Day 9 - ...that leads to your door.

Patty:
After eating a typical camp morning breakfast of cereal and milk, we started to break down camp. I realized that we had become quite efficient at rolling up bags, pads, and tents, putting things in their proper places, stowing our clothes in either backpacks or the ever-growing laundry bag, and making sure that all of the assorted other things were in the car. On a typical morning we would do all of the above mentioned things as well as check tire pressure, refill water bottles and hydration packs, restock underseat packs with protein or snacks bars, and make sure sunscreen was applied appropriately. It generally took us less than an hour to accomplish or morning ritual. Today was the last time.

Tim and I were headed to Beaverton once again to drop off all of our gear. We planned on meeting Kevin and Gavin somewhere around Newberg for some photo-ops.

Kevin:
The weather was great again today. I must say that the weather on this trip has been outstandingly and consistently beautiful, cool (but not cold), mostly sunny, and no rain.

The road surface was inconsistent today. There was almost always a shoulder to ride on (or a bike lane in Newberg and Sherwood) but in some places riding on the shoulder was so rough I had to stand on the pedals to absorb the shocks.

Still, it was a good ride, and knowing that it was going to be short and that at the end we would be in a real house made it better. In Newberg we stopped briefly at a bike shop intending to purchase a couple of new tubes for spares, but it was too early and the bike shop had not opened yet. We kept on riding.

There was one big hill going into Sherwood, but we geared down and took it slowly, as is our custom (or at least mine; I suspect Gavin alone might take hills more aggressively than his asthmatic father).

The ride felt good and was going very well but shortly into Sherwood, with about five miles left in the ride, I heard a "pop!" and suddenly the road felt REALLY rough. I stopped quickly, because I knew that meant a flat tire. Sure enough, the back tire had picked up a heavy-duty staple from the road, and the tire was totally flat. I called Patty and found out that she had finished dropping our camping stuff at Rick and Linda's house and had driven back to Newberg to find us. It was then 9:55 am and the bike store opened at 10. We decided that we could wait; she would buy two new tubes and return to where we were.

And now for a word about tires. When I got the bike a couple of years ago, I asked for tires with the best flat resistance available. They gave me Specialized Armadillo tires. I still get flats...two in the last three days. Not only that, but the Armadillos are rather slow, and make for a rougher ride. I think it's time for new tires.

Patty:
Tim and I watched the opposite side of the road for Gavin and Kevin as we headed toward Newberg, but we did not see them. There was one stretch of highway where the lanes are split by a forested area. Apparently that was when we passed the guys. We were just pulling into Newberg when Kevin called with news of a flat (the third in three days). So I stopped at the Newberg Bike Shoppe for the needed tube, and while there found a pair of the kind of bike shorts that Kevin likes. We quickly headed up to Sherwood so that the ride could continue and then Tim and I headed to the final destination: Friendly Road in Beaverton.

Kevin:
Once the tube had been changed, there were only about five miles remaining. We were generally climbing but going through rolling hills. Then I saw the end of the road, with Patty and Timothy standing at our "finish line" and suddenly I realized that the ride, and the entire trip, were over.
I will admit that I was getting a little tired of being on the road and constantly setting up camp and taking it down again. (I must say that Patty did a huge share of this, as well as planning, making reservations, organizing meals, and packing more into the jeep than I thought it could hold. Thanks, Patty!) But I have enjoyed most of the riding and it will seem odd to get up tomorrow and not ride. Gavin and I rode about 370 miles, quite enough for us for now.

Well, I guess it is about time to say farewell to the trip, the blog, and anyone who has been reading it. I hope all of you can do something this fun sometime!

Patty:
It was so great when Gavin and Kevin rolled to the end, and I was very proud of their perseverance and amazing endurance. We had a great time and it was well worth all of the effort. Who knows what we'll be up to next?Ride Stats
Distance today: 21.9
Distance trip: 369.5
Max Speed: 29.5
Av Speed: 13.3
Time: 1:38

Day 8 - The Long and Winding Road...

