AAN Day 4 - Kah-Nee-Ta to Prineville, OR

Daily Statistics:
Mileage: 59.6 Average Speed: 13.6 mph
Vertical: 3395 feet Depart: 7:40 AM Arrive: 1:10 PM
Calories: 4087

I am going to keep this pretty short and sweet today. As you can see by the picture below, it was a beautiful day on the road. A little warm for my liking, but I don't think it got above 80 while I was riding. You can see me posed with Mt Jefferson in the background. You will also note we are definitely in a high desert terrain. I tried to take it fairly easy, because tomorrow is a 117 mile day. I rode about half the day with Gary and Margot Weinstein from Connecticut. Gary got the trip for Margot for her 50th birthday. He will cut out here and there to tend to business, but will be with us most of the way. He is with an equity firm. They buy companies, try to make them better, and sell at a profit.
I thought it would be useful to show the activity at one of the SAG stops. You can see the support van, our sign in sheet on the table in the foreground, and the riders milling around getting food and water. We only had one today, due to the relatively easy route. There are 3 scheduled for tomorrow.

Look for the story on how tomorrow goes. We are loading at 5:20, with breakfast immediately after, and will then get on the road.

AAN Day 3 - Welches to Kah-Nee-Ta

Daily Statistics Mileage: 67.1 Average Speed: 13.4 mph Vertical: 4835 feet Depart: 6:15 AM Arrive: 11:58 AM Calories: 7447

Today was a terrific day on the road. Very shortly after we started, we headed up a 12 mile climb. The grade was very comparable to Mt Lemmon for my Tucson friends. The first SAG was on 13.4 miles in, at the top of the climb. The following photo shows yours truly at the sign in the area. It was only a 3995 foot summit, but we started about 1200 feet, so it was a pretty good haul. We descended about a thousand feet, then went back up to just over 4000, down 500 and back up. We finally leveled out and rolled for a good ways easily.

After spending the morning in Douglas fir and other large trees, we made the turn to Kah-Nee-Ta and promptly were in high desert. The trees became scrubs at best. The nice part was a number of mountains in white in the distance. This shows a group called the Three Sisters near Bend. It better shows the typed of vegetation, or lack thereof.

The one thing we did have was an abundance of wildflowers in purple, yellow, and white. They are having a good season for wildflowers, as the following photo shows.
After riding along a plateau for a while, we had a screaming, winding 5 mile descent into the valley. It was a nice reward for a long day of tough riding. Everyone seems to have remarked how great it was.
Speaking of everyone, here are a few more facts about the group before I close for the day. We have 5 couples on board, a father/son, a mother/daughter, two Swiss, two Englishman, two Canadians, and a US citizen who has worked the last 16 years in Asia. My roommate is a 65 year old retired Navy man, also retired from keeping a school's computers in order. We seem to be doing well together. More on the group as facts come clear.

AAN Day 2 - St Helens to Welches , OR

Daily Statistics
Mileage: 76.1 Average Speed: 14.0 mph
Vertical: 3085 feet Depart: 5:53 AM, Arrive: 12:30 PM
Calories: 5262

Today was a fun day on the road. We left St Helens on Hwy 30E, and it was about 20 miles until we hit the north side of Portland. I stopped on the bridge and took this shot looking toward the downtown area.
We were eventually routed on some great bike paths which took us north of the Portland airport, directly between the airport and the Columbia River. We were probably on the river for about 10 miles, which made for nice if not real speedy riding. For those of you who want a riverfront lot, these folks have it figured out. They live right on the river. I believe these are actually on the Willamette, but I saw quite a number on the Columbia as well. The ones I saw on the Columbia had a garage door to let the boat in.

After the second SAG, we started a gradual climb in the general direction of Mt Hood. Much of it was on a nice rural road (Bluff Road). Initially, Mt Hood was largely hidden in the clouds, but as the day wore on, the clouds lifted and we got some spectacular views. I have included the most distant, but it is a good looking peak.

