Statistics

Our total trip was 1,044 miles in 19 riding days (two days off).  We averaged 55 miles per day and 9.8 miles per hour, despite all the mountains we climbed and sightseeing we did.  Not bad for three sixty-something retired folks.

Last day - Alder to Ennis

We started the day by riding seven miles to Nevada City where we had a great breakfast at The Star Bakery.  We then rode one mile through Virginia City and began our last climb.  We climbed about 1,800 feet in about four miles to a fantastic view of the Madison River Valley and the Madison range beyond.  From there it was an easy five-mile glide to the turn off for my daughter Kristina's road. After a nice lunch at her place, we rode the remaining five miles to town where Jim and Diana are staying.  It was a little sad to see our adventure come to an end.  In the three weeks we enjoyed good weather, saw beautiful scenery and had a great time.  I love the independence of my first self-contained tour and expect to take many more trips in the future.

Ennis, Montana

Last campsite of the trip, Alder, Montana

Day 20 - Dillion, MT to Alder, MT

After a couple of big climbing days, today we did a relatively flat 52 miles to Alder.  We are at a nice KOA campsite here which is only 23 miles from our final destination, Ennis, MT, where our daughter Kristina lives.  Though close, we still need to scale almost 2,000 to get there so we decided to tackle that in the cool of the morning.

Day 19 - Wisdom, MT to Dillon, MT

We left one of our all-time worst campsites at a mosquito-infested RV Camp and headed in a southeasterly direction toward Dillon.  But first we had to cross two passes, one of which, Big Hole Pass, was even higher then when we crossed the continental divide.  It was 7,360, followed soon by Badger Pass at 6,760.  The good news was that after summiting Badger we had the easiest 20 miles of my cycling career; all downhill to Dillon.  A grand total of 66 tough miles.

Day 18 - Short of Darby to Wisdom

We had a relatively easy six-mile ride to Darby where we had a good breakfast and visited Lightfoot Cycles which manufactures recumbent bikes there.  I test rode one which took a little getting used to. I had remembered an article on the company in Adventure Cycling magazine.  Then it was on to attack the 3,241 climb over the continental divide at Chief Joseph Pass.  It was a long, hot climb but we held up well and continued down the other side to Wisdom, MT, which I now realize is the mosquito capital of the world.  Though it was 90 degrees, I dawned my jacket, pants and gloves to pitch my tent.  When done, I quickly dove into the tent for the night. That was 68 tough miles.

Made it! Continental Divide

Missoula to just past Hamilton

We had a very relaxing day off in Missoula and enjoyed great meals at some of my favorite restaurants: The Shack, The Old Post and Food for Thought.  We peddled a relatively easy 59 miles along the beautiful Bitterroot Valley, which included a 40-mile bike path between Lolo and Hamilton.  We also visited Travelers Rest, where the Lewis and Clark expedition rested both going to the Pacific and returning.  This state park is much more developed than on my previous visits and well worth the time.  Tomorrow will be a bit tougher as we climb 7,241 foot Chief Joseph Pass.

Big Sky Brewery, Home of Moose Drool Beer

Day 15 - St. Regis, MT to Missoula, MT

Today marked the first and last time we rode on an interstate; I-90.  However, there were several frontage roads which parallel the freeway allowing us to spend only about 20 miles on the interstate out of the 82 miles we covered during the day.  There is actually a way we could have avoided the freeway, but it would have been 15 miles longer and not as scenic.  I-90 parallels the Clark Fork river for most of the way to Missoula and, unlike other interstates I've ridden in the southwest, has a shoulder which is relatively clean and the traffic is not heavy.  As we rolled into Missoula our first stop was the Big Sky Brewery, maker of Moose Drool, one of my favorite dark beers.  The brewery also served as a great tire-changing venue since Diana picked up a staple in her tire during the day.  We plan to take a day off in Missoula, our second of the trip, before heading south down the Bitterroot Valley.