Patty:
Our Campground in Corvallis was nice; unfortunately the same can't be said for a couple of the campers. A couple that was camping near us began arguing. The guys managed to fall asleep before it got really loud, but I was doing laundry late and I heard them until they stopped around 1:00 am (long after the laundry was done). Around 3 am I was awakened by the sound of a car door closing. Thinking it was the Jeep's door, I looked out the window of the tent and saw a guy trying to get a tent set up with one hand. The other was holding a bottle. He cursed and swore for probably 30 minutes before he finally managed to get his tent up and get into it. So much for sleep.

We woke around 6 am and started getting things put away. We went to Shari's for breakfast and then the guys took off. I headed to Beaverton to pick up Tim who came as my sag buddy for the last leg of the trip.Kevin:
The road and weather were nice, but there was a little bit of headwind. Also, I was having difficulty really settling into the ride. Whatever the reason, we were going slower than usual and I didn't feel up to going much faster.

But the miles went by, which was good because after Monmouth there weren't real towns or good places for a break until we got to Amity.Patty:
I picked up Tim and we headed back to meet up with Kevin and Gavin. We met in Amity and had a great lunch at the Pizzeria and Deli there. After lunch, Tim and I met up with the guys again in McMinnville for ice cream at Alf's. If you are ever in McMinnville you have to go there. Great ice cream made right there, as well as a real monkey named Elvis. Once we had eaten all the ice cream and watched the monkey long enough, Tim and I took a small detour to drop off a form at Linfield College, soon to be home for Sierra. While there we peaked in at the cool pipe organ too.Kevin:
At Alf's I had a very nice hot fudge sundae made with Chocolate Chip Mint ice cream. And when I got back on my bike, I finally felt normal riding again. I suppose I could have stopped and gotten some ice cream back in Monmouth, but who knew? The last part of the ride was pleasant, but short.

Come to think of it, we had had such a large and late lunch in Corvallis yesterday that we didn't have a real supper. That may have been a mistake that even a good breakfast couldn't fix right away.

On the way through McMinnville, Gavin got a flat tire. We got it changed quickly enough, but the tube wasn't worth patching. We now have no spare tubes left.

Patty:
We found our campsite in Lafayette and are all set for the night. Gavin is very happy to have his cousin, Tim, as a tent mate.

Ride Stats:
Distance today: 56.0
Distance trip: 347.6
Max Speed: 32.6
Av Speed: 12.5
Time: 4:29

Day 7 - Nice One

Kevin:
There's nothing like a good big breakfast to start a day of cycling. We
found an IHOP in the Yellow Pages and went there...but it wasn't an IHOP anymore. It had changed to Todd's Place. But it was open for breakfast so we went there anyway. The food was great! I had two eggs, two sausages, some hash browns, and two big blueberry pancakes. This made me a little full to start with, but it lasted me past noon, with no need
for snacks.

Back at our motel room, I did what I should do every morning: I checked
the pressure in my bike's tires. What do you know? The front tire was down to 60 psi again! (See Day 6 - The Neverending Story.) So I took off the tire and pulled out the tube. There was no obvious leak, and I didn't have time to throw the tube in the sink to find a leak. Before I put the spare tube in, I ran my finger around the inside of the tire. As you will see, this turns out to be a good habit. I had almost gone all the way around the tire when I felt something. I turned that part of the tire inside out and could see a tiny piece of wire, probably from some bit of steel-belted radial left along the side of the road. It came out easily when I pulled. It was only about an eighth of an inch long. Sometimes the little things can be critical: it was infuriating to think how much difference this tiny piece of metal had made to my ride the day
before.

With the offending wire gone and a new tube in place inflated to 120 psi, it was time to get on the road...and we did...at about 10:30. It was another day of good road, cool and cloudy, and rather uneventful. We got into Corvallis by about 1:00, found our way through the city with a little help from Patty, and got to the campsite at about 1:30. Gavin had some pain in his knee when he got into Corvallis, but after taking ashort break we went on, and he did fine.

Patty:
Well after a ratherlong day yesterday, today was quite nice. We all slept in (think 6:30 instead of 4:55), and got moving at an easy pace. I once again loaded the car, and tried headed north. The Willamette Valley was at its finest, gorgeous colors and beautiful landscapes. I passed the guys about 15 miles out. I continued on toward Corvallis, and at about noon Kevin sent me a text saying that they were at 20 miles and continuing on.

