5/22 Roll on Columbia: Petaros to Wenatchee

I was on the road by 7:30 but the workers beat me to the orchards. Today's main ride objective is to get back to Wenatchee, our starting point. Several of us wanted to be on the road a.s.a.p. So the route was more direct than most, primarily on 97 and 97A. Of course Jim hates the highways and did take us on minor roads when practical. The road I like best was Apple Acres. After a brief climb, we were in a beautiful canyon (see photos).

Brenda wanted to get many miles on the road toward Dallas today, primarily so we could visit BAC friends Jim & Marty in Laramie. So she road in the van to Wenatchee and drove back looking for me. She found me about half way through the ride and so I only got in 30 miles of riding.

5/21 Roll on Columbia: Winthrop to Pateros

Its' a beautiful sunny morning in the Methow Valley, but a bit cold. The temperature was 32 degrees at 6:30 am. So we lingered, delaying our departure until 10:00. This gave us time to go to the bakery for cappuccino and cinnamon rolls - and to say good-by to friends Gary and Rita.

Today's ride is pretty easy - 45 miles mostly downhill as we follow the Methow River down the valley through Twisp, Carlton, Methow and Pateros. Carlton has a grocery store and a rafting company. You'd think Methow would be prosperous since it has the name of the valley. But both the store and cafe are closed and for sale. Want to start a business?
This afternoon most of the group went water rafting; Brenda and I opted out. We don't like this activity in good conditions and the water here is still very cold. Ask Stoges; he fell in.

In Pateros we have a motel with rooms directly overlooking Lake Pateros (see photos).

Today is the last happy hour, last dinner and last night - the tour is over tomorrow after our 60 mile ride to Wenachee. We've been on the road for almost 5 weeks and are ready to get home. But it will be a long drive.

5/20 Roll on Columbia: Rest Day in Winthrop

This is a rest day but there's no rest for the weary. Gary and I leave at 8:30 to ride up Boulder Creek road in the Okanagon National Park. It's a fairly easy 7 mile climb and we're protected from the wind.

Later we have lunch with Dean and Sheila Coe and get to see their remodeled house.

Happy Hour is at Gary and Rita's - with pizzas from the wood fired pizza oven. We are joined by other local (Methow Valley Cycling Club) BAC members (see photo at right). Then we have dinner at Sunset Mountain Lodge.

5/19 Roll on Columbia: Omak to Winthrop

Today's ride was fairly difficult due to the climbing and the wind. We began with a climb up Ross Canyon Road and were soon on Highway 20 climbing to Loup Loup Pass at elevation 4,020. Most of the climb was not too steep but the headwind made it more difficult. We basically climbed for 26 miles. This took 4 hours. Of course the downhill that followed only took 30 minutes. We had pre-selected the Cinnamon Bakery in Twisp for lunch. This is obviously a popular place because there was a long line. Just as our orders were being taken, in walks two local BAC members Midge and Terry, returning from a hike. We had ridden with these ladies a couple of weeks ago on the Sonoma, Napa ride.

The next two nights we'll be separated from the group since we're staying with friends Gary Dodson and Rita Jensen. See their house on the left; we're in a detached guest cottage. We met Rita and Gary on a ride across the Pyrenees in 1998.

We had a great Happy Hour with a few locals at Methow Cycle and Sport. Shown in photo on the right is bike mechanic Dave Acheson. Dave is also Mayor on the city of Winthrop.

05/18 Roll on Columbia: Hidden Hills to Omak

My watch says it's Monday, a new week. You lose track of these things on the road; Wednesday is no different than Saturday. Last week was a good one, training wise. Although I only rode 6 days I got in 442 miles or a daily average of 74 miles and 3453 feet of climbing. For the cross country trip, we'll average 80 miles and 2384 feet of climbing.

Today was an easy day with choices of 38 or 50 miles. Well, Jan and I got lost so we got in 56. And it was mostly downhill. We first got payback for yesterday's 6.7 mile climb to Hidden Hills. Today we went down that hill; I hit 35 mph. And later in the day we got to go down a couple of big hills that we'd climbed a couple of days ago. We'd better enjoy today's ride; tomorrow is a different story - a 17 mile climb gaining almost 3,000 feet.

