Out of the Fire into the Wind and Hills

8/30/2006: Day 11, 62.9 miles; Total 425.2 Miles

We got the early start this AM. It was the coolest day of the trip so far. It was 56 degrees at the start and not expected to get much above 70 all day. It was also very windy all day. The TB slept in the Van with an electric cord through Sam Patel’s Room 14 screen door. He swears he didn’t make the hole in the screen it was just handy! He had an egg sandwich for me as I came out the door and we drove the 4 miles back to the Lewis and Clark Campground where I had stopped yesterday. He dropped me off and went back to the motel and I pedaled in to greet him in about half an hour. On my way into town several dozen fire fighter groups coming in to help with what is called the Dayton Complex Fire passed me. It has now burned over 125 square miles just south of Dayton, but we neither saw nor smelled it in the motel or town. At the gas station beside the motel a lady was selling Dayton Complex Fire t-shirts and all the fire fighters (and me) were buying. Too bad she didn’t have the state (Washington) on the shirts as most of the fire fighters (and me) are from out of state. But we all still bought!

We are starting to get into 2000 foot mountains but the climbs aren’t bad; I can pedal more than half of them and I don’t at all mind walking a few miles up, and rather enjoy it. I noticed at the 51.5-mile mark we would be at our highest summit to date (2750 feet) and then there would be a 10-mile down hill to the Snake River and the Chief Timothy Park Campground. The way I figured was that I could get 10 free miles if I just do 51.5, so that was the plan.

There was supposed to be a town named Delaney at 20 miles; it did not exist. At 28.5 was the city of Dodge, 3 houses! There then was a 1500-foot climb over about twenty miles to the town of Pomeroy, population 1517. At Dodge a Washington DOT worker cleaning the roadside restroom told us about the campground and that the downhill was significant and could be dangerous for bikes and trucks! He assured me there was a run-a-way truck ramp near the bottom if I needed it!

Pomeroy is a very historic town and the TB said each storefront had a right-up giving the history of the establishment or the houses. Many went back to the early 1800’s and one had been the doctor’s office. One started off as the bank but went out in the 1939 crash but is a bank again today.

As I was leaving Pomeroy I saw my first westbound long distance bicyclist, Jim from Boulder, Colorado. Jim didn’t want to give me his last name so I asked him if he had anything to do with the Ramsey case and he said he did not. He was poor and her family was rich so he never met them. He wasn’t up on the news so I told him the DA dropped the case.

Jim from Boulder is quite the cyclist. He has ridden from San Diego across country to St Augustine, Florida and back to Boulder! He was on the gulf coast not long after Katrina, but can’t remember if he went through Pensacola, my hometown. Jim pointed out that he wouldn’t carry a handle bar bag as it makes the bike handle too “squirrelly.” That’s just the problem I’m having with the Stallion, so I vowed to try it without the bag. Jim carries all his gear and when he saw the TB he said, I have a van just like that, but it’s at home; I think he thought I was lucky. He carries two panniers on his front wheels (low riders he called them, almost dragging the ground) and two on the real wheels with a big bedroll on top of the rear wheel. He uses two fenders and said they don’t slow him down and keep his feet a lot warmer in rain. He camps some but also uses quite a few motel rooms “if they are cheap enough.” I told him of the lack of fire evidence in Dayton, and he said he was in thick smoke in Clarkston and Lewiston and in Idaho for several miles before entering Washington. He also told me the hill I was hoping to get the free mileage was a humdinger. He had to walk and pedal slowly and fight wind to get up it and his average for the day was less than 8 MPH, very low for him. Then I made the mistake of asking how many miles he averages per day. Three days ago he did 113 miles in one day; I shouldn’t have asked. However, he did say he averaged about 11-14 miles per hour and that’s about my average also; so the solution is, I need to stay out on the road longer, but that will take some more time. So finally I bid Jim from Boulder good-bye and was on my way out of Pomeroy to tackle those hills and the 2750-foot Sweeney Gulch Peak. I probably walked a mile of it but had an intense trailing wind and was able to go down to my “granny low gear” and pedal part way to the top. Near the top a nice house had a sign out front wishing Debra a happy 17^th birthday. All I saw was the dog!

When I peaked out you could see flat plains all in wheat for 30 or 40 miles. There was a sign that Lewis and Clark came this way on their return trip back to St. Louis. Further back down the hill I stopped and read an historic marker that showed the actual rut marks on the hillside where L & C traveled. The ruts were not made by their several dozen men but were an Indian Trail that existed as a shortcut to the Snake River for thousands of years. The local Nez Perch Indians had given L & C travel directions and advised this return route that saved them several days. It amazed me to see that I traveled US Route 12 through the valley and each time I topped out the mountaintops are perfectly flat plains. The road follows the deep valleys and gulches of the streambeds. Once I peaked out, my 10-mile down hill was before me and my first opportunity to do a 60 plus mile day, or kill myself. I took off the handle bar bag as advised by Jim from Boulder. I checked the tires, the brakes, the pedal cleats, and put on my wind jacket. I was nervous.

I started down. The Stallion loved it. In no time we were at 41 mph. I pulled in the reins and squeezed on the brakes and at about the one mile down mark brought him to a halt. I must admit, he was much more in control as far as steering goes, but the speed was too much for me. We started again and hit 30 in an instant, I applied both front and rear brakes and tried to hold him at 25 or less. Then the TB passed me and pulled in half a mile ahead. I wasn’t so sure I could get the Stallion stopped but I did. The front and rear rims were so hot I couldn’t touch them and the TB confirmed by shouting “ouch, that’s hot.” I had read that the rims could get so hot as to blow a tire, so we gave them some time for cooling. Soon I was on my way again and kept her under control with intermittent bakes and one more complete stop at the run-a-way truck ramp. Also I tried to sit upright and to have my jacket open for braking, but it didn’t help much. After about 5 miles the steepest part was behind us and I coasted five more miles at an acceptable 20-25 mph. Soon I saw the Snake River ahead and our campground with the most beautiful view I have ever seen. The canyons are spectacular and rise 5000 feet from the river and Blue Mountain is just behind my tent.

As I write here in the dark at a picnic table I hear Coyotes howling not far away.

We are less than 10 miles from Idaho. We have done more than 10% of the whole trip. Some might say it’s a piece of cake!