Lizard Head Pass

Yesterday I did not ride with Dana and Lisa from Dolores to the campground near Rico, CO because I needed to move things from our RV to Fran's since yesterday was the day for Steve to head back home to Oregon.  I will certainly miss him and the "luxury" of having our own RV to stay in.  However, it will be fun to be in with Dana and Fran.  I was sorry to miss the ride as I know from making the drive that it was spectacular and not difficult, and that it would have been great to see it from the slowness of a bike.

Nancy on top of Lizard Head Pass

Today we rode over Lizard Head Pass via Telluride to Placerville.  This was an amazingly easy climb to 10,222 feet.  The descent was somewhat marred by the poor condition of the road and the traffic.  Also, there was a bit more difficult climb of a few hundred feet shortly after we climbed Lizard Head Pass.  All in all this was a very easy day.  We had time in the afternoon to drive back to Telluride, spend a bit of time wandering around, and riding the gondola.

TWO BEAUTIFUL DAYS IN COLORADO

After our first day in Colorado--yuck--things made a turn for the better. On Monday-Dana and Lisa rode 40 miles up past Rico. What a fantastic beautiful ride. 40 miles of gradual climbing following the Doloros River up the entire way with a smooth road surface.
Just as we entered Rico rain came for 10 minutes-but we were able to get under cover. We heard that the rain had followed us up the road but missed us and had been up ahead but ended before we arrived.
Leaving town I heard a high pitched bark--I had been hearing it on and off all during the last few days. Finally I decided I had to stop. I looked over and saw a mound with 5 marmots sunning themselves just looking at me. I spent a few minutes just talking to the little critters. I thought at the time they were giant prarie dogs--but they were actually marmots. Now marmots and Prarie Dogs tie for my favorite critters.
We camped in a forest service camp with electricity in a beautiful location.

The next day we finished our climb over Lizard Head Pass. 10,222 feet. Easiest climb you would ever wish for. I got up to the summit ate something and then decided to ride back down and come up with Nancy. The descent was fast but the road surface was bad but it was an easy day into Placerville. We had time to enjoy two fantastic meals and also go to Telluride and ride the free Gondola.

Dana on top of Lizard Head Pass

Lizard Head

We're in Colorado!

We rode 63 TOUGH miles today from Monticello, UT to Deloras, CO.  We had a VERY STRONG crosswind for most of the ride and did a lot more climbing than expected.  Also a lot of traffic on the highway and though we had wide shoulders the condition of the shoulders was generally rough.  Really not a very pleasant ride.

We have about a 35 mile ride to Rico, CO tomorrow.  We will climb, but hopefully not have the wind we had today.  We will be "dry" camping for the next few days so will not have internet access.  Also, Steve's last day with us is tomorrow, so I will be moving my stuff to Fran's RV.

Last Day in Utah

Tonight will be our last night in Utah.  We cross the border into Colorado tomorrow.  We have all travelled many of the roads by car that we have travelled the last several days by bike, but I think we appreciated even more by bike the beauty of this state.  We have been fortunate that we were here at a time the sunflowers were in bloom.  They grow wild along the highways and sometimes we've seen whole fields of them as we've ridden past.  We have been through Zion, Bryce, Natural Bridges, Glen Canyon, Escalante, and today Canyonlands.  We have seen Lake Powell and crossed the Colorado River.  Dana and her mom Fran drove a bit south of the Utah border into Arizona to see the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  Our trip has really only just begun and we have seen and felt so much of this beautiful country of ours.  It has not been easy.  We have endured extreme heat and climbed lots of mountains, but none of us would trade this experience for the comforts of home.

Today was somewhat of a rest day.  We only rode a little over 23 miles from Blanding to Monticello, UT.  Most of the ride was climbing (we climbed over 2000 feet), but it was fairly gradual, and with only 23 miles we were in Monticello before noon.  Dana, Fran and I went into the southern entrance to Canyonlands.  Dana and I have both hiked there before, but Fran had never been there.  To us Canyonlands is one of America's most beautiful parks, and for some reason (probably it's remoteness from any freeway) is one of the least visited.  Lisa decided to treat herself to a night in a motel (she has been tent camping most of the trip) and had dinner on her own (she was looking forward to a Taco Time burrito!).  Dana, Fran, Steve & I fixed dinner and ate in the RV; we are getting a bit tired of eating out every night and really enjoyed a home cooked meal.  We also watched old John Wayne movies.

Tomorrow we will cross the border into Colorado where we will have more mountains to climb and more spectacular scenery.

An Unusual Rock Formation in theMiddle of a Field of Daisies on the way to Canyonlands National Park

Dana, Fran and Nancy at Canyonlands National Park

Rest Day-Sort of??

After the last few days we all decided we needed a rest day. So we rode 22 easy miles to Monticello, Utah and then rested. An easy ride with cool temps and tail winds for a change.
Steve, Callie the Cat and Moe the Dog all really rested. Patches stood guard. Dana, Fran and Nancy drove up to Canyonlands. My favorite National Park. If you have not been there it has all the National Parks of Utah rolled up into one.
On the subject of favorites here is what I have discovered. Shoes--Bontrager RXL. Shorts--Sugoi RS.
I was also thinking about all the critters we have seen. Deer, Bison, Utah Prarie Dogs (I live for Prarie Dogs) Yellow Bellied Marmot, Prong horned Antelope.
Tomorrow into Colorado. I have never ridden in Colorado so looking forward to that new adventure.

