17 days ago. During that time we have had a total of 3 rest days, traveled about 880 miles, camped twice, and met some wonderful people. Mary Ellen plans to summarize our observations and impressions in a separate journal.
Tonight we look forward to a good night’s sleep in a soft clean bed (not a sleeping bag on the ground). Our spirits are high and our old bodies are surprisingly strong given the unusual amount of stress we subject them to, but we need quite a bit of sleep to keep us going . There are parts of my body which like the trip less than others but, for the most part, we’re both holding up well.
We love our bikes and have had no mechanical problems. Hope that statement doesn’t jinx us.
Today’s mileage = 87 miles (our longest to date)
Today’s average speed = 12.1 mph (our slowest to date)
Total distance traveled = 881 miles
June 22, 2006, Day 22, (Big Sandy, MT to Chinook, MT)
The day started later than normal for us as we both slept soundly from the prior day’s very hard ride. After breakfast, we got on our bikes about 9:30am and headed northeast toward Havre (pronounced “have er”), the largest town (population 9,000) in the northern part of MT. Our 33 mile ride to Havre was uneventful and generally boring, however the weather was beautiful and the road ( US 87) was flat. We did note with astonishment that there was a freight train over 15 miles long standing on the tracks waiting to be loaded. The train cars were separated only for cross roads.
We had lunch in Havre at a bagel sandwich shop. The service was good and the waitresses friendly and curious about our trip. In fact, we have found the service in restaurants and motels to be uniformly good. After lunch we made a few phone calls to family members as we have been without phone and internet access for the past 3 days.
We then headed east on US 2, which we will be on for the next 4 days. By now we are used to the traffic passing us at high speed (speed limit for cars is 70, trucks 60), but we are constantly vigilant, particularly with trucks approaching. Most of the time the roads have had an adequate shoulder, but not always. Most of the time, the truck drivers are very courteous, but not always. We are thankful for the rear view mirrors we have attached to our helmets.
We arrived in Chinook, MT mid afternoon and treated ourselves to milkshakes before checking into the motel. We noted with disappointment that we will miss the big rodeo here this weekend. This is ranching country and we shared “The Creamery” with a number of ranchers in town for a banana split.
Mary Ellen planned our route for tomorrow-a 67 mile ride to Malta, MT. We read they have a movie theater which we intend to take advantage of if we get our laundry done in time!
Today’s mileage = 54 miles
Today’s average speed = 12.9mph
Total distance traveled = 935 miles (tomorrow we go over 1,000!)
June 23, 2006, Day 23, (Chinook, MT to Malta, MT)
We rode 20 miles to Harlem early this morning for breakfast at Deb’s diner. It was a beautiful, crisp sunny day with clear blue skies. After a breakfast so large neither of us could finish it, we continued our journey east. Our destination was Malta which is located about 65 miles from Chinook.
We spent the entire day riding on U.S. Route 2. In general, the traffic was light, the road flat and the shoulders good. Up in this part of MT, the towns are few and far in between. Our daily travel is dictated primarily by places where we can stay. None of these towns would exist, but for the railroad that was build in the late 1800s. Many of the towns are named after other better known places such as (Le)Havre, Zurich, Malta and Glasgow. Rumor has it that some railroad guy spun a globe and named the railroad stops after places his finger landed on. I guess his globe only had Europe on it.
After arriving in Malta about 2:30pm (early for us), we showered and headed for the laundromat. While there we met Gary, a local guy who lives about 50 miles away on an old gold mining claim. He hunts and fishes. Gary shared his detergent with us and eventually gave us a lift back to our motel when a violent thunderstorm would otherwise have confined us to the laundromat. We’ve been fortunate not to have encountered any severe weather yet. Since most of the severe rain and wind tends to arrive in the late afternoon, we have made it a rule to try and complete our day’s riding by 3:00pm. This afternoon’s wind and rain affirmed the wisdom of ME’s method of camping (credit card camping) which I’ve easily adapted to.
We had a very nice dinner at a local restaurant, recommended by two people we spoke with, including the owner of the motel where we are staying, who turned out to own the restaurant too. How’s that for an unbiased recommendation! For the first time since we entered MT, home of steak and potatoes, there was fresh local fish on the menu. We both enjoyed the change - I had trout and Mary Ellen had walleye. Too bad there was no discount for early bird specials. Since we skipped lunch and wanted to make a movie at 7, we got to the restaurant at 5 p.m.! That gave us plenty of time to enjoy dinner and a Summer Honey Ale before walking a block to see the DaVinci Code. It was a real big night in Malta.
Today’s mileage = 64 miles
Today’s average speed = 14.0 mph
Total distance traveled = 999 miles
June 24, 2006, Day 24, ( Malta, MT to Glasgow, MT)
It seems like we have been in MT forever. In realty it has been 9 days since we crossed LoLo Pass into Missoula, MT. And it will be 3 more days before we cross the border into ND. Not only is MT “Big Sky” country, it is an endless sea of green wheat speckled with beautiful mountains, rivers and cows. It is also the 4 th largest state in America. Although we couldn’t ever live here we have enjoyed the opportunity to see the countryside and spend our evenings in the small towns and talking with the locals.
Like clockwork, we were on the road at 7:30am heading east on a quiet Saturday morning. We love to ride on the weekends as the truck traffic is much lighter than during the week. The weather, once again, was glorious. As we rode we thought of our good friend Kathy Keegan who died 2 years ago today of cancer. I’m sure Kathy arranged with the power to be for us to have spectacular weather, gentle tail winds and minimal traffic on today’s ride. We miss her.
