June 16 2014 Wenatchee

June 16 2014 Wenatchee

Today was a tough day even though it was only 75 miles.  We started off out of Skykomish at 7:00 Am and there was a light mist coming down. The clouds looked like they were only 100 feet above us.  I had decided not to wear my heavy duty rain pants and rain booties.  I had forgotten about my paddling gloves and would later regret that. 

From Skykomish it is 16 miles and 3000 feet of elevation to the top of Steven’s Pass.  It isn’t a really hard climb it is just 16 miles of 4-6 Percent grade, with no let up.  Within a few miles I was in the clouds and the temperature dropped 4 or 5 degrees.  In Skykomish it was about 48F.  The rain started to pick up and the light mist had turned to a steady rain.  After what seemed like an endless climb I was within a 1 mile of the summit.  I knew that just around the next bend was the ski lodge and beyond that the summit.  So when my front tire went flat I was deflated as well.  The wind was just howling and the temperature is 39 F.  I got the tire off and a new tube mounted when Jos showed up and helped me wrestle the tire back on.  My hands are frozen and I am shivering.  But back on  the road and around the corner was the summit where Greg had a van positioned there and I climbed in to warm up. 

After a few minutes it was time to get rolling and now the freezing decent.  I couldn’t see any newspaper but I stuffed my jacket with paper towels, But why hadn’t I remembered my paddling gloves?  By the time I got down the hill to picnic at the 44 mile mark I was shivering and my hands were numb.   A cup of hot chocolate and some great grub sure helped.  They had made a tuna salad and stuffed it into hot dog buns. They were wonderful.  I was feeling a little punk but got on my bike and started off.  It was pretty easy going as it was generally down hill and we had a solid tail wind.  After about 30 minutes the food kicked in the temperature was now up to the low 60’s and life was looking pretty good. 

I cruised in set up my tent, had a great hot shower, washe my riding kit  and cleaned my bike.  A long hard day that ended very well.

Terry

June 15 2014 Everett Wa to Skykomish

June 15 2014  Everett WA to Skykomish WA

I had a tough time getting to sleep last night. I tossed and turned, my pillow is a compression sack with my clothes in it is too big so my head is too high and it was giving me a sore neck and it is too hard.  But maybe I was more than a little concerned about my physical training.  Last time I was on a bike was Feb 27 so 3.5 months without a touching a bike. So I lay there listening to the rain on my tent.

The morning was gray and over cast with a light mist coming down.  I don’t think I have ever been in Seattle when it was sunny so this was no surprise.  I set off with the two Ken’s to the light house where the wheel dip was.  The dipping of the rear wheel in the Pacific is the ceremonial start to a cross country ride. We said good bye to Ken’s son and thanked him for driving us down to Seattle.

The ride out of Everett followed a bunch of back roads for 41 miles before joining up with Highway 2 which is quite busy.  These were very scenic and very pleasant as there was very little traffic.  At the 42 mile mark we had picnic which was excellent as there was a hot vegetable soup which really warmed me up as the cold mist had penetrated though the 3 or 4 lays.

After lunch the sun came out for a while and it was pretty nice and warm.  However my lack of training was taking it’s toll and I was fading fast.  By the time I got to th 55 mile mark I was pretty much all in, so I stopped in and got a coke. Sitting there for 15 minutes and drinking the coke recharged my batteries and I was able to cruise in to camp.   I even got in early enough to get some hot water.     

Surprise it wasn’t raining Skykomish and so I set my tent up and went for a beer.

Terry

June 14  Everett Washington


Day one and here we are in Everett Washington, checking in.  Looks like there are 35 coast to coast riders and 35 first week riders.  A few faces from other rides including a couple from the Cycle America Coast to Coast I did in 2010.  Small world.  Everyone from my group made it except for Tom R who had his flight cancelled twice and delayed twice.  I am told that he is on the way and will arrive later tonight. 


