tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76448614149113951742024-03-05T09:51:57.213-08:00Green Hornet RandoingSome riders are mechanically inclined, but I'm mechanically challenged ...Rando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644861414911395174.post-2515915919841905182013-08-23T06:56:00.004-07:002013-08-23T07:01:45.961-07:00I Visited Heaven TodayI visited Heaven today. It was closed.<br />
The road was long, but the time too short.<br />
A canopy of green, a blessing of shade.<br />
The rolling leaf crackles. The ground squirrel scurries. The butterfly flutters.<br />
I stop to soak it in. What is bliss? It must be this.<br />
The sky so blue. The grass so brown. Green? So many shades of green.<br />
Man scars the land. Children replant. Mother Nature heals.<br />
The heat of the blazing sun. The relief of the subtle breeze.<br />
The easy pace of a gentle grade. The anticipation of the steep climb ahead.<br />
An Official Notice - Extreme Fire Danger - Closed to all.<br />
Do I go back? No. Relentless Forward Momentum. RFM. RFM.<br />
The valley continues, as do I. <br />
A fork in the road. The choice is clear. I've been here before.<br />
The quiet road narrows, now a one lane path.<br />
A thin sliver in a deep evergreen sea, an abundance of shade.<br />
The forest reclaims the road, the bushes encroach.<br />
Time to shift, the gentle grade slips away.<br />
Standing now, the heartbeat quickens.<br />
An angry bird cries out - Invader. Begone! Another bird joins in. And another. A chorus.<br />
The forest reclaims the road. A stretch of dirt. Can I find a path? I keep grinding on.<br />
The hill is as relentless as it is steep. RFM. RFM.<br />
A tree snaps. A bird cries out and flies away. The tree is falling! Towards me? I can't speed up!<br />
Steeper? How can it be steeper? There are no more gears.<br />
The tender caress of a leaf - It's okay, you'll make it.<br />
The forest reclaims the road. A boulder marks the spot.<br />
The tinkling of a tiny rivulet. The babbling of a brook. The crescendo of a creek. A symphony of H2O.<br />
Water. I must drink. I have to stop. Relief. Can I rest? No. RFM. RFM.<br />
The wings beat as the large bird flies off. The branch groans with relief as it springs back up.<br />
Will the hill ever end? Can I last? This must be Heaven. Please don't end.<br />
The forest reclaims the road. Little blacktop here. Moss is everywhere. <br />
What is that? The top! Relief. Sadness.<br />
I visited Heaven today. It was closed.<br />
The road was long, but the time too short.<br />
Will I return? I haven't left.<br />
<br />
____________________________________________________________________________<br />
<br />
As part of riding from Seattle to Crater Lake in August 2013, I rode on Camp Creek Road between Reedsport and Roseburg. A 21 mile stretch of state forest road, followed by a similar 10 mile stretch on Tyee Road was, well, heavenly.<br />
<br />
Rando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644861414911395174.post-72916938302813072752011-02-08T14:18:00.000-08:002011-02-08T14:26:33.157-08:00PENDING - LK FOREST PARK-INDEX<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGhKMMBT-2lNsCgmWtecMnYk3-9-izS4n4Ff4Ue-t6NW-JHLvAdOKi5puKx7jM5GsGA6cBFv1favAATe9QW3o5hxvDHuJZHkfGx8M9uZJK6CMrWWFQxtlY5JqGYpw23TQwZcWTwfJ/s1600/lk+forest+pk-index.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGhKMMBT-2lNsCgmWtecMnYk3-9-izS4n4Ff4Ue-t6NW-JHLvAdOKi5puKx7jM5GsGA6cBFv1favAATe9QW3o5hxvDHuJZHkfGx8M9uZJK6CMrWWFQxtlY5JqGYpw23TQwZcWTwfJ/s200/lk+forest+pk-index.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571446825094120642" /></a><br /><br />Route was suggested by Carol Nussbaum<br /><br /><a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0ApvYuN4bTpRDdFh3dHV6NXA1M013MUN3ckg3TzFqNkE&hl=en&output=xls">Route sheet is her</a>e<br /><br /><a href="http://bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=204902">Route map and TCX file is here</a><br /><br />Route has been submitted to RUSA for approval and is not ready to ride.<br /><br />DISTANCE: 204K<br />MAX ELEVATION: 850 feet<br />CUM ELEVATION: 4,500 feetRando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644861414911395174.post-84481572260676644052010-10-14T19:37:00.000-07:002010-10-15T06:21:33.894-07:00Eastern Washington Loop 400K Pre-rideMost people would think that starting a ride at 11:30 PM and riding through the night when the temperatures are going to dip close to freezing is simply nuts. They are probably right. But I did it a couple of days ago and would jump at the chance to do it again.<br /><br />Riding through the night, under clear skies with the stars glowing, is an exhilarating experience. You can't see much but you can see so much. The stars are crisp. The wisps of fog rolling off the wetlands. The dawn beginning to break. Still, it can be a challenge to stay awake. The cold helps.<br /><br />Lyn Gill and I left East Wenatchee at 11:30 PM. We left town on Rock Island Road. It is the way most of the Seattle Randonneur (SIR) rides leave & enter town, primarily to get off of WA-28 since that tends to be fairly busy. It wasn't at midnight. There was construction on WA-28, so we weaved in and out of the construction barrels a bit, but mostly enjoyed the smooth new pavement. While the ride was going to be relatively flat per Bike Route Toaster ( ~ 6,000 feet of elevation gain over 400K / 250 miles) a noticeable part (we noticed!) of that climbing was in the first 30 miles as we climb up to Quincy. But we were fresh and it was good to get out of the way, right?<br /><br />By 2:30 AM we were at George, where the first control was. This 24 hour gas station convenience store was going to be a nice place to warm up and stock up for the next 70 mile stretch to the next opportunity for services - not much between George and Lind, especially in the middle of the night. But wait, it isn't open 24 hours. It closed at 10. Oops. Fortunately we really didn't need much. There was a Porta-Potty at the side. So I popped a caffeine pill instead of a Mountain Dew. I lent Lyn my arm warmers - I had planned on putting them on later if I got cold, but Lyn was cold now. Lyn had hoped there would be a fireplace to warm up by ... I gave her a pair of toe warmers as the next best thing. And then we were off.<br /><br />Over the next couple of hours we saw two cars.<br /><br />We woke up lots of dogs ... probably a few of their humans too ... at farm houses as we rode along. Fortunately they were either locked up or too tired to come out and chase us. They simply barked at us, either to tell us they were jealous of our freedom or to tell us we were nuts. I only had to yell back at a couple of dogs the whole ride.<br /><br />One of the busiest stretches of road on the ride was along WA-172 into Warden at about 5:45 AM. Warden isn't a big place. Population is about 2500. While they weren't all up when we rode through there sure were lots of 'em out on the road. Maybe because of the smell - a mixture of rotting onions, potatoes, and manure. No need for smelling salts! I was glad to get past that little stretch.<br /><br />On to the Lind-Warden Road. Miles of nothing. Gentle rolling hills. Not yet the Palouse. Very pleasant riding as we raced to meet the rising sun in the east. Dawn breaks. While it didn't "warm up" yet, at least it wasn't quite as cold. But Lyn runs out of gas about seven miles out of town. It was a long stretch between George and Lind (~ 70 miles) - so I gave her an Ensure Plus (350 calories) to help get her to Lind. There she could eat her sandwich and maybe get something else.<br /><br />We arrived at Lind ... not quite half-way (180K of the 400K), but a major milestone and, significantly, the first chance to resupply. It was now 7:45 AM and it was good to get off the bike for a few minutes. Pickings were slim at Jim's Market - the only game in town - but they had Mountain Dew, so I was happy. We chatted with the guy there ... Jim? - he shook his head when we explained what we were doing. He also asked if we were carrying any weapons, which I thought was a bit odd. But I didn't want to know why he asked that, so we headed out.<br /><br />I had taken off my warm, full-fingered gloves. I knew it would be warming up soon and wanted to be able to access my snacks - beef jerky and rice cakes - which I couldn't do with my big gloves on. It was a problem at first as I lost sensation in my fingers - making it difficult to know if I was grasping any of the finger food, but fortunately it soon warmed up and I was happily stuffing my face.<br /><br />The stretch from just past Lind to where we turned north on WA-261 was one of my favorites ... I don't think we saw a single car until almost the end of the stretch ... and it was very pretty in a desolate kind of way. And we hit the half-way mark!<br /><br />At Ritzville we stopped at a Starbucks - caffeine refill! - for some food, drink, and the opportunity to shed a layer. It was almost 11 AM and it was turning into a very nice day. Highs were going to be around 70, so while it was still cool, it wasn't going to be so for long. Better yet, there was actually a little bit of a tailwind for our long ride west. <br /><br />We headed out, but by the time we got to the other side of town (and Ritzville is not a big place), we decided we were overdressed. It was getting nicer quickly! A quick stop remedied that, and we headed west on what is basically a 40 mile straight stretch of road. Straight if you don't consider all the ups and downs, that is. No really big hills, but lots and lots of gentle rolling ones. It turns out Bike Route Toaster ( a web route mapping site) didn't do a very good job of estimating the climbing ... my Garmin recorded 9,000 feet of climbing - 50 % more than the BRT estimate. <br /><br />It was harvest time for potatoes. We saw trucks taking loads in from the fields ... and stray potatoes on the side of the road. With the wide open spaces and low traffic, the truck drivers gave us plenty of room. I did get the finger from one SUV driver as we approached Moses Lake ... apparently bent out of shape that he had to move a bit to the left to pass us, even though he didn't have to slow down or wait in any way. Oh well. I waved.<br /><br />By 3:30 PM we made it to Ephrata ... the last stop before the end. I for one was pooped and glad to sit down for a few minutes. It only takes a few to rejuvenate. Some food ... another Ensure Plus and a Pizza Pocket. I'm sure the Mountain Dew helped too. Refilled the water bottles, while I wasn't on empty, Lyn had run out (Ritzville was a long ways back), and it was now in the upper 60's.<br /><br />Less than 50 miles to go! And it is a net downhill from here.<br /><br />Sunset was 6:15 PM. Could we make it past the construction on WA-28 before it got dark by perhaps 7 PM? I hoped so. There were a couple of places around Rock Island that were signed "Shoulder Closed" and that had construction barrels that forced you onto the main part of the road. Fortunately we arrived there while it was still light enough to see that we could safely go through the barrels and ride on the shoulder - preferable to being in the lane of traffic at this time of day. WA-28 was much busier at this time of day. Go figure!<br /><br />We made it back to the hotel before 7:30 PM ... finishing in 19 hours and 54 minutes. This was Lyn's 2nd 400K ... and she beat her previous 400K time by over 3 hours! Olive Garden was across the street from the hotel ... it was one of the reasons we wanted to get back at a decent hour, as it closed at 10 PM. After showering and changing, dinner sure hit the spot!Rando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644861414911395174.post-17278238596354390602010-07-21T16:52:00.000-07:002010-07-22T10:18:12.916-07:00Seattle to Crater Lake 100K Pre*2 Ride`<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_vCOGPYN1r1A/TEfPzYIqMYI/AAAAAAAAAHw/1hOkz5BWvcc/s400/2010-07-18%2013.50.05.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_vCOGPYN1r1A/TEfPzYIqMYI/AAAAAAAAAHw/1hOkz5BWvcc/s400/2010-07-18%2013.50.05.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />This is an awesome ride. Not an epic bust your gut to get it done ride, but a visual stunner, with lots of pleasant roads and simply fantastic scenery. Don't get me wrong, no 1,000 K ride is easy, especially not with 30,000 feet of climbing, but it isn't a killer. Of course any ride can be with the wrong weather, but we had almost perfect weather. <br /><br />Vincent & I rode this as a preliminary pre-ride for SIR's fall 1,000K at the end of September. We'll pre-ride it again the week before to identify any last minute road issues and to test out the route changes we're going to make ... not a lot, but there were a few.<br /><br />The top three things that I'd be sure and do again on the ride were:<br /><br />1. Start as early as possible each day (we started at 10 PM, 3 AM, & 3 AM). We ended each day in daylight, felt rested, and were in the right places during daylight hours. We also had about 3 hours per day more daylight than there will be during the brevet.<br />2. Have breakfast in Depoe Bay at Joyce's Sunrise Cafe. It was nice to have a solid breakfast ... and with some 60K out of the way already. They open at 5 AM.<br />3. Take time for pictures. There are so many wonderful sights on this ride ... and as it is not a killer ride, there is enough time to stop occasionally and snap a picture or two - within reason of course.<br /><br />The top three things I'd do differently:<br /><br />1. Avoid US-97 into Klamath Falls (boring, busy, & construction issues) ... we're rerouting to go on the west side of the lake instead.<br />2. Cut out the last two US-101 by-passes at the south end of Lincoln City ... too confusing (I got off course twice), too many turns, too many steep hills, and too slow. Since we'll be riding through here in the early morning, traffic on US-101 isn't an issue, so we're going to reroute back onto US-101 here.<br />3. Skip the Crater Lake Rim Village Cafe - take the extra time to eat at the Crater Lake Lodge. There was a 30 minute wait, so we skipped the Lodge and went to the Rim Village Cafe instead. As time really wasn't an issue, this was a mistake. How often do you get here? Enjoy it!<br />4, Okay, so I can't count ... but I'd carry more water leaving Reedsport on day 2 and Dry Creek on day 3. I had two large water bottles.<br /><br />So how did the ride go?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">DAY 1 - BREMERTON to PACIFIC CITY</span><br /><br />Start time: 10:10 PM on Thursday, July 15th<br />End time: 5:10 PM on Friday, July 16th<br />Elapsed Time: 19:00<br />Distance: 401K<br />Climbing: 9,500 feet<br /><br />The ride from Bremerton was uneventful ... roads were pretty quiet. Fortunately we didn't have that much of a problem staying awake during the first part. There wasn't anyplace open to stop along the way until the Chevron station in Montesano, but we kept going anyway. Our first stop was Raymond. Unfortunately only the gas stations were open we arrived shortly after 5 AM. The McDonalds didn't open until 6 AM. We were a bit tired, so it was tempting to stick around, but RFM (Relentless Forward Momentum) was the plan. <br /><br />We found a Cafe open in Nasalle, some 70K later, and stopped for breakfast. It was a needed stop - and yet it was the first opportunity we had ... nothing else was along the way. Not even closed options. From here we made it to the Columbia River and the bridge at Astoria. It wasn't as bad as I had feared ... there was a whole 2 feet worth of shoulder! Still, it was worth making sure the tires were in good shape before starting across - it is a long bridge and I wouldn't want to get a flat on it.<br /><br />In Astoria we took Business 101 from a big traffic circle in order to connect to a nice back route to Seaside. We stopped in Seaside, as it was a control (changing that, as it isn't really needed), and had some soup. Then off on US-101 again to Cannon Beach. Lots of tourists in Cannon Beach on a sunny July Friday ... who would of guessed that? After a stretch on 101 with some climbing and then wonderful views from Oswald Park down to the South, we went inland for another 101 by-pass - this time on Miami-Foley Road - but first with a stop for ice cream and fluids at the Mohler store.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_vCOGPYN1r1A/TEfSr0_UfDI/AAAAAAAAAJw/nDvuxOxhGjI/s400/2010-07-16%2013.00.00.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_vCOGPYN1r1A/TEfSr0_UfDI/AAAAAAAAAJw/nDvuxOxhGjI/s400/2010-07-16%2013.00.00.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />North of Tillamook we got back on US-101, then stopped at Safeway in Tillamook. Got a 6 pack of Ensure Plus so stopping tomorrow isn't as pressing. We arrived in Pacific City early enough that there were several dinner choices - we ate at Fat Freddy's - nothing to write home about, but it was fine. Shake was good. The Shell station/convenience store closes at 10 PM - besides the Pub right next to it (which was packed) everything else is likely closed by then.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">DAY 2 - PACIFIC CITY to ROSEBURG</span><br /><br />Start time: 3:00 AM on Saturday, July 17th<br />End time: 8:20 PM on Saturday, July 17th <br />Elapsed Time: 18:20<br />Distance: 330K<br />Climbing: ~10,000 feet<br /><br />We rolled out of Pacific City right about 3 AM and headed south on 101. Very peaceful at that time of the morning. We found the turn off to Slab Creek, our next 101 by-pass, and started the slow, gentle climb up the quiet road. We actually found a spot with a street light for an information control - since most riders will be going through here in the dark, that will make it easier to both find and then record the answer. After hitting the summit at around 700 feet, we head back down to rejoin 101 briefly before another by-pass around US-101, this time missing the bulk of Lincoln City by going along the east side of Devils Lake. The end of this bypass is the start of another one, this time along the west side of 101 through a residential area - it was very hilly, with lots of turns and climbs. Picturesque enough - in a different way, but I was anxious to make progress, so we're going to cut out this by-pass.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_vCOGPYN1r1A/TEfNc5arCVI/AAAAAAAAAGU/nSj68ieFb8E/s400/2010-07-17%2010.49.29.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_vCOGPYN1r1A/TEfNc5arCVI/AAAAAAAAAGU/nSj68ieFb8E/s400/2010-07-17%2010.49.29.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />We made it to Depoe Bay shortly after 6 AM and had a nice breakfast at Joyce's Sunset Cafe (right 1/2 block at the traffic light). It hit the spot. The next 140K to Reedsport were a nice blend of quiet by-passes, gorgeous ocean views, lakes, rivers, and Oregon forests. And a few rollers along the way ... and then a few more. Not a lot of places for food & water, but enough as long as you plan ahead. We got separated in this stretch - Vincent stopped & waited for me at the Florence Safeway, but I had kept on going. Fortunately with the aid of technology - cell phones - we reconnected at Reedsport. While we topped off with water here, two bottles wasn't enough for me on the next stretch. Although it was only in the mid-60's in Reedsport, it was in the low 80's inland. Not unbearably hot by any means, but hot enough to drive up my water consumption. <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_vCOGPYN1r1A/TEfOEfmZYsI/AAAAAAAAAGs/srPdOpU31Zc/s288/2010-07-17%2016.36.12.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 208px; height: 288px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_vCOGPYN1r1A/TEfOEfmZYsI/AAAAAAAAAGs/srPdOpU31Zc/s288/2010-07-17%2016.36.12.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>The stretch between Reedsport and Roseburg was fantastic, especially Camp Creek and Tyee Access Roads. This is 30 miles in the back woods, though the mountains, on a quiet, narrow road. Absolutely no services along the way. We saw only 3-4 cars along the way. It was wonderful. A good place to "buddy up", as you are definitely on your own in this stretch. This also includes the steepest stretch on the whole ride - a 10-12 % climb up to about 2,100 feet. The decent, at the start of Tyee Access Road, is on a rough section of road, so you definitely want to do this during daylight if at all possible ... and watch your speed.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_vCOGPYN1r1A/TEfOTDOesjI/AAAAAAAAAG4/MT2c0CQjLj0/s400/2010-07-17%2018.31.56.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_vCOGPYN1r1A/TEfOTDOesjI/AAAAAAAAAG4/MT2c0CQjLj0/s400/2010-07-17%2018.31.56.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Out of water, I found a water pump at a roadside county park along the Tyee Road (now noted on the route sheet).<br /><br />We made it to Roseburg a bit after 8 PM. Dinner was at Denny's - unfortunately they don't serve beer. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">DAY 3 - ROSEBURG to KLAMATH FALLS</span><br /><br />Start time: 3:05 AM on Sunday, July 18th<br />End time: 6:45 PM on Sunday, July 18th<br />Distance: 270K<br />Climbing: 9,500 feet<br /><br />The first stretch out of Roseburg was slow, averaging maybe 15-16K. Not due to road conditions - road was fine. No traffic, wide shoulders, relatively flat. Just hard to get started. Advil hadn't kicked in I guess. After 30-45 minutes we got into gear and picked up the pace a bit, perhaps 20-22K. We arrived at Dry Creek - some 75K later, about 7:10 AM. There hadn't been much climbing yet ... we'd gone from about 500 to 1,500 feet. Another 6,100 feet to the top!<br /><br />From Dry Creek the grade increased ... although not dramatically. While it had taken close to 80K to climb 1,000 feet, the next 1,000 feet took only about 20K ... and then the next 1,000 feet less than half of that distance. The river and forest views were a nice distraction from the climbing ... although I did obsess on what the upcoming grades might be like. They weren't too bad though. It did get warm before Diamond Lake, and running out of water became a concern. There was water at Diamond Lake Resort - about 1/2 mile off the route to the right, but I didn't want any bonus miles and was hoping there would be some along the way (there wasn't). I did make the water last long enough, but having some more would have been nice.