Day 14 - ?, ID to St. Regis, MT

As we prepared to ride the additional four miles down the gravel road to Avery, ID, we discovered that a critter had eaten the chinstrap and the lining off Diana's helmet.  She secured it with some Velcro until we arrived in Avery where the owner of the local store gave her some string, which worked the next two days until we reached civilization.  We headed east along the beautiful St. Joe river for about 20 miles until we turned northeast and began another difficult climb over Gold pass back into Montana.  That made our third crossing of the Bitterroot Mountains; Lookout Pass on I-90, back through the tunnel on the Hiawatha Trail and again over Gold Pass.  We also essentially cross the Cascades twice, at Snoqualmie and Blewett.  We plan on crossing the Rockies only once.  After 62 tough miles, we settled into a nice RV park in St. Regis.

Day 13 - Wallace, ID to ? Via Taft, MT

After a couple beers at the brewery jointly owned by the RV park where we were staying, we took in an hour of the Wallace Bluegrass Festival before turning in early as usual.  In the morning we completed the last few miles of the beautiful Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes then began another 2,000 foot climb to Lookout Pass summit between Idaho and Montana.  Since we wanted to ride the Hiawatha Trail we went ten miles down the east side into Montana before turning back west and joining up with the Hiawatha Trail.  This is also an old railroad bed from Milwaukee Railroads' Hiawatha, the same line responsible for the John Wayne Pioneer Trail on which we began our trip.  The route had several tunnels and bridges.  However, unlike the JWPT, there were lots of people and busses which shuttles them up from various areas.  As we left the trail we rode a rough road toward Avery, ID.  However, we ran out of daylight and were forced to find a wide spot on the side of the road to spend the night.  The first time I've used a latrine since Boy Scouts.

Hayburn SP to Wallace, ID

We had a great 60-mile ride on The Trail of the Coeur d' Alenes today.  The trail is flat for today's portion and very smooth.  The scenery was beautiful with great lake and mountain views.  We found the perfect spot to stay in Wallace, an RV park next to a brewery which serves great food.  After dinner we walked a couple hundred yards to town where we helped open the weekend bluegrass festival.  Tomorrow we head further east for the last five miles of  The Trail of the Coeur d' Alenes before picking up the Hiawatha Trail.

We found the perfect place to camp in Wallace, Idaho

Beginning travel on the Trail of the Coeur d'Alene's

Coeur d' Alene to The Trail of the Coeur d' Alenes

After a great breakfast in downtown Coeur d' Alene we cycled 38 miles south on US 95 to the trailhead of The Trail of the Coeur d' Alenes.  The trail runs 71 miles from Plummer, ID to Mullan, ID, just shy of the Idaho/Montana border.  In the six miles we rode on the trail to our campsite at Hayburn State Park, we could see that this is going to be a great ride.  The old railroad bed is fully paved and, like the Burke-Gilman in Seattle, is in the Rails-to-Trails Hall of fame.  At the campsite we met up with Meredith, a friend from the Pacific Coast bike we all did with Adventure Cycling last year.  We expect to be on the trail all day tomorrow since we probably won't cover the remaining 65 miles to the end.

Davenport, WA to Coeur d' Alene, ID

We peddled 78 miles today, the longest of the trip so far.  But the route was relatively flat as we transitioned from US 2 to the Spokane Centennial Trail.  After a provisioning stop at REI on the way into town, we had a nice lunch near the Spokane River downtown.  Then we headed further on the Spokane Centennial Trail and picked up the Northern Idaho Centennial Trail at the border.  We are at an RV Park in Coeur d' Alene since state parks seem a bit sparse in these parts.  Tomorrow we head south on US 95 to pick up The Trail of the Coeur d' Alenes.

