Hello Peoples

After we woke up at Curry Camp at Yosemite, Phil, Chuck, Barbara and me needed to sort out where we were to go that day. It was Sunday now and soon the business of everyday living would consume us once again. Phil knew a good place at Groveland where we could meet, so he took me along there while Chuck & Barbara were not far behind. Chuck showed his appreciation for the weekend by picking up the tabs for us all. After that, we went our separate ways. Phil drove me out to Napa, just north of San Francisco and made sure that I was on the right bus to Vallejo in order to take the ferry across the bay.

The ferry ride was not what it seemed it would be. The sun was shining in Napa, but it soon disappeared on the water, or from the water, or just hid behind clouds - whatever it is that a sun would do to stop spreading warmth and light and rays and the like. Still, the ferry went past Alcatraz (no pictures sorry) and docked downtown at the ferry terminal (where else?). All that I had to do was find a way south. A local cyclist pointed me in the direction of the CalTrain station, which went as far as San Jose. This was further south than the local trax system would have taken me and it skipped over some of the bad parts of town. When three different locals of the Bay area tell you that a suburb is bad, you'd better take heed!

Once the CalTrain ended its journey at San Jose, it was time to take care of a few trivialities of life. After that, sorting out which bus service would go further south. There was no apparent direct line which went to Monterey, just Santa Cruz, which I wanted to avoid. In the end, I chose a bus to go to Gilroy instead. This bus concluded its run at 1am and forced me to look for a wayside resting place. By now, after seven weeks on the road, this was child's play. And thus on Monday morning I had some time to make my next move to be a good move. There was a bus line to Monterey after all, but it would not arrive for a few hours. Time to do my laundry once again. There was even an episode of Charmed on the screen at the laundromat - nothing like a bit of eye-candy whilst the machines tumble and turn ...

Monterey, city of history and the starting point of my trip down PCH - Pacific Coast Highway. It was a good time to get some brunch, update my blog at the library and set off with good intentions. Except that brunch consisted of a potato salad from the night before, the library was closed for another three hours and PCH was a designated Freeway at this point. A local fireman, watering the garden at the fire station, explained how I could get around the Freeway problem. The blog update fell by the wayside (I'm doing it retrospectively), though the potato salad was remarkably palatable considering my ordeals over the last few days. All in all it wasn't a bad way to traverse 150 miles through the Bay Area. And at last I was on my way to Big Sur.

Yours,
Arnie.

And so Day 1 came to an end. Lots of pictures were taken on the way to Little Yosemite Valley camping grounds and several rangers were patrolling around the place to keep an eye on a few aggressive bears. After we had setup our tents and bivouac sacs, we started dinner. Phil spots a young guy named J.D. staggering into sight and looking to walk right past us. Just as Phil hauled me in on the road only a day before, so he again hauled in JD to our party for the night. Soon darkness fell and it was time to go to sleep. I saw the rangers patrolling about 4 or 5 times, but it didn't stop a bear from walking right past me, past Mark and sniffing or licking Phil's face. He had some insect repellant still on him. The third bear in three nights.

The next morning we set off pretty late for the final ascent on Half Dome. The walk was easy until the treeline, when a bare (I was told this word was inappropriate to use in conversation) rock surface yielded up an anthropogenic ascendency trail called the Golden Staircase. It looked worse from a distance than it actually was, so my initial fears of vertigo were soon quelled. Again there were a few people on the way who could have used some help, like the guy who got cramp in both calves, one a short while after the other. Half Dome was full of people this day, a Saturday during the peak holiday season. Chuck and JD were ahead of the rest of us and they had gone up the "cables" section for the final few hundred yards. Mark, Barbara and Yours Truly decided that our present position was enough for the day and skipped the cables part.

Partly due to the large number of people on Half Dome and partly due to time pressure to get back to "The Valley" of Yosemite Village (Curry Camp), we had a small discussion to decide to go back to our camping site at Little Yosemite Valley. Phil was to remain at the top waiting on Chuck and JD to return while Mark, Barbara and Yours Truly started the return journey. On the way we passed a distressed victim of the altitude/heat/dehydration in the care of a ranger, but otherwise all went smooth. This victim was later airlifted out of the wilds by helicopter. Soon after we got back to our Little Yo camp, Phil arrived with Chuck and JD. Time for a last bit of swimming and relaxation, filling up drink bottles and camelbacks with Phil's activated carbon pump and off we went.

