Day 33- Pittsburg to Marshfield

We're out of Kansas! And into Missouri with its hills. The other way
we noticed we left Kansas behind was the fact that roads stopped being
straight... We knew we had a long day ahead, so we loved the clouds
and the cooler temperature! Though the humidity is so high that even
on a cool day, you end up being soaked and feeling clammy. Around 2 in
the afternoon, the sun came out and it was hot as usual. I'm not
finding it too bad though unless I'm stopped in the sun... so much
sweat dripping down my face! The hills we climbed today were a warmup
to the Ozarks, which we'll get to properly the day after tomorrow. I
wasn't finding it too hard, even after 117miles, which I find very
pleasing... You know, great shape, thighs of steel and all that ;) I
was definitely not slower than the guys up the hills, and I'm the only
one who's not a big wuss and still carries their panniers! I'll get
into big trouble once they read this...

Day 32- Another rest day!?

So the plan was to go for breakfast and head to the bike shop when it
opened at 10am- and to be on our way around noon. The guy was at the
shop when we cycled past so we went in. He said he'd be busy until
noon putting together some other bikes. We had breakfast and went back
over to the store to put new tyres on my and Luke's bikes. We were
having a special day and blew three tubes in the process of fitting 4
tyres!! And then it took until 1.30 for the guy to get started on our
bikes... Amazingly, my chain is not worn out at all even though I
have not looked after it one bit! No cleaning, no lube, well once in
the bike shop back in Lander but other than that, no TLC. Everything
else was also in good shape, and Luke's bike didn't need much work
either. But then (it's 3pm by now...) we finally got to Mike's bike,
and his chain and cassette needed replacing. We figured there was no
way we were going to go anywhere today, so we headed to Starbucks and
re-scheduled the next few days. We're still ahead of schedule, and
with another long day ahead tomorrow, it should stay that way.
Tomorrow we'll finally get out of Kansas, though that means we'll soon
be on the rollercoaster ride across the Ozarks. I'm not sure how hard
it'll be, as none of the climbs are very high or long, but some are
very steep and there are lots of them- no idea how many hundreds!

Day 31- Eureka to Pittsburg

Yes, Pittsburg without an h because we're in Kansas ;) I rode with
Luke all day, and we faffed quite a lot so it turned into a very long
day. We stopped a lot for food and drink, and that was so important
for me today because I felt quite low on energy. He also got a
puncture which he fixed quite quickly, but while we were stopped in
the sun (and on a humid day), the sweat was dripping down my face even
worse than while we were riding. Anyways, at a stop a few miles later
we met cyclist Mike and his dad, the support driver (who started the
tour but soon gave up). Apparently, they'd seen me a few days ago in
Ness City so we must have been switching back and forth over the last
few days! We headed on together, and decided to head past our original
destination. The bike shop is here in Pittsburg, so this way we can
have a relaxed start to the day, enjoy breakfast and then get the
bikes checked and fixed. After a 128mile day, I'm looking forward to a
bit of a late start! Mike is also on a similar schedule, so we'll all
ride together as much as possible. I think it'll really make these
last 3 weeks more enjoyable, and I'll have someone to help me deal
with the dogs, and strange people in eastern Kentucky. And a support
vehicle is always handy, though I'm planning to carry my panniers all
the way. By the way, we were chased by quite a few dogs today, and two
of them did appear fairly aggressive. The first, a Rottweiler, became
my first test subject for my new dog deterrent gadget, a Dazer. It
sends out an ultrasonic signal, which is meant to pull the dog out of
its aggressive state, and it seemed to work here. Sadly, the second
dog, a German shepherd, came running so fast out of nowhere that I
didn't see him coming, so no chance to pull out the Dazer!

Day 30- Newton to Eureka

I started a little later than usual, and soon bumped into two women
who got up early and were heading to Newton for breakfast. They told
me about a group ahead of me, so I had someone to chase- I always like
a challenge! But a few miles later, the wind picked up and I was
struggling with a massive headwind. I caught up with one group member
at the first petrol station. We rode together for the next 20 miles,
where we caught up with the rest of his group chilling at a cafe. We
chatted for a while, and it turned out that one of the guys was
someone I had heard about from every other person heading west. He was
somewhat famous for having his dog with him, though the dog was too
lazy to run along by this point and enjoys being pulled along in the
trailer. In a way, I had been chasing him since Yellowstone! Well the
group didn't want to head on, so I rode the last 20miles to Eureka
alone. At the motel, I met Luke, who's been here for a couple of days
struggling with knee problems. We'll try to ride together tomorrow,
and depending on how that goes, we may ride together for a while/all
the way to the east coast, since we're both hoping to finish around
the same date. I would really enjoy the company for a few days!

