Day 18 June 27, 2016 Ovando, Mt. to Lincoln, Mt. 31.7 miles

If only we could get up and going earlier! I enjoy my morning coffee. I heat water on my cute little backpacking stove and use the Starbucks Via packets. A great way to start the day. But a lady came by and said the sprinklers would start in 8 minutes. Now that is motivation.  We had a good breakfast at The Stray Bullet, and the waitress told us her in-laws live in KC.
More big skies and big hills, and we could see the Rockies in the not too far distance.
The campground in Lincoln was great. It was quiet, and there were nice showers with towels provided!
The only other tent was occupied by a young woman who had stayed next door to us in the motel in Lolo. She was biking with her dog from Astoria, Oregon, to New Orleans. She was pulling the dog,  who I think she said weighs 17 pounds, in a bugger. I can't imagine! She had stayed in the inn at Ovando the night we stayed there, and we passed her on the way to Lincoln. She was moving pretty slowly.
We did set the alarm tonight  because we knew tomorrow was going to be a long day. .

Day 17 June 26, 2016 Missoula, Mt to Ovando, Mt. 55.8 miles

Something I forgot about  crossing Lolo Pass. It's the border between Idaho and Montana, and the border between the Pacific and Mountain time zones. The days here are exceptionally long  compared to Kansas, and daylight seems to go on forever, especially now that we're at the western end of the time zone. That can be a good and bad thing. Oh well.

Once we crossed Lolo Pass,  the terrain opened up, and we were out of the Bitterroot Mountains. East of Missoula,  we rode along the Blackfoot River for awhile  (after stopping to buy cookies and toffee from a 15 year old young man who was raising money for a trip to China with the Missoula Children's  Theater). We are in big sky country now.

Ovando, Montana.  What a cute little town. The map says a population of 81, but Skip, one of the residents we met said it was closer to 60. We set up our tent in the yard of the museum, bought showers ($10 each and worth every penny..towels provided).  Now, we had other choices for sleeping. We could have slept in the hoosegow (jail), or the teepee, or the shepherd's wagon, but we opted for the comfort of our tent. There was also an inn, which I'm guessing was very nice, but we like camping  (for some silly reason). Skip accompanied us to Trixie's (a pretty good walk up the hill) where we ate dinner. Ovando is a cool place.

Day 16 June 24, 2016 Lolo, Mt to Missoula, Mt 12.7 miles

This was supposed to be our day off, but we wanted to spend the day in Missoula. At this point, what's 10 miles anyway?  And there's a trail between the two towns, as well as one through Missoula to the downtown area, which made for very pleasant riding. We found a cheap motel, wandered around town, and had dinner which didn't include any fried foods! That was a treat! And the huckleberry cheesecake was wonderful!
We also learned that the Adventure Cycling office is closed on weekends! That was a disappointment. No Polaroid picture of us on their bulletin board.

Day 15 June 24, 2016 Lochsa Lodge to Lolo, Mt 49.5 miles

I know we told you all that we were planning to average 60 mile/day, but 50 to 60 is more reasonable now that we're doing it.
We woke up to rain, so we ate breakfast in the lodge to watch the weather. We did get a break in the rain, so we got everything packed up and put on our rain gear. It was pretty cool, but we were going to be climbing. It's hard to decide what to wear sometimes. We had a gradual climbing for about 10 miles, then the 'big' climb for 4, and it was drizzly most of the way. Narrow winding road, not much shoulder, and more big trucks than I really cared for. Dave always seems to zip up the road, so I always lose sight of him quickly. It was a good ride, though, and  I reached the pass (5,235 ft.) feeling really good...and soggy, and a bit chilly. There was an exhibit about the area and Lewis and Clark. Their route took them a bit north of the road, and there's a mountain bike/hiking trail which is much more challenging. We changed in preparation for the nearly 30 mile downhill ride.
I was really glad to get to Lolo,  and Dave was waiting for me at the McDonald's. He was sitting with another cross-country cyclist, Brian, from North Carolina. He's riding by himself  east to west, and he was very happy to have someone talk to. He said he had tailwinds riding across Kansas, and made it in  4 days.
We intended to ride the 10 miles to Missoula,  but right as we headed out, a big squall hit and we turned around and checked into the nearest motel. It worked out..we did laundry and I got to watch TV about the Brexit vote. What a shock!