Riding Through Utah

Because I have not had internet access the last few days I've kept a daily journal which I am uploading:

August 25, 2010 – Capitol Reef National Park

What a great ride today. Lisa left before us because she wanted to do the ride past the Mormon settlement deeper into the park. Steve and I drove it last night and I had driven and hiked it last summer; Dana had also done it fairly recently. It is a spectacular ride/drive and should not be missed, but neither Dana nor I wanted to ride it this morning. Dana and I left Torrey a little after 8 AM and rode the highway through the park. What a beautiful ride. We had a tail wind most of the way. We did stop at the Visitor’s Center after a GREAT decent, then continued on. My bike worked perfectly!

We took another break about 20 miles west of Hanksville. We were stopped along side the road and the manager of the Rodeway Inn across the highway invited us to sit on a bench under a big tree in front of the motel. As we were sitting there we saw Steve drive by (he had no way of knowing we were on the “wrong” side of the road); that was no problem as we only had 20 miles left to Hanksville. We talked with the lady from Rodeway a bit, filled our water bottles with ice from Rodeway’s ice machine, then headed towards Hanksville. We got into Hanksville a little after noon. The ride was a beautiful and easy 47 miles.

When we went to dinner the cover of the menu stated we were close to “Goblin Valley National Park”. Having never heard of it we were curious and asked our waitress where it was. She said it was about 30 minutes north of Hanksville, so Dana, Steve and I decided to drive up there and check it out. What was billed on the menu as a “national park” turned out to be a state park, but what a state park! There was a whole valley of rock structures that looked like goblins. Apparently this valley is so unique that there is nothing else like it anywhere. It was truly a worthwhile drive through and to beautiful and unusual landscape.

Goblin Valley State Park

August 26, 2010 – A Spectacular Ride Through Glen Canyon


Today was another beautiful ride! We headed south out of Hanksville through red rock canyons and eventually were in Glen Canyon. By early afternoon we could see Lake Powell, then crossed the Dirty Devil River and then the Colorado River. Because of the heat (about 104 F.) I decided not to ride the last 8 miles to our campsite. We had to “dry” camp as there are no services between Hanksville and Blanding, UT. We ended up parked next to White Canyon, where we met two hikers from Moab who had hiked down into the Canyon and swam in the river with wetsuits. They were a nice young couple and we ended up talking with them for a while.

 

Lake Powell

Colorado River

August 27, 2010 – White Canyon to Blanding


A tough ride today. We climbed for 35 - 40 miles with a strong headwind or crosswind the entire way. We were riding through red canyon country again, which made for a beautiful ride, but the winds made the climb really tough. Finally, after 40 miles we reached the summit which was a little over 7100 feet and had a great 10 mile descent. Then the climbing began again, only this time it was steeper and hotter since it was now afternoon. When I was about 9 miles out of town Dana came and got me with the car telling me I did not want to ride the rest of the way in. She said it was HORRIBLE. I was feeling good but decided to take her word for it and got in the car. Was I ever glad! There was a wickedly steep long climb that would not have been fun in the afternoon sun!

Beautiful Day

On Wednesday 25th we rode thru Capitol Reef National Park on our way to Hanksville. What an absolutely wonderful day. If you know Capitol Reef--imagine riding your bike thru the canyons. As you leave the canyons you enter the moon--imagine riding your bike on the moon and then Mars. Truly wonderful. We arrived in Hanksville after an easy 47 miles.

Dana in Capitol Reef National Park

Not a lot happening in Hanksville so Nancy, Steve and Dana drove up to Goblins State Park. WOW!!! I won't tell you about it--but if you ever get a chance to go do so. A gem that few people know about.

Thursday was the ride across the Colorado River. Uphill from Hanksville then a drop to cross the Colorado as it enter Lake Powell then a ride back up to the Plateau. We camped on the side of the road. 50 yards from our camping spot was the Black hole of the White Canyon. At the point where we camped the canyon drops straight down 500 yards--so beautiful. This was the hottest day of the trip and we had no electricity so we all sat out in the shade until the stars came out then turned in.

Today's ride was so tough. 35 miles of non-stop climbing-then 10 miles of descent and then 3 real hard climbs to end the day.

Here are the daily summaries for the last few days:
August 21st: Cedar City to Panguitch Lake, temps-55-80, 47 miles, 5137 feet of climbing.
22nd: to Bryce, 57-80 degrees, 41 miles, 1660 feet.
23rd: to Escalante, 55-85 degrees, 47 miles 1817 feet.
24th: to Torrey, 60-87 degrees, 64 miles, 6220 feet.
25th: to Hanksville, 57-93 degrees, 47 miles, 718 feet.
26th to White Canyon, 57-102 degrees, 57 miles, 3248 feet.
27th: to Blanding, 73-98 degrees, 66 miles 4760 feet.

One last day in Utah as we will only ride 26 miles tomorrow and then into Colorado.

The Dentist and the Bike

After two days with my bike working perfectly today it started causing me problems again.  It dropped the chain from the middle to the small ring; it really took me by surprise; I had no traction and was suddenly and unexpectedly spinning, and I managed to fall - only had a scraped elbow.  I also (again!) couldn't get into the big ring and at times couldn't shift into the "granny" ring.  I decided after 24 miles that I better not continue riding.  The 24 miles I did ride were spectacular though.

When we got into Torrey, UT (next to Coral Reef National Park) I went to an Back Country Outfitters (http://www.ridethereef.com/)  that Adventure Cycling said did some minor repairs to bikes.  I knew my repair was minor (I was pretty sure the problem had something to do with the new shifter cable and that it had probably stretched, but my efforts at tightening it with the barrel adjuster had not worked).  The owner said the mechanic was on vacation.  However, he said I should go to Tooth Ranch about 7 miles up the road and talk to Scott the dentist; that he raced all over the USA and was a terrific mechanic.  So, I went to Tooth Ranch.  Sure enough Scott lived up to his reputation, said my cable had both stretched and slipped, and fixed everything including adjusting the limit screws.  When I tried to pay him he just said come see him if I need a root canal!

