Sandpoint, ID

Thursday August 16th - Winthrop continued....


A few photos of the wildlife in the field next to the camping ground. A coyote and some deer.











Some photos of Winthrop:










After climbing Loup Loup pass I cruised down to Okanagan, a small town with lots of apple, peach, cherry, pear, and nectarine orchards.











The land looks so dry in this area. I had a nice huckleberry icecream at a restaurant called On The Avenue. It seemed like everyone owned a truck in this town!


I continued riding through Omak and an Indian reservation. As the sun was setting I was able to get a nice photo.










I ended up in Riverside camping for free by the boat launch.


Friday August 17th


I had my first tire puncture. At first, I could pump it up and ride a few miles before having to do it again. After the second time it became clear the distance was getting shorter between inflations. So I stopped, fixed the tire, and had lunch under the shade of a tree.












The water filter is becoming very handy and as yet I have not had to buy any bottled water. There are many accessible streams and rivers where I ride.

I stopped in Tonasket at the Okanogan River Coop for a nice cold root beer and some Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia. I used to like this icecream a lot but now after demolishing a pint of the stuff, I feel I don't have to buy any more for a long time!

As I was climbing Wauconda Pass I was getting sick of hearing the rear brake pad making a squealing noise so I disabled the rear brakes. I suspect that the right hand pannier is putting pressure on the brake and making it engage with the rim. I may have to adjust the under seat rack to hold the bag out further.

When I reached Wauconda just after dark there only seemed to be a gas station / diner there and it was closed. So I rode a little further up to the pass and decided to put the tent on a terrace above the road. It was the first time I put up the tent in a place that was visible from the road. I had a peaceful night.

Saturday August 18th

I decided to get up early and have breakfast on the road somewhere as I had to post be in Republic before lunchtime. My friend Jyotsna had mailed some energy bars to me at the Post Office. I departed at 8am, reached Wauconda Pass after riding a few miles, and I arrived in Republic just before 10am. The package was waiting for me!










I stocked up on food supplies at the supermarket then headed on to Sherman Pass. It took 6.5 hours of steady riding to get to the top. I ate some macaroni and bean salad at the top.





















At 7pm I arrived at Camp Growden CCC. This was a camp set up in the depression (1930's) by President Roosevelt for young single people to work on planting trees and creating roads. The young people earned some money and had to send part of their earnings home to their families.
There was a lot of bear fur on the ground so after cooking my meal I put all the food into a bag and hauled it up between 2 trees. No bears disturbed my sleep.


Sunday August 19th


The next day was wet! Although the rain was light, it did not stop all day.


Nice pine trees alongside Columbia River.










I stopped in Kettle Falls to stock up on food and to dry some clothes that got wet. I checked the cell phone and I had a few voice messages and a text message. I called Krishna at the office and I was able to help him with a SQL Server tip.


The route out of Colville was steep and it took me a while to get over the hills. I stopped at Crystal Falls near dusk time. I would have loved to camp there that night but the route down to the water looked too steep. I continued on and found a nice pine forest near a stream. I think it was called Camp Creek. Another peaceful night!


Monday August 20th


The rain had stopped during the evening and the tent just needed a little drying in the sun before departing. I had lunch in Ione, a quiet little town with a nice park on the Pend Oreille river.


The route from Ione to Newport followed a quieter road on the opposite side of the river from route 20. It was relatively flat and I made good time. I rode through Kalispel Indian reservations.


I crossed the river at Usk to get food for the evening meal. The convenience store was close to a wood chip plant. I decided to stay at Skookum Creek campground. I made a wrong turn and ended up at a RV resort. I didn't feel comfortable staying there and there didn't seem to be any tent sites.




I filtered some water at a nearby wetland marsh and found another tent site in a pine tree
forest. I had to use the piece of camoflage material I brought with me to hide the tent from the road. Not long after I put up the tent a car pulled up at a gate near where the tent was located. The driver unlocked the gate, drove in, and locked the gate again. The camouflage worked!


Tuesday August 21st


I knew that the tent would be seen the next morning so I packed up early and departed. I found the Skookum Creek campground and I had breakfast there.

It was my last day in Washington state. My legs were feeling like blocks of lead! I needed to put a lot of my focus on keeping the pedals turning.

The scenery along the Pend Oreille river was stunningly beautiful.


I arrived in Newport, ID at 11:30am. I had to follow route 2 for a mile or two and I couldn't wait to get off it. The shoulders were small and the traffic was busy with many logging trucks. I finally found Old Priest River Rd and it was peaceful riding again.