The first indication of foul play became evident at the top-most of the major waterfalls on the John Muir trail. The air was hazy and full of smoke. It was guesswork as to the origin of the smoke - a flare up of a hotspot or a windshift from an uncontrolled wildfire? We were in the dark until we got back to Curry Camp. Getting back to Curry Camp before darkness also proved to be a nervewrecking time, but we made it. Then we found out that the smoke was caused by a new wildfire near Mariposa. The utility companies had cut off the electricity to Yosemite National Park as well and the complex was running on auxillary generator power. No hot showers for us weary backpackers, but we did get some hot pizzas and cold beers.

Later on, after a mix-up in cabins was sorted out at the registration desk, we went to sleep. Chuck and Barbara took one bed, Phil had another. JD was going to sleep in his car for the night and I decided to settle on the floor. Phil would have nothing of it and insisted I sleep in his bed while he was going to use his air mattress outside. As it so happened, another bear paid him a visit during the night to steal his drink bottle. Phil had left some electrolyte solution in it and the bear wanted it. Phil did manage to scare off the bear and retrieve his bottle, but this would be the fourth bear in four nights in Yosemite within 40 feet of me. I now have a reputation that I cannot lose!

Chillin'
:)
Arnie.

Hi All :)

Things didn't quite go as planned since the last update from Markleeville. Although I had a lot of discussions with various cyclists in town about Monitor Pass and cycling events in general, as it turned out, I only did about 10-15% of the climb before I was picked up by a guy with a beard in a red truck. He was going to Bishop, had already picked up another oldtimer at Lake Tahoe and saw me struggling in the heat of the afternoon. And since Yosemite was on his way, he dropped me off at Lee Vining. It was a nice stop on the way, lots of things to do in the neighborhood and lots of memorabilia to buy. But all I ended up with was some food and an ice cream.

On the way up to Tioga Pass pretty much the same thing happened. I got picked up by a young guy who worked at the Tuolumne Lodge and he took me into Yosemite National Park itself. I made my own way to Tuolumne Meadows, the campground, where I got a good spot just 2 spaces from the entrance, despite the "full" sign at the road. Walking to the shop, to check the opening time in the morning, I spotted some deer on the road with my flashlight (it was already dark) and a black bear between the road and the campsite. In the morning, walking some close-by track to get warm, there were a marmot and some prairie dogs to digitalize as well. During breakfast (at the shop) I made the aquaintance of extended family #1, who were traveling the same direction as me that day. On the way out of the camp they even offered to take me to the south entrance, where I intended to go to, but I happily declined their invitation on the grounds of enjoying the park while I was in it.

This enjoyment did wane a bit in the afternoon, though after a lunch at White Wolf, some middle-aged guy named Phil in a white truck decided I looked too tired to go on pushing my bike uphill and he insisted to give me a ride into the Yosemite Valley, Curry Camp to be specific. It turned out that he was an accomplished mountaineer and professional guide for small groups on day/overnight trails. As we entered Curry Camp, there was a cinnamon bear in one of the trees, only 18 months old according to the rangers in charge of chasing the bear out of the camp. I decided to stay in Curry Camp for the night as his guest. That night I fell in with extended family #2 while waiting in line to order a pizza, as they wanted to hear all of the adventures I had been through up till then.

in the morning I was asked if I wanted to help Phil and his party up to Half Dome. There were 5 of us then. Phil, Mark, Chuck & Barbara and me. Only 2 of us had any real experience of backpacking (guess which 2...), so what is normally a single day affair was going to be an overnighter at Little Yosemite Valley, 4 miles from Curry Camp, about halfway up at an extra 2000 ft elevation from the valley. The top of Half Dome is an extra 4 miles further with another 2500 ft elevation to go. All went smooth on the first day, though a few other people could use some help. Like the lady who was paralysed with fear descending the stone steps or the pair of Mary & Melissa who needed some extra water and who over-estimated their abilities. Luckily Mary was upto the task and not beyond getting help for her friend. I hope you both made it safe back down that afternoon.

