Hello Oregon!

We've been in Oregon for about 160 miles now and after riding for 11 days we had to have a rest day.  We climbed over 4 passes in 2 days and had beautiful, fantastic rides.  

Our legs feel like Jello but we were extremely excited to reach...trees!!!!  We had to stop and breathe! 

We followed The Oregon Trail and were able to still see the ruts made from the wagons.  It was fascinating thinking about them traveling west through such dry desolate areas.

Our last climb took us to 5277 ft and we anticipated another speedy descent.  Imagine our dismay as we began heading down, the winds started up.  We were dropping over 1000 feet and had to pedal in order to go 8 mph.  EIGHT!  It was quite hilarious to hear us screaming.

We stopped by the roadside at a pull out for some respite from the wind.  A car pulled up from California so I had to ask him where he is from.

"No one knows the town that I am from.  It is in Ventura County," he responded.

"We're from Thousand Oaks," I said.

"I'm from Simi Valley," he answered.

We're getting much closer to home.

He had already asked us where we were cycling from but asked again.  When I told him that we had started in Maine, he couldn't believe it.  He took our picture and should be home by now.  It is funny that as we are ending our trip, it just doesn't seem so difficult or long.  

We are racing winter.  Yesterday the temperatures were in the 90's and today the high was 56.  We have had many nights below freezing, just about too many to count.  We have 3 major passes to summit before reaching the coast.  We are trying to dodge the storms as they come through although the boys would love to bike in the snow.  I don't know if I am that adventurous.  

We are still camping most nights and while it is freezing in the morning, usually it gets warmer during the day.  I can't believe that my parents are camping with us.  They haven't camped since I was 3 and here they are, joining us!  We are loving eating great food cooked over the fire.  

Cord will be joining us for the last few days as we ride into Redmond.  We sure do miss him but know that he is well taken care of by our neighbors!  We are well and hopefully our legs will recover someday!

Wasted grain...

Something must be wrong with a society when grain can just be spilled along the roadside.  People are starving and we just have grains flowing over the truck sides.

Another windy day

We were dropped off at our stopping point and continued on.  The wind today was less than yesterday, blowing a steady 25 with gusts at 35 mph.  

As we unloaded the bikes we kept hearing booms, explosions from the INL.

"I just keep looking for a mushroom cloud," my dad joked.

Since we have no idea of what they are experimenting on, our minds have the ability to turn the unknown into great stories.

My favorite was having emergency vehicles rescuing us from whatever had exploded and in the process, rescuing us from the wind.

We were able to finish the final 20 miles in 2 1/2 hours.  We pushed hard and used the rest of the day to recover.

As we pulled into town, we noticed two things.  The submarine is marked 666.  How did they ever get christians on a sub with that label?

The local burger joint is the home of the Atomic Burger.  I am thinking that I would only eat it if it gave me a burst of energy to fly through this wind.  

"I caught it!" (not the rattlesnake)

Our day started out with Zion having a flat.  That put us behind by 30 minutes and it was going to be another hot one.  Our first 20 miles were uneventful and we ate lunch in a lava field.  There is nothing like eating lunch on a hot day surrounded by black rocks and no shade.  

By the time we finished lunch it was almost 2 o'clock.  The winds had picked up and were getting stronger.  It took us almost 5 hours to ride the next 30 miles.  The wind gusts were strong and it took every ounce of my being to keep the bike on the road.  

"Well, Cedar, if we get blown off we are going to look like a couple of porcupines!" I yelled.

"OK Mom, just try not to!" he responded.

The road was lifted higher than the surrounding land so there was no wind break whatsoever.  Our map showed that a rest stop was ahead a few miles and it was getting dark so we called my parents for a lift.  I thought we would be there in an hour.  90 minutes later they called to check up on where we were.

"We are out in the middle of nowhere with the flying tumbleweeds!" Cedar yelled into the phone.

A few minutes earlier our conversation went something like this.

"I can't miss them!  They are going to hit us!" I warned Cedar.

"I got it!" he answered.

Cedar waved it victoriously in the air as I tried to steady the bike.  I made him drop it because steering was already challenging enough.  We were laughing hard at the difficulty of the situation and kept pedaling.  

