Day 5 - 35 Miles East of John Day OR to Ontario OR

Today was our our longest ride (122 miles), but it was generally downhill. The elevation started at 5,100 feet and finished at about 2,300 feet. The day started with a 1,000 foot descent over about 5 miles and a few miles later we were climbing right back up to 5,100 feet. After that it was a long and steady descent with an occasional small climb. We traveled on Hwy 26 and 17 to Baker City. The shoulder of these roads were great. We stopped in Baker City so Matt could check a local bike shop for a part. While we were there, we noticed that storms were developing along the mountain ridges. We still had about 80 miles to go for the day. We headed south into a strong head wind, which made the going a bit tough, even though it was downhill. We rode Old Hwy 30 most of the way. This road ran parallel to Interstate 84/30. We would be forced to ride the interstate for about 12 miles. After about 25 miles, the wind changed directions and the ride became a lot easier. It didn't take long to notice that the reason for the change in the direction of the wind was that the storms were getting closer, ever so slowly. With about 40 miles to go, road work bit us again today. About 6 miles of the route dropped to one lane. It would not have been bad, except this was the section of the ride that we rode on interstate. Larry transported us one at a time through this section and were were back on the road. The terrain was now very arid and the temperatures soared into the low 90s.

From the time Larry dropped us off, it was a race against the approaching storm. The wind was 20 - 25 mph with gusts higher than that. For the most part, it was a tail wind. Every now and then you could feel a few rain drops, but we managed to make it to the hotel dry. We actually had time to shower, eat and clean our bikes before the rain came.

Day 4 - Mitchell Oregon to 35 Miles East of John Day Oregon

Day 4 started out with a 1,500 foot climb with some of the steepest grades so far. This particular climb also helped me understand how to use a heart monitor to keep from burning your legs. You get to the top a bit slower, but you can climb many more ascents if you monitor your heart rate as you climb.

Road work forced us to transport our bikes in the support vehicle for approximately 6 miles. I actually got a ride through this road work area from a local truck driver. During this short 6 mile ride, he shared several stories with me, including some about running moonshine with his dad back during the 1940s. It was an interesting ride, and after he dropped me off, we got back on our bikes and rode another 45 miles. We finished this 105 mile day with another 1,500 foot climb and a 1,000 foot climb (with grades similar to that of the first climb of the day) in the last 20 miles. The good news was that we will start Day 5 with a descent. We wound up with a total climb of almost 6,000 feet for the day.

As we packed up our bikes at the end of the day, a woman from the area stopped by to tell us that a friend of hers had seen two cougars recently in this area. We quickly packed and got back to the hotel.

Day 3 - 40 Miles East of Government Camp to Mitchell Oregon

We got a late start today as we went back to Portland overnight and had to drive 80 miles to the start of Day 3. The route started out flat and 15 miles into the ride we had a 1,200 foot descent. As we descended, I could see heat rising off the road. This was a good indication that the climbs today were going to take a bigger tow on our bodies. We rode 112 miles today with a total climb of almost 4,800. The temperatures made it into the 80s. The last ascent of the day was about 30 miles long with grades that ranged in the 3-6 percent range. We finished the day with a 12 mile descent with grades that ranged between 5-7 percent. The temperature had broken by then and the ride downhill was a great way to finish the day. Unfortunately, we will start our ride tomorrow with a 1,500 foot climb over the first 10 miles with similar grades. It would have been very difficult to make it through the day without Larry who provided support. His presence on this ride allow us to travel light. We carry minimal nutrition and liquids as we can replenish what we use every 5 to 10 miles (more often on some climbs).

The ride back to the hotel got us up close and personal with 4 deers. Luckily (and thanks to Larry's quick reaction) the deers and our support vehicle both made it through this encounter and continued on their way unharmed.

Day 2 - Portland to 40 Miles East of Government Camp

Today we headed out of Portland toward Mt Hood for an 80 mile ride. We will do the last 35 miles of Day 2 tomorrow along with 82 miles of Day 3. This turned out to be a very wise decision as the ride to Government Camp had grades that varied between 5 - 7 percent and wound up with a total of 5,777 feet of climb for the day. We were glad to get out of the saddle at the 80 mile mark. Despite the harsh climb, we still averaged over 15 mph (as it turns out we managed to burn our legs a bit more than we should have).