(to be continued)

Good Morning World :)

Yesterday's ride started off slow, walking the bike uphill to Truckee, as I mentioned in the previous update. It got better after Truckee, with the sights of all the tourists and holiday makers enjoying the Lower Truckee River to the full extend of all it's recreational potential. There were rafts, tubes, paddles, ankle waders and you name it, it seemed like half of the California was there out in the sun having a good time.

The river flows out from Lake Tahoe, which itself is dammed to control the flow. It is the only outlet of the lake, although there are about 30 little streams and brooks flowing into the lake. There are roads all around the lake with lots of seasonal tourist attractions, both for summer and winter. And despite all the crowds in the towns and villages, it didn't feel as crowded as the traffic on the road suggested.

The ride itself was kinda scary, small roads with next to no shoulder, but I got through okay. Unscathed, to say the least. The traffic also died down a bit as I got further south, but it was still busy compared to most roads of this tour. And there is one thing that I just can't understand ...
Why on earth would America build a road going inland from the lake and rising 600 ft, only to go back to the lake - when the lake's edge is level all the way! Maybe the Swiss can teach the locals to build roads around bodies of water.

Anyway, moving on from Lake Tahoe, I stayed the night at the Lake Tahoe KOA campgrounds. Today I'm going over several mountain passes on my way to Yosemite. I've stopped at Markleeville on the CA-89 for brunch and a blog update at the library here. Cyaz all when I have recovered on the US-395 :)

Have a happpy day all,
Arnie.

... there's fire.

Yesterday I came as close to the wildfires in California as I am likely to get. Fortunately this one was already contained and the firefighters were only damping down hot spots or watching for flare-ups. Still there are a lot of them about in the forests. Firefighters, that is. Spring Garden is the place, on the CA-77/89, east on Quincy. But how did I get here?

Since the last update, I managed to travel further west from Bieber along the CA-299 to McArthur. There were a lot of locals visiting the only shop open on a friday night. It almost seemed like downtown in a big city - everyone jostling for parking spaces, people moving about left right and center, deliveries being dropped off and the main products being sold were alcohol based. Talking to a few locals here, they suggested I take a small detour through Cassel(sp?) to get from the CA-299 to the CA-89. And since I needed a place to stay the night, why didn't I tag along with the Fall River Century cyclists at the fairgrounds in town? They served a superb breakfast of big fat pancakes, slabs of ham and pairs of scrambled eggs. Of course I only eat two of those three, but it was a great breakfast nonetheless.

The rest of the day (Saturday) was pleasant enough too. After seeing some of the riders in the event around Cassel and moving onto the CA-89, there was a BBQ and Arts & Crafts day at Hat Creek, to the benefit of the fire department there. Although I could not buy anything besides food (ice cream mainly), I did get to talk to a few of the fire brigade volunteers. One of them even saw me at Lookout, just before Bieber the previous day. Another remarked that the state of California could open up about 1200 miles of the I-5 for cyclists, but that will come too late for me on this trip. For the rest of the day, progress was slow. The entire way was blurred by smoke from the nearby fires, even though most of them were already contained, still the air was thick of the smoldering aftermath. And it was hot that day. I made sure to tank up at every campground and RV park and still I was thirsty when I entered Lassen Volcanic National Park that night. Not to mention that I was exhausted from the uphill road sections of the day. Still it was nice to settle in at the South Summit Lake Campgrounds for a well deserved sleep.

The next morning it got worse. To get out of Lassen Park on the south side, I had to get past the summit. Another two hours of pushing the bike uphill, four miles of which were on a gravel road due to road works. And the prices of the food at the summit (of the road - not the summit of Mt Lassen) made me cringe, but I needed the energy so badly ...
Oh well, a few snickers bars would have to do until a settlement south of the park. This came in the form of the Mill Creek Inn, where I had a good omelet breakfast at 11.30am. Later that day I made it into Chester and did my laundry. The afternoon/evening ride took me close to Quincy, further down the CA-89, although I had to sleep at the roadside this time.

