Ride Across America Day Four

Just a quick update to let everyone know we are OK. I could not find the library so I am actually outside a Motel 8. LOL You have to love wireless connections. But I am on battery so I have to be quick. And Jim has the camera so the awesome pictures will have to follow at another time.

Yesterday was an awesome day. The drive was through some of the most beautiful territory I have seen yet. We passed 5 different waterfalls. And at some points there were lookouts where you could see the Columbia River just winding it's way through the mountains.

Then at other times you were in the woods with trees all around and driving like you were actually in the middle of a forest. Beau and I stopped at all the waterfalls and went for walks. He actually made it to see one of the falls. After that he was more interested in sniffing the bushes than actually walking around. He is not much for sight seeing. Definitely ruled by his nose. So for some of the stops he got a walk and then went to sleep in the van while I checked out the falls.

Our campsite last night was nestled in the trees and was near the river. It seemed very nice until the first train came through. Unfortunately there is a railroad track that runs right through the park. There was no where that you could escape the train horn. I heard it once when I was going to sleep but after that either I was too tired or no more trains came through. Everyone said they had a good night's sleep.

The guys had a couple of hills yesterday and one big one at the end of the ride. But they all made it and are back out riding again today. Beau and I did laundry and are going to get groceries. Then it's on to the next campground. The weather has been awesome. It's sunny but cool. And there hasn't been any significant rain lately either. So all is well on the trail. Pictures of the awesome falls and mountains to follow.

Ride Across America Day Three

Yesterday we spent the night in the City Park at St. Helens. It was a nice park and very busy. Lots of families, kids and dogs. Beau had a great time checking out all the dogs.

The camping sites were in a nice wooded area of the park. There was also a nice one mile jogging/walking path so I was able to get a nice quiet walk in. I tried to get Beau to go with me but he wanted no part of it. So he stayed at the campsite with the guys and I walked on my own.

On the third day the goal for the guys was to ride from St. Helen's to Corbet and we were going to stay in a campground that was listed on the map as a place for cyclists to stay. I had a mission to find a Wal Mart in Portland on the way there to get my prescriptions refilled. Then I was off to check out the campground. We were unable to reach any one by phone the night before to confirm that they had sites available.

So I started my journey from St. Helens to Portland to find the Wal Mart that was on my GPS. Everything was going well until I saw the highest longest bridge off in the distance. I kept telling myself that there was no way that I could possibly have to go over that bridge. Until I heard the GPS navigator say merge left and exit to route 30 by pass. On No Mr. Bill. I was going over the bridge. I said a few quick prayers and told Beau not to look out the window and over we went. When I say I was hyperventilating I am not exaggerating at all. But we made it.

The next big adventure was when the navigator said you have reached your destination and there wasn't a Wal Mart in sight. But there was a gas station up ahead so I quickly pulled in and inquired where this mysterious Wal Mart was. It was 4 miles up the road. I knew it would be pretty hard to miss a Wal Mart. So much for the GPS navigator. But we found it in a jiffy. I got my prescriptions and more food for Beau. I decided to call the campground and just verify that they had sites. And much to my surprise they told me they no longer have camping at their park. This was not good.

I quickly called the guys and we went to plan B. I was to stay at the Wal Mart until they got there and then we would look at the map and make another plan. Well, their route didn't take them by the Wal Mart so now I had to find them. Luckily they were only a half a mile a way and it was not long until we were all together. The problem was finding a place to camp.

The end of the story is there was no place to camp that was in biking distance or at least not in a distance that was reasonable to do after already biking 50 miles. We did find a hostel in Troutdale that the guys could stay at and Beau and I had to rough it at a Motel 6. The Hostel does not allow animals. It is dorm style and the guys are sleeping in bunk beds. And all the bottom bunks were taken so they are on the top. I hope no one forgets in the middle of the night.

The pictures here are from the garden at the hostel. We did join them there for dinner and beverages. It is very beautiful and looks like a fun place to stay. I hope tomorrow is a little less adventurous even though it all did turn out well in the end.

Ride Across America - Day One

So the big day, June 21st, 2009, has finally arrived. They are leaving to start their ride from Seaside, Oregon to Bangor, Maine. The plan is to ride an average of 50 miles per day and camp along the way. The miles will vary depending on the locations of available camping spots. There will also be one rest day per week.

Here are the brave cyclists, from left to right, Tom, Bob, Jim and John, at the starting point in Seaside. The plan for today was to ride to a primitive campground 4o miles from the starting point.

My job is to ride to the stopping point and scope out the area. Also, I will pick up any provisions along the way that may be needed at the campsite for that night. The campground they planned on staying at Gnat Creek Park only has 3 campsites. And it is first come first get. Plus it is on an honor system. You have to get the little envelope out of the drop box, fill out the pertinent information, put $5 in the envelope and then put the envelope in the drop box. There is a stub you put in your windshield. When I did my check there was a tent on one campsite and the other two were vacant. So as not to miss out on having a place to stay I filled out the envelope and deposited my $5. Then I put a small soft sided cooler we had and Beau's bed on the picnic table at the site so if any one came along they would know it was taken. Then I was off to meet the guys at the half way point to have lunch and discuss what to do for dinner that evening.


We met at a Supermarket in Astoria. They had a nice deli so we had soup and sandwiches for lunch. Then the guys continued on and I went shopping for food for dinner. I bought deli chicken, potato salad, 3 bean salad and some snacks. Plus beer and water to drink of course. Then I made my way back to the campground.