Day 29- Larned to Newton

I was warned that as I head further east, humidity would increase, and
I've been getting a first taste of it today. But despite that and
temperatures around 100F, I still didn't find it too bad. Granted, I
got through about 2gallons of diet ice tea, and my lunch was ice
cream ;) The only problem I'm facing at the moment is my rear tyre,
which is really worn out. I checked it a couple of days ago and it
looked fine, but the heat must have got to it badly because it now
shows lots of cracks all over. I tried to buy a spare tyre at the last
few bike stores I rode past but no one had anything in the right size.
And this section of the Transam has one bike store, which was on my
route today but closed on a Sunday. I actually tried on a tyre I got
at Walmart, it was not going to fit though! And you can imagine the
looks I got from everyone whilst changing the tyres outside the
entrance! So now I'm hoping that the tyre lasts another 2 days and 200
miles, until I get to the next bike store!

Day 28- Unscheduled rest day in Larned

My rest day was meant to be in Newton tomorrow, but when I got up this
morning, heavy thunderstorms had already moved into the area. And
since the weather channel predicted more throughout today, but a hot
clear day tomorrow, I decided to stay put today. There doesn't seem to
be much to do or see around here, but I've got cable TV in the motel
so all is good!

Day 27- Ness City to Larned

Luckily, I hadn't planned on going far today, because the weather
turned around and storm clouds darkened the sky. I had to wait out a
couple of light thunder storms, but the trail soon turned south and
away from the bad weather. I got to Larned quite early and spent the
rest of the day chilling. I forgot that the different antihistamine
always makes me drowsy, so I won't be doing more than necessary for
the rest of the day!

Day 26- Tribune to Ness City

What an exciting day... After 80 miles, the road had one 45 degree
right bend, before bending back to head straight east again two miles
later. Not joking! Actually, I'm not complaining, with a slight cross/
tail wind, the mostly flat terrain and good road quality, these were
the easiest 100 miles yet. I'll fly across Kansas in no time at all,
before hitting Missouri with its many hills. Apparently, it's just a
lot of ups and downs without any overall elevation gains, or as Keith
called them: PUDs, pointless ups and downs. I met a couple of young
guys this morning, one of whom must be mad: at some point, he'll come
off the Transamerica to head south on a different trail, which will
take him through the desert to San Francisco. In August!!! He said
he'll be doing a lot of night and sunrise riding, though I'm not sure
how you'd be able to sleep during the day. I still don't feel too
exhausted from the riding, though I am sleeping a lot. In fact, this
morning I stayed in bed for 1.5hrs longer than I should have, not
realising that I'd enter central time zone just outside Tribune. So
effectively I was on the road after 9am, and that's just a bit too
late around here. The sores and wounds are also slowly healing, though
I have to use plasters everyday to stop the wounds from sticking to
the Lycra. It's painful and probably doesn't exactly speed up the
healing process! The various wheat and grass pollen around here were
also giving me a rash all over my arms and legs, but I realised that
I'd bought the wrong antihistamine last time, d'oh! At least I finally
got some proper food tonight, an all you can eat buffet for less than
$10, love it!

Day 25- Ordway to Tribune

Forgot to mention that I met another lone rider, Allen, in the hotel
yesterday, and we met again at dinner and chatted for a while. We then
rode together for the first 60 miles this morning. The riding was
beautifully easy, so we passed the time quickly. At some point on that
stretch, we also passed the halfway mark! Woo! We met a Dutch couple
coming the other way, who were also pleased to be near that all
important mark. We finally got to that much longed for petrol station
for lots of cold drinks. I stocked up on water (4 litres!) in
anticipation of another service free 60 mile stretch... Turns out that
a petrol station opened halfway along that stretch about a month ago,
which was a good job as the dry heat was really getting to me! Plus
the wind picked up a lot in the afternoon, luckily it was rarely head
on, but it did try to push me over to my left far too much! When it
actually died down occasionally, I felt like I was going to fall over
to my right... Anyways, I finally made it to Tribune. I have to say
that truck drivers have been extremely courteous so far, but a mere
100ft from the motel, one tried to turn right into me! Nearly forgot
to mention that I am now in Kansas, which made a great first
impression when the grocery store shut at 6pm, and the only food I
could get was a pretty lousy burger. So I got some ice cream from the
petrol station, and shared it with another cyclist, Keith, staying in
the motel. It was nice to have someone to chat to again... Two in one
day, that's a record!