The next morning was a slow start. Getting to Quincy was a stop-start affair with lots of walking the bike on the uphill sections. All the climbing had finally caught up with my legs. To make matters worse, the rear tire suffered its second puncture of the trip. Still, only two punctures in over 3000 miles of traveling is not bad. My pump doesn't do a good job of inflating the tire, but luckily at Spring Garden there was an old timer with a garage working on a boat trailer who pumped the tire up to 65 psi (pound per square inch). It was also time for a little rest and he had a few stories to tell, so it didn't turn out as bad as it could have been. No sign of the fire that I mentioned earlier. Also, the smoke and smog seemed to disappear as I progressed beyond Spring Garden that afternoon.

The afternoon approached fast now and there was a bistro at Blairsden, on Bonta St, where they filled me in on a bit more local information. Like, the nearest library was at Portola. I didn't quite feel like a detour that way, but updating this blog was high on the list by now. So I did take the detour, only to find out that over half of the sites I regularly check on got redirected by the Portola library service for inappropriate content (web based chat!). Oh well ...
Later that night, after getting back to the CA-89 and eating dinner/desert, I got to talking with some riders from a local club or outfit, some of whom were in the Fall River Century, others who just enjoy riding a bicycle. They offered me a place to spend the night, except that it was in the wrong direction. Thank you again America for your generosity (seems like every post these days has this in it somewhere :) ), but with all the hills and mountains in the Sierra Nevada, I prefer to keep going forward as much as possible. I made it to a campground just outside of Sierraville that night, last night to be exact.

This morning I did some more climbing, to Truckee this time. The library here in Truckee does allow me to update my blog. I could also take a look at various road atlasses without having to disect my backpack. There are still a few climbs left to go, but once I'm out of Yosemite National Park, it should be plain sailing until the CA-33 into Ventura County.

Cyaz all next time,
Arnie.

Heyas All :)

Anxiety.
Ever since I got to Seattle I've been on edge.
Maybe it's because mentally it is the halfway stage, even though in miles it is well over halfway.
Maybe it's because I'm heading back to Santa Monica now instead of going further away (Vancouver? Alaska?)
Maybe it was the weather at the Oregon coast?
Maybe it's because time is running out - my plane leaves on August 10.
Maybe it's because I'm homesick?
In any case, I took a good time-out in Winston, OR to figure things out over a dinner of icecream, bananas, a peach and some cookies.
It looks like I can make Los Angeles in about a fortnight, all things going well, so I need not worried about getting stranded in the USA.
And with the pressure off I can enjoy the ride a bit more.

Moving on to other things. Just as I complained about the Oregon weather at the coast, the day cleared up nicely and it was outright hot on my ride east. Finally settling down in Winston, OR for the night. I had my very first Dairy Queen cone - an extra large one! Unfortunately I still had to sleep by the roadside, under the stars, but at least it wasn't all that cold in the morning. Next up was a ride through Roseburg OR (elev 500ft), to Crater Lake. Or so I thought. Even with an average of 12.5 miles per hour until Steamboat Inn (very nice cafe), I only ended the day at Diamond Lake and an elevation of over 5500ft. Other than the usual things, there was a full moon and it made for a nice picture with its reflection in the water. The next day I would find out that my legs didn't work anymore ...

At the edge of Diamond Lake I met up with a couple of boy scout leaders. Later on, as I was struggling in Crater Lake National Park, they decided to offer me a ride over the big bumps (7500ft at Rim Village), which I graciously accepted. They had a group of about 13 doing a cycle ride around the crater rim. It felt nice to witnes and be part of the start of a medium-sized organised event again. I guess it's nostalgia coming to the fore. Earlier that day there was a group of 3 Oregonians doing a 14 day tour cycling in Oregon, visiting about a dozen lakes on their itinerary. They were impressed enough with my own tour of 9 states that they paid my entry to Crater Lake. Thank you again America for your generosity :)
After Crater Lake came the big descent to Klamath Falls. Asking for a Subway shop, I was directed to downtown and they happened to have a busking night on Main Street. It was very nice to see musicians on every block with gear from home practice to full-blown cover bands suitable for small arenas. The genres ranged from classical and folk to country, pop and rock.