<br /><br />We turned off of OR-138 to head up into the Park. There was a line of cars. Thinking there might have been an accident, I rode off to the side, passing the cars & motorcycles. I then realized this was just the line to get into the park - it costs $5 - and we were cutting the line. Oops. Well, at least we'd made it to 6,000 feet - only another 1,600 to go. The road through the park, while in good condition, did not have shoulders, so required a bit more attention to traffic.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_vCOGPYN1r1A/TEfOa0NtPvI/AAAAAAAAAG8/1Xd_lCRog2o/s400/2010-07-18%2012.53.21.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_vCOGPYN1r1A/TEfOa0NtPvI/AAAAAAAAAG8/1Xd_lCRog2o/s400/2010-07-18%2012.53.21.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The climb from here was more intense ... but probably because I knew we were nearing the top and I was anxious to get there. The views along the way were worth the periodic stops - I'm sure I was stopping for the view, not to rest :). The only disappointment at the top - the lake was fantastic - was that it wasn't the top ... there was more climbing to go around the lake to get to Crater Lake Lodge. Granted it wasn't a whole lot, but I had been hoping ...<br /><br />Rim Village and the Lodge area were packed with people. I had wanted to eat at the Lodge, but with a 30 minute wait, we decided to go back to the Rim Village Cafe. In retrospect that was a mistake. For us daylight wasn't an issue and we had lots of time, so a relaxed lunch and more time soaking up the views would have been the better move.<br /><br />While arriving at Crater Lake felt sort of like "we'd made it" - we still had over 100K to go! Granted there was a lot of downhill, but ... Anyway, the descent from the rim wasn't particularly fast - the roads were fine, but except for a bit at the top, it felt like we could go faster. And the descent was too short ... while we had climbed up over 7,000 feet (500 to 7,600), we only descended 3,600 feet (7,600 to 4,000). The stretch to Fort Klamath was nice - both the descent and then the high plains portion. From here to the end I could have done without - the expansion bumps on the road were annoying and then US-97 was busy and undergoing construction - so a questionable shoulder. We're going to reroute around the other side of the lake instead - a bit longer, but at least it will add a 1,000 feet of climbing! :)<br /><br />We finished the ride in 68 hours and change - Vincent was 25 minutes ahead of me - I was in no hurry to get done and was enjoying the ride.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">POST RIDE - THE TRAIN !</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_vCOGPYN1r1A/TEfQlv78mTI/AAAAAAAAAIM/_M5Y0VRzYSs/s400/2010-07-19%2007.17.24.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_vCOGPYN1r1A/TEfQlv78mTI/AAAAAAAAAIM/_M5Y0VRzYSs/s400/2010-07-19%2007.17.24.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />We rode the train back to Seattle (Vincent got off in Tacoma). All in all it was a restful experience - I hadn't done it before and would definitely do it again. There is one train a day from Klamath Falls to Seattle - it left at 8:25 AM and arrived in Seattle at 8:45 PM ... a little over 12 hours. The station opens at 7:30 AM - you need to get there early in order to get a bike box, partially disassemble it (remove pedals, turn handlebars), put your bike in the box, label it, and then turn it in (cost $15 for the box + $5 shipping). They keep about 15 boxes on hand - we'll give them a count when registration closes 2 weeks prior to the ride so they can have a few more boxes if need be. The ticket to Seattle cost just under $80.<br /><br />Seats are roomy & comfortable. There is food on the train - a snack bar (the basics ... including beer) and then a dining car (I didn't try that out). It is worth bringing some of your own snacks & beverages if you have the time and arm space to do so.<br /><br />The seats are assigned by a conductor outside the train cars - so if you want a window seat, ask for it. I lucked out and got a window seat - but there is an observation car that you can go to if you didn't get a window and want to stare out.<br /><br />Most of the cars have electric outlets if you want to charge your phone or mp3 player - if you brought it and a cord that is.<br /><br /><br />All in all a wonderful ride ... both to and from Klamath Falls!<br /><br />Here's the link to the complete set of pictures ...<br /><br /><table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/111472313839486926088/SeattleToCraterLake?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_vCOGPYN1r1A/TEfXkZzoMyE/AAAAAAAAASc/NqJHfc3iRbA/s160-c/SeattleToCraterLake.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/111472313839486926088/SeattleToCraterLake?feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Seattle to Crater Lake</a></td></tr></table>Rando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644861414911395174.post-29598356871178763892010-06-06T21:17:00.000-07:002010-06-07T13:45:16.874-07:00SIR Spring 600K - 4 Mountain Passes3:40 AM. even before the alarms go off, I'm up and dressed, ready to go. It's a short drive to Issaquah and the 5:00 AM start of the 600K. I'm there in plenty of time, which is great, as it gives me lots of time to chat. People are surprised I'm riding ... didn't you do the pre-ride is a question I got several times. Vincent & I plan to ride together, which is nice as we haven't done that much recently. He says he'll be my shadow ... which presumably means he won't race off into the sunset (at least too often).<br /><br />Then it's time - we're off. The first 30 miles .. out to Monroe ... go quickly as I'm riding in a group of a dozen or so riders and we socialize along the quiet roads. I chat with Mark Roehrig about the Cascade 1200 route - it is looking like we'll be using the 2008 route, as there is too much snow on the Carson route. It is nice to hear that Joe Platzner will join us on some of the mid-week rides this summer and that he's thinking about the September Crater Lake 1000K, which should be a great ride.<br /><br />Vincent & I drop back as the rest take off on Ben Howard Road. We tend to start a bit slower, then build our pace. By Skykomish - mile 65 - the first control, we've caught back up and even passed many of them. We zip in and out of the control and we're soon gaining elevation ... we turn onto the Old Cascade Highway for the first secret control of the day ... Bob Brudvick and Mark Thomas are there telling jokes and signing cards. Vincent tells Bob & Mark he's planning on convincing me to ride through the night - what? I ignore it. Anyway, we're off. <br /><br />All too soon the real climbing starts... it is a slow but steady grind up to the top of Stevens Pass at 4,000 feet. We catch up with Joe Llona on the way up - chat for a bit about the Spring 400K that he hosted while we climb, then go on by. My shadow soon disappears up and over the crest ... not to be seen again until several miles on the other side when he stops to take a phone call ... he's on call this weekend.<br /><br />The weather is great .... sunny and warm as we pull into Leavenworth. Vincent is distracted by an almost topless woman in a big SUV at a stop sign - hits a pothole hard, but fortunately no damage done. We pull into the control ...the Subway ...and Charlie White, Mark Roehrig, and a couple of others are there slathering on the sunscreen. First time this year I've needed to do that! They soon head out, while we restock and take a few minutes to eat a snack.<br /><br />On to climb # 2 ... Blewitt pass. It starts out very gradual and doesn't actually ever get all that steep .. but just keeps climbing. Twenty one miles from the turn at 1,100 feet to the summit at 4,100 feet. Amy Pieper is riding her bike down, turns and, rides a ways up with us - she and Robin are running the control at the summit. She is planning on riding over Old Blewitt. She says good-bye as she stops to fill up her water bottle, but a few minutes later zips past us. Vincent can't let that happen, so he picks up the pace - we catch up and ride with her. Fortunately for me she turns off to go up Old Blewitt in a mile or two - although she turns onto King - maybe it connects to Old Blewitt somewhere? We press on. I manage to keep Vincent in sight the whole way up ... he's only a couple hundred yards ahead of me. We make it to the top, where Robin is signing cards and dispensing goodies. A cold coke hits the spot. <br /><br />We don't stay long ... leave before some of the riders who were there when we arrived. It is a nice descent for the next 14 miles, then 500 feet of climbing as we head up a ridge towards Ellensburg. Dinner! We stop for some real food ... or at least quasi real food. We stop in KFC for Chicken, mashed potatoes, baked beans, and a biscuit. A nice refresh. I take a couple of legs and biscuits to eat on the road. Something to augment the Ensure Plus I have every 50K. It is almost 6:00 PM now. With luck we'll make it to the "secret" control at US-12 before dark and to the overnight by midnight.<br /><br />I start thinking about riding through the night. While today's weather has been great - sunny & mild - not too hot, the forecast is for that to change during the night ... rain starting. Riding through if it is still nice might let us get some of the climbing/descents out of the way before the rain hits. But sleep would be nice too! And 5-6 hours worth - wow that would be cool. <br /><br />Yakima River Canyon is very pleasant - and a practically flat alternative to the climbs that I-84 takes between Ellensberg & Naches. Only 1,200 feet of climbing compared to 2,400 feet. Not much traffic - we enjoy the quiet as the shadows lengthen. Two years ago, riding this stretch with Dave Harper we had to put on our night gear at the end of the canyon ... I figure I'm an hour or so ahead of that pace. I'm grateful for that as we ride along US-12 between Selah and Naches. This stretch is almost criminal. Foot long rumble strips right smack in the middle of a shoulder that usually ranges between 18 inches and 3-4 feet. It does not meet DOT standards! I hug the left few inches of the shoulder and am grateful it is still daylight so I can see any road debris in advance. Fortunately it is a relatively short stretch - about five miles.<br /><br />The skies are still clear overhead, but looking ahead towards the mountains clouds are creeping in to the picture. We should make it to the overnight without much impact ... but the forecast for rain tonight seems probable.<br /><br />Brad Tilden & crew are at the secret control at US-12 & WA-410 ... with chairs, sandwiches, & cokes. They've got quite the setup - generator, lights, stove. We sit & eat for a few minutes - recharge the legs - then rig for night riding and hit the road. Only 1,600 feet of climbing till the overnight, saving the last 1,500 feet to the summit for when we restart. It is a very gradual climb - painless if we hadn't already ridden 270 miles !<br /><br />As we near Rimrock Lake, my light startles a big deer at the side of the road ... it dashes away - and I get a rush of adrenaline ... it had startled me too! That speeds me up and we soon arrive at the overnight - about 11:30 PM. <br /><br />Jeff Tilden and Peg Winczewski welcome us - feed us bowls of hot chicken & rice soup. Yumm! We decide we'll stay an hour or so - eat, clean up (get rid of the salt crusted on my face), change, reload the bikes - and then head off. Fully expecting rain, I put on rain pants & winter riding gloves - I don't like being cold & wet! Two years ago the White Pass descent was frigid - sometimes I learn from my mistakes :) Kole, who had arrived at 10:00 PM gets up to join us. Before we leave Charlie White arrives ... looking very glad to be here. All too soon it is time to depart. <br /><br />I have to remind myself - why am I riding on? Oh yes, Vincent is on call and needs to get to Enumclaw so he's within cell range in case he's called. But now that Kole is going to ride perhaps I can sleep? No, I put the thought out of my mind and start the climb. And it turns into a real climb now. Not super steep by any means, but while the 1600 feet of climbing from the base to the overnight had been over 25 miles, the remaining 1500 feet were done in only 8 miles. Three times steeper! Kole & Vincent being much faster & stronger riders, they soon are way ahead of me - with only their flashing red lights proof to me that they are still there. Kole eventually takes pity on me and waits for me to climb the last bit to the top. A few raindrops hit. A hint of things to come ... but they don't last.<br /><br />We quickly descend to the next control at US-12 & WA-410. Ian & Corey are asleep in the van ... we wake them up to sign our cards. I suppose we could have just answered the info control question instead - but we thought they were just in the van staying warm. Oh well.<br /><br />Three mountain passes down ... Cayuse Pass, the last one, and the highest at 4,675 feet, is left. It is a slow sixteen miles to the top. With maybe five miles to go I have to stop and rest ... even just a few seconds of not cranking away feels so good. It is getting colder now ... old snow at the side of the road...and the occasional raindrop is making an appearance. As tired as I am, I am still enjoying the sights & sounds as it begins to get light - the birds waking up and the many different sounds of water making its way down through the woods & off the rocks at the side of the road. In places it is so loud I'm fearful as I go past. <br /><br />But I finally make it to the top ... Kole and Vincent are waiting for me ... Vincent taking a ditch nap in the road as it starts to rain. We get bundled up for the ride down. The road is wet now, and with the solid rain it is getting wetter. As it is not yet daylight - perhaps pre-dawn light - I ride down at a "cautious fast" rate, slower than Kole & Vincent. I catch up to them at the turn to Crystal Mountain. They've stopped to put on more rain gear - I put on my rain shell.<br /><br />Food is on our mind as we ride down towards the control at Greenwater. We suspect we'll be there before anything opens though. Still, we can hope. We work on a backup plan - there is a cafe at the turn off WA-410 in Enumclaw. Maybe that will be open. If not, there is a Safeway in Enumclaw that we could go to ... just a few extra miles.<br /><br />Greenwater ... just a handful of houses, a general store, a tavern, and a couple of shops ... is all closed as we go through at 6:15 AM. Enumclaw here we come! Only 17 more miles till food. The last couple of miles are especially painful ... the water running down my face is full of salt, which gets in one of my eyes and burns. I ride with one eye shut for part of the last stretch. But hurrah! The Cafe is open as we arrive at about 7:15 AM.<br /><br />We turn the waiting area into a laundry room, with wet coats, hats, & gloves draped over chairs. We order hot drinks - Hot chocolate, tea, coffee. Warmth! Then order real food. It tastes great. And it is nice to sit ... not on the bike. <br /><br />As we leave at about 8:00 AM, I tell Kole & Vincent to go ahead and not wait for me on the home stretch ... I'll try and stick with them for a while, but there is nothing left in these legs but pain. While I enjoy riding with them, they tend to ride faster than my normal pace. It definitely wears me down.<br /><br />Three hundred twenty five miles down, only fifty miles to go. No major climbs to deal with ... just some rollers and then the "victory lap". With 20 miles to go, we pass within two short miles of the end ... but have to ride the twenty miles around Lake Sammamish. It is cruel. I half expect someone to be there taunting us as we go by. <br /><br />Kole and Vincent have gone ahead now ... they are planning on eating some ice cream at the last control. In a few miles I get a flat. And I can't find the cause. As I go to pump up the replacement tube - the pump fails. Oh no. I'm not going to DNF this close to the end am I? I work with the pump and it is full of water. Fortunately I manage to clear it out and get it working again. But since I couldn't find the cause, am I going to get another flat right away? Fortunately not. Perhaps it is the time off the bike, but I feel refreshed and make good time the rest of the way.<br /><br />At 12:35 PM I arrive at the end. Vincent & Kole are there ... they've been there for about half an hour. It is darn nice to be done! Brad's wife (sorry, my brain is mush) is serving up pasta, but my focus is on getting home and going to bed. Before I leave, Don Smith arrives with a report that it was raining at the overnight as the riders left in the early morning hours - they had cold & wet climbs & descents. Looks like we made the right decision to ride through the night!Rando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644861414911395174.post-68315493256383589462010-04-01T12:05:00.000-07:002010-04-01T19:05:07.765-07:00Road Trip: Baker Lake 400K - The right RxSometimes we get in a rut. After close to 30 rides this year - 100's, 200's, and even a couple of 300's, they were beginning to be a bit repetitive. Enjoyable, yet predictable. It was time to shake it up a bit. On Sunday, as we were riding near Granite Falls, the topic of what to ride on Wednesday came up. I suggested a couple of the 200K Permanents that were nearby, and then ... how about a 400K ... The Baker Lake 400? Vinnie lit up. Kole was in. It was a go! Midnight Tuesday evening/ Wednesday morning was set as our start.<br /><br />A check of the weather forecast - showers and chilly, but not downright cold and rainy - was confirmation that we were on. Moved the start time to 2:00 AM though - that way we'd get to Marblemount late enough that it would be above freezing (a forecast low of 31, but high close to 50).<br /><br />A posting to the SIR list brought Dan Jensen into our cast of characters.<br /><br />Starting time was soon upon us and we met at the Redmond QFC shortly before 2 AM. Scattered high clouds and an almost full moon ... looking good! Vinney is psyched - laughing before we even start riding. We head out and oops ... within a few miles, Kole gets a flat. He claims he never gets a flat, but that's two on the last two rides ...<br /><br />The ride from Redmond to Arlington goes by quickly and, until we get near Arlington, is dry. Unfortunately the Arlington Haggen is no longer open 24 hours, so shortly after 5 AM we pull into the McDonalds/Chevron. The clerk claims to be "living the dream" when I ask how he's doing ... afraid of the answer I don't ask for clarification. The dude that was hanging out with him beating drumsticks on an eraser is enthralled with our bikes and barrages us with questions/commentary. Somehow the stop seems a bit long !<br /><br />Darrington is not a scheduled stop, but we stop anyway. I think Kole impressed the locals, eating an ice cream bar in front of the store ... it is just above freezing at 7:30 AM. A young guy is hanging out at the tables inside the store. He asks where we are going ... I tell him Baker Lake. He has his mountain bike out front and wants to know - can he join us? What am I going to say? Sure. He offers me a beer from his 18-pack. When I decline, he decides against joining us. Oh darn!<br /><br />We are soon on our way, enjoying the brisk morning. Fresh snow on the hillsides, perhaps a 1,000 feet or so above us, is gorgeous. Occasional low clouds, almost fog like, gives some stretches a misty feel along the Skagit.<br /><br />We had planned to have a sit-down breakfast at Clark's Cabins (the control) outside Marblemount, but it turns out they are closed on Tuesday's and Wednesdays. Oops. Not wanting the 5 bonus miles that would result from going all the way into Marblemount, we opt for the info control backup and decide to stop at the Rockport Country Store to see if there are any options - with snacky stuff as a backup.<br /><br />The clerk and a customer gives us some options in Concrete, where we are turning to head up to Baker Lake. We know about the choices a couple miles past the turn, but since we want to avoid bonus miles we are glad to hear there are some options ahead of us ... only 8 miles away! Eating a full meal and then heading up Burbee Hill (a mile plus of 10-15 % grade) isn't ideal, but we are hungry. <br /><br />The State Park at Rockport has a sign .. closed Wednesday and Thursday. We aren't going to stop there, but is there a pattern forming?<br /><br />When we get to Concrete, we ride through the main part of town - off the main highway - and find the restaurant. It is dark ... the open sign in the window is off. Dang it. We ride on, but before leaving town Vincent asks some folks at the side of the road. They say, no, no the restaurant is open. We go back and, sure enough, the front door is open and we go in. It is dark and quiet, and before we can sit down, a man comes out and says they're closed today. Oh well, at least we won't be climbing on a full stomach !<br /><br />We start climbing and Kole/Vincent soon disappear around the bend. It is a slow grind, but Dan and I eventually make it to the top of the steep part. It is as steep as I remember, with grades of 10-15 %, but fortunately the chip seal is not as bumpy as it was before. And no loose gravel like in 2008. <br /><br />It is a long stretch of quiet riding up to Baker Lake and the Baker Lake Resort. Dan and I arrive at the turn into the resort at noon - the fenced gate is shut & locked, with a violators will be towed sign ... and no Kole/Vincent. I look for tracks to see if perhaps they went in anyway, but with the gravel and vegetation, I couldn't see any. As Kole hadn't been there before ... and there being no sign announcing that this is were Baker Lake Resort was ... and Vincent not being known for catching all the route turns the first time, it appears likely that they simply missed the turn - which was not at all obvious - and kept going. We decide to go a little further to see if there was any sign of them, but quickly come to a "Pavement Ends" sign. Since there was no other way out, we figure we'll sit and wait back at the turn. They have to show up eventually, right? After 15-20 minutes we give up, work our way through the fence, and start in ... and of course Kole/Vincent then show up - they had gone in and had been waiting for us inside. Oh well.