Day 77 – August 19, 2016 Newcomb NY to Benson VT
63.5 miles 3750 Elevation Gain
We started off the morning a little chilly and with some pretty thick fog. Since the store we had expected from the AC map had actually burned down a couple years ago, we went to have breakfast in town before heading out to ride. We were told of a lookout about the Hudson River that we would not want to miss but the fog was so thick there would have been nothing to see. We did run into quite a bit of construction that slowed us down. The plan was to go off route what started as a couple miles off route that turned into 13 miles off route…..13 steep tough miles. It actually would have been 18 almost 19 but we called Carol’s friends from the store in Benson and they offered to come shuttle us the rest of the way to their home. Steve and Sean decided to ride on to the house on Lake Champlain unloaded but there were a number of turns and Steve ended up not knowing which way Sean had headed and taking a wrong turn. After much frustration on both their parts, I’m sure, Steve was located and brought back. I was glad Carol was able to visit an old friend but have to be honest that had I known the distance off route and level of difficulty Steve and I would probably would have done something else for our rest day. They were very nice hosts and do have a beautiful home on the lake. Janie fixed us a wonderful dinner followed by rhubarb strawberry pie and we were all a bit tired and I headed to bed early.
Day 76 – August 18, 2016 Speculator to Newcomb NY
65.1 miles 3825 Elevation Gain
The second day in the Adirondack Park proved to be just as hilly as the first but I really was enjoying the climbing. We ran into a group of local cyclists that were doing a loop and lived in the town we were headed to. One of the cyclists, Mary, said she was having a BBQ for a bunch of friends including the cyclists and invited us to come join in. The campground we had planned to stay in seemed like something from the twilight zone. The office was closed and some campers in the ground but no sign of life. We finally found someone that told us the campground was very loosely run and just to camp and someone MIGHT stop by eventually. Sean was able to find an updated phone number and we were able to pay over the phone. The showers were interesting. Coin operated only Sean was able to get the men’s to run with no quarters. After getting completely undressed, I was not able to get the women’s to run even with quarters so waited for Steve to finish in the men’s popped over there and he was talking me through how to get the shower to function by talking through the walls. It ended up being quite comical. We did go over to the BBQ and met great people and enjoyed a very nice meal with them.
Day 75 – August 17, 2016 Palatine Bridge to Speculator NY
67.2 miles 3661 Elevation Gain
It was difficult to leave Sean’s dad and Margaret’s house. They were such wonderful hosts and made us feel so at home. Today would be the day we would head into Adirondack Park and as we left the house it was quite windy and cool. The weather did improve and the hills began. It was one of the most difficult days since the Cascades but I actually enjoyed the climbing. We stayed at Moffitt Beach Campground and were warned there were bears so we opted to ride into town for dinner. Sean’s classmate Michelle lived close enough that she decided to drive in and have dinner with us. Steve and almost laughed when our burgers for dinner arrived. They looked more like sliders. We both decided we would have PLENTY of room for dessert. After dinner we did go with Michelle down the street for ice cream and Sean and Michelle ran into other people that grew up close to where they did that had people in common they knew.
Day 74 – August 16, 2016 Rest day with travel from Wilton CT back to Palatine
I would have loved to have spent another day with Carol, Mollie and her family but I needed to get back to Palatine and Carol and I will get more time together when she comes out to Lewiston in the spring. I took Carol out to brunch at her favorite diner and then went back to her cottage where she loaded me up with Honey Bun Cake and a bottle of wine and I headed back to Palatine. I got back in time to join the crew for Chinese food which we took to the park where we ate. It also allowed us time to get our things back together and read to cycle again.
Day 73 – August 15, 2016 Wilton CT Rest Day with Carol and Mollie
When I woke up this morning Margaret had all my dishes and silverware laid out for me and Rick had the coffee maker set so all I had to do was punch the button. I quietly made my breakfast and snuck out of the house trying not to wake anyone. After 30 years, I was beyond excited to drive to Wilton to see my cousin’s Carol and Mollie. I started crying when I saw Carol and we chatted just like 30 years had not passed. She has the most darling cottage she lives in. We went over to Mollie’s house to hang out and spend the night since she has so much room. I also had not seen Mollie in 30 years so she was only 15 or so last time I saw her and is now grown and married with two children living in a beautiful home. It was so wonderful to see them again and catch up. The trip down was so nice. Sean’s dad Rick let me use his BMW sports car for my trip. Not a bad way to travel. While I was on my side trip Sean and Steve were shuttled off to where we left off and made up the miles we were shuttled on Friday.
Day 72 – August 14, 2016 Palatine Bridge NY Rest Day at Rick & Margaret’s
8.1 miles 427 Elevation Gain
Today we got to spent another day resting, doing laundry etc. Sean’s family had a gathering for him at his Aunt Wendy’s house so we went out there and had a nice BBQ. I drove Rick’s BMW back from the function so Rick could explain to me how the cruise and shifting worked on his car. He took me the long route home so that I could see the brick house he used to live in and we had a nice visit.
Day 71 – August 13, 2016 Palatine Bridge NY Rest Day at Rick & Margaret’s
Today we headed into Springfield Center to spend some time with Sean’s mom. She was actually working so we went into the store where she worked then to her house and make some sandwiches and then visited his Aunt Georgia and Uncle Tom and hung out on his Aunt Suzie’s back porch even though she wasn’t home. When Sean’s mom Roxy got off work we ordered pizza and some of his relatives joined us for dinner.
Day 70 – August 12, 2016 Weedsport to Bridgeport NY
89 miles 2884 Elevation Gain
Today we were pushing hard to try to at least get to Sean’s cousins in West Winfield he was so anxious to see his family. In the morning we had about an hour of rain but it was warm out and the rain was actually very welcome. We didn’t know mileage exactly as we were doing our own navigation to avoid Syracuse and it ended up being longer than we planned. We had stopped at an ice cream shop and while there I received a call from Alaska Visa that my card was being fraudulently used. Turns out over $2500 had been charged on it so luckily we were to be at Sean’s dads for several days and they were able to overnight me a replacement card. When we left the ice cream shop it definitely looked like rain so we ducked into a little bar across the street for a soda and some onion rings and the rain came down in buckets!! By the time we got to Bouckville, where we originally thought we might camp, we were at 80 miles and the rain was coming down again. We decided to have Sean call his dad to come get us which he gladly did. We kept riding until we ran into him and ended up with nearly 90 miles. We went to a neat restaurant where they had live music. I didn’t realize how much I had missed music and thoroughly enjoyed dinner and listening to the music. Rick treated us to dinner.
Day 69 – August 11, 2016 Pittsford to Weedsport NY
63.2 miles 958 Elevation Gain
This morning Jeanie shuttled us back to Pittsford from Farmington and Sean’s classmate Joanne joined us for our ride. It was so fun to have her along. When we got to Weedsport Joanne’s husband Woody and her boys joined us for dinner then they followed us to the campground where they left us with some bottled water and Gatorade. The campground had a nice pool so we went for a swim to cool off before bedtime. The site only had 220 but a kindly lady at the pool offered to lend us a converter which her granddaughter delivered to us. Another example of of people being kind to strangers.
Day 68 – August 10, 2016 Farmington NY Rest Day at Jeanie’s
We had a great rest day today. It started off with plenty of coffee and then the gang dropped me off for a massage at Massage Envy while they ran some errands then we took Jeannie to lunch at Otto Tomatoes. In the evening we had pizza and Joanne and her boys came to join us. I didn’t get to visit with Jeanie’s middle daughter Gracie but did visit quite a bit with her oldest Anna and youngest Ellie and enjoyed them both very much.
Day 67 – August 9, 2016 Middleport to Pittsford NY
62.5 miles 502 Elevation Gain
Today we rode along the Eerie Canal to Pittsford. Sean’s friend Joanne rides mounted police in Rochester and met up with us along the bike route today. She has a huge horse named dusty and it was fun to meet her. It was a hot day and we were completely out of water so we popped into a hotel to fill our bottles. Sean’s friend Jeannie met us in Pittsford and shuttled us to her house. It was quite a puzzle getting all four bikes on the rack and all the gear in. We barely got to Jeanie’s in time to change our clothes and head out to her volleyball game where we met her husband Scott and joined in the BBQ her team was having.