Photo on the right is of Winter Canola plants, source of canola oil.

05/17 Roll on Columbia: Osoyoos to Hidden Hills

Once again we essentially have the roads to ourselves today. With so few cars, you wonder why they built the roads. For us? A nice thought but we know better.

We retrace yesterday's route among the orchards out of Canada. Jim has told us of the beauty from miles 25 to 41; we pass Palmer Lake (photo on right), Spectacle Lake and Whitestone Lake. Since it's Sunday there are a fair number of fishermen but it doesn't seem like many because the lakes run for miles and miles. We have lunch at Shannon's Restaurant in Tonasket, eating on the patio and chatting with the locals. For the entire weekend - the weather is perfect - we also share the roads and restaurants with hundreds of motorcyclists. But we see them mostly in the towns; they obviously don't know about our remote roads.

Tonight's lodging, Hidden Hills, is at least 15 miles from any town and totally out of view from any road. We leave the highway 15 miles out of Tonasket and have a difficult ride for 6 miles before you see a small sign for Hidden Hills. From here it's 1.5 miles up a dirt road with many switchbacks. It's truly hidden and of course we're the only guests. There is no cell service here but they do have wi-fi.

5/16 Roll on Columbia: Republic to Osoyoos, B.C.

Today is a long day for everyone, a day of ups and downs. After a 1.5 mile climb out of town, we ride downhill for 40 miles. 10 flat miles along the Kettle River then a beautiful 4 mile climb to lunch. It looks like we;re in a cavern. I notice birch trees for the first time. The 7 miles after lunch are more difficult because of the headwind. From miles 60 to 75 we loose 2,500 feet of elevation. The last couple of miles into Canada are flat. The lodging in Osoyoos is great, our balcony overlooks the lake (see photo).

5/15 Roll on Columbia: In Republic

We continue Roll on Columbia by NOT ROLLIN ON today; it is a rest day. So it's a good time to consider the river.

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It stretches from British Columbia through Washington state, forming much of the border between Washington and Oregon before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. The river is 1,243 miles (2,000 km) long, and measured by the volume of its flow, the it is the largest river flowing into the Pacific from North America and is the fourth-largest river in the U.S. The river's heavy flow, and its large elevation drop over a relatively short distance, give it tremendous potential for the generation of electricity. It is the largest hydroelectric power producing river in North America with fourteen hydroelectric dams in the U.S. and Canada, and many more on various tributaries.

In 1996, I did a ride from Kalispall, Mt to Jasper, Alberta called "Canadian Rockies". On this ride, we went through the Columbia Ice Fields, near the beginning of the Columbia. The ride we're currently on is centered on the Columbia in central Washington. And next month, I'll begin my cross country ride in Astoria, Oregon where the Columbia flows into the Pacific Ocean. For someone who grew up near the small Brazos River as it flowed into the Gulf of Mexico, this association with the Columbia seems strange.

On our rest day, we're catching up on email, I've ordered a few things for my cross-country ride over the internet, made a doctor's appointment; we're do laundry and I'll clean the bikes; Brenda is reading and intends to take a walk. Tomorrow is another 80+ mile ride as we go into British Columbia.

5/14 Roll on Columbia: Coulee to Republic

The weather forecast is not good today; 50% chance of rain where we're starting and 70% chance of rain where we're going. But you learn to take weather forecasts with skepticism - we had sun almost the entire day. The only rain we encountered was a 10 minute shower.

Jim has already told us we won't see a traffic light for several days. This also means no Starbucks! But wait - at the only store on today's 70 mile ride we find cans of Starbucks double shot espresso! This contains 38 grams of carbohydrates. So one can and a banana will get you many miles down the road.

Today's ride is fairly difficult, beginning almost immediately with a 7 mile climb. Most of the riders accept a jump start in the van to the top of the hill. For the first 35 miles, I ride with Craig and Jim (photo to left). Coach Jim wants me to ride and additional 20 miles. 10 of which are up hill. Craig doesn't join us for these extra miles, so it just me and the coach (photo on right). I agree to ride up this extra hill for one hour; then I'm turning around. It's on the way down that we get the rain.