This evening Steve and I had a great dinner at the Cafe Diablo (http://www.cafediablo.net/) which the man at Back Country Outfitters told us had been named best restaurant in Utah twice in recent years.  Steve said his trout was the best trout he'd ever had.  And, our deserts were heavenly.  They even make their own ice cream.  I had chai tea ice cream which was "to die for" along with a pear torte.

After dinner Steve and I drove through Coral Reef National Park.  With the full moon it was spectacular!

Moon Rising in Coral Reef National Park

Tomorrow should be a great ride through Coral Reef National Park.  I am positive my bike won't fail me!

The Best Ride Ever

What a ride today. Starts out non-descript as you climb out of Escalante but then---you drop over a hillside into the most beautiful slickrock canyon. You plunge down a road carved out of slickrock down to the river bed where you follow the river on the canyon floor--then you climb outon a road cut out of the walls. You climb up 14% grades to reach the top where you have a magnificant view of the entire valley and much of Escalante itself. If you have never ridden your bike or driven this route--Do so!!! And do so as slowly as you can!! Other than the Grand Canyon--nothing compares to this.
After a pleasant easy climb up to Boulder you then start the climb up to Homestead Overlook where you summit at 9600 feet. This is a beautiful climb with aspen trees and creeks.
Today I road 64 miles with 6220 feet of climbing. That is the most on the ride and I suspect may hold up as the most climbing on any given day of the trip. We will see what the Rockies hold.
We are now heading out to remote areas--we may not have any services for a couple of days.

Cedar Breaks to Escalante

Well did the first really big climb of the trip. Lisa and I agreeded to ride together so my mom would only have to make one sag stop for us. The ride up was beautiful--but so much traffic with no shoulder. We climbed from 5800 feet to 10,500 at Cedar Breaks. Enjoyed the 77th Anniversary party at Cedar Breaks then headed down to Panguitch. The steepest part of the climb occurred at 10,500 feet where we hit a fairly long 18% grade.
The next day was an easy day into Bryce Canyon. Nancy describes the day quite well--but boy Bryce has changed. What a tourist trap--way different than 8 years ago. Still beautiful--but way to touristy.
Another easy day into Escalante with beautiful scenery virtually the entire way. A hard short climb in the middle--but a very long descent.
Tomorow another hard climb.

Red Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, and Grand Staircase of Escalante National Monument

Yesterday and today were great rides!  First, I finally got to ride my new bike on a real ride and it worked great.  Plus, the scenery was fabulous. 

Yesterday we rode from Panguitch Lake to Bryce Canyon National Park, UT.  The ride was short (only 40 miles) but through some of the most beautiful country you'll ever see.  Panguitch Lake itself is lovely (it is supposedly one of the top 10 fishing lakes in the USA).  Some other RV's sent us off with "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" playing on the loudspeaker!  Before too long we were in Red Canyon; a spectacularly beautiful canyon that should be seen on a bike because you go through it slowly.  As an added benefit there is a 5 mile dedicated bike/pedestrian path that parallels the highway so you can enjoy the scenery without being distracted by cars and trucks passing sometimes too close - we could really relax and absorb the beautfy of the place.

Red Canyon

After leaving Red Canyon we were soon at Ruby's RV Park adjacent to Bryce Canyon National Park.  Steve and I decided to hike down into the Canyon, which of course meant we had to hike back up - not an easy task, but well worth the effort!

Inside Bryce Canyon

Today we had a beautiful ride through the Grand Staircase - Escalante.  This was another short day (47 miles) but a bit harder than yesterday.  There was a climb in the middle that was short but very steep.  However, we had two good descents, so that made up for the climb.

We made it!  Escalante summit

August 21 - Continuing Saga of My Bike

This morning I went to the Trek dealer in Cedar City and the mechanic was not going to be in today. The clerk suggested I take the bike to another bike shop in town. I did, and the mechanic working there put the bike up on a rack, checked the shifting and declared that I would have to replace the shifter. I called Bikes Unlimited in St. George, told them what I had been told; the man I talked with was not Ian who had worked on the bike, but still seemed surprised, but told me they had no shifters for my Ultegra components available. A few other bike shops were suggested, and I called all of them with no luck. I started calling shops in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas and still no luck except for one shop that had a complete set for over $600. After calling probably 30 shops I decided to call Bikes Unlimited again in St. George and was able to speak with Ian. He really didn’t think the shifter was broken and Steve and I decided to return to St. George to have him look at it. It took Ian about 2 minutes to determine the cable had somehow wound itself inside the shifter and all he would have to do was remove it (apparently, sometimes that is not an easy task, but in my case it took him no time at all) and put in a new cable. He also put on a new chain that fit properly for me. This time I test rode the bike before leaving town, and, as it turned out Ian really needed to do some more adjustments before I could get it to shift into the big ring (glad I test rode it this time!). He and I both tested it again and everything worked smoothly. I now have a bike!