Day 66 – August 8, 2016 Ridgeway Ontario to Middleport NY
72.5 miles 837 Elevation Gain
Today was an awesome day for riding. We stopped at a grocery in Ridgeway to attempt to spend all of our Canadian money before going back to the states. I had $25 to spend so I bought a couple boxes of bars, some candy and some chips. When the cashier rang it up it was $24.92 and I decided I should go on the Price is Right. We didn’t reach Niagara Falls until 30 miles in and then we somehow lost Steve in route but found him again at the falls. How phenomenal they were! I had no idea there were actually two falls one on the US side and one on the Canadian side. The Horseshoe Falls side was so amazing. The ride back across into the US was kind of stressful. We are not sure if we did something wrong or what but we ended up out on the Canadian Freeway for 3 km past the bridge then back.
Day 65 – August 7, 2016 Feathertouch Point to Ridgeway Ontario
46.5 miles Total Miles 3449 – 433 Elevation Gain
Day 64 – August 6, 2016 Port Burwell to Feathertouch Ontario
72.2 miles Total Miles 3402 – 1368 Elevation Gain
Somehow our 60 mile days keep turning into 70 mile days. This time it was because we did not realize how far away the warm showers hosts lived. Their address was listed as Selkirk but they were actually about 15 miles further away. Due to a drought they were not able to offer us showers as they had little water but gave us biodegradable soap and told us to jump in the lake (Lake Eerie) so we swam and washed up. We fixed our own dinner of rice, broccoli and chicken and then later a couple of teachers (Jud & Victoria) from San Diego arrived that were cycling from Wisconsin to Niagara Falls. We ended up staying up past our bedtime visiting and telling stories. We had a darling bunkie that they had fixed up to rent out but the neighbors complained so they had to shut it down but we had a lovely place to pitch our tent under their willow tree with a view of the lake.
Day 63 – August 5, 2016 Clearville to Port Burwell Ontario
62.8 miles Total Miles 3330. – 925 Elevation Gain
Day 62 – August 4, 2016 St. Clair, MI to Clearville Ontario
72.2 miles Total Miles 3267 – 433 Elevation Gain
Day 61 – August 3, 2016 North Branch to St Clair MI
71.9 miles Total Miles 3195 – 626 Elevation Gain
Day 60 – August 2, 2016 Bay City to North Branch
60 miles Total Miles – 3123 626 Elevation Gain
Today ended up being such a lovely day of riding. We had bike path for some of the day and decided that since Frankenmuth was just a tourist trap we would skip it and make the day a 60 mile day instead of 75 or 80. The Sutter’s Resort was really nice and the camping neighbor brought us fried green tomatoes, which I had never tried, but were delicious!!
Day 59 – August 1, 2016 Bay City Rest Day
It was so nice to not be in a rush to get up this morning. I lazed around in bed a bit and then Sean and Carol volunteered to go find the laundry mat and Steve and I stayed in camp to blog. It didn’t turn out to be as much of a rest day for Ellis’ as they would have liked. When they finally found the laundry mat they found it was out of business and had to spend time looking for something open. By the time they did that, had lunch and returned it was 1:30 p.m. Steve and I went into the drive in for delicious burgers and onion rings while we were entertained by some grandparents dining with their grandchildren.
Day 58 – July 31, 2016 Clare to Bay City MI
54.9 miles 3061 Total Miles 233 elevation gain
The first 30 miles of our ride today were so pleasant as it was on the Pere Marquette Rail Trail. After finding groceries there the rain set in and we actually ended up seeking shelter at an Animal Shelter for about 40 minutes waiting for the rain to subside. The remaining 25 miles were slow with headwind and on a road with NO shoulder and tons of traffic. There was debate as to whether to get a hotel or not and we ending up deciding to camp tonight then get a hotel the next night for our rest day but once we reached the Bay City State Campground, we found it to be so nice with great showers and wifi that we decided we would stay the extra day for our rest day. There was also the bonus of a nice drive in with hard pack ice cream being down the bike path just 1/2 mile from our campground.
Day 57 – July 30, 2016 Luther to Clare MI
70.3 miles 3006 Total Miles 1955 elevation gain
Today was my day where I met my 3000 miles traveled mark! We fought quite a bit of headwind today on our ride into Clare. We had selected a private RV park to ensure we had showers since we went without them the night prior. Right after we bought groceries and headed to the bike path to try to find the RV park a gentleman on the path stopped us to tell us we were headed the wrong way. Turns out he was on the board for the city park and he encouraged us to stay there instead. He even chauffeured us by us following him in his car to the park. Later he returned with beer and homemade cookies. Our camp neighbors had ladder ball set up so Sean and Carol tried their hand at that and later they brought us over hot turnovers, they had made over their campfire, served with ice cream.
Day 56 – July 29, 2016 Manistee to Luther MI
66.7 miles 2936 Total Miles 1352 elevation gain
It rained almost all night! I woke up in the middle of the night with no rain jacket in my tent and needed to make a trek to the rest room. When we woke up the rain was STILL falling. It was the first morning where we really hung out in our tents for quite a while waiting for the rain to stop. We opted to pack up our sopping wet tents and just head out and eat breakfast out. The weather actually turned nicer and we stayed at another primitive RV park just shy of Luther. Since there were no showers we put on our swim suits and headed to the swimming hole in the nearby creek. We rode our bikes the 3 miles into Luther for dinner where we ate at the one and only bar & grill which seemed to be much more of a bar. We ate dinner while listening to popular hits by not so popular artists…hehe.
Day 55 – July 28, 2016 Glen Arbor to Manistee MI
68.2 miles 2434 Total Miles 2869 elevation gain
Today was a HILLY day and I was not feeling especially strong. We did find a really nice lunch stop overlooking the lake. Steve and I spent some time at the library when we first came into town then went to the grocery store while Carol and Sean went to the campsite and did their laundry. I felt like by the time we got to camp I was playing major catch up trying to get dinner cooked, tent set up and my laundry done. We went to bed with the rain falling.
Day 54 – July 27, 2016 Elk Rapids to Glen Arbor MI
63.2 miles 2801 Total Miles 1371 elevation gain
Today was not our best ride day. We ran across a bike shop in Traverse City where Carol was finally able to get her shifting fixed and turned out the last time she had the bar end shifters worked on a part had been put back in correctly not allowing her access to all of her gears. We had to wait for the shop to open so didn’t end up really hitting the road until about 11:00. A guy that worked at the shop used to work at Montlake where I purchased my tour bike and he even remembered me. Small world. The last 20 miles of our ride was on a super busy highway which we hated. We actually ended up getting off and onto a closed bike path that was still far better than the busy road. Much to our dismay when we got to the ONLY campground there was a NO VACANCY sign hanging. We went in to ask anyway and found there was a group overflow site where we could stay for one night. Talk about a primitive ghetto style campground. Pit toilets and yellow water where someone had cleaned fish or something at the only water spigot. The other family staying at the group site were quite nice though and we enjoyed visiting with them.
Day 53 – July 26, 2016 Petosky to Elk Rapids MI
66.9 miles 2738 Total Miles 1841 elevation gain
We got to have some more bike path on our route today although some of it was a little difficult to follow and we did end up down at a marina which resulted in a nice photo op. The instructions for how to get to the campground at Elk Lake were also confusing and we ended up going way down a fairly steep hill to the lake only to find we had turned too soon and had to climb back up out of it. The water was excellent and we took advantage of a swim to end our day.
Day 52 – July 25, 2016 Petosky MI Rest Day
9.1 miles for errands
We had a nice rest day in Petosky. After a trip into town for laundry and a lunch at Big Boy Carol & Sean napped and read and Steve and I got a little stir crazy so we went into town to the bike shop and library and got some things done. Based on the weather yesterday we thought we may have to spend our rest day in the drizzling rain but the weather cleared up and it was actually quite nice. We had such a beautiful view of the lake from our campsite.
Day 51 – July 24, 2016 Mackinaw City to Petoskey MI
64.2 miles. Total Miles 2662 1604 elevation gain
Today was such a beautiful route. We spent quite a lot of time on the Tunnel of Trees route as well as along the shores of Lake Michigan and then bike path to take us into Petoskey. Sean rode ahead to try to get to the bike shop for his spoke repair before they closed at 4:00. I got ahead of Carol and Steve and ended up lost wandering around the streets of Petoskey. Turned out that Sean actually stopped at the bike shop in Bay View which was prior to Petosky. After what felt like a very long time I finally found the shop Sean was at and we grabbed dinner supplies and met Steve and Carol at Magnus Park Campground where we had a beautiful view of the lake from our campsite.