The 35 miles after the detour are great - a slightly rolling, twisting road along a creek in a fairly wooded area. I'm on Jim's wheel until the last .25 miles up a 7% grade into town' my legs can't do the climb at his pace. A great day - very few cars - would be even better if I didn't have saddle sores. I rode 85 miles and climbed 5,200 feet. This is fairly close to the very tough days cross-country so I'm gaining confidence, little by little.

5/13 Roll on Columbia: Chelan to Coulee

It''s 32 degrees and sunny when we awake so we defer our start until 8:00 to let it warm up. It does warm somewhat but clouds cover the sun. And unfortunately we have head winds all day.

We follow the Columbia all day and are on Columbia River Road for 40 miles. If fact, there is nothing for 40 miles other then a few ranches. Mile after mile of nothing (see photo upper left) which is what I expect to find frequently on the cross country ride.

Our destination is Coulee, home of the Grand Coulee Dam, one of the largest concrete structures in the world containing nearly 12 million cubic yards of concrete. Grand Coulee Dam is the largest hydro power producer in the Us with a total capacity of 6,809 megawatts. The top producing dams are in China (20,000 mw), Venezuela (10,000 mw) and on the Paraguay/Brazil border (12.500 mw). As many as 7,000 men worked for 8 years to build the original Coulee Dam. In 1941, the Interior Department payed Woody Guthrie $266.66 to write songs about the northwest. In a month he wrote 26 songs including "Roll on Columbia", the name of this tour.

5/12 Roll on Columbia: Chelan to Omak

We woke to bright sunshine and a beautiful view from our room - see photo on left. But the temperature was cool and the wind blowing pretty hard, even early in the morning. (I was a Starbucks across the street at 6:00.) We discovered that if you were in the shade with the wind blowing forward, it was quite cold. But if you were in the sun and the wind behind you, it was quite warm. We dressed for going down wind and in the sun. This worked well and I even took off my leg warmers at mile 12 by the dam (see photo at right).

As the day wore on and the tail-wind became a head-wind, clouds covered the sun. We had intended lunch in Okanogan at mile 53 but it looked like rain was headed our way. So we decided to eat a snack and head directly for the Best Western in Omak. Other than a few drops, the rain never came. Weather forecast is for improving and much warmer weather. We'll see.

5/11 Roll on Columbia: Wentachee to Chelan

We're surprised to find a fairly warn, sunny and dry day. Forget the weather forecasters; it's a great day. Well, there's quite a bit of wind but it's behind us, blowing us forward most of the day. We never complain about tailwinds.

After leaving the Columbia and Wertachee rivers, we're on a highway for 15 miles. There's a wide shoulder and not many cars so all is well. We have cappuccino and mile 20 and turn North, climbing a couple of hills. We are in the forest, then open among the hills. After a screaming descent at mile 36 we see Lake Chelan. Most of today I'm riding with Brenda, Jim and Carig. At mile 38 we all take a 20 mile detour along the south shore of the lake to 25 Mile Creek. Then re-trace our steps, more quickly now since it's more downhill than up and the wind is again at our backs.

I'm real hungry when we get to out lodging at 2:00 after 70 miles of cycling. The lodge has wonderful patios so we walk across the street and buy sandwiches at Safeway and have a picnic overlooking the pool, hot tub and lake.

After lunch, Jim and I do the second option for the day, the Manson Loop. Although there is a lot of climbing at the start (1,000 feet), this is a great ride. You can easily think you're in Tuscany or France. There are vineyards and orchards with snow-capped mountains in the background. After we crest the top, it's downhill for 7 miles, switchback by switchback. This is as good as any cycling anywhere in Europe. I end up riding 85 miles and climbing 4,000 feet.

After our "happy hour" we go to Tsillan Winery for wine tasting and a great Italian dinner. It doesn't get better than this.