Leaving Washington State

Campsite at Davenport, Washington City Park

Day Nine - Grand Coulee to Davenport

To finish last night, it is somewhat surprising that the Grand Coulee Dam laser light show has not changed since I first saw it 25 years ago.  But the good news is that we saw previews of the new show which starts later this fall.  This morning we started with another steep climb out of Grand Coulee to Wilber, 19 miles to the southeast, where we again joined US 2 East.  The next 29 miles to Davenport were fairly flat.  We would have gone further east, but there was no place to stay for 30 miles past Davenport and we were't up for a 78-mile day with 40 pounds of gear.  We stopped in the Davenport Visitors' Center and received permission to stay in a very nice city park with a swimming pool, which had showers.  No charge for any of these great facilities.  On to Spokane and beyond tomorrow.

Day Eight- Coulee City to Grand Coulee Dam

When we returned to our campsite on the shores of Banks Lake from dinner in Coulee City last night we were met by strong winds off the lake.  A portion of Jim and Diana's tent has collapsed but my little one-man tent stood the test.  It's a good thing because the wind lasted all night and made it very difficult to break camp this morning.  We hit the road about 6:30 but were delayed by a flat tire on Diana's bike.  We still managed to cover the 30 miles to Grand Coulee by noon and spent the afternoon touring the dam and the visitor's center.  I am now waiting to watch the laser light show across the face of the dam which starts soon.  Heading east tomorrow with no tourist attractions or destination in mind.

Grand Coulee Dam

Moses Coulee between Waterville and Coulee City, Washington

Day Seven, Waterville to Coulee City

We got an early start again today because we had a 42-mile stretch with no services and a good climb.  After about 15 miles a young lady stopped her car to tell us she had just left three bottles of water on the side of the road for us.  She said she had seen us in town yesterday and knew we could use the water.  We had plenty, but it was a great gesture.  The prior day we saw two half gallon containers of water on the side of the road as well.  We learned from the folks in Waterville that it was a practice started by the DOT several years ago when cars would overheat climbing that hill.  Now cyclists take advantage of it as well.  After arriving in Coulee City we had lunch and pitched our tents at a community park on the south end if Banks Lake.  We then rode four miles to the Dry Falls Visitor Center which was very interesting.  On to the Grand Coulee Dam tomorrow.

Waterville Hotel

Days five and six

We left our cabin on day five and rode 50 miles to an orchard north of Wenatchee where a friend let us camp.  On the July 4th weekend all the public campgrounds were full.  After setting up our tents we rode six miles into town along the Columbia River on a beautiful trail which begins at Conflence State Park.  We had dinner at the new public market on the river then peddled back up hill to the orchard.

On day six we left the orchard, crossed the Columbia north of Wenatchee and headed north on US 2. After 15 miles we left the river at Orondo, turned east, and began a 2,000 foot climb for the next eight miles; a 5% grade.  We arrived in Waterville where we checked into the beautiful old Waterville Hotel and had a great dinner at The Harvest House.  Total mileage for the day was only 25, but with a lot of elevation gain in hot weather.  On to Coulee City and another campground tomorrow.

The First Four Days

Our Ride to Montana is off to a great start.  We've had good weather and beautiful scenery as we took the long way from Seattle to our cabin in Plain.  On day one, I took the Burke-Gilman Trail to connect with my friends Jim and Diana, a St. Louis couple I met on my west coast trip last year, in Sammamish.  We followed the Redmond-Fall City road through Fall City, then on to Snoqualmie and North Bend, where we met the John Wayne Pioneer Trail (JWPT).  We traveled 14 miles east on this former railroad right-of-way to camp at a beautiful campsite on a stream.  At this remote location we had no potable water and cooked our meals with stream water we boiled and added to our de-hydrated meals.  After traveling 64 miles, much of it up hill, I slept well, despite the noisy stream just outside my tent.

On day two we continued on the JWPT to Cle Elum where we had lunch and prepared to begin the climb up Blewett Pass in 100 degree plus heat.  We had considered heading further east on the JWPT but had good information from a friend heading further east on that trail, who started three days before us, that the condition of the trail was too difficult for heavily-loaded touring bikes.  So we decided to head north over Blewett, which has a great shoulder and beautiful scenery.  We again camped at a nice campsite about 16 miles up the pass, but this time we had drinkable water.  We covered 54 miles on day two.