Day 50 – July 23, 2016 Epoufette to Mackinaw City MI
53.6 miles 692 elevation gain
Today we rode into St. Ignace and caught the ferry to Mackinac Island. Hitting it on a Saturday definitely meant there was tons of tourists! None of us were really into going into all the little shops so we found a place to have a burger and then did the 8 mile ride around the perimeter of the island which was very beautiful. We were surprised with the cost of the ferry. It ended up being $144 for all of us as there was a separate $10 fee per bike charge. We determined we probably should have made reservations since it was Saturday night and luckily we secured the last campsite in the third of the three available campgrounds we called. The Mill Creek campground was huge, kind of a small city, and we were able to take another swim in Lake Michigan. We decided to order pizza for dinner and Sean went out to meet the delivery truck at the campground entrance. One of the bungees he had used to secure the pizza came loose and ended up breaking a spoke so off to a bike shop tomorrow.
Day 49 – July 22, 2016 Indian Lake to Epoufette MI
67.6 miles 2556 Total Miles 751 elevation gain
Our original plan for today was Hog Island and we ended up actually going past that. We stopped at a campground around lunch where we were able to do laundry then got back on the road. We decided to take advantage of the tailwind and the fact that some locals told us if we went on to Epoufette we would find that fish fry we had been looking for. We rode on into town and enjoyed an all you can eat white fish dinner then back tracked to the campground. Our $10 bought us a place to pitch our tent, two outhouses and an artisan well. The only way to access the water was to wade through the sludge in a swampy area but we did so anyway in lieu of no shower and swam in the lake. Today my right hand was REALLY acting up. I am thinking too much constant pressure on the ulna nerve is what is rendering the last two fingers on my right hand pretty much useless and I have no grip strength.
Day 48 – July 21, 2016 Escanaba to Indian Lake MI (7 miles west of Manistique)
54.8 miles 886 elevation gain
We barely started off on our ride out of Escanaba when we saw a nasty storm threatening. We ducked into a McDonalds just before it started dumping buckets and hung out there while a storm warning was in affect. It got really warm today but we made it to Indian Lake Campground and normally I would not enjoy such a highly populated but it was a very nice campground and the swimming was great. The lake was warm and super shallow. Sean walked several hundred feet out and could still touch. I made tostado for dinner, which the group seemed to enjoy, and then we walked to the pay station for ice cream for dessert.
Day 47 – July 20, 2016 Crystal Falls to Escanaba MI
77.7 miles 1286 elevation gain
We had a very warm but pleasant day today. We stopped in a cool bike shop in Escanaba where I bought my probably one and only souvenir. Fell in love with the UP sleeveless jersey. We asked for restaurant recommendations which took us to a place that was higher priced than we had hoped but good food. We camped at the fairgrounds which was nice and reasonable and was only lacking a picnic table.
Day 46 – July 19, 2016 Conover WI to Crystal Falls MI
69.4 2740 elevation gain
It was hard to leave our wonderful hosts Dan & Barb. Sean’s missing ipad was located but in calling the rental car company to see if it was left in the car we found it was not but his helmet was. Dan drove Sean to the rental company to retrieve his helmet then rode with him to the point where they met up with us. The GPS led us astray again and there was some difficulty locating the campground. When we finally did it was nice and we rode our bikes back into town for dinner. This was the first time we would all swim together and while the lake had a reddish tint to us the swim felt great at the end of our day.
Day 45 – July 18, 2016 Madison WI Rest Day return to Conover
This morning we had a great tour of the Trek Factory which Sean and Garry had arranged. I found it very interesting and we were allowed to eat in the Trek employee cafeteria. It certainly seemed like it would be a great place to work. We headed back to the Benson’s place. I decided if had not been excited about the Trek tour I could have just as easily enjoyed my rest day canoeing or paddle boarding at the Benson’s while enjoying their company. Barb had made a great chicken pasta salad for dinner and berry shortcake for dessert. They were the most wonderful people and welcomed us back at any time. There were hugs all around as we parted.
Day 44 – July 17, 2016 Madison WI Rest Day
We elected to spend the two days we were ahead of schedule by taking a side trip to Madison Wisconsin to allow Carol to visit some old friends. We rented a car in Land O Lakes and drove to Madison. After we joined Carol and friends for lunch (where I finally tried chicken and waffles) we went in search of new tires for Steve and gloves and a jersey for Carol. We then went on to Deerfield where we stayed with Sean’s prior co-worker Gary and his wife Cassie. They fixed us a wonderful spaghetti dinner and we enjoyed visiting as well as a friendly game of Taboo (girls won!). I also got to see fireflies for my first time ever tonight.
Day 43 – July 16, 2016 Mercer to Conover WI
52.1 miles. 1070 elevation gain
Today was perhaps my favorite ride day. We had great rollers and great weather and knowing we would be having two rest days coming up I felt comfortable pushing myself a bit more than I normally would racing Sean up the hills (and I did win a couple times). We ran into a solo rider Jen who was heading East to West when we stopped briefly at Star Lake. We had arranged to stay with Warm Showers hosts Dan & Barb Benson in Conover. As we got close to Conover we somehow had lost Steve and were worried he had taken a wrong turn. Sean went back to find him and found him frustratedly handling a flat repair and in need of tire replacements. Carol and I went on to the Benson’s to find we would be staying at what seemed like a mini resort. They have the most beautiful log home that Dan built on Buckatabon Lake. After touring their beautiful home we were able to enjoy the hot tub, taco dinner on the screened porch followed by a lake tour on their pontoon boat and then a trip to the Boathouse for ice cream. They were the most wonderful hosts and even had another couple staying with them who had kids at a summer camp near by. They had also agreed to let us store our bikes at their place while we took our side trip to Madison as well as Barb transporting us to the airport to pick up our rental car.
Day 42 – July 15, 2016 Clam Lake to Mercer WI (10 miles East of Clam Lake)
66.1 miles 2096 elevation gain
The mosquitoes were so horrible when we got up this morning that we quickly crammed things into panniers and were on the road by 6:30. We decided to skip breakfast and stopped at the Elkhorn Cafe in Mercer where they had just taken homeade blueberry muffins out of the oven. We stopped for our PB & J sandwiches at the city park in Butternut and then found an afternoon stop for ice cream that had great Wisconsin ice cream. The ride to Mercer was very pleasant and we were greeted by a very interesting camp host lady who told us “how it was gonna be” but in a joking fashion. She said she usually charged $30 but there were not many mosquitos out so she only charged us $20. We stayed at Loon Lagoon RV park which had nice grassy area by the lake, nice laundry facilities and even a recreation room with pool table and couches and chairs. They didn’t have wifi but I was able to ride to the Library in order to FaceTime with the kids.
Day 41- July 14, 2016 Haugen to Clam Lake (10 miles East of Town)
77 miles 2756 elevation gain
We rode in the drizzle today and every time we stopped to put on rain gear it would stop raining and vice versa. We did opt to stop at the Chit Chat Saloon for burgers for lunch to get in out of the weather. By the time we reached Boulder Lodge I was commenting how the sky had cleared and then it opened up and started pouring. We were hoping with the nasty weather and the fact that it was a Thursday night the proprietor would break her 2 night minimum rule for cabins and let us rent one but no go. They actually were not very friendly at all and we were apprehensive to even give them our business by eating dinner at their lodge but it would have been miserable to try to cook in the weather. The mosquitoes were thick and we just wanted to get out of the wet and bugs and into our tents. We commented that with all the amazing people we had encountered we had grown accustomed to the Disneyland treatment and this experience definitely fell short for us.
Day 40 – July 13, 2016 St Croix Falls to Haugen
58.1 miles 1565 elevation gain
Once again it was hard to leave our wonderful warm showers hosts. We woke to homemade bread that Mary had made as well as homemade jellies, egg scramble and wonderful coffee. It was also sad to part ways with Sam and Kyle who’s company I thoroughly enjoyed! Warren told us about a bike bath (which he had actually designed) that would get us back on route and we headed out. We got to enjoy 15 miles of bike path. We stopped at the little grocery in Haugen and it was sad to learn that the proprietor had lost a good share of his business due to a WalMart going in 6 miles away. The Shady Rest RV park on Bear Lake ended up being very nice and we were given a grassy area next to the Lake to pitch our tents. There was a saloon within the RV park where we went for a drink and ice cream and so that Sean could call to wish his dad a happy birthday.
