Day 10/May 11
We heard that there were some great wineries in the Kennewick area, so went that way instead of to Walla Walla, which is also known for its wineries. Our directions into Kennewick were for drivers, not cyclists, so we endured a lot of horn honking and line hugging into town. We later realized that we should have planned our own route into town.

We stayed at the excellent Clover Island Hotel, which really helped us put some things in perspective. We were disappointed that the wineries were 20 minutes away – by car. Do you know how far that is by bike? Some other time.

Of course, we found some other diversions and headed to the local museum that gave us plenty of information about Kennewick Man, who was discovered near here by a boy who was trying to get away with not paying admission to the boat race, which would pass by on the river just outside our hotel room. We were intrigued by the museum and the story of this find.

That alone was not enough to satisfy us, so we headed out to the Sacajawea State Park, which had an extraordinary exhibit on this female legacy. We learned about the proper pronunciation of her name and a lot about the Lewis and Clark expedition. This detour was definitely a worthwhile one in spite of our disappointment of not visiting any wineries.

We bicycled a lot in town and headed to a good local restaurant back in town. We really wished that we could have spent another day here as we enjoyed this town very much. But duty called and we would have to push on.

Day 11/ May 12

We had a very pleasant ride today and could see the mountains looming large far ahead. How long would it be before we started cranking up the passes and have to challenge our untrained legs? We can’t use the untrained excuse anymore because we have already many miles on our legs. So far we have survived any challenge presented us. There has to be something that will hit us hard very soon.

We pedaled in the heat again with little relief from the sun. We noticed some huge vineyards, but passed by too early to sample any of the product. We eventually reached the town of Dayton and stayed in our first converted-trailer motel. This is a new concept to us. Basically a trailer gets divided into several sections. For some reason, I always assume that I am in an Easy Bake Oven and have heightened awareness of my surroundings in these structures. I think far too much about becoming a chocolate chip cookie as I bake in my metal surroundings.

At least, there is a nice brewery in town. Check out my visit with the brewmaster at the bottom of the original post.

http://www.portlandtoportland.com/invisible-snakes/

I can’t believe that I forgot to take a look at the hops plants.

Day 9/May 10
We spent some of the day on the Interstate again, but were very happy that there were some road options today. We got off and took the back way in to Umatilla. The landscape is still rather scrubby and we miss the trees. There’s no finding shade around here.

It took some time finding a place to stay because there were several construction projects going on in the area. We finally found a spot that was reasonably close to the bridge that we would cross to get back into Washington.We knew that there was a pedestrian bridge, but didn’t see directions to it, so we headed to the visitor center to get directions from them. If you are neither a cyclist nor a pedestrian, these details are meaningless, so not on your radar. This was the case with the tourist office. Although very helpful with anything that we asked, they had no clue where to access the pedestrian/cycling way across the bridge.

We left to see if we could find it ourselves and came across it just 1/4 mile from the tourist office. Just so that they could help future cyclists, we went back to the tourist office and told them where the access spot for cyclists was. It wasn’t well-marked at all.

After we left the office, we walked back along the trail and on to the grocery store. We found a restaurant that served freedom fries, something that we didn’t realize still existed. Oddly enough, this restaurant had many photos of French landmarks. Go figure.

This was our last day of riding in Oregon. One state down and a lot to go.

After finishing our trip across the continent last year, I swore that I would never do such a thing again. So why am I wishing that I were doing such a thing again? I really can’t do the trip again and certainly can’t be away for 75 days, but thought it would be nice to reminisce the trip. Of course, I have already missed a few days as we started cycling on the May 2. Because I was so tired the first few days and also didn’t have internet, I got the first parts of the trip a little bit out of order, but I will try to relive all the days of the trip. Looks like since today is the 6th, I need to at least get up to that date in pretty quick order.

Arrival Day/May 1 – no cycling

We arrived in Portland early in the day and a fellow WSL member had responded to my query about transportation options that went to Astoria before the late afternoon. Cindi, a most generous fellow cyclist volunteered to drive us out to Astoria, which is not just a few blocks from her home. We feel that this set the tone for the trip; the kindness of strangers added many high notes to our trip. We still keep in touch with Cindi and hope that someday we can offer her similar hospitality. We have always been impressed by the generosity, support and advice of fellow touring cyclists.

We enjoyed lunch together and as we left the restaurant some guy got fairly close into my personal space. I didn’t recognize my own brother who was waiting outside the Cannery Restaurant, which is neither near nor affiliated with the Cannery Pier Hotel. It was just a coincidence that he was there. We bid farewell to Cindi and her friend and hopped into my brother’s car for an extensive tour of the area. Forts, bunkers and columns. We did it all and then had dinner, which got us back to our very comfortable hotel, The Cannery Pier rather too late to enjoy it. This was a planning mistake on my part. I figured that we had most of the afternoon to see the sights and hang out with my brother. We really needed another day, even though we didn’t really plan on heading out of Astoria until later in the afternoon the next day. We really should have known better. Being on EST, we were rather tired when we arrived back at the hotel. The bikes still sat in their boxes, which we had shipped there via FedEx.