We pulled into a closed entrance for the Idaho National Laboratory.  I stopped as close as possible to the gate in order to escape the passing traffic.  Zion quickly pulled in behind us.  We took a quick break and Zion was getting ready to leave first.

"Stop!  Snake!" he exclaimed.

We must have all rolled within inches of this 4 ft long rattlesnake.  It had been across the road in the weeds growing in the crack.  It circled and watched us as we watched it.  We snapped a few pictures and rode off.

I am thankful that the boys are familiar with rattlesnakes and know how to spot them.  

Teton Pass

Just a quick update before we try to beat the sun.  It took us 3 months to reach summer but we finally did it!  It was 89 yesterday when we reached Idaho Falls.  Our hottest day!  

We had a second pass to summit after crossing the Continental Divide.  That pass was rather easy since the grade was only 6%.  

Teton Pass was about 1000 feet lower at around 8600 ft.  The fantastic part of that pass is that we were able to use the Old Pass Road.  This road is for bicyclists and hikers only!  We saw a couple of mountain bikers and several hikers but otherwise had the road to ourselves.  The grade to this summit is 10% and Cedar had a headache from the altitude.  He claims that I did most of the work up the pass but it was so beautiful that I didn't notice. 

We had a fantastic view of Jackson and ate lunch at the top.  Our ride down was even better because there was road construction.  The man in charge of letting people through let us pass since we fit by the equipment.  Because of this, we had no traffic for at least 10 miles of downhill.  

Yesterday we entered wheat country.  They are harvesting now and I am only guessing that it is a spring white wheat.  

I'll try to write more later but we are entering more desolate areas.  We will be riding through the Idaho National Laboratories.  There are 51 nuclear reactors there but only 3 are functioning at the moment.  I think we will pass Atomic City today.  66 miles of nothingness.  

It's just like Laura Ingalls Wilder

Emma and Zion

Westley


I took a quick nap while at Ft. Robinson State Park.  The kids had been exploring a creek that ran next to our campsite.  I believe it was Westley who first asked if they could wade a little.  That turned into a massive trek through the running water.  These are a few pictures of how they returned.  They were full of smiles and lots of 

mud.

Cedar came to our tent and woke me.  "Mom, Emma has leeches!"

"It's just like Little House on the Prairie," I responded.

"That is just what I said," he replied.

Jackie had them all removed by the time I came out.  Emma took it all in stride and was quickly off for more exploring.

Westley had the best quote of the day.  "Mom, the water just looked so inviting.  (pause)  It doesn't look so inviting anymore."

Elsie

Friends, Fun, Food & Fellowship

We were able to meet up with Scott and Jackie Mersch and their three children, Emma, Westley and Elsie at Ft. Robinson State Park in Nebraska.  What a great time we had!!

We were slowly pedaling along when a van drove up honking full of waving people.  Hooray!  We stopped a few miles ahead where we ate a great lunch that Emma and Scott put together.  It was GREAT to eat fresh whole wheat bread that Emma had baked.  We had been surviving on gas station food and the random restaurant where vegetables and whole wheat were non existent.  Emma also made ginger snaps and great chili.  We enjoyed them all!

They went ahead to the campsite and we were close behind.  We hadn't seen each other in over 2 years but the kids went off exploring right away.  I think the kids had the best rest day of the trip.  I just enjoyed relaxing with Scott and Jackie and we were able to catch up on lost time.

We had campfires and Scott kept busy feeding everyone.  He even brought along his camping espresso pot so I enjoyed the luxury.  They gave us dried fruit, bananas and energy bars!

On our way out, they stopped and Scott gave Cedar a quick juggling lesson in how to juggle 4 balls on the side of the road in Wyoming.  We left well fed and full of great memories.

I don't want to die.

Our first days in Wyoming were plagued with road construction and horrible riding conditions.  We met a cyclist who had come from the direction we were headed and one of the first things he said is that he was surprised he made it alive.  His advice was to hitch a ride.  We had my parents with their trailer so we loaded up the bikes the next morning and bypassed a huge section of construction and a busy road with no shoulder.  I thought that would be the end of it but it wasn't so.  

We had about 20 miles of easy riding.  I didn't have a map but chose the roads using Mapquest.  The problem with trying to do it that way is that gravel roads are not listed as being such.  We had another 10 miles on a gravel road that was quite beautiful but very difficult and slow.  We were so tired of the gravel that we headed for the freeway.  I thought that we had only a mile or so before we could ride on the old highway.  Well, it wasn't meant to be.  The road was completely closed off, gated and surrounded by a barbed wire fence.  They really didn't want anyone on that road and it too was gravel.  

We have almost completely avoided freeways.  I think that the only one was crossing the Mississippi into Iowa and that was for less than 3 miles.  The enjoyment of our ride was quickly diminishing so we loaded up the bikes and skipped the freeway.

Our next day was almost as hard.  We left town on the only road headed west.  We knew it would be a challenging road since the spacing between towns with services was about 90 miles.  That wouldn't be the hard part for us.  We rode along through the sage brush on a road that seemed to be not too busy.  Well, it became busier as the day went on and soon we were being pummeled by semi trucks.  

First Cedar or Zion yells out that one is coming.  Next Cedar lets me know if they are giving us any clearance.  Next I brace up for the blast of air that comes from behind.  After that I brace against the sucking pull that happens after they pass.  It isn't something that I ever get used to.  

We had a flat and were able to get it fixed on the 3 foot shoulder.  I just made Cedar or Zion move away from the road each time a vehicle went by.  

After our tire was fixed, we pressed on.  The boys were just great but I was praying like mad.  We were being passed by at least 5 semi trucks each minute plus cars and RV's.  The riding conditions were perfect... slight tailwind, sunny skies and it was about 75 degrees.  The traffic ruined it for me and after 40 miles, I had enough.  We skipped the next 50 since it was exactly the same.  

Alive and I probably have a little more hearing left by skipping this part.

Question

One of the most common questions I get asked is if I have had any problems with people.  Women are the ones who ask this and I think it is because we have been conditioned to feel unsafe.

My answer is always a resounding no.  I have never felt fear or feared for the safety of our boys in these past 1000 miles since Chicago.

The news media is doing our country a disservice in reporting consistently negative stories about our nation.  Yes, there are bad things that happen but there are overwhelmingly good things happening out here.

What a great country!

Ranches and ranchers

For the first time I have felt out of place in my biking clothing.  Here I am surrounded by cowboys and I am wearing my long Smartwool underwear over my shorts and my beanie on my head.  Ha!

I did get to meet a rancher who also home schools.  His kids were at the Little Briches Rodeo back in Valentine.  His ranch is 24,000 acres plus he rents 5000 more.  Wow, now that is a ranch.

Roads

So, our hopes of high mileage on Saturday were dashed by the winds and by the roads.  The road had a wide shoulder protected by rumble bars, the kind that are ground out of the asphalt.  The problem was that the road was smooth and the shoulder had huge gaps and cracks, many larger than 6 inches.  That meant that most of the time we would ride on the road, trying only to jump over to the shoulder when several semi trucks would pass us.

That would do me in.

We were 7 miles from our campsite when we heard a strange noise from our rear tire.

"Something is stuck in our spokes," Cedar called out.

(Remember the wind.  I couldn't hear Cedar unless he yelled.)

We stopped and saw that we had a huge bulge in our tire.  It had split along the side.  We are guessing it was passing over the rumble gouges that cut the tire.  

We made it to the campsite as the sun was setting.  Another lesson in joyfulness in adversity. 

76 miles

After camping at a very primitive campsite, we headed out early since we knew it would be a long day.  We had been fighting winds from the south and expected the same.

After 3 hours we had ridden only 18 miles.  Ouch.

Our road was headed in a southwest direction so the winds from the south were really affecting us.  I just kept thinking that I wanted for the boys to learn perseverance and patience and this would help in teaching that.  I just had to laugh because I sure didn't want to be learning that lesson.  We pressed on.

60 miles into our day we stopped for some ice cream at a gas station, exhausted and ready to drop.  A kind man mentioned that the winds had been blowing at about 30 mph all day.  We felt relieved that our slowness had a reason and triumphant in what we had already done.  The road was turning to the north and we would have tailwinds for the last chunk of our ride.

Another woman stopped to chat and when I asked her about the road ahead, she mentioned that the direction of the wind always changes there.  What?  We had been waiting for this all day.

It turns out that the entire 16 mile stretch was downhill and we covered it in about 45 minutes.  That was surely a gift from God.

walking stick

As we were riding yesterday through brutal winds, I noticed a Walking Stick on the ground.  I stopped the bike and told Cedar to jump off to check it out.

"It isn't far back.  I can see it from here," I said.

I watched Cedar walk past it so I pushed our bike back to where it was.

"Cedar, come back!" I yelled.  "Here it is!"

(think extreme winds)

I showed him the Walking Stick and he started laughing.  He thought I had seen a walking stick used for hiking, not the insect.  They are almost albino looking out here, matching the color of the sand.

Out of communication

So, I'm anticipating that we will be out of touch for a while.  Our next break will be at Ft. Robinson, where we are hoping to meet with friends, the Mersch family.  Cheers from everyone!  That will be either on Monday or Tuesday, depending on our mileage.

Tuesday or Wednesday we will be entering Wyoming.  We are headed for Yellowstone National Park.  My parents will be meeting us to be our sag wagon since fall has begun much earlier than usual.  We are already riding in cool temperatures.  Two days ago we were lucky if it reached 60 degrees and we all were wishing we had long gloves and rain pants, warm sleeping bags and hot chocolate.  

Heading West

"Mom, you've got to see this!" Zion whispered.

Outside he showed me two things.  We had finished eating breakfast at the local gas station, the only place to eat in town.

Every vehicle was a pickup.

Most had a rifle mounted in the back window.

We are in cattle country, surrounded by huge ranches.  

"Wait until you reach western Nebraska.  Towns are far and few in between," the rancher warned.  I am thinking that things are already spread out.

Today will be a big day, regardless.  We can go 60 miles to a town with no services or we can go 91 to a town with more.  We'll see how the winds are blowing.

The Outlaw Trail

We rode through a section of the road where construction was being done.  A fiber optic line was being installed.

The big news is that in their digging, a casket was found.

Unmarked, unknown.

When the casket was opened, the remains of a well dressed man was inside.

Shot through the forehead.

Theories are talked about in town.

Horse thief.

Cheated at poker.

In a town where everyone knows the history, no one has heard of him.  They are guessing that he is from the mid 1800's.

Someone cared enough to bury him.

How fitting that this happened on The Outlaw Trail.

Crunch!

"Mom!  Don't hit them!"  Cedar yells continually.

"I'm trying!"  I respond.

South Dakota and Nebraska have had an unusually high population of grasshoppers and crickets this year.  Millions are hopping around and on us as we pedal on.  They are all sizes, from 1/4 inch to palm sized.  It's the large ones that I really try to avoid.  

"Go ahead and pick it up," I encouraged.

"Mom, it's intimidating," Cedar replied.

Some of these are just huge.  None are very coordinated.  They bounce off us and roll down the pavement.

Vermillion, S.D.

Our second Warm Showers host is an avid cyclist in South Dakota.  Kevin rides his bike throughout the winter!  Now that is dedication!

The whole family came over for dinner and we made some interesting connections.  Laura, Kevin's wife grew up in Leed, S.D.  That is where Cord's mom grew up.   Her grandfather worked in the mine as did Cord's grandfather.  Small world.

The kids had a great time playing together and we had a beautiful day for our ride.  Kevin planned our route and we LOVED it.  It was beautiful and with almost no cars we were able to relax and enjoy it.  

Thanks so much for hosting us!  It was great getting to know you and remember to keep California on your list of vacation possibilities!

Warm Showers

There is a fantastic website that has been recommended to us by other bicyclists touring.  It gives you the chance to open your home to those passing through and gives you the possibility of a place to stay and have a warm shower.

My first connection was a bit off route but he was able to find a host home for us in the perfect spot, La Mars, Iowa.  

Dennis came out with his sweet granddaughter, Anna to ride with us for the last 30 miles into town.  She is a great stoker and...is homeschooled!  I really enjoyed talking to her as we rode through the hills and Cedar mentioned that they would be friends if we lived in the same area.

Dennis led us to our host's home and we all went out to eat at a local restaurant.  Afterwards we went to get ice cream at Blue Bunny since La Mars is the ice cream capital of the world!  

They were able to give us the heads up on a bridge out but at least we were able to head straight for the bridge that was intact.

Thanks so much, everyone for a great time and a wonderful nights sleep.