I passed the guys on the way. They seemed to be doing great and making good time. I got back to the campground and much to my dismay someone had actually stolen my cooler. The cooler was no big deal. But I had all my vitamins inside it. And my iced tea mix and Jim's instant coffee. And my champagne glasses from our hot air balloon ride were in there too. How rude. I always thought campers were considerate of others and didn't mess with your things. I was very disappointed. I think it was someone just passing through as we found out there was a lot of traffic that went in and out of that little park.

It wasn't too long before the guys showed up. They all looked good and said they had a nice ride. There was one hill but none of them thought it was too bad. We had a nice evening and settled in for the night.

Today they are riding 51 miles to St. Helens, Oregon. There is a city park that allows tent camping. It is only $10. And there are real bathrooms with real toilets and showers. Still no electric but showers and toilets are a big improvement. The local library is right next to the park so I am updating blog while waiting for the guys to arrive. Beau is sleeping in the van. It is still very cool here so he is OK in the van. I took him for a long walk in the park prior to coming to the library.

Not sure what the plan is for tonight. More to come when next Internet op presents itself.

Oregon Coast Drive

Yesterday we drove almost the entire coastline of Oregon. It is as beautiful as the coastline drive in California.

We started in Reedsport and drove all the way to Seaside, which is where Jim will start his Ride Across America with his friends tomorrow.

When we first started our drive we were right in the middle of the sand dunes. The first picture is of the dunes but you really can not appreciate the size or magnitude of them from this picture. The weather was not the best so we really could not get a good shot. You can see all the big rain clouds in the picture. When we started the drive it was sprinkling but that soon turned to actual rain. So some of the drive was not the best for picture taking but spectacular to see none the less.

The little specs you see on the rock are sea lions and seals. At one of the look out points where you could stop and take pictures there were rocks with sea lions and seals on them. A few were even swimming in the water. It is amazing how big they were and how steep the rocks were. It made me wonder how they managed to get up on the rocks in the first place. Some of them were huge.

Besides seeing all the coastline we also drove through some cute little seaside towns and drove over some amazing bridges. It was a very scenic and enjoyable drive.

We are in Seaside, Oregon. It is a quaint seaside town. It reminds me of Hollywood Beach in Florida with all the little shops and the boardwalk. Only there are no mountains in Hollywood. And the sun is out a lot more!

Jenny Lake Hike

When Jim was at the visitors' center for Jenny Lake, a young girl there told him about the hike around the lake. She said the views were spectacular, there was a beautiful waterfall and that the hike was relatively easy. She had 2 of the three correct at least.

So we started out on our adventure. And the beginning of the hike was relatively easy and the views were without a doubt spectacular. I only have a couple here but more are on my facebook page. Most of the path was rocky as shown here. So while it wasn't too bad of a hike it was slow going.

Jim also told me that the hike to the Falls was only 2 miles. And remember the relatively easy part too. Some of the time when you were walking right along the lake edge only high up in the hills it was gorgeous. The day was nice too. It was partly cloudy so it wasn't real hot. And we only got sprinkled on a couple of times, but no real rain to speak of. Which was an improvement since it had rained every day we were there so far.

Now we are starting to come to the part of the hike where you are approaching Cascade Falls. Now the relatively easy part goes right out the window. We were going up and up and up some more. Some parts were just the rock path and some parts were like steps. But they all went up and sometimes straight up. It was not easy by any stretch of the imagination. The loud sound of rushing water was all that kept me going as I knew the falls had to be near. And I didn't want to walk all that way and not see them. And remember I mentioned Jim said it was 2 miles to the Falls.

Well when we got up there and I read the sign it was 2.7 miles. That's close enough to 3 for me to say it's a 3 mile hike. At least the hike back was better. Going down is much easier. And it was a beautiful waterfall. I have to admit it was worth the effort. And I did need the exercise. So I am happy that we did this hike. But relatively easy it was not.

Snake River Float

We did a raft float down the Snake River. It was very beautiful and peaceful. I know they have rafts going down the river all the time. But we did not see another raft or person the entire time. We floated for 10 miles. The scenery was unbelievable. When we first started out I heard an unusual sound. At first I thought, "is air coming out of the raft?" My mind kind of works that way. Then when I realized it wasn't that I thought maybe it was something in the raft that I wasn't aware of and I didn't give it another thought. Well, actually it was probably in the back of my mind but I was busy looking at all the nature around me. Then the raft driver asked "do you hear that rustling sound?" And of course I was happy to reply. He told us it was the rocks on the bottom of the river moving over each other with the current of the river. WOW. I had no idea. Later on when we got to some of the more shallow parts of the river you could see the rocks and even some exposed rock beds. I had no idea that the bottom of the river was all rock.

It was cool to be floating down a river and see mountains all around you. And mountains with snow on them. There were also lots of trees that had fallen into the river due to either shore erosion or beavers. And they would make little islands in the middle of the river and in some cases even completely change the flow of the river.

We didn't see any animals but we did see geese, pelicans, heron and eagles. It was a great experience and I have so many more pictures than what I have here. The first picture is a beaver lodge we saw along the side of the river and the second is one of the many views of the mountains from the river. My connectivity here is slow so the pictures were not loading well. So I could only post two for now. I am going to make an online album for my pictures and will post when I do. I have also been putting some of them on Facebook for those of you who are on that site.

Designs By Patricia Hall

Designs By Patricia Hall is today's Crazy Train Rider on ArtFire. Patricia likes to work with natural stones, lampwork beads, and shell beads. She has many different designs and styles in her studio. And she will do custom sizing for you if desired. If you like jewelry made with natural stones or shell then this is the site for you.