On day three we started out with a climb to 4,102, the top of Blewett, and began a long, beautiful downhill run to intercept US 2, about five miles east of Leavenworth.  After a nice lunch in that Bavarian Village we headed north up the Chumstick Highway to Plain and our cabin in the Ponderosa Estates, where we spent a very restful day four nest to the Wenatchee River.  We covered 53 miles on day three.   Tomorrow, we will head east on US 2 to Wenatchee and points further east.

My First Fully-loaded Long-distance Ride Starts Tomorrow Morning

Now that I've cycled across the US, down the east coast and down the west coast, it's time to try carrying all my gear and ditching the van.  Despite the forecast of unusual heat for the Pacific Northwest, I will head east to my daughter's house in Ennis, Montana tomorrow morning.  Joining me will be Jim and Diana, a couple from St. Louis I met on my trip down the west coast last year.  What appeals to me about carrying all my stuff is the independence.  We have no reservations at any hotels or parks and retain the ability to change our itinerary on a whim.  We are in no hurry.

As an example of this flexibility, we intend to head to North Bend, WA in the morning where we will pick up the John Wayne Pioneer Trail.  I have ridden this trail twice before in preparation for this trip.  It follows an abandoned railroad bed which parallels I-90 to Snoqualmie Pass where cyclists and walkers enter a 2.2 mile tunnel under the peak of the Cascade range.  We intend to camp the first night just short of that tunnel and press on to Cle Elum, WA the next day.  At that point we will decide whether we want to continue due east and cross the Columbia on I-90 at Vantage, or head north toward Leavenworth and spend July 4th at our cabin before heading east through Wenatchee.  I will let you know what we decide.

Fall 2012 Pacific Coast ride with Adventure Cycling

Because WiFi was limited and in many camp sites we had no electricity or cellular coverage, I did not do a blog.  What follows is a summary of the trip with a picture of all the riders in front of a bike sculpture somewhere in Northern California (without our two leaders).  I'm the last human on the far right, next to Snoopy.

This past Sunday, November 4, 2012, I completed a van-supported, 41-day trip from the Canadian border to the Mexican boarder along the Pacific Coast.  This was a fantastic trip, highlighted by good weather, beautiful scenery and great people.  Our group of consisted of seven women and six men ranging in age from the early 50’s to 71.  Our two leaders, Tim and Sue, took turns driving the van or riding sweep each day.  We camped most nights, which allowed us to enjoy locations close to the water, which would not have been possible had we been staying in hotels.  The van carried our gear, but did not provide SAG support.  Our average day’s ride was just over 50 miles, allowing us time to pitch our tents and prepare dinner.  Each night two people were responsible for menu planning and food preparation, which resulted in excellent dinners as competition developed to see who could prepare the best meals.  We had four rest days, in Astoria and Brookings, OR and San Francisco and Carpenteria, CA.  We stayed in hostels in Astoria, San Francisco and San Diego and hotels in Half Moon Bay, Tomales, Carpenteria and Seal Beach, CA .  Adventure Cycling reserves funds to stay in hotels in case of bad weather, but our weather was so good, with only one morning of hard rain, that we spent the hotel money as it became obvious weather would not be a problem.  Adventure Cycling will not return money, so we needed to use up the funds.  

I highly recommend this route and Adventure Cycling.  For those not interested is camping, the trip could easily be done using hotels.  We met one couple who was doing just that, only carrying clothes on their bikes.  We also met several people doing the route self contained.  For anyone interested, I highly recommend Adventure Cycling maps.  They provide great detail about the route, including cities along the way, and guide cyclists off busy highways onto more scenic side roads whenever possible.  Adventure Cycling sells these maps, and may more, at adventurecycling.org.   If anyone has any questions, please e-mail me or give me a call at (206)-200-3782.  I hope you have a great fall and winter and get a chance to stay on your bikes.  I am already planning a self-contained ride to Montana next Spring and would welcome company if anyone is interested.  Cheers, Bill