Nancy's New Bike

I did miss the big (over 4000 ft.) hill climb up to Cedar Breaks today over a very rough, narrow road with lots of traffic. I was initially disappointed I wasn’t going to be able to do the ride, but after driving over the route I was glad to have missed it. The route was spectacularly beautiful but I’m not sure Dana and Lisa were really able to enjoy it due to the roughness of the road and the traffic. Steve and I stopped at Cedar Breaks and enjoyed the beautiful views. On the drive we had to stop for a herd of sheep crossing the road at their own pace. We’re staying in Panguitch Lake Resort which is located in a really beautiful mountainous area of Utah. Dana took Mo down to the lake for a swim, which was probably the highlight if his day. I tested out my bike again this evening and it worked perfectly. Thank you Ian and Bicycles Unlimited! http://www.bicyclesunlimited.com/

Cedar Breaks National Monument

Panguitch Lake, UT

August 20 - New Bike

 I picked up my new bike today and we left St. George, UT and drove up to Cedar City to start our ride east across Utah. I was told by the bike shop that built the bike that my chain was short but that everything worked fine unless I was cross-chained. When we got to Cedar City I discovered the bike would not even shift into the big chain ring which I need to do to go down mountains. Dana and I both tried to shift into the big ring while riding it, were unsuccessful, so put it up on the rack; it still didn’t work. Then the front chain rings stopped shifting at all! So, that means I can’t ride tomorrow and will have to take the bike into a shop in Cedar City. There appears to be a front derailleur or shifter issue, but none of us could get it to work right after several hours of messing with it. I must say that I am really frustrated. Hopefully the shop in Cedar City can fix it right away. I know one thing, I won’t leave Cedar City without fully test riding the bike!

Grand Canyon-North Rim

Mom and I headed up to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon--first time to the north rim for both of us. Wow--absolute beauty at 9000 feet so it was cool-not the 102 degrees in the valley. Very few people around so none of the hectic tourist feeling of the south rim.
The only thing that describes it for me is "Be still and know that I am God".
We watched lightning strike in the slopes below us as we descended.
A wonderful day of rest. One more day of rest before we do the first real serious climb of the trip--4500 feet in 20 miles up Cedar Breaks.

Rest Day in St George, Utah

Today was a rest day for us and we chose to do different things.  Dana and her mom Fran drove to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and had a spectacular day.  Lisa rode her bike through Zion National Park.  Steve and I had planned to hike the Narrows in Zion but they were closed due to flash flooding last night and anticipated flash flooding again tonight, so we hiked up to the Emerald Pools in Zion which couldn't have been more beautiful.  Fran's kitties stayed in the air conditioned RV for the day and Mo went to the Doggy Dude Ranch (http://www.doggyduderanch.com/), a wonderful dog kennel - when we went to pick up Mo at the end of the day he was in the swimming pool with a new friend!  A great day was had by all!

Towards the end of our time in Zion Steve and I decided to walk down the River Path at the end of the shuttle ride through the park.  As we were coming back we saw a rattlesnake being "stalked" by a squirrel who was happily wagging his tail.  The rattler seemed pretty "non-plussed" and wasn't particularly concerned about the people stopping to watch.  I just hope the squirrel didn't attack the snake!  It appeared the squirrel just thought it had a new playmate.

Falls at Lower Emerald Pools

Zion peak

Utah at Last

I was so looking forward to the Nevada portion of this trip--but now it is over. What hard work. As I described in my earlier post--every day was hot-98-100, dry 7% humidity, lots of wind--most of it headwinds, and lots of climbing. Plus Hwy 50 is certainly not lonely--it is fairly busy. The tiny towns though are fascinating--they are a haven from the old west--where time appears to have stood still.
When we finally left Hwy 50--I let out a big hoot and holler!!! Of course no one was around to hear it--not even cows.
Now we are in Utah--and what a change a people can make--the valleys are green and lush with farms--the cities are well kept and there is a pride in there towns.
As before on the rest day here are the summary's of the last days travel since the previous rest day:
8/12--Fernley to Middlegate-70 miles, low temp 60-high 85, climbing 1581. Easy day with good winds--finished by around 1.
8/13--to Austin-65 miles, 57-100 degrees, 4124 climbing, beautiful day with a hard ending with the climb up to Austin.
8/14--to Eureka, 70 miles, 60-98 degrees, 2805 climbing.
8/15--to Ely, 78 miles, 60-98 degrees, 3782 climbing. Hard day with 4 passes and heavy headwinds on all the descents.
8/16--to Baker, 62 miles, 57-100 degrees, 3011 climbing--great day--road alone until Lisa joined me with 20 miles to go--good winds and crossed the highest pass we road in Nevada 7722 feet. Finished around noon--a solid descent of almost 20 miles.
8/17--to Milford Utah, 84 miles, 66-102 degrees, 3674 climbing--hard--hard day. Two of the hardest passes we have done--miles up with no break with at least 100 degrees beating on you-no shade-fierce winds in the valley floors-throwing up dust devils 100 feet high--just brutal.
8/18--to Cedar City, 40 miles, dito on the temps, 2949 climbing.

Now two days off until we start the hardest climbing of the trip up and over Cedar Breaks--more about that later.

From Utah looking back on Great Basin National Park, Nevada

Great Basin National Park

Today was an unusual day for me. I woke up at 5:30 AM really looking forward to the ride. I knew it would be a reasonable distance (62 miles) with only 2 passes to climb. I left the RV park in Ely, Nevada about 6:30 and when I had ridden only 3.5 miles I had another flat – this time on the rear tire. As this was my 2nd flat on the same type of tire I really just wanted to replace the tire with a “Hard Case” like I now had on my front wheel. Also, in the back of my mind I really wanted to spend some time in Great Basin National Park, including having time to tour Lehman Caves. So, I called Steve, asked him to come pick me up, and decided to change tires in the evening and go to the park with Steve.


It turned out that Dana and Lisa had really favorable tailwinds and made the ride in record time. They said it was the easiest ride so far. I would have had time to ride and visit the park, though fixing the flat would have proven difficult and taken more time than normal (the tire was so “stiff” that neither Dana nor I could get it off of the rim and ended up getting Steve to help us; and I’ve been struggling for about 15 minutes to get the piece of glass out of the tire and still haven’t been able to do so).

Steve and I really loved Great Basin. Lehman Cave is probably the most beautiful cave I’ve ever been in, and I’ve been in a lot of caves. The ride up to above 10,000 feet is spectacular with scenery so different than what we’ve been riding through. I did a ½ mile nature walk and would have enjoyed doing some hiking if we had had more time.

