WS05 Libby to Eureka

The temperature was again in the forties this morning but it felt cooler because of the cloud cover. No sun until noon. Today’s route was simple; go north on SR37. No turns. No services. The road was sooth and wide and we had it pretty much to ourselves which is surprising since it’s Saturday. Where are the fishermen? See rider and lake in next paragraph.

As we headed  north out of Libby we we on the west side of Koocanusa River (photo above on left). At about mile 17 we came to the Libby Dam (see photo an end of blog) and the rest of the day we were on the east side of Lake Koocanusa (photo on right).  We followed the lake for at least 40 miles.

Today’s route, elevation profile and more photos are at: http://ridewithgps.com/trips/94993

If you looked at the profile above you’ll realize this was a hilly day. The hills weren’t steep, probably never more than 4%. We didn’t have to use low gears. But it gives a new perspective of “rollers”. They were “rolling” from 2,500 feet to 2,900 feet. Much bigger than the rollers in Texas.

For years I’ve been joking that “Brenda’s getting stronger (as a rider) and I’m only getting older.” Well, it’s no longer a joke; it’s the truth. On both the Yosemite Lite ride in June and this one, I can’t keep up with her. How things change in 10 years. Pretty soon we’ll be back to the tandem so we can ride “together” again. The only question: Will she want to be Captain?

Libby Dam

WS04 Rest Day in Libby

I had a flat yesterday AFTER we arrived at the motel.  Must have picked up the piece of wire in the parking lot.

The hot spell is broken; today and tomorrow’s forecasts are for highs in the lower seventies. And the 10,000 riders in Texas’ Hotter ‘N Hell ride this weekend will start with a cool – for Texas in August, 67 – but it will be 97 before many finish.

We’re taking advantage of the rest day. Slept in (7:00) and then walked to an Espresso Bar; wasn’t worth the walk – weak coffee. On the way I took these two pictures (below) which show just how hokey this place, and maybe all of Montana, is.

At 1:00 we walked to “downtown” Libby for lunch. It reminded me of Sweeny, Texas in the 1950’s.  The only cafe, Libby Cafe, was pretty good.

Montana has no sales tax. Probably their state services correspond.

WS03 Trout Creek to Libby

Some of us carry a GPs or a bike computer with an altimeter.  So how much did we climb yesterday? Depends on who you ask. Somewhere between 2,700 feet and 3,600 feet. Quite a variation. And nobody knows the correct answer. But we do know that we had two significant climbs yesterday; the one in the afternoon had gradients steeper than 10%. And we know we had no significant climbs today.  You don’t really need an altimeter.

Click on the link below to see today’s route and the elevation profile. Also click on the yellow Symbols to see photographs taken on the route.

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/93853

Today we went west for 19 miles, north for 35 miles and east for 15 miles.  Most of the day, at least the first 54 miles, was in the forest so the scenery at mile 10 was the same as at mile 30 and the same as at mile 50.  The 35 mile north section (SR-56) was an outstanding cycle road; wide, smooth, rolling and very little traffic.  At mile 44 we found “Little Joes”, a cafe and bar in the middle of the national forest.  The owners were very friendly and the food great.  Our group ate all of the homemade peach pie in the restaurant.

We have about 9 miles on SR-56 after lunch.  It’s mostly down hill as we approach the Kootenai River. On US-2 going east toward Libby, we continue downhill – it looks like we’re going into a canyon.  The road takes us to Kootenai Falls (see photo at end of blog) and we hike out to see the falls.

 

Yesterday's temperatures: 80 in Dallas and 90’s in Montana.  Bob Lynn reported on Facebook that is was 120 on his ride in California. We had partial relief from the high temperatures today thanks to occasional cloud cover.

 

 

We spend two nights in Libby. Two loop rides are offered for tomorrow. one 95 miles and one retracing some of today’s route on US-2. Neither is appealing so we’ll probably take a rest day, well deserved after two 70 mile days.  And Saturday’s ride out of Libby has the most climbing for the entire tour. Rest up.

Kootenai Falls

WS02 Hot Springs to Trout Creek

Today started like yesterday, although a little warmer (mid 40’s). I correctly predicted we’d shed layers fast due to am early climb. Nothing warms you up faster than climbing a hill. In the 1970’s I took a solo, self-contained tour across Arkansas. I remember noting in my log: “As you go up the hill, the (jacket) zipper goes down. As you go down the hill, the zipper goes up.” You have simple thoughts while riding a bicycle.