Although we had some yogurt before we departed on our ride, we had to ride about 25 miles to a dumpy little town called Saco, proudly called the “mosquito capital of the world” by the locals, to eat breakfast today. Fortunately we ate better than the mosquitoes did. While ME and I were eating pancakes, 3 very tough looking guys on motorcycles roared in and began pounding down the beers at 9:30am right in the bar connected to the restaurant. I shared a few laughs with them on the way to the men’s room. We were glad when they safely passed us about 10 miles down the road.
We arrived in Glasgow about 2:00pm, found a Dairy Queen-type facility (Quick and Tasty) and shared a burger, fries and milkshake. Certainly not the healthiest food to eat, but it was sure tasted good to us. After checking into our motel and cleaning up, we walked downtown and found a local bar/restaurant. ME sampled a few new beers, Lewis and Clark Lager (for historical purposes) and Sky Diver Blonde (have no idea what inspired that name). We also had some calamari, at least that’s what we ordered. Although it didn’t bear much of a resemblance to the calamari at Briccos in West Hartford, we ate every bit of it. In this regard, I have noted that ME eats and drinks as much as I do everyday.
I was happy to see that the Red Sox won their 7 th straight game, this one in extra innings on a walk off homer by Ortiz. Although I’m not spending much time watching them, I still manage to get the vital stats daily.
We have noted that my odometer is not quite accurate. For every 70 miles we actually ride my odometer registers 67.5 miles. I have decided not to try and adjust the odometer (or the daily stats) for fear of losing saved cumulative data. What you see below is how my bike computer reads although it doesn’t agree with the MT Dept. of Transportation.
Today’s mileage = 68 miles Today’s average speed = 13.6mph Total distance traveled = 1,067 miles
June 25, 2006, Day 25, ( Glasgow, MT – Wolf Point, MT)
We had a short ride today-only 50 miles, but due to road construction and occasional head winds, we only averaged 12.1 mph. The road construction on US 2 required us to use some back roads which we enjoyed due to the almost complete lack of traffic. The back roads brought us through farming country in what appears to be the largest Indian reservation in MT. From what I have observed the native Americans live poorly and separated from their white neighbors (we have only seen 2 African Americans in MT).
We limited our picture taking and rest stops while on the back roads because of mosquitoes. During our 1 st stop to take a picture, I was immediately considered Sunday dinner by about 50 of them. Mary Ellen lectured me on the benefits of using Deet, which, of course, she was using. It appeared to work for her.
We had a really good lunch in Wolf Point-chicken and veggie wraps (Weight Watchers Chicken “Fatita” Wraps), probably the best and healthiest lunch we’ve had in several weeks. Unfortunately, most of the other patrons were partaking of the all-you-can-eat buffet of ham and potatoes au gratin, and they hadn’t ridden in on their bikes. Our waitress was a friendly young woman who just moved here from Kansas City with her mother. She made it quite clear to us that she was applying to colleges far away from Wolf Point.
We are constantly amazed at the lack of vegetables on the menu, even at the better restaurants. Vegetables in this part of the country consist solely of iceberg lettuce. And the most common and popular breakfast meal consists of biscuits, sausage & gravy-a cardiologists dream.
Our afternoon has been spent planning our rides for the next several days and making some calls to family members. Our cell phones have not worked for over a week but with the help of the internet and a phone card, we keep in touch. Certainly not like the old days (a few years ago?), when taking a trip like this meant being out of touch for considerable periods of time.
We are looking to pick up our daily mileage over the next week. We would have liked to have gone at least another 10 miles today but there is no safe place to stay for another 50 miles. It’s been relatively easy riding the past few days but we’ve been told that is about to end as we near the Badlands. In fact, ME just talk to a women at a campground 23 miles east of Williston, ND who described that ride as hilly with steep ups and downs. Oh well, it will be a test of our fortitude. At least the weather has held up (unlike in CT) although today it was 88 as we pedaled in to Wolf Point.
Today’s mileage = 50 miles Today’s average speed = 12.1 mph Total distance traveled = 1,116 miles
June 26, 2006, Day 26 ( Wolf Point, MT to Bainville, MT)
This is the first time I’ve written the daily trip log on the next day. The principal reason for the delay was that I was just too tired from the day’s ride. In addition, we were camping in the Bainville (population 153) town park. Putting up the tent, etc, always takes more time and effort than checking into a motel.
We rode 68 miles today, but at a very slow speed of 11.6 mph. For the first time on our trip we had to deal with a steady head wind out of the northeast. While it sapped our strength, it gave us something to complain about (in addition to the bad road conditions). Our original plan had been to ride only about 53 miles and stay in Culbertson, MT. However, because we knew we had a tough ride tomorrow, we decided to push on to the next town, Bainville, a “town” located adjacent to the railroad like every other town on the Hi Line in MT.
While pitching our tent on the town green and having a cold one to celebrate our arrival, we were approached by a man wearing really grubby clothes. He introduced himself as the mayor and welcomed us to his town. I thought it funny that he was the one moving the sprinkler in preparation for the planned July 4 th activities. Although there was no place to shower, we were able to use the bathroom and sink in the volunteer fire department building which was kept open all night for us. I couldn’t help but laugh at the thought and probable consequences of camping on the West Hartford town green.
We met our first log distance cyclist since Missoula who was also camping at the town park. Carroll Tollefson is a 70 year old retired IRS agent who lives in Medford, OR. He was heading east with no known destination. Carroll only started riding about 6 years ago after he read an article about long distance bike touring. Instead of taking a trip to Hawaii, he invested in a touring bike and camping gear. His plan is to ride eastward until Labor Day and then take a train or fly home. We shared a Bud (now the only beer you can get) and had dinner with him at the mini-mart/restaurant/gift shop. I marvel at Carroll’s fortitude and ability to ride alone for such a long time.
The last sounds I remember before falling asleep was the train whistle and the mooing of some forlorn cow. It was a pleasant night for sleeping in a tent.