<br /><br />We make it to Sedro Wooley about 3:00 PM ... and have some real food at the Subway. It is good. By about 3:30 we hit the road. Dan has a flat tire that delays us a bit. Granite Falls is the next control, which we reach about 6:45. Not quite as low a convenience store food, we stop at McDonalds for some more "real food" (term used loosely). A customer, seeing us in our bike clothes, asks if we "Motocross". When I say I don't he mumbles something about us not knowing what real biking was. Sensing that conversation isn't going to go anywhere worthwhile, we part.<br /><br />Only 40 miles to go! And the weather is still holding. But as it will soon be dark and cooling down ... and there is a menacing cloud in the direction we are heading, I put my raincoat and reflective sash on, and turn the taillights on. As it is still warm enough, I pass on the balaclava and heavy gloves - opting to keep my fingerless ones on instead. I am soon to regret those choices.<br /><br />As we head south from Granite Falls, dusk begins to settle in, but it is still quite pleasant ... other than the question of why are we riding towards that big dark cloud that is clearly going to mean rain? The setting sun and cloud reflections give the mountain off to the east a pretty orange glow ... and the clouds ahead of us have an odd orange blush to them. The sky above ... and to the southwest of us ... is clear. Would we be able to skirt the rain that is almost certainly ahead of us? Perhaps a re-route to avoid a thunderstorm is in order ... would that fly from a RUSA rules perspective? Safety and all that? Aah ... we'll be fine. <br /><br />Turning onto Lk Roessinger Rd we start to get the occasional raindrop ... but we are heading a little east now, so maybe we'll be far enough east to miss the full rainstorm. Nope. As we near the south end of the Lake it starts pouring ... then buckets of wet snow ... think vanilla slurpee ... and within 100 yards the road is covered with almost an inch of slush. Where is the road anyway? My glasses fog up and with ice water running into my eyes I can barely see. My eyes are stinging, my hands and head are freezing. Do I stop to put my gloves and hat on? Is there shelter somewhere to wait this out? Is it safe enough to go on? We're on a bit of a hill, headed downhill, turning onto Woods Creek Rd. Forward. We know this is an isolated cloud ... we'll get past it. Somehow. Vincent is ahead of me, Dan and Kole behind me ... at least to start with. I'm trying to go slow enough to not slip, fast enough to get out of this quickly, while barely seeing ... and freezing. After a mile or two we are through ... dry pavement and practically clear skies again. Wow! <br /><br />I catch up with Vincent ... no sign of Dan and Kole, but we figure we'll get to the control and wait for them in the warmth. It is a great ride - fast and downhill towards Monroe. Before we get there though, it starts to hail, then pour. Being closer to town now, there is oncoming traffic. With the water in my eyes and on my glasses, I have a hard time seeing anything due to the glare from the headlights. I can usually see Vincent's flashing taillight, so I aim for that and hope for the best. A few minutes later, shortly before 9:00 PM, we pull into the Monroe 7-11. I quickly dry off my face, glasses, and warm up. I also get out my warm gloves & hat for the remaining 20 miles! Kole & Vincent soon make it in ... and then the rain stops again.<br /><br />Mostly clear skies and only a few raindrops the rest of the way. Kole and Vincent make a dash to the end, arriving at 10:30, while Dan and I slog it out, grinding slowly up Woodinville-Duvall Rd and finishing about 10:45. We celebrate a great ride with a round at the Irish Pub ... Thanks Vincent!<br /><br />A bit of rando adventure - the right Rx to bring out the smiles! But Vincent's now talking of a 400K per month?Rando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644861414911395174.post-66686503197542365372010-02-20T19:56:00.000-08:002010-02-20T20:01:34.570-08:00It always rains in Seattle<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhx1tDTKD9gmgyvjpzCMCYPf0gpA8g-993Y0hCZWa8K6DuGtEY-YBSzXrx8viFIy9RdxXTSU5ZrFWgFXlEkJYZACpL27Z6KyWJztvbgSM5yUMGAIdSkThM65Re9WIlIdvn0SPUnwa/s1600-h/Permanent+007.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhx1tDTKD9gmgyvjpzCMCYPf0gpA8g-993Y0hCZWa8K6DuGtEY-YBSzXrx8viFIy9RdxXTSU5ZrFWgFXlEkJYZACpL27Z6KyWJztvbgSM5yUMGAIdSkThM65Re9WIlIdvn0SPUnwa/s320/Permanent+007.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440535210163459922" /></a><br />so I must be somewhere else. That's Mt. Baker of in the distance over the Puget Sound ..taken from Fort Flagler on Marrowstone Island.<br /><br />It is the 20th of February ... normally a grey, rainy, chilly time of year in Seattle. But it was sunny, warm (mid-50's), and absolutely gorgeous. Granted we were out riding one of the most picturesque permanents - #342 Bainbridge - Port Townsend - Bainbridge, but OMG. We could not have asked for or imagined a day as nice in February ... there were guys walking down the street in Port Townsend with their shirts off! Well, I guess we could have asked for the gals to be walking down the street with their shirts off! :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyZCy1Jmm07WiFCp79ecV0doZvWaWJQwe5M7wc9Zw8oBJsuxeCD6t5OtRcf10_kK5neNjoMESlRWEx89MmbA6oaiT6GOf5RbYSBM2Xap7V3pxMK2RDjd7v4cVSe74XrslzbO1SCJ5q/s1600-h/Permanent+016.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyZCy1Jmm07WiFCp79ecV0doZvWaWJQwe5M7wc9Zw8oBJsuxeCD6t5OtRcf10_kK5neNjoMESlRWEx89MmbA6oaiT6GOf5RbYSBM2Xap7V3pxMK2RDjd7v4cVSe74XrslzbO1SCJ5q/s320/Permanent+016.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440536593428258274" /></a>We had lunch in Port Townsend at the Lighthouse Cafe ... well it was breakfast at lunchtime. An Italian Scramble hit the spot. The view was great.<br /><br /><br />Mark, Bob, Bill, & I made it back in time to catch the 5:30 ferry - Vincent & Kole presumably made the ferry before us (Vincent was "taking it easy today"?). Hopefully everyone else (Peter M, Mike R, Joe L, Art L, Lyn G. & Tom B.) made the next one.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftY-5nA1DB-9dDWjpV5P1H2ao8zIXaD3XloYATdNuJ0fezlkW_SFjN6hoh9RLn8zLqWyQ51rMT20rDGHWLlEsTOiWSnlv7GS5CgndTJaq416I8Ski8L2hxbinmAUdKcJrIS6aFP5h/s1600-h/Permanent+015.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftY-5nA1DB-9dDWjpV5P1H2ao8zIXaD3XloYATdNuJ0fezlkW_SFjN6hoh9RLn8zLqWyQ51rMT20rDGHWLlEsTOiWSnlv7GS5CgndTJaq416I8Ski8L2hxbinmAUdKcJrIS6aFP5h/s320/Permanent+015.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440538635432666978" /></a>Lyn had a couple flats in the early stages of the ride and was helped out by Tom Brett. When we ran into them on Marrowstone Island (they were headed to the control, we were coming from the control), it was pretty humorous to watch all the guys go to the aid of the "damsel in distress" (Lyn had no spare tubes by this point).Rando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644861414911395174.post-59474359086410629562009-11-01T20:19:00.000-08:002009-11-01T20:34:01.607-08:00When is 251 < 206 ?Most mathematicians will tell you that 251 is MORE than 206. Normally they are correct. This weekend they would have been wrong.<br /><br />Sunday's 251K Permanent (#188 Whidbey Mambo) took LESS time than Saturday's 206K Permanent (#52 Redmond-Carbon Glacier). 11 hours 14 minutes vs. 11 hours 40 minutes. It took less time to go an extra 45K.<br /><br />A bit odd I guess, but not really when you look at why. No flats today ... I had two flats yesterday. We struggled with a headwind yesterday ... we enjoyed a tailwind today. We had a sit down meal yesterday ...we missed out on one today because we were too darn fast ... arrived at the Mambo Italiano Cafe in Bellingham 45 minutes BEFORE it opened ... so we decided to bag it and had a convenience store "snack meal". Vincent's light malfunctioned today so we pressed it to get back before it got dark ... riding the last hilly 25 miles at around 17 mph. A wet, rainy day yesterday ... a gorgeous, sunny day today.<br /><br />Two very different rides ... but both very enjoyable!Rando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644861414911395174.post-12675587322191742692009-10-25T10:01:00.001-07:002009-10-25T11:20:04.360-07:00Road Closed Ahead ... They don't mean us - do they?Vincent Muoneke, Kole Kantner, Steve Davis, & I rode the inaugural (as a Permanent) ride of the Olympia - Vader - Olympia Permanent (#545). I had hoped we'd get some of the Olympia area randos to join us, but the late notice and distance (a 300K) kept that from happening. It was a ride of surprises ... pleasant and otherwise.<br /><br />The first surprise was that the weatherman was right ... it was a pretty nice day. No rain and there were even stretches of blue sky and sun. It was chilly at the start ... it got down to 37 and at the end, but Kole and Steve weren't too cold in their shorts the rest of the time.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIqqd7QSHhjAwfUofkQUNZ3euZeEK9K-pLL6gkUFv0KA7nkkcA86Zo1CfJev6XoJqC9LyWbNet1ajOwaIQVoe3j20mpvozaD7k_lf82jurCLjPhHcMVxExC3Ch3uvoO-BHuEUnsQGw/s1600-h/Oly-Vader-Oly+010.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIqqd7QSHhjAwfUofkQUNZ3euZeEK9K-pLL6gkUFv0KA7nkkcA86Zo1CfJev6XoJqC9LyWbNet1ajOwaIQVoe3j20mpvozaD7k_lf82jurCLjPhHcMVxExC3Ch3uvoO-BHuEUnsQGw/s320/Oly-Vader-Oly+010.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396586393960591986" /></a>No surprise was the gorgeous ride through the Capital Forest on D-Line road. A relatively short albeit somewhat painful climb up to 900 feet, then a long gentle descent along a picturesque creek. This is one of my favorite sections in the state. Today did not disappoint!<br /><br />A brief ... well, not so brief ... stop at Porter Creek, and then hours of meanderings through the backwoods of southwestern Washington. Relatively flat, with periodic hills thrown in to keep us honest. An unscheduled stop in Adna to refuel, then a long stop in Vader for real food. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGEglyLeU-RnU6hofANzILA876QB1uuJ7tD3ZP9NuvbKYSL_pHZh-vdNLGbcbW59WTvKrEZX_HP6JhkUPhqnd4CiLY1VneXNQ8qstemgiUKG1__R-WiDShsgiBGzWCWCFkXl3qCmAx/s1600-h/Oly-Vader-Oly+012.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGEglyLeU-RnU6hofANzILA876QB1uuJ7tD3ZP9NuvbKYSL_pHZh-vdNLGbcbW59WTvKrEZX_HP6JhkUPhqnd4CiLY1VneXNQ8qstemgiUKG1__R-WiDShsgiBGzWCWCFkXl3qCmAx/s320/Oly-Vader-Oly+012.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396589218867527602" /></a>Vincent had two breakfasts; the rest of us had Mountain Mash .... it was real good, but then we were real hungry and almost anything would have tasted good. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />On leaving we noticed my rear tire was low ... I decided to just pump it up and see if it would hold (I'd topped it off the night before) ...to my surprise it held just fine the rest of the way (I need to change it today ... it's almost flat now). We pumped it up just past a "Road Closed Ahead" sign. We had detoured around this closure (without seeing it) last month on our ride up to Johnston Ridge, but I knew that it had been passable, as James Gutholm had gone through it a few days later. So we figured we'd be able to work our way through. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8u_Xb02u70ictTjdFMlTfhN9LYsdeqIzcO8mwK7VemPtUxgE1aQxheWZiPiDO6B1899pa8pr_PyCNWV3wlQe-UMCXzXXdnwSSFll4rB9iLo8mfqkDSRpNECplyCOzF8tnGVWh5oS/s1600-h/Oly-Vader-Oly+014.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8u_Xb02u70ictTjdFMlTfhN9LYsdeqIzcO8mwK7VemPtUxgE1aQxheWZiPiDO6B1899pa8pr_PyCNWV3wlQe-UMCXzXXdnwSSFll4rB9iLo8mfqkDSRpNECplyCOzF8tnGVWh5oS/s320/Oly-Vader-Oly+014.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396591267463084770" /></a>Wrong. At least not easily. However, rather than a 6-7 mile detour, we passed our bikes from one ledge to another (top part of picture ar right) to get them down into the gap, then carried our bikes up the ladder on the other side (bottom part of picture at right). As soon as we were done, the ladder was pulled ... if we had been five minutes later there would not have been a way to get through here.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTRXj2uRPHBOeDGzXfF5YyKGfabtNTcVboDrDhjlJ3_Cnjx-2DLEwl7HvXkir23PCue5HmZO84ntTAKW0BOXcpyNsp-i-32oKoY0aE7jXsF97EhUiTrvWClXqHN3frFm5ApY2VsXYL/s1600-h/Oly-Vader-Oly+016.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTRXj2uRPHBOeDGzXfF5YyKGfabtNTcVboDrDhjlJ3_Cnjx-2DLEwl7HvXkir23PCue5HmZO84ntTAKW0BOXcpyNsp-i-32oKoY0aE7jXsF97EhUiTrvWClXqHN3frFm5ApY2VsXYL/s320/Oly-Vader-Oly+016.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396592897562471074" /></a>There was so much mud/sand/grit in our cleats and on the bikes that the clips were useless. Fortunately there was a hose at Winlock where we washed off. I don't think we saved any time compared to the detour.<br /><br />It was just getting dark as we arrived in Chehalis for the last real control (two more info controls), so we finished prepping for night riding. Then set out again. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy7oFW9bweeCPi5ODk2lOxhKl938sZfiEpBBRntvYHV9qg6EhG2Iaypy_stm8w3_2Sr-tNw9LtgXnp7HyrF7o4vv2glHWsExMX5xHZKmSx-FpEg-rj3PISXLkPr1si9dTfKv09FdrW/s1600-h/Oly-Vader-Oly+020.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy7oFW9bweeCPi5ODk2lOxhKl938sZfiEpBBRntvYHV9qg6EhG2Iaypy_stm8w3_2Sr-tNw9LtgXnp7HyrF7o4vv2glHWsExMX5xHZKmSx-FpEg-rj3PISXLkPr1si9dTfKv09FdrW/s320/Oly-Vader-Oly+020.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396594985438176290" /></a>We had to adjust the information control question at the next stop ... couldn't find a sign for the gun club in the dark ... and then another road closure sign. Three miles ahed the road was closed. Was a bridge out ... a slide take away the road? No clue, but we went for it anyway. It would mean a 15 mile detour instead of a twelve mile detour if we couldn't get through, but why not? We were able to get through ... it was just a repaving project ... but they had sealed off the ends pretty well. We managed to find our way through / around the barricades and were off and running again.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsv3V-PNKKFsRh9uR_bNJzi9JXCKJJns9-M1XrgEGfEbo9tr-0W0amkSAfyPVM8fzeYkMsdML5V24oidHEtIvM0l5oxRjp0RNDNco0VOO9A-Dufoq5IFRemdqvPXi12cd_ShmD2KB/s1600-h/Oly-Vader-Oly+022.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsv3V-PNKKFsRh9uR_bNJzi9JXCKJJns9-M1XrgEGfEbo9tr-0W0amkSAfyPVM8fzeYkMsdML5V24oidHEtIvM0l5oxRjp0RNDNco0VOO9A-Dufoq5IFRemdqvPXi12cd_ShmD2KB/s320/Oly-Vader-Oly+022.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396596343658282450" /></a>At Bucoda we had a pleasant surprise as we ran into Ian Shopland. He had been biking back roads with John Pearch. We rode with him a little ways, then parted as our route back was much less direct than his.<br /><br />The last major stretch of the ride was on the Chehalis - Western Trail. Normally a nice ride, I have no plans to ride it again this time of year. In many places it was covered in several inches of big leaves ... unsettling to ride through, especially in the dark. Where is the trail anyway? And is that a log under those leaves?<br /><br />We finally made it back at 11:02 - just over 16 hours ... With almost three hours off the bike, it wasn't our most efficient ride :) 8,100 feet of climbing (per Training Center; 8,377 feet per Garmin Connect.Rando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644861414911395174.post-87196661773007643492009-10-12T11:50:00.000-07:002009-10-12T12:30:49.727-07:00TOUGHEST WASHINGTON STATE CLIMBSOkay, just one man's view here, and I recognize that I haven't ridden all the possible climbs in the state - particularly those in northeastern Washington ... and nothing off-road, but anyway here's a quick look at a bunch of the major paved road climbs in the state. This is a simple view ... ranks the climbs based on their elevation gain and on the average grade of the climb - a 50-50 weighting.<br /><br />So the toughest five climbs ... without taking weather into account or the maximum grade or whatever ... are:<br /><br />1. Hurricane Ridge 5,200 feet / 5.3 % grade<br />2. Washington Pass from Newhalem 6,500 feet / 3.9 % grade<br />3. Johnston Ridge Observatory from Toutle 5,600 feet / 3.4 % grade<br />4. Mt Baker from Glacier 4,500 feet / 3.6 % grade<br />5. Loup Loup Pass from Malott 3,400 feet / 3.8 % grade<br /><br /><a href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tAQ3Mu3fiqFIBCa6RYKW7Kw&output=xls">Here's the link to the spreadsheet with the data.</a><br /><br />There is measurement system error in this - I used Bike Route Toaster for the elevation info and I adjusted the grade calculation for a couple of the rides that had significant descents embedded in the climb to reflect the climbing over an estimate of the distance net of the distance spent descending.Rando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644861414911395174.post-89294489573573574082009-10-12T08:02:00.000-07:002009-10-12T08:56:39.257-07:00HURRICANE RIDGE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxmfg5iinZ3s3DHeRrlQRoiKbNdEqhVy9hvm-uAFGsoNLZ2OfObJYgd7OUoE8PH_SvXyYUPykiThKmhyphenhyphenQARROCAGYwCz-U7WaqqOcw3P27LzDZCfSmXt6GerKSYVzNJuM9u8j1dqye/s1600-h/Hurricane+Ridge+027b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxmfg5iinZ3s3DHeRrlQRoiKbNdEqhVy9hvm-uAFGsoNLZ2OfObJYgd7OUoE8PH_SvXyYUPykiThKmhyphenhyphenQARROCAGYwCz-U7WaqqOcw3P27LzDZCfSmXt6GerKSYVzNJuM9u8j1dqye/s320/Hurricane+Ridge+027b.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391735097090833490" /></a><br />Vincent and Charlie catch a breather in Port Gamble on the way back from Hurricane Ridge. <br /><br />Lynn Gill, Kole Kantner, Charlie White, Vincent Muoneke, and I set out on the 6:10 AM ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge to climb up to Hurricane Ridge (5,200 feet) ... and return 286K / 170 miles. It was cold ... just above freezing when we set out and when we got to Hurricane Ridge. It was a nice day anyway ... and we were only a little concerned about the possibility of running into ice (we didn't).<br /><br />We said hi to Dan Jensen at the ferry dock before we left ... he and Alan Bell were riding the Hood Canal Loop 2.0 from Bremerton. They beat us to Bainbridge at the end ... the ferry worker had heard we were coming from Dan/Alan.<br /><br />As we were about to get off the ferry at Bainbidge, a bakery truck driver gave us a loaf of fresh bread for our ride. A nice treat that we enjoyed at several stops along the way.<br /><br />With almost 13,000 feet of climbing, this was a tiring ride. The 5,000 feet from Port Angeles to Hurricane Ridge is a long, grueling climb ... but fortunately very manageable. Basically a consistent 5-8 %, with nothing over 10%. The rollers on WA-104 and US-101 added another 8,000 feet. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieRZ8O_Ht2jQzHqVJKMkrIkfE37i7_t0S90ZbiKGQwI-utwknBP89C5hqdsaJDbqJWrFsPLrruag5d4qEMsK7dzOfCzCSE7yGq4hde_i8AZ8NBIOi35phZ5uhuesRr8Y98qsnor1PU/s1600-h/Hurricane+Ridge+012.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieRZ8O_Ht2jQzHqVJKMkrIkfE37i7_t0S90ZbiKGQwI-utwknBP89C5hqdsaJDbqJWrFsPLrruag5d4qEMsK7dzOfCzCSE7yGq4hde_i8AZ8NBIOi35phZ5uhuesRr8Y98qsnor1PU/s320/Hurricane+Ridge+012.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391742014655792930" /></a>After a brief rest at the visitor center, we bundled up for the ride down. <br /><br /><br /><br />Lynn struggled with her lights, but managed to make it without running into anything too big. <br /><br />The biggest challenge we had was Vincent broke a spoke with about 17 miles to go ... huddled at the side of WA-104 in the cold and dark on the narrow shoulder, mostly staying out of the ditch and blackberries, Kole and Charlie performed surgery, removing Vince's rear brake so he could pedal. A couple of miles down the road, at the Port Gamble Road turn there was room to spread out a bit ... and a street light. We tried putting on a fiber spoke replacement, but couldn't remove the broken spoke ... a non-standard set-up. So the decision was made to ride gingerly the rest of the way, crossing our fingers that it would hold. It did!<br /><br />We had time before the 10:30 ferry, so we stopped at a convenience store and Vince & I each bought a can of Fosters for the ferry ride back. Sort of becoming a tradition, as we've done that several times now. Very refreshing!Rando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644861414911395174.post-57320112918272281502009-09-24T10:15:00.000-07:002009-09-24T12:00:05.560-07:00Mt St Helens Permanent - It was a blast !<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbuQGyT9pAxhtEbqCE_Dv49m2CyjPWloApL8xuvSjRyHGTr90vtIhY7lXjqBITrdLMjPFUy86bMOdamMt1jZsuDBx8rOY-sIbBkKrMrVXK_3fn7_l_PWkCTNt8b4UQ77TH41HWYRM/s1600-h/Mt+St+Helens+031.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbuQGyT9pAxhtEbqCE_Dv49m2CyjPWloApL8xuvSjRyHGTr90vtIhY7lXjqBITrdLMjPFUy86bMOdamMt1jZsuDBx8rOY-sIbBkKrMrVXK_3fn7_l_PWkCTNt8b4UQ77TH41HWYRM/s320/Mt+St+Helens+031.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385084486753378850" /></a><br />Seven of us (Left to right - Steve Davis, Vincent Muoneke, Jeff Loomis, Lynn Gil, Mark Thomas, and Dan Jensen) headed out for a ride on the first full day of fall. The forecast was for a great day and we weren't disappointed. The ride started in Winlock, so even though we left home early, we didn't start riding until 8:00AM. It was cold to start ... frostbite anyone? I'm glad we didn't start riding earlier. But it soon warmed up. <br /><br />I'm not going to name names, but someone got lost before we left Winlock ... we hadn't gone even a quarter of a mile and we had all left together! Granted he was following the route sheet and the Garmin course, but Vincent somehow missed the e-mail describing the detour and then must have been looking down when we turned. Fortunately we backtracked & found him before many bonus miles were generated.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9QywcQFvsl9bcaQdEKOOpi1hLPI7k9ba-59lrJOs67H9S4WEX1ZLtwvOHJ5dKMaHJv1pqGJWN3ouGhmmFlls8UgjsPVIfE30WH_rrSsEjL5XRpfBaerbIWez8O0J1rCNeZYlW08zk/s1600-h/Mt+St+Helens+001.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9QywcQFvsl9bcaQdEKOOpi1hLPI7k9ba-59lrJOs67H9S4WEX1ZLtwvOHJ5dKMaHJv1pqGJWN3ouGhmmFlls8UgjsPVIfE30WH_rrSsEjL5XRpfBaerbIWez8O0J1rCNeZYlW08zk/s320/Mt+St+Helens+001.