About Me
- Mary and Dave
- We are at it again. We cycled 1200 miles down the coast of Oregon, into California, over the Golden Gate Bridge and into San Francisco. Then it was a ferry across the bay to Vallejo and a lovely side trip up the Napa Valley to Callestoga. That was the end of the bike portion of our trip.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
Bellingham, Washington
Mission Accomplished!
As hard as it is to believe, our trip is over. We biked into Bellingham on Friday and have exchanged our biking clothes for "regular" attire, our tent for a bed indoors, and our daily question of "where will we be tonight?" is no longer relevant. We need a good dose of debriefing to gently make our way back into a less transient existence.
After leaving Sedro Woolley we biked to Anacortes where we spent the night before taking the ferry to Victoria, British Columbia. Victoria is the provincial capital of British Columbia and has a great harbor, spectacular mountain views, and a vibrant, active population of cyclists. There are bike paths everywhere which made it quite pleasant for us. We spent 2 days in the city, took the ferry back to Anacortes and left for Bellingham the next day. It's been great seeing old friends and enjoying the nice fall weather here. But it is a bit of a let down to have our trip behind us. We couldn't have asked for a better experience and nicer memories. My next step is to get the last of our pictures off the camera and onto this blog. So check back in a few days. Our trip through the Cascades was magnificent and the pictures will be fun to see.
As hard as it is to believe, our trip is over. We biked into Bellingham on Friday and have exchanged our biking clothes for "regular" attire, our tent for a bed indoors, and our daily question of "where will we be tonight?" is no longer relevant. We need a good dose of debriefing to gently make our way back into a less transient existence.
After leaving Sedro Woolley we biked to Anacortes where we spent the night before taking the ferry to Victoria, British Columbia. Victoria is the provincial capital of British Columbia and has a great harbor, spectacular mountain views, and a vibrant, active population of cyclists. There are bike paths everywhere which made it quite pleasant for us. We spent 2 days in the city, took the ferry back to Anacortes and left for Bellingham the next day. It's been great seeing old friends and enjoying the nice fall weather here. But it is a bit of a let down to have our trip behind us. We couldn't have asked for a better experience and nicer memories. My next step is to get the last of our pictures off the camera and onto this blog. So check back in a few days. Our trip through the Cascades was magnificent and the pictures will be fun to see.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Sedro Woolley, Washington
We have left the Cascades behind us. Yesterday we climbed and crossed Washington Pass and Rainy Pass in the Northern Cascades. The climb was long and steep, but the eastern side of the pass was even longer! The Cascades have their own special beauty. They are not as tall as the Big Horns or the Rockies, but are just as majestic. The final elevation may be lower, but you also start lower, so the climb is just as instense. We had picture perfect blue skies with not a cloud to be seen. But we also had the heat to contend with, in the upper 80's each day. We finished our day still within the North Cascades park area, camping along a beautiful lake. Our campsite was alongside a creek so we listened to the sounds of rushing water all night long.
Now we are on the west side of the Cascades. Today was the first rainy day we've had since Yellowstone! We put in 75 miles and about 60 of them were in the rain. Not a pounding, heavy rain, just that slow misting that lasts all day. We were soaked through by the end and decided to treat ourselves to a warm bed tonight. We've decided to make this an international bike tour and are heading next to Victoria, British Columbia. We will take a ferry from Anacortes to Sydney, British Columbia and then cycle into the city for a few days. After that it's time to hang up the biking clothes for a while and hang out in Bellingham. All good things must eventually come to an end! And this trip certainly qualifies as a GOOD THING!
Total trip mileage to date: 3950!
Now we are on the west side of the Cascades. Today was the first rainy day we've had since Yellowstone! We put in 75 miles and about 60 of them were in the rain. Not a pounding, heavy rain, just that slow misting that lasts all day. We were soaked through by the end and decided to treat ourselves to a warm bed tonight. We've decided to make this an international bike tour and are heading next to Victoria, British Columbia. We will take a ferry from Anacortes to Sydney, British Columbia and then cycle into the city for a few days. After that it's time to hang up the biking clothes for a while and hang out in Bellingham. All good things must eventually come to an end! And this trip certainly qualifies as a GOOD THING!
