Tuesday, July 5, 2011
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
Sunday, July 3, 2011
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
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
Saturday, July 2, 2011
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
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
Thursday, June 30, 2011
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
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
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
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
Monday, June 27, 2011
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
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
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
Saturday, June 25, 2011
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
~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
Friday, June 24, 2011
3 Flats in 3 Days
Thursday. June 23
Huntington ID
90 miles out of Boise in 2.5 days
So heat has been the new issue. Skin-scorching heat. And my position on the trike seems to maximize the impact of the sun. Fuat isn't having the same problem. But I'm in pain. So I pulled out the Pacific Crest Trail GoLite umbrella that I brought along just for this problem. Butbi thought I'd only be using it for rest stops. Hell no! I found I can bike holding it. (just not in the downhills:)). The looks I get are so worth it. And it keeps me much cooler.
Me and Mary Poppins.
Been looking for Oregon Trail ruts through this section. Maybe tomorrow. Sometimes it can seem so romantic to me the thought of traveling west by covered wagon until you read what it was really like. Not an easy journey - no way.
Today I spotted baby owls in a cliff hole nest. So cute. Three in there. Pics are on my camera.
The sprinklers didn't go off just once that other morning. No. They cycled through again and caught us fully exposed and drenched everything! Then when we moved it all to the field nearby to dry out, they came on there too and still managed to get us wet and force us to move our stuff yet a third time. So now we scour an area looking for sprinklers before we set up camp. If it looks lush and green and inviting, we know it's too good to be true. But the scrubby growth is quite prickly for tenting.
One day during this heat we did manage a skinny dip under a bridge in the Snake River. Had to be careful the strong current didnt carry us away. And the water was quite chilly. But it was refreshing. Then dip our shirts in to get them wet and stayed cool for a few more miles. Great trick.
Got a shower yesterday in a state park. I washed my clothes and put them all back on wet. The were dry within 5 miles!
Had our first bike on the Interstate. No other options. 3 miles. Not fun. Suppose to do 18 miles that way today, but Fuat suggested we try and get a hitch. I like that idea better. Guess the road goes through a canyon and is quite dangerous. Wish us luck. Hitching with 2 bikes will be a bit more challenging!!!
Pedal on, Pedal on
Saddle BagLady
-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Huntington ID
90 miles out of Boise in 2.5 days
So heat has been the new issue. Skin-scorching heat. And my position on the trike seems to maximize the impact of the sun. Fuat isn't having the same problem. But I'm in pain. So I pulled out the Pacific Crest Trail GoLite umbrella that I brought along just for this problem. Butbi thought I'd only be using it for rest stops. Hell no! I found I can bike holding it. (just not in the downhills:)). The looks I get are so worth it. And it keeps me much cooler.
Me and Mary Poppins.
Been looking for Oregon Trail ruts through this section. Maybe tomorrow. Sometimes it can seem so romantic to me the thought of traveling west by covered wagon until you read what it was really like. Not an easy journey - no way.
Today I spotted baby owls in a cliff hole nest. So cute. Three in there. Pics are on my camera.
The sprinklers didn't go off just once that other morning. No. They cycled through again and caught us fully exposed and drenched everything! Then when we moved it all to the field nearby to dry out, they came on there too and still managed to get us wet and force us to move our stuff yet a third time. So now we scour an area looking for sprinklers before we set up camp. If it looks lush and green and inviting, we know it's too good to be true. But the scrubby growth is quite prickly for tenting.
One day during this heat we did manage a skinny dip under a bridge in the Snake River. Had to be careful the strong current didnt carry us away. And the water was quite chilly. But it was refreshing. Then dip our shirts in to get them wet and stayed cool for a few more miles. Great trick.
Got a shower yesterday in a state park. I washed my clothes and put them all back on wet. The were dry within 5 miles!
Had our first bike on the Interstate. No other options. 3 miles. Not fun. Suppose to do 18 miles that way today, but Fuat suggested we try and get a hitch. I like that idea better. Guess the road goes through a canyon and is quite dangerous. Wish us luck. Hitching with 2 bikes will be a bit more challenging!!!
Pedal on, Pedal on
Saddle BagLady
-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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