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385089238679363026" /></a>Mark had discovered before the ride that the Winlock-Vader Road was closed. Not only did this mean we were able to come up with a detour up front, it meant we got to skip a potential coffee stop in Vader. We made up for it by catching the Castle Rock Bakery for coffee & pastries. Bucking the trend, I went for the soup option.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5DdZKKq8BhcJxZroOXbtQb2q8Hyc2GhHdyndnfhIOeobPKWiemeIMw9x-KdMRlEnACUzc4QB0f1tsgudI_FKaOlNY4g29GYyHtJkIDmI8amXe-YhRC0UGyCxRfzgRTU0s-zeqpUDO/s1600-h/Mt+St+Helens+011.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5DdZKKq8BhcJxZroOXbtQb2q8Hyc2GhHdyndnfhIOeobPKWiemeIMw9x-KdMRlEnACUzc4QB0f1tsgudI_FKaOlNY4g29GYyHtJkIDmI8amXe-YhRC0UGyCxRfzgRTU0s-zeqpUDO/s320/Mt+St+Helens+011.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385096032019216722" /></a>On our way up, we were crossing a bridge when we noticed a backpack and rope on the side of the road. Curious, we stopped and peered over the edge. It was a loong way down, but the strange part was there were two guys climbing up! And we thought we were odd! Hopefully noone tossed their stuff in their car and drove off with it.<br /><br /><br /><br />Not for me thank you!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFSi5kOF_u1F09NxP6CRkhUnQ4KPP1gKjcnH4AcmTfVGsDH7s0MKat8HXbi9oLDVJcWAxQ6DmaHNICXZZ-7fe2yMIG4tqZEPoQ85_5SfJzwTpo3IKtGwkMoEBB34MLODDmCXHhoRbO/s1600-h/Mt+St+Helens+013.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFSi5kOF_u1F09NxP6CRkhUnQ4KPP1gKjcnH4AcmTfVGsDH7s0MKat8HXbi9oLDVJcWAxQ6DmaHNICXZZ-7fe2yMIG4tqZEPoQ85_5SfJzwTpo3IKtGwkMoEBB34MLODDmCXHhoRbO/s320/Mt+St+Helens+013.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385097336236223762" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6TMZDXP-gVZVCwp9NP2wyBMVHTffHwryrrmbuvxgxkGzGZPTEjzGiSlf46OF2LsfBjIHGJJATfTP_tbv2F7y2CeKvrrcPU-D09NSrU4diLXRTcfTqX8UpmJR3-qtwHazIYa2g1q_m/s1600-h/Mt+St+Helens+023.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6TMZDXP-gVZVCwp9NP2wyBMVHTffHwryrrmbuvxgxkGzGZPTEjzGiSlf46OF2LsfBjIHGJJATfTP_tbv2F7y2CeKvrrcPU-D09NSrU4diLXRTcfTqX8UpmJR3-qtwHazIYa2g1q_m/s320/Mt+St+Helens+023.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385098212201409106" /></a><br />We made it to the top around 3:00 PM ... and were tired & hungry. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />But the view was worth it!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1cDWz48z4KJvsLxikDsY4x_09kWvpDE4vfpPISULVVZST1anM8oQYByj58e5Ix6Q8wPgEJLSwWqTOStbg-_CJ3ofooJHBE-rEYXE4fCntCwJ000tzMTIcCb3JbdeoZGjQwhXxhKYf/s1600-h/Mt+St+Helens+020.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1cDWz48z4KJvsLxikDsY4x_09kWvpDE4vfpPISULVVZST1anM8oQYByj58e5Ix6Q8wPgEJLSwWqTOStbg-_CJ3ofooJHBE-rEYXE4fCntCwJ000tzMTIcCb3JbdeoZGjQwhXxhKYf/s400/Mt+St+Helens+020.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385098655487693666" /></a><br />We eventually recovered enough to get back on our bikes for a great descent back ... interrupted by a 1,300 foot climb up from Coldwater Lake. We made it back shortly before 8:00 PM. There had been 9,000 feet of climbing ... more than I had expected.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOaUPpWkCcq-EiNAOqInIJnonqOo7kC1bM1lXhXhCUGPoK7keTjYjV0YdGwo-SXdMmWEx6sQ1JypGTkcW8BlUL63igvHLHUY_psgPE52WEqYQi_b_a_S1CPF7TgHFmoB_D7bQLFEAb/s1600-h/Mt+St+Helens+034.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOaUPpWkCcq-EiNAOqInIJnonqOo7kC1bM1lXhXhCUGPoK7keTjYjV0YdGwo-SXdMmWEx6sQ1JypGTkcW8BlUL63igvHLHUY_psgPE52WEqYQi_b_a_S1CPF7TgHFmoB_D7bQLFEAb/s320/Mt+St+Helens+034.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385099115871626114" /></a>Rando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644861414911395174.post-29574361854533401872009-09-04T19:12:00.001-07:002009-09-05T12:27:11.413-07:002009 Cascade 1200We just finished the Cascade 1200. Sort of. The regular Cascade 1200 Brevet wasn't offered in 2009, but the 2005 Cascade 1200 course is available as a Permanent, so Vincent Muoneke, Kole Kantner, Ralph Nussbaum, and myself decided we'd give it a go. The regular Cascade 1200 Brevet run by the Seattle International Randonneurs (SIR) is known for its support and the potential for extreme heat in eastern Washington makes an unsupported ride - unwise to say the least. We were fortunate enough to arrange for support from two of the "significant others" - Carol Nussbaum and Trudy Frantz. I can't imagine finishing the ride without their support.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Day 1</span><br /><br />The first day was going to be a long one, so we decided to head out at 5:00 AM, same as the regular C1200, and so stayed overnight in Monroe to get as much sleep beforehand as possible. It was a good decision.<br /><br />The first stretch, from Monroe to Issaquah, passed quickly. Then a turn for the worse. Rain. We hadn't expected that. The forecast had been pretty good, although chance of showers had creeped in. These weren't showers. We had pretty solid rain for the next three hours. At least we had rain gear and it wasn't cold, so we did okay. It was nice when it lifted and we were able to dry out. We had lunch at the Eatonville Subway. From there we rode to Morton, then Randle before starting one of my favorite parts of the ride, down between Mt Adams and Mt St Helens. A bit of climbing, then dinner at a secret control at Iron Creek Campground. Then our first major climbs ... up and over Elk Pass to Northwood. We set a pattern here that we would repeat over many of the climbs ... Ralph was the last one up, but the first one down. A Kamikazi on the way down! We had some great views of Mt St Helens as the sun was setting. It was dark by the time we reached the Northwoods control and the store was closed, but Carol was there so we were able to get supplies from her. Then the last climb of the day over Old Man Pass. We arrived at the Carson Hot Springs Inn about 12:40 AM ... Carol had hot soup for us, which hit the spot. It had been a long day, with over 12,000 feet of climbing and 224 miles of distance.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Day 2</span><br /><br />A few hours of sleep and we were up at 4:30, hitting the road at 5:30. It was a compromise start ... some of us wanted to start earlier, getting more of the ride done while it was cool, while others treasured sleep more. Today was another long day, although a little less distance and climbing - 10,000 feet and 212 miles. However, now that we were in eastern Washington heat would be a factor. We were fortunate that it would only get to the low 90's, but that was hot enough. It slowed us down ... at least Vincent & I. Ralph claimed the heat didn't bother him and Kole, well he's simply amazing ... makes everything look easy. Kole hit 700,000 feet of climbing for the year, well on his way towards a goal of 1,000,000 feet.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhTq122aaX6Q4p7moIM4Qa3RhryOtlfhZGazkPf9-O8RWeVMDYMYbtWFPUeE1qIBAtMxE-2OOETF8LI4lcIoCd4j7p-eFHnqLsCOYof8UQsOJ-_ktHJSw5UodwoI3iiPkpMWOo1KQ/s1600-h/C1200+003.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhTq122aaX6Q4p7moIM4Qa3RhryOtlfhZGazkPf9-O8RWeVMDYMYbtWFPUeE1qIBAtMxE-2OOETF8LI4lcIoCd4j7p-eFHnqLsCOYof8UQsOJ-_ktHJSw5UodwoI3iiPkpMWOo1KQ/s320/C1200+003.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378051505830548434" /></a>This was a painfully slow day. It took us almost six and a half hours to go from Carson to Goldendale, only 62 miles. We stopped for breakfast, stopped for the bathroom, and just rode relatively slowly. Sometimes it is like that. At least it was a pretty section, first along the Columbia River and then mostly up the Klickitat River valley. Ralph had said he wanted to stop at Klickitat, so when we got there Vincent & I stopped and went into the store ... but Ralph and Kole zipped on by. Oh well, we figured we'd catch them on the climb out of the valley that was a few miles ahead ... and we did. Unfortunately Vincent left his wallet in the park by the store ... or at least that is what we guessed happened later on.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRyKYu3mOqcAzDhkR42XqEa3i2yYegvp7HSQyrALF4w02480F9si8IFitwxGOzj5jHBm_VWBqZnF1aSwFcksfnZwa3-ayqLZ8zBhfRO__XO4EiJaBC1AlH2nqcbqAcuOrG2Udd2Op/s1600-h/C1200+009.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRyKYu3mOqcAzDhkR42XqEa3i2yYegvp7HSQyrALF4w02480F9si8IFitwxGOzj5jHBm_VWBqZnF1aSwFcksfnZwa3-ayqLZ8zBhfRO__XO4EiJaBC1AlH2nqcbqAcuOrG2Udd2Op/s320/C1200+009.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378052355222171538" /></a>When we arrived at Goldendale (a control), we met Carol for lunch and to stock up on water for the long barren stretch to Sunnyside ... 71 miles with heat and more climbing. Vincent and I also took the opportunity to charge our Garmins. From Goldendale we gradually gain 600 feet, then rapidly lose 1,000 before a painful climb of 600, then back to a gradual climb up to 3,200 feet (another 1,600 feet or so) near Bickleton. Having cleared the concept with Edward Robinson at RUSA prior to the ride, we had a couple of water/ice stops on the way to Bickleton ... which was a very good thing as I was running out of water. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKVls2qWYiU2R1twk_BIqVbYVWD-KUPm_lWDNksUJVkq-3O8jTzVCCmFsAof_6hyBziVI25qeWq84yqY4uysCHD3Vs2BtGy22jxXAHEPKPOCG_RsSO0B7osu6GDZ5lh4sLH4cVhZQm/s1600-h/C1200+010.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKVls2qWYiU2R1twk_BIqVbYVWD-KUPm_lWDNksUJVkq-3O8jTzVCCmFsAof_6hyBziVI25qeWq84yqY4uysCHD3Vs2BtGy22jxXAHEPKPOCG_RsSO0B7osu6GDZ5lh4sLH4cVhZQm/s320/C1200+010.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378052731988430642" /></a><br /><br />We made it to Sunnyside about 7:30 and ate at a Subway. Only 85 miles to go! We rigged for night riding and headed out and up ... a 1,000 foot gentle climb. We eventually make it up and over, then on the way to Mattawa we turn left in front of the Hanford gate. Vincent misses the turn and heads for the security gate. With visions of flashing sirens, warning shots, and overzealous security guards we yell at him to turn ... fortunately he realizes his error and turns. Without any id (due to losing his wallet), it could have been a difficult discussion.<br /><br />We arrive at Mattawa, having made plans for nice cool ice cream sandwiches ... but the 24 hour Shell Station is no longer 24 hour ... everything in town is closed as it is now after midnight. Kole finds an outside faucet and he & Vincent refill their water bottles. No sense dilly-dallying, we've still got forty miles to go!<br /><br />As we ride along the Columbia, I look back and across the river. It is a clear sky, with an almost full moon, with a clear reflection shimmering on the river. Gorgeous. <br />Then our last climb of the day up Beverly Burke Road. At the top Vincent & I wait ... Vinent sees a red light high in the sky, moving erratically. I tell him he's nuts, then see it myself. Don't know what it could have been. We finally make it in to Quincy around 4:40 ... 23 hours after we started. Ouch.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Day 3</span><br /><br />We had originally planned to leave Quincy at 7:00 AM and had been having discussions that it would be good to leave earlier ... but that was before we arrived at 4:40 AM. So we got our hour of sleep and left at 7:00 as originally planned. Didn't have much of a breakfast in Quincy, as we planned on a full breakfast in Ephrata. We stuffed ourselves there ... I had a "Cowpoke" at the same Cafe we'd eaten at after the spring 400K pre-ride. It was good except for the climb up out of town. The Spring 400K ride through Moses Coulee (but not the pre-ride) had been marred by a 4 mile stretch of torn up road. That was back in April or May and shouldn't be an issue now, Sep 1st right? Wrong. As we start on the now gravel section we pull up to the flagger and his stop sign. Ralph comments on the need for sunscreen ... the flagger says something to the effect that there's no need for sunscreen, he's a smoker, so that'll kill him first...I guess that's one way to look at it. Fortunately only half of the section is still unpaved and we are soon at Farmer, another secret control, for lunch.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpPppvlhCThMX8sRqizNiGlpNa2QOFoOHu7EQmJtCrv2twdMWdYFF0mrfDglBoIpft4foGYTClAj6z8HRHk5tmvUcvGKAW6svkTjexEUFIavObLSu5nr3DfD4qoQv3-Q9dUYeHsZv/s1600-h/C1200+026.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpPppvlhCThMX8sRqizNiGlpNa2QOFoOHu7EQmJtCrv2twdMWdYFF0mrfDglBoIpft4foGYTClAj6z8HRHk5tmvUcvGKAW6svkTjexEUFIavObLSu5nr3DfD4qoQv3-Q9dUYeHsZv/s320/C1200+026.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378053521342997794" /></a>Our pace picks up as we make our way to McNeil Pass and then zip down McNeil Canyon Road. It is a wonderful descent, dropping 2,400 feet in about six miles on a nice road (redone last year). A nice view of Lake Chelan across the river thrown in. As we get towards the bottom it is like walking into a blast furnace, with waves of very hot air. The next stretch along the Columbia River on US-97 is very hot. Fortunately the control at Pateros is at a store/restaurant that is air conditioned. That isn't good enough for Vincent, who walks into the river to cool off. After we cool down, fuel up, and stock up on water, we head towards Loup Loup Pass along old-97. Here we run into the worst road conditions of the trip ... the road is torn up for 5-6 K. Ralph & Kole's headsets come loose from all the vibrations. <br /><br />A brief stop at Malott to restock on water and we start the grind up. The good news is we've been slow enough during the day that it is no longer unbearably hot. I make it up and start down the other side. The ride down was wonderful. The moon was out, almost full, and the skies were almost totally clear. The moonlight reflecting off the small clouds, the stars, and the mountain tops were stunning. It was one of those stretches that we ride for, where the challenges of the day fade away and it is all worthwhile. The one catch is I had been having occasional mild chest pains. In the middle of the mountains, in the middle of the night, what is one to do? I figure it isn't that significant and, even if it was, there wasn't anything I could do about it. So I continue on. <br /><br />All too quickly I'm at the bottom, where Trudy is waiting for us with water; the others arrive an hour later, at about 11:15, shortly after Trudy went to look for them. I caught myself snoring while waiting, so I must have gotten a brief cat nap in. We're almost there. We continue on and arrive at the overnight at the Mazama Country Inn at about 1:15 AM. Pasta and other goodies hit the spot.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Day 4</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCIObUEaabm8TT4IGh5HaMQbli4m9kwukRoXymcXphgGoO_2oogq5VC2xHNwngh9TVjk5LD0WD_JzSMM4w_S5Iqo88F8k_uPvH4aGIgT6Gv0DprKbAonWqr1sOz0gLg0U3U1SQbb4W/s1600-h/C1200+040.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCIObUEaabm8TT4IGh5HaMQbli4m9kwukRoXymcXphgGoO_2oogq5VC2xHNwngh9TVjk5LD0WD_JzSMM4w_S5Iqo88F8k_uPvH4aGIgT6Gv0DprKbAonWqr1sOz0gLg0U3U1SQbb4W/s320/C1200+040.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378054474983630418"/></a>We leave at 6:00 AM ... with about 15 minutes in the bank. Three hours of sleep felt wonderful. The legs were sore to start the day, but not nearly as sore as my bottom. Fortunately the Ibuprofen soon kicked in. Near the top is fresh chip seal ... lovely. Fortunately it only lasts for a kilometer or so. We make it to the top of Washington Pass and then Rainy Pass a bit after 9:00 AM. There is a work crew with four truck loads of gravel about to lay down chip seal ... I'm glad we made it here before they started laying that down! While it isn't all downhill from here, it feels like we've got the ride in the bag. We're a bit ahead of ourselves here, as we've got about 130 miles to go. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7F0oC413LUkHYG5qZ4AwpNvyBivUqBRxjjP069oG9iHVphzd09vF9Onk4gRXSclloYcg9yqA5ZK0prfe7adVsV2DRhhtRUT24g00I8Blm5-K8c4q4hSE4YkLnUIxdq3oZWsw2hFs/s1600-h/C1200+041.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7F0oC413LUkHYG5qZ4AwpNvyBivUqBRxjjP069oG9iHVphzd09vF9Onk4gRXSclloYcg9yqA5ZK0prfe7adVsV2DRhhtRUT24g00I8Blm5-K8c4q4hSE4YkLnUIxdq3oZWsw2hFs/s320/C1200+041.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378055129375593026" /></a>The views along the way and at the top are well worth the climb.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrkgWA4hl5lUj7z5Cy0qUOLvzg-04rZeqIG9BRuh5s08b-d6d8_eqFmPbWjBnyV7GxR0POTT5leeAjlhe7pc822yR5ekKVmif6E7do6bUxcd6Pb2AbFl5c1I0NvOr8FegGegjNSm0-/s1600-h/C1200+049.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrkgWA4hl5lUj7z5Cy0qUOLvzg-04rZeqIG9BRuh5s08b-d6d8_eqFmPbWjBnyV7GxR0POTT5leeAjlhe7pc822yR5ekKVmif6E7do6bUxcd6Pb2AbFl5c1I0NvOr8FegGegjNSm0-/s320/C1200+049.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378055340123194498" /></a><br />The next forty miles are mostly downhill, so we make pretty good time to the Diablo Overlook and then Marblemount, where we have lunch at Clark's Cabins. We form a pace line (which I dislike) for the stretch into Marblemount, as there is a bit of a headwind, and then continue it for much of the rest of the ride. Ralph has a flat after Darrington ... which Kole quickly changes. We're soon at Arlington, then we pick up speed by Granite Falls. By this point I'm falling off the back, so when we stop at the gas station on SR-92, I tell the others I'm going to leave first, as they'll soon catch up. Less than 20 miles to go!<br /><br />They catch up to me about six miles later and I'm quickly at the back of the pack again. We start the last significant climbing (a 400 foot climb) and there is talk of slowing the pace so I can keep up. So I attack! The Ensure I had at the gas station must have kicked in. I pass them all and soon no longer can see them. I make it to the final turn off Chain Lake Road and wait for them ....we all ride in together, completing the ride in 87 hours and 20 minutes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Postscript</span><br /><br />After changing we head off to dinner at a nearby restaurant for a celebratory steak, beer, and to complete the paperwork. It hit the spot.<br /><br />Elevation Gain Recap (per Garmin 705 & Training Center)<br /><br />Day 1 12,670 <br />Day 2 10,405 <br />Day 3 9,201 <br />Day 4 7,440 <br />Total 39,716 <br /><br />Ralph & Kole had similar measurements.<br /><br />Wednesday and Thursday I was very sore ... going up and down stairs was especially painful. By end of day Thursday the soreness was less of a factor, so the chest pain issue came back to mind and I had it checked it out - my EKG was abnormal ! I guess I'll be following up on that.Rando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644861414911395174.post-57234840699973932902009-08-22T21:35:00.000-07:002009-09-05T12:12:51.175-07:00GRANITE ANVIL 1200KLast fall I saw that the Granite Anvil 1200, a ride in Ontario, Canada, was going to be run this August. As this is in Dave Thompson's neck of the woods, I pointed it out to him to see if he'd be interested. We rode across the country together in 2007, then around Lake Superior in 2008, so it was natural that we'd find a ride together for 2009. While I had been randonneuring for a couple of years, it was a pretty new experience for Dave. He was up for it, so we signed up.<br /><br />I flew in on Tuesday evening, Dave picked me up, and we headed out to Durham College in Oshawa (outside Toronto), which was where the ride start & finish were going to be. On Wednesday, I reassembled my bike and we went for a short ride, making sure everything was functional. Somehow I had managed to put it together correctly and it worked fine. We did get caught in a local shower and returned with everything soaking wet ... including the shoes. Hopefully they would dry out before the morning start. We had a quick lunch at Subway, then checked in for the bike ride ... everything was on track. The weather continued to be quite promising ... low 80's and no rain expected. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Day 1</span><br /><br />The ride actually started Thursday morning at 5:00 AM. I went down to breakfast about 4:15 ... and was delighted to see Vincent. Vincent had arrived from Seattle Wednesday evening ... after a canceled flight and various trials & tribulations ... and had only been able to get about an hour's sleep. I was feeling pretty good with my 7 hours of sleep.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONWPcclutlDAh9KnQTXOL4WQ28apM4Ne47Vq_xZgcTePZFV9crMKnfuWq-Tgp0JGj6a7vfFAlgpkU3Hivzofxi0fpgBdoPI2QaHlEsnI3S3Ds2Kk6IS9ndpemXc81XnbCRahb-69L/s1600-h/GRR+004.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONWPcclutlDAh9KnQTXOL4WQ28apM4Ne47Vq_xZgcTePZFV9crMKnfuWq-Tgp0JGj6a7vfFAlgpkU3Hivzofxi0fpgBdoPI2QaHlEsnI3S3Ds2Kk6IS9ndpemXc81XnbCRahb-69L/s320/GRR+004.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373044578084099938" /></a>Thursday's ride was about 365K - from Oshawa to Victoria Harbor. It was a quite pleasant ride, with just under 8,000 feet of climbing for the day - no major climbs, just lots of ups & downs. The roads were generally nice with relatively little traffic. A few dirt stretches, but nothing too painful. I especially enjoyed the stretch by Lake Huron near the end of the day. <br /><br />We arrived at Victoria Harbor about 10:15 PM or so. The accommodations were at a Community Center. The volunteers & Food were great. Sleeping arrangements not so much. Pads on the floor with blankets ... and they were out of pads. After dinner and a shower (with no hot water!), I arranged 4 chairs (padded) in a row along the wall as a bed and tried to sleep. No real luck there, and a fire alarm soon went off. It kept going for quite a while, but eventually was shut off. Apparently making toast in the oven wasn't very successful. I don't know if I slept at all, but at least I rested. I was up well before the 3:00 AM wake up.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Day 2</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhvxPTM28hFvODJtg0l-nK2ijtxJLsrSJFrkmhxCIcNt4fMu79BiW0i0T-pStRWzBZzrC1HdcPrvczjLMBSHrN3KKzaFHNxCRiwOVcPY76qogJwUenTeohtr3ZmVGzcw30CBJjmHj/s1600-h/GRR+024.