Too Wet

Tuesday December 20
Hilo Hawaii

Last night on the east coast (read:dry side) it rained cats, dogs, and horses! Most of the night! High winds added the mix. Whew! What a night!

Today we drove the infamous Saddle Road over the saddle between the 2 volcanoes at nearly 7000 ft. Beautiful farm land for most of it. Also up on the clouds! Then, back in Hilo and guess what? It's raining. It rains 2 out of 3 days here. Locals say even this amount of rain they've been having is excessive. Not staying here long. Need the sun. That's why I'm here!

Tonight I'm staying in a garden hostel here on Hilo. Beautifully lush tropical gardens with paths and nestled campsites snuggled between the foliage. Really delightful place:). (except for all the rain today).

So I'll get some supplies and drive to the dry(er) side tomorrow. Looking forward to being on my own a bit but will miss my "back seat driver" :). It's gonna get lonely fast, I'm sure. Deal with it, Bag Lady!

Here's a little touch of Hawaiian Christmas. Notice the Hawaiian print tablecloth and mermaid picture in background:)



Aloha!

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Pics

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Eco-people

Sunday December 18th

The people on this Puna Coast are my kind of people. Eco-people. Heike's word. I like it. They are eating organic. They use rainwater to wash everything. They have composting toilets. They wear recycled clothes - probably tie-dyed. The kids run around naked. Ah yes!

Thermal pools
Waves crashing the cliffs
Lush jungle foliage
Rain, rain, rain. (that's the part that would be hard). You have to always carry am umbrella even if the sun is out because showers can come at any time, and they do...often. But just wait cause they pass. But nothing ever dries out. The only place we found to dry our towels was in the car with the windows rolled up!

So I made a decision today to stay another 3 weeks. It's a bit scary because i'll be alone but I'll be able to do some of the things I couldn't do with Heike. Next big question is how long to keep the car. Hitching and bus are options for getting around. Would have to store my extra gear without the car. Might even go visit another island. Bit scared about all this but also excited. Where will I be on Christmas and New Year's Eve? Only time will tell!




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Deleted photo

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Amazing Lava

Wednesday Dec 14th
Puna HI

Don't remember when I wrote last. We've slept near a black sand beach in a canoe house a ranger offered up, in a remote lava field alone in Volcanoes National Park and tonight in an Eco-cabin (camped outside) that is being rented by Rick, a new friend we met our first night on the island. So cool: outdoors shower and toilet among the ferns and orchids, one screened great room with loft and 2 porches. Tiny living. I love it!




But I should talk about the volcano, Pu'u O'o, that's spewing lava and smoke. What a sight! And we hiked across the bed of a crater that erupted in 1959, Kilauea.

(photo deleted here)

It's amazing how stark this lava can look and how rich a soil it is!
It's also so sharp that walking over it is risky business. You don't want to fall...ever! I slipped at the coast one day and scratched my ankle up. It hurts for days. Nasty stuff. But it's so rich that stuff grows when planted in a pile of it!

Hawaii: where all rainbows are born and fruit falls from the sky! That's the definition we've come up with:)

We've seen rainbows almost every day. And we found fruit where no trees were nearby: grapefruit on the beach and a mango in a meadow.

Tonight as I type this we're sitting in the most delightful gathering of locals, good food, hawaiian music, and warm breezes. And male hula dancer.


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Dolphins, Sea Turtles, Exotic Fishes, Oh My!

Friday December 9th.
Ho'okena Beach County Park

Spent a couple of leisurely days hanging out at Kapa'a Park because it was quiet, dark and secluded. Love the north end of this island. Simple living where indoor and outdoor blend together as someone told me. My kind of living!

Then yesterday we wandered south through Kailua (Kona), the biggest city on the island. Expensive pizza, great stuff at the farmers market, more fuel and out of town. Too much.

Our park for the night is down a 2+ mile windy road to the shoreline. 1000 ft drop. Tucked in by the rock cliff in a sandy grove of young palms were a bunch of tents. But room for 2 more. And we keep running into people we met somewhere else on the island. It's a small island we're finding out:). And young and old are camping their way around it, like we are. Great fun. Sharing ideas and good finds!

Today was fabulous. Started with swimming in our cove at the campsite with dolphins right off shore. Then we went to Kealekakua Bay and rented a tandem kayak and paddled across the bay to the Captain Cook Monument. And guess who joined us? Ten to thirty dolphins. Pods here and there, all around us! Then at the monument we snorkeled in one of the best coves in all of Hawaii. OMG! Fish of every color and absolutely clear water! And there were people there that paid $130 each to do the same thing. We paid $20 each to rent the kayak.

Did some coffee sampling and walked through a tropical fruit garden. Fruit is EVERYWHERE!

And we visited City of Refuge, a Nat'l Monument where the kings lived. Quite special. And there we saw our first sea turtle paddling in shallow waters near shore! Incredible! So much to write, but this thumb typing is killing my basal joints!!!

Here's our sunset tonight as we celebrate a good day!




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Splish, Splash, Oops...

Monday, December 5th

Happy Birthday Mom and Maddie!

Oh that hellish hike out of the valley brought back memories if similar hellish climbs: Nepal - up to Tengbouche Monastery came to mind. How had I forgotten that? But we made it in an hour and 20 minutes.

But Heike's knee really bothered her on the downhills. She wrapped it and got a bit of relief but by the time we got to the major descent back into Waipio Valley where we started she was a hurtin' dude-ess. She had to back down much of the way to be able to hike at all. We even switched packs because mine weighed less.

Then back across the beach and a river crossing where it feeds into the ocean. That's where the dastardly deed occurred. You've got the flow of the river into the ocean and the push of the waves coming in and them pulling out. And it's rocky and knee deep or more. Add to that I had my pole, my boots, and a grapefruit I'd found and was going to eat. Stepped wrong. Dropped everything in the water trying to catch my balance. No luck. The once down the current was making it hard to right myself. Heike caught my shoes as they rolled by. When I got upright we went after my pole that was rolling in the surf. Grapefruit I didn't even try for. But my camera was not in the plastic bag. Ouch! That may be $500 out to sea. It's resting in a bag or rice right now. Gonna give it a few days to see if it works. I suspect not. That will be the last expensive camera I have. Not meant for me.

I'm pretty depressed about it.
We're over on the west coast and what a shock: one minute I'm commenting on the lush pastures and how lucky the cows and horses are... Then, boom, I
in Southern California! Dry rolling hills and tumbleweed!
And warm air. Not like the east side. I can see why folkslive on the east side. The lushness of it. And if you're craving sun, go west for the day:)

Pretty scuzzy park we're in tonight. No plans on staying. Have to see what else we can find.

And, oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I broke my big toe in the tumble, I think. I can't move it and it's quite bruised.




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Guava, Guava Everywhere

Sunday, December 4th

Today we hiked in to Waimonu Valley. 11 miles. Quite, quite challenging. Heike first backpacking trip. What a trouper! It starts with a 1 mile walk down this mountain road with the 25% grade. Unbelievably steep! Had to walk carefully using poles not to fall. Then out to a black sand beach made from lava rock. That was a bit tiring to walk on with packs. Then the climb out of the valley began. 1200 ft in about a mile of switchbacks. And the sun came out and pounded on us. Oh was I ever hot flashing! It's not good when the body is already exerting itself. Lots of stops required. Whew! Then we hiked in woods. Or jungle I should say. Guava trees everywhere. And we gobbled up the yellow fruit. You break it open; it's about the size of a lime. And suck the seeds and pulp out. Sweet and tangy! I also saw Norfolk Pine - the grow to be really tall here. And coffee trees in the wild. There was an enormous tree. Like a normal maple or something only dinosaur in size. When we get to the botanical gardens, we're going to have a lot of questions answered.



The hike then stayed in the woods while it wove in and out of about 12 hollers. We walk to the back of the ravine where we could cross to the other side then out around the cliff and back again. There were some delightful pools of water to splash and soak in along the way. Then we got to the drop down into the valley where we're camping tonight. it was the worst descent I've ever done. 25% - 35% grade for the mile down. Wet mud and wet rocks. Treacherous. And we know we have to climb back out tomorrow. And Heike's knee was really bothering her all the way down. I felt her pain!

But we were entertained by seal lions tonight playing in our pool of water which is fed by tall waterfalls in the back of the valley. Could not be a more picturesque piece of paradise. Camping right at the edge of the lava rock beach. I get to sleep again to the sounds of waves crashing on the shore. And we're both gonna sleep well after that hike!






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Sacred Place

Saturday, December 3, 2011




Spent last night at Laupahoehoe State Park. It's the location of a tsunami that destroyed a village there in 1946 killing many children and adults. The waves crashed against the black lava boulders of the shoreline. The rain stopped when we got in our tents about 7:30 pm and didn't start again til we got up. What gives? This side of the island is living up to it's reputation for clouds and rain but it's still so lush and beautiful that it's forgiven. We keep pulling off onto the old roads and meandering along the coast at a snail's pace. No fancy resorts here. Real small houses and farm land and lush foliage. Avocados, jack fruit, guava. All growing by the sides if the roads. I've eaten more papaya in these 3 days than in the previous 62 years:).