Day 14 June23, 2016 Wilderness Gateway to Lochsa Lodge 41.3 miles

We never get up early enough, and then sometimes someone comes by to talk...which is what happened this morning. A man close to our age stopped by (I thought it was the ranger telling us we hadn't paid enough)  to chat. He works for the fish and game commission,  and he was out there for a week to fish. He told us about all the different kinds of salmon,  how each kind travels upstream different distances to spawn, etc. He also told us that the Clearwater and Lochsa Rivers have only half the water they normally have this time of year due to two weather systems, one El Nino, and one that comes more from the north (Japan to Alaska and down). It caused warmer weather in the spring, and the rains melted the snow in the mountains much earlier than usual. He said those two weather systems occur at the same time.  A really nice guy.
We did finally get going, and we had much the same type of scenery we had yesterday, but we were now riding along the Lochsa River, gradually climbing since we were approaching Lolo Pass. We had decided to stay at Lochsa Lodge tonight so we could tackle the pass early in the day tomorrow. We were able to camp on the grounds of the lodge and buy a (lovely) shower ( towel, soap, and shampoo included!) for $5. Trips like this do make one appreciate simple pleasures! Also camping there were three men, each biking alone, Keith,  Gunnar, and Scott. They were following the Transam route, so they were going over Lolo Pass, then turning south. We hadn't encountered many bikers, so we were happy to see them. (By the way, Keith, if you read this, please contact us (Dave Kass is on Facebook). We'd like to hear how your trip is going.)

Day 13 June 22, 2016 Kamiah, Id. to Wilderness Gateway Park, Id. 59.2 miles

We started out riding along the Middle Fork of three Clearwater River on Highway 12 through the Bitterroot Mountains. This is close to the route Lewis & Clark took going both directions. With the help of the Nez Perce they went up on the ridge north of the highway because the going was too rough down by the river. Traveling through the Bitterroot Mountains was the most difficult part of their trip. The Clearwater begins where the Selway and Lochsa Rivers meet. All three rivers were saved from being dammed by the Wild & Scenic  Rivers act of 1968. We were in steep mountains and pine forests all the way. It was gradual climbing all day, and since the only place with food was about 22 miles from where we had planned to camp, we bought sandwiches and breakfast stuff there and picnicked at the campground.  Our first night without showers. It was a US Forest Service campground.
Another beautiful day, and we still have our tentpoles!

Day 12 June 21, 2016 Winchester, Id. to Kamiah, Id. 48.3 miles

Another tent (pole) story today! And another gorgeous day with more rolling hills and wheat and canola fields,and snow-capped peaks to the south, which we learned were the Seven Devils. On a quiet highway we met a really nice guy who used to race in the US Cycling Federation in addition to having lead an interesting life. (He mentioned something about protecting Reagan in the 80's, among other things. He talked our ears off!) He congratulated us when we said we were riding cross country (as a number of people have).

When we stopped to eat in Kamiah, a young guy from Houston pulled up, and he had ridden over 90 miles that day, including the 8 miles of climbing we had done the day before! Guess we have some work to do! But we'll never be of that caliber because we're too busy having crises. When we got to the KOA campground and began to pitch the tent, we discovered the tent poles were missing. Dave rode back to Kamiah while I checked the maps to see if there were enough towns with motels between here and Missoula. But, miraculously, he found them on the shoulder of the road. 

We pitched the tent by the pond confident that we had found a better way to carry the tent poles, and fell asleep to the sound of bullfrogs croaking. 