Total trip mileage to date: 3950!
Friday, September 14, 2007
Winthrop, Washington
We're doing laundry here at the campground and the people at the desk were nice enough to let me use their computer to "check my email". I think this counts, but I can't take long. Eastern Washington is very different than the coast. Very arid and open when you're not in the pine forests up in the mountains. It reminds me more of Wyoming! We have crossed a mountain pass each of the last 3 days and we have our last tomorrow! Wish us luck!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Colville, Washington
We have arrived in Washington state! Hard to believe that we have crossed into the final state of our trip. The weather continues to be beautiful ~ cool at night, sunny and warm during the day. Our arrival here in Washington has been eventful. Listen to this story!
Good Samaritans work overtime in Colville
Monday was a beautiful day to ride and we completed our first mountain pass of Washington with no problems. We were closing in on our destination for the day when Dave got a flat tire. We pulled into a side street and began the tire changing process. As soon as Dave pulled the tire off the bike he discovered that not only the inner tube needed patching, but the outer tire was completely shot and needed to be replaced. Well, that's not something you travel around with so a bike shop was desperately needed.
Within minutes an older gentleman pulled over to see if we needed any help. He was very interested in what we were doing and why he sees so many cyclists passing through his town. I explained to him our trip and the maps we were following. As I was talking him, another car pulled over on the other side of the road. I said good-bye and went over to start a conversation with the next person. Meanwhile Dave is working on changing his tire and I'm holding court with all the interested motorists! I repeated our dilemma to this car (Beth) and she confirmed that there were no bike shops in town, but proceeded to whip out her cell phone and use her numerous resources to solve our problem. She called the local sporting goods store and found out that although they carry bike tires, the one Dave needed was not in stock. But she was not deterred and continued on her quest for Dave's tire via several more phone calls.
Meanwhile... the older gentleman in the first car discovers that he has run down his battery while talking to me and his car will not start. So out comes Duncan from his house. He pulls his pickup truck around to jump start the car ~ that problem is solved and we all wave goodbye. Now Duncan comes around to me and wants to know how he can help our situation. I leave Dave and Beth to find a tire and go into Duncan and Katie's house to find a place to stay for the evening. Benny's Motel is right in the center of town and is happy to save us a room and my mission is accomplished. By the time I say good-bye to Duncan and Katie, Beth has arranged for Scott (the local anathesiologist in town) who is going into Spokane in the morning to stop by the motel and pick up Dave. They will make the 70 mile trip into town to pick up Beth's bike and Dave's tires!
As if this wasn't good enough, Beth informs us of a local community event at the city park tonight. There will be a poetry reading and a one man band show to raise money and awareness for a proposed bike path between Colville and Kettle Falls. Beth is planning on going and invites us along. It was a beautiful evening, the poetry was great and the musical entertainment was fantastic. I don't think I can even describe it. You'll need to check out this website http://www.that1guy.com/ to figure it out for yourself. We were mesmorized by the sounds and rhythms he was able to produce using a snare drum, a magic tube, magic saw, a magic boot and I'm not sure what else. It was amazing!
The end of a very eventful day that once again brings home to us the goodness in the people of this country. A good deed is never done in vain and we sure hope to be able to return the favor to someone else one day. We've got a lot of catching up to do when it comes to helping out our fellow man!
Tomorrow we continue on Highway 20 West, the road we'll be on until we arrive in Anacortes. Computer time is well over and it's time to go.
Good Samaritans work overtime in Colville
Monday was a beautiful day to ride and we completed our first mountain pass of Washington with no problems. We were closing in on our destination for the day when Dave got a flat tire. We pulled into a side street and began the tire changing process. As soon as Dave pulled the tire off the bike he discovered that not only the inner tube needed patching, but the outer tire was completely shot and needed to be replaced. Well, that's not something you travel around with so a bike shop was desperately needed.