5/10 Wenatchee, Wa

We're in Wenatchee in central Washington on the Columbia River for the beginning of a 12-day ride called "Roll on Columbia". Wenatchee is east of the Cascades so the weather should be milder and dryer. However the forecast is for fairly cool weather, in the 40's at night and 60's during the day. We'll start each day with multiple layers of clothes and remove some as it warms up.

This is a small group, only 14 riders. We know 13 of them from prior rides. The leaders are Jim and Jan Erickson. Jim (see photo on right) is "my cycling coach" who has been helping me train the past seven months for the cross-country ride.

We have a preliminary warm-up ride along the Columbia this afternoon. The first official function is happy hour at 5:30 followed by dinner at 6:30. The tour begins tomorrow.

5/09 Packwood, Wa (2)

John Blakeslee needs to work on the hot tub and Brenda and Sara want to go on another hike. But I have to ride. White Mountain Pass awaits. First, however, I have to go to town for lattes. So I'm not on the road until 10:15. The climb is gentle – mostly 6% - but continuous. Road signs tell me the pass will be at mile 17. Since I promised to be back by 1:00, my mental calculations tell me I won't get to the top. And sure enough, I stop at a scenic overlook near mile 14; it;s 12:05. So I snap a couple of photos and turn around. It takes 1.75 hours to go up and .5 hours come down.

5/08 Packwood, Wa

After a morning hike, the two John's go on a ride on their Seven bikes. It's a perfect day to ride a bicycle and this is a perfect place. It's sunny and the temperature in in the high 60's. We ride mostly in national forest's and along two rivers. In the first 42 miles, maybe 10 cars pass. Perfect.

5/07 Tacoma

We're in Tacoma to visit friends John and Sara Blakeslee. We first met John and Sara on a ride in Provence in the south of France. We connected because both of us were studying maps, looking for longer rides. We've since rode with them in New Zealand, Italy and the Texas Hill Country. The Blakselee's visited with us in Dallas on the way to another Texas ride last fall and I sold John a bike made by Seven Cycles in Watertown, Mass. Co-incidentally, I also ride a Seven.

5/06 Drive to Washington

It's a long drive from Petaluma to Tacoma, Washington and we continue to encounter rain - some of it very hard rain. 'Glad that the rain on the bike was just mild. We overnight at Mt Shasta. As I look at the mountain and the snow through the windshield, I can't get rid of two thoughts:

1. Are we going to be warm enough next week while riding in Washington.


2. Will I be able to pedal across four mountain ranges in my ride across America?

5/05 NAPA/SONOMA - Occidental to Petaluma

Today's route is the second most difficult but is one of the most beautiful. Much of the beauty is going to the coast, climbing a ridge on the east side of Tomales Bay and looking over the bay at Point Reyes National Recreation Area. That is, if the visibility allows it.

As we rode to Occidental yesterday we didn't realize that we were leaving the wine country. But we realized it more today as we left the forested area around Occidental to the hilly ranches toward the coast.

Once again we awoke to the pitter-patter of rain. The forecast, both here and in Petaluma was showers early but clearing in the morning. After breakfast we left in the mist, wearing our Gortex. Even if it's not raining, wet roads soak the cycling shoes so shoe covers are a good idea.

We're prepared to take a short-cut if the bad weather continues. At Valley Ford, mile 12, we have the first choice of a shorter route. The jury is still out so we continue on the official route to Tomales at mile 16. While in the cafe enjoying cappuccino and late, we see the rain has increased. So we decide on a short route. We have several choices: Bodega Ave is the shortest but has the most traffic. Chileno Road is good but we came up this on day one. So we chose the mid-route, Spring Hill Road. 'No traffic on this road other than the farmers and ranchers.

5/04 NAPA/SONOMA - Sonoma to Occcidental

Today is the shortest day of the tour, only 38 miles, so there's no need to leave early. And besides, I need to lube the bike chains. I washed then last night at the hotel. When we finally get around to leaving, we hear that Wilson has left early because he believes it's going to start raining at noon.