Day 24- Florence to Ordway

Again, nothing much happened... It is so hot though, I can barely
drink enough while riding! I'll have to start getting up and riding
earlier, so I can stay out of the sun during the midday heat. Another
problem is that tomorrow, there'll be one service station on a 120
mile trip! At least it's flat around here, so all the extra weight of
the water I'm carrying doesn't pose too much of a problem.

Day 23- Fairplay to Florence

Not much to report really! I was surprised to see hummingbirds outside
the motel this morning- how do they survive Colorado's winter?? The
ride was pretty relaxed as I got to lose about 5,000ft of elevation :)
But "down here" it is really hot, the thermometer in the sun reads
110F... On the bright side, 2,000miles down! And another rest day
coming up on Sunday.

Day 22- Kremmling to Fairplay

Colorado is so beautiful, and it really showed off its best side
today. Climbing the first 2,700ft or so happened very gradually over
55miles. I rode through some bigger towns, where I finally saw a
Starbucks again, and also had phone signal for the first time in
nearly 3 weeks! Yay civilisation! The towns are connected by bike
paths, which wind around a reservoir and through a forest. And with it
being Sunday, lots of people were out to play. Amusingly, many seemed
to have the money for sweet bikes but no one to help them choose a
good fit. I stopped for lunch (as you might have guessed, at
Starbucks) before tackling the final climb to Hoosier Pass, the
highest point on the tour! I tried this new shake they have, which is
perfect for athletes with 21g of protein, though exactly why any
normal person would want this, I'm not sure- Atkins is out, right?
Well, the climb wasn't very steep or anything but my heartrate was
noticeably higher than on other climbs. I think the air was getting a
little too thin! Now I am in Fairplay, a small town with a fantastic
Italian restaurant- time to get some proper food in me!

Day 21- Walden to Kremmling

Gosh, it's been three weeks already! Well I'm still feeling quite
upbeat, though earlier today my tummy wasn't all that happy. But I
think I just hadn't eaten enough last night, and staying hydrated is
becoming hard work! I stopped for a large lunch, and I certainly met
my match: the biggest burrito I've ever seen! Being on tour means that
not finishing food is not an option though. Today and tomorrow aren't
big on mileage, but there'll be a lot of climbing tomorrow. Over
4,200ft to get to the highest point on the trail, and cross the
continental divide yet again (for the 9th time? I've lost count!).
I've also caught a glimpse of some entertaining wildlife: for one,
there are lots of chipmunks or prairie dogs or whatever they are, but
these actually eat their own kind's roadkill! Gross. And then there
some flying insects, which by judging by their size could be
grasshoppers, but when in flight they are seriously the noisiest
animals around!

Day 20- Saratoga to Walden

Shorter day, and I finally made it out of Wyoming! I would have taken
a picture of the "Welcome to Colorado" sign, but as soon as I stopped
I was attacked by a swarm of insects. So insect repellant now joins
the list of essential items... Other than that it was a quiet day, and
I finally dared to listen to my iPod again. Once I got to Walden, I
had the most amazing lunch: sliced roast beef, piled high, with mash
potatoes, covered in gravy. Cyclists' heaven!

Day 19- Jeffrey City to Saratoga

Well something happened today... I got my first puncture! It doesn't
really qualify as exciting, more a nuisance really, but it's
something. And it was bound to happen sooner or later, and I would
consider 1,600 miles later. I fixed it without any problems, though I
wouldn't say I did a quick job. Either way I'm not hoping for much
more practice in this department. After that nothing else happened. I
struggled with a very strong headwind on the last 20miles, which was
so frustrating- it's like fighting this invisible force that just
makes your work that much harder. Oh and by the way, in case anyone
was wondering, I'm still just as obsessive about cleanliness so I have
not yet worn any of my kit two days in a row without washing it!

Day 18-Lander to Jeffrey City

That's it, Wyoming joins my special new list: dreadful places never to
visit again. I mean, Montana was empty but at least it offered
something to look at. Wyoming, nada, niente! Well apart from the two
national parks, but they can't cover more than 3% of the state.
Luckily, I'll be in Colorado soon. Today was a short ride of less than
60 miles, seriously the route planning around here was so difficult
because there are so few towns! I could have pushed through to Rawlins
but that would have been another 120+ miles day. So here I am, in the
ghost town that is Jeffrey City. It was a uranium mining city back in
the day, and its population peaked at 5,000. 4,950 of those people
were clever enough to move away when the boom was over! Today was the
first time I really dreaded seeing the inside of the motel, from how
awful it looked on the outside. Apart from the 70s décor and the just-
for-decoration TV, it's ok though! Good job another cyclist gave me a
book she had read back in Jackson, I'll need it tonight...