We are staying tonight in Baker, NV which is 5 miles from the entrance to Great Basin National Park. This town has a population of only 159 but has two outstanding restaurants. It has no cell service and a post office that is open “now and then”. One of the wonderful things about this trip is that we are travelling on “roads less travelled” and seeing parts of our country that most will never see. The people have been wonderfully friendly, the food has been good, and the scenery at times spectacular. This is truly the trip of a lifetime.

Lehman Caves in Great Basin National Park

Wheeler Peak in Great Basin National Park

Nevada Desert

We have spent the last three days crossing the Nevada desert.  At least once each day I have asked myself what on earth we are doing crossing Nevada on a bike in the middle of August.  Today I asked myself that question several times.  First of all the landscape is beautiful.  I have been leaving each morning at 6:30 AM and the first couple of hours of each day have been spectacular.  The last two days we started by climbing a mountain pass.  Over the last three days we have climbed 12 mountain passes.  The hardest one was probably the one we climbed this afternoon, Robinson Summit which topped out at 7,588 feet.  It was hot with an occasional head or cross wind and the descent was very slow because of a very strong head/cross wind; at times we were going down a 6% slope at only 15 mph pedaling (without the wind we would have gone down at about 35 mph).

Today was probably the hardest biking day I have ever experienced.  We climbed four mountain passes and had no help with the descents as the wind was so strong in our faces.  The temperatures reached 100 degrees (Dana will tell you only 98, but Lisa and I agree it was over 100).  At times we were almost blown off of our bikes. 

The best day, though not an easy one, was Friday when we rode from Middlegate to Austin.  This was a beautiful ride over highway 722 that started with a 2500 ft. ascent up Carroll Summit.  Early in the ride we actually had some shade.  The scenery changed frequently and the descent was perfect.  I did manage to get my first flat tire ever (I know, that's hard to believe) at the top of the Summit, but my timing couldn't have been better (we were able to change it inside Fran's motorhome as she had stopped there to refill our water and give us some food).  This was the first flat tire of the trip and hopefully the last!

Middlegate and the Great Basin

Wow--If you have never been to Middlegate, NV--try to do it. This is the old west today. A group of people living in the middle of no where--no electricity-everything is run off of a generator. They ask for nothing and do it themselves. What a wonderful warm group of people-I felt like family after only one day and was sad to leave.
We are into the Nevada Desert. Everyday is similar--climb (most climbs are over 7000 feet with our highest so far 7600 feet) descend, cross a valley of anywhere from 5 to 40 miles in length and then repeat the process. Nothing but sagebrush as far as the eye can see. Beautiful in a way but a very hot, dry passing. Plus we have been facing severe head winds--often steady at 20-25 mph.
Today we road 78 miles with 4 passes over 7000 feet and had virtually no coasting because the headwinds were so strong on the descents you had to pedal the entire way down--that was a bummer--but we all did it. About 3 more days of this type of terrain then we will start the Utah proper portion of our ride.
Have seen a group of 30 riding east at Middlegate and then today a Japanese man and his two sons heading west. Nice to see some bikers on the route. Hwy 50 is busy--certainly not the lonliest road in America--in fact about the busiest road we have been on--it may have been lonely in the 60's but no more. The truckers and locals give us a wide pass but the cars-sightseers don't seem to get it. But in general the traffic has been very polite.
Looking forward to time off in St. George--but a few days for that.

"The Loneliest Road in America" is not so Lonely!

We started today's ride in Fernley, NV and soon found ourselves on Hwy. 50 which is billed as "The Loneliest Road in America".  Unfortunately, it is not all that lonely!  In reality, it is a fairly busy highway with people driving at high speeds.  Most drivers were very courteous though and gave us a wide clearance.  We rode 70 miles through the Nevada desert and over a couple of easy mountain passes and arrived in Middlegate, NV (pop. 17!) by about 1 p.m..

Sign on motel at Middlegate Station

Middlegate is an old Pony Express station that has been an oasis in the "middle of nowhere" for travelers for many years.  The 1850's Pony Express building is now being used a a restaurant/bar and is full of fascinating antiques.  The family who owns Middlegate has been there for 25 years and all work in various capacities to keep the restaurant, bar, motel, campground, rv park, etc. running smoothly.  We had both lunch and dinner here and the food was excellent.  We parked our RV for nothing as camping is free.  Motel rooms are basic but clean and comfortable and are only $40/night.  The owners are great and full of stories about the history of the area.  Locals (probably anybody in the surrounding 30 mile area would be considered "local") love to hang out here and talk with visitors.  We had a great afternoon here!

Lisa, Nancy & Dana on porch of Middlegate Station

Thank you Dana! Rest Day in Fernley, Nevada

A few days ago I wrote about the problems I had on Drews Rd. in Sprague River, OR and how, at a minimum my wheel was thrown out of "true" and my rear brake had to be totally readjusted, and that we were concerned my frame may have cracked.  Today was our first official rest day and we were close to Reno, so Dana and I decided to take my bike into a Trek dealer to be inspected.  It didn't take the mechanic 30 seconds to decide the frame was cracked.  Dana took over and managed to have Trek agree to replace the frame and have a new one sent to St. George, UT where we will have a "new" bike (my components which are fairly new put on the new frame) assembled and ready for me when we leave Zion. 

So, how am I going to get to Utah from Fernley, Nevada?  Well... I thought Dana was going a bit overboard when she decided to bring a second bike along on the trip.  I guess I was wrong, because I will be able to ride Dana's second bike until I can pick up the new one.  Thank you Dana!!!!