Day 39 – July 12, 2016 Dalbo ND to St Croix Falls WI
53.3 miles 1188 elevation gain
Day 38 – July 11, 2016 Dalbo ND Rest Day at the Bicycle Bunkhouse
Day 37 – July 10, 2016 Bowlus to Dalbo ND
63.2 miles 846 elevation gain
Day 36 – July 9, 2016 Alexandria to Bowlus ND Sean’s birthday
65.1 miles 1919.2 Total Miles 449 elevation gain
Day 35 – July 8, 2016 Pelican Rapids to Alexandria ND
77.7 miles 1854.3 Total Miles 1657 elevation gain
Day 34 – July 7, 2016 Fargo to Pelican Rapids ND
57.4 miles 1776.5 Total Miles 1171 elevation gain
Day 33 – July 6, 2016 Kathryn to Fargo ND
79.9 miles 1719.1 Total Miles 712 elevation gain
Day 32 – July 5, 2016 Gackle to Kathryn ND
57.7 miles 1639.2 Total Miles 676 elevation gain
Day 31 – July 4, 2016 4th of July Rest Day in Gackle ND
We wanted to celebrate the 4th of July small town USA style and that’s exactly what we got with our stay in Gackle. We started with the community lunch of sloppy joes, chips and dessert and then went to the kids parade followed by the larger parade.
Day 30 – July 3, 2016 Hazelton to Gackle ND
65.4 miles 1581.5 Total Miles 1713 elevation gain
Another day with really not a ton to see and more winds to battle but luckily they were primarily side winds with one 8 mile section where heading north gave us a tailwind on a series of rollers which was my absolute favorite part of the ride for the day. Our lunch spot was everything Steve hates in a break spot, no shade no table we just plopped down in the gravel beside the road with the bikes as our wind break and had our brat sandwiches. I was so happy to arrive at the “Honey Hub of Gackle” where I knew we would have two evenings indoors out of the elements. Andy had arrived before us and kindly set up his tent in the yard allowing us the beds indoors. None of us had looked ahead to realize this town has no grocery or convenience stores but did learn there was a co-op with limited hours so Sean picked up sausages for breakfast and we had a fried chicken dinner at the Tastee Freez followed by blizzard like treats. The owners of the bike hostel live in California and only live in Gackle during the summer when they tent bees (thus the name of the hostel) a of Stinger brand snacks.
Day 29 – July 2, 2016 Bismark to Hazelton ND
51.1 miles 1516 Total Miles 1467 elevation gain
Today was a much more pleasant day for riding. We are finding there is not a ton to see and finding some days are truly just about getting through this leg of the trip to make it on to better things. We rode into Moffit and had lunch on the front steps of their little church and then the ride from Moffit was stiff headwinds where Sean and I took turns pulling each mile. Arriving in town we stopped at the corner convenience store for a snack where we met Yolanda, a local who filled us in on the City Park option and even offered for us to camp in her yard if the city park didn’t work out. I also discovered that she was a licensed massage therapist so while we DID decide to stay at the park I also booked a massage with her for before dinner. There was a family reunion going on at the park and we quickly learned that they were also celebrating “Marv” turning 90 the same day Sean will turn 47 and Marv’s sister brought us each a piece of cake as well as monster cookies and some others brought us vegetables. When I got to Yolanda’s house I discovered she wasn’t really set up to do massages in her home but had a portable table she set up and once she started working on me she really wanted to be able to finish so she worked on me for two hours only charging me an hour and so I threw in a nice tip. She was an excellent therapist and I felt like a million dollars afterward!
Day 28 – July 1, 2016 Richardton to Bismark ND
19.5 miles ridden 1465 Total Miles 788 elevation gain
Today was an interesting day that did not play out as I had originally planned. We enjoyed breakfast with the monks that is traditionally eaten in silence but once the number of remaining monks was less than 5 Oto struck up a conversation with us. We discovered last night that we did not plan well and consider we were heading into a holiday weekend so there were no campsites left in Mandan. That meant Steve and I would be looking at approximately 85 miles to reach Ellis’ in Bismark and the headwinds were very stiff again. While Sean encouraged me to consider the van option offered by the monks my Type A personality got the best of me and I decided to push on and try to ride. Just 4 miles into it I was severely regretting my decision and my different riding style of pushing hard to get it done paired with Steve’s style of slow and steady meant I had already stopped for him to catch up a couple of times and I couldn’t even begin to imagine 81 more miles of the same. A quick text to Sean had he and Brother Jude veering off their path on the highway to come rescue me. Even though my original goal was to ride every last mile across the country I do not regret my decision for a second. This trip was also about improving me and my type A personality can sometimes cause me to make decisions that real are not entirely sensible and it’s often not one of my most endearing qualities so I am considering today just a part of the journey. Sean, Carol and I went to lunch at the local brewery while we waited for his bike repair and then we made our way to the KOA. The stomach ache I had started getting in the morning seemed to be getting worse only more solidifying the fact that I had made a wise decision in accepting the “bump” to Bismark. We settled in for a nap as the rain storm hit and Andy from Utica NY arrived at camp DURING the storm. Sean and I went in search of Dick’s Sporting Goods for fuel and groceries for dinner and discovered the most peculiar Wal Mart that had no pharmacy, carried no cosmetics, hair color etc or medicine. We heard from Steve late in the evening who had spent nearly 11 hours on the bike fighting the headwind to make it to Bismark which was my 3rd confirmation of my wise decision for the day.
Day 27 – June 30, 2016 Medora to Richardton ND
61.4 miles 1445.5 Total Miles 2238 elevation gain
Our goal for today was to make it to the Abbey which was not looking good great with the winds we were encountering. Sean did call the Abbey on our first break and we were told if we made it there by 5:30 we would be invited to dinner. At Dickinson we opted for Pita Pit for lunch and as we came out and got ready to get back on the bikes Sean discovered his wheel was bulging. According to the AC maps there were to be no bike shops in Dickinson but we stopped to google it in case and that is when we discovered not only did they have one but Steve’s maps showed it where ours did not. We were sent 2012 versions of the map while Steve had the updated 2015 version. The bike and saw shop we went to did not have the type of wheel Sean needed but while there he was able to find a wheel that could be overnight end to the bike shop in Bismark and Steve had his chain installed that he purchased in Medora but the shop there was too busy to instal. Steve and I figured Ellis’ would be staying over in Dickinson so we decided we would go ahead and try to make dinner at the Abbey. We had to push a bit with the wind but we did make it just in time and were pleasantly surprised when we learned the bike shop employee had given Sean & Carol a ride to the Abbey so they were able to join us and transportation from the Abbey to the Bismark Bike shop had been arranged with the monks. The accommodations were so nice each of us with the ability to have a private room and while dinner was left over night it was fabulous complete with Shepard’s Pie and June Berry Pie for dessert. After dinner we were given a tour of the church by Father Oto.
Day 26 – June 29, 2016 Glendive MT to Medora ND
66.5 miles 1384.1 Total Miles 1384 elevation gain
Today we would finally leave Montana and make our way across the border into North Dakota. Not too far into the ride we came across Erica and Chris at a weigh station working on a flat tire from their Bob trailer. Sean took over and made quick work of fixing the flat as Ed, Zig and Muff rolled up. Muff came strolling out of the trailer with a serving tray of pastries. She even popped one in Sean’s mouth for him as both hands were busy with the flat repair. As we approached the North Dakota sign the skies grew dark and we had a short rain squall. We got off on Old Hwy 10 and were pleasantly surprised at how the landscape had changed and how beautiful this part of North Dakota was. At Sentinel Butte there was a small gas station/bus depot where Carol went in for water and the proprietor pumping gas seemed quite jovial. Steve wanted her to ask if they sold ice cream and sure enough!! We all went in and Rick Olson, the owner, was soon not only selling us breakfast sandwiches, ice cream and soft drinks but offering us banana bread, mints, watermelon and ham left over from his son’s wedding. We sat down to a 2nd lunch while enjoying his company and flagging down Ed & Zig to join in the fun. He even offered for us to take with us Shmirnoff Ice Wine Coolers for later which we were happy to take off his hands. When we reached the campground all my clothes were in need of laundering so I walked around in my swim suit while laundry was going. Ed, Zig and Muff were there as were Erica and Chris who had had a rough day with multiple flats. We headed in to the bike shop where new chains were purchased for Steve and Carol as well as the only two small JetBoil canisters they had in stock. Knowing it may very well be our last evening with Ed, Zig and Muff we decided to have dinner out with them and say our goodbyes. Medora was definitely your typical tourist town on the edge of a national park (Teddy Roosevelt) but still kind of fun.