Today I've gone from just south of Klamath Falls, OR to Bieber, CA, part of Big Valley. Even though the library has closed for the day, the visitor's centre under the authority of the Big Valley Chamber of Commerce has an internet computer available to post this from. A local at Tulelake filled me in on another good area to investigate with all the attractions there, but I just have no time to add this to my list at such short notice. So here I go again closing this update.

Peace Out,
Arnie.

Brrr ...

I feel frozen. Third day on the Oregon coast and this is the coldest yet. In the middle of July even!
No sun to be seen. It was there briefly last night as I sensed a red glow just before sunset, but the dunes got in the way. $20 for a campsite designed only for RVs. Mind you, with this kind of climate you need an RV to enjoy a holiday. I didn't mind the 38F at Madison Junction in Yellowstone, as I knew the sun would come out to warm me up. But here it's a different story. No sun and no warmth. I'm wearing 4 layers of clothing to ride my bike. All that is missing is the snow.

So I've headed inland. Roseburg will be my stepping stone to Crater Lake National Park. It's still not getting any better. Clouds everywhere and on top of things I even had to walk my cycle downhill on the bridge at North Bend. That's the first time I had to walk DOWN and hated it. On top of that I can't even catch up with MySpace on the public libraries in Montana/Washington/Oregon. Maybe I can only do it at Santa Monica again. That would suck! Oh well, I should concentrate on going from sea level to 8000 ft elevation again. That should take my mind off these petty worries.

More later as I pass other (and hopefully better) libraries,
Arnie.

Hello Cyber Lurkers

Today I'm in the Siuslaw Public Library in Florence, OR. I hit the Oregon coast at Lincoln City yesterday and you wouldn't know it till you got wet up to your ears. Fog everywhere. And cold! The wind blew from the north with an arctic chill that made it all seem way too much like Scotland. No RV/campgrounds would allow me to take a shower either, but I still managed to get my laundry done, the last time that happened was at Leavenworth, WA.

The fog let up only in a few select places. It seems the inland mountain range called The Cascades sucks in the coastal air with moisture and a few eddies blow back to the sea to create an arc of clear space. I got some good pictures from these arcs though as I traveled down the coast. Maybe I'll get to Coos Bay tonight, but I'll probably won't quite get there. Last night I did get to sleep at a campground at Seal Rock when the wind picked up and the weather threatened to break out on me. A guy named Bob filled me in on the local climate and while the wind was expected, according to him, it wouldn't rain that night. He was right. So I went to sleep after an entertaining night talking with Bob and a good long hot shower.

This morning the weather was much the same as yesterday. Cool and windy with few opportunities to take photos. The wind is still coming from the north, so riding the cycle is easy compared to last week through Washington. Stopped at the Sea Lion Caves about 8 miles out from Florence, OR. Got myself a couple of hand-drawn maps of the world and of the USA as souvenirs. And a few pictures of sea lions sunbathing on rocks. Other than that, it is a quiet day here at the Oregon coast. I'd rather be sailing in this weather than sunbathing, but you can't have it all now can you?

Time to pack it in again,
Arnie.

My bad for not posting this yesterday, but the library in Newport, OR closed their computers down early.
Hope you got a few of your offspring to come, as the majority of us are otherwise engaged this year through one means or another.

Bye :)
Arnie.

Gidday Mateys

The last couple of days have been a lot of riding and looking at a lot of stone and ice. There were also a lot of trees there and fresh air, but not much else. After downtown Seattle came a trip on the Sounder to Auburn and then a bus to Enumclaw, from where I resumed peddling and getting to Greenwater, just north of Mt Rainier National Park. On the way there, some young people kindly let me have some oil to put on my chain to stop the squeaky noises that can get so annoying, so thank you very much again America :)

The next day was a long arduous uphill climb with plenty of stretches of walking. A lot of cyclists seemed to be out and about that day, none of which were walking and none of which were carrying big backpacks like I was. Still, lots of pictures were taken for my efforts and lots of water was drank from streams crossing the road. On the way down, on the WA-123, road works slowed progress for a bit, but as I was the last one through of a particular batch, I had the road (the right lane anyway) to myself for about 30 minutes until the next lot of cars caught up to me.