Day 17- Actual bike wear and tear

So I went to get my bike from the shop, expecting that all they had to do was to adjust the cables a bit and grease the chain... but as we looked at the bike, the guy noticed that the rear wheel needed straightening out, not surprising considering the awful road quality over the last couple of days. Then he noticed that the rear tyre was actually really worn, the thread had completely gone and the sidewalls showed lots of cracks and splits. Usually, you'd expect the front tyre to wear more but I guess with the panniers on the back, the rear tyre wears out more quickly. The front tyre actually looks fine, I'm hoping to get another 1,500 miles out of it so I'd get both tyres changed then. By then I will probably also need to get a new chain, and maybe brake pads... but all in all, that is still very little wear so far!

Day 17- Togwotee Pass to Lander

Wyoming really hasn't offered anything interesting today. Well, I saw
one rather tall dust devil- a small tornado type thing. Most of the
ride was downhill, but a constant strong headwind spoilt even that bit
of fun. Now I'm in Lander, which is refreshingly big (nearly 7000
people, wow!). With 1,500 miles down, I brought the bike in for a
check-up, though I think the only thing that needs adjusting are the
gears. About 3,000 miles to go!

Day 16- West Yellowstone to Togwotee Pass

Prepared for a long day, I set off extra early, and soon found myself
in state #4, Wyoming. Entering Yellowstone at 7am meant there was very
little traffic, and I kept looking out for some wild animals roaming
on the meadows. Lots of deer and bison were out, but again no bear was
to be seen anywhere. Hpwever, I nearly ran into a coyote standing at
the side of the road. He really wasn't fazed by me at all, and stayed
exactly where he was. So I slowed down and went around him at a safe
distance, it's a wild animal after all! He ran away though when he
heard a car approaching. Anyways, in Yellowstone I had to ride over 3
passes, each time crossing the Continental Divide- according to
Wikipedia this is the line between the rivers that flow into the
Pacific and those that flow into the Atlantic. After Yellowstone, I
rode through Grand Teton park. The view across the lake at another
mountain range was again stunning! After Teton park, I just had one
last pass to tackle... Which just happened to be the second highest
point on this tour! But I made it up, and luckily, when you're going
coast to coast, what goes up must come down! Having rolled downhill to
the motel, I went straight to their restaurant. After 12hrs without
proper food, 133 miles and close to 6000 calories burnt I was
definitely in need of a decent meal! Expecting the usual burger grub,
I was surprised to find a gourmet restaurant in the wilderness! I
certainly enjoyed that treat... I can also report that the new saddle
was a good buy, now I just need to find a way to speed up the healing
of my old sores, some of which are open wounds by now, ouch! Another
joy of today was the insect infestation up Togwotee pass. They don't
seem to like sunscreen much, so left my arms and legs alone. But the
little buggers (mosquitoes), and the bigger ones (horse flies, eww!)
can sting through Lycra. So my right shoulder and my bum got the worst
of it, thanks.

Day 15- Rest day in Yellowstone

I did a bus tour of the Lower Loop ie the lower half of the park.
Sadly, we didn't get to see any bears or wolves, but we saw several
eagles, lots of elk and bison and a fair few "geothermal features".
Read geysers, fumaroles, hot springs and pools. All pretty cool but I
almost gave in to my lazy side, which was trying to persuade me to
stay in bed and watch the Disney channel all day!

Day 14- Virginia City to West Yellowstone

Feeling stuffed after the delicious breakfast, I had to go straight up
the climb out of the valley. Having dragged my full tummy all the way
to the top, I decided to try putting on a second pair of Lycra shorts
to reduce the pain on my backside. For a few minutes, it felt so much
better, but my euphoria wasn't meant to last long... The descent into
the next valley was however beautiful, and I couldn't stop but hum
Queen's Don't Stop Me Now on the way down! I also met a group of 6 or
8 climbing up the mountain, which I later found out was Adventure
Cycling's guided tour who had left the east coast in May. I didn't
ride too many miles so by lunchtime, I was about 30miles from
Yellowstone. When I stopped to buy drinks, I met another couple on the
Transam, and we had the usual chat about dog problems and tales on the
trail... Once I got to West Yellowstone, I headed straight to the bike
shop to get my front wheel straightened out, and to look for a new
saddle. It seems that my saddle is actually too soft, which seems
paradoxical but it means that the bony bits can push right through to
the metal railing. So after some thinking over food, and once again
feeling exactly how painful sitting down was, I decided to buy the
quality ladies Selle saddle, even though it's ridiculously expensive
at nearly $100... But with its harder gel cushioning it should provide
more "soft tissue support"! Now I'm looking forward to a bus tour of
the park tomorrow, and giving my body a bit of rest. Especially
because the next day, I will have to ride 130miles since I need to get
out of Yellowstone and adjacent Teton park to get to a reasonably
priced motel.