We checked out the place where our hike starts tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will hold for us like it did today: cloudy with no rain after the little bit this morning. The road comes to a parking place at the top of the cliff. There are signs to engage your 4WD NOW! 25% grade! That's the road we're heading down tomorrow. Then across a very flat wide valley. About 1 mile across. Then up the Z trail, switchbacks with a 1200 ft climb in another mile. Then we'll be on the tops of the cliff.

We found a place to camp near a town park in the little village at the top of the cliff. We set up mid afternoon to get our tents dry. There's a large, mowed, rolling meadow between us and the cliff's edge. Our tents were still wet from this morning so we had put them up to dry. This guy comes over on his ATV and passes me by to go up to Heike (we think he thought she was a guy) and talk to her. He said it would be better if we waited til after dark to put up our tents so as to not upset the residents. Or we could move them onto the meadows which was his property. How nice was that? And this is the sacred place. The energy in this land is palpable. We walked out to the cliffs tonight and he and his wife were out there. He's an artist, the moved here from OR 5 years ago, they've been married 43 years (I'm so envious), and they love the land. They call it Too Huge For Words. Looking out off the cliffs from the special stone altar he's built out to the ocean on 3 sides and back at the cliffs we'll hike tomorrow all the way north up the shoreline was mystical. The dark misty clouds hanging low. The white waves breaking against the shore 500 ft below. Breathless. And that's where I'm sleeping tonight!

Oh ya. And I explored a lava tube today by myself with rooms 7-8 ft high. My headlamp barely lit the space up. Creepy. Exciting. I know people lived in this cave in days long ago. Too afraid to go far in alone. Didn't want to get lost.

Beddy bye!

BagLady










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Arrival: Hawaii, the Big Island

Picture of flying Greyhound! Disgusting terminal in LAX.

Flight went smoothly although I almost missed my flight from LA due to not paying attention to details. Landed at 1:30 am in my body - 8:30 local time. And the airport is all open. What i mean is no full walls. Open-air airport Loving this island:). Heike was there to meet me.

No issue with time change because I slept on the plane and then got 12 hours last night. Feeling great now.

Hilo is a very real town. Not pretentious. Not yuppified. And oh the fruits!


Eating lillikoi, a passion fruit here.

Great hostel. Met nice folks. Hawaiians are very, VERY friendly. The language is very confusing and the street names often look the same: 10 letters long and all start with k.

Rained all afternoon. Poured tonight. We're at a campground on the ocean. This is the rainy side of the island. The side the has deep gulches formed by all the rain. And jungles of plants growing thick and tall. We have a camping permit to stay at a valley that's an 11 mile backpack across the most ridged area of the coast on the northeast section of the island. We explored it on google earth last night. It's going to be quite challenging. And now with this storm all day long I'm concerned that the hike is too dangerous. And there's not anyone to ask about it. We'll see what the weather is doing and then make our decision. If it's raining tomorrow we'll bag the hike and head to the west and sunny side and give the Hilo side a rest for now.

We have decided to stay on this island the whole time. Too much to see and do!

Off to sleep!

Mackinac Island. No cars!!

Thursday Sept 22nd
Mackinac Island Michigan


Had to come here on way home. For over 100 yrs there have been no cars here (except for emergency vehicles). It is sooooo tranquil when cars are removed. But car fumes are replaced by horse manure fumes. And I do wonder about getting all that poop cleaned off the streets. They do it somehow. I will find a place in the state park to camp in the woods for the night. Pretty wooded. Should be ok.




Salad pizza for dinner. Tossed salad on a cheese pizza! Pretty good!

Earlier this week I spent a couple of days with Bacon and Meander of PCT fame (they finished last year!). Geese and chickens took over the yard! Made me rethink chickens, but I think the geese are the messy ones:). And the vegetarian meals they served so delighted my palate. Goat cheese and beet pizza! Marinated tofu! Salads using fresh local veggies! The rumors are true: Bacon and Meander can cook!! Great team in the kitchen.

From here I'm headin across the north shore of Lake Ontario to the Adirondaks to visit Fuat (remember him from Oregon?). Sadly he shipped his bike via USPS and only the label made it home. How do you lose a large, plastic, belted bike box with a return address on it? Our govt has managed to. They say they can't find it anywhere. I feel so bad. He seems to be taking it in stride.

Then on home later next week unless I stay away until the ALDHA meeting in Oct. I have options!

Stuffed BagLady

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Heading Home

Saturday September 19th
East of Pierre, South Dakota (in a cornfield)

Left Riverton yesterday after the most delightful week of doing very little except enjoying time with Steve & Sandy & Alexa and the granddaughters and the new puppies. Whew. Felt right at home. Such a pleasant place:)

And enjoyed attending, not one, but two book club meetings. Most interesting woman, for sure! Too bad I hadn't read the books. Oh well.

So now I'm driving. And I wish I were biking. Too fast. I can't see everything. Can't read the signs. Can't easily pull over, like I could on Blaze. Everything seems so much harder and a lot less fun. I'm more bored and more exhausted. On my bike, I looked forward to every day with baited breath not knowing what would unfold, but knowing I'd enjoy whatever it was. The road never looked too long. And once I accepted the slow pace, I preferred it. Not with driving. I've had to accept that I'll see very little and miss so much. I'm finally able to go over 50 mph. But it's do tiring, not invigorating. There are no endorphins when driving. No calories burned. A lot of concentration required. Exhausting. Yup. Give me my bike any day.

I slept last night next to a church. Only place in Lusk WY without street lights. I stayed in town so I could get breakfast in the morning. Good thinking, ya? I don't usually cook when car camping. Don't know why that is. Maybe I'll make some coffee in morning.

Drove through Custer State Park today and saw more bison. Felt like I was back in Yellowstone for a brief moment. I drove the Needles Highway which was incredible: rock spirals and a road winding through them! Loved it.

But I'm done. Enough beautiful scenery. Enough museums. Enough sagebrush. Enough cowboy boots. I'm ready for green grass and leafy trees. I can feel fall in the air. And it feels good.

Tonight I'm sleeping in my car in a cornfield with winds 20-30 mph and they're rocking it. Do you know I have not had an ear of corn this whole summer? I hope I'm not too late. And oh, a fresh tomato would taste wonderful. There's just not the farm stands like back east. I think I'm sounding homesick:)

Time for sleep.

Rockin' BagLady

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Arrived!

Sunday September 11
Riverton Wyoming

I pulled in the driveway at my brother's house a little after 10 am. Can't believe I biked out of this driveway 3 months and 1 week ago. What a journey! It went by so fast!

This afternoon Sandy (my sis-in-law) and I drove back to Thermopolis to retrieve my lost sac and profusely thank Steve the good samaritan. He's a guy from Oklahoma that's working on the building of a gas unit here for quite a long time without going home. Amazing that I got all of it back. Cash included. What have I been saying? Believe me now?

Gonna stick around here until Friday, then head towards Wisconsin to visit Bacon and Meander (PCT friends).

I should be home the following weekend I guess.

Tomorrow I'm gonna start unloading Blaze and taking an inventory of all that I carried, making special note of anything that wasn't used like my watercolor kit (once). Hope that and my notes will make repacking in a few months a bit easier.

Next stop: New Zealand!!!!

Satisfied BagLady


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Last Night?

Friday September 9th
Thermopolis WY



I'm camped just off the roadway up near a rock formation and in red, red clay. Beautiful spot except for the traffic. In the morning I'll roll right down into the Wind River Canyon!

I have about 50 miles left and I just don't know if I'll roll in tomorrow night or Sunday morning. Depends on what tomorrow brings my way.

This finishing is such sweet sorrow. I've had such a blast on this trip. Met so many wonderful new friends. Played with so many old ones. Not old, old:). It's been a full, rich, fun-filled summer! Hiking and biking!! A great mix.

There's only 2 things I'd change. I'd bring more audiobooks and I'd learn how to adjust the shifting cables so the click aligns with a gear change. I need to know how to do that. And I still need to adjust how my gear goes on the bike. I'd like to be able to grab a bag and have all my cooking gear and food together. Now it's in the pods on each side. Have to rethink that. I've been really looking the part of bag lady lately with all the rags and bags tied on. I like things handy. Maybe too handy:).

My wish is that more women try doing things on their own. People shouldn't be so surprised that I'm alone. It shouldn't be such an anomaly. I see so many women on the backs of motorcycles, like an accessory. "I got my hog and I got my babe!". Although some are on their own cycles, but then they're always following the man. He has to lead. That requires testosterone, I guess! And even in the RVs that pass me: the guy is always driving with the gal sitting faithfully in the passenger seat. What gives? Are we still second class citizens? Do we need a man to protect and guide us? Really? I love men I really do! But we need to figure out this partnership role. Men need to find out how to be strong enough to take the back seat sometimes without it affecting their ego. I'd love to hear some feedback on the subject because I think it's a complicated but important one. Why don't more women do things on their own? Why don't women share the leadership role? Why don't women ride on the front with the man behind? Why don't the girls drive the RVs for awhile? Could I ride on the back? Yes sometimes. As long as I got to ride up front too!