Getting to the next rest/food stop at Packwood I was told that the next stage of the south-bound trip through Washington State would not be possible, as the Forest Service road through Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument was closed to all traffic. Since there is a Ranger Information Station at Randle just down the road from Packwood, I decided to stay the night there (in Randle) and ask about the state of the road in the morning when the Ranger Station opened. It turned out that they were going to open the road later that day (Friday), but they were still working on it throughout the day.

Thus I set off for Mount St Helens. It was another beautiful day for cycling and lots more opportunities for photos and streamwater consumption. The road was very quiet and the few brave souls who did try to get through were all turned back by the barriers barring their progress. Thank you all who advised me about this, but I had already gotten permission from the workers to get through, as long as I was careful about it. Mount St Helens itself didn't give too many photo opportunities, but I did get a number of shots in. And even a shot of Mt Adams, another 12000ft peak like Mt Rainier, though this pic will need a bit of Photoshop work done on it to bring out the contour. On the way down past Elk Pass (4000ft), and still with the road closed, I had the pleasure of about 15 miles of free-spinning all the way to the southern end barrier. Again, not a soul on the road except for the Forest Service workers, so no worries about getting knocked off my bike from behind.

I did have a good dinner at Amboy, WA that night and slept in a paddock beside the road. In the morning (today) I managed to catch a C-TRAN bus from Battle Ground to Fisher's Landing and another bus across the Columbia River. Then a TriMet Red Line train to downtown Portland, OR, where I'm composing this entry in the Multnomah County public library. The plan is to travel towards the Oregon coast today and down the coast tomorrow. We'll see then how things develop after that.

Peace Out,
Arnie.

Howdy y'all

This morning I woke up at the banks of te river Skykomish at Sultan, WA. It is a public access site for fishing boats, but how was I to know at nighttime that it was closed after dark? Anyway, about half a dozen cars with boat trailers were already parked there when I packed up my stuff and got going. And it was still before 6am! The port-a-loo didn't have any toilet paper, so I had to use a serviette from the 59'r diner at Coles Corner from yesterday's ride - I had an icecream there.

No sooner do I get down the road and get a hot chocolate at the gas station in Sultan and the machine overfills my cup. Then when I get to Monroe I find that the commuter service to downtown Seattle only has 3 departing times and I was late for the last one by 30 minutes. Then when I hit the WA-522 it turns from highway into freeway. And when I finally get close to downtown Seattle, I see the commuter service from Gold Bar (a food stop on yesterday's ride) does go all the way into Seattle after all, despite what the timetable schedule at the Gold Bar supermarket said!

After all that I made it to the Seattle Public Library, where I'm posting this from. Last night my right knee got pretty sore while riding, but this morning it wasn't so bad. It does make it's presence known, but I'll just have to do most of the work with my left leg and take lots of breaks (more icecream - did I mention I was addicted to the stuff?). The plan is to travel further south today, with or without public transport, and make my way onto the WA-410 towards the back of Mt Ranier and Mt St Helen's. Then on to Vancouver, WA and Portland, OR.

Until then,
Arnie.

Hi Again All :)

I've decided to stop for the night at Leavenworth, WA. Seattle will be two more days away, but the services at the Pine Village KOA are what I desperately needed after all the headwinds I had to endure these past few days.
Patricia Harm, who is doing the Big Ride Across America to raise funds for lung affliction research, was complaining about them too, the headwinds that is, and she is traveling in the opposite direction to me!
The title refers to the Bavarian character of Leavenworth. Fachbau houses and matching costumes are the norm around here. They even have a street called Alpensee Strasse. And the surrounds are angled rocky slopes with liberal pine trees on them - very central europy like.

On a more dire note, my right knee started to hurt a little when I was riding to the Wenatchee library earlier this afternoon, which is another reason why I will take it easy for the next few days. Walking on the knee is fine, no problems there, but I'll be darned if I push that bike and backpack all the way to Mt St Helens, the Oregon Coast and Yosemite National Park before boarding the plane back to Auckland. Btw, that reminds me to throw in a link to the Leavenworth Public Library, another branch of the North Central Regional Library system here in Washington State.

Ciao,
Arnie.