Half of our rest day was spent dealing with the bike issue.  The rest of the day Dana, her mom Fran, my husband Steve, and I had massages then went out to dinner with our whole group, including Gale's husband Haru, and Fran's friend Susie.  Gale had only planned on riding as far as Fernley and Haru picked her up here to return to Oregon.  We will really miss Gale!  While we were out dealing with the bike and getting a massage Gale and Lisa hung around the RV park (the Desert Rose, Fernley - a very nice park).  Lisa did ride her bike to Walmart to do some shopping.

It was nice to have a break, but I think we are all ready to set off tomorrow for Middlegate - don't look for it on a map because it's not there.  It's an old stage coach shop that is now a motel, restaurant and general stopping place for travelers on Highway 50, "the loneliest road in America".

TWO DAYS IN NEVADA

Well we have started our Nevada portion of the trip. The first day was from Cedarville, CA to Gerlach Nevada. I had no idea how beautiful and varied this day would be. We started out with a very flat ride out of Cedarville full of pastures, cows and crops in a beautiful valley with mountain ranges on both sides of us. Gradually the pastures gave way to sagebrush. A deer stood on the side of the road and watched us go by--cottentail rabbits and tiny little critters we do not know what they are.
As the sage brush intensified so did the climbing as we climbed through canyons amazing in their beauty. The road surface was smooth and clean and there was virtually no traffic. Coming out of one of the canyons ahead appeared a lake so blue in color I thought it might be a mirage--but it was real.
After the last descent out of the canyons--then into the real dessert with a blistering head wind. A very hard day--but one of the most beautiful days I have ever spent on a bike. We arrived in Gerlach--if you ever go there--try to avoid staying at the Hotel. After 84 miles in 95+ degree weather they had no warm water to shower with.

The next day was Gerlach to Fernley--wow what a change--the headwind picked up almost immediately--and the desert was beautiful in it's own way--but not nearly as spectacular as the day before--so we all soon grew tired of the constant headwind and scenery. Just as we all thought nothing would strike us--we climbed a pass and saw Pyramid Lake--Wow!!! Stunning in its blue. We decided that riding to Nixon (Piute tribe) and driving in to Fernley would be the best idea--turns out we were right--soon the wind was steady around 20mph and gusting to 35 with lots of traffic and no shoulders.

Now with a rest day here are my details for the prior days. The temperatures are the lowest and highest that I recorded while actually riding.

8/2--Bullards State Park to Powers--32 miles, 500 feet of climbing, low temp-71, high temp-82.
8/3--To Glendale--72M, 5646 climbing, 55-90 degrees, X Coast Range
8/4--To Eagle Point--58M, 2913 climbing, 75-98 degrees.
8/5--To Rocky Point--41M, 4137 climbing, 72-84 degrees, X Cascades
8/6--To Junipers--70M, 1889 climbing, 51-84 degrees.
8/7--To Goose Lake--26M, 200 climbing, 70-91 degrees.
8/8--To Cedarville, CA--51M, 2536 climbing, 50-85 degrees, X Cedar Pass 6300
8/9--To Gerlach, NV--84M, 3940 climbing, 60-95 degrees.
8/10-To Fernley--61M, 2286 climbing, 64-98 degrees.

California Highways 395 and 299

Dana expressed my feelings well about today's (Sunday, August 8) ride.  It was really enjoyable with a solid, but not too stressing climb (6% grade the last few miles).  I just wanted to add some information about the highways we rode as, while planning this trip we had difficulty learning anything about the conditions of these highways for riding.  Highway 395 out of Lakeview has an excellent riding surface and good shoulders south to Pine Creek on the California border.  The highway loses it's shoulders however in California, but the surface remains excellent and there was little traffic (we did ride it on Sunday morning so there may be more traffic at other times).  When we turned east onto Hwy 299 about 5 miles north of Alturas the surface remained good and we had shoulders most of the ride.  Also, very little traffic.  Neither of these highways have much protection from the hot sun, though a gentle breeze helped keep us cool near the summit of Cedar Pass.  This is a great ride.

Goose Lake (a "dry" lake) as seen from Hwy. 395 in California

California Here I Come!

Because of the problems I encountered with my bike on Friday I decided to forego riding into Lakeview (about 10 miles) with the group and have Steve drive me. I had not fine tuned the adjustments to my brakes and was hoping the Lakeview Bike Shop would be able to true my wheel. Unfortunately the Lakeview Bike Shop is out of a woman’s home and not really a shop at all. She did not have an internal spoke wrench and had never trued a wheel with internal spokes except a year ago when she went to bike mechanic school. She very nicely pointed out that I had a really nice bike and she was afraid to “toy” with it. I appreciated her honesty and decided I will just have to fix things the best I can and take it into a shop in Reno in a few days. I just hope that the brakes don’t “skip” too much because the wheel isn’t “true”.


Steve and I went to breakfast and after breakfast we found a good parking place (not easy with a 5th wheel!) and I got out my torque wrench and torqued the rear brake to the frame to Shimano specifications (Rick, this is for you – hope you realize I actually learned something and am putting it to good use!). I knew that Hwy 395 south out of Lakeview was relatively flat and had a good shoulder in case I had problems. Also I knew Steve would pass me somewhere along the route. So, I got on my bike and rode the 16 miles down to Goose Lake State Park. I had no problems though I really didn’t have an opportunity to test the braking. This was actually a pleasant ride through farm/hay country. I had a bit of a headwind but nothing like I’m used to at the beach. It is hotter than I would like, but not too bad.

I took a picture of the Welcome to California sign! The road I rode down to get to the state park was a California highway (at least it had a California highway sign on it) but the park is an Oregon State Park. Anyway, I’m pretty sure I actually made it into California!

