Day Two Hundred-three, 091009 - Topenish, WA

Day Two Hundred Twenty-three, Date Friday, October 9, 2009
Time in Saddle: 7:39
Distance for the Day: 77.18 miles From Hermiston To Topenish, WA
Accumulated Trip Distance: 11,233 miles
Altitudes: Starting/Ending 537’/681’, Highest: 1509’ Accumulated: 1906’
Speeds: Avg: 10.0 mph, Max: 39.9 mph
Weather: 20° and clear, becoming overcast and cool to cold
Expenditures: $16

I woke up at 6am, and got up at 6:15am. It was very cold, again, and my tent fly was stiff with frozen condensation on it – I tried to ‘dust’ it off, but wasn’t very successful. There was a waxing gibbous moon high up in the southwest getting close to full, and bright Venus, but while I was breaking camp, a cloud cover came in. I left before sunrise at 7am, and quickly found a mini mart just a bit up the road to have a breakfast of banana nut muffin, blueberry Danish, hot cocoa, and I also picked up a soda for the road ($7). After eating at the table they had, there, I left at 8:11am to continue up Hwy 395 towards the Columbia River and Washington State, which I made at 9:08am. I made it to the town of Prosser at 1:50pm, and almost immediately stumbled upon their library, so I went in to handle email, check weather, charge the notebook, and afterwards had the 2nd half of my Subway sandwich for lunch. I left at 3:45pm to continue up towards Mabton and Yakima. I stopped at a mini mart for food and drink supplies at 4:45pm ($9), and rode until sunset, making the town of Topenish. I found a church just off the highway, and pulled in to ask if they’d mind my setting up my tent overnight. They called the church minister, and he gave his okay, so I parked in a gravel lot as far from the roadway as I could, behind a small utility shed (N46 22.386’ W120 19.448’). The traffic noise was fairly loud, but handleable with earplugs. I munched, drank, and read my book for about an hour, and then went to sleep around 8:30pm. When going to sleep so early in the evening, I seem to have a tendency to wake up around 11pm or 12am and get thirsty. I usually save some of my soda for such instances, but this time I didn’t, so had to crawl outside and grab a Gatorade bottle for a couple of swallows. Back to sleep – zzzzzzzz!

Day Two Hundred Twenty-two, 091008 - Hermiston, OR

Day Two Hundred Twenty-two, Date Thursday, October 8, 2009
Time in Saddle: 7:11
Distance for the Day: 75.22 miles From Hilgard To Hermiston, OR
Accumulated Trip Distance: 11,156 miles
Altitudes: Starting/Ending 3234’/537’, Highest: 4205’ Accumulated: 2785’
Speeds: Avg: 10.4 mph, Max: 39.9 mph
Weather: 46° partially clear, becoming overcast but remaining cool throughout the day
Expenditures: $9

I woke up at 6:05am, got up at 6:10am, and was ready to roll by 7:07am. The air was cold, but not freezing, for which I was grateful. The sun had risen, but because the site was surrounded by hills and trees, I couldn’t see it. I met the woman who spoke with me the night before, and she offered to host me should I pass their place on the Oregon coast on or after Nov 1st, which was very nice. I hit the road at about 7:45am, and continued heading north and west on Hwy 84/30. I passed up two possible places to get breakfast – they were too far off the main road, so instead had two meat and cheese sticks, a PayDay Bar, some M&Ms, a breakfast bar, and some Dole fruit drink. This would have to hold me until Pendelton, where I’d be able to get a lunch. This was one of those days where I’d have to doff and don my rain gear; on the uphills, I’d overheat, and have to take off the raingear. On the downhills, I’d freeze, and have to put ‘em back on, again. The Blue Mtns – up and down, over and over. At 11:30am, just as I was pulling into a rest stop, I got my first flat (#20) since before New Jersey on the rear tire. It was a handy place to get a flat – I had a nice, calm, semi-warm place to take off all my baggage, remove the rear tire, and replace the inner tube with a new/used one. (Self-sealing tires can’t be patched, as their liquid sealant causes patches to fail.) I carried the three spare inner tubes I had before getting the self-sealing inner tubes, and used a CO2 inflator cartridge to quickly get the tire to a fairly high pressure – it wasn’t as high as it should go, but would work until I got to a gas station with an air pump. I was good to go in about 45 minutes; talked with several people about my trike and trip while and after I fixed the flat, and then continued on my way. I stopped in Pendelton at 1:50pm to restock up on supplies ($14) including air for the tire, and got a Subway sandwich ($8) before continuing on at 3:40pm along I-84 towards Yakima. I made the town of Umatilla from Pendelton in a very short time (5:44pm) as it was mostly downhill, and sometimes very steeply downhill. The sun was pretty low before, and I thought I wouldn’t make Umatilla before sunset, but I made it with time to spare – how nice!