Click on the link below to see the first half of today’s route and the elevation profile. Also click on the yellow Symbols to see photographs taken on the route.

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/93426

 

 

 

 

We see the landscape change from high dessert to forest and back several times during the day.

We follow the Clark Fork of the Flathead River for many miles.  The river is part of the Columbia River drainage basin. 

This is a long day, 73 miles. Brenda is the first rider to reach lunch at mile 46.  But the heat later in the day slows her down. The temperature is in the 90’s but it feels worse. It’s 4:25 and Brenda’s asleep, still in her cycling clothes. Tomorrow is supposed to be cooler.

 

WS 01 Kalispell to Hot Springs

Last night Glen said today was “pretty flat and there are some scenic vistas.” I don’t think that is possible.

It was 36.9 degrees when we woke up – but it will be in the high 80’s this afternoon. So dressing is a challenge – layering is the answer.  I started with  2 layers on my feet, hands, upper legs and arms; 3 layers on my chest and a hat that covered my ears.  I was comfortable when we left the Red Lion Hotel. As the sun rose and we also climbed, we warmed fast.  By mile 9 the first layer is removed, by mile 18 the second later, by mile 30 I’m in my shorts and short sleeved jersey.

Click on the link below to see today’s route and the elevation profile. Also click on the yellow Symbols to see photographs taken on the route. For some reason, the map stops at Elmo; we went further

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/92912

We ride much of today along Flathead Lake.  Flathead Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in the western part of the contiguous United States. With a surface area of about 191.5 sq mi (496 km²), it is slightly larger than that of Lake Tahoe (where we were in June). It is one of the cleanest in the populated world for its size and type.

Flathead Lake has a Monster; a cryptid, a creature whose existence is not proven or disproven. Its appearance is very similar to that of the Loch Ness Monster, and the two have often been said to be the same type of creature.

 

Traffic we pretty bad today, especially on highway 93. We stopped at Elmo Community for some refreshments. Elmo has a post office, health center and art gallery buy no store, cafe or service station.  And the closest town is 30 miles.

 

There was 10 miles of major highway construction on highway 28 and bicycles aren’t allowed on this stretch.  So the leaders arranged to transport the bikes and us through the construction. Thus today’s 65 miles ride was shorter.

We’re staying in a “resort” in Hot Springs. Resort it is not. A converted house and a bunch of cabins, all decorated in early American junk.  The town is almost dead. However Brenda and I had a hamburger with FANTASTIC French fries at a bar. They had Guinness. And my tacky room in the “resort” has a Jacuzzi. Life is good.

WS00 Kalispell, Mt

 

We’re in Kalispell, Mt to begin a Bicycle Adventure Club ride called “Western Sunset”. Late arrival (11:30) last night due to weather.  This morning a assembled the bikes; we need to test them out.

Montana is a state located in the Western United States. The western third of the state contains numerous mountain ranges. Other island ranges are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name, derived from the Spanish word montaña (mountain).

Montana has several nicknames, none official,^[3] including: "The Treasure State" and "Big Sky Country," and slogans that include "Land of the Shining Mountains," and more recently, "The Last Best Place." The state ranks fourth in area, but 44th in population, and therefore has the third lowest population density in the United States. The economy is primarily based on ranching, wheat farming, oil and coal in the east; lumber, tourism, and hard rock mining in the west. Millions of tourists annually visitGlacier National Park, the Battle of Little Bighorn site, and three of the five entrances to Yellowstone National Park. Montana is bordered by the Canadian provinces ofBritish Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan on the north, Idaho on the west,Wyoming on the south and North Dakota and South Dakota on the east.

Kalispell is a city in and the county seat of Flathead County, Montana, United States.^[1]The population was 14,223 at the 2000 census. Kalispell is the largest city and commercial center of Northwest Montana. The name Kalispell is a Salish word meaning "flat land above the lake." Kalispell is the nearest population center to Glacier National Park.

Tomorrow we ride to Hot Springs, a distance of 65 miles. The weather forecast is good, although cold in the morning.

NCal 10 Yosemite to Reno

 

We leave the world of Ansel Adams. This short tour – short in number of miles per day and short in number of days – is over. 

And thus John’s Basically Boring Bicycle Blog is also over, at least for a while.

Look for the blog to resume as follows:

August 22 to September 5 - “Western Sunset” in the  Canadian Rockies.

September 23 to October 14 – Tandem Touring in Italy (Tuscany and Umbria).