Gale as we head into California

California

Entered California today and climbed our first 6000 foot pass. 6300 to be exact. Before that we had done 4k+ in the Coast Range, 5K+ over the Cascades--now 6K+. Moving up in the world. Soon enough the climbs will be 8K-11K.

Two easy days in a row--Junipers to Goose Lake, Oregon only 26 miles and then today only 51 miles but with climbing. But two very hard days to come.

We have seen so much-Antelope, Hawks, Eagles, lots of deer, prarie dog (1). The scenery has been fantastic. From a bike you see everything in detail and slow motion. The deer do not run-they stand and watch you. You can watch a Hawk strike just after you hear its call. You can study every flower in detail. Did you know Thistles come in many colors and are so beautiful. Live in slow motion (perhaps as we were meant to see it) is so much more intense and spectacular than how we usually experience.

Tomorrow onto Nevada where we will be for the next 8-9 days. Enjoy and remember to slow down--look around and listen--there is a lot going on.

What a Magnificent Day - then... Oh, No!

Gale and Lisa "tuning" Gale's bike

After a relaxing day yesterday I was anxious to get back on the bike today.  Since I'm the slow poke I started early - 7 AM (we wanted an early start to avoid the heat).  I rode out of the Rocky Point RV Park on Klamath Lake and immediately turned the wrong direction.  I was thick in the woods when the pavement turned to gravel.  I decided to keep going rather than turning back figuring there would eventually be an outlet.  There was - about 1.5 miles later.  Once I got out onto Westside Drive I had a beautiful ride through Winema National Forest.  After about 12 miles the forest ended and there was beautiful grazing land with several herd of cattle.  This scenery continued, with some intermitent forests until we got to Chiloquin.  From Chiloquin we took the Sprague River Road for about 20 miles - spectacularly beautiful.  All of this was over easy terrain with just a few mild climbs (nothing like the Glendale - Powers bike route we did on Tuesday!).
Just as I was about to turn onto Drews Rd. heading towards Beatty, OR I was thinking that this may have been one of my most enjoyable bike rides ever.  Then things changed!

Drews Rd. after you make probably the hardest climb of the day (really not too difficult though) suddenly turned to the worst road any of us have ever ridden.  Every 25 ft. the asphalt was cracked all of the way across the road.  These weren't little cracks either - some were as wide as 3 inches or more!  It felt like you were riding over a railroad track every 25 ft. (sometimes less) for over 10 miles.  I kept thinking that my tires which were just "trued" at Bike Newport a couple of weeks ago could no longer be "true".  Suddenly, as I was riding at about 20 mph my bike came to a dead stop!  I somehow managed to unclip my bike shoes from my pedals and not fall.  I realized I could not turn my back wheel.  Also my red "blinky" light had broken off of my bike.  Of course I was riding by myself at that point and it was starting to get hot.  It was time to see if all of my bike mechanic classes had sunk in and if I would be able to ride the last 10 miles into Beatty.  Thank you Rick!  After looking everything over I realized my rear brake was askew and one of the pads was pushing hard against the wheel.  While I didn't have the tool to actually straigthen the brake with me I was able to adjust it so that it was safe to ride, though I kept the pace fairly slow.  When we finally got settled in the RV park (Juniper Reservoir RV Park near Lakeview - a great RV park!)  I put the bike up on the repair rack and gave it a closer look.  I was able to straighten the brake but discovered my wheel was definitely "out of true".  Unfortunately for me that means a trip to a bike shop as I have internal spokes and though I have 3 sizes of internal spoke wrenches I, of course, do not have the right size one.  That may be just as well though as the bike took a pretty hard beating on that road & it's probably a good idea to have a professional take a look at it.  Lisa looked at her bike and said that it is amazingly ok.  Dana and Gale will go over theirs tomorrow.

It was still a wonderful day!  We rode 70 miles and all felt great after the ride.  I can't believe I'm not at all tired.  Tomorrow will be an easy day also.  I may only be able to ride part of it as I do want to get my bike into the Lakeview Bike Shop to be fixed.  It's safe to ride but it's much better to get it fixed correctly than to let it go until we get near Reno (the next place that would have a bike shop).

Dana's Version of the first 3 days

Well we have made it over the Cascades.
We started on the Oregon coast--dipped our hands into the water and then peddled off inland. A wonderful/easy day with very little traffic until we hit Hwy 42 but then great shoulders.

The climb over the coast range is either the hardest or 2nd--I have done Bear Pass from the east--but this one over the Powers-Glendale Bike road was equally a challenge but far more beautiful. The first part of the ride was some of the best riding I have ever done. Moderate climbing on smooth roads with virtually no traffic. I think on part of it we went about 30 miles between seeing a car. Gale and I road up the climb very well together but then--the descent. We had to stop 4 times on a 5 miles descent to keep our rims from cooking. We decided it took us longer to descend than to do the climb itself. And I know we enjoyed the climb much more.

After reaching the bottom of the climb then it was miles more into Glendale with no water. Finally Gale went down to a stream to get us water to at least dump on top of ourselves. We meet Steve on the road and sent him up to rescue Nancy and Lisa.

We road into Glendale where we meet Sam and my mom.

The next day started beautifully with a ride around Galesville Resevour and then a climb up Goolaway Gap. The highlight of the day was Sam riding his bike down the hill to greet us as we crested the summit. Then a long but rough descent before we ever saw any cars. What a hot day though into Eagle Point.

Finally time to cross the Cascades. Since our trailer park was well south of where we had intended to go and right on Hwy 140 we decided to just ride Hwy 140. What a great choice. Wide shoulders, not much traffic and what traffic there was gave us lots of room. My mom was there for us twice on the climb which was 17 miles of non-stop climbing. Not all that steep--I road the entire thing in my middle chain ring--but non-stop. Into Rocky Point Resort for the nite. Mom and I drove up to Crater Lake and ate in the Lodge.