Wicked bike!

I was so jealous of this dude's bike, given my current level of
discomfort! He's doing the Transam east to west, with bits about 1,500
miles added on at each coast, sounds like an awesome trip.

Bargain!

Day 13- Jackson to Virginia City

Another gorgeous day in Montana, although it started off freezing cold
this morning! I wore all my kit to keep warm for the first 50miles,
then the sun finally started doing its job. Sadly, I can't say the
saddle sores are getting better, actually they're getting worse!
(Almost) Literally a pain in the arse! But I'll be darned if this is
going to stop me, and my first rest day is coming up on Sunday- in
Yellowstone!

This part of Montana was populated mainly during the gold rush.
Virginia City, and neighbouring Nevada City (a ghost town) are
original western settlements, and look like they're right out of an
old Western! I quite like looking around, though it wouldn't keep me
excited for long. The B&B I'm staying in is a little gem! It's a stone
house built in the 1880s, with lots of original features. It actually
has a very European feel to it, and is so cosy. I can't wait for
breakfast! (well that is always true)

Sent from my iPhone

Day 12- Darby to Jackson

The climb wasn't bad at all, the roads were decent and very quiet, and
coming over the second pass, I headed into the most beautiful part of
Montana! Now I understand why they call it the big sky. There were
fields around for miles, framed on all sides by beautiful mountain
ranges, some of them still snowcapped. A truly breathtaking view! I
had met two cyclists at the bottom of the climb, and we met again on
the descent. We rode to a little place called Wisdom for lunch. The
bar/restaurant looked authentically wild west, built in wood and with
deer heads on all the walls. They served a delicious lunch, and
together we headed on to Jackson. I had booked an economy cabin, which
is a real log cabin with just a bed in it; there are shared bathrooms
outside. The other two cyclists are camping in an open space between
the cabins. We also enjoyed a soak in their hot springs fed swimming
pool, what a treat!

Sent from my iPhone

Day 11- Lolo Hot Springs to Darby

If I had decided against going into Missoula, I could have done about
25miles less but I needed to go to a supermarket and to chat to the
ACA people about the route. So my first stop was the local Walmart,
where I stocked up on snacks, shampoo and conditioner (so important,
and yes, so vain! but without conditioner I keep tearing half my hair
out) and chatted to the pharmacist about safe dosages of ibuprofen.
Turns out you can take huge amounts of the stuff for long periods,
somewhat surprising to me- at least that'll keep the knees and other
assorted ailments under control. Also, upon recommendation by the
English girls, I will now attempt to soothe the saddle sores with
nappy rash cream, after Vaseline proved useless and cortisone too
aggressive. Sorry for the slight overshare there, but it's the painful
reality of touring!

Next stop was the Adventure Cycling Association headquarters. I
chatted to two guys, one of whom has done the Transam and said he
always managed to deal with the dogs, and never used his dog spray.
The other guy showed me a good set of state maps that I could use to
make up my own route. But these are bulky, expensive and have no local
information like bike shops and motels. So, I have decided to stick it
out, and face those pesky dogs. Urgh.

In the afternoon, I rode the remainder of the way to Darby. There's
lots of roadwork on highway 93, which didn't make for comfortable
riding, and it'll continue like this for a few more miles out of
Darby. Also coming up tomorrow is another climb of about 3200ft. I
hope that if I start early, I'll make it up by lunch time.

A little aside on how I keep myself entertained, seeing as I really
can't listen to my iPod. These last few days, the Transam sections
have coincided with sections of the Lewis and Clarke trail. These two
guys led the first expedition from the settlements in the east all the
way to the Pacific coast. (or that's how far my history knowledge
goes) Anyways, I made up a 6 degrees (approximately) of separation
thing, Radio 1 style, between the two: Lewis and Clarke sounds like
Lois and Clark, the main characters in Superman. In the 90s Superman
TV show, Teri Hatcher played Lois. She now plays Susan Mayer on
Desperate Housewives. Her co-star Felicity Huffman, who plays Lynette
Scavo, was the main character in a recent movie called Transamerica.
Aha! Well I was chuffed I thought that up anyways... Ok I might be
going slightly crazy out here in the wild wild west!

