Hamilton, MT to Rawlins, WY (Part 1)

My dad was in and out of cell zones, so we didn't get a chance to talk for a while.  I caught up with him on his rest day in Rawlins, Wyoming, as he was staying in a motel and taking a rest day. 

After the last update, Bill headed to Hamilton, Montana, where he pitched a tent in Carl's yard, after a 52 mile day.  Carl's son rode from Virginia to Hamilton and learned that it is hard to find affordable places to stay along the trail.  Adventure Cycling added Carl to their map and now he offers cyclists a free night's stay.  He also made a yummy breakfast that my dad really appreciated.

This is Carl.

Another interesting person my dad met on his way to Hamilton was a doctor who was celebrating his 77th birthday with his son by completing a 2-day, 30-mile hiking trip with a 3,000-foot elevation gain and 30-pound pack.  Inspiring!

On July 23rd, my dad rode 39 miles to the small town of Sula, Montana (pop. 10), where he experienced his worst night of camping so far.  The restaurant where he was planning to eat dinner was only open for breakfast and lunch, so he broke open his emergency rations; the ground was hard, and there were a lot of mosquitoes.  But, the facilities were decent, and it was at the base of a long climb, so it was a good place to end the day.

High Moutain Beacons

On his way to Jackson Hot Springs Resort, Montana, Bill climbed 3,000 feet over Chief Joseph Pass and Lost Trail Pass.  He stopped at Big Hole Battlefield Information Center, where he watched movies about the battle and rested.  He took a late lunch at 2 p.m. in Wisdom, Montana and enjoyed a good soak in the hot spring at the end of his 58-miles day, where he stayed in a cabin.

At breakfast, my dad met two cyclists and road with them the rest of the day to Dillon.  They climbed Big Hole Pass (Elev. 7,350 feet) and Badger Pass (Elev. 6,730 feet).  That night, they met a weird guy who was carrying everything he owned in a plastic crate on the back of his bike.  The two cyclists who my dad met, talked to him and were a little worried about his presence.  Fortunately, they left Dillon with no incident, but they all were creeped out about camping there.

Fred and Tony at Badger Pass.

On July 26th, Bill enjoyed riding 59 miles to Virginia City, a neat, old gold rush town.  Along the way, he stopped at an old gold rush ghost town called Nevada City, where he took a tour.  The historic structures there were authentic, but were brought in from other parts of the state to recreate the town.  He met one cyclist who completed the Northern Tier in 1990 (the one my dad completed 10 years ago).  My dad ended his day by sleeping at a cute apartment after not being able to get into the B&B he wanted to stay at, but was happy as the landlady volunteered to do my his laundry.

A cyclist-only camp site in Twin Bridges, before Nevada City.  Note the blue sign on the left.

Nevada City

Inside a dance hall in Nevada City.

On the 27th, my dad rode 65 miles to Beaver Creek Campground.  There was a tough 1000-foot climb over just 3 or 4 miles.  It was cool all morning, so he wore his windbreaker, but took it off just after a mile because he was generating so much heat.  His glasses even kept steaming up and then a breeze would come and blow it off.  When he got to the top, Bill was expecting a long, glorious downhill ride, but got strong crosswinds instead, so it was harder to get down than he expected.  He is now also starting to experience daily afternoon thunder showers.  Another factor to deal with when going cross-country.

This is a view from the downhill ride.

     

Quake Lake: Created after a massive earthquake in 1959.

Bever Creek Camp

It was another 25 miles to West Yellowstone National Park, a busy, touristy town.  Bill stayed on the second floor of Madison Hotel, which is on the National Registry of Historic Places.  It was charming; the floors creeked, there was a big tub in his small room, but not enough running water, and no to.v.

On the 29th, my dad took the day off from riding and toured the Northern Loop of Yellowstone Park.  He saw a swan, an eagle, bison, 2 cranes, pronghorm deer, elk, a black bear, and grizzly bear with two cubs.

Tower Falls in Yellowstone NP

Firehole Falls in Yellowstone NP

Elk grazing at a fort in Yellowstone.  My parents had a meal there together 30 years ago.

On the 30th, my dad got back on his bike and rode 15 miles to Madison River Campground, where he spent another day lounging around and floating in the refreshing river.

My daughter just woke up.  To be continued...

Picture

I haven't had a chance to chat with my dad for a bit, but he looks like he is having a good time.  I am sure I will get an update in the next few days.

July 29th: Yellowstone National Park

Week 2: To Missoula, Montana (229 miles)

On Saturday, July 17th, my dad continued up the Clearwater River, instead of taking the 3000-foot climb uphill.  He didn't realize how dangerous this route was until afterwards.  There is normally heavy traffic and narrow shoulders, but since it was Saturday, the traffic was light and he didn't have any problems.  He completed 72 miles to Kamiah, Idaho, and stayed in a motel because he got into town late and his feet hurt.  Kamiah had a cool downtown and he ate a delightful meal that made up for the hard day.

These type of historical markers are common along the route.

On Sunday, July 18th, he completed 57 miles to the Wilderness Gateway Campground, which is run by the U.S. Forest Services.  There was no running water, which means there were no flush toilets and no showers.  My dad washed up and rinsed his clothes in the creek.  He climbed 2,500 feet with gentle slopes and a nice tailwind.  The views were beautiful and he finished his ride on the Lewis & Clark trail, where there weren't many cyclist; and is now on the Transamerica trail, where there are many cyclist, so he gets to meet a lot more people, and hear a lot more stories and tips.  He met Rich, a retired computer programmer from New York, and rode with him for a couple days.