Note: ever since around just before Yellowstone, my left brake lever began to stick when it got cold. It became very hard to squeeze the lever, and once it did, it wouldn’t release. It didn’t freeze to the point of keeping the brake on, but the handle wouldn’t spring back like it should, either. Later, when the air temperature warmed up, it went back to being totally normal, again. I didn’t know what to do about it, but it wasn’t a big enough problem to go through a concerted effort to try to fix it. Weird.

I rode until sunset at about 6:30pm, when I just entered the town of Hermiston. I discovered it was an actual city, so I did as I’ve done before: ride through it to its far edge before finding a suitable stealth campsite. It’s more difficult (though not impossible) to find a good, private, quiet stealth camp inside a city, and I wasn’t in the requisite exploratory mood to search one out. After getting closer to the far edge, at around 7pm, I found an empty ‘business for sale’ building, which had a nice level, clean asphalt lot behind it, no lights, no nearby neighbors, and was above and away from the road far enough to attenuate the noise suitably for sleep (N45 51.581’ W119 17.341’). I set up my tent by 7:45pm and read, munched, and drank until hitting the hay at 9pm. The sky was clear, but the city lights washed-out all but the brightest stars. I hate light pollution.

Day Two Hundred Twenty-one, 091007 - Hilgard, OR

Day Two Hundred Twenty-one, Date Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Time in Saddle: 7:06
Distance for the Day: 66.10 miles From Baker City To Hilgard, OR
Accumulated Trip Distance: 11,080 miles
Altitudes: Starting/Ending 4045’/3234’, Highest: 4307’ Accumulated: 1562’
Speeds: Avg: 9.3 mph, Max: 34.7 mph
Weather: 27° totally clear, no wind
Expenditures: $28

I awoke at about 5:30am this morning to the roar of bigrigs. The dirt road circumnavigating the round lot I was camped in must have led to some kind of quarry, and the road construction crews must use every ounce of daylight they can to work. My earplugs handled most of the traffic during the night, but three times trains rolled by, and they penetrated enough to wake me up a little. I got up at 6:15am to break camp; it was as cold as I thought it would be, with a perfectly clear sky and bright gibbous moon. The morning light was already fairly bright, and sunrise was at about 7am. There was ice over everything, but by 7:13am I was ready to roll. I had a quicky breakfast of meat/cheese stick, breakfast bar, and Dole Pineapple Peach Mango juice. The bigrig traffic had become so heavy, I had to time my exit between sets. Though it was very cold, my new mitts helped keep my hands from freezing, but my toes were still a problem. I arrived in Baker City at 8:50am and spent an hour at the mini mart eating a Second Breakfast of muffin, Danish, and hot cocoa, plus got a soda for the road ($5). There was a wi-fi signal at this location, so I checked email, charged the notebook, and sent my friend Joe a message letting him know I should be in Seattle about the same time that he gets back from Vienna (this Saturday). I tried to send his wife, Joanna, an email too, but the connection went funky, and I couldn’t. I left the mini mart at 10:10am to continue on.