Ok. Off my soapbox. Just wanted to share something I've been noticing a lot out here.

Steering BagLady


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On the Road Again...Sorta

Thursday September 8th
Middle of No Man's Land, WY

Playing with Yellowstone in Yellowstone is over. Back to pedaling 10 hours a day to go 40 miles. 8:30 am to 7:00 pm. Break for lunch.

Y and I went to Cody to play too. She didn't want me biking on the roads in the park and there's the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody that she hadn't seen either and I heard it was great so off we went. The drive from Yellowstone to Cody was so beautiful down the Chief Joseph highway through Sunlit Basin! I kept wishing to myself that I were biking it. Cars travel too fast to really absorb the beauty and see all there is to see. Too fast. But it took 4 days off of biking. September is clipping by. I do need to head back east. That us where I live.

So we spent yesterday morning at the museum setting Y's departure time so that she could get back in time for a park party. But the best laid plans... After I got Blaze out of the back of her truck where she'd been resting for the week, and all loaded up, I found that the back tire had blown. Problem now. No more spares. Only brought one and it was on the intrepid right front. Called bike shop. The 20" they had was bigger. Called Walmart. They had a 20" a bit bigger but smaller than bike shop's. Now Y is getting late. She takes me to get tire. I have a tube the same size (1.75) and get everything all fixed and mounted all my gear. Say goodbye to Yellowstone and finish seeing the museum, getting groceries, getting air in tires, and leaving town. Not 3 miles down road. It's flat. Ugh! Take it off. Patch it - pinch flat. Remount. Wont inflate. Have to inflate after mounting because otherwise too big to get past the brake. 2nd puncture? Remove drone bike. Remove from rim. Pump's got problem. Fix it. That was why it wouldn't inflate. Remount tire on wheel. Remount wheel on bike. Inflate. Success! Pedal on. 1 mile. Pshhhh. Flat again. There's a reason I've been hauling that punctured and mended thorn resistant tube for months. That thing's too bulky to pinch. Put that baby on there. Yup. It worked! Gotten pretty fast at changing that rear tire. Sure appreciate Hieke's tip about resting the rear end rack braces on my panniers so that it's off the ground and not resting on the rear derailleur. Works well. So now with less than 90 miles to go, I should be able to make it. But that rear tire sure is FAT!

So tonight I'm again camped along side the highway next to the barbed wire fence. The prairie grasses are quite bristly. Thank goodness my ground cloth protects my tent and ME! No one bothers me. There are few places to get off the road except for the turnoffs to the pastures. It works for me. And the road should quiet down soon not that it's very noisy now.

It's been a pretty remote area I've been biking through: rolling ribbon of a road, yellow grasses and sagebrush on both sides the road, rocky outcroppings, and mountains in the distance. So beautiful to be a part of the scenery. The long road stretching out ahead delights rather than intimidating me.

It feels good!

Sleepy BagLady




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Headwinds

Tuesday August 30
Quake Lake MT


I lied! Today headwinds are killing me!! They're blowing north up this valley and it's a gradual uphill climb too. Not moving ver fast today. 3-4 mph at best. And it's getting pretty tiring. But it would be awfully hot out here without them. No umbrella today. It would pull me to Canada!

I found bar not on my Adventure Cycle map at about 4:30. I'd only gone about 22 miles since 9 am. Does that give you an idea of how hard today was? So I stopped in for ice water in my bottles and a root beer. Stayed for dinner! Soup and salad bar. Nothing to write home about, but saved me from cooking:). That left more evening hours to bike.

And I did another 14 tonight. Had a wee bit of a hard time finding a campsite because I pushed on and them got to an area of avalanches (dirt) and no flat spots. I camped 15 ft from the white lime on the side of the road on stones. But it's flat. And the road is mostly empty. And once I'm set up you can't tell who's in that tent. And Blaze is all nestled under her cover so she doesn't glow when headlights hit her and create curiosity or interest. It's really a good set up.

On into West Yellowstone tomorrow. Hopefully noonish.

This trip is winding down and sadly so. I'm not tired of it at all. It's just been a blast...except for all the stuff I've littered along the way. But hopefully I've spread some joy and inspiration to others to go out, be fearless, and live this life!!! Fully!

Exhausted BagLady. Off to bed...


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Yellowstone!

I have been visiting Yellowstone National Park and my friend, Yellowstone for the past few days.  She's a guide in this incredible park and has given me the best tour possible!!!  What a treat to see not only Old Faithful but all the other thermal features as well as bison, elk, and wolves (through scopes).  Way cool!  And then we did a 3 day backpacking trip with some friends up Mt. Holmes, over 10,000 ft!  Delightful time...and my partner and me won at cards... both nights!  A game called 500.  Similar to Euchre, so I had a bit shorter learning curve.    But I did manage to get sunburned.  You'd think that after spending all summer on Blaze I'd have been good, but it must have been the altitude.  And my sunscreen was on the bike...ouch!

And I've been meeting a slew of folks that work in the park...her friends.  What a great place this is!  I've loved being able to spend time with Yellowstone and catch up.  

Tomorrow we're heading to Cody where we'll see the Buffalo Bill Museum and go to Sierra Trading Post (floors of stuff on sale!).  We'll also have dinner and spend the night.  Then Wednesday I'll get back on Blaze and do the final leg of my amazing summer journey.  Don't think I'm ready for this trip to end, but it's time....I guess.  All good things must end, and so must this trip.  But it's not my last...oh NO!  Blaze is definitely my RV:)  We're gonna see some fabulous places together, yessireee!!!

Sunburned BagLady

Happy Day!

Monday August 29th, I guess
Cameron MT

A day with low miles and lots of smiles!! A lot of people connections. Great early morning climb that broke into the mist incredible and euphoric vista! Just makes me feel happy to be alive!!!!

Slept outside Virginia City last night on a bit of vacant ground and what a lightening storm awoke me about 1ay em. The lightening was so bright that through my tent and with my eyes closed it hurt. I hand to put my hands over my eyes to block out the brightness. First lightening storm all summer. Loved it!

In the morning in town I met a guy riding through on horseback with a pack horse behind. Long hair, missing front teeth, grubby (I should talk:)), wearing a cowboy hat and duster jacket. And since i saw him in this old western town, he fit right in! Felt like ud stepped back in time 150 years! Been riding all around out here for a couple of years and is headed back to South Dakota. I happened to notice the horse he was riding had thrown a front shoe. Their feet looked pretty rough and unattended recently.

Then at an overlook on the way down the pass on the other side I met a woman from Oregon that owned a small cattle herd...40 head. Most interesting conversation.

Followed by an offer of Gatorade from Harry. Never turn down food or drink! He's driving a truck and trailer hauling the support for 4 friends that are biking (on multi-sport motorbikes - gotta google that) the Continental Divide bike trail from Mexico to Canada (home - except they're from Ontario). Harry gets to enjoy the sights and do a little mountain biking on the side while getting to the next meetup town and finding accommodations for the night. He had a great energy and smile! Sounds like a fun adventure, for sure!

Continued on down the hill to the Pit Stop Pizza place. Yum! And there didn't I meet a couple from Minnesota that knew someone I knew?! Small world. Yessiree!

Then there was the guy with the veggie and fruit roadside stand who gave me a peach, the guy sitting in the shade in town who shared his picnic table and his story while I ate my yogurt. The grandparents with grandkids, Hunter and Echo, at Subway that wanted me to sit and share but I needed to pedal on. It's these connections that enrich my journey. And most of the time I'm glad to answer all the questions...most of the time:)

And the day ended with Ralph seeing me drying my tent on the shoulder and offering me his yard to camp on. Yes! And I got a shower and good conversation for the evening. Trail magic! Ya just gotta be open to it. Whew! A great day. So rich am I!

Oh ya and I got my lost shirt replaced with one I may like better:)

On to West Yellowstone and seeing a friend!

Smiling BagLady:))))

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I Hate Losing Things!!!!

Sunday august 28
Virginia City. MT

Ok. This has got to stop! I lost a critical item today and I have no idea where. My long sleeve n front shirt. I wear it every morning and evening. I have no substitute. It allows me to regulate my broken and dysfunctional internal thermostat. I have no where to get another and tomorrow morning is going to be miserable. That's the trouble when you only have one of everything. And there are no stores out here. Arrgghhh! What did I do with it? I haven't a clue. It was in my hand at breakfast and not around tonight. I was probably multiple-tasking. ADD! I hate it!!!

I know I need to STOP and check my surroundings after I stop. But I can't remember to. And that's how most of my stuff has gotten lost.

I'm on a rotten mood tonight. I don't know how to deal with the conditions in the morning and for the next couple of weeks. Hopefully I'll find a theft shop and I can get something.

Off to read. Maybe that will change my mood.

Frustrated BagLady




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Prairies with no Shade

Friday August 26
Jackson Montana

Yesterday I climbed Lost Trail Pass: 3400 ft climb in 90* heat. The 13 miles took me 5 hours and I peaked at the exact time (to the minute) I said I would 4 hours earlier:). Something I've been really good at hiking or biking or even with my horses as a kid when I had to do the cross country phase of eventing between 2 times...any faster or slower were time penalties. And I did it by gut.