I met Janice and Gary McFarland who were completing a 4 day credit card touring trip that day. We rode for a few miles together and Gary took a photo for me.



I spotted some Osprey nests on poles alongside the road. When I approached them the birds started squealing. I talked to one and it flew off. The next one I didn't talk to and it stayed on the nest. I reached Sagle at 4:15pm and celebrated by drinking a quart of Nesquick chocolate milk. Mmmm...


From Sable to Sandpoint was along a bike path.


Lots of people were riding, roller blading, or walking on the path. I arrived in Sandpoint around 5pm. The only campground in town was attached to the Best Western motel. I booked 2 nights. The main reason I stayed there is that they have a jacuzzi! I must have spent an hour in there soaking my legs.


After putting up the tent I found out another unexpected feature of camping here. It is adjacent to a very busy railroad! I must have counted a dozen trains that passed during the night. After midnight I was kind of getting used to them.


Wednesday August 22nd


I'm having a day off.


Over the last few days my camp stove has been slowly dismantling itself. The little arms that
support the pot I boil the water in have broken off and where there were 5 arms there are now only 2! I visited 4 stores in Sandpoint today and none stock multi-fuel stoves. The Army Surplus store had a LPG cannister stove but I felt strongly against buying a stove that uses disposable cannisters. So I'm going to dive into a dumpster soon for some empty soda cans and I'll construct some replacement arms until I can find a new stove. One lady in a store said that there are a few stores in Whitefish, MT that sell multi-fuel stoves. So I'll hold off until then. Another possibility is to order the stove from Campmor and get it delivered to a Post Office along the way. That may cost a bit more.


I'm sitting in the lobby of the Best Western motel typing this up. Unfortunately I can't connect to their wifi for some reason. So I'll head off downtown soon to post this to the blog site. I visited the cyber cafe but they were closed when I arrived. I'm now posting this outside Mick Duff's Brewing Company on 1st Ave.

I think I'll use earplugs tonight. I'll still feel the vibrations of the trains passing and I hope they won't wake me up!

I'm not sure where I'll post the next blog. Possibly it will be from Chester, MT on September 2nd after I've been over the Rockies. I'll be sending the laptop on ahead of me. Nope, I'm not going to lug it over Logan Pass with me!

Cheers!

Winthrop, WA

Saturday August 11th continued....

I thought I was going to be able to get a campsite at the Howard Miller Steelhead Park but it was not to be. The 80 cyclists had filled up every available tent site. So I departed just on darkness looking for a suitable tent site. After crossing the Skagit River a mile or so out of town, I turned left into Martin Rd and shortly afterwards I found a suitable site in an abandoned orchard.

I was able to check the cell phone for voice messages.

Sunday August 12th

It took me 2 hours to ride to Marblemount and another 2.45 hours to ride to Newhalem. I bought a few frozen burritos. I microwaved one for lunch and saved the other for breakfast the next morning. I left just after 3pm and 30 minutes later while climbing a steep hill, the rear derailleur cable broke. I was able to shorten the cable guide. I noticed that the inner wheel on the rear derailleur was stiff so I loosened the retaining nut a little. The gears seemed to be working okay again. I passed through two tunnels. The first one had a button the bicyclist pushes to warn motorists there is a bike in the tunnel.

I arrived at Diablo Dam at 5pm. I noticed a few twisted chain links and I straightened them as well as I could with limited tools. I arrived at Diablo at 6pm. Then I started hearing more noises from the rear derailleur. A screw that holds the derailleur away from the rear cassette and the little flange that it screws into had snapped off. I jury rigged a fix using some nylon rope to pull the derailleur out far enough for it not to run on the cassette. The gears seemed to be working again but are now limited to the lower 4 gears on the rear cassette only. This is fine with me as I'm climbing hills most of the way.

Cell phone could not find a network here.

I found an ideal tent site above a gate to the Ross Dam that was closed for the evening. Someone had obviously camped there before.

After dinner I walked up the hill which had a lovely view of the dam site.

I watched the Perseid Meteors for a few hours. I was so tired that while I was laying on the soft mossy bank I would see a meteor or two, doze off, and wake again to see some more meteors.

Monday August 13th

Another day of climbing. A few cyclists heading for Chicago passed me. They seemed to be carrying much less gear than me! I started thinking of all the heavy things I was carrying in my bag. I used the binoculars once to gaze at some stars and besides that I hadn't used them. Then my mind started to get into gear - replace the stainless steel cooking set with a titanium set saving precious pounds! I could see myself at a library on the internet going to the Campmor website! In almost all the bicycle touring newsletters and websites I have frequented over the years, the most efficient and less costly thing I can can do is to lose a few of my own pounds first before thinking of my camping gear! Okay, it was a nice thought about the titanium cookwear!