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhvxPTM28hFvODJtg0l-nK2ijtxJLsrSJFrkmhxCIcNt4fMu79BiW0i0T-pStRWzBZzrC1HdcPrvczjLMBSHrN3KKzaFHNxCRiwOVcPY76qogJwUenTeohtr3ZmVGzcw30CBJjmHj/s320/GRR+024.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373041827924335570" /></a><br />We left Victoria Harbor about 3:40 AM. The day was "only" 305K, so we (Dave, Vincent, & I) expected to have a fairly short day. The morning riding was quite enjoyable ... on quiet roads. We rode a bit with Carol Bell, seen above with a cute foal that was enjoying the morning. By the late afternoon the lack of sleep and relatively high temperatures caught up with Vincent ... he had a major bonk with perhaps 60K to go - and he was out of water. We found a shady grass knoll to rest on, then I filled his water bottle up at a nearby house. Vincent doused himself with water from a house to cool down ... and after a few minutes we were on our way again. We made it to the overnight shortly after 7:00 PM. <br /><br />As the night's accommodations were at another community center, we opted to rent a motel room at the nearby Best Western. It was the right decision. Vincent crashed immediately; Dave & I weren't too far behind ... although we had dinner first. We slept well - much better than had we tried to sleep on the floor of the community center.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Day 3</span><br /><br />I think we got up around 1:30 and hit the road shortly after 2:30 AM. It was going to be another long day - 330K or so. Today's ride was marred by three stretches of bad roads ... the first two were a total of close to 15K of dirt/gravel construction that was bone jarring, dusty, and quite unpleasant. There was one stretch with pilot cars ... which of course didn't wait for the bikes. When the cars started coming the other way ... they didn't yield and forced us off the slightly packed portion into the unpacked portion. A nearby construction worker said she'd throw a rock at 'em. I just yelled at the driver - who was chatting on his phone.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZZh0PwBmvJWbj_817folxlabT6uTwot0IdW99laDaeE_FrICNNivuIJZkHxIsn8nmvMF5PO7R9xX6EkCtSTsNPnDXMAVev3Z71EU6DH2IOY9ijhUb5UtQpxQGTxS6s4LweUrfGmU/s1600-h/GRR+042.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZZh0PwBmvJWbj_817folxlabT6uTwot0IdW99laDaeE_FrICNNivuIJZkHxIsn8nmvMF5PO7R9xX6EkCtSTsNPnDXMAVev3Z71EU6DH2IOY9ijhUb5UtQpxQGTxS6s4LweUrfGmU/s320/GRR+042.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373045316275525282" /></a>Dave & I reached the next to last control for the day (95K to go) a few minutes before Vincent & the two other riders we'd been riding with ... and they rode by, not seeing the signs. Fortunately a volunteer got in their car and tracked them down. At the pace we had been going so far during the day, we wouldn't finish until 1 - 2 AM. After a nice rest, a decent meal, and having recharged both ourselves & our Garmins', we headed off. We picked up the pace considerably. Having our Garmins paid off again. There were issues with the route sheet ... we came upon a group of five riders standing around at an intersection trying to decide if this was the turn or not. According to our Garmins it was, so we continued on. We made it to the overnight before midnight. Another great meal and we were in "bed" (pads on the floor & blankets) a bit before 1:00 am. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Day 4</span><br /><br />We had decided to make it a short night to maximize our riding while it was cool ... and because we (or at least I) didn't expect to actually sleep. Truth be told, I slept like a log. We were awakened at 2:00 AM ... at least Vincent & I were ... I asked them a few minutes later if they had woken Dave up and they hadn't ... so Dave got an extra 15-20 minutes of sleep. We left at 3:00 AM, hoping for a short day ... only 197K to go!<br /><br />While it wasn't foggy when we left, within a few kilometers it was thick as pea soup ... thicker. Once again I was very glad to have my Garmin. I followed the road by sticking close to the yellow dividing line and was able to tell we were at the turn Gomorrah Road because the yellow line stopped and the garmin said we were at the turn. We went to the side of the road to look for the turn ... but couldn't see it. After peering for a while into the soup, we saw the outline of a stop sign ... and so ventured forth. There was a road there ... a dirt road... but it was the right one. How others without a Garmin found it, I'll never know. The fog lifted around daylight.<br /><br />We had lunch at Rice Like ... it was at an air conditioned bar. It was pretty hot out now, so it was nice to cool off and start the "home stretch" refreshed. While the first part of the day had been relatively flat, the last little bit and most of the rest of the way were quite hilly & definitely hot. I had been drinking my water fairly well, but I worked on stretching my water supply now and didn't drink as much as I should have ... even though I had three bottles for the last 35 miles or so. Vincent ran out of water, but stopped at a house and got a refill. Vincent & Dave zipped off with perhaps ten miles to go. I was hot and didn't want the pick up the pace, so we didn't finish together. But we finished shortly after 3:00 PM.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Postscript</span><br /><br />There was a celebratory BBQ at 6:00 PM, with beer, burgers, & hot dogs. A little after 7:00 PM, they had some awards ... distributed the Can-Am medals (completing a US & a Canadian 1200K in the same year). In the middle of the awards, my gut started hurting, so I headed for our room (& the bathroom). I thought I was going to explode. For the next six hours I rotated between the bathroom, a hot shower, and my bed ...a little after 1:00 AM I bit the bullet and woke up Dave, asking him to take me to the hospital. The diagnosis - dehydration. Two liters of IV fluid, a laxative, an enema, a catnap on the ER toilet, and three and a half hours later we were on our way back to Durham College. <br /><br />I was up by 9:00 AM and felt pretty good. It took me a couple of hours to disassemble & pack my bike, but was done with plenty of time before the van came to take me to the airport. My flight back from Toronto, via Atlanta, was uneventful other than by baggage getting lost. Fortunately it was delivered to me the next day.Rando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644861414911395174.post-84421554568633733602009-08-08T08:14:00.000-07:002009-08-08T08:47:22.421-07:00Baker Lake 400K Pre-Ride- It's Still There!Vincent & I pre-rode the Baker Lake 400K yesterday, starting at midnight. Why midnight? Well, that way I could get a good night's sleep before hading out to the 300K later today (fortunately not to ride).<br /><br />Having ridden the Baker Lake 400 last year I knew what to expect .. and wasn't disappointed.<br /><br />The green colors of Baker Lake were still there, as was the lush foilage along the route. The eagles along the Skagit were still there. Clark's Cabin restaurant at Marblemount was still there ... we had a nice breakfast there. While we didn't see any bear this year, they are still there too.<br /><br />Burbee Hill Road up from Concrete is still there. The first mile, with its 9 - 17 % grade, will still have you swearing at Mark. The second mile, with its 5 - 9 % grade will still have you muttering with only occasional outbursts as the grade briefly jumps into the mid teens. At least the loose gravel is gone, settled into mild chip seal.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWZpFcFVtLY17z6t0_2tuaXcT-RrCcHAy24Xt1DHCDWc9TV7WKmEbCw1nytVY83eeASUYocDP_QIca4D97o9DphrMAEPxfTzJVswVWip9HzzL4diQspZApgS5BQeSusqRrYyY1hrG/s1600-h/Fall+400K+007.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWZpFcFVtLY17z6t0_2tuaXcT-RrCcHAy24Xt1DHCDWc9TV7WKmEbCw1nytVY83eeASUYocDP_QIca4D97o9DphrMAEPxfTzJVswVWip9HzzL4diQspZApgS5BQeSusqRrYyY1hrG/s320/Fall+400K+007.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367613169351031490" /></a>Mt. Baker was still there ... although we had lots of cloud cover so we didn't actually see it ... this picture is from last year :)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Q2KF17ATqnHFxos7DBoAgvCPfS_5vECrJnAVveF4bKozuFONLV1SYauVKpgF2q_6aGrlsxrc8efDECzVpd1Y_y7WAqLNgcCx-584LnBD_4ZXd5NQMYdoDBHRICWj8RQF_4oi1nTL/s1600-h/The+gap.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Q2KF17ATqnHFxos7DBoAgvCPfS_5vECrJnAVveF4bKozuFONLV1SYauVKpgF2q_6aGrlsxrc8efDECzVpd1Y_y7WAqLNgcCx-584LnBD_4ZXd5NQMYdoDBHRICWj8RQF_4oi1nTL/s320/The+gap.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367614174477689042" /></a>The temporary bridge on the road to Baker Lake is still there ... as is the gap in the middle that, speaking from first hand experience, can grab your wheel and send you flying. <br /><br /><br /><br />The Baker Lake "Resort" store is still there, with its picnic table ready for you to have a nice lunch at.<br /><br />New this year ... at least for us ... was strong headwinds along SR-20 to Sedro Wooley and the north part of SR-9. That was pretty brutal. We needed to take some extra time to recover from that! Hopefully you'll have sunny skies and a nice tailwind instead.<br /><br />Also still there was the climb up Woodinville -Duvall Road, with its narrow shoulders. What was new ... or perhaps I just forgot ... was the high grass (and occasional blackberry bush) bending over the shoulder, making it even narrower. Having a helmet flashing taillight was a big help here to make sure traffic can see you, especially in those portions that curve to the right.<br /><br />Perhaps my favorite part that was still there is that final brutal climb up to Mark's house at the end ... somehow it didn't seem as bad this year :)Rando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644861414911395174.post-60520372137914081982009-07-29T22:01:00.000-07:002009-08-08T22:27:10.550-07:00Bainbridge - Sequim - Bainbridge<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkC4jIGzz0NG12ZASiDIiFVGktSr00uWDQvqwdnJFmnNjcKGBDClG0asJ_DhmWgB1TD0sxS0bZbLabGJtZ8W2zFQ_Ij7Ramjr8sFConIVe3nRCqin3m9ofros5RIBm2FPxNNT2rppC/s1600-h/Permanent-Litl+Arl+Mambo+007.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkC4jIGzz0NG12ZASiDIiFVGktSr00uWDQvqwdnJFmnNjcKGBDClG0asJ_DhmWgB1TD0sxS0bZbLabGJtZ8W2zFQ_Ij7Ramjr8sFConIVe3nRCqin3m9ofros5RIBm2FPxNNT2rppC/s320/Permanent-Litl+Arl+Mambo+007.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367827615563542802" /></a><br />The hottest day in Seattle history! Not a good day for a ride? Well, perhaps not ideal, but if I'm going to be able to ride in the heat I need practice ... and what better day than a day like this. Not being totally foolish, a ride west towards the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the water is a much better choice than the ride we had originally planned, u Mt St Helens.<br /><br />We took the first ferry in order to start as early as possible...6:05 am. The ride to the Hood Canal Bridge and Quilcene was pleasant, but nothing unusual. At Quilcene we turned west instead of our usual south run down 101. And then a turn off 101 up to Bon Jon Pass. While not a high pass at 3,000 feet, the climb is tiring, on dirt roads and usually at a 6-7 % grade. Fortunately it was still in the morning and only warm ... not unbearrably hot yet. As tiring as the climb was, it was more enjoyable than the descent ... I don't particularly like descending on dirt roads. Between the potholes and the gravel, it doesn't feel safe to go very fast and is disappointing to not zip down the hill. At least it was cooler and still faster than the climb.<br /><br />We made it to Sequim and then rode along the waterfront ... it was a pleasant temperature. Back to Sequim and a late lunch at Arby's. Time to stock up with ice & water and head back. It was not going to be easy. With all the rollers there was more climbing than our ride up Mt St Helens a couple of weeks earlier ... and it was hot. Vincent recorded 109 degrees on the way back. We stopped a couple of times to fill up with ice & water ... made it bearable, but barely. Taking Electrolytes at regular intervals was critical to making it through the day. <br /><br />We made it, and in pretty good condition. The beer on the ferry sure hit the spot!Rando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644861414911395174.post-84281443136670707442009-07-26T09:15:00.000-07:002009-07-26T16:18:56.031-07:00TOUR DE WHIDBEY - BENDING STEEL<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFx6jz-w7G_NSwoZaAw4WnecVasILb0nfJQlsKtzNwp3JxmooOvvuknPMF3XhzlyiEgsLjxt5oxPPXU_IKe95zvXipmiPw_g3ZhH1Ey8xphMijKDknpeiqrZ9ya_idJ4xPT54HigDu/s1600-h/Whidbey+Island+200K+017.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFx6jz-w7G_NSwoZaAw4WnecVasILb0nfJQlsKtzNwp3JxmooOvvuknPMF3XhzlyiEgsLjxt5oxPPXU_IKe95zvXipmiPw_g3ZhH1Ey8xphMijKDknpeiqrZ9ya_idJ4xPT54HigDu/s400/Whidbey+Island+200K+017.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362910905465105442" /></a><br />I was pleased when my daughter Tanya said she wanted to ride the 200K brevet I was going to do in a couple of weeks. Surprised, but pleased. We had ridden the Oregon coast a few years earlier and while it had been a positive experience, there had been no further interest in riding. True, she had been riding her bike out to UW periodically, but that is a far cry from a 125 mile ride. Last week we rode a 100K Permanent as a warm-up ... and she did great on that. But this was twice the distance and much hillier.<br /><br />I suspect one of the bigger hurdles was the idea of leaving the house before 5:30 AM ... Tanya is not a morning person. But we hit the road about 5:20, driving to the Mukilteo ferry. We caught the 6:30 ferry and made it to the start point for the 7:00 AM start. <br /><br />Now I don't think of myself as a talkative person, but I was pretty amazed at all the advice I had dispensed over the previous week about seat position, eating, hydration, elctrolytes, chamois butter, and so forth. Hopefully it wasn't too much. <br /><br />Being properly prepared is pretty important on randoneuring rides. After all, it is unsupported ln distance riding. I should have paid more attention to my own advice. Since we were riding together on the tandem, that meant I wasn't riding my regular setup ... and I didn't have my regular tools & spares. I had put in the basic tools and spare tubes ... and the thought of some of the other spares/tools had crossed my mind. I was going to get to those later, and later never came. Oops.<br /><br />So we were some 30 miles into the ride, heading up a good sized hill, when SNAP! We came to an abrupt stop as the chain broke. We had bent, and broken, the steel as we tried to power up the hill in the wrong gear. Now I normally carry a chain tool and a spare master link to reconnect a broken chain ... but those were items that I had thought about and then forgotten. Since we were miles from anywhere, my heart sank. I imagined DNFing ... and on Tanya's first brevet. What a bummer!<br /><br />But no. SIR randos to the rescue. We were riding with Dave Harper, Eric Vigoren, Jason Duhl, and Chuck. Out came the necessary tools and even a master link. Thank you, thank you, thank you. A few minutes and some greasy hands later, we were back on our way. In Coupeville, some ten miles later, I was able to get most (well some) of the grease off.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG3hZ468QFMBpZz5zPEa95OnoulBjlosRDw6L4OfLHfh0nCp6ZgPF0ZS1FzK9hGbo35t8RDuRAle3mWFrvMRZFpkJFzA4ZP5QJkco3bQA0iVUOPyd6bNgs7Tnsu28eXqLM5NQTEwxw/s1600-h/Whidbey+Island+200K+033.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG3hZ468QFMBpZz5zPEa95OnoulBjlosRDw6L4OfLHfh0nCp6ZgPF0ZS1FzK9hGbo35t8RDuRAle3mWFrvMRZFpkJFzA4ZP5QJkco3bQA0iVUOPyd6bNgs7Tnsu28eXqLM5NQTEwxw/s320/Whidbey+Island+200K+033.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362910155327712322" /></a>Riding on the Tandem together worked pretty well ... at least from my perspective (mechanical issues aside). The logistics worked very smoothly. Tanya was able to pull out the control card & read the information control questions ... and then write the answers ... while we were riding. It was nice to have an extra set of hands to take pictures, open breakfast bar wrappers & Ensure bottle, etc. I suppose I had a slightly better view ...<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwouyWGXJM6Ef2tUo1xjBs_VJD76k6fercIIuIPAt-9Y3R1mKPkQ0gttafbZmG9TPJpLsQkmVzuKZEWTT5ITNlCba01XN4zHfuka6pRSE7pGrilQz8oEacmKd1YVWBEcboVBdPkwc/s1600-h/Whidby+200K+-+Tanya+and+Geoff.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwouyWGXJM6Ef2tUo1xjBs_VJD76k6fercIIuIPAt-9Y3R1mKPkQ0gttafbZmG9TPJpLsQkmVzuKZEWTT5ITNlCba01XN4zHfuka6pRSE7pGrilQz8oEacmKd1YVWBEcboVBdPkwc/s320/Whidby+200K+-+Tanya+and+Geoff.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362910548452649490" /></a>But if we do another ride on the Tandem I'll have to get the bike regeared ... the front shifter didn't work well ... there is too large a range between the small and large front chain ring. The derailleur has to be adjusted just right ... and my mechanical abilities aren't good enough. So we only used the small ring once or twice ... but could have used it many more times. <br /><br />This was a hilly ride. Advertised at a "mere 6,200 feet", my Garmin ended up with about 8,500 feet of climbing. An average 200K may have 4-5,000 feet of climbing ... so this was a challenging ride from that perspective.<br /><br />I tend to be in & out at controls, spending as little time as possible there. Before the control at Deception Pass I had run through what needed to be done at the control - get the brevet card signed, go to the bathroom, apply chamois butter if needed, refill water bottles, eat, and then rest as needed. It seemed to go pretty well ... and I don't think I was too pushy ... and we were out in about 20 minutes.<br /><br />My approach seems to have rubbed off. At the last regular control, as I was reaching for my umpteenth handful of chips, Tanya said ... we should get going!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwI3C2N0gkTjYXgW50vRP1DoA-iL37wk-zlTasHJL-VANbqWv9J77gHSKZbQrH04AyFaMJc1Ai86YdKFiWopJzDKsBe-1vABc25l83-kyttR1wUzpTfoR3YA89B-jURdzMsBtTE_o/s1600-h/Whidbey+Island+200K+030.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwI3C2N0gkTjYXgW50vRP1DoA-iL37wk-zlTasHJL-VANbqWv9J77gHSKZbQrH04AyFaMJc1Ai86YdKFiWopJzDKsBe-1vABc25l83-kyttR1wUzpTfoR3YA89B-jURdzMsBtTE_o/s320/Whidbey+Island+200K+030.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362911757863060162" /></a>Tanya did say that the seat was rubbing her the wrong way ...<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />It was supposed to be a hot day ... hitting close to 80 on the island ... but I only felt "hot" a couple of times ... and even briefly (very briefly) felt chilled and thought about putting a jacket on during the afternoon. In other words the weather was pretty much ideal. <br /><br />We ended the ride with a bang. Really. After reaching the final control at Clinton, we rode down to the ferry dock. As we stopped to get off the bike ... BANG ! The front tire blew out. Now a blowout is never good, but if you are going to have one, what better time than the end of the ride ? Certainly a much better time than when you're goin 35 mph down a hill. I guess I should have paid more attention to that little thump, thump, thump with each turn of the wheel.<br /><br />We averaged 13 mph while on the bike and burned 8500 calories (or thereabouts).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipyOkAMXfIhdqrWnJfrpGyRxL9Wojw8OjdZCWLobCPPgQqgI5olGJ1qy7-VnQnpcGDVJzURVZ2GY1QsTkh2mOyoYCF6ur4-wwlF7u2fpGqq4m6UMHH_3OWYHhZsz7I995ERKsLE3ep/s1600-h/Whidbey+Island+200K+036.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipyOkAMXfIhdqrWnJfrpGyRxL9Wojw8OjdZCWLobCPPgQqgI5olGJ1qy7-VnQnpcGDVJzURVZ2GY1QsTkh2mOyoYCF6ur4-wwlF7u2fpGqq4m6UMHH_3OWYHhZsz7I995ERKsLE3ep/s400/Whidbey+Island+200K+036.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362911233903426098" /></a>Rando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644861414911395174.post-50368983957265563572009-07-15T21:45:00.000-07:002009-08-08T21:59:36.192-07:00Elbe - Bear Meadows - Elbe<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lLxaXSSrVBDj1by_nGERHiTEMgpL4djZnDU4d5dKtYNM1pG8W_7vB-n_Xp2nwX9TuJ5pJBmebXe9Sncu3mlXeCsSVPFw5enlckTCN6YNYTzqBdCSGFOV1yjdlrOo17EZn_4oUFOj/s1600-h/Bear+Meadows+010.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lLxaXSSrVBDj1by_nGERHiTEMgpL4djZnDU4d5dKtYNM1pG8W_7vB-n_Xp2nwX9TuJ5pJBmebXe9Sncu3mlXeCsSVPFw5enlckTCN6YNYTzqBdCSGFOV1yjdlrOo17EZn_4oUFOj/s320/Bear+Meadows+010.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367821996744688850" /></a><br />Vincent & I rode the inaugural ride of the Elbe – Bear Meadows – Elbe permanent on Wednesday, July 15th . It was going to be a hot day … perhaps the low 90’s, so we decided to ride it counterclockwise, getting the big climb up Mt.St. Helens done in the morning before it got too hot. It was a good choice.<br /><br />We started in Elbe at 7:30 and quickly made it to Morton with the little climb up 7 as a good warm-up for what was ahead. A short stop at Randle to get a receipt, a snack, and top off with water. There were no sure water stops until we got back down. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WQ0wwAuKQfB70pXA6eYLXIbNTA5yjUgSfe_QRgAXcK_yxzbv4h7BZILkFuHNkSAH-jE8MbM0XP6avIILAnrqfPjQoShPtHl9j_HILfUQp-lbcBab5N4M-yvLbKtzm1PWA-Awc81N/s1600-h/Bear+Meadows+022.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WQ0wwAuKQfB70pXA6eYLXIbNTA5yjUgSfe_QRgAXcK_yxzbv4h7BZILkFuHNkSAH-jE8MbM0XP6avIILAnrqfPjQoShPtHl9j_HILfUQp-lbcBab5N4M-yvLbKtzm1PWA-Awc81N/s320/Bear+Meadows+022.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367822328384460146" /></a>The climb up NF-26 is one of my favorite climbs. We only saw one car and one pair of motorcycles on the way up. Much of the ride on 26 is on a narrow, basically one lane road, with plenty of shade …. at least in the morning. Towards the top, in the blast zone, it is much different. No shade. I’m always amazed by the desolation & destruction still evident. The road up was open to cars this year, the washout repaired and “tank traps” (to keep motorcycles out) removed. It was awfully hot as we neared the top …climbing it a few hours later would have been painful.