Except for a short section, there is very little traffic today. This is partially due to the many bike paths we use. The original plan was for coffee at Glen Ellen, just 10 miles down the road. Somehow we miss this spot but find a Pete's Coffee shop in Santa Rosa at mile 25. In no hurry, we linger here a while. Then, on an unpaved section of a bike path out of Santa Rosa, I believe I feel a mist on my face. 'Look at my watch and discover it's 11:58 - Wilson was 2 minutes off. For the rest of the ride, about 70 minutes, the rain gets harder and harder. Our Gortex is in the van. We both have jackets with us but never put them on. When the rain starts light, it's not worth putting on the jacket. We're like the frog who just sits in the pot of water as it gets hotter; we just get wetter and wetter until it's not worth putting on the jackets.

Tonight is the last night of the tour so we will have a group dinner here in Occidental. The dinner is at an Italian restaurant. Italian immigrants came here in the late 19th century because the mountainous and wooded region reminded them of Tuscany. They worked the railroads, lumber camps and ranches. Enterprising women began cooking meals for the workers in their own kitchens.

We took a group photo last night which I've shown here. Tomorrow we return to Petaluma; Brenda and I will quickly change and pack the car (Don't forget the two cases of wine we bought at Calistoga Cellars) and head North. Next stop, visiting friends in Tacoma, Washington.

5/03 NAPA/SONOMA - Calistoga to Sonoma

The alarm went off at 6:00. I could hear the rain so turned over and stayed in bed. By 9:00 the rain had stopped but low dark clouds were seen in all directions. We left Calistiga at 9:15 wearing full Gortex rain gear, including shoe covers.

There were hundreds to cyclists on Silverodo Trail, most raising money fo diabetes. We're never seen so many people fixing flats as we did today, including 8 from our own group.

We detoured toward Bouchon Bakery in Yountville and immediately ran into rain. It was short lived as the sun appeared as we rode into town. The line at the bakery was long but worth the wait; a chocolate-almond croissant with my cappuccino. The clouds got brighter and we shed the rain gear. By evening the weather was near perfect and a half-dozen of us bought food for dinner at Whole Foods and ate outdoors at the hotel pool area.

5/02 NAPA/SONOMA - Rest Day in Calistoga

Today was a scheduled rest day and I really wanted to do the optional 54 mile Pope Valley Loop ride. But I didn't want to do it so bad that I'd ride in the rain. And rain we are having all day. Of the 22 participants of this tour, only two chose to ride in the rain. Are they the "true tourists" and the rest of us wimps? Or are they foolish and the rest of us wise? It depends on your perspective. But tomorrow is a different day. There is still a good chance of rain. But there's no option tomorrow, we ride to Sonoma come hell or high water.

So I spent most of the day reading my book - Carl Sagan's, "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Cradle in the Dark".

Later in the day, our "happy hour" is in Calistoga Cellars' Tasting room.

And then, dinner in the Calistoga Cellars "cottage".

5/01 NAPA/SONOMA - Healdsburg to Calistoga

To complete yesterday's ride up the Russian River, I had Pork Duo with a Russian Red Pinot Noir last night at Dry Creek Kitchen. See http://www.charliepalmer.com/Properties/DryCreekKitchen/

So from Dry Creek Kitchen last night to cycling through the extensive vineyards of the Dry Creek valley today. Like yesterday's ride, it is beautiful with a smooth road. We cross the Russian River again at Asti and head toward Geyserville, now through the famous vineyards of Alexander valley. We leave Sonoma county and enter Napa at the top of a hill. After a few more climbs, we have a great downhill run into Calistoga.

California is in a severe drought and rain is forecast. Everyone is looking forward to it - except those of us on bikes. Early morning is bright with occasional sun, but the sprinkles start at 10:15, half way through our ride. It is very light, except for 5 miles in pretty serious rain.

To emphasise how remote today's ride was, there was no cappuccino on the entire route!

Geyserville gets it's name for the Geysers, the world's largest geothermal field. This was a major attraction before Yellowstone and Yosemite became accessible.

Calistoga, with it's hot springs was developed as a spa and resort town. This was primarily developed around 1852 by Samuel Brannan, California's first millionaire.

I only took one photo today because the camera batteries needed charging. So that's what that beeping was.