Today’s mileage = 68 miles Today’s average = 11.6 mph Total distance traveled to date = 1184 miles
June 27, 2006, Day 27 ( Bainville, MT to Lund’s Landing, ND)
At last we crossed the MT border into ND and the Central Time zone, two signs that we are making progress. After 12 days in MT I was concerned the state would consider us residents – and try to tax us. Today we only rode 50 miles, but the last 21 miles were the most difficult I’ve ever ridden. The sweat poured profusely as we rode through the ND badlands from Williston, ND (a decent looking small town) to Lund’s Landing on Lake Sakakawea (dammed portion of the Missouri River). In addition to the scores of steep roller coaster hills we again had to deal with a headwind. We reached our destination hot, hungry, smelly and tired. Our average speed of 10.6 mph was the slowest of our trip. I was surprised it was that good. We think tomorrow will also be a hard ride, but hopefully not as bad as today.
Lund’s Landing is a family owned resort which includes a restaurant and cabins. The main business used to be a marina. Unfortunately for them, the lake has receded about a mile and the marina exists no longer due to a 8 year drought and water management by the Corps of Engineers which controls the lake and much of the surrounding land, including the site of Lund’s Landing.
After a hot shower and ice cold lemonade, our spirits and our bodies were renewed. Just before we ordered dinner, we were interviewed by Kim Fundingsland, a reporter for the Minot Daily News who was at Lund’s Landing with his two daughters. If there’s a slow news day in Minot in the near future, we may show up in the paper!
After the interview, feeling very much like real celebrities, we had a wonderful walleye (local great tasting fish) dinner and juneberry (looks like a blueberry with a mild almond flavor) pie ala mode. We don’t worry about calories but neither one of us appears to have lost any weight. We’re sure to sleep well tonight in one of their quaint cabins.
We’d like to see what the sky looks like in an area where there are no urban lights obscuring the stars but it stays light so late here and we go to sleep so early that we might not get that look.
For the past few days, we’ve seen numerous operating oil wells dotting the eastern MT and western ND countryside. We’ve learned that most of these wells produce anywhere from 50 to 1500 barrels of oil a day. Given the price of oil, they are all pumping around the clock.
The other major landmark is the ever present grain silo. Every town, regardless of size, has a grain silo, most often the tallest structure in town. In MT, we could spot the next town from miles away simply by locating the grain silo. They remind me of giant chess pieces.
Today’s mileage = 50 miles Today’s average speed = 10.6 mph Total distance traveled = 1234 miles
June 28, 2006, Day 28, ( Lund ’s Landing, ND-Newtown , ND )
You’d think that having been married to ME for over 35 years that I’d seen and heard all, but today I heard more choice language from her than I thought she knew. Fortunately, they were not directed at me, but at the stiff headwinds and continual hills of our “short” 47 mile ride. We’d hoped yesterday’s ride would be our slowest – those overly optimistic thoughts were put to rest today. We truly understand why this area is called the ND Badlands.
ND is one of the few states actually losing population. Current population is about 650,000. Given our riding experience to date, we won’t be helping to reverse the population drain, but we’ll reserve judgment until we are safely over the state line into Minnesota the middle of next week.
We are overnighting in New Town, on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation and the shores of Lake Sakakawea. Since there is not much going on in New Town, we’ll spend the night catching up on e-mails and the news before turning in early. To minimize our exposure to the wind we plan to begin our ride tomorrow by 6:00am. We used to think the wind picked up in the afternoon. The past few days it has picked up by 8 am!
Our destination tomorrow is Minot, ND which is about 70 miles to the northeast. We’ve heard that the terrain becomes far less hilly after the next 20 miles. We’re counting on that since we just heard the winds will continue to challenge us as they come from the southeast.
ME’s employer, ING, has a very large service center in Minot. Since we’ve planned a layover day in Minot, we’re going to ING to meet a couple of ING employees that ME knows.
Today’s mileage = 45 miles Today’s average speed = 9.4 mph Total distance traveled = 1279 miles
June 29, 2006, Day 29, (New Town, ND-Minot, ND)
As planned, we left our motel about 6:00am to try and beat both the wind and the heat. As soon as we stepped out of our motel room, there was a tremendous thunder clap, lightening and some rain. Fortunately, the rain didn’t last long so off we went. As we rode eastward we could see heavy rain and lightening to our north and south, but after about 20 miles of riding the storm moved eastward. Lucky for us, it was traveling faster than we were. We felt very relieved as there is absolutely no place to seek cover on the open plains.
Our ride today was much better than yesterday even though we rode over 20 miles further. The winds were out of the south rather than the east and the local storms delayed the onset of the 95 degree heat. During our ride two moose crossed our path about 150 feet ahead of us. We tried to take a picture, but unfortunately they had moved out of range by the time we got the camera.
Our last 16 miles into Minot were aided by tail winds, our first in quite a while, so we zoomed into town. We arrived in the early afternoon hungry and hot. After a buffet lunch of different varieties of pizza, we dodged the heavy traffic to reach our destination, the Comfort Inn, which seemed like the Ritz to us. Both Mary Ellen & I are looking forward to a rest day tomorrow with time to wash clothes, make some phone calls and catch up on emails. In addition, we are meeting Kent Stillwell, one of Mary Ellen’s ING co-workers, for breakfast and a visit to the ING service center in Minot
In fact, we are already local celebrities as there is an article, with our picture, in the Minot Daily News about us biking coast to coast. It was well written by the reporter we met at Lund’s Landing. We did note, however, that the lead article on the page we are featured on is titled “Raising Worms in North Dakota.” Reach your own conclusions.