Day 11 Lewiston, Idaho to Winchester, Idaho 44.2 miles

More great weather today, and we knew we were in for a climb. The Adventure Cycling maps have elevation charts, and we knew the squiggly line on the map indicated dreaded switchbacks. We had a nice ride through the same big hills that we've been riding through, with wheat, corn, and fields of plants with brilliant yellow flowers, which we've since learned is canola. We made it to Cul De Sac, where the climb would begin, shortly after noon, and of course the post office had closed at noon. But a mail carrier was still there and let us mail the tent. She was so helpful, and we were so grateful! It's a good reminder of how little acts of kindness are so important! We ate lunch at the grubby  (to use Dave's word, and it's a perfect description) convenience store, then tackled the Old Winchester Grade Road. Eight miles of switchbacks circling around beautiful hills like we had been seeing the past few days. Stunning vistas and no traffic. Two and a half hours later we were at the top, and a few miles later we were in Winchester, where we ate dinner at the only restaurant. Down the road we set up our new tent very carefully at Winchester State Park and opened the wine Dave bought me to toast our day.
Another great day!

Day 10 June 19, 2016 Pomeroy, Wa. to Lewiston, Idaho 43.3 miles

The tent saga continues. Our goal today was to find another tent, and since we were only 30 miles from Clarkston, Wa., and Lewiston,  Idaho, we were very hopeful since they are good sized towns. They are separated by the Snake River, which is the state line between Washington and Idaho. As luck would have it, we found an MSR tent very similar to the one we broke and only few ounces heavier. But now Dave was carrying two tents. Some very nice people then pointed us to a WinCo, a grocery store that's like a cross between Aldi and Costco, and we bought stuff for dinner and breakfast. We rode a trail south along the Snake and camped at Hell's Gate State Park, just south of Lewiston,  which was perfect. The visitor's center had information about Lewis and Clark's expedition.
 Pretty about campground showers. We didn't have to pay extra for them, but they were the kind that you have to punch the button  (that's nothing new), button the water stopped as soon as you let go! It wasn't easy. Dave likened it to the 3 minute showers in 3 second spurts.
The new tent is great, we actually like it better, and the next town has a post office.
Things have a way of working out.
All is well, and we're having a great time.

Day 9 June 18, 2016 Lewis & Clark Trail State Park to Pomeroy, Wa. 44.7 miles

This was the day of the broken tentpole. We woke up to light rain, so we had to pack a wet tent.  While Dave was taking the tent apart, the top pole snapped, so we were facing another challenge, but one week didn't want!) I was pretty pooped from the long ride the day before, and now that we didn't have a tent, our options were limited. But 40 miles down the road was Pomeroy, and according to the map, there was a motel and a B& B. The rain was over by the time we got to Pomeroy, and as luck would have it, there was a hardware store where Dave bought some stuff to try to repair the pole. There was also a coffee bar in the hardware store (only in a small town!), and the Americano
was very good! But we had a hard time finding a place to stay. No one was at the motel, and no one answered the phone at the B&B. We found an open restaurant, and the owner tried really hard to find us a place to stay, but there was a volleyball tournament in town. So we were headed to the city park when we saw the open sign on at the motel. We got a room for $40!! And it was even very clean with two rooms. We were able to lay out the tent to dry, and Dave determined that his ideas to fix the pole weren't going to work. Our best hope was to find a new tent in Lewiston, Idaho, which was our destination the next day.
To be continued...