Howdy Folks

Today's update comes from the North Central Regional Library at Wenatchee, WA. The ride, since the last update, took me into Washington State, through Spokane and Davenport Coulee City, where I reached the milestone of 2000 miles on the cycle computer. Then on to Waterville the next day and now Wenatchee, but hopefully I will end up closer to Seattle still by nightfall.

So what's new then? Entering Spokane felt like a throwback to 1975, when I was on a skiing holiday in Romania. Spokane was very reminiscent of Bucharest, minus the soldiers. It left a very sour taste on my mind riding through and seeing all those dirty buildings in the industrial part of town - not that there seemed to be any other part of town to go to!
Things got a little better just to the west of town, at Airstrip Heights. This was more like what an American town or suburb should look like. At least the commercial aspect of this place was.

Davenport is a small town in the county. It feels like a small town and has a peaceful feel to it. Like the other towns around here. Anyway, I found a quiet little corner at the Lincoln County museum to sleep at and I was back on the road before 6am. This happened to be Sunday again and I was a bit sceptical of finding places to eat, as most would be closed, or so I thought. I was wrong. Creston was first on the route and the local cafe had a long waiting list to be seated. So I just had a muffin for breakfast with some water to wash it down with. Wilbur, the next town, on the other hand, had a supermarket that was open by now and I could delight in some fresh fruit.

Moving on and no other place seemed to even have a shop, let alone a shop that was open. I stopped for afternoon recess (it was hot again!) at Hartline and after about three hours continued to Coulee City. Here was a truckstop disguised as a Shell petrol station with lots of good food and drinks. I had a 8" pizza and the usual assortment of icecream & cookies, milk & soda. But boy, did I feel bloated after that place. I tried to reach Waterville after that, but only got to halfway by nightfall. So another night spend beside the road in the open.

I did get to Waterville the next day. Some bikers were also at the only cafe that was open at that time, a husband and wife with a couple of friends. I forget their names - my apologies to them if they read this. It turned out that they knew a lot about cycling and triathlons as well and one of them had my breakfast bill on his credit card before I even knew what was going on. Again, my utmost thanks for your generosity America!

And lastly, for this entry, onwards to Orondo and Wenatchee. There are lots of fruit vendors here in this area and I've already eaten a couple of stomachs full when I just should have kept going, but again it is a very hot day and I can do with the rests between cities. Oh well, as long as I stay under budget from day to day I should be alright. I have a bike to send to Minnesota after the ride and games to buy/install/subscribe to when I get back - and vegetables to plant for some decent homegrown organic produce. Still, Seattle seems such a long way off on a bicycle and then the zig-zag tour south left to ride ... I hope the fires in California will be under control by then.

That's all for now,
Arnie.

A double posting from the Rathdrum library branch of the Kootenai-Shoshone Area today. This one is dedicated to some wonderful people from Thompson Falls, MT and their generous hospitality.

I met Del Simmerman outside the Grocery Surplus Store, run by a group of Amish people, just south of Thompson Falls. Although their shelf items were very cheap, they didn't have all that you'd expect at a grocery store or supermarket. I was outside consuming some of my purchases when Del started a conversation with me from his ute. It lasted until his wife and daughter came out of the same grocery store with their purchases. Del had just before invited me to their place if I was passing by, but it was too early in the day to commit to a visit just yet.

And as it so happened, we repeated this at the next supermarket, where I got fresh fruit to supplement the "meal" from the surplus grocery store. Jane gave me directions to the public library in Thompson Falls, which had a bit of a wait for the next available internet computer and I also needed a shower badly and do my laundry. All in all these chores took way longer than I expected them to, but as it turned out to be a stinking hot day, I was in no hurry to resume my cycling that afternoon.

I did resume the trip at about 7pm though. And it did take me past the Simmerman's place. Not wanting to be impolite, I did swing by their house and found them already waiting for me. They have a rural home with a bit of land around it, fenced off to keep the wildlife away (they even had a bear getting at the chicken feed one year) and already started growing flowers for the summer. The evening itself went rather quickly with stories from Del's time in the navy, their travels and recollections from quite a few places that I've been through as well, like Searchlight, NV. They've lived in California for some time as well and gave me plenty of tips on where to go and what to avoid. Del is also into mind puzzles and managed to stump me on a good number of them, except the ones with bicycles, wheels and motion oddities. They offered me to sleep on the living room floor, which I (hopefully) graciously accepted.