Today’s mileage = 70 miles Today’s average speed = 12.5 mph Total distance traveled = 1350 miles
June 30, 2006, Day 30 (Rest Day in Minot, ND)
After enjoying a hearty breakfast (which we did not need) and the company of Kent Stillwell, we visited the ING office which employs about 750 people. With that number of employees, ING is a major employer in Minot. We were warmly greeted by many people, many of whom had seen the article on our ride in the local newspaper. Mary Ellen enjoyed the opportunity to meet some people that she had only talked with previously. We used the opportunity to discuss our planned route with people familiar with the area we will be traveling through over the next 4 days.
Following our visit ME and I walked around downtown Minot before catching a bus back to our motel. We noted a large exhibit celebrating the Scandinavian heritage of the area. Historically the railroads in the late 1800s encouraged significant immigration by Europeans to farm the land and build and use the trains that were being built across the region.
After unsuccessfully trying to arrange for a pedicure in both Missoula and Great Falls, ME has succeeded in getting an appointment later today at the Dakota Mall near our hotel. While she’s at the Mall, she’ll replenish our supply of ibuprofen and other necessities. I plan to stay in the air conditioned hotel room and watch the World Cup. Last night I enjoyed watching the Red Sox beat the Mets.
We’re back on the road tomorrow at 7 a.m. heading to Rugby, ND, the geographical center of North America.
July 1, 2006, Day 31 ( Minot, ND to Rugby, ND)
Well rested and fed, we departed Minot (pop 36,500) at 7:00 am for our 66 mile ride to Rugby, ND, the geographical center of North America (pop 2,939). Now I have absolutely no idea why it might be important to visit the geographical center of North America, but I can say I’ve been there. Plus, it might give me a leg up on a Trivial Pursuit question.
We covered the 66 miles at an average speed of 15.5 mph, by far our fastest daily ride to date. The 4 lane road (US Route 2) was flat and had a generally smooth surface. But most importantly, we had a 5-10 mph steady tail wind pushing us along and comfortable temperatures. We were in biker’s heaven.
About 15 miles out of Minot we came upon two other riders stopped for a break. Sherry Woldberg and Devra Batz are both nurses and long-time friends. Sherry is from Carlsbad, CA and Devra is from Reno, NV. In fact, I had actually seen them on TV last night as they are also on a fund raising mission. (www.twoheartsfourwheels.com) They are riding from Washington to Bar Harbor, ME to raise money for a pediatric aids camp. We bid farewell and hope to see them tonight in Rugby.
Mary Ellen and I stopped in the town of Towner for a late breakfast. Towner is about 50 miles east of Minot and the first place we came across with services. Towner, the county seat of Mc Henry County has attractive shaded tree lined streets with sidewalks and nice homes. We stopped at the local café and struck up a conversation with the locals, during which the topic of caramel buns came up. We were told the buns there are the best around. At about 6 inches square and oozing with icing, it looked like one should serve 4-6 people. We resisted the temptation to try one.
Just as we were finishing our breakfast, 5 riders from Ohio stopped in. As is customary and lots of fun, we introduced ourselves and caught up on each other’s planned journeys and experiences. They are riding from Washington to Bar Harbor too. Jim, Brad, Ann and Mark are riding and Jim’s wife, Jo, is driving a car “sagging” their extra biking and camping gear and such other luxuries as chairs, a grill and a cooler full of food. That’s a great way to go but having all that fancy camping gear makes it hard to justify staying in a motel.
All the riders we met are staying in Rugby tonight too. The Ohio group is camping at the motel/campground we are staying at. We were lucky to get a room when someone who was to attend a family reunion decided he/she didn’t really want to see the family all that much. When MaryEllen calls ahead about accommodations, she butters up the motel owner with our biking saga and has been remarkably successful in finding reasonably priced rooms.
Tonight we are going to the street dance on Main St. Street dances seem to be very popular in these parts as Towner is having a street dance on July 3. We’ve been told that every town, no matter how small, celebrates July 4 th in a big way. We’re looking forward to finding out.
Our destination tomorrow is Minnewaukan, ND, (population 318) about 50 miles from here on Devil’s Lake.
Today’s mileage = 66 miles Today’s average speed = 15.5 mph Total distance traveled to date = 1416 miles
July 2, 2006, Day 32 ( Rugby, ND – Minnewaukan, ND)
Being Sunday, and given the fact that we rode on rural roads (after all this is ND), the traffic was extremely light. At about the 10 mile mark we noted a doe standing in the road for much longer than a normal deer would with two strange looking people approaching on even stranger looking vehicles. At last she bolted into the tall fields of wheat leaving behind a dead fawn killed by a car. We marveled at the deer’s maternal instincts.
At the 13 mile mark I had my third flat of the journey caused by a thin piece of metal that had pierced my rear tire. After removing the panniers and tent to get to the tire, I replaced the tube with a previously patched one. It set us back about a half hour, but the day was beautiful so no big deal. Less than two miles later I heard the “whoosh” sound indicating another flat rear tire. Annoyed, I could find no apparent reason for the puncture and decided to use one of my two remaining new tubes. About 4 miles later the rear tire went flat again. Now I was really ticked – and also perplexed. MaryEllen suggested I replace not only the tube, using our final new one, but also the rear tire with our spare. I expected that something sharp, that I could not see or feel, was imbedded in my tire. That had to be what was irritating the tube when subjected to 90 psi. Replacing the tire did the trick. Just as I replaced the tire, the Ohio group caught up with us. They gave me a new tube and, after we all lunched together at a café in Esmond, they rode about a couple of miles behind us just in case I experienced more problems. I appreciated their concern and assistance. All bike riders share a close camaraderie as we know that it is only a matter of time before we will need help.
We enjoyed our lunch at the café and were surprised that it was open. We had an unusually healthy lunch, large salads, and watched as the place quickly filled right after the local church service ended. Not wanting to break our 28 day run of high calorie meals, ME bought a large peanut butter cookie and raisin sour cream bar (both “homemade at the café) for a later snack.