<br /><br />What took almost three hours to climb was over less than an hour as we descended back to Randle and then up to Packwood before the last climb up. We took our time in Packwood. A good lunch at the Sub shop at the Shell station, rehydrated, and loaded up the water bottles with ice & water. Then up Skate Creek. A pleasant climb, virtually all in the shade from Packwood at about 1,000 feet to the crest at 2,500 feet.<br /><br />We finished about 6:10, after 8,300 feet of climbingRando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644861414911395174.post-43090011348737337012009-07-13T07:21:00.000-07:002009-07-13T10:31:34.938-07:00Three Highest Passes of the CascadesNot quite sure how the Permanent got this name, since Washington Pass at 5,477 feet is higher than the three passes on this ride - Chinook (5,430), White (4,500), and Cayuse (4,675). So, for truth in advertising purposes, consider this a notice that it is really "Three High Passes of the Cascades". Okay. Now the record is clear.<br /><br />I've wanted to do this Permanent for quite a while. So when the weekend opened up and the weather looked good, choosing this was a no brainer. Then the weather started turning too nice ... as in too hot. A forecast of mid 80's on the west side and mid 90's on the east side had me waffling. Bunnyhawk suggested riding on Sunday instead ... a much cooler forecast. Tempting. Very tempting. But no. I don't do well in the heat and the only way I'm going to get over that is to do some riding in it.<br /><br />So I do what I can to prepare for the heat. Make sure I will have enough water ... three bottles should do it .. with some Ensure as backup. Enough food to eat along the way. Light color clothes to reflect rather than absorb heat. Remove fenders and backup light since it isn't going to rain and I shouldn't be riding in the dark. Take the counter-clockwise approach to the route - we should get two of the three climbs out of the way before noon - while it is cooler. Start the ride as early in the day as possible.<br /><br />Since the ride starts at Greenwater and the only service open at that time is Buzzy's Cafe ... which opens at 6:00 AM ... we will start at 6:30. There are eleven riders - Erik Anderson, Bill Gobie, Dave Harper, Josh Morse, Vincent Muoneke, Eamon Stanley, Ken Ward, Charlie White, Michael Wolfe, and myself. Most of us get there a bit before six. I'm fiddling with my bike on the deck when Buzzy opens the door and gruffly says "They can't leave their cars here all day." While folks move their cars I go in and ask to order ... it is only Buzzy and I can tell service is going to be slow. Fortunately I should be able to get my bacon, eggs, & hash browns in time to eat and leave by 6:30. The others drift in and order. At 6:20 or so I go up to the cash register and ask to pay ... a couple of others, who had just had coffee, join me. Buzzy appears overwhelmed. When I pull out my Visa, he swears. Cash register breaks down. It is apparent that asking for a receipt is not going to be practical. Buzzy realizes that something is burning in the kitchen and leaves. I sign the VISA receipt and head out. It is now about 6:30, so those of us who are ready take off.<br /><br />Michael Wolfe zooms off, with Vincent following closely. Erik Anderson, Charlie White, Ken Ward, Dave Harper, and I ride together for a while, then Erik & Charlie move out ahead as the grade increases. Ken, Dave & I mostly rode together until shortly after the turn back onto 410. The ride down from Cayuse Pass on SR-123 was fantastic ... the rode was redone last year and we had 5 or 6 miles of an effortless 35 mph descent. That was fun. I was glad to have my jacket and leg warmers on though. At the turn onto SR-12 I take them off ... no need for them on the climb up and the next descent won't be that chilly.<br /><br />We make it to the top of White Pass and then stop for a sandwich at Silver Beach resort ... site of the overnight on last year's spring 600K. Since it is now warm and it is about 50 miles to the next certain water stop at Clifdell, we load up on water & ice. There is a bit of a head wind as we continue down 12 towards Naches, so it seems to take forever to make it to the 410/12 intersection. I've gone through one of my bottles. I have two insulated bottles and one regular water bottle. The water in the remaining insulated bottle is cold ... the non-insulated water is warm ...the insulation does make a noticeable difference.<br /><br />I get into a good rhythm and begin to move out ahead of Ken & Dave. About ten miles up from the turn there is a store on the left that is open. I go in and restock with water & ice. Thinking Ken & Dave must have passed by while I was inside, I go on, hoping to catch them at Clifdell. They aren't there of course ... apparently still behind me. Not knowing how far back they are, I press on. I love the climb up Chinook. This road is fairly quiet, in pretty good shape, and is so scenic. While hot, it has been manageable ... plenty of water and an Endurolyte every half hour seems to be keeping me in decent shape. Still, the last five miles are pretty brutal ... the grade is "only" 5-6 %, but in the heat and after 125 miles and some 9,000 feet of climbing so far every 0.1 mile just ticks by ever so slowly. I have to stop every 1 - 1.4 miles to catch my breath for a minute and drink. Fortunately there is a bit of cloud cover now so it isn't as hot as it could be. But I finally make it to the top. Even though there are 27 miles to go, I feel as though the ride is complete. The rest of the ride is almost all downhill ... I can practically coast in.<br /><br />I make it in at 6:45 ... 12 hours and 15 minutes. Maybe I'm getting so where I can ride in the heat! One thing I learned about riding in the heat ... don't take yogurt covered cranberries. The yogurt melts and makes quite a mess.Rando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644861414911395174.post-72904606611980138442009-07-07T17:45:00.000-07:002009-07-07T21:10:41.189-07:00Why do I do this?Somewhere on the Olympic Peninsula, after several hundred K of riding on our latest multi-day, multi-metric bike ride, Mark Thomas turned to me and asked ... "Why are we doing this?" I don't remember if this was before or after his bout of dry heaves that day, but there was certainly an element of "Are we nuts?" in the question. Of course, the answer is we are. <br /><br />Putting that reality aside, as well as my daughter Jessica's oh so accurate observation that "but they're miserable dad!" after helping out on last falls' mountain 600K ride, I have come up with 10 reasons why I go on these long rides. These aren't prioritized in any way.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br /> 1. Adventure</span> <br /><br />Taking off with a couple of friends to ride my bike from Portland to Glacier, 1,000K, without any support or riding on my own through the mountains overnight on a 600K are adventures. Adventures are cool. How often do we get the chance to do something like that? And, just as important, how often do we grab that chance and run with it? (Note to wife ... I know, too often)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"> 2. Camaraderie</span><br /><br />Randos are a special breed ... each eccentric in their own way. Yet they are very similar and I enjoy being with them (Birds of a feather flock together?). This is true of the Northwest Randos (both SIR and OR) in general, but also of Mark Thomas and Vincent Muoneke in particular, with whom I've ridden at least a dozen multi-metric rides this year alone.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"> 3. Scenery</span><br /><br />Living in the beautiful Northwest, we have access to a wide variety of stunning countryside ... the Palouse, the North Cascades, the Olympic Rain forests, the Columbia Basin Desert, the Pacific Ocean, Lake Coeur d'Alene, and so much more. Riding my bike has given me the opportunity to enjoy those sights up close.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"> 4. Reality</span><br /><br />As in escape from ...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"> 5. Sounds & Smells</span><br /><br />Now there are some smells that I don't particularly relish ... not so fresh road kill and some farm smells come to mind, but the opportunity to fully experience the sense of smell is a definite plus. One example is the processing of onions in Paterson along the Columbia River ... it almost brought tears to my eyes! <br /><br />It may be a bit silly, but some of the things I remember most from my rides are sounds:<br /><br />- the variety of sounds that water can make from snow-melt going over the<br /> North Cascades ... from a drip, drip, drip to a gurgle to a rushing torrent,<br />- the squealing of a baby elk as it tries to run to its mother,<br />- the scraping of a deer's hoof on a tree stump.<br /><br />These are sounds you'd never hear driving by in a car. Grinding one's way up a mountain pass provides lots of opportunity to look & listen.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"> 6. Wildlife</span><br /><br />Over the past year I've seen fox, deer, bear, elk, moose, snakes, mice, turtles, salamanders, naked pedestrians, skunk, ferret, beaver, seals, heron, eagles, and probably a few other that don't come to mind at the moment. Sure beats the mall ...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"> 7. Eccentric</span><br /><br />Sure what we do is a bit weird and not for everyone. But it is nice to be different.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"> 8. Accomplishment</span><br /><br />Completing a long brevet gives one a sense of accomplishment ... having overcome real physical and mental challenges...something that not everyone can do. This is true for all of the long brevets, but especially the very long ones. There were probably only 150 riders who rode a 1,000K or longer ride last year ... and a small subset of that (a dozen?) who would have done two or more in a year.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"> 9. Healthy activity</span><br /><br />Fundamentally biking is a healthy activity. Okay, I'm ignoring the three or four 911 calls on our rides last year - several broken shoulders, dehydration, and such, but you can trip and break your neck going down the stairs at home.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">10. Self-destructive behavior</span><br /><br />As a Myers-Briggs INTJ Type, my personality type tends to overdo gratification of the senses ... binge and overindulge compulsively. No point in biking a little; it has to be a lot. Two 1,000K and two 600K rides in six weeks probably qualifies as excessive and overindulgent.<br /><br /><br />I'm sure I could come up with some more reasons ... like since I just burned 36,000 calories on the ride this weekend I'm not going to worry about having an extra slice or two of pizza ... and, hey, it is just plain fun (most of the time anyway).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg5FCJSuzBzYWImER7Bwzk9WtTqynqDLvyrconvtnp-UzBbGhOsqKaNWBDYjuC4VKNNyeV5FN5z5uWYo0cBxt7jeK9-o-o3dP824qEt14ms96Yimb8SDh8t3kFe39AjFoc6lnSulK3/s1600-h/SIR+1000K+224.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg5FCJSuzBzYWImER7Bwzk9WtTqynqDLvyrconvtnp-UzBbGhOsqKaNWBDYjuC4VKNNyeV5FN5z5uWYo0cBxt7jeK9-o-o3dP824qEt14ms96Yimb8SDh8t3kFe39AjFoc6lnSulK3/s400/SIR+1000K+224.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355936597964402850" /></a>Rando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644861414911395174.post-664218484523799452009-07-06T07:04:00.000-07:002009-07-06T19:06:12.377-07:00SIR 1,000K Washington Coast Pre-rideAm I more tired now than after the Portland - Glacier 1,000K two weeks ago? Geez, I don't know. I'm tired, no doubt about it. If I look at the pictures of the three of us - Mark Thomas, Vincent Muoneke, and myself at the end of each ride, I'd say we're more tired now than at the end of that ride. At least we look more zombie like. A midnight start, a 440K day one, and then it being the 2nd 1,000K in two weeks (on top of 2 600K's shortly before that) probably give the nod to this ride.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuaOz7SvH5Q26N3RsF0eht-BaB9ScIdTY_fj6ADcrRALT8NZov9GqPxCkJPDnQxJxItNv4FdLLV9MBsLW5ZJyQXkMVTBWnmEG7S_JXO-BPiH8-SLSOzuWU6P2NTXZ51yO4oteqY5Ir/s1600-h/SIR+1000K+018.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuaOz7SvH5Q26N3RsF0eht-BaB9ScIdTY_fj6ADcrRALT8NZov9GqPxCkJPDnQxJxItNv4FdLLV9MBsLW5ZJyQXkMVTBWnmEG7S_JXO-BPiH8-SLSOzuWU6P2NTXZ51yO4oteqY5Ir/s320/SIR+1000K+018.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355366703252154162" /></a>So where did we go? We started out at the Bainbridge ferry terminal at about 11:30 PM on Thursday and headed west to Port Townsend, and then around the Olympic Peninsula, ending day one a bit before 11 PM in Aberdeen. We had a nice breakfast in Sequim and enjoyed the great views of Lake Crescent (left) from the very narrow, curvy shoulders of US-101. A not so pleasant climb up from the Lake in the heat and searing sun ... probably only mid 80's, but we're used to the cool, cloudy, rainy NW ... before a late lunch in Forks. The heat was especially hard on Mark ... he almost lost what little of the lunch that he did eat. <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbOtEmEfDHg5ot6gM49-F_LAdHR03cCxTTHJytunP2zkxPIV2iyj9-98fzv_iJDO7JjZgKbxo1gIXjqrGPkzrw2yBVKc-1jvyR_Q5xgMe98lA_xOf22NLyfK8UiYIsXiXDKDKUWAfY/s1600-h/SIR+1000K+076.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbOtEmEfDHg5ot6gM49-F_LAdHR03cCxTTHJytunP2zkxPIV2iyj9-98fzv_iJDO7JjZgKbxo1gIXjqrGPkzrw2yBVKc-1jvyR_Q5xgMe98lA_xOf22NLyfK8UiYIsXiXDKDKUWAfY/s320/SIR+1000K+076.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355366945633825842" /></a>From there it was down the west side of the Peninsula ... we made it to Kalaloch ...and I nearly froze. It was cloudy and cool ... the ocean was probably there somewhere, we did hear it...and eventually saw a little of it. It was a long stretch from there to the day's end in Aberdeen ... with one more stop at Amanda Park near Lake Quinalt where it was hot again ... 85 or so. One of the high points of the day was a surprise when we got to the motel ... Trudy had left us some cold bears and Arby's sandwiches when she left the drop bags ... they hit the spot! After 440K and 23 hours of riding, we were wiped.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEtPh0IFgOXr4Cvqji4D2rzlSayhXcmzyCcQ-v8YyAZmP3E2AN96QHeDREAwmDgqOZO3RqryDB2vXnA-EAiF56xvmJQ5ohSFxGzZ7CLkn678Kp0j2vmWrNQe3kl8J4vcUuacXXHVzm/s1600-h/SIR+1000K+158.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEtPh0IFgOXr4Cvqji4D2rzlSayhXcmzyCcQ-v8YyAZmP3E2AN96QHeDREAwmDgqOZO3RqryDB2vXnA-EAiF56xvmJQ5ohSFxGzZ7CLkn678Kp0j2vmWrNQe3kl8J4vcUuacXXHVzm/s320/SIR+1000K+158.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355367160147794482" /></a>Day two was trouble ... a cumulative lack of sleep (3:45 AM wake-up) and horrible coffee at Denny's almost put Mark over the edge. Starting the day with almost losing your breakfast is not a good way to start. Fortunately Mark's stomach eventually settled down and we were able to pick up the pace shortly after Westport. However, that was when Vincent's bike started making more noise. It came and went, our diagnosis was a possible bottom bracket problem. Vincent was not a happy camper, as he had just taken the bike in to have that very issue looked at. When we reached Raymond, Vincent called his son to have him bring a replacement bike to the next control. of course this was the farthest distance from Seattle at Ocean Park on the Long Beach peninsula. But it all worked out ... the bike held out till then, his son made it there with the replacement bike, we had a much needed lunch, and we were back on the road. If our pace on the 2nd half of the day was similar to the first half, we wouldn't finish until 1:30 AM. Ugh. <br /><br />We did pick up the pace though. The rollers that were so tough when we rode south were not so bad going north ... don't know why. We rolled into Aberdeen around 11. while Lacrosse had thrown us a parade two weeks earlier, Aberdeen welcomed us with fireworks ... it was distracting to say the least ... but spectacular and memorable. No Arby's for dinner tonight though. we had stopped and eaten in Raymond, 25 miles earlier, so we weren't famished. I did have an Ensure and a beer before bed. 770K of 1,015 K done. Great progress. <br /><br />Day three was by far the shortest day, with "only" 245K to go. And we got to sleep in ... til 5:20 anyway. Don Jameson, the ride organizer had driven down to pcik up the drop bags, so we were able to take care of that detail before we left ... thanks Don!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifGCc2K8Bpt6uiS5eI7NcodvbhEOaPLE0xXvGQg1znhms0dlOuvQ8602tWDOM1_iCNln7v9F654AdHcdE3WOA8oO5iek5kEbio12-gUdvhaUQV24EUJwaNrDcRrfEyXTRWsOn3GDmc/s1600-h/SIR+1000K+215.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifGCc2K8Bpt6uiS5eI7NcodvbhEOaPLE0xXvGQg1znhms0dlOuvQ8602tWDOM1_iCNln7v9F654AdHcdE3WOA8oO5iek5kEbio12-gUdvhaUQV24EUJwaNrDcRrfEyXTRWsOn3GDmc/s320/SIR+1000K+215.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355367458157074114" /></a>Aside from starting on empty, the day would be relatively easy. It didn't feel that way though. Lots of rolling hills and that nasty, nasty chip seal took its toll. Here are Mark and Vincent at the top of Walker Pass (right).<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We were back on familiar roads ... the ride from Aberdeen to McLeary was much of what we had ridden on the Fleche back in April and then the ride north from Shelton on US-101 to Quilcene along the Hood Canal was one we've ridden on permanents several times this year alone. From Quilcene to Port Hadlock on Center Road ... with chip seal, sun, and hills was one we were glad to get behind us... now only 37 miles to go! The ride across the Hood canal bridge was much more pleasant ... and safer, now that the east half of the bridge has been replaced ... but it is still a stressful experience. On the way to Poulsbo, up an 18 % grade my Garmin insults me by "auto-pausing" as I climb ... apparently so slowly (3.5 mph at one point) that it thought I was stopped and it should stop recording. <br /><br />We make it to the end with time enough before the next ferry to stop at a convenience store for a beer and chips for the ride back to Seattle ... what a nice way to end.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OP7_po3wU6SB54uN2CDOfMqCfxM7DfJzhwkFOlKafD0kEgAXU1snPP5g8MXvMYk2M5mHBLTT4dR7Bk9_K0AZvNBtH6T8CteCJ9BbO3QQ3E5Gt89j06wdX2LXJS27sOdsuJhIHQOu/s1600-h/SIR+1000K+224.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OP7_po3wU6SB54uN2CDOfMqCfxM7DfJzhwkFOlKafD0kEgAXU1snPP5g8MXvMYk2M5mHBLTT4dR7Bk9_K0AZvNBtH6T8CteCJ9BbO3QQ3E5Gt89j06wdX2LXJS27sOdsuJhIHQOu/s400/SIR+1000K+224.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355366483620992642" /></a>Rando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644861414911395174.post-11826214783507227092009-06-23T08:40:00.000-07:002009-07-06T19:09:13.925-07:001,000K Portland to Glacier Pre-ride - No Shoulder to Lean OnAn unsupported 1,000 K ride. What an awesome experience. A beautiful ride. Fantastic riding partners! Mark Thomas, Vincent Muoneke, and I pre-rode the Portland to Glacier 1,000K this past weekend. It was great.<br /><br />The idea of an unsupported 1,000K on unfamiliar roads was intimidating. Yet it is the essence of Randonneuring - according to RUSA ..."Randonneuring is long-distance unsupported endurance cycling." While I love the great support we get at many of the NW Brevets, going back to basics sounded like a great challenge. And it was!<br /><br />Mechanically we were fortunate ... nothing major along the way. I had a stubborn double flat just outside Stevenson on the morning of the first day ... and we had only gone a few hundred feet leaving the hotel when Mark had a minor issue, so I was a bit concerned with the pattern we were setting. But it turned out fine.<br /><br />The first day started out a bit drizzly and cool, but soon cleared up and turned warm (80+). There is one stretch where we ride on I-84 ... and due to construction there is one portion that has no shoulder ... we had to ride in the travel lane. That was most unpleasant, but did increase our pace! The other stressful portion that morning was crossing the Bridge of the Gods ... a wet metal grate surface. We almost walked across, but once we had started it was too unsettling to stop.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_LAVq063bFHqQiWXcd5FVArqBY_BJIfOkTUfIHm4oYxQj4Y-EXd6mhm-yHJp1yTL_fFaUj-olc6FT2kHIrsldYQNp82knRihszHWQe7c5crdZtNjTRO3Bw0IBiAbYSjq8Eya1V-6/s1600-h/Portland+to+Glacier+018.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_LAVq063bFHqQiWXcd5FVArqBY_BJIfOkTUfIHm4oYxQj4Y-EXd6mhm-yHJp1yTL_fFaUj-olc6FT2kHIrsldYQNp82knRihszHWQe7c5crdZtNjTRO3Bw0IBiAbYSjq8Eya1V-6/s320/Portland+to+Glacier+018.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350555172533287362" /></a>After a nice breakfast in Lyle (albeit a bit slow ... ), a tail wind kicked in and we more than made up the time we lost due to my flats. We saw a couple of fully loaded bikers headed west ... they were definitely not enjoying the wind the way we were. We caught up with a couple from California on a tandem ... not quite sure how that happened since they were going 30+ much of the time we were with them ... and had a nice stop at Roosevelt. We stocked up on water before we left ... not many sources of that (or anything else) along the route. <br /><br />At Plymouth, several hours later, we found water (& ice) at the RV park just after turning off SR-14 at the base of the day's one climb. While the climb wasn't particularly difficult, it was lengthy ... but made for a great descent down the other side into Kennewick. Dinner at Subway and stocking up on water again, as no services until the stop for the night in Connell ... 45 miles or so. <br /><br />The last part of the day was slow ... a gradual climb, a bit of a head wind at times, and we were tired by now. At about mile 212, Mark sinks in to a freshly graded dirt/gravel shoulder ... same shade of dust as the road ... and grinds to a halt. I follow behind, turn a bit to avoid him, and keel over as I can't unclip fast enough. The only damage was to the nerves of the lady driving past us ... she pulls over to make sure we are okay. We are, so everyone continues on. At Connell there are no open restaurants when we arrive ... I finish off the rest of my Subway sandwich and Mark/Vincent polish off some Cups of Soup.