Day 1/May 2 to Cathlamet Island

We definitely had to dip our wheels in the Pacific on this cold and windy day. Being pressed for time, we put the bikes on a city bus and headed out to Warrenton. We found a convenient spot in the state park to access the Pacific, where we encountered another touring cyclist. Little did we know that he would be one of just a handful that we would meet along the next 3377 miles to the Atlantic.

We dipped the wheels without being washed out into the rough and cold sea and headed back to Astoria. Being only my second day using clipless, I forgot that I was clipped in and took a spill on one of the trails in the park. I ripped my tights making it simple for the blood to gush out from my knee. I really wasn’t planning on crashing and using the first aid kit within the first 5 miles of the trip. Not an auspicious start.
We returned to the hotel, realizing that we hadn’t really had time to enjoy it as we should have. We reluctantly checked out and headed to downtown.

We had an excellent lunch at Clemente’s (click here to hear a podcast with the owner)and then visiting the wonderful Columbia River Maritime Museum. Too bad that we didn’t plan another entire day here. Astoria is definitely a place that we would visit again since it offers so much considering its size.

The afternoon was quickly slipping by so we thought it wise to get on the road. We would never, ever ride this route again. Although this is part of Adventure Cycling’s Lewis and Clark route, it sure isn’t an ideal route for cycling. If you are comfortable with narrow roads with occasional shoulders, broken pavement on the road’s edge and large and fast logging trucks, you might not mind the ride. We don’t find any of the above conditions ideal, so felt endangered. In fact, a lumber truck nearly brushed my bicycle as I was going downhill on the wet pavement due to the rain that started shortly after we hit the road. I thought for sure that I had ridden my final mile, but somehow had the strength to keep the bike in a straight line and on the pavement.

I rested a few times along the way, often just to clean the debris and raindrops that spotted my glasses. This road was bad enough and seeing might be helpful. My stress level was high and the ride was not one bit enjoyable.

We finally approached the turnoff where we would take the ferry, noticing some stuggling cyclists climbing up toward Astoria as we coasted down. We waited just a short time for the ferry to Cathlamet Island where we easily found our WSL hosts for the night.

They were such pleasant people and offered such wonderful hospitality that I thought again that we should have spent another day in Astoria, so that we could have a more restful time here. But, duty called.

Read the rest of this entry »

Used on recent transcontinental tour for 2.5 months. All original components, with new front and rear tires. Some minor scratches from normal wear and larger scratch on downtube.
Equipped as new. Jannd front rack added and included.

Please note that the Novara sizing is different. This bike fit a 5’8″ rider comfortably.
It is a 52 cm frame.

This is a great touring bicycle, but overkill for our current needs. Our old clunkers serve us fine for the type of riding that we are doing. Wish that we had another long tour on the calendar. Since we don’t we hate to see this bicycle sitting instead of touring.

$700 – local pickup or you pay shipping.

We haven’t done any touring since the big one, and barely any bicycling at all. But, that is all to change soon. Our next very short tour will be one along the Gulf Coast of Florida.
We had considered doing the Keys, but decided that a car would be better for touring in that area.

In searching for bike routes, I came across the Bike Florida site and saw that they had a ride in basically the area that we would be in. Their route uses several rail trails, which sound intriguing. We would be there earlier than this ride, so wouldn’t consider riding with them. We don’t particular like riding with hordes of other people whose riding styles we aren’t familiar with.

Cost is another issue for us. It would cost us $720 to camp and get fed for the week. This option is good for those who want somebody else to do the planning, a sag and luggage assistance. For those of use who have planned many a trip and are on a budget, we can resort to our own resources. We are pretty certain that we can eat and camp for five nights for less than $144 per night. In fact, we think that we can stay in motels for less than that amount.

While the Bike Florida route piqued our interest, it grew with the help of Gina who answered a request on phred.org board for assistance with route planning. It’s so nice that all of us who tour are so willing to offer our expertise to other touring cyclists. Gina may even ride with us for a day if our schedules work out.

I thanked Gina profusely for her help. Recently, I have put together detailed cycling routes with hotel suggestions for several people. I am happy to help anybody with route planning, but do wish that they might thank me for taking the time to help them. I also enjoy hearing how their trips went.

You might get the idea that I had abandoned the blog. Don’t worry. I was thinking the same thing, but have not abandoned the blog. Obviously the theme will change a bit as it will focus more on general bicycle touring rather than that so distant transcontinental adventure.

Shortly after that trip, we both vowed that we would never do anything that long again. We generalized and didn’t even bicycle for some time. But now, we are thinking of taking our bicycles down to Florida and doing a short tour. We will be there earlier than the Bicycle Florida organized trip, but since we will be in that general vicinity, we are thinking of replicating that ride.
The amount of rail trails appeals to us, but we know little about road conditions and traffic off the trails. Initial research doesn’t show too many map resources and certainly not a bike map of Florida.