I met this couple last night that have been traveling for 16 years! I was so envious. First, that they were a couple doing this (I can only hope), and all the places they've seen! Www.outthereliving.com

Brian and Caryl. Check them out. They bike my distance in a day so I might see them for awhile.

Possible new plans. Yellowstone is freed up earlier than expected and looking to do a backpacking trip on the Beartooth Mtns. If it works, she'll pick me up next Tuesday. I should be 150-200 miles closer by then. Then she'll also show me the park and then drop me off on Cody. Or somewhere the east side of the park. Then I'll have my last few days of biking...and the thought is a sad one. I'm so enjoying traveling this way! When I get home I think I'll just leave Blaze all packed up like it's a temporary stopover:).

From my campsite tonight (which is in a pulloff on the side if the road on the edge of this very small town) I can see the smoke and red glow of the forest fires up in the mountains. I heard 18,000 acres are burning. Yikes!

After a $6 shower tonight I had a good dinner at a picnic table outside the town mercantile. I kept going back in for more food! I did manage to wash my biking clothes in the expensive shower and put them back on to dry. I wasn't willing to pay $30 for a campsite when all I needed was the shower anyways:)

Tomorrow's a 48 mile ride with no services (like water) in between. I'll wave down an RV if I have to for water.

Pedaling on,

BagLady

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Going slow...er

Tuesday August 23
Victor MT

A bike path along side the highway for miles and miles. What a concept! If you don't like dealing with bikes on the road then support this novel idea: whenever they redo the road add a bike path. More people would bike if they didn't have to fear for their lives.

I camped at a fishing access again last night...despite the "no overnight camping" regulation. They don't mean ME:). I get a wetting down with a good night's sleep, for free!

Met this couple that had the greatest energy: Kelly and Lance! And they're both originally from NY. Lucky to be living out here!! I wish them both all the best that his landscape business picks up and her new nursing job is fulfilling in all ways. Thanks for the stories, the water, and my new jewelry (glow in the dark bracelet!). There's a reason I didn't stay where I had stopped earlier. The Universe is in charge.

And this morning I'm sitting in a country cafe having my breakfast and soaking up the ambiance.

Life is good!

Talked with Yellowstone (friend from the PCT last year that is a ranger in park of same name). Making meet up plans. She's going to be in the backcountry til Sept 5th so I'm going to slow down (that'll be easy for me:)) and meet her in Yellowstone on the 5th. And then I get a private tour of the park by a ranger! Yippee! She's also trying to work out places for me to camp in the park prior to our meet up.

More adventures yet to come!

Slow-going BagLady


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Motel...Arrggghhh!

Monday August 22
Missoula MT

I got into the edge of town last night after a very HOT day of pedaling. Since I wanted to go to REI this morning and it was on this side of town I decided to CP out there. After a bit of scoping, I finally ended up on a vacant lot behind WalMart. No sprinklers, but hard ground and weeds. Worked out fine. Only the sound of big trucks idling. Beats loud music:)

Missoula is a great place. Much like Boise. Went over to Adventure Cycling...they're the folks thar make a ton of maps for many bike routes across and through the US. I wanted to see what the suggested to get down and across Yellowstone.

While I was there, they took my pic for their wall. (Like at Harper's Ferry and the ATC.). And because they don't get many trikes, they took another pic of me and Blaze that they can use for their mag or decorate their walls. It was one with my umbrella up!

Then I did laundry. Nothing special except they had an ice cream and soda counter in it! Great idea. Captured audience.

Couldn't decide whether to stay or linger. Beautiful warm evening. Sitting outside drinking a smoothies and reading mags about Montana. Let's bike around and see this town...and maybe a sleeping spot will appear. Lots of green grass. Not good sign. Lots of kids with backpacks and dreds not good sign. Guess I'll have to break down and get a room. The hostel is $30 and I'll have to haul all my stuff around. Not easy. Get a motel room, ground floor, and Blaze can roll right in. Sure I'll take the one without A/C. Better yet! Got a fan? Ok. Does the window open? Yes. Liar!

Bad TV. A great shower. And 10 hours of sleep. All for $50 ...thats the aarrgghhh! Add to that some lousy Thai food and I'm ready to roll on out of Missoula. After I go back to the laundromat and see if my sleeping shorts are still sitting on the curb drying. Otherwise I've lost yet another item.




Another hot one expected.

BagLady


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My Forgetfulness

Friday August 19th
Flathead Lake Montana

Another lost item. Items. Not lost. Left behind. I broke the cardinal rule of every hiker/biker. Double check that you packed everything up. I mentally made sure that I had my phone and iPods. But left my coffee mug and book on the table. (not the one of yours that I borrowed, Skyward...I still have that:))

More items to add to my ever lengthening Lost Items list. Don't think I've mentioned I lost my ski cap in Glacier. Had it one minute, then later...gone. My ADD is getting worse and it's a bit frightening. Yesterday afternoon I poured the last of my water into my bike bladder and made a mental note that I needed to get water before stopping for the night. Then I proceeded to bike past a gas station, then a restaurant totally forgetting I needed water. Yikes. I did finally water up at a church when I remembered. But what if I hadn't? Pretty scary when ya can't count on your own brain. It's not like I can put a reminder in place anywhere out here.

Today was a wonderful leisurely day. That helped to cope with biking 30 miles on a busy road with no...I repeat, no shoulder. The white line was painted underneath the guardrail. But it was a beautiful 30 miles along Flathead Lake. Oh, the views! And I took them all in. And the water was crystal clear. Just like we saw in Glacier. Where you can see the bottom 50 ft from shore! So why would I hurry? And mountains on both sides of this very wide body of water.

Just today I told someone it had been a while since I had a flat tire. Me and my big mouth! Yup, my front right. And right on that busy road with a guardrail. Luckily there was some room on the other side. I have a thorn-resistant tube on it and it makes getting the tire off and on a major chore. If I didn't know it could be done I would give up every time. The tube is ultra-thick and bulky. Otherwise changing a tire would be a snap. And then tonight...flat again. Patch didn't hold. And when I finally got the tire back on...finally...the nozzle was jammed and wouldn't align right so I had to start over. Arrgghhh!!! Deep breath. You can do this.

So I didn't get out of Pulson, a lake town. But I did find a quiet spot with a view of the mountains and the lake. And I think the traffic noise will quiet down. I'm on a road of a new subdivision with vacant lots and NO sprinklers. Overlooking the golf course too. My brother, Steve, would approve:)




I inserted a pic. We'll see if it sends.

Got a new book. Looks better than the one I lost. "The Bone People" by Keri Hulme. It's about New Zealand. Time I started thinking about my next trip:)

Sleepy BagLady

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Glacier was the best!

Wednesday August 17
West Glacier Montana
Robin's front yard

I was reunited with Blaze this evening. And with my phone. The week break from both was good but it feels good to be all back together. Glacier has got to be one of the most beautiful places on this earth! Every day it just got better and better culminating with today's hike down from Siyeh Pass. Not to be missed!

It's late and I need sleep. I'm camped on Robin's front lawn. I met her when I was setting up my tent behind the Post Office and she was walking her dog. She warned me there was a bear in the area. After chatting a while she also told me there were SPRINKLERS! And invited me to use her front yard. Ok! She also offered the shower but I'm not too dirty yet:). A wonderful evening of conversation. A kindred spirit.

Off to sleep now. Off towards Missoula tomorrow.

Sleepy BagLady

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Almost There

Tuesday August 9th
Whitefish Montana

Toodling along busy Rte 93 yesterday, I spotted a restaurant in the middle if nowhere. Ah Root Beer. My new drink of choice. I wonder what a rum and root beer would taste like. Hmmm! Gotta try it. The bartender mentions a place to camp and swim about 13 miles further up the road. Sounds like a place to stop. And maybe stay the night. When I find it, the water looks so inviting. Ah a swim. Now ya have to understand. To minimize what I carry, things have to have double function. So my bathing suit is actually dark purple sports bra and panties from EMS. Stretchy and quick drying. And double purpose. And


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Ah! Wilderness!!!

Saturday August 6th
Lake Koocanusa
33 long miles:)

Last night I camped 10 miles beyond (east of) Libby MT at Osprey Landing...a boat launch. I know! I know! That's on my list of poor camping spots. But it was so idyllic and some locals promised the boaters wouldn't be there before 6 am. It's a point built out into the Kootenai River. And I had stopped there for a swim...which turned into a dip because the water was soooo cold. Doesn't look like swimming is a big sport in Montana. Water's too cold!

And then I met Alex, a guy from NYC who was bumming around the west scouting out rainbow trout. A fly fisherman that translates old English fishing books into modern English. It's a slow process. If I remember right, it took him a year to do 14 pages! Fascinating guy originally from Korea. He's tracing the lineage of rainbow trout that are now in Korea trying to determine where in the US the original eggs came from. He certainly kept me intrigued:)

Today was a long lonely road down the west side of this very long lake. Reminds me a bit I'd Chelan Lake where I went backpacking. There were so few cars on it that I'd forget to look out for them and then one would surprise me.