Day 25 – June 28, 2016 Circle to Glendive MT
56.9 miles 1317.6 Total Miles 1033 elevation gain
Today we headed out to Glendive where Erica and Chris already had reservations at Makoshika State Park and the spot was large enough for 8 so they had invited us to Jin them. When we got closer to Glendive we received a text indicating they had changed their mind and were going to stay in a hotel but welcomed us to use their already paid for reservation. It was a jaunt out to the park and while beautiful the day was heating up and upon arrival we discovered our spot was a mile from the visitor center with no shade. We used the adjoining campsite’s shaded table to have our lunch as a very large bull snake slithered across the grass next to us. As we were contemplating how hot and uncomfortable this would be and after discovering there were no shower facilities Steve also discover there was no water unless you went to the visitor’s center and that was the deal breaker for us. Muff stopped by and Carol loaded her bike and went off with her in search of another option. An RV park was located in town that typically only allowed RVs but since we were only tenting it for one night they decided we could stay. We enjoyed their brand new bath/shower house and each of us took turns riding Ed’s trike. Dave, Judi and JoAnn also ended up staying at the same location.
Day 24 – June 27, 2016 Wolf Point to Circle MT
51.3 miles 1260.7 Total Miles 2238 elevation gain
It was difficult to leave the wonderful accommodations at Carolyn’s and we enjoyed a great egg, ham and veggie scramble for breakfast and were ready to go before she was up for the day so off we headed to Circle. We had confirmed there was one RV park prior to making that our stopping point and when we arrived we were quite disappointed in the conditions. Unmoved dead grass, no picnic tables or shade, no shower and one less than desirable toilet in the laundry mat. We rode into town to see what our other options might be as well as going in search of some groceries. Steve was able to find the pastor of the Luthern Church who called the sheriff’s department and we were granted permission to stay over night at the City Park. We also ran into a kind gentleman in town who offered his front yard should the City Park option not work out. Before long we had spread the word to our other cycling friends and we ended up with a group gathering of 13 of us all together with 5 separate groups uniting. It was probably my favorite evening so far. We ate a group dinner of lasagna, enchiladas, garlic bread and salad making use of Zig & Muff’s RV oven. There was even red wide to accompany the meal. We were fortunate that the City Park was right next to the public pool where we were able to cool off as well as enjoy showers and Sean enjoyed joining the kids on the diving board. It was here I met Natalie a recent college graduate who had started out cycling with 2 friends but personality conflicts and inability to come to joint decisions had left her on her own and her dad would be driving from Wisconsin to pick her up as she decided to end her tour early.
Day 23 – June 26, 2016 Glasgow to Wolf Point MT
66.2 miles 1209.4 Total Miles 810 ft elevation gain
Sometimes a day just turns out much better than you expect it to. We got a nice early start and with the tailwind we were into Wolf Point close to 10:00 a.m. We considered going on into Circle but that would have made at least 105 mile day and a change in direction meant the nice tailwind was not likely for the second half of the day. We located the City Park atop a hill in Wolf Point and that was our plan as far as where we would camp for the night but then realized the toilets were locked shut as well as the fact that Sean is highly allergic to Russian Olive trees and the park was full of them. We had the name of a Carolyn who AC said hosts cyclists so Sean texted with her and she said we were most welcome. We stopped for groceries and then headed for Carolyn’s place which is Steamboat Dry Goods and QUITE the hidden gem. Carolyn greeted us with open arms and we did a little shopping in her store. Carol and I purchased new hats and she showed us through house and told us to make ourselves at home and to her shower, living room, Internet and then we started talking dinner plans and she offered to cook portebelo mushrooms and toppings for our burgers as well as an arugula salad and Steve talked to Ed and Zig and they decided they would bring something to grill and a salad to contribute. Zig brought chicken breasts that he described as the Dolly Pardon of chickens. It continues to amaze me the great people we have met who have welcomed us into their homes as if we were old friends.
Day 22 – June 25, 2016 Sleeping Buffalo Hot Springs to Glasgow MT
55.1 miles Total Miles 1147.2 925 elevation gain
We had wind and rain throughout the night and woke to some sprinkling but still plenty of wind and decided to settle for bars for nutrition prior to starting our ride so we could get on the road. We had primarily tailwind with some side winds which made for a pretty quick day. We stopped in Saco at Cabin Cafe where we had decent food served by a NOT too happy waitress. After two separate greetings of “good morning” we were still unable to solicit a smile or greeting in return. We decided she was cranky because she was serving as both waitress and cook so Carol got up and started serving me my coffee. We made it to Cottonwood Suites RV Park by 1:00 and had to work extra hard to set up tents in the wind with rain off and on. We spent the next couple hours in the laundry room where it was warm and dry and then off to Eugene’s Pizza, which was recommended to us by several people prior to our arrival. I believe we all decided the pizza was GOOD but Sandpoint’s 2nd Avenue pizza is still ranking first place with us so far this tour. Afterward we headed to DQ where Sean had second dinner and we had blizzards and smoothies for dessert. We ran into Zig, Ed and Muff (Zig and Ed are tourists and Muff their support) who we have been running into off and on for the last couple weeks. We always enjoy visiting with them and hope to catch up with them again tomorrow night in Wolf Point.
Day 21 – June 24, 2016 Sleeping Buffalo Hot Springs Rest Day
We were due for a rest day and it seemed there could not be a much better place to spend it than at the fabulous Hot Springs. Aside from the mosquitos being ridiculously thick (which we escaped by being indoors) we enjoyed spending the day doing yoga, swimming, reading, playing cards and catching up on blogs. Since we had not preplanned to have a rest day here we had to get creative with what’s for dinner. We had a package of brats we had intended to be a lunch and a package of instant mashed potatoes we had not used plus through in the cheese left over from tacos last night. We were still a little hungry so supplemented by sharing a frozen pepperoni pizza from the food stand at the hot springs.
Day 20 – June 23, 2016 Dodson to Sleeping Buffalo Hot Springs
38.4 miles Total Miles 1092.1
Sandy at the B & B made us a nice breakfast of waffles, eggs and coffee and then we headed out for Buffalo Hot Springs. The nasty headwinds made today’s 37 miles way tougher than yesterday’s 77. We were so glad to arrive at the Hot Springs and swim in the pool and sit in the hot tub. Steve was able to get a new wheel and was on the road heading for Sleeping Buffalo by 1:00.
Day 19 – June 22, 2016 Havre to Dodson
77 miles 1053.7 Total Miles 367 elevation gain
So in Dodson there is only one B & B listed on the AC maps and it says camping was an option too. Surprisingly in a town of just over 200 people we had a hard time finding it. The owner was away when we arrived but the gentleman plowing her field came over and offered us cold Gatorade, water or beer as well as giving us a bottle of bug spray. The owner had family from out of town and had planned a BBQ with family and friends which she invited us to join in. It was a WELCOME invitation as the grocery store we stopped at for dinner/breakfast supplies actually ended up being a convenience store and all we could come up with for dinner was hot dogs and that was only because the owner of the convenience store drove back to the prior town and bought us hot dogs so we got to add baked beans, salads, grilled asparagus, chips etc. She only charged $5 per person for camping $5 for shower and $5 for her to fix us breakfast. We through in an extra $5 per person for the nice BBQ and some for the ability to do laundry. Steve started having bike troubles today and his bike mechanic friend Chris showed up just in time. Tomorrow for Steve will be spent trying to find a new wheel & hub.
Day 18 – June 21, 2016 Chester to Havre
59.1 miles 976.7 Total Miles. 1030 elevation gain
After a pleasant day with quite a bit of tailwinds we were literally BLOWN into Havre. We were trying to out cycle the storm but as we rode into town it started to catch us and luckily the strong winds were at our backs but the dirt being blown around was making it difficult to see and my legs felt like they were being sandblasted by the little pieces of gravel being blown up from the pavement. When we arrived at the Fairgrounds the gentleman there suggested he shuttle us to the mall in his work truck where we could sit out the storm in a coffee shop. When we decided it had died down enough to walk back and set up tents we were half the way across the parking lot when we decided going out for groceries and trying to cook in the wind was going to be miserable so we opted for the Chinese Buffett at the mall instead.
Day 17 – June 20, 2016 Cut Bank to Chester
67.7 miles 917.6 Total Miles 1073 elevation gain
Today was a beautiful day for riding. Nothing but blue sky and sunshine. There was not much in the way of shade for lunch but we managed to find a bit of shade next to.a restaurant that was not open to take a little break. There was a great city park in Chester that allowed cyclists to stay for free and even had a picnic table and gazebo we could use with power to charge our devices. No shower meant making use of the shower wipes except for Steve who opted to take a cold shower under the park spigot. Sean had a scare thinking he had left his Kindle at the last camp spot but I was able to reach into his pannier and pull it out like a rabbit from a hat…haha. Steve rode over 100 miles to catch up with us and after dinner we walked into town to find ice cream cones.