<br /><br />Breakfast was a Ensure, a Lunchable, a V-8, and a Mountain Dew. Not quite a hearty breakfast, but it was okay. Mark and Vincent didn't have much as their stomachs were unsettled, but by the time we got to Washtucna they were ready to eat. There wasn't much to choose from at the little store/cafe, but Mark was able to get his coffee ... that was a big plus. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivnm4RaOUAhhpw1MUAlbzxr4KbysWiFz9hX_nFurukgspuNhYWXrwvkkSM4AnISGoZqyViKpBc9YXeoza8Ud1zNWOR1CYlUTwr_2UAScGxPZJ_Gi1EUxjT5z2QQgYGtBA1MQ-1u9_R/s1600-h/Portland+to+Glacier+Palouse.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivnm4RaOUAhhpw1MUAlbzxr4KbysWiFz9hX_nFurukgspuNhYWXrwvkkSM4AnISGoZqyViKpBc9YXeoza8Ud1zNWOR1CYlUTwr_2UAScGxPZJ_Gi1EUxjT5z2QQgYGtBA1MQ-1u9_R/s320/Portland+to+Glacier+Palouse.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350561819113467330" /></a>At Lacrosse folks lined the street to see us go by ... well, that is what it felt like. We were there shortly before a parade was going to go down the main street. We waved. I love this part of the state. From here to the Idaho border is the Paluose. The rolling hills are gorgeous ... especially when they are green and we are going between them, not up them. There was a wonderful valley we rode through shortly before Colfax, where we had lunch at Arbys. We agreed that the roast beef sandwiches were great, but that the curly fries were not. <br /><br />Tekoe was having a Classic Car show, so we walked our bikes through main street. The street was covered with broken eggs ... residue from the egg toss they had had a little while earlier. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Mp5fYxTEZg163U36w6yJSGTAj-4GQlnEt2QiSUt5gfo1NPa6TvdtmxzD5m9zb3zBNuUo2uAvsHUwQ-bcj2Fp145zkdba8V2Nx6tLG0PHoNNoCxfYZ8aqsyB1LElA4g6jgCx1vmpY/s1600-h/Portland+to+Glacier+Killer+Dogs+-+NOT.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Mp5fYxTEZg163U36w6yJSGTAj-4GQlnEt2QiSUt5gfo1NPa6TvdtmxzD5m9zb3zBNuUo2uAvsHUwQ-bcj2Fp145zkdba8V2Nx6tLG0PHoNNoCxfYZ8aqsyB1LElA4g6jgCx1vmpY/s320/Portland+to+Glacier+Killer+Dogs+-+NOT.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350566647835356850" /></a>A few miles outside town, right before US-95 in Idaho, was the steepest climb of the day ... fortunately not all that long, with the steep portion probably less than a mile. Maybe half way up we were attacked by three dogs. Being last in line I was closest to them and as they approached I was concerned ... it was a steep grade and I was not getting anywhere fast. I was NOT going to be able to outrun them. My next option, getting in front of Mark so they'd go for him instead didn't seem likely either, as he had a good lead on me (Vincent was practically out of sight). My concern soon dissipated, as the ferocious mutts were tiny little things. While they ran circles around me, they'd jump up and only get a few inches off the ground. It was soon all I could do to stay upright, as I was laughing so hard. I tried to sic them on Mark, but to no avail.<br /><br />Once we reached US-95 it was mostly downhill to Plummer, the start of the Couer D'Alene bike trail. We ate at the grocery on the left, which had a deli section with some decent choices ... and stocked up on water again. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDW_DCrQml_6nJ2y6YqfezNRNYpJuiz0BKK_8ZBzdhFueXV2m3ShDO-m7n0sgL_m7RJmiiW7hLtHgZ7QQVJw0W7qFCCuAzSxku_z1EesE0vSbV4BH7JH9T45SjgPmUkC24RcA4U27M/s1600-h/Portland+to+Glacier+116.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDW_DCrQml_6nJ2y6YqfezNRNYpJuiz0BKK_8ZBzdhFueXV2m3ShDO-m7n0sgL_m7RJmiiW7hLtHgZ7QQVJw0W7qFCCuAzSxku_z1EesE0vSbV4BH7JH9T45SjgPmUkC24RcA4U27M/s320/Portland+to+Glacier+116.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350569831052065650" /></a><br />The trail was wonderful ... several miles of gradual downhill, then flat for miles and miles along the lake and a river valley. Once again we made up time. Eventually it joins up with I-90 and runs through a few small towns that may have had something open, but we smelled the barn and were focused on getting done with the day, so didn't stop. We reached Wallace, our overnight, about 10:30 and stopped at a gas station at the edge of town, scrounging some "food" ... I think I had orange juice, chips, and a lunchable. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigctYRyI3y3WqsJBjKokysBWYR331SS4HH4GEM2dIChW-Iz-OaPSVjC1r2HcB_4sTUXqadVVk5DtcmAzEt06EI5qe-m9QFMF-3vHjqq-tJY-6f7NVjTPzfcb_OXQsuTm0DkqecFomt/s1600-h/Portland+to+Glacier+158.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigctYRyI3y3WqsJBjKokysBWYR331SS4HH4GEM2dIChW-Iz-OaPSVjC1r2HcB_4sTUXqadVVk5DtcmAzEt06EI5qe-m9QFMF-3vHjqq-tJY-6f7NVjTPzfcb_OXQsuTm0DkqecFomt/s320/Portland+to+Glacier+158.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350575092688649170" /></a>Our mistake was not getting something for the morning, as there was nothing in town available when we left at 5:00 AM. So it was an Ensure and a few chips for breakfast. Two mountain passes between us and real food. I have another Ensure after the first pass. We are famished when we finally get to Thompson Falls ... and have a great breakfast at Minnie's Montana Cafe. <br /><br />The next 75 miles or so (on 200 and 28) are not especially pleasant riding. While the scenery is wonderful, the riding is a bit unnerving at times. There is generally no shoulder. On 200, when there is a shoulder they have put a wide rumble strip in the <span style="font-weight:bold;">middle </span>of the shoulder! There is barely enough room to ride on the remaining portion of the shoulder ... and not enough room if there is any debris there. The drivers often do not slow down to pass, but simply (fortunately) move over a bit into the oncoming lane ... with no regard for any oncoming traffic. There were a few times where oncoming traffic was forced partly off the road! You definitely do NOT want to ride this portion at night.<br /><br />We aimed to stop at Lone Pine Store for dinner & water (50 miles from breakfast), but it was "temporarily closed" when we got there ... and it was going to be another 40 miles before our next chance. bummer! We finally made it to Flathead Lake after a long false flat at the end of 28 ... maybe 600 feet of a gradual climb over 8-10 miles. Disheartening as you think you should be making more progress than you are. Probably partly the lack of food. <br /><br />Flathead Lake is a mixed blessing. While there is now a nice shoulder, there is nothing flat about the riding ...lots of ups and downs. We finally make it to Lakeside shortly after 9:00 PM and are wiped. Dairy Queen revitalizes us though. We agree we are going to be going slowly from here ... only about 30 miles to go!<br /><br />About 30 minutes from the end it starts raining hard ... and continues the rest of the way and through till morning. Not a problem though ... we are going to make it, so the rain actually feels good (well, sort of). It was a bit cool .. and actually snowed on the nearby peaks.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZX7UvsTa10IadIfScAn1_C7hiYZUQTMBPGemblVZObRqiucleY4HKsClvCDcs8yLsrYMGZ-TXVS0czCWwdFkdVsa46bpquKW9A_QZnDIo_TeQ2dsWbYOmiCne1cYJ3IgTSYLQyt9n/s1600-h/Portland+to+Glacier+At+the+End.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZX7UvsTa10IadIfScAn1_C7hiYZUQTMBPGemblVZObRqiucleY4HKsClvCDcs8yLsrYMGZ-TXVS0czCWwdFkdVsa46bpquKW9A_QZnDIo_TeQ2dsWbYOmiCne1cYJ3IgTSYLQyt9n/s400/Portland+to+Glacier+At+the+End.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350577695995296898" /></a>We made it!<br /><br />The next morning we gingerly rode our bikes to the bike store ... they will ship them home. Then off to breakfast at the Buffalo Cafe (highly recommended), then coffee & a snack, then lunch, to the bookstore, and back to coffee & another snack. Food was high on our list! We had chosen to fly home, so it was soon time to head for the airport and the end of our adventure. Time to start planning our next one!Rando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644861414911395174.post-11040726824035927612009-06-08T16:32:00.000-07:002009-06-10T07:45:36.133-07:00SIR 600K Preride - Or how I never met a Contol I didn't likeTime management is usually an important element in managing one's ride. Not so on this ride. A relatively flat ride ... especially the first day (6,200 feet of climbing over 255 miles) allows one the opportunity to put a lot of time in the bank ... or not, if they choose to spend the time along the way. On this weekend's pre-ride, we were not miserly with our time. In a spree that would do my wife proud, we spent our time like Congress doles out stimulus money ... <br /><br />My first clue that we would not be setting any personal bests for the course was when we made an unscheduled stop for coffee in Port Orchard. It wasn't just that we were stopping, but that the barista (and I use the term loosely) wrote down each order on a post-it note. Now that was actually a good thing, as when Mark went back up to her several minutes later, after everyone else had received their order and it was apparent that no more Americanos were forthcoming, there was actually some documentation that something was missing.<br /><br />One of the other hallmarks of the ride was that the original course and the route we took did not always coincide. That is one of the aspects of a pre-ride that I like. If it isn't working, we work out a better plan. My Garmin doesn't like it and gets confused ... beeping madly that I am off-course when in fact I am on course and it is simply living in the past. As some 10,000 runners and their people are descending on parts of Tacoma next weekend - and planning on running where we were going to be biking - a change was in order ...hopefully avoiding the worst of the chaos. Get back to me on that.<br /><br />Where we didn't alter our route ... but will for the real deal ... was in Gorst where SR-16 merges with SR-3. Crossing three lanes of 60 mph freeway was more excitement than we needed. More than one pair of shorts likely needed to be changed after that experience. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNXfAjjkOUc5FYHvo9sn2MMbV9l0qPYTliHn3m8JhB7wBJlmrooXDjLQdL16gMcimrrLegs956TdiUTMMsVqkmY9Ag9x5dN1_nLiUs-CnXCX8c2ERs4klJerKTzGMoqaAswEyrKYE9/s1600-h/SIR+Spring+600K+009.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNXfAjjkOUc5FYHvo9sn2MMbV9l0qPYTliHn3m8JhB7wBJlmrooXDjLQdL16gMcimrrLegs956TdiUTMMsVqkmY9Ag9x5dN1_nLiUs-CnXCX8c2ERs4klJerKTzGMoqaAswEyrKYE9/s320/SIR+Spring+600K+009.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345115357131207090" /></a>If you have ever ridden past the Union Country Store in Union without stopping, you've made a big mistake. I have made that mistake many times in the past, although the fact that it had always been closed is probably a valid mitigating factor. Since it was a long ways till our next control in Cosmopolis, it was lunchtime, and we had time to spend, we stopped. <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjetwHW9bc-JekjVynicMmVQBhsT0wWRHPOttlhHnOzFNk0cbBHPZR-sBE0z8qenk7wVBp9HjdU2ArxkhjduaJHwdUZUAiFl7LFKboBYY6ERu3IhtZCgs6drPSqDTa2SIzwUXE7ddt-/s1600-h/SIR+Spring+600K+007.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjetwHW9bc-JekjVynicMmVQBhsT0wWRHPOttlhHnOzFNk0cbBHPZR-sBE0z8qenk7wVBp9HjdU2ArxkhjduaJHwdUZUAiFl7LFKboBYY6ERu3IhtZCgs6drPSqDTa2SIzwUXE7ddt-/s320/SIR+Spring+600K+007.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345116234077806418" /></a>Noel, Mark, and I rolled up a few minutes after everyone else - Noel had had a flat tire - Peter was lounging in a chair with one of his many cokes. We went inside and after a few minutes of indecision we began to narrow in on our choices. The clerk then announced that she was going to have some pre-made sandwiches ready in a few minutes. That sounded better than what we had come up with, so we custom ordered a few pre-made sandwiches. Very good. I saved part of mine for a later stop. Having not eaten enough on last week's Oregon 600 XTR, I was now working on the other extreme.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc0c7pbWXGp1gJLp7oiapGWHzND_U0RG_-Ci2go8OuEI0Uyse4bhc0aDR_Ov99q1chqRtS64ivd5KVdZFT5kJPJ4ZkDgHjeNi9NCsviY_-1C4UR_zcoL5oSOMsR2iefL2PTiKPrMbW/s1600-h/SIR+Spring+600K+008.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc0c7pbWXGp1gJLp7oiapGWHzND_U0RG_-Ci2go8OuEI0Uyse4bhc0aDR_Ov99q1chqRtS64ivd5KVdZFT5kJPJ4ZkDgHjeNi9NCsviY_-1C4UR_zcoL5oSOMsR2iefL2PTiKPrMbW/s320/SIR+Spring+600K+008.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345120135767781330" /></a>It was a relaxing stop, but at some point, we reluctantly decided to move on.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We left Union, then left the Hood Canal with a climb up towards Shelton. After 16 miles of pretty darn flat (if you don't count all the chip seal up and downs), a bit of a climb was a nice change of pace. Had I mentioned there was some climbing before the control at Waterman Point? No mountain passes or anything like that. I'm sure my Garmin was still confused from the earlier rerouting when it hit a 30 degree grade a couple of times on Orchard. But I digress. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxndDpbBy_oiWqpDuY6T89lLcYhHjeUXP_f2H73A_HsA7k2uwJBYP7zKfzixUa_sIq_cEXgGO_r1R7MxFcVSOFwClzEHn_UDYzXeqJVul16fBA30fhtv8DndwA0oYLJqOh7Hmm_6nR/s1600-h/SIR+Spring+600K+022.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxndDpbBy_oiWqpDuY6T89lLcYhHjeUXP_f2H73A_HsA7k2uwJBYP7zKfzixUa_sIq_cEXgGO_r1R7MxFcVSOFwClzEHn_UDYzXeqJVul16fBA30fhtv8DndwA0oYLJqOh7Hmm_6nR/s320/SIR+Spring+600K+022.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345122909203610754" /></a>It must be time for a stop. At Matlock we pulled in just as a few raindrops began to fall. Nothing major, but may as well go in and set a spell. Coke time for Peter. I finished off my sandwich. When we finally get back on the road and head for Brady, I come to the conclusion that it is much faster going Matlock to Brady than Brady to Matlock. A gentle downhill and perhaps a slight tailwind do make a difference. We managed to pass stores in Brady and Montesano without stopping. <br /><br />At Cosmopolis Albert has a nice stop set up for us at the Chevron. He had us go into the store to sign our cards - to give them the practice. We sat for a few minutes - I ate a Lunchable, which I prefer to the greasy burritos, fried chicken, and similar choices at many of these types of mini marts. We worked out a reroute for Westport, cutting out a couple of miles that weren't needed and taking advantage of the Shell/Subway right on SR-105. <br /><br />At Westport, Albert was there with his van and chairs all ready for us. Once again we ate, drank, and rested ... before we prepared for riding at night and headed out along another very flat stretch. From Brady to the overnight control ... about 200K, there is only a little over 2000 feet of climbing. It gets dark before we get to Raymond and Vincent discovers that his light isn't working - somehow it got water inside. Bummer. Fortunately we come up with a backup and he's able to continue ... after another unscheduled stop at the Raymond 24 hour Chevron. It is a blessing that there are no tables & chairs there, so we don't stay all that long. As the local high school graduated their seniors that day and the beer sales had been heavy, we were glad to get out of Dodge.<br /><br />I hadn't ridden the Raymond to Centralia stretch before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I still haven't seen it, since it was pretty dark, but it was decent riding - generally good shoulders and only one big hill a bit before Pe Ell. Shortly after that it was our last control before the overnight. Albert had set up a stop in a wide spot along the road. Hot cup of noodles hit the spot. Along with some Doritos it recharged us for the last stretch of the night. <br /><br />We made it to the overnight about 2:15. It would not have been hard to make it before midnight if we hadn't stopped so many times and for so long ... but then the ride isn't about getting there quickly or getting a good night's sleep. <br /><br />Getting a good night's sleep was certainly not what I ended up with ... the folks in the room next door complained about us making some noise as we arrived. Yes, these were the ones with the TV going loudly all night long. Recommendation: bring ear plugs. I did get to sleep, but woke up at 4:15, then 5:30, and finally got up for good at 5:50. I did feel rested ... especially by comparison to last week's 600K with no sleep (an hour of rest). We hit the road at about 6:30.<br /><br />Mark had called ahead to a local cafe ... they're open for breakfast, right? Yes, we are was the answer. It is so easy to miscommunicate. They open for breakfast at 8:00 AM. Well, McMinnimans is a few blocks away, we'll go there. A block from there ... Peter is actually on the doorstep of McMinnimans, when we pass a tavern that is open, with people standing outside. Vincent asks them about breakfast. They're serving! We go in to the back, by the pool table. As we pull some tables together, the bartender tells us they're a tavern ... and a grill, it may take a while. We were warned. Some warnings should be ignored. this one shouldn't have been. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUQApLzwnyCMmCsXLmgMW_fDRLYEKulEl5bW53GYhrV9aekD64K5TmSfy11kLaJt-ZcWMScfKj705hyjA_uVM6SH8HeHsVd-XbPfhvf9a9kL0X1dHlchyG8-hnb98n6m9xKBKqsl80/s1600-h/SIR+Spring+600K+036.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUQApLzwnyCMmCsXLmgMW_fDRLYEKulEl5bW53GYhrV9aekD64K5TmSfy11kLaJt-ZcWMScfKj705hyjA_uVM6SH8HeHsVd-XbPfhvf9a9kL0X1dHlchyG8-hnb98n6m9xKBKqsl80/s320/SIR+Spring+600K+036.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345154532335964226" /></a>She took our orders and eventually my meal came. I ate and paid for it <span style="font-weight:bold;">before </span>the others got theirs. There was one cook, one grill, and a one order at a time process. We didn't get out of there until almost 8:15. It was an experience. Drinking beer at that time of day ... well, I guess we all make our choices. While I was waiting I went out to fuss with my bike ... and was told it was a good thing it was early in the month. Apparently that meant the welfare checks had just arrived and so it was less likely that our bikes would disappear. I stayed out and watched them the rest of the time anyway.<br />Noel was the last of the riders to get their meal (Alberts was last, but time was not quite as pressing for him). I'm not sure if he felt any pressure from the eight other riders who were itching to go, but he wolfed down part of his meal, packed up the rest, and we finally hit the road. <br /><br />This ride doesn't have all that much climbing, but the biggest portion of the climbing is in the 100K after Centralia. It doesn't start out gently, and on a full stomach ... well, a few riders didn't loose their breakfast, but did get to enjoy parts of it a second time. I was grateful that I had been served first and had the opportunity to digest it.<br /><br />While on the first day we rode pretty much together all the way, with the steeper hills we spread apart pretty quickly. I caught up with Peter, Vincent, and Charlie in Morton and we went to the Thriftway ... they had a deli and we cleaned out their lasagna. While we had had a big breakfast, that was long gone. They found some additional chairs so we could sit down while we ate ... then it was time to hit the road.<br /><br />Peter, Vincent, and Peter climbed faster than I did, so they were sitting in Elbe eating fries and drinking a coke. They were going to wait and regroup with the rest of the group. I was feeling tired and wanted to get the rollers out of the way, so headed off. I kept going all the way to the next control in Enumclaw. I figured that way I could get a nicer rest. <br /><br />Albert was at the stop with his van and chairs ... I was glad to see him and plopped into a chair. I was ready to rest. After some water, Doritos, and Coke, I began to get coherent again. Albert was on his laptop, fussing with the course on MS Streets & Trips ... we managed to work out a reroute for the rest of the ride ... so we didn't have to go to Black Diamond and climb out of the Green River Gorge. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0d4jl5DYYl4Vv5hF6jDiRL3BOLfXQtFY-CuGlwp20WnOeNBiAsvHMpCRdpVTDDpvj7G9HWAUs7tFf8dEPHCytDGtPUB6IxCiGyUd_HMCM4w3-jOnMbVurF7ViHmHtBkdE1oJZtVWN/s1600-h/SIR+Spring+600K+038.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0d4jl5DYYl4Vv5hF6jDiRL3BOLfXQtFY-CuGlwp20WnOeNBiAsvHMpCRdpVTDDpvj7G9HWAUs7tFf8dEPHCytDGtPUB6IxCiGyUd_HMCM4w3-jOnMbVurF7ViHmHtBkdE1oJZtVWN/s320/SIR+Spring+600K+038.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345170604700050898" /></a>We made it to the end at 6:23 PM ... 36 hours and 23 minutes. Albert was there for us at the end, as he had been all throughout the ride. He had pizza and beer for us. Thank you Albert. My Garmin had gone nuts with the last reroute and failed to properly record the ride, so I don't know how much of that was riding time ... but there was at least nine hours off the bike.Rando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644861414911395174.post-72899682673282736602009-06-01T11:15:00.000-07:002009-07-13T08:34:06.381-07:00Oregon 600K XTR - An Extra Special RideNow that was a ride!<br /><br />The Oregon XTR was everything it was promised to be and more. Stunning scenery, grueling climbs, debilitating heat, fantastic support, and great riding companions. Who could ask for anything more? <br /><br />More heat would definitely not be on anyone's request list. Certainly not mine. I am not a strong rider in the heat, and my lack of experience in the heat cost me. I took too many Endurolytes in the beginning, then too few. The too many caused stomach problems, which threw off my eating, the too few caused cramping. But I get ahead of myself.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsoa-h-_FLV5dushDwsf7JDLOqCs5rtZr2DTB14UNtA6d13ND4Mv28WPVz12Zwn6G0rjaGqEBjRGn16gMkSC1JPHjZxrInELXlVdOibq702id5Px6uHVDakd8Hl-kx1KvADBYeSB_b/s1600-h/OR+600K+XTR+021.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsoa-h-_FLV5dushDwsf7JDLOqCs5rtZr2DTB14UNtA6d13ND4Mv28WPVz12Zwn6G0rjaGqEBjRGn16gMkSC1JPHjZxrInELXlVdOibq702id5Px6uHVDakd8Hl-kx1KvADBYeSB_b/s320/OR+600K+XTR+021.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342543701625763794" /></a>The ride started at 4:30 AM. It was pleasant ... 