Day 8 June 17th, 2016 McNary, Or. to 5 mi east of Waitsburg, Wa. 81.6 miles

Our longest day so far, and the most eventful. We left Oregon behind for good around 18 miles down the road from McNary and continued east where the Columbia River turned north, and rode in rolling hills planted with wheat and other crops we weren't sure of. Near Walla Walla, we could tell we were in wine country. We were making good time, so we stopped at L'Ecole winery which is in an old schoolhouse. Dave bought me a bottle of wine so he could put his adjustable bottle cage to its best use! Walla Walla is a neat little college town, and every other store on Main Street was a wine tasting room. But the sky was getting  dark, so we skipped the wine tasting, ate a quick dinner at Subway. It rained a bit in town, and we discussed getting a motel, but the onion festival was going on, so we decided to ride on. It was dry when we headed out on Middle Waitsburg Rd,  which was one of the coolest roads we've ridden. It had been carved right into the big hills like we had been riding through, so we were really close to them (hard to describe). Then the rain (light rain) came, we stopped in Waitsburg, bought a few things to eat and rode about 4 miles to Lewis & Clark Trail State Park for the night. 81 miles, 8 hours of riding!
Now, a book could be written about campground showers  (a good subject for Bill Bryson, I think). I couldn't believe it when I saw the coin box: $.50 for a 3 minute shower! I don't think it's possible to take a 3 minute shower! Worse yet, I knew I didn't have two quarters. So I peeked in the men's shower and asked Dave if he had any quarters. He said very cheerfully,  "Yeah, a guy just gave me two!!" I wanted to say, "But what about me??" But I didn't.  He had quarters back at the tent, so I got my 3 minute shower and all was well. I'm carrying quarters with me the rest of the trip!
Can you tell we're having fun?

Day 7, June 15, 2016 Roosevelt, Wa. to McNary, Or. 56.8 miles

We woke up to a beautiful, still morning, so still that I didn't have to find a wind block for my stove to make that very important cup of coffee. However, we did get a small taste of adversity when we started out, in the form of a flat tire (Marsha's). Fortunately we had just ridden up to the little cafe for breakfast, so we didn’t have traffic flying by as we (Dave ) found the cause of the flat and changed the tube.
By the time we got on the road, the wind had kicked up a bit, so we had some help. We rode along the north side of the river all day past a lot of vineyards up high on the hills. We passed the Chateau St. Michelle winery not far off the highway, but the driveway was long and steep, so we opted not to stop.
Then another bridge crossing in the little town of Umatilla, Oregon. This one was ok, though, because we had a bike path! I think we're done with big bridges for awhile. Whew!
Dave was coming down with a bad cold, so we wimped out and checked into the only motel in town. He slept for about 24 hours, so we got day off!

Day 6 June 14, 2016 The Dalles, Or. to Roosevelt, Wa 63.4 miles

This has been our easiest day yet. We had another 10 mile stretch on I-84, but the shoulder was wider, and the traffic was much lighter. And we had an amazing tailwind. At Biggs, Oregon, we had to cross the bridge into Washington, with scary crosswinds and no shoulder. A kind truck driver stayed behind us as we crossed, and we were very grateful. Once we headed east along the north side of the river, we 'flew' past orchards and vineyards. The scenery is amazing, much of it a result of giant floods 18,000 to 20,000 years ago. And we are approaching the end of the Columbia River gorge.
We camped at a park right on the river outside of Roosevelt. All the other people there were wind surfers and kite sailers, and some of them were still out when we arrived; fun to watch. We learned that the Columbia River gorge is one of the best places for this because of the wind! A man from Idaho we talked to spends five weeks on the Columbia wind surfing.
Another great day!

Day 5 June 13, 2016 Cascade Locks to The Dalles 48.5 miles

Words beginning with the letter 'H' describe the memorable parts of this day. H for humbling: the route put us on a country road right out of Cascade Locks  (to keep us off the interstate as long as possible), and it was so steep at one point that even Dave had to walk his bike. It's a given that I did, too. H for harrowing: We then rode on I-84 for 11 miles. Heavy traffic,  narrow shoulder in places, and, of course, some road construction. The upside was the tailwind, so at least we could speed along. Out of Hood River, we rode on the Historic Columbia River Hwy State  Trail, which was great. Then another harrowing experience: high winds on a spectacular road which was hilly with many switchbacks. The crosswinds and headwinds were very scary. Just outside The Dalles, we stopped at a museum, and there was a special exhibit about John Fremont, who was an explorer, soldier, and politician. And for KC folks, he was married to Thomas Hart Benton's daughter. I didn't know that.
Almost forgot. We rode through the tiny town of Mosier, where the train carrying crude oil derailed a couple of weeks ago. The lady in the ice cream shop right across the street from the tracks said there was no wind while the oil burned, so they were very, very lucky.
Sorry, no pictures. I'm having no luck with them.