Although the day’s total mileage was only 58 miles, it proved to be a tiring one due to the extra 1 ½ hours to fix the flats. We arrived in Minnewaukan about 2:45. Minnewaukan (population 318), used to be located about 8 miles from Devil’s Lake. It is now right on the lake shore. The lake has risen so much over the past several years that pasture land, roads and houses have been submerged. For all of you who want water front property, be careful what you wish for.
Much to our great delight our motel room turned into a stay at a Frank Lloyd Wright style stone house normally reserved for use by groups of 8-12. Apparently, one of the owners of the Spirit Lake Resort had taken a liking to MaryEllen as a result of a few phone calls about the accommodations and decided to upgrade us. The upgrade was the equivalent of moving from a standard room to the presidential suite! Since the house was not rented, Lisa thought we would enjoy it for the same price as the motel room. Instead of camping in the town park, the Ohio group joined us, for an additional $35 each (paid to Lisa, not us) and we all enjoyed the comfortable surroundings, air conditioning, stereo system and a spaghetti dinner we cooked “at home.” As we watched a brief but ferocious thunder storm, the Ohio group congratulated themselves on deciding to forgo camping.
Today’s mileage = 58 miles Today’s average speed = 12.9 mph Total distance traveled = 1474 miles
July 3, 2006, Day 33, ( Minnewaukan, ND to Pekin, ND)
Breakfast was different than usual today as we ate with our 5 new friends. MaryEllen and I departed around 7:00 am on a beautiful, sunny, clear day with a gentle NW wind at our back. Today’s journey, like most in ND, would be along rural roads with little traffic and few towns. However, for the first 30 miles, our route today kept us close to Devils Lake. We couldn’t help but notice the devastating effect the rising lake has had. We observed abandoned homes, closed roads and flooded fields. We surmised that there was no insurance coverage for these losses.
Our route through ND has been even more rural and devoid of services than our route through MT, ID and eastern WA. This is probably due to the fact that there are paved country roads in ND to ride on but at times we felt like we were in the Twilight Zone, riding through very small, seemingly abandoned towns.
During the past couple of days, and I expect for the next two, we have not had cell phone coverage or internet access-we are in the boonies! One thing we can always find, though, is a bar serving the ever present Bud and such delicacies as frozen pizza and hamburgers. In addition, should one have too much Bud and do something one later regrets, there is always a Lutheran Church, or two, in which to seek forgiveness. We had lunch in a bar in Warwick, a town with a post office but no paved streets, and dinner in the Peek In Pub (see associated picture). For the record, we had only Pepsi to drink in Warwick.
Today’s ride was wonderful, no flats, relatively cool temps, mostly flat roads and a slight tailwind. In addition, one of ur Ohio friends, who, like me, has been plagued by a sore butt, let me use some of his Chamois Butter. It’s the best thing for male bike riders since padded shorts! I plan to buy a large tube when we get to the big city, Fargo, in a couple of days. That should make you all realize how long we’ve been in this neck of the woods – we now think of Fargo as “the big city”!
In order to be well rested for our July 4 th activities tomorrow, MaryEllen & I took advantage of the early bird special at the “Peek-In” Pub, frozen pizza and Bud. We had a good time talking with the owner and the bartender who came to relieve her so she could take a short vacation in Grand Forks with her family. We have a 75 mile ride tomorrow to Page, ND where we plan to meet our 5 Ohio friends to celebrate the 4 th at the only open establishment in town-a bar, of course. We’re looking forward to having either pizza or burgers with our Buds. We haven’t seen a microbrew or a vegetable) for the last 300 miles.
Today’s mileage = 63 miles Today’s average speed = 13.2 mph Total distance traveled = 1535 miles
July 4, 2006, Day 34, ( Pekin, ND-Page, ND)
We hope all of you had a wonderful July 4 th. Although we missed partying with our CT friends, we managed to have a great day. After biking 72 miles, we arrived in Page, ND (population 250) and met up with our 5 Ohio friends at the local bar, the only place open in town. Judy, the bartender, hotel manager (for the 1 hotel room in town, which, of course, MaryEllen got for us), and town park supervisor warmly greeted us along with the only other patron, an elderly farmer. In the it’s a small world category, Judy, who knew about us from the newspaper, told us that her daughter, Desiree, works at ING in Minot.
Similar to yesterday, our ride was through very large fields of wheat, soy beans and corn. I’ve never seen such large farms and so little traffic. The farmer we met at the bar had a very small farm-only a thousand acres. Although he had a mild stroke 4 years ago, he manages to harvest his crop by himself with the help of a very large, and expensive, combine. Many area farms are over 20,000 acres of varied crops. He said it is very difficult to make a profit – in fact - he’s getting less for his crop today than he did years ago. He was very concerned about the lack of rain, unless it rains soon, this year’s harvest would be terrible.
Almost without exception, the adults who we’ve talked with enjoy living in rural ND and wouldn’t live anyplace else. The sunsets are beautiful, the countryside endless, the game and fish plentiful and the hustle and bustle non-existent. The young people we’ve talked with talk about going to college, but generally in state. Life in ND is very different than life in CT.
After cleaning up, MaryEllen and I were invited to eat dinner with our Ohio friends who were camping in the town park. I engaged in some spirited matches of horseshoes and came away undefeated in both singles and doubles. After dinner, we all proceeded to the bar for a couple of brews to celebrate the 4 th and our last night together. Tomorrow, after passing through Fargo, we head off toward Minneapolis and they are going to Duluth, the UP and hen into Canada.