PS I passed the 1,000mile mark today, very encouraging!

Sent from my iPhone

Day 10- Lowell to Lolo Hot Springs

Another day on that awful road, and a whole lot of riding uphill...
25miles in, I met a group of 3 girl students from England, and their
guy friend who goes to high school in the US. They're touring fully
loaded, and I have the utmost respect for them- I wouldn't be able to
get much more stuff up these mountains than what I have now! We rode
together to Powell, which was the first town since Lowell- 65miles of
forest, and the road winding back and forth along the river.
Thrilling. Anyways, it was really nice to bump into them, but I am
glad I'm not doing the whole camping thing. I would have to carry more
stuff, wouldn't get as many miles in each day and I'm certain I
wouldn't recover as quickly. It's just a tradeoff between how quickly
you want to get this done, and how much you're willing to spend!

Anyways, after lunch I only had 20miles to go to the motel. The route
took me over Lolo Pass, luckily the climbing wasn't too bad. At the
top, I crossed into Montana and also back to Mountain Time, maybe for
good now!

I have to say I'm really disappointed with this motel. They charge a
fair amount more than all the others, but my room doesn't have
anything other than a bed and bathroom: no TV, phone, wireless
Internet, not even the sachets of shampoo I have come to depend on!

I should also say that while I am enjoying riding through the state
parks and forests all day, I have had about enough of all this
wilderness. The towns are ridiculously small (upwards of 500 is
unheard of), and proper food and supermarkets are rare. I think it'll
stay this way for a while yet...

PS I bought dog spray from a bike shop the other day, but I will
probably talk to the peeps at the Adventure Cycling Association (who
make the maps) about alternative routes when I ride through Missoula
tomorrow.

Sent from my iPhone

Day 9- Riggins to Lowell

I decided to get up early so I could get up the big climb before the
midday heat. 2miles out of Riggins, I crossed Salmon River, which
happens to be the boundary between Mountain and Pacific Time, so I was
now back on Pacific Time for two days. It's all very confusing to the
uninitiated!!

Early morning, I met three other riders and we rode together for a
couple of hours, until we got to the bottom of the climb. They stopped
for breakfast and I headed on. The climb wasn't too bad and I got to
lunch early. I had another 50miles to go to Lowell, and the route took
me along the worst road yet. The road was winding and narrow, and lots
of trucks speed along not expecting to meet any cyclists. And as there
was no shoulder most of the way, I had to listen very carefully for
approaching trucks so I could jump off to the side in time. Quite
stressful all in all! As I'm going along the same road tomorrow, I'm
definitely putting on my rear lights, and I'll be ready to get out of
the way quickly!

Sent from my iPhone

Day 8- Cambridge to Riggins

Quite a short relaxed day, good job really after that trek yesterday.
Now I'm just chilling out and watching TV. And refuelling for another
big climb tomorrow!

Sent from my iPhone

Day 7- Baker City to Cambridge (Idaho)

110miles on, I have survived Hell's Canyon :) It wasn't actually as
bad as it may sound, but the climb out of the canyon was hard because
I had already done 80 or so miles by then... By crossing into Idaho,
I'm now on Mountain Time, 7hrs behind the UK.

I also ran into lots of cyclists today. Early morning, I met one group
who had done a week long ride around the nearby mountains and were now
on their way home. One of their group helped me fix my front brake- I
don't have the tools to tighten the cable but tried with the motel
tools, and made things even worse! When I had lunch in a lovely little
cafe in a town called Halfway- which appropriately was about halfway
for me- I met two cyclists who had started the Transam on the East
Coast in April. They were riding on a tandem, and his mum drove along
in her RV as the support vehicle. They counted the number of dogs that
tried to attack them, mainly in Missouri and Kentucky, and it stood at
72!!! Argh... I'm scared, and will buy bear spray at the next sports
store (apparently way more effective than pepper spray, and works on
humans too) . I'm also not entirely sure I actually want to go
through those states, will have a look on Google maps for ways around-
most likely something a little further north than the Transam!

Sent from my iPhone

Day 6- Mount Vernon to Baker City

I'm really starting to lose track of where I've been, at least I know
where I'm going each morning!