The trip down from Abbottsford was pretty uneventful. We got away just after 9:00 am and down to the Sumas boarder crossing a few minutes later.  The posted crossing time showed only 15 minutes so we felt that we had arrived at a good time.  However the line wasn't moving too fast and we were kind of concerned that the 15 minutes was going to be hard to make however we were at the boarder and through in only 48 minutes so we still had lots of time.


After we arrived at the Boys and Girls club in Everett Calgary Ken, Ian and myself headed off and found a brew pub which specialized in locally caught fish.  I had a huge bowel of the fish chowder and a local IPA beer to wash it down. It was great.  As we were sitting there Ed W pulls up in a van so we had a laugh. "Of all the gin joints"


Back to the check in where we meet lots of the other riders and had a good time renewing old acquaintances and making new friends.  Watching Jos set up his new tent for the first time with lots of coaching from the peanut gallery.  Supper cam up very early and then rider meeting which seemed to stretch on forever however in fairness it was the first one and there is always lots to cover. 


Tomorrow's ride is a 68 mile ride with only 2600 feet of elevation gain so it is a good start. 


As per usual I am poaching wifi and a computer so no pictures to day.


Terry

June 13 2014 Abbotsford Comfort Inn

June 13 2014 Abbotsford Comfort Inn

The cycling has not yet begun however the trip has.  I left my home in Calgary this morning at 6:18 Am and arrived here in Abbotsford at 4:48 PM local time. So the drive took 11.5 hr including a breakfast and lunch stop. 

It was a pretty sad departure from Calgary this morning saying good bye to Agnes, Kurt and Ajax.  Not just because I will not see them for the next to months but that was the last time I would be in that house.  We have lived there for almost 27 years and it has been a great home.  Agnes and I have spent most of our married life together in that house and we raised Kurt there.  After the cycle trip is over I will be returning to the new house in Kelowna.  This is going to be an exciting new chapter in our lives and I am looking forward to it. 

I am driving down with Calgary Ken and his son in their van. Ken’s son is going to drop us off tomorrow in Everett WA where we will join the Cycle America tour and the rest of the Chain Gang (Calgary Ken, Jos, Earnie,Tom,Texas Ken, Ed & myself).  I have ridden with this crew several times before and you could not find a better crew any where to ride with.  It should be a great trip.

So here is a map of our route across the US.

Terry

Getting Ready  June 4, 2014

Today was a great day to work on putting final touches on the preparations for the trip.

I was able to get in touch with good friends in Connecticut and made arrangements to visit with them after conclusion of the bike ride.   We meet a couple of years ago on the Southern route Coast to Coast ride. Since that time we have corresponded but have not had a chance to get together.  This is really great. Making new friends is terrific but catching up with old friends is fabulous.  This enabled me to finalize my flight home which I was able to book at an exceptionally good price.

My theory on bike tires is that folding tires suffer from cord separation where the tire is folded.  The rubber has not cured when the tire is folded up and eventually the tire fails at one of these folds.  I have always achieved double the mileage from non-folding tires. They mount much easier and this in turn spares the tire from additional trauma suffered as you roll and fight the tire on the rim.  An additional benefit to non-folding tires is that they are much cheaper than their folding compatriots.  These made in the Cech Republic were an outstanding value at just $13 apiece.  Yes they are a few grams heavier and yes as these few grams are on the rim it is rotating weight. These few grams will probably put me out of contention for the Tour, however as the tread thickness is at least double I am betting the puncture resistance is going to be very good.   They were a breeze to mount and have a max pressure rating of 115 psig.  I’ll let you know how they work out.

I practiced putting my camp chair together and placing my beverage holder.  Things worked out very well.  The chair rolls into a package 4” in diameter and 8” long and weighs in at only 300 grams.   It is very comfortable and doubles as a rocker.