After passing through Sandy, OR, there was a place called Calamity Janes, which the staff had highly recommended. I stopped in, and was met by a great old guy. I was there about 5 minutes before they open, but he let me wheel my bike through the restaurant to the patio for safekeeping, and sat down for a lunch of a pastrami hamburger and banana shake. He told every customer the same jokes, but they were kind of cute. He claims they have been rated to have one of the top 10 hamburgers in the country. It was very good. So was the shake. I then had to mush in the last 15 miles to the hotel. I took the following picture of the Salmon River for my Arizona friends. You can have a stream with running water this time of year.
We are staying at probably the nicest accommodations I have been in on my 3 trips with America by Bicycle. It is called the Resort at the Mountains in Welches. Very nice.
I tried to ride slow and easy today, and expend as little energy as possible. Tomorrow is supposed to be a big day of climbing. We shall see!

AAN Day 1 - Astoria to St Helens, OR

Daily Statistics:
Distance: 71.3 miles Average Speed: 14.3 mph
Vertical: 3867 ft Departure: 6:57 AM, Arrive: 12:29 PM



As you can see, the real activity started this morning. We had our first load by the motel. The picture shows my old friend, Carl Hagen, from Junior High and High School, who honored me by coming by to see me off in style. He is making sure that Mike and his team get the truck loaded in the proper fashion.
The ride today was perfect for the first day. The route was somewhat challenging , but not too much so, and the weather was ideal, starting around 52 degrees, and ending about 61. The sky was overcast the whole way, so it was my kind of day.
Early in the ride, I think I was the only one to take the short detour to the Astoria Column, a 1.3 mi side trip up a very steep hill. The column is a tower built by John Jacob Astor's grandson, I believe, in 1926. There are 164 steps in a circular staircase to get to the top, and once there, the views in all directions are spectacular. I have included the one looking down on the bridge over the Columbia River to Washington.

There really is not much to say about the scenery the rest of the way. We were generally along the Columbia, but not much exciting to photograph or report. We did have our first SAG at the Gnat Creek Hatchery, which was somewhat interesting. Here you see one of the workers in one of the ponds full of fingerlings.


Now that I have had a little time on board, I should report on the riders. We have 47 of us going the distance, and an additional 7 who are with us for the first one or two legs. We have a staff of 6 supporting us. The youngest rider just finished his sophomore year of high school, and is riding stoker on a tandem with his dad. He had the most memorable quote of the introductions: " I have been training real hard for this for a couple of weeks now." There is also a young lady of 18 who just graduated from high school. Most of the crowd, however, is in there 50s and 60s. Haven't got a handle on the oldest yet, but I am guessing pushing 80. More details as I figure everyone out.

Across America North Day 0 - Wheel Dip

We arrived in Astoria, Oregon this morning, got checked in, my bicycle assembled, and found a group was leaving for a ride to the Pacific for a ceremonial wheel dip. I hadn't planned to do this, but joined in and was glad I did. It was a 15 mile ride to the beach, a little time getting the wheel in the water, and an easy ride back. It was a pretty good warm up, with no stress. Here is a picture of some of the group at the water, and me putting my wheel in the water. The real ride starts in the morning.

ACROSS AMERICA NORTH

I am bring this wonderful blog back on line. I am just over two weeks from starting across the country again, this time on America by Bicycle's Across America North. You can check their website (abbike.com) and find the route, and the ride leader will also be doing a blog accessible from the AbB site.

Wrapup

I wanted to provide just a couple of final thoughts for any who have been following my latest bicycle trek. It is difficult to share the great sense of comaraderie that develops with the other riders on a trip like this. You probably sensed from the fact most of us rode together on the last day that we had greatly enjoyed each others company, and didn't want it to end. You really have to be part of it to fully understand. I heartily recommend a bike trek to all of you.
Secondly, I want to commend America by Bicycle to you. This is my second trip with them, with two different sets of ride leaders. Both rides were very well done, and a pleasure to be a part of. If you want a great trip, and don't want to camp, go with AbB.
Finally, I really enjoyed Ride the West. I was fairly familiar with many of the locations, having been raised in Western Washington and lived many years in Central and Southern California. I must say, though, that you really get a different perspective on these spots from the seat of your bike. I truly believe it is some of the finest country and scenery in the U.S.A., and probably the entire world, and what a way to see it!
So, until my next great adventure, I am signing off for now. I hope you enjoyed the trip, and that some of you will consider a similar ride in the future.