Today was rather quiet, probably because it's Independence Day and
most people were staying put unless they had some parade to go to. It
was also a slightly shorter day of about 90miles. I just had to go
over 3 passes before riding out the last 30 to Baker. I thought once
I'd left the passes behind, I'd leave wilderness behind but actually,
I still don't have any phone signal and the motel wi-fi doesn't work,
third night in a row! But just now I have found wireless on the city's
main street, which actually works, how nice of them! Anyways, the only
excitement today involved another thunderstorm. As always seems to be
the case, I noticed the dark cloud about 10miles from my destination.
At this point, there was no lightning yet so I pushed on towards Baker
City. Literally the minute I passed the sign welcoming me to the city,
the cloud had got overhead and lightning started. So I did my usual
jumping off the bike and crouching low routine. Only this time, I had
to wait out the lightning, and then heavy rain-all less than 2miles
from the motel! When I finally got to my room, ready for a hot shower,
they had put the air conditioning on so high that the room temperature
was about 12C! It's also central A/C so I can only block the cold air
vent and hope the room warms up soon... Well, tomorrow is going to be
a long day, 115miles including Hell's Canyon, yippee! Off to bed.

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Day 5- Prineville to Mount Vernon

A whole day on route 26, and it's getting hot hot HOT! It's also the
most isolated area I've been riding through so far. No phone reception
anywhere, but at least each tiny town has a grocery store.

And by the way, I'm still in Oregon and will be for a few more days. I
have also just noticed today (yes, again, I'm real slow) that the guys
in the bike shop in Corvallis did some weird wiring on my bike: they
asked if they could switch it so the right lever controls your rear
brake and gears, and I think that's the way it is on my racing bike so
I said ok. Then I figured today that while the right lever does indeed
control the rear gears, it actually controls the front brake... Huh!?

So route 26 took me over Ochoco pass, which wasn't as bad as I
expected in terms of climbing. Around the pass is Ochoco forest, a
green oasis after the desert like landscape yesterday and the rest of
today. I stopped for a brief lunch break in the valley before the
second pass. From there, it was only another 6miles and 1300ft
elevation so nothing too bad. However, I set off for the second pass
just before 1pm when it was about as hot as it can get. It was
probably over 100F, ie 35C and up. It took me nearly an hour to cover
the 6miles, including 3 water stops! After that, it went downhill for
30miles, through the John Day fossil beds (no fossils anywhere to be
seen) and Picture Gorge. All very dull!

So after 110 very hot miles and about 10litres of water, I got to the
absolute hinterland town of Mount Vernon. They say they have wireless,
but it's not working so you won't get this for a while- here's hoping
I'll find a Starbucks soon! Oh yeah, I have also found a new favourite
drink, vitamin water. Delicious artificial stuff packed with a few
good things. Between that and all the gatorade, my mouth will be
rainbow coloured soon!

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Day 4- McKenzie Bridge to Prineville

I had an excellent start to the day: I left the motel and promptly set
off the wrong way down the highway. Luckily, the motel owner saw this
happen, and knowing it would have taken me a long while to figure out,
he came chasing after me in his car to point me the right way. Woops!

So there's a mountain range called the Cascades in Oregon, and I think
I went over it today. The first 40miles of the day took me over 4
hours! I was so happy when I got to the top of the Santiam pass, as I
knew most of the remaining miles went downhill. I stopped for lunch
at a resort by the side of this gorgeous little lake. The pasta of the
day was chicken BBQ- sounds strange but was so tasty! Thankfully, the
lunch was of American proportions, and I am learning about the joys of
free soda refills... Content and full, and with the knee finally
giving up its complaints, I went on towards Prineville. The landscape
around the highway really changed at this point, instead of lush green
forests the landscape looked more like a desert with a few bushes
scattered around.

As I had cycled to within 10miles of Prineville, I noticed a rather
ominous looking cloud heading my way. I hadn't heard any thunder yet,
so I kept going, hoping I would make it to the motel in time. Around
5miles later though, lightning struck just a few hundred metres behind
me. I jumped off the bike, laid it flat on the ground and went to
crouch low on the side of the road. As loads of cars were passing, I
tried my luck at hitching a ride at the same time. A guy stopped, and
his car was- unsurprisingly- big enough to fit the bike. He dropped me
off in Prineville, and minutes after I reached the motel, thunder and
lightning struck the town, with massive winds, rain and even hail to
go with it! I'm glad I was inside by then...

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Day 3- Corvallis to McKenzie Bridge

And what a day it's been, seriously!

The riding was nice, perfect weather and roads but various
entertaining and scary things happened...