I stopped for lunch (a sandwich and some candy bars for the road - $10) at 12:30pm to 1:17pm in Powder where Hwy 30 rejoins I-84. It had been pretty cool all morning, and became almost temperate in the afternoon. I continued on towards the next big town, Pendelton, and made La Grande at 4:30pm. I stopped at a mini mart for more food and drink supplies ($13), and to take short break. There was a 10-15mph headwind, now, out of the north, which was a bit of a bother. I rode until sunset, still sort of in the mountains looking for stealth camping, but wasn’t seeing much. I found a pay-for state park campground, and went in to check things out. There was only one other couple there, and I checked to see if they’d be willing to share their site, but the woman said ‘no,’ it’s only $5, it’s our state park, and it’s worth it – to which I agreed. (I *was* being just a bit too cheap.) Just to verify, however, I checked with the campground host, to see if cyclists had to pay. He didn’t know, and the signage didn’t mention cyclists, either. I paid, anyway. In situations like this, which have come up before, I could have easily stealth camped the place and snuck out in the early morning, but I won’t do that. Even *I* have standards about such things. (N45 20.489’ W118 13.838’) I set up my tent by 7:30pm and munched, drank and read until 8:50pm, when I went to sleep. This site wasn’t a very good one as it was right next to the roadway, though below it by a good 50’. The traffic noise was still fairly loud, though, plus there were train tracks not very far away, and their horns woke me up a bit during the night. I’ve had better stealth camps, but as I found out the next day, there weren’t any other options for a good long while, so in hindsight, it was still the best choice – I lucked-out on that one.

Day Two Hundred-twenty, 091006 - Baker City, OR

Day Two Hundred-twenty, Date Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Time in Saddle: 6:47
Distance for the Day: 62.63 miles From Payette To Baker City, OR
Accumulated Trip Distance: 11,014 miles
Altitudes: Starting/Ending 2151’/4045’, Highest: 4058’ Accumulated: 2967’
Speeds: Avg: 9.3 mph, Max: 24.7 mph
Weather: 43° clear with cumies over the hill, very light breezes
Expenditures: $0

Woke up at 8:15am and got up at 8:20am in the spare bedroom of the Leslie M’s parents Leo and Linda in Payette. I handled a bit more email, checked the weather one more time, and then went downstairs to eat a wonderful pastry Linda bought for me in anticipation of my possible arrival. They had squirrel and bird feeders outside, visible from their large dining room window, that were a hoot to watch. Leo had access to somebody’s corn field (there are a lot of them around these parts) and had a huge stockpile of dried corn to feed the squirrels not only at his house, but also at the local retirement home for the amusement of the old folks, there, too. I thanked them and said my farewells at 9:50am, and continued up Hwy 52 towards Baker City.

I got food and drink at a mini mart ($4) and continued on in good riding conditions (clear, cool, low wind), crossing into Oregon at 10:53am. Right about then, I realized I blew the daily stats for the day because I forgot to reset my altimeter and cyclometer – I hate it when I do that. Now I’d have to figure out mileage from the mapping program, and would have to ‘guestimate’ altitude gains. Another road construction segment along the way required me to load me and my stuff into another road construction crew’s truck to get past it all. I have to say: road construction people are really nice and helpful people. Every single time I’ve come up against difficult or dangerous road construction situations, the crews have gone out of their way to help me through. As I was being carried through this construction zone, I took pictures of the Snake River from the truck, and in a matter of minutes, we arrived at the other end of the construction zone. The two ladies and I de-trucked my trike (I severely risked back injury by lowering my trike while standing in the truck bed – it’s a good thing I’ve taken to doing stomach exercises every day). I had to take an immediate trip down a side road to handle an emergency nature call, and forged on. Several more miles up the road, I stopped at 1pm to eat lunch and read my book at a picturesque picnic spot by the river. It was very peaceful, with huge cloud shadows lumbering over a high hill across the river. Of course, there was a port-a-potty there. It never fails to amaze me how often the things we need show up *after* we need them. I continued on at 1:28pm, and at 1:34pm, it became 2:34pm (I passed into the Pacific Time Zone, just a bit past/west of Huntington), still heading towards Baker City. I love passing through time zones – it really gives me a sense of accomplishment – even more so than state borders. I even had a light tailwind to help push me along – Life just don’t get no better than this.