I also practiced walking around the yard with my tray.  The high tech non-slip surface worked brilliantly.  The plastic cup never fell over and I am sure that even with a generous portion of lasagna on the paper plate it will stay put.  

I am so ready.

Terry

The Fourth Time   June 4 2014

 

The world population clock shows that the world population is 7.2 billion people on earth.  Interestingly when you search for how many bicycles there are the answers range from 1.1 billion to over 8 billion.   Web searches tend to agree that over 2.5 billion people ride bicycles. So I am guessing that the low end of the estimate is wrong.  However  there are only four of five companies doing Coast to Coast  North America tours.  Each tour consists of 30-40 riders. This would put the number of annual Coast to Coast riders between 120 and 200. Add in a couple dozen self-supported riders.  Therefore only 1 bicycle rider in 10 million does a cross country ride.  When you look at the total world population only one person in 30 million rides a bicycle across North America. 

 

Of course these statistics are only just estimates and obviously they are highly distorted by the huge populations in the third world.  China alone has 1.5 billion people and 430 million ride bicycles. This makes China the largest bicycle riding nation in the world.  I think that looking at these kinds of numbers give truth to the Mark Twain axiom “Figures don’t lie, but lairs figure.”  Trying to guess the numbers is subject to some pretty wild guesses. 

 

Seriously there are very few riders who have ridden across North America.  In my Phoenix bicycle club there are over 100 members and there are only two of us who have ridden across the country.  This makes me feel very special to be preparing to make my fourth journey.  I also feel very privileged to be riding with some very good friends. These are friends who have made long distance rides and friends whom I have had the privilege to know for a long time.

 

I would like to invite you along on this journey.  Read the journal, make a comment here or there, and let me know what you think.  It is going to be an exciting trip.

 

Terry  

Day 19 Banff to Calgary

 

It was sad farewells as we say good bye to Ed and Julie this morning.  Ed is off to join Cycle America as a router for the next five weeks, as they travel across Washington and down the West Coast and Julie is back home to Colorado.  Liam was not riding either as he was taking an extra day in Banff.  This left just five riders.  So we were off down the road out of Tunnel Mountain campground in Banff.

We rounded the corner from the campground an there was a herd of caribou with the calves.  They were feeding alongside the road and totally unconcerned that we were there.  The calves were so cute.  

We rolled down the hill and were all set to jump on the TransCanada when Ken T discovered that the bike path to Canmore had been reopened from after the flood which totally amazed us huge portions had been wiped out in the flood.  The repair crews had been busy in the last month rerouting the path and rebuilding it.  This was great news as the highway is extremely busy and noisy.  There was a pretty strong headwind down the pathway but there was a fair amount of shelter from the trees so it wasn’t too bad.  It wasn’t until we broke out of the trees and onto Highway 1A when we hit the full force of the wind.  Earnie and I both tried pulling into the wind and the best we could do was about 12-15 kms/hr.  So Ken C stepped up and he is such a powerful rider that he pulled us all the way from Canmore to the Ghost Reservoir where we had lunch a distance of 60 kms at 25+ kms/hr.  It was an amazing piece of riding.

 

Lunch was a great break and everyone was feeling pretty happy as we had only 50 kms left to get home and the wind was shifting to the north. After lunch we had only one more hill to climb and the Cochrane hill is normally a 20 minute climb so after our journey it seemed like nothing.  The wind was howling down the hill so it was much more than a simple 20 minute spin but we made it. Once at the top of the hill the wind was a huge cross wind that made steering a straight line a challenge but we made it home.

The last 135 kms were behind us.  The last 7 days had been pretty tough as there was no rest days and 870 kms ridden.  The total tour was 2013 kms in 17 ride days with only 2 rest days.  I was very happy that the tour had been a total success. Everyone had had a great time.  We had seen an amazing piece of Canada. This stuff just isn’t on the tourist maps but the beauty is unbelievable.  