Today’s mileage = 72 miles Today’s average speed = 13.5 mph Total distance traveled = 1607 miles
July 5, 2006, Day 35, (Page, ND-Morehead, MN)
MaryEllen & I met our Ohio friends at the Page Café at 6:30am for breakfast. This large group of 7 clearly overwhelmed the woman who did everything at the café. After saying good-by, MaryEllen and I headed east towards Fargo, ND, the largest city in ND (90,000 population) and the largest city we’ve been through since Portland, OR.
Our 50 mile ride into Fargo was over the flattest land I’ve ever seen. The farms and homes along the way were very neat and tidy. Within 15 miles of Fargo, the traffic picked up a bit and the signs of growth, including homes, businesses and I-29 reminded us that things are going to change soon. In fact, we have not had cell phone or internet access for the past 3 days.
Our ride into Fargo was surprisingly easy. We stopped at a local bike shop, Island Cycle, and met Tom Smith, the store’s owner. I got a new pair of bike shorts and some “Chammois Butt-r” to, hopefully, ease my pain. All other body parts are doing quite well.
We were sorry not to have more time to check out Fargo as it looked quite nice with a very nice old residential section with beautiful homes and tree-lined streets and an interesting downtown. However, we have a long ride tomorrow and no planned rest day until Minneapolis. We crossed from ND to MN, our 6 th state, through a park over a 25 foot wide section of the Red River. There was no sign welcoming us to MN which disappointed us.
We have a number of chores to do today, including calls to family, doing laundry and route planning. Tomorrow, we will start our trip to Minneapolis, which is a deviation from the Adventure Cycling route. We’re striking out on our own to ride on the Lake Wobegon bike path (about 100 miles) and to stay with a couple of MaryEllen’s ING friends who live in the Minneapolis area. We are planning a layover day on Monday for a trip into the city where we both hope to get haircuts (and maybe a little more).
Today’s mileage = 54 miles Today’s average speed = 12.8 mph Total Distance traveled = 1670 miles
July 6, 2006, Day 36, ( Morehead, MN –Ashby, MN)
We rode 74 miles today, but we can’t tell you too much about the scenery since we mostly looked at the road (and the odometer). With steady HEADWINDS of about 15 mph for seven hours, the ride wasn’t much fun. Rather, we felt like we were riding steadily uphill all day. You put your head down and just pedal.
We left our motel in Morehead at 6:45 am and arrived at the Ashby Resort (small cabins and a small motel on one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes) at about 5:45 pm exhausted and sore. While a shower and a picnic dinner (roasted chicken, chef salad and a few Buds brought from the Snack Shack in town a few miles away) certainly improved our spirits (sorry), the day’s effort took its toll on our bodies, particularly my derriere. To top it off, Diane, the innkeeper, told us the winds for Friday are going to be out of the south at 21 mph, another day of headwinds and a 70 mile ride.
Today, for the first time, we did not follow the Adventure Cycling route maps. We wanted to head southeast into the Minneapolis area to visit with some of ME’s ING friends and ride on two long (about 100 miles) bikes paths. We left Morehead on MN route 52, which parallels I-94, to Fergus Falls 56 miles away. Miles 5-20 were on one of the worst roads we have encountered-no shoulders and extremely deteriorated pavement. Fortunately there was very little traffic as everyone takes the interstate.
We had a nice lunch in Fergus Falls at a very attractive bistro. After lunch we finally connected with the Central Lakes Bike Trail. What a relief it was to get off the road to concentrate on getting our tired bodies the final 20 miles to Ashby. The trail is very well maintained, flat and scenic. We had the trail almost to ourselves – it was probably too windy for everyone else.
I would write more, but I’m too darn tired. Tomorrow is another (windy) day.
Today’s mileage = 74 miles Today’s average speed = 10.7 mph (2 nd slowest average speed of trip)
Total distance traveled to date = 1752 miles
July 7, 2006, Day 37, (Ashby Resort, MN-Albany, MN)
As expected, we woke to the sound of strong winds blowing from the south at 15-25 mph. Although the winds were even heavier than yesterday’s, our ride today was better because we rode all but 4 miles on the bike path. The bike path actually consisted of two inter-connected paths, the Central Lakes Trail and the Lake Wobegon Trail. The pavement was excellent and, most importantly, flat. Although we only averaged a slow 10.8 mph, we were very happy with the speed given the wind velocity and direction. We vowed never to live in an area with consistently high winds.
Today was a typical four meal day. At lunch at the Ding-Dong Café in Sauk Centre, I ordered a special advertised as a tuna melt and fruit salad. I was looking forward to some fresh fruit as it has been sorely lacking from my diet. Unfortunately, I’m still looking forward to some fresh fruit. The “fruit salad” served to me was a bowl of small marshmallows, tapioca pudding, and whipped cream with a few green grapes and small pieces of canned peaches. I ate it all.
We have been very impressed with the bike paths in MN, primarily converted rail beds. We commented on how nice it would be to have a bike interstate system similar to the automobile interstate system. Maybe that would help cure the American obesity epidemic.
Tomorrow we have about a 55 mile ride to Zimmerman, MN. Getting there will be a navigational challenge for ME, since she has not been able to get good road maps of the area. In Zimmerman, we will be the guest of one of ME’s ING associates, Catherine Krokus and her husband. We will cross the Mississippi River for the first time, only to recross it several over the week or two.
As a point of historical interest, I forgot to mention that in Fargo, ND we came across a memorial to Roger Maris, the former Yankee great who in 1961 hit a then record 61 home runs. Roger was born and buried in Fargo. I got out my Red Sox hat and ME took a picture of Roger and me.
Today’s mileage = 68 miles Today’s average speed = 10.8 mph Total distance traveled = 1819 miles
July 8, 2006, Day 38, ( Albany, MN-Zimmerman, MN)
It was sprinkling when we started our ride today, but extremely hot and humid when we finished it. We were not looking forward to leaving the Lake Wobegon bike path in St. Joseph, MN, 13 miles into our day’s journey for the open roads.