60 or so. No need for arm/leg warmers or a jacket. The first 23 miles were essentially flat going along the Columbia river before beginning a long, gradual climb up Scott Canyon Road from Rufus. Wheat and wind farms greet us. Snakes are testament to the need for vigilance on the road ... and off. I pass over a small snake, perhaps a rattler, as it slithers towards the side.<br /><br />By the time we reached Condon at mile 74 it was hot. We had enjoyed a brief secret control with Eric Ahlvin on the way... a cold V-8 hit the spot. Condon was not a destination spot ... we stopped at a run-down gas station with a small convenience section. Broken pop machine dispensed no ice or cold water for us. We made do with the meager selection and filled up our water bottles before heading to our next control at Spray ... fifty miles away with no services in between. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs79S5qroiDUBwWyOx8k91QTWAcPsvhrp7lvhlj97urhoX9Id5xfzLO-esB37PWAJ8slARTRTOdlxsUObtwjq-QfCn-6aXs-svsR2TPd-zMx6OZQrieUBFPEy452RIqcFA3MtJnxwG/s1600-h/OR+600K+XTR+047.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs79S5qroiDUBwWyOx8k91QTWAcPsvhrp7lvhlj97urhoX9Id5xfzLO-esB37PWAJ8slARTRTOdlxsUObtwjq-QfCn-6aXs-svsR2TPd-zMx6OZQrieUBFPEy452RIqcFA3MtJnxwG/s320/OR+600K+XTR+047.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342547499383929890" /></a>The ride to Spray was a lot of up and down - sustained climbing with nice descents, ending with a pleasant ride along a river valley. We reached Spray a bit after two. Vincent had a burger ... I didn't really have anything much to eat - some potato chips. Not a smart move, but my stomach was bothering me and I didn't want to risk losing it all. While the next section of the ride was a gradual uphill from here, it went downhill rapidly for me.<br /><br />The 23 mile climb up to Keyes Creek Summit (4,369 feet) nearly did me in. The heat, the climb, the cramping, and lack of food led to major bonking ... I could go only a few miles at a time before I had to stop and recover. Finally, after laying down on the dirt and rocks on the side of the road, I forced down an Ensure. That turned the tide ... the temperature cooled down as the sun began to set, the grade lessened, and I felt better. Strong even. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkNhejk2eb8eucnbIyos3a53xTKmE-zxFOe0Z8GHkHbsfe9n9DLzIvI1MefnWmhmEm-nKFJpwj5ffaduOu2M1wN4yLh9NW60oGPclfm3X4eLBmIcsCYNsDs29hheofYQsDyGR8dQTr/s1600-h/OR+600K+XTR+060.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkNhejk2eb8eucnbIyos3a53xTKmE-zxFOe0Z8GHkHbsfe9n9DLzIvI1MefnWmhmEm-nKFJpwj5ffaduOu2M1wN4yLh9NW60oGPclfm3X4eLBmIcsCYNsDs29hheofYQsDyGR8dQTr/s320/OR+600K+XTR+060.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342501633842887922" /></a>My riding partner, Vincent, was a godsend. He patiently encouraged me to rest, to take my Endurolytes, and then, once I was recovering, to not overdo it. That was a challenge, as the sun was setting ... I wanted to get to the crest by sundown so we would have the twilight for the descent into Mitchell. We had been warned about deer crossing the road, so having some twilight was essential if we were going to descend with speed. We made it ... and it was gorgeous. The descent was a blast ... an effortless 30-35 mph that made one almost ... almost forget the pain of the climbing up.<br /><br />David Rowe was manning the control at Mitchell ... and had food and drink that topped off my recovery. I was back. It was very pleasant sitting with my fellow randos in the park, talking of rides - past, present, and future. Ian Shopland, Rick Blacker, Erik Anderson, Mike Johnson, and Alex Kohan were among those there. <br /><br />But the end was not getting any closer as we sat, so with three hours in the bank, we rigged for night riding and hit the road in what was now darkness. One more climb up to Ochoco Pass (4,731 feet), and then a long descent before we reached the overnight control at Prineville. David Rowe and Eric Ahlvin had put on wool and windbreakers for a cold descent a week earlier. That was overkill now. While I put on my sleeveless shell and a hat, I was comfortable without anything on my legs or arms. Maybe a bit cool, but that felt oh so nice after the heat of the day.<br /><br />John Kramer and David Read were at the overnight control, serving up great pasta, garlic bread, beverages, and cheer. They got set us up in a room, offering a wake-up service! Wanting to take advantage of the coolness of the night, we stayed only a couple of hours - ate, showered, changed, and laid down for 45 minutes or so. No sleep, but definitely refreshed. We left at about 3:15 AM. 233 miles down, 143 miles to go!<br /><br />A short overnight stop was definitely the right choice ... if anything we should have cut it shorter. Although Vincent was having stomach issues, we made good time from Prineville to Warm Springs. It being mostly downhill probably helped, but we felt good about our progress anyway. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7UJmroGKw3NMhl3CS0EAL2Kb7d03IgTqi0VH_NTHqljA6-YhEjoLuCgwNuspB5X5hW-6CgEkHp1ldhwTmQQCiOY8ycuPibqc_4Y7m5nEFXAUgYH75rlk0NEYLP1FxiIyKkVmCXTzj/s1600-h/OR+600K+XTR+ice.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 263px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7UJmroGKw3NMhl3CS0EAL2Kb7d03IgTqi0VH_NTHqljA6-YhEjoLuCgwNuspB5X5hW-6CgEkHp1ldhwTmQQCiOY8ycuPibqc_4Y7m5nEFXAUgYH75rlk0NEYLP1FxiIyKkVmCXTzj/s320/OR+600K+XTR+ice.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342532477026685634" /></a>We made it to Warm Springs while it was still cool, missed out on the ice though, but finished the long, slow climb before it turned hot. While we ate and rested at the Three Warriors Market, Peter Beeson, Bob Brudvik, Ole Mikkelsen, and Greg Courtney joined us. While we left before they did, they soon caught up and passed us. We rejoined them briefly in Maupin for drinks and ice cream at Graves Market. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqEpxHe3z3yLmQqB4wWkhcGxYQM9HTZyINIjEt-3LXQSc9MafM5DtL8ZAZyyII3bJnznOwkMgFSfc9YIsKiYWa7X11nhxhmSfw2YZkbbRhOwqRhITqCR9mtWtCfusnuMwSnjZQCWq/s1600-h/OR+600K+XTR+101.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqEpxHe3z3yLmQqB4wWkhcGxYQM9HTZyINIjEt-3LXQSc9MafM5DtL8ZAZyyII3bJnznOwkMgFSfc9YIsKiYWa7X11nhxhmSfw2YZkbbRhOwqRhITqCR9mtWtCfusnuMwSnjZQCWq/s320/OR+600K+XTR+101.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342550441511578082" /></a>It was now heating up and the last climb of the ride was ahead of us. A pleasant ride down the Deschutes River valley, with river rafters and steelhead fishermen along the way came first, then a brief (several miles) brutal climb up a baking, shadeless canyon. <br /><br />No, that was not the end of the climb. Just an interlude through the Tygh valley. Still unbearably hot, so I knock on a farmhouse door to get permission to sit on the grass under a large tree. A short stop, but helpful. I would have asked for water as well, but the resident didn't seem receptive. So we stopped a few miles down the road ... no answer at the door there, but a sprinkler was going - standing in it felt great. Vincent filled up a water bottle to douse himself with later. It would soon come in handy!<br /><br />A mile or so later the last climb really started - from my Garmin profile screen I could tell we had 6 or 7 miles of solid climbing ahead of us ... and Vincent's temperature gauge read 104. Besides being unbearably hot, I now had a nose bleed. I made it a couple of miles before I had to stop ... there were occasional trees off the side of the road ... with a little shade available before the sharp drop off the side. After climbing over the guardrail and checking for snakes, I sat down for a minute or two. Not a huge rest, but enough to let me catch my breath and calm down a bit. I repeated this a few times, with the distance between stops getting shorter and shorter. I could still see Vincent off in the distance ... now I couldn't handle riding as I was feeling a bit unsteady. So I decided I'd just walk the rest of the way up the hill - only two, three miles tops. It would be progress. After a mile or so, Scott Peterson drove up and stopped ... gave me a refreshing drink of ice cold water and filled up my water bottle with the cold water. That rejuvenated me enough that I was able to ride and walk the rest of the way to the top. <br /><br />At the summit were a bunch of gallon jugs of water ... hot water, but water nonetheless. I refilled my containers and set off. Only 28 miles to go ... almost all downhill. No services along the way ... one small town with limited services a mile or so off course, but I did not want any extra miles at this point. Having ridden up the last stretch a couple of years ago on my first 1000K ride, I knew that it was a pleasant downhill, with shady spots and a stream. I had visions of cooling off my water bottle in the stream to chill the water for a cool drink. It didn't work, but the idea pulled me towards the end. <br /><br />At five minutes to five, after 36 hours and 25 minutes, I reached the end. Over 20,00 feet of climbing and 23,000 calories burned. I was wiped. I briefly recovered in John's room - a beer and a slice of pizza, washed the blood, sweat, and grime off my face, and listened to the post ride chat for a bit. Then it was off to our room for a shower and sleep. I slept for about three hours before Vincent woke me for the four hour drive back home. Vincent filled me in on the ride results - 25 of the 27 riders finished.<br /><br />What a great time!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFi9OERjYx0qL9mDUzDKaD6hJWpMV15sW9U_M5UuhfREZ9rq8m6-WaQpASgNpbkn7d9S_oVTm820IRADynpKAa8FXnBh7mYuOlnDJQoRGM5s8z-cIsJM37Rloz4rFWQanZ-lK0CH7_/s1600-h/OR+600K+XTR+107.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFi9OERjYx0qL9mDUzDKaD6hJWpMV15sW9U_M5UuhfREZ9rq8m6-WaQpASgNpbkn7d9S_oVTm820IRADynpKAa8FXnBh7mYuOlnDJQoRGM5s8z-cIsJM37Rloz4rFWQanZ-lK0CH7_/s320/OR+600K+XTR+107.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342553775841292866" /></a>The XTR was a special ride. The icing on the cake was the little things that John had done - a cut-down cardboard route sheet, double sided, color, and with various icons - a nifty brevet card that included a google map route overview and elevation profile - a personalized biker statuette - and a ride business card, complete with elevation profile. John and team - thanks for a great ride and a great memory!Rando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644861414911395174.post-58560204806852521082009-05-10T18:17:00.000-07:002009-09-05T12:29:37.533-07:00Spring 2009 400K Pre-ride ReportNine of us headed out of Ephrata yesterday morning on the 400K pre-ride. Seven of us finished within time, one DNF, and one finished outside of the time limit. It is a great course, with some wonderful new roads. First some lessons learned and then some ride highlights. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />LESSONS LEARNED:</span><br /><br />1. Even if the forecast is for nice weather, it still gets darn cold on the first descents and then late at night. The forecast was for a high of 71 ... and it probably hit it, but I darn near froze my fingers, toes, and ears off on the descent into Moses Coulee after the climb out of Ephrata to get started. Then it cooled off rapidly after dark.<br /><br />2. If you abandon the ride or are going to be way outside the control times, call Mike or Shane - phone #'s are on the route sheet. Not calling means (1) volunteers wasting time waiting for you at controls, (2) folks worrying and possibly looking for you on the course while you may be snug in a motel bed.<br /><br />3. While there is plenty of climbing - slightly over 12,000 feet of climbing - there are only two nasty climbs that are likely tough for tandems (i.e. 10+% grades). At the end of the Columbia River Road into Nespelum and leaving Coulee Dam. Maybe half-way down the Loup Loup descent there is a noticeable climb. If you build up some extra speed you can make it up a bit more of the climb - certainly not all of it - but it will make it a tad easier.<br /><br />4. Food choices along the route are pretty slim - aside from normal convenience store fare. There is a restaurant in Pateros at the Chevron (along with normal convenience store stuff) that we had a decent sit down breakfast at. There was a cafe (Tims) advertising breakfast served all day in Carlton (shortly before the turn up to Loop Loop). The 24 hr Conoco in Omak choices were pretty limited and unappealing to me (burritos, corn dogs, & similar greasy fare) - other than the pre-made (maybe this month sometime) sandwiches. There was a Mexican restaurant along the way before that, but other choices would be off-route (north of town a ways). After Omak your choices (outside SIR controls) will be limited unless you a fairly fast (Nespelum had a grocery store that closes at 8:00 PM) and Coulee Dam had a Safeway that closes at 10.<br /><br />5. It is possible to call home from the top of Loup Loup pass and wave to them via the DOT web cam.<br /><br />6. For most riders (aside from the really fast/slow), there will most likely not be anything open in Ephrata to get food after the ride, so plan ahead. Wanda's Country Kitchen is a great place for breakfast in Ephrata after the ride. They open at 6:00 AM. It is a block and a half north from the start on the main drag.<br /><br />7. Read the route sheet and look at the course on the map beforehand so you have a concept of where you are going. There aren't many turns of the route, but if you miss one, it can be many miles before you hit the next town/intersection and you could end up with a lot of bonus miles. It seems obvious, but remember to look at the route sheet on the course and if you have a GPS, remember to turn it on.<br /><br />8. Moses Coulee is not Moses Lake. While there are lots of stores in Moses Lake, there are none in Moses Coulee. Do not plan on getting supplies in Moses Coulee.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">RIDE HIGHLIGHTS:</span><br /><br />We started right at 5:00 AM and were joking about how hard it would be to mess up the turns on the course since there were so few (ten in that version). Of course we then promptly messed up on the first turn, turning one block too soon since the route sheet said immediately turn instead of at 2nd light. Oops.<br /><br />It seemed relatively warm when we started and we certainly warmed up quickly climbing out of Ephrata. We soon split into our riding pattern - Tom Martin out front, Bob, Mark, Tom Brett, Matt D, Mike, and myself, and then Narayan and Duane riding in the back. At the end of the climb, we descended into Moses Coulee, which was much, much colder. Relying on the forecast of a nice day and the presumption that we'd be warm from the starting climb, I hadn't put on a hat nor full-fingered gloves. Big mistake. I was very uncomfortable - fingers in the armpit has limited effectiveness.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNUN4Idx6Y6uIyb95OIyBtNBumgctWAiOy8_OdPmlhWhP5InXzWa5AP4FLfL48s0kW7BJb8omKnyokv9DcESfHVJLkhuD0hBCmiKCODo0fvYlcQkLRLH_h81_U8uHEzaw64riG1YYt/s1600-h/Sp+09+400K+Preride+007.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNUN4Idx6Y6uIyb95OIyBtNBumgctWAiOy8_OdPmlhWhP5InXzWa5AP4FLfL48s0kW7BJb8omKnyokv9DcESfHVJLkhuD0hBCmiKCODo0fvYlcQkLRLH_h81_U8uHEzaw64riG1YYt/s320/Sp+09+400K+Preride+007.JPG" border="0"alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334384690955543538" /></a>Moses Coulee was great riding, practically no cars, and had great views ... a far cry from all the greenery in Western Washington rides. We saw a Coyote ... and it raced off when it saw Bob's Red Booties.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPFRkwv0IRr3xU2JhR8xXW6bGWtfbZrfbrXw1VsevnEJJdhdFjvljBuwEYUp5XndRHuzMzI7yVNwkhJgfS1j-5FGzqn8sFNHdZrDei9e1lkOtz4szSkN53GlnzSvbWa5i01T3E7O5/s1600-h/Sp+09+400K+Preride+022.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPFRkwv0IRr3xU2JhR8xXW6bGWtfbZrfbrXw1VsevnEJJdhdFjvljBuwEYUp5XndRHuzMzI7yVNwkhJgfS1j-5FGzqn8sFNHdZrDei9e1lkOtz4szSkN53GlnzSvbWa5i01T3E7O5/s320/Sp+09+400K+Preride+022.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334386019065065202" /></a>From Moses Coulee we climbed up to Farmer, then turned north for 14 miles of gentle climbing ... and field and fields. One can see for miles and miles and it is almost all the same. Only a few cars.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqky3ycJKBTMTEk2R5lH2IfMAb_-8a8H2mGdWNg6o4ORdDRUGDZHBXdPzu9LI459khDVUN7v25pE6WkANPSVNHDBUEeHcxb-BbHRA0Up2m_ESbXWRqiB0nFIeIF6gGwYTWUv_jdHR8/s1600-h/Sp+09+400K+Preride+029.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqky3ycJKBTMTEk2R5lH2IfMAb_-8a8H2mGdWNg6o4ORdDRUGDZHBXdPzu9LI459khDVUN7v25pE6WkANPSVNHDBUEeHcxb-BbHRA0Up2m_ESbXWRqiB0nFIeIF6gGwYTWUv_jdHR8/s320/Sp+09+400K+Preride+029.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334386817364756226" /></a>We made it to the top of McNeil Pass. Now for the descent! It was a great descent ... smooth road surface, no sharp turns. It was a blast. There was a dog then came out and challenged us ... it wasn't an issue for the first ones down ... be fast or be slow! At the bottom was our first opportunity for water - Beebe St Park. From there we road along the Columbia on 97 to Pateros - a lot of traffic, but great shoulders and no meaningful climbs. At Pateros we sat down for a meal ... this was going to be one of the few opportunities and after 75 miles we were ready. Shane and Chantel, who were providing ride support, showed up while we were eating and gave us an update.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWW5Lyvzc4kjQBOypp_CBC867Hu4PicNqtozEciO66yRKbBbsuT4wZ8ERUP7dD8dZtSfqzvUqEMUD-SdeTnqTX_pjgp5YrujiyVt3EZRJFzdCrKBdCOTZ6T94pu3qa7Ydie0czwtaD/s1600-h/Sp+09+400K+Preride+033.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWW5Lyvzc4kjQBOypp_CBC867Hu4PicNqtozEciO66yRKbBbsuT4wZ8ERUP7dD8dZtSfqzvUqEMUD-SdeTnqTX_pjgp5YrujiyVt3EZRJFzdCrKBdCOTZ6T94pu3qa7Ydie0czwtaD/s320/Sp+09+400K+Preride+033.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334391512056724018" /></a>Then it was time to start up the Methow Valley. There were two groups of dark clouds where we were headed - definitely raining. Would we be riding into it? Looked that way, but we managed to ride between the showers - only got a few drops and only a short stretch of wet pavement. We made it to Carlton - shortly before the turn up to Loop Loop. The store seemed reasonably well stocked and even had a few deli sandwiches. We regrouped there. They had a few bikes hanging around ... this one had a motor assist that might come in handy going up Loup Loup (is that legal?). It took 1 hr 10 min to 1 hr 25 min to climb up Loop Loop from the turn onto 20 to the top for those in our group - Matt dropped back and started riding separately at this point... then another fun descent. We couldn't open it up as much on this descent as the McNeils Canyon descent, but it was fun just the same. When we finally made it to Okanagan, it seemed to take forever to get to the control in Omak ...and it was not a high quality stop. Covered the basics - but not much more. Dark clouds were approaching as we left ...they were headed our direction ... would we outrun them? <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzsckTcYXoxbY9TrNI3bVm5dKQZtGWIv7YdgFJJsboaUK2Sxbm1tA-SPKW_Gw2Rcb_-S9OFraoR6PiPOcgz-HR_W1FEynRYmeTJrXG_mA3wp9GufSHTZVzg6x0irTKvhx-SVXG1xB/s1600-h/Sp+09+400K+Preride+039.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzsckTcYXoxbY9TrNI3bVm5dKQZtGWIv7YdgFJJsboaUK2Sxbm1tA-SPKW_Gw2Rcb_-S9OFraoR6PiPOcgz-HR_W1FEynRYmeTJrXG_mA3wp9GufSHTZVzg6x0irTKvhx-SVXG1xB/s320/Sp+09+400K+Preride+039.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334395775515854802" /></a>We had 41 miles of riding before our next turn ... not only were we riding into some blue sky, but some gorgeous scenery and wonderful roads ... very little traffic. A couple of climbs, but well worth it. Mike and Shane have found a real gem.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2wdnCKRMmjPeBmx8AEoJewWBp56-C-zc_umpBm3ot11tYW9zVlVX5IIPhchDFUG94wTrlJ36ucpPgA9idbI0efN2E9410ilE8fVcHJ6lwdTpDfZfU6dm5kmfqDu4y2uiNsYsrst5H/s1600-h/Sp+09+400K+Preride+059.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2wdnCKRMmjPeBmx8AEoJewWBp56-C-zc_umpBm3ot11tYW9zVlVX5IIPhchDFUG94wTrlJ36ucpPgA9idbI0efN2E9410ilE8fVcHJ6lwdTpDfZfU6dm5kmfqDu4y2uiNsYsrst5H/s320/Sp+09+400K+Preride+059.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334396862619542626" /></a>Bob started a stampede ... those red booties. He made up for it shortly thereafter. We made it to Nespelum a few minutes after the store closed, but he sweet talked the clerk to let us in as she unlocked the door to let out a customer. I'm sure it was the red booties that were the clincher. It was getting dark as we left the store, so we prepped for night riding ... jackets & hats on. <br /><br /><br />Before long we were in Coulee Dam ... and a particularly<br />nasty climb out of town past the dam. But it was well worth it. At the edge of town Shane and Chantel had set up a control that was fantastic. Sandwiches, soup, beverages, & chairs. We stayed longer than we should have, but left feeling quite refreshed. Thank you Shane & Chantel !<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNWR17YV9Fvf9yxT2ubwxzXQL86XKFtzJE8Ywn6CBVqtOa194dAoRccp5WMMdPQw4eZDPNjo9YfV1BFtgJ1MfQCTmlLBjXpMM3vili_LhhB6_exy3jEQQ_fUR4EMb038kykm-iaoZJ/s1600-h/Sp+09+400K+Preride+069.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNWR17YV9Fvf9yxT2ubwxzXQL86XKFtzJE8Ywn6CBVqtOa194dAoRccp5WMMdPQw4eZDPNjo9YfV1BFtgJ1MfQCTmlLBjXpMM3vili_LhhB6_exy3jEQQ_fUR4EMb038kykm-iaoZJ/s320/Sp+09+400K+Preride+069.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334404363084633730" /></a>One more stop ... at the Dry Falls Visitor Center ... to stock up on water and take advantage of heated bathrooms (open 24 hrs). Then only 24 miles to go ... we finished at 2:34 AM.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Tom Martin finished about 5 AM ... a wrong turn (GPS turned off) and something like 50 bonus miles meant he finished after us. Matt Dalton finished about 5:15 AM. Narayan DNF'd, running out of food at the end of the Columbia River Road. Duane finished at 9:30 AM, outside the 8:00 AM limit.Rando Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03964120377353293434noreply@blogger.com2