I found this dog trotting along the road. (There are no residents along it that I could see.). I thought maybe he was lost. After offering him some of my precious water, which he refused, I read his tags to see if he was local. One tag listed his owner in Jackson Creek "at the end if the small road". And the other tag said "leave him alone!". Ok. Guess he's not lost. It was a couple of miles before o got to the Jackson Road turnoff. He's a ways from home.

The road is a forest service road if sorts, but it's paved. It runs along the water but way high up. That's why I said "precious water" 'cause I didn't know when or if I was going to be able to get more some time today. Finally I came to a boat launch and scooped up some lake water. I have no purification system with me. I had a new (replacement after Nepal) Steripen but I could not get it to operate even once. Arrgghh! So I shipped it with other stuff back to my car. It's pretty remote out here. I'm not worried about the water.

So on I pedaled today I'm the 90* heat. Oh look at that water! I want a cold drink. And I want to swim! Torture to see it and not be able to get to it!

"Fishing Access". I'll take it. To the water! Yippee!! Be careful what you wish for. Down, down, down this dirt and loose stone road. For nearly a mile. Oh how will I ever get Blaze up it in the morning? Who cares! I want water. To drink. And to swim. Down. Down. Oh look at this delight spot to swim and camp. Best spot I think I've had this whole trip. What? What is that I see? Blaze has another flat on the back? How long has that been there? At least I have all evening to fix it.

Delightful evening: swim (water not too cold...yippeee), bath, hair washed, and cold drinks.

Now to hang a bear bag and go read. Yup. Delightful evening. Don't think about that hill until morning. Ok!

Pedal on,

Swimming BagLady


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Serendipity in Eureka

Sunday August 7th
Eureka Montana
42ish

The hill. Remember the hill. I was able to bike it. It took me 17 minutes to get to the top. What a way to start the day. Blaze was amazing!

I really didn't want that empty road to come to an end. Best road I've bikes this whole trip. Nearly a bike path there were so few cars. And the views were amazing! Barb and Bob, thanks for making it possible and suggesting it!!

Hot day! Thank goodness for the umbrella. Could not deal with the sun without it.

Tonight a serendipitous series of events happened. After my usual root beer float break and a 6" sub from Subway and a grocery stop, I finally managed to leave Eureka...about 6 pm. And I wanted to get about 8 miles in before stopping. So about 7:30 I started looking. This is later than my usual quitting time. And since the road is quite busy, I was having to explore side roads. Very residential out here. One spot I started to set up just had too much traffic. And no flat spot. So I packed Blaze up again and continued on. Have faith. Something will turn up. Looking. Thinking. Wondering. Side roads seemed to be mostly driveways. Down another road. Wasting time. Getting later. There's a spot. Not too flat. Too close to highway. Start to move on. Meet Paster Curtis and wife Stephanie out for a walk. "is this your property I ask" explaining that I'm looking for a place to camp. No but you can camp in the church yard...and use the shower...and do a load of wash if you wish. Yippee! The jackpot! Talk about things having to align so that I'm sitting at the end of their road just as they are coming home from an evening stroll! Ya can't make his stuff up!!!

Pedal on,

Serendipitous BagLady


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Montana!

Friday August 5th
Libby MT
35 and more to come when it cools down this evening

Trail angels. That's what they are: Bob, Barb, Kellyann, and Erin. This family responded to my plea of a lift when I found out Amtrak wasn't going to take Blaze.

So Wednesday went like this: Skyward shuttled me to Coulee Dam (couple hours drive) where Kellyann and her nana picked me up and shuttled me back to Spokane. But their generosity didn't end there. These guys are Warmshowers hosts (people who give cyclists a place to stay) and the fed and bed me. AND threw me a birthday party, complete with the tastiest, gooiest brownies ever! AND then when it didn't look like I still was going to be able to get to Glacier on time, Bob and Erin drive me nearly another 100 miles into Idaho! So, with about 215 miles to do in 6 days I was in great shape to make the meetup 4pm on next Wed in West Glacier.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!! Best Warmshowers Hosts EVER!!!!!!!!!

And now I'm in Libby sitting out the heat of the afternoon at an ice cream shop. Where else?

Pedal on,

Scorched BagLady

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The Universe Provides

I think I have the blog issues ironed out, but I don't know where my blog posts from the backpacking trip went.  LaLa Land.  I'm hoping the developer can help me find them.

Yesterday was a pretty stressful day.  I called Amtrak in the morning to make my reservation from Spokane to West Glacier with my trike...and they dont take bikes in boxes wider than 8 inches.  Screwed!  Now how do I get from Winthrop to West Glacer, 470+ miles, in a week?  Panic for a moment.  Then trusting.  If it doesn't work out, then the Universe has something else planned for me.  Ah yes...trust.

But also do my part to resolve the issue.  So I wrote an email to as many Warmshowers hosts (a site of folks that will host bicycling travelers) in Winthrop and Spokane as I found listed asking if they could help me close this mileage gap by giving me a lift for any part of my journey.  I got emails and phone calls offering a variety of help.  What support!  Problem has been resolved and the trip is going to be better than originally planned!  I'm getting 2 rides today to get to Spokane by tonight and I will be staying at a Warmshowers' host house, Barb Stuebing's!  Her mom and daughter are meeting me in Coulee Dam this afternoon.  Skyward has generously offered to drive me there...after all she's already done hosting me this last week and a half:))  Then tomorrow I'll bike out of Spokane with about 270 miles to cover in 6 days.  I'll huff and I'll puff, but I'll make it!   And I get to bike the mountains of Idaho and Montana instead of the desert of Washington.  Yippeee!!! 

The Universe provides...for sure!

Pedal on, pedal on,

Amazed BagLady

Test

New software. Let's see if I can post.


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More Torments

So, the blog isn't loading from my phone...and now I find out I can't take my bike on the train.  It won't box up as small as they require.  So now I have to hitch to get to West Glacier in a week.  I'll have to start hitchig right away because I don't know when the rides will come.  And I may not make it in time to meet up with the group.  

Skyward taught me a great saying.  "An adventure isn't an adventure until something goes wrong."  So I guess the adventure is just beginning!

I just talked with Sylvia, my inspiring trike traveler from Portland...thanks for the words of support.  I'll just go with the flow and see where the universe takes me:)  

As to my lost posts, I've written to the developer to see if he can find them.  For now let's just say Chelan Lake and Stehekin village with the snow capped mountains and azure blue rushing rivers was paradise.  Best hike in America!  and no crowds!!!

And I don't seem to be able to post a blog now from my phone at all.  I'm reinstalling the BlogPress software, so I will try some tests to see if I can get that to work.  If not, you'll all have to go to Facebook to see what I'm up to...I'll post to that.  

Stay tuned...

BagLady

Blog is all screwed up!

I don't know what's going on.  I got an email from a follower today when I got out of a week in the woods and she said my blog had been removed.  Skyward tried to go to it on her iPhone and got the same message.  When I got back to her house and used a normal computer, I could get to the blog page.  Whew!  That was a premature "whew!"  I tried to publish my 3 blogs written while I was in the woods.  They are written in BlogPress on my iPhone.  At first they would not post, but then all 3 gave me a "Success" message.  But when I tried to view the post...nothing, nada, zero, zip!  No new posts are showing up.  And I don't know if it's a BlogPress or Blogger issue.  So right now I'm trying to post a blog update from computer.  Gee, I sure hope those posts are not lost.  Maybe I can find them in my mailbox somewhere. 

Speaking of mailboxes, one of my email accounts was sending out spam last night Dana said.  And today I had trouble logging in and had to change my password.  What's happening.  Arrrghhh  Technology!!!  I'm ready to bag it entirely.  It's more trouble than it's worth. 

So sit tight while I try to figure all this out.  I am in Winthrop another day before pedaling on to Spokane and getting the train to Glacier.

BagLady

Lazy Day and New Friends

Sunday July 24
Winthrop WA

Just like on the AT, it feels like I never have a day off. So today I'm going slowly. Really slowly. And enjoying the heck out of it.

I've met so many folks today and it's only 1pm. First there was the couple camped next to me who offered me hot water and cherries this morning. He's in sales but loves to write poetry. They have 2 gifted kids: a son who wants to be a physicist and a daughter who also loves to write. The live north of Seattle and are Scottish decent. He is anyways. She's French Canadian. Boatee. Little Boat.

Then in the bathroom I met Vonnie and she invited me to have coffee. "I'd love to!" says I. She and her husband, Dan, have one son, Eric. His girlfriend is Gwen. And the dog, Luna. They've hosted lots of foreign kids over the years with some of them dating for as long as 7 years whole the finished high school and went to college. I can see why they stayed. Their warmth and love of life was so evident! Vonnie even got brave and flew to Japan alone to he the honored guest at one girl's wedding. Brave girlfriend! But I had to pedal off, alas!

Them there was the guy biking around like I am from Colorado, the couple from Georgia on their way home from Alaska in their motorbike, the Asian couple heading home from a wedding, and the young mom and 2 daughters off to the cousins! Loneliness is not a problem.