Since we hadn’t been able to find local maps to help with a route to Zimmerman, we went to Plan B, which is to find knowledgeable people along the way to help. Fortunately, at the end of the trail, ME spotted a couple on a tandem who looked like experienced riders. John and Margaret were extremely knowledgeable about routes and road conditions and helped us plan our route to Zimmerman as well as tomorrow’s ride into Minneapolis.
We spent the next 50 miles on county roads and, at last, we arrived safely at the beautiful home of Rob & Catharine Bonneau and their children, Christopher, Carolyn and Charlie. ME & Catharine worked together at ING in Hartford prior to Catharine’s recent move to MN.
We had a wonderful rest of the day swimming in their pool, playing horseshoes, drinking, eating, talking and shooting off excess 4 th of July fireworks. Fortunately, they anticipated how much we might eat and drink and ME & I did not disappoint them. They treated us royally and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay with them.
Today’s mileage = 65 miles Today’s average speed = 13.1 mph Total distance traveled = 1880 miles
July 9, 2006, Day 39, ( Zimmerman, MN – Minneapolis, MN)
We slept in this morning – until 7 am! After a hearty breakfast of blueberry pancakes and a little more talk than usual, we bid farewell to the Bonneaus at 8:50 a.m. and headed toward the big city. ME has been to Minneapolis several times for business and always spoke highly of the city. For me it would be my first visit. I looked forward to seeing the city and meeting our new hosts, Mike & Jan Emerson and their daughter Lauren. Their son Elliot was away at soccer camp. Mike, like Catharine Bonneau, is a co-worker with ME at ING.
Riding into a big city on bikes is always a problematic adventure. Although the trip was farther and took us over an hour longer than we thought, we really enjoyed the ride down West River Drive along the Mississippi to Minneapolis city limits. We bordered the western edge of the Mississippi River for about 20 miles and then connected up with a series of beautiful bike paths that brought us east and south of the city along 4 beautiful lakes that are surrounded with stunning homes. Fortunately, although we got disoriented (not lost) a couple of times, Minneapolis has a superb network of bike paths which we followed almost all the way to the Emerson’s.
The Emersons live about 3 miles south of downtown in a wonderful home built in the early 1920’s. We arrived just in time to watch the penalty kicks at the end of the World Cup. After cleaning up, we had a wonderful pasta and salad dinner at a local restaurant.
Today’s mileage = 57 miles Today’s average speed = 11.9 mph Total distance traveled = 1937 miles
July 10, 2006, Day 40, (Rest Day in Minneapolis, MN)
For some reason our rest days are never very restful but we love them anyway – and we really needed this one. We got up at 6:15 am to catch a ride into the city with Mike Emerson at 7:15 am. Mike gave us a brief tour, by car, of the city before we set off on foot for the day. We learned that Minneapolis exists because of St. Anthony’s Falls, the only major waterfall on the Mississippi River. Because of the abundance of water power, major flour processing plants, like Pillsbury, were established.
After eating breakfast at Hell’s Kitchen (a restaurant, not a location), we wandered in the cavernous downtown shopping district centered along Nicollet Ave. interconnected by skywalks and located the salon where ME spent two full hours getting her hair ”done.” I spent 7 minutes getting my hair “cut” for a lot less than she spent. She pointed out that hers was a lot cheaper on a per minute basis, which I must concede is true. At least I got a chance to read the NY Times for the first time since our trip began. Too bad the major stories have not changed.
We visited the ING law department and had a terrific lunch and lively conversation with Andrea, Paula and Rochelle, ME’s colleagues. Following lunch, we walked along the Mississippi reading numerous historical placards of the River’s history and effect on the development of Minneapolis. We also visited the new award winning Guthrie Center for Performing Arts. It is a spectacular blue colored building taking breathtaking advantage of the river. After having my picture taken outside the MetroDome, we hit Walgreens and purchased some needed supplies and then caught the bus back to the Emersons.
After a wonderful salmon dinner, we finalized our route to depart the city, did laundry and chatted with Mike & Jan. Mike drove us along the route to Fort Snelling and the Mendota Bridge to make sure we knew the route. I joked that he did that to make sure we got out of town! Mike and Jan were terrific hosts and went out of their way to make us feel welcome and comfortable. We hope to have the opportunity to reciprocate in CT.
ME’s First Trip Log – July 11 Minneapolis to Red Wing, MN
Given that Rick is watching the All Star Game, I have received permission to give the daily update.
We left Mike and Jan’s house at 7:15 on a warm, muggy, overcast morning, heading for the Minnehaha Parkway bike trail to Fort Snelling and the Mendota Bridge over the MN River. Again we marveled at the wonderful system of bike paths and beautiful residential neighborhoods in the city of Minneapolis. We successfully made our way out of the city, continuing on more bike trails through the suburbs south and east of the city. About 18 miles out, we encountered a woman on a bike with a poster pinned to her back. We stopped to talk to her and discovered she was Coleen Rowley, the former assistant US attorney in Minneapolis who tried to get higher ups in the Justice Dept. to investigate Zacharias Moussaui (sp??), the recently convicted terrorist. She’s running for Congress against a very well entrenched and financed Republican. She told us she has little money so she is riding her bike around the district and handing out bookmarks with her name on them. I had my picture taken with her before we rode away.
About 5 miles further, the heavens opened up and we took shelter in a warehouse which is under construction. Luckily, the roof and walls were up. While we waited for the rain to let up, we discussed our proposed route for the day with some of the workers and also by phone with Vic and Nancy Wilson, parents of my colleague, Andrea, and experienced MN cyclists. Based on what we learned, we reworked our route to eliminate 3 Mississippi River crossings and ride the last 22 miles on the Cannon Valley Bike Trail from Cannon Falls to Red Wing. We think it was the right decision as the trail was through very beautiful countryside.