NCal 09 Yosemite Day 2

 

Both yesterday and today we hiked; no bicycling.  Yesterday we went on a group photo hike and then went to Mirror Lake, a total of about 8 miles.  Today’s hike to the base of the Upper Falls was shorter but much more difficult because it was all uphill or downhill. Downhill is much more difficult than uphill. Maybe that’s why I don’t like walking!  Photo on the left is from the valley; one on the right is from today’s hike.

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the afternoon we begin packing.  Tomorrow a bus will take us back to Reno.

NCal 08 Yosemite

 

Yosemite has to be one of the most spectacular spots on our planet.  3.7 million people visit this incredible 7 square miles each year.

The original land was preserved by an act of congress passed by Abraham Lincoln. Unfortunately, Lincoln never got to visit the park.

Two photographers are credited with creating and publicizing the park.  In the 1860s, Carleton Watkins created some of the first and most important photographs of the Yosemite region.  Ansel Adams first visited Yosemite with a camera at age 14 and returned until his death in 1994.  He said “I knew my destiny when I saw Yosemite.”

The legacy of Yosemite, Watkins, Adams and Theodore Rosevelt are felt throughout the world.  Never before had humankind left the legacy of the land. Now, here and in the far corners of the planet, we preserve the land, the ecology, the flora and the fauna – the ingredients of life.  We all enjoy and pass to future generations.

NOTE: MANY MORE PHOTOS OF YOSEMITE ARE IN THE SLIDE SHOW. SEE THE RIGHT HAND COLUMN – CLICK ON THE SHOW – USE F11 TO GET FULL SCREEN.

We are in Yosemite on Tuesday, June 29.  There are thousands – maybe 10’s of thousands with us – from all nations, all age groups, all economic levels.  We all get along.  I am really impressed by the staff of the Park Service. They provide food, lodging (from camp grounds, to cheap tent cabins like we were in last night, to the lodge where I am now, to extremely expensive, $500+++ day suites), transportation (50 passenger hybrid-busses with 80 people aboard), etc. for all of us. I’m amazed they do this with such patience and grace.  This morning at breakfast, the young lady taking our money of the buffet, asked each of us what we’d done yesterday or what we were going to do today. As soon at the bar-tender or the clerk sees our credit card, he/she calls us by our first name.  This is service. This is your federal government at it’s very best.  Some things – war, parks, welfare and health care – should not be based on profit.  They should be based on the general good of the governed.

NCal 07 Lee Vining to Yosemite

 

Brenda thinks yesterday’s blog suggest the Alison carries EVERYTHING with her, including tour beer, wine, snacks, etc.   NO. That is a small part of what our driver, Johno Wells does. He carries all of this as well as the luggage, bike cases and, occasionally, the bikes in a box truck

How do you describe someone who was born in the UK, raised in Australia, spent most of his life in California and now lives in New Zealand? Someone who has worked as a farmer, a carpenter, a guide, a money-changer in Nairobi, an owner of a trekking company (for 24 years in San Francisco) and a home remodeler?  And what is he doing volunteering as our driver?  Life is strange but we love it.

The climb to Tioga Pass is difficult to most of us. Brenda says it was easy.

Does this look easy? 12 miles of it? At least most of it is beautiful (see next photo). At 9,600 or so feet we stop at a cafe for a second breakfast. One of the riders who has done this before says it’s easy from here on. He lied!

At 9,985 feet (more or less) we are at Tioga Pass and the entry to Yosemite National Park.  Thanks goodness for the “Golden Age Passport”.

Our plans for the day are changed by the fact that the accommodations at Tuolumne Meadows are not yet open for the season.  Because most of us cannot do the two days ride – 77 miles and almost 6,000 feet of climbing – we wait for a shuttle.  Tonight we get to sleep with the masses – in the tent cabins of Curry Village.

NCal 06 Bridgeport to Lee Vining

 

We’re up early, have breakfast at Hays and are on the road at 7:37.  I’m not sure why we’re starting early; it’s a short day.  Although sunny, the temperature is in the 60’s and my hands and knees are cold. This day is like the others, a 2,000 feet climb and then downhill to the next town.  Today is a little different – there is a 2 mile climb at the end of the day.  And by the time we reach Lee Vining, it’s very hot.

From the top of the climb we see Mono lake basin.  We descend to a state park for a closer look – see below.

Our tour leader is Alison Stone, a.k.a “pink lady, shown below in Sicily in 2006.