Before lunch, I experienced my first dog "attack". This farm dog came
running towards and then after me, so I did exactly what I'd been told
to do- slow down, keep your eyes on the dog, calmly shout at him to
stay away and get your water bottle ready to squirt if it gets too
close. It worked really well on this dog, and I hope that it will on
other dogs too.

When I went into Eugene, I finally ran into another Transam tourer,
but we didn't cycle together because he was slower and didn't want to
cover as much distance.

Another first: taking the wrong turn, which added another 10 miles to
my day. Grrreat.

Then the worst of all: I was going along a beautiful state road, which
runs on the side of the McKenzie river. On one stretch, it was just me
and a car coming the opposite way. As soon as it had passed me, it
veered to the side of the road, and in what I can only guess was an
attempt to get back on the road, he oversteers and veers off my side
of the road, falling about 15m down to the bank of the river below!!!!
I stopped and turned around, and some cars which had just seen him fly
off the road had also stopped. We called 911, and two guys climbed
down to the car while one stayed on the phone to the emergency
services. The driver soon regained consciousness, wearing his seatbelt
probably saved his life! Worst of all though, when the guys asked him
if he'd been drinking, he admitted he had had a few beers! Bleeping
idiot!! This road seems rather dangerous, there was at least one other
(from what I heard fatal) accident on the same road at the same
time... And last weekend two youngsters got killed in a drink driving
accident. So maybe it's not the road but the stupid people...

Anyways, I made it to the motel safely. My left knee is now swollen
and painful, I hope it's not going to give up on me! Only about 4,000
more miles...

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Day 2- Pacific City to Corvallis

My ride didn't continue along the coast for much longer, but having
turned east, it finally got warmer and the sun came out. It was
generally a pleasant day, though I spent a lot of time riding on the
side of a busy highway. As is appropriate on day 2, the pain starts
setting in. Not the muscular type, just the joints that usually act
up- knees, ankles, wrists. At least I'm carrying plenty of ibuprofen...

I got to Corvallis quite early, and went straight to a bike shop to
see if I could get integrated brake levers and shifters. The bike shop
I went to had the right parts, and offered to install even though it
was an hour before closing time. I'm glad they got it done so quickly,
it's made the riding much more comfortable! I got a pretty sweet deal
as well, thanks to their impeccable maths skills: the parts cost $277,
and they said they wouldn't charge me for labour and give me a 10%
buddy discount... And somehow that came to $236!? I'm not complaining!

My hosts Rebecca and Josh found me at the bike shop and showed me to
their house. After a quick shower, we went for a delicious burger and
a long chat (thanks to the food taking an hour to be ready). Another
great couchsurfing experience!

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Day 1- Astoria to Pacific City

In Astoria, I stayed with couchsurfer Andrew. We had a great BBQ with
his friend Chelsey on the patio, chatting about anything and
everything... The next morning, I got up early to ride across the
bridge from Astoria into Washington (state) just so I can say I've
been there at least once! When I got back, Andrew had gotten up to
have breakfast with me (impressive at 7am on a Sunday) and see me off
on my first day.

The first day was cold, cloudy and looong. And my mood wasn't lifted
by the result of the Euro 2008 final!! Anyways, I soon found myself on
the first climbs, and with all the added weight on the bike I was so
grateful for the third chainring. The lowest gear is certainly getting
a lot of use!

Not surprisingly, the roads were filled with big big cars, trucks and
lots of RVs (mobile homes). Some of the RVs are bigger than school
buses, and people tow their cars, pickups, quad bikes or even
motorboats behind them, it's pretty crazy. Luckily, there is usually a
wide shoulder on the side of the road.

I got to Pacific City at 7.30, and was greeted by a group of middle
aged touring cyclists. They asked where I'd cycled from that day, and
laughed because they had taken 3 days to cover the same distance! The
motel was amazing, certainly much nicer than I'd expected, so let's
hope they keep up the quality!

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The bike, fully loaded

This was taken on the first day, by the second day I got so annoyed
with the shifters being at the bottom of the handle bar that I got
integrated brake levers and shifters in Corvallis. Much better now!
Funnily, on the rear dropout it says "fatties fit fine". Now I thought
that was aimed at the general American population so even obese people
would feel they could buy this bike. (which I think is not true for
any bike- the fully loaded weight limit is usually 120 or 150kg,
preventing at least a third of Americans from riding bikes) actually,
fatties are just fat tyres so they're telling you that you can put up
to 35mm tyres on for proper cyclocross stuff. Silly me!