Although we were just coming off a rest (sort of) day, we were tired when we reached the Day’s Inn around 6 p.m. Unfortunately, the motel is 1 ½ miles out of town with no restaurant in walking distance. Rick and I “enjoyed” sandwiches and salad delivered from a local restaurant. We missed our daily carbo loading (i.e. beer). Even a Bud would have tasted good!
I have another motive for writing today’s log. Since we are officially past the halfway mark (2000+ miles), I wanted to take the opportunity to thank all of you who have contributed to the American Cancer Society. We greatly appreciate your generosity. We know more of you intend to make a contribution and would like to give you a gentle nudge in the direction of your check book. And for those of you who were waiting to see if we are the real deal, now that we’ve completed over 2000 miles, I hope your skepticism has been put to rest and you will now write a check. The main reason we have established this website and are keeping a public log is to encourage support for our fundraising mission.
Today’s mileage = 71 miles Today’s average speed = 11.3 mph Total distance traveled = 2007 miles
July 12, 2006, Day 42, (Red Wing, MN-Winona, MN)
I thoroughly enjoyed today’s ride for about the first 40 miles, until the heat and bike seat got me thinking about things other than the beauty of the Mississippi River (“MR”). Most of today’s ride was southeast on US Route 61 on the MN side of the MR. The MR varied in size from lake size width ( Lake Pepin) to relatively narrow straits. The MR flows around many islands and the water appears blue and clear. It’s bordered on both the MN & WI sides by high and steep bluffs of sandstone and limestone. Fortunately, there is generally enough flat land immediately along the River to build a highway and railroad.
Towns are generally located on the MN side about every 15-20 miles. There appear to be fewer on the WI side. Both Red Wing and Lake City (where we had breakfast) are attractive and attract vacationers. After breakfast, we were approached by one of a group of older men who had just finished eating. He told us he was 94 (he looked like he was about 80) and that he was still bike riding, although less than when he was 90. He advised us to keep on biking!
Winona, where we are staying tonight, is a much bigger town (about 30,000) with nondescript and typical motel and restaurant chains located on the major highways rather than in the town. ME and I have grown to prefer smaller towns that have all of the services we need within walking distance. We really miss having a later afternoon beer (even a Bud) in the local bar and certainly are not interested in visiting Walmart or K-Mart.
We finished our 64 mile ride about 2:30 pm when the temperature reached 91 degrees. The forecast calls for increasing temperatures and humidity through the weekend topping off at about 100 degrees. Consequently, we will start our riding about 6:30 am and try and get off the road by 1:00 pm, even if that means lowering our daily mileage. We have one more day of relatively flat riding before we enter Iowa and its very steep and rolling terrain. We currently anticipate crossing the MR at Muscatine, IA for Illinois early next week.
Today’s mileage = 64 miles Today’s average speed = 12.4 mph Total distance traveled = 2070 miles
July 13, 2006, Day 43, (Winona, MN-Lansing, IA)
Progress can be measured in many ways. Today we entered Iowa, our 7 th state out of a total of 15 states that we will ride in. I consider that progress. Our riding conditions today, and predicted for the next several days, can be described as HOT, HUMID, HEADWINDS and HAZY. We got on our bikes at 6:30 am to try and beat the heat. The first 20 miles weren’t too bad as the morning haze over the Mississippi River was pretty and delayed the effect of the rising sun. However, the last 38 miles were tough.
As the earth heats up the winds also pick up. Unfortunately for us, the10 mph winds came right up the River from the south, carrying hot air from New Orleans way. Fortunately, the roads were relatively flat. Tomorrow that will all change. We were glad to get to the beautiful Thornton House B&B where we were welcomed greeted by Steven, a co-owner.
Like yesterday, our ride today paralleled the MR. It is a majestic river surrounded by very steep bluffs. The River became much wider today with many shallow areas rich in wildlife. In spots, fishing cabins line the River, with a few developments of much larger, fancier houses sprouting up. We saw quite a few recreational boats - some speeding along, some meandering among the shallows fishing for bullheads. We have not seen much commercial traffic.
We made our fourth trip to a post office to mail things home, trying to lighten our loads. This time, the sleeping bags went. Since we not camped since leaving MT, we’ve debated whether to keep hauling around camping gear. We considered sending the tent home, but decided it was premature given our upcoming travel through very rural IL and IN. Since the weather is likely to continue to be warm, we decided to keep the tent just in case. As you can see, I’ve completely converted to ME’s way of camping!
As planned, we were off the road today by 2:00 pm. For the next 3 days, with the heat expected to be about 100 degrees, we will continue our pattern of very early starts and even earlier stops. As ME says, “so what if we take an extra day getting through IA.” Who says wisdom doesn’t come with age?
Lansing, an old town right on the banks of the MR, is becoming a tourist destination (although it still has a way to go). We plan to stroll downtown late this afternoon to check things out and find a place to eat.
Today’s mileage = 58 miles Today’s average speed = 11.8 mph Total distance traveled = 2127 miles
July 14, 2006, Day 34, (Lansing, IA-Guttenberg, IA)
I expect that by the time I arrive home, National Geographic will have published an article on ME’s and my discovery today- Iowa is not flat and has its own Rocky Mountains. I should have heeded Adventure Cycling’s description of the riding conditions-“there are some steep climbs onto the bluffs” and “the country is very hilly.”
We reluctantly departed the wonderful Thornton House B & B in Lansing, IA at 6:15 am. As expected, the air was clear, the wind still and the temperature comfortable. By the time we finished our 46 mile ride about 6 and ½ hours later, the wind was relatively calm, but the temperature was in the low 90’s. Our route generally followed the Mississi