As the afternoon passed into evening, I began to look for a suitable stealth camp, and spied a good possibility; a dirt road in good condition that led away from the highway. At first, I looked at a tree immediately off the roadside that had level ground around it, but on closer inspection, found a lot of dried horse poop – no goodnick. A bit further on, I entered a large, roughly circular storage yard that didn’t seem to be getting much use, and found a spot out of the wind behind a big pile of dirt and some concrete road barriers (N44 40.320’ W117 37.334’). I was visible from the highway, but about 200 yards from it, so I doubted anyone would notice me, especially in the gathering dark. It was windy and cold – into the low 40s or upper 30s – and the sky was completely clear. It was going to be very cold tomorrow morning. I set up my tent, cloaked my trike, and hopped in with munchies, drink, and book. To keep from lighting up my tent, thus making it visible to the general public, I ate first, and then read under the cover of my sleeping bag. With sunset now happening an hour earlier, around 6:30pm, instead of 7:30pm (due to the change in the time zone I passed through earlier today), I hit the hay earlier, too – around about 8pm. I’d seen rabbits run for cover under the concrete barriers when I first arrived, and heard them squeaking and hissing fairly nearby once. After I put in my earplugs, the only thing I could sort of hear was the traffic from the highway, which didn’t stop me from falling quickly to sleep.

Day Two Hundred-nineteen, 091005 - Payette, ID

Day Two Hundred-nineteen, Date Monday, October 5, 2009
Time in Saddle: 7:32
Distance for the Day: 62.4 miles From Boise To Payette, ID
Accumulated Trip Distance: 10,957 miles
Altitudes: Starting/Ending 2803’/2151’, Highest: 2803’ Accumulated: 447’
Speeds: Avg: 9.4 mph, Max: 22.6 mph
Weather: 47° light rain, stopping by mid-afternoon but remaining overcast
Expenditures: $8

I got up at 6:00am this morning to say ‘bye’ to Leslie before she left for work. She was preparing for a wet ride to work, and laughed because it took her about 15 minutes to prepare for a 20 minute ride. I then went back to sleep, until 7am, when I got up again to say ‘bye’ to Bob, who was also going to work. I thanked both of them for hosting me, and was pleased in the knowledge that they had a wonderful life, and would have many good times ahead of them. I spent a bit more time online, then geared-up for the light rain and somewhat cold temps (the new mittens would get their first road test, today), said goodbye to Angus and Glenna, went out to Bob’s studio in the backyard, rolled out my trike, and promptly stepped on a dog poo, which got all into my shoe’s toe clip. After washing it off at the hose, I carefully navigated the rest of the backyard lawn, and made it safely out the gate by 9:42am to the street (whew!, or is that phew?) I guess even Paradise has *some* problems ;-)

I began wending my way north and west, stopped in at the local Walmart to pick up some trailmix by 10:51am, and rolled through the outskirts of Boise, watching the now familiar transfer from urban to rural neighborhoods. I stopped in Emmett at 2:20pm for a Subway Footlong sandwich meal deal ($8), and did the usual ‘eat half, save the other half for tomorrow’ routine. The sky was still mostly cloudy, but the light rain had stopped, and didn’t return. I didn’t get as far as I thought I might, and arrived in Payette at approx 6:30pm. It was late afternoon/early evening, and I decided to take up Leslie’s offer to stay with her parents, Leo and Linda L, overnight, there. I found their house at 7:08pm (Approx N44° 4 W116° 55), rang the doorbell, and I didn’t even have to introduce myself – they were expecting me! (Thanks, Leslie!) I tried to take a line out of Charles Dickens’ classic tale, A Christmas Carol, by saying imperiously, “I am the cyclist whose coming was foretold to you!” but I blew it. Moments lost (sigh).