The temperatures stayed between 54 and 68 degrees and at times during the climb and descent we opted for cool weather gear which was always available thanks to Larry. I'm not going to complain too much about the weather as it is better to be a little cool than ride in hot weather. The hot weather will come all too soon. The scenery was once again spectacular. It is hard to put into words the the feeling you get riding a bike in this vast wilderness. Hard to believe but there was still snow on the ground when we hit the summit at Government Camp.

The bike lane (shoulder of Hwy 26) was wide and for the most part free of loose rock, at least until we crested the summit. On the descent from Government Camp, the shoulder got narrower and there was a considerable amount of loose rock.

Even though I rode about 5,000 miles this year preparing for this ride, I was not ready for the climbs that Oregon gave me today (and the rest of the week for that matter). I'm sure that as I progress across the state, my legs will get stronger.

Day 1 - Astoia to Portland

The long awaited start of RAA happened today in Astoria Oregon. We drove 100 miles from Lake Oswego to Astoria in overcast skies with scattered showers. We rode back to Portland in similar weather. Although we encountered heavy traffic, the road had a wide shoulder. It took me about fifty miles to start feeling comfortable with traffic. The route was somewhat flat compared to the next four days, but did contain a steep climb and descend 38 miles into the ride. One of the "scattered showers" for the day produced a wet roadway for our descent from this climb resulting a cautious descent. At the 53 mile mark we met up with Bud Morris, an avid biker, who lives near Portland with whom we share a mutual friend. Bud pointed out many of the areas land marks and took us on a scenic ride through Portland to complete the day's ride. We arrived in Portland with partly cloudy skies.

All in all, the first days ride was great. The Oregon country side is beautiful. The excitement of the first days ride kept our pace brisk along with Bud's efforts pulling us down the road. We were able to rotate the three of us through a small pace line, each leading for about two miles at a time. One thing was evident by the time we reached Oregon, Bud (although 65) was the strongest of the three riders. We stopped our ride for the day on the east side of the bridge so we could avoid the commuter traffic in the morning. Larry hauled both the bikes and the riders back to Matt's place. We cleaned our bikes and prepared a meal, but even before we could finish our meal it was evident that we had hit the wall. A good night's sleep was in order.

Since we arrived in Portland a day earlier than planned, we started the ride on Tuesday rather than Wednesday. This will allow us to stretch the distance for the first four days over five days. An over aggressive planner (me) failed to take into consideration the impact that the long climbs will have on the riders, especially in the early stages of RAA. This will cause a few logistical problems but well worth the resulting inconveniences.

Ride Across America - Getting Started

After spending a week in Florida on a family vacation, I began my journey to Astoria Oregon to begin a bike ride across America which will cover some 3,600 miles over thirty days and end on Plum Island in Newburyport Massachusetts. This is a trip that I have been thinking about doing for several years. For lots of reasons, the summer of 2008 turned out to be the best time to make this dream a reality.

As it turns out the summer of 2008 is also a good time for a good friend of mine, Matt Joseph, to join me for a Ride Across America ("RAA"). Matt worked with me for a few years before moving to Oregon last August where his wife Christina is attending PA school. Matt will be attending law school this fall at University of Texas law school in Austin. Most of what I told you about Matt is not really important but you should know that he is about the same age as Ryan, my oldest son.

I started planning the trip on January 1st and have received help from numerous individuals (you can read about them under the tab "Thanks" on the home page - although I probably won't get this posted for a few days). The hope was that all planning would be done by June 17th such that the only thing we had to worry about was riding our bikes. Two other good friends of mine - Larry Hart and Bob Loch - will be driving support for our trip. Larry will drive for 23 days and Bob Loch will drive for 7 days.

Although I didn't plan for this to happen, I wound up driving 3,000 miles in three days from Florida to Oregon to begin RAA. We arrived at Matt's home in Lake Oswego Oregon on Monday evening at 11:00 PM (pacific time). Tuesday morning we will drive 100 miles to Astoria Oregon where RAA will begin, hopefully around 9:00 AM.