Day 4 June 12,2016 Portland to Cascade Locks 52.1 miles

A beautiful day for a ride. We had no trouble getting out of Portland, and soon we were on the Historic Columbia River Highway. Built in the early 20th century on the south side of the river, it was the first scenic highway in the U.S. We saw Mt. Hood to the south, and the road took us through the forest, up to Vista House for viewing the the gorge up high, and by waterfalls.  We had two problems: the traffic jam at Multnomah Falls, and the stairway at the east end of the bike trail near Cascade Locks. 52 steps! There was a wheel groove, and Dave managed to get his bike down fully loaded, but I had to unload mine, and Dave carried my bike down. The campground at Cascade Locks was great except for the trains.....

Day 3 June 7, 2016 Hudson Parcher Park to Portland 53.2 miles

Back on Highway 30 with heavy traffic, but we had a great downhill to start. The big challenge of the day was crossing the St. John's Bridge into Portland. We had the choice of riding on the sidewalk or in the right lane, which is a shared lane. Dave rode the sidewalk, I chose the lane. We then found Willamette Street and stopped at the first bar, Portway on Willamette, to celebrate the successful day. We met Bob and Dave, really nice guys, and had a great time. We were then able to get to our motel on a bike trail from there.
We'll spend the next four days  here in Portland with Dave's family. .
So far so good.

                                        Campground in Hudson Parcher Park

Day 2 June 6, 2016 Astoria to Hudson Parcher Park 53.1 miles

We left Astoria via the trail at 8:45! We were impressed with our ‘early’ start . The weather is unusually warm and sunny, and although it was in the upper 50’ s when we started out, it was 84° when we arrived at the campground at 4:30.
And best of all, it was Dave's 65th birthday! There is nothing like celebrating one's birthday by starting a bike trip of a lifetime.
Highway 30 is a very busy road (there is no interstate northwest of Portland), with a lot of logging and other big trucks. Fortunately, the shoulders were good most of the way. We had  a couple of long climbs, and on a flat stretch of highway 30, we could see the Columbia River, really spread out and lazy looking. We also saw Mt. St. Helens to the northeast for awhile. Had lunch in Clatskanie, then headed northeast on Beaver Falls Road, a quiet road, at times pretty rough, gradual climbing, but very little traffic, which was a nice change. When we met up with 30 again, the shoulders were wide, and we had only 4 miles to go to our destinatin. The campground is off the highway in a forest, and very quiet. It’s our first night to camp on our bike trip!
So far, so good.

Day 1 June 5, 2016 Astoria, Oregon to Seaside and back

 Day 1      June 5, 2016   Astoria to Seaside and back  49.4 miles
We had a beautiful day to begin what we hope is our cross country bike trip. The temperature was in the low 60’s when we started, and we had cool breezes all the way. The challenge was following the instructions on the map. We went out of our way because I hadn't read them closely enough. But we backtracked, and all was well. It was a great warmup ride, and we dragged our bikes through the sand to dip our wheels in the Pacific Ocean. We had lunch, headed back, and stopped at Fort Clatsop on the way. I headed straight for a coffee shop we had seen yesterday since I didn’t have my morning coffee. Dave stopped to take some pictures. It was a great way to end the day.
Our apprehensions about the ride are  gone (for the moment, at least) because we had such a great day. And it should just get better!