Day 16 – June 19, 2016 Essex to Cut Bank
81.9 miles 849.9 Total Miles 3179 elevation gain
Our plan for today was to make it to Browning where we were to reconnect with Steve. Browning did not appear to be too nice a town to stay in and we had heard some horror stories about it not being safe. We also had a super awesome tailwind going. We found Steve at the Family Foods where he had been spending time in their deli restaurant blogging and told him we were going to do the extra miles to push on to Cut Bank. Since he already was set up and had paid his campground fees we decided we would remain separated for one more day. It was still very windy when we found the Riverview RV park but the gentleman there was extremely accommodating showing us a place where we could set up camp behind a fence and they also had an indoor lounge area where we could get out of the weather some. Sean volunteered to put in the extra miles required to do the grocery shopping and we made dinner. A text earlier in the day informed me my niece had gone into labor. As I was waiting for updates I reached my roaming data limit and Sprint suspended my service. Ugh! The next morning was really cold but we had the lounge to get warm in and Carol even brought her sleeping bag in and snuggled up in a recliner for some extra sleep. I was finally able to receive a text and found out Stephanie had Callan via C-Section at 5:00 a.m. and both are doing well.
Day 15 – June 18, 2016 Whitefish to Essex
48.8 miles 768 Total Miles 2264 elevation gain
We had a very pleasant ride today from Whitefish to a campground just 6 miles west of Essex. There was a thunderstorm with tons of rain and we ended up having to load up wet gear once again. Glacier was pretty spectacular and I am enjoying being on the bike!
Day 14 – June 17, 2016 Whitefish Rest Day
We had paid for two nights at the campground but Sean connected with one of his high school friends Beth, who said we could spend our second night at her sister in laws house in Whitefish and she would drive to come see us. Her sister in law wasn’t even expected to be home until early evening but welcomed us to go in and make ourselves at home. What a nice treat that was. I totally fell in love with her house and it’s furnishings and another situations where kindness is poured out from a stranger and you part as friends. We visited 2nd Street pizza and Sweet Peaks and enjoyed visiting with Beth and Trish. What a comfortable rest day!
Day 13 – June 16, 2016 Whitefish Bike Retreat to Whitefish
13.3 miles 1:20:57 ride time 663 elevation gain
Carol opted to be shuttled in to Whitefish and we arrived there in the rain. We needed to do laundry as well as decide whether or not we would be doing Going to the Sun road. Today was the first day that my body was seriously rejecting being on the bike. My legs felt fatigued and I hadn’t slept well the night prior so I felt like I wasn’t even thinking straight. I even managed to miss the fact that Carol had stopped at an intersection and fell over clipped in. We did find a laundry mat and the bike shop indicated the road to Going to the Sun was open but if they did get snow there would possibly be a need to push bikes through a section and when he mentioned 22 mph winds combined with how poorly I was feeling it was enough to cause me to choose Maria’s alternate. Sean and Carol opted for the same and Steve wanted to do Logan’s Pass so we decided to part ways for a couple days and meet up in Browning. After laundry was done Ellis’ and I headed to the Whitefish State Park where we got a camp site for two nights deciding to take two rest days. The camp host was quite accommodating and loaned us is EZ Up to keep us dry. We set up and headed into town where he suggested lunch at the bowling alley with Whitefish being a resort town he said other places would be pricey. After a wonderful chicken fried steak lunch we were told by the waitress that one of the locals had picked up our tab.
Day 12 – June 15, 2016 Eureka to Whitefish
57.6 miles 5:21:33 ride time 2,585 elevation gain
Since we had stayed in a hotel last night we started our day with breakfast at Four Corners Restaurant where me met up with Ed & Zig, some other cyclists we had met, before heading out for Whitefish. As we left Eureka the trip started with about 1000 feet of climbing right off the bat and in the tiny town of Fortine we found a lovely little pie shop called Renee’s Rollin N Dough where we enjoyed fresh homemade pies and Carol bought a sandwich to take with her for lunch as a break from our normal PB & J. We all decided we did not enjoy Hwy 93 as the shoulder was narrow, there was plenty of traffic and not everyone wanted to give you room. As we found a grassy spot outside a closed restaurant to have our lunch a passing by 18 wheeler blew a tire and all I could think of is how glad I was we were sitting there and not on the road at that time. Later we ran into road construction where they were resurfacing and I ended up being sprayed by a tar truck so now my white vest is speckled with black as is my panniers. Steve was feeling quite fortunate that I happened to be in between him and the truck at the time. Our plan was to stay at the Whitefish Bike Retreat and had we paid more attention we could have taken a direct path there but instead we had gotten off on the alternate route and ended up having to backtrack. The place we were staying at advertised shuttle service and by about 4 miles out Carol decided she was done and called for the shuttle to pick her up. The ride into the retreat and an added little challenge to end the day. The retreat was nice but catered much more to mountain biking than us tourists.
Day 11 – June 14, 2016 Libby to Eureka
69.9 miles 6:25:41 ride time 3,638 elevation gain
We had rain for the first 20 miles today and got to see Libby Dam. Most the ride was along Lake Koocanusa, which is so very pretty. We had rain off and on and Carol started experiencing some difficulty shifting so when we stopped at the dam Sean removed a link from her chain which seemed to help. Our planned stop was for Rexford but when we arrived there all the RV parks were full and while we had planned to eat out there was only one bar as an option so we pushed on to Eureka. As we arrived the weather was looking grim so we opted to hotel it. It turned out to be a wise choice and while there we met several people that were either on the Continental Divide route or actually part of the race. One was a 67 year old woman doing the race that impressed the heck out of me. We settled on burgers at the restaurant next door and everyone was ready to call it a night (well except for Steve who sat at the Subway until late catching up his blog.
Day 10 – June 13, 2016 2 River’s RV Park to Libby Montana
51.3 miles 4:25:10 ride time 1,844 elevation gain
I am starting to get spoiled with the beautiful riding weather. Not too hot, not too cold. We started with overcast skies but had intermittent sunshine today too. We enjoyed the scenery along Bull Lake and the intersection of Hwy 56 and 2 ended up being a great rest stop for lunch. Nice bathrooms and very clean picnic tables in the shade. As we headed East onto 2 we started experiencing a headwind we were not particularly enjoying. About 5 miles off the turnoff we came across Kootenai Falls which ended up being quite the highlight of the day. ICE CREAM STAND!!!! We started off with snacks (huckleberry ice cream for me) and Sean was not feeling particularly well so he volunteered to stay and bike sit while Carol, Steve and I hiked to the falls and the swinging bridge. With the bridge literally swinging and a 5 person limit at any time on the bridge Steve was the only one brave enough to venture across. Our original plan was to make it to a campground 20 miles past Libby but the later than hoped for start time, longer than planned (but well worth the time) break left us deciding to call it a day in Libby. We stopped at Woodland RV park which was quite nice with good enough internet to finally catch up on my blogging. While Steve headed to the car wash with his bike, and Carol took a nap in her hammock, Sean and I headed to Rosaurs to stock up on dinner, lunch and breakfast supplies (as well as restocking Steve’s M & M supply). There was something that felt so AT HOME about shopping at Rosaurs. Now that the blogging is caught up it is time to hit the shower and call it a night. I have been so blessed to be able to FaceTime with the kids and grandkids although I miss them all like crazy but having a fantastic time on my adventure. It’s hard to believe we are part way into week 2 already!
Day 9 – June 12, 2016 Sandpoint to 2 River’s RV Park 18 miles outside Clark Fork
48.2 miles 4:07:29 ride time 1,493 elevation gain
Today was a short ride day with not a lot of elevation gain and the massage and exercises combined with that seemed to be just what was needed for my knee and I was able to ride entirely pain free. We decided to have lunch in Clark Fork and the Jr/Sr High school lawn had a picnic table and looked inviting so we stopped there for lunch. We saw Gary (a fellow tourist we had run into several times) across the street and he joined us for lunch. We took the Heron alternate route which was quite pleasant with only a few miles of gravel and took us across the Montana border. I broke my shoelaces this morning so added that to the list as we stopped on our way out of Sandpoint for dinner supplies. Box macaroni and cheese (deluxe that is) with hamburger in it. It’s amazing how things you would probably NEVER even consider making at home, taste fabulous when you are tired and hungry. I was of the opinion not nearly enough ice cream was to be had on this trip when we rolled upon a store advertising ice cream cones…….only to find they were closed on Sunday’s! We ended up at 2 River’s RV park and thought the $45 fee to be a bit pricey so we took advantage of every amenity offered including the REAL towels, hot showers, laundry facility and attempted again the Internet. I am so disappointed I didn’t get a good photo of Steve sitting by the trash can which was close enough to a power source to attempt to blog. He was more tenacious than me about it. It was nice to get laundry done and spend a little time reading then time to call it a night. We had the most pleasant riding weather today and I was quite happy my rain gear stayed packed away in my panniers today.