Later in the day I was stopped by Ken from Arizona who had been with his wife to the San Juan Islands riding their Tour Easys (similar bikes to mine.) Ken said he would look out for me in Winthrop the next day.

I had the best intention of reaching Rainy Pass that evening but as I reached Swamp Creek daylight was fading fast. I found another nice tent site just off the road and I gathered some water from Swamp Creek for my meal. As I was inflating my mattress I watched a few more Perseid Meteors cross the evening sky.

Cell phone could not find a network here.

Tuesday August 14th

Here it is, the day I would get to ride up and over Rainy and Washington Passes. I departed at 11am and reached Rainy Pass just after midday.

I reached Washington Pass just before 2 pm.

The bicyclists I met in Rockport strongly suggested I go to the pass overlook and I'm glad I took their advice. I left there at 2:35pm and I was down in Mazama at 4:19pm.

The 7 miles of 5.5% grade was exhilarating on the way down and it was over far too quickly!

I had a nice icecream and drink at the Mazama Store and departed 20 minutes later. Mazama seems to be popular place for outdoor activities in summer and winter.

I arrived in Winthrop at 5:41pm and quickly discovered where the bike shop was located. They were still open! They had a new Shimano Deore XT rear derailleur in stock ($109). The mechanic mentioned that my bike's dropout was bent and he thought he had a tandem derailleur cable in stock as well. I arranged to drop the bike off at the store the next morning.

I rode out of town to nearby Perrygin State Park and after a nice shower (the first in 7 days!) and most of my clothes washed and hanging to dry, I'm writing up my log next to my tent.

I'm taking Wednesday as my first day off since I started riding from Seattle.

I'm also seriously thinking of sending the laptop computer (almost 6 pounds!) and a few other pieces of camping gear and spare parts onto a Post Office where the land flattens out a bit beyond the rest of the Northern Cascade mountains! Probably Sandpoint in Idaho.

Winthrop is a cute town (population 349) with most shops in the main street of the town having a wild west facade.

Well, its time for me to go pick up the bike and get some food for dinner and breakfast.

Rockport, WA

August 9th continued....

While I was at Port Townsend I tried to contact Bob Bryant, the publisher of Recumbent Cyclist News (RCN) that I subscribe to. Unfortunately the number I found with a google search was his fax number. I was lucky to bump into Chet Rideout, a guy whose stories I have enjoyed reading in RCN over the years.

The ferry trip was 30 minutes and I just had enough time to have lunch before arriving on Whidbey Island.











On Whidbey Island the local deer don't seem to be afraid of bicyclists!









I've been riding past beautiful trees with red bark and large leaves. I found out these are called Pacific Madrone trees.




















The ride through Deception Pass was spectacular and finding a Bald Eagle was the highlight. During my trip up to Port Townsend I was going back and forth about whether I should have taken a shuttle van or bus up to Anacortes. I now have no regrets about deciding to ride up to Anacortes!


Getting close to Anacortes I rode past some sort of refinery. Probably oil.








I arrived in Anacortes around 9pm. I was so hungry I ordered a small 12" mushroom pizza just for me! As I was eating the pizza I watched a Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles baseball match. I still don't understand all the rules and I've been living in the US for 11 years!

After the pizza was demolished, I rode to Washington Park near the San Juan ferry terminal. I put up my tent, paid for the tent site at the vending machine, and had my first shower in a few days!

August 10th

I awoke to some young Christian children having a religious lesson near my tent at 7am. Luckily the lesson didn't last long and I was able to go back to sleep until 10am. It rained during the night and I spent some time drying the tent and eating breakfast.

I departed at 1:30pm to the ferry terminal for the traditional dipping of the bike tires in the Pacific Ocean. The beach next to the ferry terminal was too steep to negotiate with the panniers attached. So off they came and I carried the bike to the shore.



The Northern Tier ride has begun! I had a nice time riding along 2 bike paths and along the Skagit River.

After it got dark I found a nice forest to park my tent for the night (guerilla style.)








August 11th

I awoke to the delightful view of trees towering above me.

I ran out of water the previous evening after dark. As I was riding along I was looking for a nice stream to try out my new Katadyn Hiker water filter. It worked like a charm. The water was sweet!

Over the past few days the wind gods have been very kind to me and given me gentle westerly tail winds.

I crossed over the Skagit River before entering Concrete. You'll never guess how this town got it's name!








Between Concrete and Rockport I had a nice view of a snowy Northern Cascade peak.