Home Away From Home

Coffee on Sunday Morning

On Monday, he lunched with an interesting couple from New Zealand.  He ended his 42-mile day at Powell Campground, where there was an Adventure Cycling tour group staying the night.  An Adventure Cycling photographer came in and saw my dad with his Transamerica jersey on and assumed he was with the tour.  Later, after dinner, the photographer came back by and took a picture of my dad and Rich.  When my dad and Rich stopped by the Adventure Cycling Headquarters, where they enjoyed some free ice cream, they found a blown-up picture of themselves that the photographer took.  It amused them to see an unexpected picture of themselves.

Dad and Rich

On Tuesday, July 20th, my dad completed 58 miles over the Lolo Pass to Missoula, Montana.  He had no cell service there, so he didn't have access to his map, calendar, phone, etc.  His feet still hurt and he is concerned that the pain is from new injury as opposed to past bruises healing.  He is trying his best to take it easy.

Lolo Summit

A cool beer after a long day.

  

Week 1: To Lewiston, Idaho (383 miles)

My dad's train ride to Portland was sorta disappointing. It was rough, noisy, and rattled a lot, so he didn't sleep well. It was about 95 degrees when he arrived, and he rode 7 miles to the Marriott hotel, where he planned to stay for the first night.

On Saturday, July 10th, he set out for his first day of riding. He completed 56 miles to Cascade Lodge. Along the way, he saw many tan, lean, and happy riders completing their ride from the east. He met a guy the day before who started in Ohio. He was on his way to Astoria, OR, and then to San Francisco. The wind was in my dad's favor and he was able to go 20 miles/hour without much pedaling.

The next day, he completed 63 miles to Deschutes River State Recreation Area. There, he stayed next to a group of 40 teens and their counselors with Outward Bound. They had just completed a 96-mile river excursion and were on their way into the wilderness for 2 weeks. My dad enjoyed staying there with the energy of these adventurous teens, and also because it was free (veterans stay free).

This was before the dog attack.

On Monday, he crossed into Washington with a good tailwind. He was enjoying the view of the river on the right at the top of a hill, moving at about 19 to 20 miles/hour, when 3 dogs started to chase him on his left. Bill accelerated, but felt a thump caused by one of the dogs in the rear. It pushed him into the gravel. He got back onto the shoulder and hustled skittishly down the other side of the hill at around 45 miles/hour. About 500 feet down the hill, he stopped and realized that his left rear pannier was missing. He had to go back up the hill with tremendous headwinds, so strong that he had to stop several times and wait for a couple minutes for the winds to subside. He met another rider who was close to finishing his cross-country trip along the way, and after an hour, they reached the top of the hill where my dad's bag was lying with a tear in it from one of the dog. The bag is no longer waterproof, so he ordered a patch kit, which will be waiting for him in Missoula. This time, there were two dogs at the top of the hill, but both my dad and the other cyclist were able to shoo them away. Luckily, they left the area uninjured.

On Day 4, Bill got a flat tire while completing a 42-mile day. He had a slow leak and was working hard despite the strong tailwind. That was how he figured out he had a hole. When patching the hole, he created another one, so the rear tube now has two patches in it. He kept dragging until the next day when he went to the bike shop to refill the tire with air. He ended the 5th day in Walawala, which is Washington's equivalent to Napa, with wineries everywhere.

On Day 6, he had about 2000-feet elevation gain over the course of 70 miles to get to Garfield Country Fairgrounds. The temperature was in the mid-80s and my dad was still dehydrated even after drinking 100 oz of fluid. The climbing was not a collection of gentle slopes like the map appeared to be, and he did a lot more climbing than 2000 feet because he was going both up and down the hills. There was a cop in a pickup who pulled up next to him, flashed his badge, and told him to move to the right. There was very little shoulder and my dad was as close to the right as he could get, going about 25 miles/hour. He had no idea how the cop thought he had room to move over, but luckily, the cop moved on, and my dad just figured the cop just didn't know how to share the road.

Friday, was Bill's rest day. He completed 35 miles, 5 of which were just tooling around Lewiston, Idaho, getting chores done. He bought new pedals because he still has foot pain. The guy at the shop said that he has mountain bike shoes, but road pedals. Hopefully, the $100-plus dollars he spent, relives the foot pain. He also has been having problems keeping the saddle parallel and had that taken care of too. His clothes are now clean and he is ready for another week.

Clearwater River Outside Lewiston, ID

 

Notice how the river gets narrower and the trees get bigger.

Dog Attack

Notice the hills are brown. My dad has left the green forests of Eastern Oregon.   He got attacked by a dog and he has a gash in his pannier.  Stay tuned for more info when I get it.

Day 1 on the Bike

Mile 25 on the first glorious day of riding.

One of many wonderful views from the historic Columbia River Highway State Trail.

A view from a vista house looking down the Columbia River at approximately Mile 27.

On His Way

My dad retired yesterday from RIX Industries with a nice luncheon that my mom got to attend.  Soon afterwards, he was on his way to the Martinez Amtrak station to head up to Oregon.  Here he is at breakfast on his way to Oregon.