Within minutes an older gentleman pulled over to see if we needed any help. He was very interested in what we were doing and why he sees so many cyclists passing through his town. I explained to him our trip and the maps we were following. As I was talking him, another car pulled over on the other side of the road. I said good-bye and went over to start a conversation with the next person. Meanwhile Dave is working on changing his tire and I'm holding court with all the interested motorists! I repeated our dilemma to this car (Beth) and she confirmed that there were no bike shops in town, but proceeded to whip out her cell phone and use her numerous resources to solve our problem. She called the local sporting goods store and found out that although they carry bike tires, the one Dave needed was not in stock. But she was not deterred and continued on her quest for Dave's tire via several more phone calls.
Meanwhile... the older gentleman in the first car discovers that he has run down his battery while talking to me and his car will not start. So out comes Duncan from his house. He pulls his pickup truck around to jump start the car ~ that problem is solved and we all wave goodbye. Now Duncan comes around to me and wants to know how he can help our situation. I leave Dave and Beth to find a tire and go into Duncan and Katie's house to find a place to stay for the evening. Benny's Motel is right in the center of town and is happy to save us a room and my mission is accomplished. By the time I say good-bye to Duncan and Katie, Beth has arranged for Scott (the local anathesiologist in town) who is going into Spokane in the morning to stop by the motel and pick up Dave. They will make the 70 mile trip into town to pick up Beth's bike and Dave's tires!
As if this wasn't good enough, Beth informs us of a local community event at the city park tonight. There will be a poetry reading and a one man band show to raise money and awareness for a proposed bike path between Colville and Kettle Falls. Beth is planning on going and invites us along. It was a beautiful evening, the poetry was great and the musical entertainment was fantastic. I don't think I can even describe it. You'll need to check out this website http://www.that1guy.com/ to figure it out for yourself. We were mesmorized by the sounds and rhythms he was able to produce using a snare drum, a magic tube, magic saw, a magic boot and I'm not sure what else. It was amazing!
The end of a very eventful day that once again brings home to us the goodness in the people of this country. A good deed is never done in vain and we sure hope to be able to return the favor to someone else one day. We've got a lot of catching up to do when it comes to helping out our fellow man!
Tomorrow we continue on Highway 20 West, the road we'll be on until we arrive in Anacortes. Computer time is well over and it's time to go.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Sandpoint, Idaho
We are taking a rest here in Sandpoint, staying at the best type of B&B ~ the house of a good friend! Our dear friend Judy lives in Texas and her mom, Jan lives here in Sandpoint so we are comfortably relaxing in Jan's guest bedroom being coddled and spoiled! Sandpoint is a great town with lots of indoor and outdoor activities so we've decided to extend our stay a few days. We're going to hear a blues concert tonight and will do the tourist thing with Jan tomorrow. We'll go up Schweitzer Mountain, visit the town of Hope and go over to the Sam Owens Deer Reserve ... all in one day! Travel by car is nice sometimes! Then it's over to the local winery for their Harvest Festival. But come Sunday morning it will be time to get on the bikes again and head into Washington. The Cascades and the Pacific coast are waiting for us!
Going To The Sun Road
This road is tauted as being "one of the most scenic drives in the US" and I have to say I agree. It is also the "must do" ride for cyclists in Glacier. The road is narrow, twisty, and steep and also has strict regulations for travel. Cyclists cannot be going eastbound on the road between 11 am and 4 pm so we were under a tight time limit. We got an early start and started up the mountain about 7:30 am after a hearty breakfast at the Lake McDonald Lodge. Luckily the traffic was very light so we did not have to worry about frustrated motorists behind us. As you go up the mountain you can look over the edge (carefully) and see directly below you the road you just traveled! The views were spectacular, but I now realize we didn't take many pictures. Our thoughts were focused on getting to the top by 11 am! We were successful and by 10:30 we had climbed almost 3,500 feet to the Continental Divide. We stayed at the top for a few hours, taking a hike up to Hidden Lake and then started back down about 2:00. There are no restrictions on the westbound lanes during that time. The descent was tricky and we had to be very cautious. The road has many lumps and bumps and those switchbacks look even tighter on the way back down! Luckily the traffic was still light and the motorists were very gracious and patient, there's not much passing room! We got back down, stopping a few more times to take some short hikes and were pretty much useless for the rest of the day. But what a good feeling to accomplish a ride like that!