Alison rides with fully loaded panniers both at home and abroad.  You have to admire a lady who carries a cassette tool and chain whip in her pink panniers.  She and her husband, John, have ridden across the US four  times, totally self-contained.  John is writing a book about the history of trans-USA bike rides.  Alison and John take their bikes to the far parts of the world, armed with nothing more than a map.  For a very interesting journal of a recent trip read “Montenegro?? I thought we were going to Portugal”  at http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/4669

Because this trip is remote – we’re in National Forests most of the time – Alison has cooked us breakfast twice and dinner once.  She has to carry all of the supplies for the nightly happy hours. You’ll learn more of the planning and requirements in tomorrow’s blog.  And remember, this is all volunteer effort!

Tomorrow is the ride we’ve all been anticipating and dreading, the climb to Tioga Pass - 9,945 feet.

Internet (and cell) service has been poor the last couple of days. As we arrive in Yosemite, we may not have any service.  So if you don’t find tomorrow’s blog, check later; I’ll publish it when I can.

NCal 05 Walker to Bridgeport

 

Last night Alison, John and Jonno cooked dinner; steak, salad, pasta salad, chocolate cake and ice cream – in honor of John’s 64th birthday. We ate outdoors and then were treated to a wonderful sun set.

Today’s weather was an improvement over yesterday’s; it’s warm (70) and sunny.  We turn left out of the motel and begin a 18 mile, 2,000 foot climb.  For the most part the climb is gentle.  I don’t use my lowest gear all day. We have a headwind which keeps us cool and slows us down.  Compared to headwinds in Dallas this spring, today’s was gentle.  Some of the riders complain; I don’t.

We reach the summit fairly quickly and look forward to a 12 mile downhill run.  The downhill is spoiled, however, by construction.  For a couple of miles the right hand shoulder has a sharp drop-off which forces un more into the lane.  Cars have difficulty passing if another vehicle is approaching.  It seems that California drivers don’t give you as much room as Texas drivers.

We’re in Bridgeport by 11:15.  Bridgeport has several motels and cafes – even a coffee house across the street from the motel!  Lunch at Hays Street Cafe is excellent.  George’s Root Beer Floats look good – both of them!  Brenda decides to walk around this “historic” town and I decide to take the optional 20 mile bike ride to Twin Lakes.  This was a great ride toward the snow-capped mountains. The meadows were full of purple wild Iris which had their peak a couple of weeks ago.  There’s a stream running by the road and the cows are enjoying it. The Twin Lakes were beautiful.  Photo below is of the lower lake.

NCal 04 Sorenson’s to Walker

 

It’s a cloudy morning; there’s even a little mist in the cool air (52 degrees).  We’re at 6,900 feet but in the first 11 miles descend to 5,500.  We’ve put on extra clothes, including long fingered gloves, and I’m comfortable on the descent. The route follows the Carson River for a while. The river is running fast, probably due to recent snow melt.

The climb to Monitor Pass begins at mile 15.  It’s a nine mile climb, gaining around 3,000 feet.  It begins to rain. Not a hard rain but more than a mist.  The gentle 4% to 6% grade eventually turns into 9% to 11%.  We’re using all the gears we have.  I make a mental note to equip the bikes with lower gears for our Canadian Rockies ride in August.  We stop about every 2 miles to recover, eat a snack and drink more water.  We’re working hard and breathing hard but this is doable.  With my GPS I monitor both the distance and elevation.  About 3/4’s of the way up, the grade gets gentle again as we anticipated.  But we’re surprised to to see it get difficult again near the top.  We’re close to 8,300 feet – is this the top? No. We remember hearing about a “false summit” as shown in the photo on the right.

Other cycling groups are at the summit.  Monitor Pass is part of the California Death Ride (110 miles with 16,000 feet of climbing) in July so local cyclists are here training.  Usually you get hot climbing but due to the rain and temperature we’re cold at the pass.  With an even colder descent in front is us, we add layers of clothing.  The descent is 3,000 feet in 10 miles.  Most of this is ok but there are a couple of sharp turns and one section marked 8% grade.

Back down to 5,000 feet - we have 10 miles to the motel. We even have a tailwind on this section but the grade is deceptive; it looks downhill but is actually uphill.  We’re all looking forward to great hamburgers at a burger joint next door to the motel.  It was as good as it’s reputation.  Of course after 44 miles and almost 4,000 feet of climbing, almost anything would taste good.  And there was no need for the early start; we’re eating our burgers shortly after 1:00 pm.