They stuffed me with a wonderful roast beef dinner, including a potato/carrot/onion dish, and buttered garlic bread – yummm! Leo showed me tons of pictures of his family’s events and outings, and I showed him bunches of my trip photos. They don’t have wi-fi, but there’s an unsecured signal from a neighbor, so I was able to use that to research the weather, handle more email, and post a review of my hosts (Leslie and Bob) on the Warmshowers website. Of course, it was highly complimentary. I didn’t need a shower, so I put my sleeping bag on the floor of their upstairs guest room, and had a lovely warm, dry, quiet sleep. Ahhhh!

Day Two Hundred-eighteen, 091004 - Boise, ID

Day Two Hundred-eighteen, Date Sunday, October 4, 2009
Time in Saddle: n/a
Distance for the Day: n/a
Accumulated Trip Distance: n/a
Altitudes: n/a
Speeds: n/a
Weather: 40°
Expenditures: $94

(I got a picture for today, and posted it.) I woke up again at 8am along with everyone else, and had a toasted bagel with whipped cream cheese (makes spreading it easier – what an idea!) I continued blogging, when brother-in-law Dave showed up with tales and pictures from his fishing trip to Alaska, from which he’d just returned. He caught 175 lbs of BIG fish, saw grizzly bears, and was kept up by a drunk mountain man who was their guide; in other words, a great time was had by all. He took off after a while, and we later went out to go shopping at REI and have lunch at a Mexican restaurant (I treated my hosts, this time) ($25). At REI, I got a nice pair of waterproof mittens, a can of bicycle degreaser, and a whistle/compass/match holder (which I use to hold my earplugs) (to replace the one I lost the other day) ($69). We then returned home, where I degreased and cleaned my trike’s chain and drive components, and re-lubed them. Bob found a nut and bolt to replace the screw I had jury-rigged to (sort of) hold my rear wheel fender, so that was now much more secure. I then went back into the main house to continue blogging. Bob showed me his electronic chanter, which I expressed an interest in, earlier. The chanter is the flute-like part of a bagpipe rig, and an electronic one works just like a real one, but doesn’t need air – just finger contact. It’s heard through earphones, so you can use it anywhere, without disturbing anyone else. Very cool. Leslie cooked up a terrific dinner of (ack! I forget – pork stew?) and corn bread. Anyways, it was wonderful. We talked about their experiences in Ireland and Scotland, about our ancestors, and about the Japanese internment during WWII. Afterwards, I went back to blogging, and because she would have to get up early the next morning, Leslie and I said our farewells before she went to bed. Bob also went to bed, but he would probably be around to see me off. I stayed up until 1am finishing my blogs, uploading them, adding the pictures, and making them available.

Day Two Hundred-seventeen, 091003 - Boise, ID

Day Two Hundred-seventeen, Date Saturday, October 3, 2009
Time in Saddle: n/a
Distance for the Day: n/a
Accumulated Trip Distance: n/a
Altitudes: n/a
Speeds: n/a
Weather: 41°
Expenditures: $0

I woke up at 7:30am to the tender kisses of Angus, and shooed him away, and dozed for another half hour before getting up at 8am, when Leslie and Bob also arose. Leslie fixed us ‘egg mcmuffins,’ of bacon, cheese and fried egg on English muffins – tasty! It was overcast and cool, but not raining, yet, so they went for a mountain bike ride, while I continued blogging. They came back, and after a while, we all piled in Bob’s car and went to a small event where Bob and his pipe band (as in, bag pipe band) were to play at. Unfortunately, the weather was cold and windy, so there weren’t many people there, but they played anyways, and I enjoyed the heck out of it. I love bagpipe music, and they sounded great. After their gig – about 40 or so minutes, they finished and went playing and marching right into the restaurant that was doing the event, and we all got a private room where they served nachos and beer. We all yakked up a storm, while warming up. After a few hours, everyone drifted away to go home, and so did we. Bob and Leslie’s friends Robert and Sharon came a bit later that afternoon (also avid cyclists), so we all went out to dinner at a local pizza restaurant. We chatted the whole evening while munching on two large pizzas and beer (root beer, for me). Afterwards, we went back to Bob and Leslie’s, and I blogged more, while everyone else went to bed. Today, I only stayed up until 12:30am before hitting the hay.