Tomorrow off the Beatty--if you know where that is. More to follow.

3 Days 151 miles

I realized as I was writing the previous blogpost that we each have a different perspective on a day's ride.  So, please take a look to see who is actually posting the blog as that may make a big difference on the view you get of this ride.

In the previous blog I wrote about the Glendale to Powers bike route which we rode starting at Powers, OR.  I gave statistics but never really described the scenery.  This is a beautiful ride through the Siskiyou mountains.  We rode almost to the top of Mt. Bolivar (none of us took the time - or had the energy! - to hike up to the top, which is probably too bad as I don't think it is very far).  We ran into 3 cyclists coming from Glendale and only a few vehicles in 55 miles.  This is a tough, tough ride but really beautiful. 

Wednesday, August 3 was supposed to be easier, and I think from some of the other rider's perspectives it was, but not from mine!  We rode 63 miles from Azalea to Medford Oaks RV Park east of Eagle Point, OR (Eagle Point is about 10 miles east of Medford.  For the most part we followed one of Cycle Oregon's routes from last year's ride.  The first part of the ride was really beautiful.  We rode up around a reservoir then dropped down for awhile before starting another ascent to over 3000 feet (we started at about 1500 feet).  It was starting to get hot but his ride was basically pretty pleasant, especially when there was some shade.  When we got to the top Dana's grandson Sam rode down on his bike to greet us (Fran's mom had brought us more water as there really was no place over about 50 miles to fill our containers).  He was a welcome site because we were sure the hardest part of the day was over!  After taking a brief rest we headed down a wonderful long descent of several miles - this was the best part of the ride!  It went through beautiful forest land and was fairly shady.  At the end of the descent the whole terrain changed, and by now it was afternoon.  We were out of the forest and into the valley which had very few trees.  The temperature reached about 100 degrees Farenheit and the sun was beating down on us.  Also, we seemed to still be doing a lot of climbing.  I checked my altimeter and it shows that we ascended 5000 feet that day and descended 4500 feet.  I did okay with the climbing but the heat and sun really got to me.  Also, I was almost out of water and trying to ration what I had.  Gale stuck with me and was quite concerned.  We finally came across a business (Southern Oregon Sanitation) and stopped and asked for water.  The people in there were WONDERFUL!  They gave us cold bottles of water, had us sit in the air conditioning for awhile and let me use the sink in the restroom to pour cold water over my head.  They also gave us directions to the shortest way to the RV Park.  I was somewhat revived and we finsihed the ride ok.  Coming from the coast I really do not deal with the heat very well especially when exerting a lot of energy.  Steve and I went out to dinner that evening and when I still wasn't getting a "second wind" I decided it would be best for me not to do the 40 mile ride the next day to Rocky Point Resort. 

My not riding on Thursday was a good decision.  Dana is still going strong but Lisa and Gale were really tired after the ride to Rocky Point.  I am feeling much better after an easy day and plan on getting up early tomorrow to head for Bly.  It is supposed to be cooler and I figure that getting an early start will help me beat the heat.  I do not want to be riding again in 100 degree weather with no shade or water!

We made it to Eagle Point!

Nancy, Lisa, Dana & Gale ready to roll!

We arrived in the small town of Powers,Oregon on Sunday afternoon, August 1.  We were able to relax and get organized for our trip.

Monday morning we were driven to Bullards State Park in Bandon, Oregon where we went to touch the Pacific Ocean and begin our journey.  This is the last time we will see the ocean until we reach Yorktown, VA and are able to touch the Atlantic.  Our first day's ride was an easy one of 32 miles along North Bank Rd. then Hwy. 42 through Coquille to Myrtle Point, OR where we were picked up for the drive back to Powers (the road into Powers is VERY narrow and curvy - barely safe for cars, and NOT safe for bikes).  We had a remarkably good meal that evening at the Northwoods Cafe.

It was good that Monday's ride was easy because Tuesday's ride was not!  We ascended a total of 6714 ft.!  And descended 5237 ft.!  Amazingly, the toughest part of the day was the descent from 4000 ft..  We had to watch our rims to keep them from overheating as we were braking so much.  We all took the descent in our own way; I ended up walking a lot of it as the constant braking got to be too hard on my hands.  This was an extremely steep grade on a very narrow curvy BLM road.  The ascents were long and difficult, but nothing like that one long descent!  Lisa compared the ride to Bear Mountain which is actually fairly close to where we were riding.  I was, as will be the case the entire trip, the slowpoke of the group.  Dana and Gale were ahead of Lisa and me for most of the day.  Because they weren't sure where we were, Dana & Gale called for Steve to come look for us when they got cell phone service at the top of the mountain.  Lisa and I were just fine.  Steve finally found us two hours later (these mountain roads are not exactly well marked!); we were about 15 miles from our RV park north of Glendale.  Steve found Lisa first (she was just a couple of minutes ahead of me as it turned out) and she was glad for the ride (at that point she had ridden 56 very hard miles and initially had only planned on riding 40 miles).  They found me a couple of minutes later in great spirits, rejuvinated and really enjoying a mild descent.  I fought taking the ride & finally gave in only if they would let me ride to the bottom of the hill and then pick me up.  As it turned out when I saw what lay ahead for the next 15 miles I was glad I took the ride.  It was a really hot incline and we were close to being out of water.  Gale and Dana rode into Glendale and said we were lucky to have had the ride.  From everything we've read about the rest of the trip this may have been one of our toughest days (I hope!).  For the day we Lisa and I totaled 56 miles and Dana and Gale probably totaled about 71 miles.

Will post a picture and write about the ride to Eagle Point (another really tough day for me - temps. got to around 100!) tomorrow.