Above, road near the end of the descent from Monitor Pass. The town of Walker has 500 residents.  It’s elevation is 4,800 and regular gasoline is $4.10 per gallon.

NCal 03 South Lake Tahoe to Sorenson’s

 

Sorenson’s is a resort, not a town.

We finally leave Lake Tahoe and go into the Sierras.  Today is another short and fairly easy day designed to get us used to this altitude; the first difficult day is tomorrow when we will have more than twice today’s distance and more than twice the elevation gain.

Today’s climb to Luther Pass is about 5 miles.  The first half is a 6% grade and the second half is only 4 to 5%.  We go up 4 to 5 miles per hour; for comparison, in Dallas we walk 6 miles per hour.  The downhill run is really great, a gentle grade and gentle curves with good visibility.  Brenda ride the 3 miles without breaking or pedaling and reaches 35 mph.

Brenda near Sorenson

For the past 3 days there have been many miles of bike paths paralleling the roadway.  But the road surface on these is really poor so I prefer the road.  Of course California’s roads aren’t very good either; but they’re better than the bike paths.

Alison, our tour leader, is so concerned about the difficulty of tomorrow’s ride that she recommends we be on the road by 7:30 am.  Sorenson’s doesn’t serve breakfast until 7:30 so Alison is fixing us breakfast in her cabin; it’ll be ready at 6:30.

NCal 02 Tahoe City to South Lake Tahoe

 

Reports on Rod are good; he’s talking again.  Supposedly he’ll go home (Los Angeles) and get more treatment and therapy.

• Addition to Blog:  In “My Favorite Websites” (right hand column) you’ll see “Lake Tahoe to Yosemite”.  This is a blog by another BAC member on this ride.

I was on the bike at 6:00 a.m. – had a date with Stephanie who was saving me one of the LARGE cinnamon rolls (and cappuccino) at the Tahoe House.

This was a short day; tomorrow is also - which is good since it gives us time to adapt to the high altitude. Although we basically rode (part way) around the lake, most of the time we couldn’t see it because of the large pine trees. These trees and their pine cones are much bigger than the Pine trees of East Texas.  --  The climb was certainly noticeable although I didn’t think it was difficult – I did not get into my “granny gear”. The descent, however, was pretty technical.  Some of the switchbacks were so steep that the posted speed was 10 mph.  I’m a cautious descender but went through them at 15 mph.

Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada mountains of the United States.  At a surface elevation of 6,225 ft (1,897 m), it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City, Nevada. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America.  Its depth is 1,645 feet (501 metres) making it America's second-deepest (the deepest is Crater Lake in Oregon, being 300 ft deeper, at 1,945 feet (594 m) deep).^[2]

The lake was formed about 2 million years ago and is a part of the Lake Tahoe Basin with the modern lake being shaped during the ice ages. It is known for the clarity of its water and the panorama of surrounding mountains on all sides.

Once again we have a room with a view as seen on the right.

NCal 01 Lake Tahoe City

 

New blog format was primarily dictated by Google “improvements”. Also note in the right column I’ve begun a slide show for this trip.

Friends in Dallas are going to resent this: 7:00 am temperature is 45 (although it feels like mid 60’s), today’s high will be 70, winds 5 mph and sunny. Photo at right is from our balcony at sunrise.

It’s June 22. One year ago today I began my cross-country ride.

 

Our three ride options today are really not that viable due to excessive highway construction (the U.S. government stimulus package at work).  After breakfast I do the final adjustments on the bikes, air up the tires and lube the chains. We’re ready to go but in no hurry since it’ll be a short day.  Our ride take us to Starbucks in Squaw Valley (photo on left).  There is a bike path (photo below) all the way along the Truckee River, the same river we hiked along on Sunday in Reno.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Truckee River is a river, 140 mi (230 km) long in northern California and northernNevada in the United States. It drains part of the high Sierra Nevada, emptying intoPyramid Lake in the Great Basin. It is the sole outlet of Lake Tahoe. Its waters are an important source of irrigation along its valley and adjacent valleys. The water is quite clear.

Two of the riders who we know from previous BAC rides are both 77 or 78 years old.  They’re usually among the stronger riders.  Today, while riding near Truckee, Rod suffered a stroke and fell off his bicycle.  Latest report from the hospital, based on an MRI, is that it’s a “significant” stroke.  After Happy Hour, I help George pack Rod’s bike.