It’s time to post to a touring board and get some input from members who have toured the area. Florida is a looooong drive from Upstate New York, but it’s easier to take our bikes with us in a car rather than packing them for a plane ride and paying the fees that almost amount to another passenger fare.

I am going to the Cruise3Sixty conference in Fort Lauderdale and then going on a cruise aboard MSC. After this, we will visit a friend who lives near Tampa and then go bicycling in that part of Florida.

Check out my newest blog and travel planning venture:

http://www.cruisebugchatter.com

http://www.cruisebugvacations.com

That’s how many miles we traveled from the beach in Warrenton, Oregon to Portland, Maine.
It took awhile for me to even check the computer. That’s sad, isn’t it? Even more impressive than the mileage, whether the mileage is impressive or not, is the total altitude gain. Gosh, now I need to look that up.

I am not sure that the altimeter worked properly. It seems that it should have been in the six-figure range for all the climbing we did. I read about a ride in NY that was only a few hours long that claimed to have a significant elevation gain in relatively few miles. That made me think that the folks who came up with the figures either exaggerated or maybe I just don’t have a concept of altitude gain. My thighs and lungs sure do.

It’s sad to note that after the trip, I didn’t ride my bicycle for a long while. In fact, I just got on it a few days ago to take a short spin-7 miles- down the bicycle trail. Because I used my hybrid, I had trouble adjusting to the toe clips. From habit, I tried twisting my foot out of the clips. A perfect way to topple the bike along with me on its side.

My ride was uneventful, but I felt that I hadn’t ridden for an eternity. Unleashed dogs along the way caused the nice scar on my knee to throb. Maybe those were Pavlov’s dogs on the trail.

I am as anxious now to go on a multi-day ride as I was to be finished with the trek across the country. Now that I am back into my same old daily routine, I am ready for a change. We are off to the UK and hope to do some cycling on the Isle of Man and in some other spots if we can find some bicycles for hire.

It seems long ago that we rolled in to Reed Point Montana, but I still haven’t forgotten the strong crosswinds and the rain that we fought on the way into town. We stayed at the Old West style Hotel Montana where we got an overview of the annual Running of the Sheep, from owner, Russ.
This event happens in 2007 on Sunday, September 2, so if you are in the area – and nobody is inadvertently in that area – take a long drive out there to watch this quirky event. If you can’t make it, listen to Russ talk about the event, which he organized several years ago.

Standard Podcast Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Trek 520(TM) is the touring model in the brand’s line. This particular model, purchased in April of 2007 is the 19″ size. I used it for about 3500 miles during a transcontinental cycling trip.
The bicycle is black as are all of the2007 models.

It comes equipped as described on the Trek page, with the exception of the saddle, which is NOT included.

The bike has some signs of normal wear and the downtube got scratched in the shipping process.
The brake levers are also scratched due to a crash that resulted from being attacked by a dog.

The rear tire has been replaced with one that is the same as the original and has zero miles on it. The rear brake pads are also new.

This is a great bike for somebody looking to tour.

$900
Buyer to pay for shipping or arrange pick-up in the Albany NY area.
Leave a posting in the comments section if you are interested in more details.

It’s been over a week since we’ve been home and not going anywhere by bike didn’t seem strange for the first few days home. But now, I am antsy to get on the bike and go somewhere. The problem is that I don’t really have a bike anymore. We decided that it wasn’t practical to let the expensive (at least for us) bikes just sit for months and wait to be ridden again. Our old bikes are perfectly good for the touring that we plan on doing. We have absolutely no plans for an extended tour like the one we just did.
For one, who can take off so much time? And who can afford it? Obviously, there are some people who can do this, but we see that some do this by begging. It’s seems logical that before one plans on such a tour, that they have the means to afford it, because it isn’t cheap. Yes, we have a donation button on our site and had some generous contributors and greatly appreciated their donations to the cause, but that button is also for those who enjoy reading the site and wish to contribute what they would spend for buying a magazine or other publication. We certainly never expected anybody to finance our trip as I see that some people with supposed causes are doing. That isn’t to say that there aren’t legitimate causes that use bicycle touring as a vehicle( no pun intended, really) to make the public aware of their message. But, then there are others who have thinly veiled their escape from the real world as a supposed cause. One particular case is one that I will avoid mentioning and avoid visiting because most of their posts spend inordinate amounts of time begging. I am evil, but don’t want to add to their hits as much as I would like to see how they have progressed, since their ride amounted to very few miles in very many days.

Back to those bikes for sale. My bike has no seat, but sure looks forlorn sitting in its corner with motionless wheels and unladen frame. My old Specialized will suffice for doing short tours and rides to our other house. I would never just take the Trek 520 for a short ride to the grocery store. If you know anybody looking for two nice touring bikes, we are in possession of them. Send a comment to us and we will get in touch.

Not hopping on the bike everyday didn’t phase me at all. I think that I was ready to be finished with the tour, but now I am getting antsy and am thinking of doing a short tour. Riding around Lake Champlain still appeals to me as does just doing a short overnight ride. We found an excellent route out of here to the east. As long as we don’t go beyond North Adams and up the hairpin hell, we are good.