I got through Corvallis without much difficulty, I left Kevin a couple of voicemails clarifying som directions. I got to the campgrounds located at the Benton County Fairgrounds, but couldn't find anyone to check in with. By the time that Gavin and Kevin arrived I had everything arranged. We set up camp and then headed into town to get some lunch and quarters for laundry. Gavin also wanted to got to the Comic Book shop that we had googled on the internet the night before. We were ableto accomplish everything easily. We came back to camp and the guys got showers and then we attended an evening service at Grant Ave Baptist Church, the church that Kevin attended during his time at Oregon State. There were actually some people that still remembered him 30 years later.I am now sitting in the laundry room finishing up the last of the clothes...more tomorrow.

Seven days down and two to go!!

Ride Stats
Distance today: 37.1
Distance trip: 291.6
Max Speed: 20.3
Av Speed: 12.8
Time: 2:53

Day 6 - The Neverending Story

Patty:
We awoke around 5:30 am to a very cold morning. The water in the bottles wasn't frozen, but it was probably only slightly warmer. We lit a fire in the fire pit and huddled around it to stay warm. After a breakfast of cereal, fruit and yogurt, they guys got dressed for the ride. As we began to break camp it began to rain. I wasn't raining hard, but at less than 40 degrees, it was no fun. Thankfully, it was also only a five minute shower. We took down the tents and loaded and the sleeping bags them into the back of the jeep. I ran the guys up the two mile camp road back to Hwy 58, and then wet back down to load up the rest of the gear.

Kevin:
This was supposed to have been the fun day. We began on Highway 58 at the turnoff to the campground, and it turned out that we were already at the Willamette Pass summit. From there to Eugene there were no major climbs, just a 4600 foot drop spread out over 30 or 40 miles. Because of this we had planned to cover about 85 miles today, possibly the longest ride I had ever done. We got on the road at 8:10 and it was quite cold. We had expected this (at 5000 ft elevation) so we were wearing several layers. This was undoubtedly a good idea, because I think it might have been a bit dangerous to coast at 30 mph in these temperatures otherwise.

Within a few miles there was a tunnel. We had to push a button that set lights flashing on traffic signs informing cars that there were "bikes in tunnel."















But soon I noticed that the ride wasn't as easy as I was expecting. When the road would flatten out for a time I was working moderately hard to sustain 13-14 mph, a disappointing state of affairs after the relatively easy 15-16 mph on the level parts of the ride into Chemult on day 4. But we kept on going (what else do you do?) and made it into Oakridge by 9:30. We had a second breakfast there, because the first one had been small and we were starting to need a little something.

Patty:
I left Odell Lake and headed to the rest area at Oakridge (our planned meeting place). I noticed that my phone wasn't charging using the car charger, in fact, it died completely just before I reached Oakridge. I didn't see the guys on the way down the hill, so I was hoping that they would be at our planned destination. I had no way of communicating with them at this point.

I rolled into the rest area and found it empty. I wasn't sure what to do, so I just continued on slowly, keeping watch for the guys. I found the within about a half a mile at a parking lot along the road. I borrowed Gavin's phone for the rest of the day.

Kevin:
There was a bike shop in Oakridge that was surprisingly well-stocked. We went in there to get a spoke wrench because I thought that one of my wheels was slightly out of true. We ended up chatting with the two guys working there for a little while. We showed them the "Crazy Guy On A Bike" website and they may use it to journal the bike tour in Europe that they are planning.

The scenery was fabulous as we followed the middle fork of the Willamette River down the mountain through the forest. But the ride was definitely not living up to my expectations as an easy ride. My bike felt as if it were less efficient than usual, but I couldn't tell why. It felt as if there were an intangible headwind. I was getting tired.

While in Oakridge we planned to stop at Elijah Bristow state park. This park was 25 miles from Oakridge and that should have been a reasonable distance. As I was coming to expect, it took longer than usual and I was ready for a break. It turned out that Elijah Bristow state park is primarily an equestrian park, so we had lunch next to a large group sponsoring a charity event ride. In hindsight, a better option would have been Dexter State Park a few miles back.