And by writing their stories, I tested myself to see if I was listening and learning as much as I was sharing my journey with them. Whew! Love the connections. And their brevity and the goodbyes don't hurt as much. I carry their warmth and energy with me. Thank you to all these new friends. If even just for a short time:)

And just met a young man who's just getting outdoors for the weekend. And on it goes.

I packed up my bike from my lunch and journaling break and was just about ready to take off when Skyward and Dave pulled in to my wide spot in the road. What a surprise. They were quite early:). Yes I want a ride! Loaded Blaze up on top. She only tried to bolt away once. Slid right down the windshield and bounced when she hit the pavement. I still have to check her out when I unload her tomorrow but I think she's uninjured from her little escapade.

Oh what views that ride would have been. I'm a little sad to have not biked it. But it's been hot here now so glad to not have baked in the sun up over that pass. Absolutely gorgeous mountains much like what I saw in Nepal! This country of ours is so goddam gorgeous! Parents should spend every summer just seeing a different part if it. Lingering there awhile!

This little slice of heaven Skyward and Dave have is spectacular. I'll try again to post a photo of the view from their front windows.
Oops too cloudy today to get a good photo. Will have to wait.

Just made plans for a week long backpacking trip up Chelan Lake (the deepest gorge in the country - half again as deep as the Grand Canyon) then up into the Cascades near Cascades Pass. Should be a fun hike part of which will be on the PCT.

No postings until I return next week.

Over and out from the Cascade Mountains of Washington.

Step Lightly,

BagLady

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Skyward Found Me

Saturday July 23rd
Ross Lake WA

Enough of the miles. This trip isn't about miles. It's about having fun.

I awoke and packed up in my grassy nook on the side of Hwy 20 hoping to find a coffee shop in Rockport. Didn't happen there, but patience paid off and I came to Cascadian Farms Espresso and raspberry stand. Breakfast. Dry tent. Restroom. Latte. Fresh organic raspberries. Everything a girl biker could want!

I was heading into the Cascades but it really didn't get difficult. Stayed pretty flat and enjoyable.

All of a sudden I hear "BagLady!". I look up and it's Skyward. For those who don't know her, we met on the PCT last year and left the trail at the same time, although she did come back to do a lot of Oregon later last summer. We've kept in touch and made plans to hike together this summer. She's item #2 on my itinerary for this bike ride. She and boyfriend, Dave, were headed into Seattle for a couple of days. The plan is fir them to pick me up in their way home Sunday night or Monday...if they find me. If not, I'll pedal in. Either way, I'm going slow and enjoying this segment since my arrival can be flexible. The backpacking trip seems to be canceled due to too much snow still in the mountains. Not sure what plan B is. TBD.

So after connecting briefly, getting directions to their house I. Winthrop, and making brief plans for how they can find me along the route, we went our separate ways.

I ended the day in a national campground. Decided on that because the road was getting steeper and looked like there would be little likelihood if finding a place to camp. And since it had been hot u was quite sweaty and would enjoy a shower. Heike, you've rubbed off on me! But the sign said the campground was full. Ask. "We have some handicap sites and I can't give those out til 8pm.". Host looks at his watch. It's only 6:30. "Oh, go ahead. Take site 30.". Yippee! I get all setup, pay my $12, and paddle off to the showers. What?! No showers! Really? So for $12 I get a wobbly picnic table.

Pedal on, Pedal on

Pissed BagLady

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Heading East

Friday July 22
40 miles i guess
Rockport WA

Sun! I awoke to sunshine this morning. It's a glorious thing!!! It's been so cold and cloudy and rainy for nearly 2 weeks. Now it'll be cold and cloudy and rainy with a few sun breaks. Only in the northwest do they count sun breaks...moments when Theron breaks through and warms your soul.

But that was after another horrible night. This time due to air force jets practicing maneuvers. They started in the early evening buzzing the fields I'm camped in. The noise was so loud I thought they were going to break the sound barrier. Again and again and again. Then it stopped and I went to sleep. Were they done? Of course not. We have to see how the jets perform at midnight because ya know it might be different. It doesn't matter that the rest of the world is sleeping. On and on. Back and forth. With deafening noise. I had to protect my good ear the noise was so painful. Really? You can't do this out over the ocean? You have to buzz the villages? My list of places not to camp is getting quite extensive:). I can't believe all the things that can surprise you with noise at night.

Talked with a spunky woman who owned a thrift store in town. I'm trying to find a sun visor in a place that has no sun! I found one in one thrift store which is functional but not cute. I'm into cute. So the hunt is on. And what a hunt it is. Almost bought one in Port Townsend at the state park but I don't like to advertise and the price was $14.50. Too much. Little did I know how hard it would be to find another. The search continues.

Back to the lady owner. We were talking about how risky traveling on these roads was and she saud "One minute you'll be biking in the forest with trees all around. Then Bam. You'll be biking in new scenery: flowers and blue sky!" One can only hope it will be that quick.

Route 20 has been a treat to bike on: wide shoulders. Yippeee! Now if all the cars would just go drive somewhere else. Or better yet, go home. I would be really happy. The confusing whizzing is exhausting. I'm camped just off the road behind some bushes and the noise continued all evening. Whiiiizzz. Whiiizzz. Whiiizzzz. I knew it would quiet down as it got later. And it did. But now it's Sat morning about 7:30 am and it's slowly picking up in volume.

Even though I'm up in the mountains so to speak, I haven't started climbing yet. That will be today. I just hope the road stays gradual. Then it will be fine. I've got 80 miles to Winthrop and 3 days to do it. Should be I'm good shape.

Off to pack up, find coffee and some morning sun. Oops, the sun seems to have disappeared. Darn!

Oh I forgot to mention the Velomobile I saw yesterday. A Dutch trike with a fiberglass shell. Very cool. Craig Johnsen was the power behind the pedals. Oh the delightful people I meet!!! Enjoyed our chat!

Pedal on. Pedal on

Stinky BagLady

Oh, my legs!

Monday July 18
51 miles
Potlatch State Park

Yesterday Heike and I biked 25 miles in 3 hours to get to a sports bar by 11 am to see the women's soccer final! I really pedaled hard! And my legs felt it! It's so much harder in the legs pedaling the trike. Especially picking up the pace. My legs are bigger! And feel like steel! And I'm only half way done.

And it rained again in the afternoon so we bailed and got a motel so that we could dry out our gear. And I could do laundry. Pretty dirty stuff.

Food is a lot easier when 2 are sharing. We're combining our food stash to conjure up our meals. Much more fun!

Today we pedaled to this state park so Heike could have a shower. My skin has never seen so much water. First all the rain then the showers!

Had a flat in the rear tire today and glad Heike was there to help. Turns out she's quite a bike mechanic. First was knowing how to release the parking brake. Then dropping the tire off. But I was the one that figured out hoe to get it seated again. Teamwork!
Been having problems with the rear fender. Keeps popping off the spokes. I'm not happy with it. I think I need to duct tape the connections:). That fixes everything.

They sure grow tall trees out here! Big leaf maples 75 ft tall I'd guess! It's so lush everywhere! From all this rain!!!

Biking on 101 has been scary. Fast cars and tractor trailer trucks whizzing by. Usually little shoulder. Windy road. And it's hard to stay alert hour after hour after hour. I focus on the white line. Sometimes the shoulder widens and I'm in a fog and don't notice it right away. ADD is dangerous out here but it's hard to be so alert all the time. Sometimes a truck will pass so close it actually makes me jump! Imagine being low and only a few feet from a massive truck going 65 mph! Hang on, girl!!! Bravery or stupidity. Still trying to decide:)


Pedal on, Pedal on

Soggy BagLady

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A break in the weather! Yippeee!

Saturday July 16
Raymond WA
~47 miles.
Total 1250 miles


That's Heike eating pizza in the shower stall. Only place we could find warm and dry yesterday.

After full day of rain and sitting around the restrooms of the Cape Disappointment State Park, I finally moved north. With a new friend. Heike is from Berlin and has biked most of the way from Toronto. She's on her way to Vancouver and since she doesn't fly out til Aug 24th she has time to go at Blaze's pace. Having her ride on the tush and it pouring rain really pushed me today. About 47 miles in 5.5 hours. And we stopped for a quick lunch.

In Raymond we're camped next to the pool because Heike needs a shower every night. It did feel good:). And we had picnic tables for cooking and there are public restrooms nearby. Life is good.


www.thebaglady07.blogspot.com

Sent from my handy, dandy, mini, little computer (iPhone)


Pedal on, Pedal on

Saddle BagLady

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Washington

Friday July 15th
Cape Disappointment WA
17 miles.
Total over 1200

Rain. Yup. It let up yesterday afternoon long enough for me to dry out my tent and get out of Astoria. Thank you, rain gods. Started again during the night and on through the morning.

Saw the Pacific Ocean yesterday!!!! What a glorious sight! Now I know what Lewis & Clark must have felt. Just a tiny bit, anyways.

Met a woman from Germany here at the State Park I stayed in last night. She's biked from South Dakota. Got there by public transport from Toronto. She didn't want to bike through the boring Midwest either:). She's done a lot of bike travel in Europe, Tasmania, South Africa.