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Libby, Montana
This is our last day in Montana! We only have 100 miles to Sandpoint and northern Idaho is very skinny, so it won't take long to get into Washington from there. Hard to believe! In fact, according to the maps, it is only about 500 miles from Idaho to Anacortes, Washington and from there only about 30 miles north to Bellingham. But there are the Cascades standing between us and the west coast so our legs have some work to do before this trip is done!
Total Trip Mileage: 3300!!!!
Here's a quick run down on our route since Missoula. We left Missoula and biked in the Seeley Valley. We stayed in a National Forest Service campground outside of Seeley Lake. The valley had been socked in with smoke the previous weeks and many of the campgrounds were empty of tourists. We were the only campers in our park except for the two campground hosts and several bears (or so the hosts told us). We put all our food and toiletries in their RV and camped directly next to them just in case we needed a safe place to run and hide! We're happy to report that the bears decided to spend the night elsewhere and all was well.
Bigfork was our next stop and we camped along Flathead Lake ~the largest natural lake west of the Mississippi. Bear boxes were provided to store our food and the campground was packed with people, so again, no bear sightings to report.
Glacier National Park - west entrance. Glacier is too magnificent for words, you'll have to wait for the pictures. We spent 3 nights there and could have spend 3 weeks! After leaving the park we spent nights in Whitefish and Eureka (6 miles south of the Canadian border) and are now in Libby. Today we biked about 50 miles along a beautiful resevoir - Lake Koocanusa - on a lightly traveled road which wound up and down along the lakeshore. A quiet and peaceful sunny day, a turquoise lake with mountains every way you look. It doesn't get much better than this!
Total Trip Mileage: 3300!!!!
Here's a quick run down on our route since Missoula. We left Missoula and biked in the Seeley Valley. We stayed in a National Forest Service campground outside of Seeley Lake. The valley had been socked in with smoke the previous weeks and many of the campgrounds were empty of tourists. We were the only campers in our park except for the two campground hosts and several bears (or so the hosts told us). We put all our food and toiletries in their RV and camped directly next to them just in case we needed a safe place to run and hide! We're happy to report that the bears decided to spend the night elsewhere and all was well.
Bigfork was our next stop and we camped along Flathead Lake ~the largest natural lake west of the Mississippi. Bear boxes were provided to store our food and the campground was packed with people, so again, no bear sightings to report.
Glacier National Park - west entrance. Glacier is too magnificent for words, you'll have to wait for the pictures. We spent 3 nights there and could have spend 3 weeks! After leaving the park we spent nights in Whitefish and Eureka (6 miles south of the Canadian border) and are now in Libby. Today we biked about 50 miles along a beautiful resevoir - Lake Koocanusa - on a lightly traveled road which wound up and down along the lakeshore. A quiet and peaceful sunny day, a turquoise lake with mountains every way you look. It doesn't get much better than this!
Monday, September 3, 2007
Whitefish, Montana
We left Glacier on Sunday and are heading out of Whitefish today. Glacier was amazing, spectacular and every synonym you can think of for absolutely beautiful! Biking through the Montana valleys with mountains everywhere has been wonderful. We have also been very lucky with the wildfires. The smoke has cleared and the skies are blue. We are now heading toward Sandpoint, Idaho and then it's Washington state and the Cascade Mountains. Happy Labor Day!
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