Patty:
I met up with the Gavin and Kevin at a vista point along Lookout Point Lake. We chatted a little while and then they road on. We met at Elijah Bristow and had some lunch. The guys seemed a little tired, though neither really said much about that.

Kevin:
After lunch I put my bike on the rack on the Jeep and checked the spin of the wheels. There were a few very minor wobbles, but nothing unusual or even worth truing at this point. Then Gavin suggested that we check the pressure in the tires. Both of his tires and my back tire were holding fine at 120 psi, but my front tire was only 60. That may have been the reason for the tiring ride. I pumped the front tire up to 120 and we set off again. It seemed more like normal now, but I was already tired and we had used up almost all of the elevation drop already. Now we had another 30 miles of flat riding to go.

We came into the Eugene area at about 2 pm. According to plan, we got onto 30th avenue to bypass the freeway and some of the busy parts of town. It turned out that 30th avenue was a killer hill, especially in our current condition.

Then we wound our way through the city. We had driving directions that we had worked out with a combination of a Eugene biking map and Google. They were good, mostly, but without a map in a city like that, if you get a street that changes name or miss a turn or otherwise deviate from the plan, you are forced to either backtrack or wander until you can find your way again.

Patty:
I drove into Eugene and circled around the city (one wrong turn can mean several more turns to get back to where the mistake was made), and made my way to Highway 99. I knew that the guys would be riding on this road for three miles, and then turning west for another eight. There was a very steady north wind on 99, and I knew the guys were quite tired. I was also pretty worn out from sleeping on the ground and packing and repacking the car. The thought of setting up camp and spending another night on the ground was looking very unattractive. I called Kevin and told him about the winds, and strongly suggested getting a motel right in Eugene for the night. I had a hard time getting my bearings while driving around Eugene (unusual for me), and I found myself in a rather cantankerous mood.

Kevin
And now there was another issue: the jeep was stuffed so full of our camping and traveling gear that there was hardly room for three people as well. Some other cyclists in a park gave us some directions and we tried to follow those directions, two bikes and a car trying to negotiate the city streets together, but it wasn't working well. So we stopped and pushed stuff around in the jeep until we were all able to sit, more or less, and the bikes went on the rack. That was the end of the ride for the day.

Patty:
After I picked up the guys, we drove around for a little while until we found a nice little motel on 6th Avenue (Hwy 99) in Eugene. We went to see "Get Smart" after dinner, and we all slept quite well.

The route to Corvallis is mostly north and there is a north wind blowing, so this next 30+ miles may be a grind. I'm sure it will still feel pretty short after the last one.

Kevin:
I will definitely check tire pressure before we ride to Corvallis.

Ride Stats
Distance today: 75.4
Distance trip: 254.5
Max Speed: 36.7
Av Speed: 14.4
Time: 5:11

Day 5 -The Last Big Climb

Kevin:
We started (before the ride) today with breakfast at the Big Mountain Cafe in Chemult. Between us we tried eggs over easy, sausage, scrambled eggs with minced ham, french toast, hash browns, regular toast, and a pancake. The food and service were excellent--definitely the place to go for breakfast in Chemult. I ate so much (I had the pancake, hash browns, and scrambled eggs and ham, and no, they weren't green eggs and ham) that I wasn't sure I wanted to get on my bike and ride. But that's what we did, getting on the road by 8:20.

We started with an easy downhill ride to the junction of highway 97 and highway 58 (4600 ft elevation), then went up and down, but more up than down, ending at 5000 ft. Once again, beautiful weather but not too hot. The big breakfast kept me going until lunchtime, and might have gone longer--I didn't eat anything between breakfast and lunch. Then lunch got me filled up again and it was no problem to keep going until the end.
Patty:
We all had a good night's sleep and were in much better moods this morning. After the guys rolled out, I had a few errands to do. I needed to get food for our camping meals, pick up some ice to replenish the ice chest, and get some gas ($4.19/ gallon). I had planned to meet up with Gavin and Kevin at the ten mile mark, but I got a text from Kevin that they were already at the meeting place and wanted to push on. He suggested the 15 mile mark for our next meeting. I was just about to the 15 mile mark when Kevin called and said to keep going. We met in Crescent Lake Junction and had lunch. The final leg into Shelter Cove Campground at Odell Lake was about seven more miles.