It's 8:45 am. The rain is letting up. I need to think about getting up but I know everything is so wet: the tent, the bike, the grass, the picnic table. This won't be fun getting going. I still don't know what I'll do if I can't dry my tent during the day. I need a 1/2 hour of sunshine or a dryer. Last time I threw it in the dryer, I threw in my special poly-something ultra lightweight dropcloth...and it shrank. Ouch! Got a tyvek sorta piece of housewrap at a construction site that I'm using now. We'll see how it dries.

It felt good yesterday to be out of town and in the woods (sorta) again. Not really fond of all the hustle and bustle. Cars alone are exhausting me. I realized how much noise a car really makes when I had to bike through a tunnel yesterday. Unbelievable! I had to cover my good ear to stop the pain. Thank goodness I only had to cover one ear;)

Cars are the downside of biking. Don't know how to solve that problem. I do like the biking to get some place part.

Crossing the Columbia River Bridge:



Pedal on, Pedal on

Saddle BagLady

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Astoria

Wednesday July 13th
Astoria OR
about 36 miles

Rain...surprise. Surprise.
Stayed in bed late waiting for it to stop.

"Gotta buy a girl some ice cream when she biked all the way from Wyoming!"

"Do you wanna get killed?" yelled by a guy driving a monster pickup.

"My brother died yesterday.". And from the same nice young man, "Ivy, our dog got loose and we're trying to find her.".

"I'd invite you home but my wife and her girlfriend just left town today." from a guy out rollerblading along the river here in Astoria. He first asked if I needed any help.

All around good day, except for finding yet another flat after dinner. I'm getting a liner in that tire tomorrow!

And that us Slugger, my pet slug. What great videos I got of him this morning:)



And always a days bouquet in my hair!




And how could I resist a drive up latte?




Pedal on, Pedal on

Saddle BagLady

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Soaked!

Tuesday July 12
Somewhere on 30 west
23 to this point

Morning rain
Sleeping in
Bagel and cream cheese
Good coffee
Reading and blogging
On the road at 11 am
Dried out tent at Longview bridge
Climbed first hill in a week - oh the legs are weak!
Then the rain started.
Umbrella helps a lot but only if I open it before getting soaked.
And then the flat!
Yup again.
Right front.
As usual.
Had lots of practice now - 10 minutes!
Sitting in a coffee shop warming up, drying off, washing wet clothes.

On the Road Again

St. Helena OR
35 miles (in the afternoon!)
1135 total

After an incredible time with family at a funky resort east of Portland (and Maddie and Steve's beautiful, fun wedding), I saddled Blaze up and headed towards the coast. Of course, to get there I had to trot down a 4 lane truck highway for 20+ miles. Yuck! The only good thing was the shoulder was wide. But, as usual, littered with gravel, nuts, bolts, broken binders, large pieces of bark, and clumps of rubber. Quite a challenge to navigate when I have 3 tires all in their own track:). Yes, trot! She's much faster it seems since having a week of rest and a bit of alignment repair. The pulling has been fixed. Idid 35 miles in the afternoon -would have taken me all day before. I did stop less being on my own. But I did take a 2 hour lunch break and catch up with some friends while munching on rustic bread and Brie! I feel like I've been spinning for the week with no down time. I need a rest. This is Tuesday morning and I'm still huddled in my tent with my coffee. It rained moat of the early morning and them started again after I got my bagel toasted. So I zipped up and snuggled back down with my book "Twelve by Twelve", about living off the grid, etc. A great quote from it is "Don't do, be.". So this morning I'm "be-ing!". Watching the slugs and bugs. Listening to the birds and rain. (and one gunshot!). Going slow. Ahhhh! Feels really good, but hard. Feeling guilty for not doing!

Heading out Rte 30 to Astoria. Will get there tomorrow. Then it's over the dangerous 4 mile bridge and into Washington. State #4. I plan to go up rte 101 to Port Townsend. Then take rte 20 over to Winthrop. I told Skyward I'd be there in about 2 weeks. But no deadline, please. I've had enough of those until I need to be in Glacier on Aug 10th.

So last night's camping spot was in a meadow of daisies and clover!



And yes I broke down and got a Pocket Rocket stove with canister fuel. Since I can really cook while biking, I needed a stove that could do more than heat water:)

Sorry no wedding pics on my phone to send. In order to post pics to my blog I have to remember to TAKE pics with my phone. I much prefer photos with my new Canon G12. It's been fun but still lots to learn and not much time to do so.


Pedal on, Pedal on

Saddle BagLady

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Portland

Tuesday, July 5th
25 miles
Portland OR

I forgot to write about how we celebrated the 4th: hanging in a laundromat in Sandy. Doing laundry. Charging my freaking phone. Eating. Sleeping. Reading. Enjoying the shade. Then we headed down to the fireworks. Since we knew they weren't going off til late (for us) we wanted to figure out where we could sleep. Right there in the field next to the town hall of course. Set up the tent, then wandered over to take in a movie while waiting to get dark. After the fireworks we just rolled into our tent. Perfect spot!

Today we had a delightful ride into Portland past a bunch of tree farms. All the landscape trees. Everywhere.

Then we hit the city. And had 15 miles to bike down ugly, dirty, congested streets before getting to our adorable guesthouse. Bluebird Guesthouse. A bungalow with all the rooms fixed up and shared baths. No one actually lives here. Kitchen privileges. And stocked for breakfast. A cross between a B&B and a hostel.

Picking up the rental car was fun. Should have just had them pick me up. But I was out riding around the city doing errands and went to get it. Elantra. Couldn't fit Blaze in the trunk. Then the guy points to an HHR. Ugly Chevy thing. Really? Drive that thing around for a week? How about I use it to get Blaze back to the guesthouse then come get the nice car? What? She's rented it out? But I hadn't decided what I was going to do. You can let me do it? Be back in 20 minutes because we close at 6 pm. 50-50 city blocks each way and I don't know my way around this town. Sure thing. I'll be back in 20. Well it was 30, but I figured out a faster way on the way back so I didn't gave a stop sign at every block. Gotta hit the major streets that run.

Tomorrow off to move my stuff to the hostel (Blaze on top of the car this time;)) Fuat shipping his bike home. His summer vacation is over. Then driving out to see the Columbia River Gorge that we're glad we didn't bike.

Thursday Blaze goes into the bike shop for a tune up and I'm having lunch with the woman that inspired me to get a trike and take off - quit thinking about it and GO. Can't wait to hear her stories. If you're interested, check out www.myrtletheturtle.me.

Then time with family and friends. I'll blog again when I get the time but it will be a couple of days


Pedal on, Pedal on

Saddle BagLady

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Mt Hood

Monday July 4th
10 miles maybe
Sandy OR
Trip total. Almost 1100. Wahoo!!!

So Saturday we biked to within 15 miles of Government Camp, a town nearest to Mt Hood.

Finally found a place to camp on federal lands. It gets congested down this mountain all the way to Portland, so a bit more challenging finding a spot. I was ready to camp next to the ranger's station. It was a holiday weekend and they were away:)

While roaming through a museum, Fuat noticed a parallel road to Hwy 26 down off this Mtn. The Barlow Road. it was the first road cut into the Cascades for the emigrants to use to avoid going down the Columbia River Gorge. It was a toll road. And what a delight. We were able to manage missing most of the congested, scary road with idiot drivers.




Pedal on, Pedal on

Saddle BagLady

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Out of the Rain Shadow

Saturday July 2nd
32 miles
South of Mt Hood in the Cascade Mtns

Another bad campsite. Aarrggghhh!!! BLM campground in Maupin. We moved away from a site Fuat thought would get noisy...right next to a site that grew louder and more crowded as the evening went on. Around midnight I went over and asked them to keep it a bit quieter, trying to keep my tone friendly. A girl offered some earplugs. That wasn't going to help. About 3 am Fuat packed up his bedding and moved a couple of campsites away and "cowboyed out"! Shortly after he left they finally got quiet. Add campgrounds to the lengthy list of things to avoid when selecting a campsite! Just get me to the woods, please!!!

Service and no charge. Power and no service. Story of my iPhone this trip. Most of Oregon is not covered by At&T. Ya know why we no longer have roaming charges on phone bills? Cause there's no freakin' roaming!! No! I can be standing under a cell tower, but if it's not AT&T's, I'll have "No Service"! WTF??!!! Can't I opt to pay extra to be connected? What if I had an emergency? Is no one else upset about poor coverage. Or just me 'cause I get myself off in remote areas?



Yup, in the woods tonight. Left the desert this afternoon and began our assault on Mt Hood. Tomorrow we have a 15 mile climb to Govt Camp. And I think my legs hurt now. Oregon has been a lot harder than Wyoming or Idaho. Long, long climbs. Again and again. I'll have some respite as I head to the coast, but oh my...over the Cascades again later this month. Legs of steel they will be.

Fuat is not a believer. He thinks things happen coincidentally. But really? Again today. Needing water. We stop at a pull off because I'm checking out a nearby creek. And he goes and asks these folks at their car. And guess what! They brought extra water with them just in case they met someone who needed some. And that's not the first time. Are ya believing yet, Fuat? Trail magic and trail angels are EVERYWHERE!!!!

Another delicious dinner by Fuat.