I arrived in Rockport at 3:45pm and I found free wifi at the local pub. I've been transferring photos of the trip into the laptop, installing Google Picasa, and creating this blog. It is time consuming!

What an interesting coincidence. I bump into 2 kiwis (I'm one too!) in the pub. It really is a small world! Some cyclists came into the pub. They are part of a group of 80 cyclists crossing the country from east to west. Their destination is Seattle.

Over the next few days I'll be going over some passes in the Northern Cascades. I hope to post some photos in the next few days.

Cheers!

Port Townsend

August 5th

I arrived in Seattle at 10:45pm (2:45am Eastern Standard Time) with just my carry-on backpack. Because I checked in just before my flight was about to board, my bike boxes did not accompany me on the flight. I was told that the boxes would arrive at the airport the next day.
Nala met me at the airport and soon afterwards I was asleep in a bed in west Seattle.

August 6th

I retrieved the bike boxes from JetBlue today and had another chill out day. Nala took me to the fish ladder at the locks and we watched my spiritual cinema circle DVD.

August 7th

The day was overcast and rainy. I assembled my bike, packed the panniers, made enough herb capsules for 2 weeks and I departed around 1pm. I went back to the locks, took photos then followed the bike path above the lock and arrived at 6pm to catch the Bainbridge Island ferry. I picked up some supplies at a supermarket and 76 convenience store. Arrived at Fay-Bainbridge State Park at 9pm.

August 8th

I spent some time this morning drying out the tent after a rainy night. Departed at 11am. arrived in Port Townsend at 8:44pm.

I stayed near Fort Worden State Park last night guerilla camping in some trees.

August 9th

I ate breakfast down by the shore at the RV park. I talked with Patty, a local resident. Then Tom, a guy riding with some over 50's, gave me his Whidbey Island map. Then Jim offered for me to use his outside toilet at the B&B he runs. Some very nice people! I helped an elderly lady connect her sewer hose to her RV. With any luck I'll catch the Whidby Island ferry today and be in Anacortes by tonight.

Why do this ride?

Hello Everyone

I showed the initial post to some friends and they suggested I post a photo of myself and give you my intention. I'll first show you a photo of my bike when I was touring in Iceland from June 8th to July 2nd, 2005. The bike is an Easy Racers Tour Easy which I bought in August, 2001.


It is still stable, responsive, and comfortable for long days in the saddle as it was back then. The only thing I'd love to have is a set of S&S couplers installed so I could at least break the bike down into half of its length. I'd possibly then not get charged the oversize bag size when flying somewhere with the bike.

I had a pedal car and rode a tricycle when I was a youngster then a 3-speed bicycle when I went to school in Christchurch, New Zealand. I'd love to own a velomobile (if I could afford one!)



For a number of years in my early thirties I commuted to work on a Healing 12-speed bike.

In 1991 I discovered my spiritual path and in 1994 I came to live in upstate NY in the foothills of the Catskill mountains to do voluntary work for my spiritual organization. I was back in a rural setting and there were plenty of quiet roads on which to go bicycling.


I bought an old Univega 10-speed and later found an old Trek 400 12-speed that I repaired. And during my rides I was again experiencing the feeling of freedom and traveling slow enough to pay attention to what was going on around me in nature and feeling connected to my environment.

During a week of bicycling with a friend in Vermont in the late 1990's we stopped at an outdoors store for some camping supplies. The store happened to be displaying a BikeE recumbent bicycle (no longer in production :( ) - so I rode it inside the store and I immediately found that I liked riding in this position.


In the late 1990's I bought a 1979 Trek 520 touring bike on the internet and I enjoyed several years of bicycling bliss touring from Wilmington, NC to South Fallsburg, NY, Auckland to Invercargill (New Zealand), the Big Island of Hawaii, climbing Haleakala on Maui, the island of Oahu, and in the Catskills, NY. There were a few nagging complaints I had on a conventional touring bike. My butt, shoulders, and my neck hurt a lot after 50 miles in the saddle.

After I purchased the recumbent bike in 2000 the pain went away! I've toured on the recumbent from Buffalo to South Fallsburg, NY along the Erie Canal and the Ring Road around Iceland.


My intention for the ride


Ride for 3 months in nature, live simply, contemplate my life up until now, and get clear about what I want to do in the foreseeable future. Right now I have many conflicting ideas floating around in my head. I get very tired with the computer work I do and so getting away from all that for 3 months will give me the opportunity to see everything in the "big picture". Being detached from it all will allow me to start to make some life decisions.


Thanks for taking the time to read this. My next instalment will be either from Seattle or Anacortes, WA in a few days time.