When we got to our campsite we were surprised to see snow. The site was cleared, but there was about three feet of snow all around us. We set up camp and settled in and Gavin and Kevin played in the lake and then in the snow. Check out those biker tans!





We are now sitting outside of the camp store using their electricity and wi-fi to update this blog.

Tomorrow it's off Eugene.

Ride Stats
Distance today: 34.6
Distance trip: 179.1
Max Speed: 36.7
Av Speed: 13.4
Time: 2:35

Day 4 - Straight and Level

Kevin:
It isn't easy to sleep late when you're camping. We got up, built a fire, cooked and ate breakfast, changed clothes, broke camp, and hit the road by 8:20 am. It was cold riding at first. The temperature was probably in the low fifties. But after riding up a long hill and then riding mostly in the sun, we didn't notice it much.
Aside from that, I would describe the ride as follows: sunny but cool, good pavement, straight and level road, and no surprises. Well, no, there was one surprise. When we had driven this way a few months ago scouting for the trip, I had noted a gas station/mini mart 16 miles north of Collier State Park. We had planned on making this a rest stop. Surprise! it was closed. There were no other restrooms for about 14 more miles. Yeah, well, whatever.

Patty:
After the guys left this morning, I packed up the car (yes, I do that a lot) and headed north. The scenery was pretty bland with only a few exceptions. I passed Gavin and Kevin and headed to the Mini Mart at the 16 mile mark. Finding it no longer operating, I parked and waited to share the bad news. We decided to meet about 10 miles further up the road. I got to read for little while when Gavin and Kevin pulled up. We met a third time for lunch at a rest area and then proceeded to Chemult. We are now "camped" in a motel. (Ask us sometime about the shower in the motel.)

If you ask Gavin he will tell you that today was boring. It was flat with little change in the scenery. Hopefully tomorrow will bring some change.
Ride Stats
Distance today: 40.7
Distance trip: 144.5
Max Speed: 20.3
Av Speed: 13.3
Time: 3:02

Day 3 - Another nice ride

We re posting this entry late because we had no internet connection yesterday.

Patty:
Yesterday evening we found ourselves in a dust storm. Apparently, a local farmer decided to plow his dry field in 15 mph winds and, unfortunately for us, our campground was in direct line of the dust. The sky darkened and EVERYTHING got covered in a fine layer of dust. When we went to bed, Gavin found that he was having trouble breathing. After some time deep in the night,.we finally had sleep in the front passenger seat of the Jeep to keep him in an inclined position. He slept fairly well for the rest of the night, but we he woke up he wasn’t sure whether he could ride or not. After breakfast, even though he was still congested, he felt well enough to try. He made it through the whole ride.

Kevin:
Today we got on the road at about 8:40 am and had another day of great riding weather and good roads. We picked up some altitude today, starting at 4200 and ending at 4600. We took a long break at Hagelstein Park so that Patty could get some Robitussin for Gavin. We got to Collier State Park around noon. Collier State Park makes a great destination with its lovely campsites and amenities, trails, creek, river, and logging museum.

Patty:
I arrived at Collier, picked out our campsite, and got things set up. Gavin and Kevin arrived about 20 minutes later. We have had a beautiful sunny day to explore. We had a great time playing with the very friendly chipmunks. Gavin had names for several of them: Theodore, Alvin, Chip, Dale, and Pip. As you can see from the pictures, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves

Ride Stats
Distance today: 28.14
Distance trip: 103.8
Max Speed: 27.7
Av Speed: 13.1
Time: 2:08

Until next time…

Day 2 - Piece of Cake

Patty:
Everybody was up early this morning, so we had things ready to go by 7:30 and Gavin and Kevin hit the road at 7:40. I repacked the car after they left and started out about 8:15.

Kevin:
Today's ride was short and very nice. There were a couple of short climbs, but the road was great and the weather was cool and clear. There was a short 7% down grade (high gear and pedal as fast as you can), and even on the flat parts it seemed easy enough to maintain 15 mph or better. It took only 50 minutes to get to the Midland rest area, and then only another 60 minutes to get to our campsite in Klamath Falls.