Terry

Day 18 Saskatchewan Crossing to Banff

It was cold in the morning as we ate breakfast around the motorhome after crawling out of the motel rooms. Everyone had arm and leg warmers and there were lots of riding jackets to be seen.  If you let out a big breath of air you could catch sight of your breath as exhaled. Never the less everyone as keen to get going as it was a second big day  in a row at 135 kms and we were going to climb the Bow Summit which is the highest point on the tour at 2088 m.  The climb is not particularly hard compared to the Icefield Summit as it is more of a big long grind.

So we were off down the road and a couple of miles down the road my hands were frozen as I had not worn full fingered gloves. Thankfully Julie was down the road who lent me Ed’s spare jacket. Even the climbing wasn’t enough to overheat me.  There wasn’t any wind which was a big help.  However the road surface had not improved and the transverse cracking was terrible. 

About half way up a caught up to Earnie and the two of us ground away together all the way to the summit. The summit is actually a little of a disappointment as there is no sign to mark the spot and no spectacular view.

With the summit behind us it was a 50 kms downhill to Lake Louise where we were having lunch in the parking lot where we at lunch 16 days earlier. By now the sun was up and it was a beautiful day.  Even better we were headed for the Lake Louise Parkway.  This ride takes us high above the TransCanada Hwy. It has beautifully smooth pavement, very little traffic, fabulous views, a tail wind, and is downhill to Banff. This is my favorite ride. So everybody was just sailing along.  

Today was the last ride day for Ed and Julie as Ed was off to join Cycle America for a 6 weeklong tour.  Ed is doing routing for the last part of the National Parks tour.  It was also the last day of the ride for Liam and Siubhan who were going to take an extra day to enjoy Banff.  So were had a good celebration with rider awards after supper. It was great fun and there were several very clever awards.   

It has been a very excellent tour. The riders have all had a great time and we have enjoyed absolutely excellent trip.

Terry

Day 17 Jasper to Saskatchewan Crossing

It was going to be a long day we had the climb to the Icefields and 146 kms to ride. So everyone was off to an early start and we were out of the chute at 7:30 Am.  I rode my bike around to the RV dumps station to dump the motorhome and was just cleaning that up when Ken C rode up to tell me that Ed had broken a pedal. Ed rides the Speed Play pedals which have the little round circle to clip into.  The little round circle had come off the pedal as some sort of retainer had broken inside of it.

Ken C and I went to work on getting the old shoe cleat off of Ed’s shoe as the screw heads were badly worn. A little encouragement with a hammer loosened the clip screws however the bolt pattern was wrong so our options to change Ed over to SPD clips where we had some spare parts was frustrated. Ed’s only option was to head into Jasper and get fixed up at a bike shop.  Julie drove Ed into town and Ken and I pedaled off.

At about the 45 km mark we were well into the big ramp up to the summit when I saw this gigantic grin coming up behind me. It was Ed and Julie. The bike shop had fixed Ed up with a new set of egg beater pedals and a new set of shoes. So we were all off.

The Icefield Summit is right at the 95 kms mark and it was at about the 65 km mark when we hit a huge head wind. It was so strong that the best you could do was about 15 km/hr. So Ed, Ken C, and myself battled into the wind together. It was brutal work. Winter has taken a terrible toll on the Parkway road. It has become terribly cracked and broken. There are transverse cracks every 5 feet, this made for a terribly rough ride. In fact I was quite disappointed in the road condition from a few years ago when I rode it last.  

After lunch in the summit parking lot we headed down the big decent this takes you down the “toilet bowl”. The toilet bowl being this huge spiral shaped switchback  which has a lot of super elevation on it.   However the high winds and terrible road surface prevented me from reaching any kind of speeds. I think that the highest speed I was able to attain was 65 kms.

We were staying in the Crossing Resort at Saskatchewan Crossing as the camping in the area does not have showers.  Surly staff, dumpy rooms, and high prices made the poor marks on Trip Advisor seem like high praise.

Terry