Day 8 – June 11, 2016 Panhandle Campground to Sandpoint
70.7 miles 6:45:29 ride time 2,139 elevation gain
Steve and I woke to very cold temps. It was my first night to use both my regular sleeping bag and fleece liner as well as getting up and putting on my pack-able down jacket for the morning, both items I could not even imagine needing a few days ago as we climbed the Cascades in the blistering heat. One observation I have made is how keenly aware you are of every little change of the weather when you are out in the elements upon the seat of your bike! Today was the day we had planned to meet up with Sean and Carol at 11:00 in Newport. We got out of town in plenty of time for me to go extremely slow to baby my knee. Since we seems well ahead of schedule Steve and I decided to head across the bridge to Usk to see what that little town was all about. There we found a wonderful convenience store with the freshest maple bars on earth and some delicious hot chocolate. Several prayers were said and I used primarily my right leg for heading up any hills and we were just a few minutes late meeting them and decided to head to Albany Cove for lunch. It meant some climbing but was a nice place to unite with the rest of our group. We experienced more rain and some hail and a VERY bumpy bike path heading into Sandpoint and were thrilled to arrive at Bruce Hoff’s home in CDA where he had the wood stove going and we had the opportunity for a hot shower before picking up 2nd Avenue Pizza and some Mike’s for dinner. Bruce is a friend and co-worker of Sean’s and helped us out with some minor bike repairs. I was thrilled to find out he also was quite a skilled massage therapist and he was able to perform some IT band work on me that may very well have saved my trip. He gave me some exercises to do, provided us a wonderful breakfast and we were off for another day. I had managed to lose my left cleat and we were in need of chain lube so we made a quick stop into Greasy Fingers Bike shop before picking up our dinner.
Day 7 – June 10, 2016 Colville to Panhandle Campground (20 miles south of Ione
55.2 miles 5:03:42 ride time 2,162 elevation gain
It was extremely hard to leave the warm cozy bike hostel to head out to what looked to be a very rainy ride day. It was only sprinkling at first but picked up and by the time we got to Beaver Lodge a hot lunch out of the rain sounded much more inviting than the PB & J sandwiches we had prepared that morning. The proprietors were extremely friendly even offering to throw our things in the dryer while we ate our lunch. He also told us he would love to have us stay at their site but wouldn’t recommend it due to the fly issue they were currently experiencing that took rather large chunks of your skin, itched like crazy and didn’t heal for days. Nice of him to be so honest. By the time we reached Ione for dinner supplies, it had finally stopped raining. I selected Bear Creek Chili to make for dinner. Big mistake. Chili–use your imagination here and double it…yes, that’s how bad it was. Both Steve and I agreed that WOULD NOT be a dinner we would repeat at any point the rest of the summer. We had a beautiful stop at Crystal Falls and The Le Clare road was so beautiful but by the time we reached Ione my knee pain was so severe all I could think about was getting in to camp. I spent the rest of the evening in quite a panic of what my Plan B would be if my knee continued to hurt as badly as it was. The thought of having to abort the trip was extremely disappointing so I started considering if perhaps I could skip a state. Hole up somewhere and find someone to shuttle me forward several days so I could give my knee some much more needed rest. Not much sleep was to be had worrying about it. I had planned and trained for over a year but apparently there was not quite enough training I could do to prepare my body for climbing the Cascades, during a heatwave with a heavily loaded bike. We are only on day 7 and I already have had to make more use of my rain gear than I care to.
Day 6 – June 9, 2016 Rest day in Colville at the Bacon Bike Hostel
After climbing 4 passes in 4 days it was determined a rest day was in order and we couldn’t have picked a nicer place to do so than the Bacon Bike Hostel. It is basically a 4 bedroom, 2 bath place with a living room, full kitchen, laundry and amazing wifi. The owners provide the place free of charge with no real pressure to donate but the ability to do so if you wish. Since my left knee has pretty much given me fits for the last 3 days, I decided a day of resting and icing it was exactly what was needed. Today consisted of yoga, breakfast, blogging, a nap, lunch, more blogging, laundry, dinner and repacking of our panniers.
Day 5 – June 8, 2016 Republic to Colville Sherman Pass
61.3 miles 6:58:03 ride time 4,688 elevation gain
We were pleased to wake to much cooler temps. Because we were right at the base of Sherman Pass we were able to start up it before we had to deal with heat. The temps actually remained cool and this climb was by far the most enjoyable one. Even though the elevation gained was higher than other days it seemed much easier to me. Part way up the pass we actually started to get drizzled on a bit and then the rain started to pick up and the thunder started in. We ran across Andy from New York and Gary from Wisconsin on our way up the pass. They were not touring together but had spent some time riding together the past couple of days. By the time we had reached the summit and started down the other side it was raining hard enough to limit visibility and our ability to gain much speed coming down the other side. It was the first downhill we were not able to fully enjoy and at the summit I had to put on my rain gear but was pretty much already soaked. I was shivering enough that steering started to become a problem and adding a wool base layer helped some. We decided a lunch at a warm restaurant sounded much better than PB & J in the rain. A gentleman came out from his house on the rural route into Kettle Falls and asked if we were clear on the direction we were headed. We asked how far off route we would have to go to find a restaurant and he assured us it would only detour us a few blocks and that TJs had excellent food, which we confirmed after our burger and fries. We were happy to be getting close to Colville. There were some navigational challenges through Colville but we managed to find a Safeway where we stocked up for a couple dinners and breakfasts and headed toward the Bacon Bike Hostel. While it was VERY uphill, it was also the actual AC route so we would have had to tackle it either way. A lady in a little red car stopped and said “keep going, only about 2 1/2 miles and you are there.” I said “oh, you must know where we are headed?” and she said “I own, where you are headed!” It was Shelly the owner of the hostel we planned to spend two nights in. Steve was willing to haul a half gallon of chocolate milk so we enjoyed that with a bag of chips as our reward for finishing the FINAL pass of the Cascades.
Day 4 – June 7, 2016 Riverside to Republic Wauconda Pass
60.7 miles 6:43:08 ride time 4,308 elevation gain
As we headed out from Riverside, we rode some with the supported crew. A couple rest stops Sue was there with the motor home and the wet towels to put around our necks as well as refill our water bottles, which was such a treat. It was another miserably hot day so we just kept plugging away and climbing. Learning from past failures I had purchased two extra water bottles which I was keeping filled and stored in my front panniers. Not having to ration water while climbing in the heat made things a bit easier. When we got to Wauconda I desperately needed a bathroom and what they had was ONLY a post office run by two women who apparently have strong bladders…lol We found a bit of shade but under a tin roof so still plenty hot where we made our PB & J sandwiches and enjoyed an apple. As we were finishing up lunch Sue rolled up in the RV which remedied my need for the bathroom. While I said I never wanted to be separated AT ALL, Steve’s desire to stay in Wauconda for a nap did not mesh with my desire to just finish the last bit to reach the summit so I headed out without him. When I got to the top of the pass I wasn’t there long when Sue and Bob appeared again with the RV and provided me a lawn chair while I read my Kindle and waited for Steve to reach the summit. I came to LOVE the caution signs for trucks indicating steep downhills. They became our reward for the climb. We hadn’t yet decided where we would stay and ended up joining the crew at Gold Mountain RV park. They happened to have the only spot with a huge shade tree and more than ample room to pitch our tents. The park only required an extra $3 per person so it ended up being a super economical night for us not to mention they invited us for a wonderful pasta dinner and another night of good company. We contributed the salad we had bought and gave them the hamburger to use further down the road. Only one pass left and word was that the temperature would finally drop tomorrow.