Patty:
I got to the RV park earlier than the guys, but it was only 9:30, so I went across the street to get gas.($4.27 per gallon! Who'd of thought I'd be happy to pay that?) I had just finished getting gas and noticed Gavin and Kevin coming down the road. We checked in and set up the tents.

After everything was set up we went into town to pick up some things we needed. I am now sitting in the Rec Room at the RV park updating the blog while the laundry gets done. Kevin and Gavin played a game of pool, and now Gavin is off to the convenience store to get a snack.

Ride Stats:
Distance (today) 24.4 mi
Distance (trip) 75.7 mi
Riding time 1 hr 48 min
Average Speed 13.5 mph
Maximum Speed 44.1 mph (courtesy of the 7% downgrade!)

As soon as the laundry is done we're off to have some dinner.

Day 1

The day began around 6:00 am with last minute stuff. The last of the packing, topping off the air in the tires, and consuming breakfast were all accomplished by 8:00.

Kevin:
Departure was at 8:15. We had a beautiful sunny morning with a slight tailwind. As we passed Carrick we were encouraged by Kyle, Samuel, and Christopher who got out of bed early and came outside just for that.

It was mostly good road with nice wide shoulders. Traffic was light in the morning, and we had no trouble making the Grass Lake Rest Area by 11:00.

Patty:
After frantically trying to pick up a prescription without success, I finished packing the car and headed out at 10:30. I caught up with Gavin and Kevin just as they were reaching Grass Lake.

Kevin:
We lunched together with Patty, enjoying the beautiful surroundings and a hungry starling's company. After lunch we continued the trek towards Dorris. Soon we enjoyed a 3 mile downhill 6% grade. After that it was mostly flat. At 1:40 we met up with Patty at the Shell station in Macdoel.

The road was flat the rest of the way into Dorris, but a headwind came up. Still, it was a good first day ride. For the rest of this trip, there won't be another day that has so much climb (from 3500 in Weed to 5200 at the Mt. Hebron summit).

Patty:
I arrived in Dorris (real pop. 850) a little ahead of Kevin and Gavin, so I took a few minutes (literally) checking out the town. As soon as the guys got here we checked into our motel. We are now off to dinner.

Ride stats:
Distance (today) 51.3 mi
Distance (trip) 51.3 mi
Riding time 4 hr 42 min
Average Speed 10.8 mph
Maximum Speed 33.6 mph

Tomorrow will be an easy day. The goal: Klamath Falls 23.7 mi.

Until later, Patty, Kevin, and Gavin

Almost Ready to Go

It has been a very busy day. We started with an outdoor church service in Dunsmuir, had lunch in Mt. Shasta, we remembered Father's Day (Happy Day to all you fathers), and we celebrated Sierra's 18th birthday.

The good news (besides Sierra's birthday) is that Kevin has recovered enough to try to ride the first leg of the trip tomorrow. He and Gavin will start out fairly early and I will follow a bit later. By that time, Kevin will have a better idea about how far he thinks he can ride. The goal for the day is Dorris - -49.7 miles.

Thanks to all of you who prayed for Kevin. Keep it up, after tomorrow there are still 326.3 miles to go.

Here is a brief itinerary:

Day 1 - Weed to Dorris
Day 2 - Dorris to Klamath Falls
Day 3 - K Falls to Collier State Park
Day 4 - Collier to Chemult
Day 5 - Chemult to Odell Lake
Day 6 - Odell Lake to Eugene
Day 7 - Eugene to Corvallis
Day 8 - Corvallis to Lafayette
Day 9 - Lafayette to Beaverton

Check back tomorrow for details of Day 1.

Patty

Two Days Out

Well, here we are two days from the beginning of our adventure. These next days will be filled with organizing and packing the gear into the car. Kevin caught the cold that has gone through the family, so he is hoping to be well enough to ride on the first day. We may need to amend Day 1 if he isn't up to a 50 mile ride. Hopefully, the guys will be leaving the house Monday morning around 8 under beautiful sunny skies.

Check back later for more details.