Burritos with rice, refried beans, red pepper, radishes, cheese, and avocado. How am i ever going to go back to my usual "trail" food?

Note to Willing and Abal: try instant refried beans soaked with your rice. Bet it would be good!

Trying to do pics in blog again. If no photos show up it's because I had to delete them to upload. Maybe if I do, I'll see if I can send them separately.

Pedal on, Pedal on

Saddle BagLady

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Up, up, and up

Friday, July 1
51 freakin' miles!!!!!
Maupin, OR



Longest day yet. Most uphill miles, too. An 8 mile climb. Followed by a 4 mile climb. But finishing the day off with a 26 mile nearly all downhill. And the headwinds were minimal. Enough to keep us cool but not to hold us back. That is one great advantage to headwinds. The cooling factor.

Saw a couple of ghost towns today. There are a lot of them scattered throughout Oregon. Towns that boomed during the gold rush and are now deserted. Some, like Shaniko, try to survive as a tourist destination. It was really cute with the old storefronts and wooden boardwalk. And lots of old wagons and cars. Every chance I get, I climb up into the old wagons to imagine how difficult it must have been coming all the way out here in one with your husband and children. And I thought that newly traveled road yesterday was bad when it went on for 10 miles.

Old western wooded buildings spot the landscape everywhere. And sage brush. The ground's been quite hard and prickly for camping. If it's lush and green, you can bet there are sprinklers.

We have a new thing to add to our list of stuff to avoid when picking a campsite: boat launch. Thus morning they were putting in around 4am!!!


Pedal on, Pedal on

Saddle BagLady

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Most Beautiful Road in America

Wednesday June 29
40 miles
Silent Creek OR

Route 19 Journey Through Time Scenic Byway has got to be theist beautiful road in America. And the best kept secret. It was like biking through the Grand Canyon with few other card on the road. The canyon walls were incredible and went on for mile after mile...all downhill along the John Day River.

People are different out here. And I like it. They're friendly. They're helpful. They like other people. Yesterday we pulled our bikes onto a ranch driveway, spread out our wet tent to dry and hiked back under a tree for shade for lunch. As we were done eating and walking back to our bikes, a woman in her Mercedes drives in and jumps out. We thought she was going to bitch us out fir being on her property. No. She was worried something happened to us. She gives me a big hug and asks if we're ok. When we said we were just seeking shade, she offered her storage barn a bit further up the driveway. This morning again an example. Last night we camped just outside this fossil monument next to the gate. The keeper surprised us quite early thus morning when he came to open the gate. Friendly guy. Not angry about where we were camped. Even said that although they weren't open for a couple more hours, he'd unlock the bathrooms for us. (Why are bathrooms locked anyways?). There hasn't been an angry anyone. But we're respectful too of their property and don't take advantage of the kindness.




Pedal on, Pedal on

Saddle BagLady

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Endless Downhill

Tuesday. June 28
Fossil Museum
40 miles. Passed halfway point of Fuat's trip

Breakfast in town. You can screw up hollandaise sauce I found out. Darn!

Laundry. More grub. Probably last decent grocery store for quite a while.

Yesterday we met Dustin and he had biked the Columbia River Gorge eastward and made great time with the wind at his back. He did just a section westward and it was impossible. IMPOSSIBLE! Change of plans. Not doing that. Still working our way diagonally across OR. Still many questions about which way to go.

But I've been loving our route and extra glad we came this way. Today was 40 miles of gradual downhill as we followed the John Day River. And it should have been a joy. But for the HEADWINDS!!!! Worse for Fuat than for me. It hits the upright bike differently. More force.

Tonight we have the best campsite and view ever!!! We're in the area of the John Day Fossil Monuments. Ancient rock formations in every direction! Because we got here after close today, we're camped out in a field next to the gate. First in line tomorrow.

Got some fabulous sunset cloud photos on my good camera. Can't capture that stuff on my iPhone.

But I did get a pic of our tuna sandwiches for dinner. That's orang peppers and napa cabbage on panini bread. Yum!!!




Pedal on, Pedal on

Saddle BagLady

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Ya Gotta Earn Your Wheeeee!

Monday June 27th
John Day OR
40 miles
Trip total. 820, I guess

Not one, but two 5000 ft summits were crossed today. Up and up and up and up....then...wheeeee! I don't have a bike computer anymore so I don't know how fast I get going, but I'm way, way ahead of Fuat by the bottom. Blaze screams down the hills! I've started putting my helmet on for the downhills 'cause they're that exhilarating. And scary. O gave to tell myself to stop tensing up and just sit back and enjoy the ride!!! Wheeee!

After Dixie Summit, the second one, the downhill broke out into the most gorgeous valley I gave ever seen. Long. Wide. Green and lush. With snow capped mountains all along it. Took my breath away. I had to stop the speedy descent to take I'm the beauty. Breathtaking! The kind of view that pictures just don't capture. Ya just gotta be there.

And then it was downhill for 15 miles. Thankgoodness. Because these here legs ache every time I start pedaling after a stop. They're plum tuckered out.

Lost my sun visor today during one if the downhills when I switched it out for my helmet. And it's a critical piece of multiple-function gear: holds my hair off my face and off my neck and shields the sun (and rain) out if my eyes. So when I got to a town I started asking around to find one. Small town. Not many shops. But didn't the lady in one call down the street to another shop to see if Wanda had any. And she did. But I didn't like them. Not comfortable. But she did gave a baseball cap that I liked. Had to cut the center out - cooling factor for thus post-menopausal lady! So even before paying her I borrowed some scissors and started hacking away. Then asked for a needle and thread. She said she had a sewing machine and after she finished wrapping a gift she'd sew it. I said we wre going down the street for ice cream angus be back in a while. Still hadn't paid for it. Came back and she's apologizing for a slight sewing mishap. I said, "It's beautiful! Just what I needed! I love it!". Gave her $6.50 and a hug. What's not to love in small town America?

On to John Say and as we're riding in to town, Will, a forest service employee and bike,chats us up on the street. Says he has an Oregon bike map at his house, so we follow h home. One thing leads to another and we have a place to camp in his yard (please turn off the sprinklers, says me) and use of his shower. Lovin' it!


Pedal on, Pedal on

Saddle BagLady

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Endless Uphill

12 miles past Sumpter towards John Day on rte 7
32 most challenging miles.

Lazy starts, but on the road at 8:04. And the whole day, miles just did not seem to pass by.

Pedal, pedal, rest, pedal. Fuat waits patiently all throughout the day for Blaze and me to catch up. Then we pass him on the downhills, of which there were too few today. Oregon is one rural state. And just because the map shows a town, doesn't mean it has any stores. Could be a ghost town. Makes it hard for us to plan our food because we often don't really know when we'll find a store again. Today some young folks angeled us some water when we met at an historical site. Trail magic! Fuat doesn't believe it's magic, but I know it is.

Tonight we're camped in a national forest. It's been over a week since I was really in the woods. And it feels good. If these darn ravens would just shut up!!!

Good dinner of fried rice with veggies of green beans, zucchini, and red pepper. Lunch we made tomato, avocado, green chard sandwiches on delicious large rolls a woman in Baker City gave us after we had a Thai tofu salad and soup at her restaurant. Generous gifts come our way.






Pedal on, Pedal on

Saddle BagLady

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Oregon Trail

Saturday, June 25
Just beyond Baker City

18 miles, if we're lucky!

Sweet town, Baker City with majestic snow capped mountains as a backdrop.

Oregon Trail Visitors Center. Took a taxi out there because it was 6 miles out of town up on a hill. We may be crazy, but we're not stupid;)

Resupplied at a co-op with organic food. Yippee! Cherries from a fruit stand. Yummy! And ICE CREAM!!!!!

Managed to enjoy almost a whole day in town and then pedaled about 8 miles out to a field full of gopher holes to camp. I was worried they'd munch all our food so I stashed it up on a fence. It worked.

Trying to decide our route across this state is proving to be a bit of a challenge. One route is closed due to snow so the bike shop guy suggested we dip south. So we're heading to Sumpter tomorrow and figure things out from there


Pedal on, Pedal on

Saddle BagLady

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I-84 and Trains

Friday, June 24
~35 miles. Into the wind.
Trip total 740
South of Baker City

Yup, we biked on I-84 today for 15 miles. Couldn't get a hitch. Headwinds were the worst part.



Yup, those are kitty litter pails. Thanks, Dennis! They are working out great!

Yup, we were so tired we camped next to the train tracks that ran next to the road for the last 20 miles.

Yup, the trains are noisy! Especially when your head is not 100 feet from them. What were we thinking? We weren't. Too tired and hungry to think.

To bed before 8 pm.

Below was our only option for resupply this evening. Guess we'll be scrounging from the feed bags!! Doesn't look like Pleasant Valley is open.




Tomorrow off to the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center.

OMG! The trains are coming every 10 minutes. And tooting all the way. WTF? Our campsites are turning into disasters. But Fuat's so tired he's snoring away and missing all the action. Bike touring is hard work. Especially the first week. Maybe when we get into the mountains, we'll find some idyllic sites. None too soon.

Sprinklers. Trains. What next?

Pedal on, Pedal on

Saddle BagLady

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone