So I know its been a while since I've posted anything... its been quite an adventurous week! Here's the breakdown...
Day 3- Saturday 6/18- was rainy but great. My childhood friend Megan (McMahan) Matters and her husband Dave joined me for the 73 mile ride from Portland, OR to Hood River... my part of the state! Although it was wet...very wet... it was a great day to spend with one of my oldest friends going through Multnoma Falls and up to Hood River and seeing Mt. Hood... right where we grew up! By the time we reached Hood River the skies cleared and it was a gorgeous day. The ride itself was long with some SERIOUS hills but we made it. Following the ride Megan and I made our way to our side of the mountain into Welches for our 6th grade teacher, Ms McDougall's, retirement party. It was a great opportunity to see old friends and teachers... lucky timing!
Sunday 6/19- After 3 days on the road we had our first rest day. Everyone spent the day exploring Hood River... breweries were top on most people's list! And I have to say, our hospitality was top notch... several families from St. Mary's Church in Hood River hosted us, providing cozy beds, tasty meals, hot showers and some of us were fortunate enough to dip in a pool or soak in a hot tub overlooking Mt. Hood! A wonderful break day indeed!
Day 4- Monday 6/20- We made our way through Hood River up the Gorge to Biggs Junction and across the river to Maryhill, WA for our first camping experience after a 54 mile ride. The ride was gorgeous. In all the time I've lived in Oregon and been up and down the Gorge, I've never seen it like this. The views were amazing and the ride felt great... at least for the first half! Once we crossed into Washington, the wind was so strong I thought it was going to swoop my bike right from under me...don't worry, it wasn't that serious, but it was tough! Our stay at the Maryhill campground wasn't quite what it was in Hood River... we set up tents, blew up sleeping pads, paid 50 cents for 3minute showers (and short 3 minute showers they were!) and made "hobo packs" for dinner over the fire which consisted of cut potatoes, veggies, cheese and beans thrown into tin foil, wrapped and put on the fire... they were actually quite delicious... and of course, followed by s'mores:) Some of our hosts from Hood River came and joined us for the night as well providing us with some musical entertainment of guitar playing and singing. It was a good night. All of us tried to get to bed early and prepare for our longest day yet... 91 miles!!
Day 5- Tuesday 6/21- After leisurely starts in Oregon, we realized that we should probably head out earlier as to not be riding too long in the hot sun and allow plenty of time to get to our destination as only one person from our group had ever road this long before. We headed out of camp around 7:15am spending most of the ride in Washington continuing along the Columbia River. The ride consisted of rolling hills through the desert or eastern Washington. All was well until about that 80 mile mark when I just wanted to be done. We crossed back over to Oregon and finished in Hermiston where Kathy at Our Lady of Angel's Church was waiting for us outside with cold bottles of water... just what the doctor ordered after a LONG, HOT day of biking. Once everyone arrived, the Knights of Columbus prepared a wonderful dinner for us. We were all pretty exhausted... it was the first day I really felt the ride. Needless to say, bedtime was pretty early!
Day 6- Wednesday 6/22- We planned for a 6:30 start but we tend to run about 30-60 minutes late, so when we were out around 7 we were happy with our timely departure! Unfortunately, for the first month or so, we don't have a driver for the support van so we are all taking turns... I volunteered to drive today which turned out to be really great. We departed from Hermiston and went along the river back into Washington. It is really amazing how we've been back and forth between the 2 states and yet the landscape changed so dramatically several times. At this stage, we had been through the coast, the city, the mountains and luscious greenery to the desert and now heading into green rolling hills which most of us described to be the windows background of most people computers...beautiful. It was a very hot day and several of the riders were struggling with the heat and sore bodies. I was happy to be able to support them when they needed, providing food and water, moral support, cheering, and a breather pick-up here and there. This really is a team effort and we all are here supporting one another which is amazing. We're all gonna make it together! The entire group ended in Dayton, WA where we were again greeted by an amazing church congregation who provided the best pot-luck dinner as well as showers and even did our laundry for us! A great stop for the night! At this point along the trip, my favorite part has been the people we've met. From our hosts to others along the route. Today, while I was driving, I pulled over for a pit stop for the riders and a man pulled along side me who had been following us for several miles because he saw our van and was wanting to know more about what we were doing. We've also had several people we've met along the way inquire about our mission and gone to our website to support us financially and follow our journey... its really been amazing!
Day 7- Thursday 6/23- Back on my bike...On to Idaho... We followed the Lewis and Clark trail route weaving us through Washington where we met several other bikers... including a gentleman, Ron, celebrating his 70th birthday heading to Missoula as well as a group of 4 from Portland heading to NYC to make it for the 10th anniversary of 9/11 as one of the riders lost her dad during the tragedy. Our group invited the riders to join us for lunch at a res stop overlooking the hills and we all made our way together to Lewiston, ID where we stayed at another church who welcomed us with open arms. Our riding companions joined us as well. We were happy to now be able to extend help to fellow riders, who, unlike us, were supporting themselves across the country. We got to spend some time in Lewiston exploring the small town before heading to bed in preparation for our dreaded 99 mile day...
Day 8- Friday 6/24- We were all quite nervous for our 99 mile adventure today... especially with how tired we all were after our 91 miler... and tonight our ending destination was a campground! The ride was actual not too difficult. It was relatively flat and not too hot. We kept it slow and steady and when we made it to our camp site we realized that we actually hit the 100 mile mark... a century ride... which we were all soooo excited about... quite an accomplishment!
Day 9- Saruday 6/25- Lowell to Powell, ID- An "easy" day following our century ride. I've got to say, I felt much better than had anticipated after riding 100 miles. We had a "short" 65 mile day along the Loscha river. It was a gorgeous day and really reminded me of home with the river and mountains of trees. In the distance you could see the snow-capped peaks of the rockies... right where we were headed! It is interesting how much our judgement has change from what's easy vs. hard and long vs. short rides. Today really was one of my favorites. It was flat, beautiful and relaxing (relatively speaking of course). We finished at a camp site but happy to be eating at the lodge where we enjoyed a wonderful meal and a beer. Delicious. After dinner several of us hiked 1.5 miles (as if we needed more exercise!) to the Jerry Johnson Hot Springs where we got to soak our muscles in steaming water next to the river surrounded by nature. Simply amazing. And for a while got to forget about our upcoming ride, anticipated to be our most difficult ride yet...
Day 10- Sunday 6/26- We headed out of camp for our climb up LoLo Pass leaving Idaho and entering Montana. The first 8 miles were a tease of ups and downs before the 5 mile uphill climbing 2,000 feet! To our surprise, we all did just fine. We're more capable than we give ourselves credit. In such a short time we've been able to really prove what our bodies can do. Its amazing. I have to say, however, there's no way we could have been this successful day 1, or even a few short days ago. I'm really proud of us all. We we all reached the top, we took pictures in front of the many signs signifying just where we were... leaving Idaho, entering Montana, entering Mountain time, 5,200 feet elevation! The views were amazing... and did I mention there was snow?! Now keep in mind, what goes up, must come down... and that's just what we did for the next 40+miles down LoLo Pass and eventually into Missoula, Montana where we were again greeted by a generous church with a spaghetti dinner prepared! We ate, we showered, we did laundry, we slept! Looking forward to a much needed rest day after 7 days on the bike...
Monday 6/27- REST DAY in Missoula! What a beautiful town! We all scattered about, taking care of bike repairs, getting post cards, exploring the city and resting. We got to visit the headquarters of Adventure Cycling who put together cycling routes around the country, many of which we are using, and took a picture which is now posted on their wall of fame! I think all of us would like to spend a little more time in Missoula!
Tomorrow we get back on the road. I hope to be able to keep up with my blog a little better from here on out but thanks for your patience! Remember, you can follow us on our website at www.lvsride.com/social where you can read stories, see pictures and watch videos of what we're doing day in and day out. It truly is amazing:)