Day 3 – June 6, 2016 Winthrop to Riverside Loup Loup Pass
61.1 miles 6:06:08 ride time 3,507 elevation gain
As we were heading out of Winthrop we met another couple tourists. Kathy and Roger from California, touring on a tandem making a loop and visiting family and friends. The heat was really causing me to have a loss in appetite. As Steve continued to be concerned about the number of calories I was taking in versus what I was expending in climbing mountain ranges, trying to swallow a peanut sandwich was becoming nearly impossible for me. All that sounded good was water….and fruit. As we rolled into Okanogan the winds were unbearably hot, the sun beating down on us and there was a fruit stand. Without even consulting Steve I pulled in and we quickly found ourselves inside a wonderfully cool fruit stand store sampling varieties of cherries. The proprietor was an extremely friendly chap who offered to take our water bottles and refill them with ice water while we sat on the back patio enjoying our cherries. After we each polished off over half of our bags of cherries we had purchased we decided it was not going to get any cooler and we better head out. Off toward Omak we headed. Steve’s dead auxiliary camera battery had been driving him crazy the entire trip asking him to input the date and time each time he turned his camera on so once we picked up a few groceries in Omak we were off in search of a battery for him. As we were in the grocery store Steve discovered not only did he need a battery but a replacement water bottle as he left one of his at the fruit stand. Our first stop was a convenience store/gas station. I was not convince that as Steve went in to check that I wasn’t left outside with seriously questionable characters. I got the impression the drug use rate could be fairly high in Omak. No luck at the convenience store so we were off in search of the Wal-Mart which we were trying to avoid as it was UP the hill. As I was riding down the street I saw an outstretched arm…holding Steve’s water bottle. The gentleman who owned the fruit stand had seriously driven from Okanogan to Omak looking for us to return Steve’s water bottle filled, of course, with fresh ice water. The wonderful people we have met and this random act of kindness is pretty amazing and probably my favorite thing about cycle touring. We did spend at least an hour after that searching for the battery that never was to be. After standing out in the heat waiting for Steve to go into several stores I told him a Blizzard was in order and we popped into the DQ. We have had SO many people ask us about our journey and it’s been fun meeting people and sharing our story. Too much heat and another 10 miles to go for the day we headed out toward Riverside. The fruit stand owner was quite familiar with the AC route and actually recommended we NOT take the AC route which went through the Indian Reservation. He said the people living in that area had been known to hassle the cyclists and even throw bottles at them. The Old Riverside Hwy route he sent us on ended up being a very nice option that also kept us off the busy highway. Riding into Riverside we were looking for Margie’s RV park where Sean and Carol had stayed the night before. After we had paid our camp fees (a reasonable $5 per tent) we discovered the only spots left were horrific. I wish I had taken a picture but imagine a postage stamp piece of dead grass in the beating sun and that’s what our option was. As we looked to our left to the lush grassy shaded area, we saw a motor home and Steve spotted bicycles. Eureka!!! The neighbors were quick to welcome fellow cyclists to join their group and share their site. The pulled up a lawn chair for each of us and offered beverages. I opted for a Corona and Steve had some a post ride recovery smoothie. Moments later the group’s support driver Sue came out with cold wet towels and placed them around our necks. The kindness we continued to experience from total strangers was amazing. We learned they were a group of four guys that were friends. Three of the guys Bob, Jim and Rick were friends from High School in Seoul, Korea and Bruce was a friend met through tennis. The four guys are doing the Northern Tier supported. We enjoyed our visit and while it was the first campground where we had decent internet we opted for conversation with them over catching blogs. They ordered pizza from Omak and the gal who worked at the RV park actually drove them over to to pick it up. Pizza sounded very tempting but we had shopped for groceries we did not want to haul unnecessarily for an additional day so made some pasta, chicken and broccoli and enjoyed visiting with them all for the rest of the evening.
Day 2 – June 5, 2016 Marblemount to Winthrop Rainy & Washington Passes
79.3 miles 9:08:54 ride time 6,447 elevation gain
This morning we had some decisions to make. Our tentative plan was for our next overnight to be at Diablo close to the base of the first big pass but that would mean only about a 15 mile day from where we had camped. Going ahead over would mean a long day but we decided to go for it. We were warned to stop in Newhalem for extra bottles of water before climbing Rainy and WA passes as it was your last chance and we were nearly out of bread so planned to restock there….only to find the grocery store now CLOSED on Saturdays and Sunday’s. The sign for the visitor center indicated they did not open until 9:00 so we were about an hour early for that and yet Steve wanted to climb the hill to the center anyway. I was thinking “seriously, I know you like to stop at every little spot and not miss anything but adding extra climbing to see a closed visitor center seems a bit much”. We laughed about it later. His only reason for wanting to go there was that he though that was where the grocery store was. As we were rolling into Newhalem some crazy winds came up. Winds of the unridable variety. We tried to sit it out and waited for about 45 minutes asking every car that stopped there what they could tell us about the weather. The consensus was that it was always windy in that area and once we got a bit up the road the conditions would improve. Luckily they were right.
Wouldn’t it figure that our day to climb the first two major passes would also be a day of record temperatures? 100+ and everywhere we stopped people were talking about it. I had filled my two large water bottles with Nuun tablet (electrolyte water) only to discover it made me feel sick and did nothing in the way of quenching my thirst. In fact it felt like someone had shoved my mouth and throat full of cotton balls then glued my lips shut. I was becoming seriously concerned about the water situation not to mention we were down to two pieces of bread. The heat climbing the pass with such a fully loaded down bike was nothing short of difficult. I resorted to asking a motorcyclist if he had water and he shared some with me. It was hot but it was water which I desperately needed. We even resorted to filling our bottles from the stream running at the base of a waterfall. As RVs passed I found myself wondering what variety of cold tasty beverages were awaiting them in their RV fridge and would it be crazy to flag one of them down?
We actually stopped and dipped into the water at one point and the highlight of the day was meeting our guardian angels John and Sylvia very near the top of WA pass. They had just finished a hike and had ice cold Rolling Rock beer (which Sylvia shared with me) as well as providing us each with an apple and refilling our water bottles.
About 6 miles shy of Winthrop we ran across the Bike Barn. Both of us were totally exhausted but being out of food would mean sharing a backpacking meal I had thrown in amounting to 300 calories each after a brutal ride. We still opted for that versus riding any further for the day and were glad the barn had complimentary sodas which we each drank two of primarily just to get some extra calories in.
Minus the mosquito population the bike barn was fun. Horrible wifi as we had continued to experience anywhere we camped but a nice outside shower and composting toilet provided in an outhouse as well as a nice grassy area to pitch our tents.
Day 1 – June 4, 2016. Anacortes to Marblemount
80.1 miles 7:23:12 ride time. 1,798 elevation gain
We expected day 1 to be nothing but busy highways and not too exciting but we were pleasantly surprised how the Adventure Cycling route took us off the busy highways onto scenic back roads. This also meant having to pay very careful attention to our navigation and turn points from the maps. Our goal for the day was Rockport but we thought if we made it to Marblemount we may be able to stay with a Warm Showers host but that didn’t pan out. We stayed at Alpine RV park which was adequate but the wifi didn’t work for us. After 80 miles we were pretty exhausted so opted for burgers at the Marblemount diner as opposed to cooking ourselves. We took advantage of the Cascade Trail which is a section of rails to trails and while it was slower going with the hard packed dirt it was certainly beautiful.
Day Zero – June 3, 2016. Shuttle ride from Lewiston to Anacortes
My brother Tim was our shuttle driver from Lewiston to Anacortes and we stayed at the beautiful Washington Park in Anacortes. We met Matt and Jodi, a young couple from Florida that were also planning on doing the Northern Tier but with less miles per day so we visited and wished them well on their journey. We also met Valerie from San Diego who was riding solo down the coast home. We did the traditional wheel dipping in the Pacific and trying to get our bikes down to and back up from the water in the thick sand and rock was way more work than actually riding them.
Day Minus 1- June 2, 2016–Last day of work for 3 months and packing day :0)
It’s funny how quickly the one remaining empty pannier can fill up! Today was the day for final last minute errands, packing and double and triple checking the Wunderlist List. Trying to organize things logically where the weight equals out and you have fairly easy access to the items you need can definitely be a challenge. My OCD kicked in and I even created an index card of what was in each bag and now we will see if I can manage to get things back in their original location.
What are the chances that EACH front bag would weigh exactly 5.6 lbs, and each rear pannier weigh 16.8 lbs. Add in the rear rack bag at 6.8 lbs and handlebar bag at 5.2 lbs for the 56.8 total. I use Ortlieb panniers for front, rear and the handlebar bag and the rear rack bag and harness is a custom setup made by FunBags for Bikes. It even has a see through pocket for my Waka Waka solar charger and spoke sleeve.
Yesterday I decided practically needed to beat out fashion and that I would chop off all my hair. It’s only hair and it grows.
Beauty from the Bike 