The next morning Jane asked if I drank coffee, which I do most of the time in my daily life, but has been rather sporadically on this tour. She said she doesn't make coffee unless others do, as Del doesn't drink coffee and she doesn't drink it by herself. Then she made pancakes for breakfast. I had some with maple syrup and some with peaches. A good breakfast as far as this tour is concerned, if not the best one yet. She also send me on my way with a bag ful of cookies. Del shared the morning newspaper with me and opened the gate for my bike on the way out. It had gotten to 10am by now, way later than most other days that I ride. I thank them both from the bottom of my heart for their hospitality.

My hat off to these wonderful people,
Arnie.

Happy Belated Fourth of July to All

The title is yet another quote, this time from John B. L. Soule. Last time I wrote an update from Missoula, this time I'm in the Kootenai-Shoshone Area branch at Rathdrum. That time it was a call for settling the western parts of America. In my case, it is a means to get from Yellowstone to Seattle. Unfortunately, there is no easy cycling route between the two places.

As for an update on the route, I left Missoula on the Mountain Line Bus #10 and walked up the hill of the US-93. I got a ride over the hill to beyond Arlee by a guy named Joe, a hunter who would like to hunt deer in New Zealand one day. Though hunting isn't my thing, I was still able to tell him a few things about it, like deer hunting with a net from a helicopter. Anyway, I made it past Dixon on the MT-200 that night. The next day going through Thompson Falls, I happened to meet Del & Jane Simmerman. One thing led to another and I ended up staying the night at their place. The day after that was the 4th of July, though I neither saw nor partook in any of the festivities. Just another ride west through Sandpoint and finding a place to sleep behind the Careywood Fire Station on the US-95 - it felt more like going north and south that day than west!

That's it for this update,
;)
Arnie.

How's everyone this Wednesday afternoon?

I'm sitting now comfortably in the Missoula Public Library high and dry, but the road from Townsend to here wasn't like that at all. I know that I posted last from Helena, and that ride was fine as could have been. There were 2 bikers at the KOA camp on the first night and 4 of them on the second night. Lots of stories were swapped and good times were had with plenty to smile about the next day(s) on the road.

But all things come to an end. The road out of Helena would take me across the Continental Divide for the 4th time, so a big climb lay ahead of me. And as you might know by now, those tough climbs I have to walk with the load on the back of my bike, rather than ride them like I used to in Ironman events and in training. So this time, with the changeable weather in Montana, I got caught between a thunderstorm and rain. I even had to stop for 30 minutes by the side of the road and get my tarpaulin out to stay dry. And at the top of the climb there was even more disappointment - no sign like the ones at Yellowstone National Park stating my feat and showing details of altitude etc. Only a historical marker about a "Frenchwoman's Road" and a sign saying "Powell County elev 6325ft". Oh well ...

Moving on from here, I made it through Elliston (food at the gas station) and Avon, where I turned onto the MT-141 road towards Missoula, as I still can't ride my bike on the freeways (I-90). About two-thirds of the way on the 141 it starts to rain behind me, then in front of me and I decided to simply camp there for the night, under 2 ponderosa pine trees and move ahead the next day. Other than the rain and the unplanned camping spot, the 141 was a very easy and pleasant road to ride on. But the next big thing happened on the MT-200, about 24 miles (according to the map) along.

This is where I met a bunch of people doing a Big Ride Across America. I started seeing them in drips and drabs just past Ovando, MT and when I pulled into the gas station at Greenough there were some of the organisers with other cyclists taking a well deserved break. Naturally enough we got talking and sharing lots of experiences and they even offered me a hot chocolate on their tab and a few sandwiches for the road. One of the cyclists keeps a blog of her adventures as well, you can check it out at Patty Harm's Big Ride Across America.

Later on I kind of struggled into Missoula, or rather, Bonner. After lots of (ineffective) directions from the ladies at the Bonner post office - I really shouldn't be mean to them, they were very nice ladies - I came across a Mountain Line bus going the other way. So it was a case of waiting at the nearest bus stop for the service into Missoula, which was luckily only 5 minutes later. And here I am, in the Missoula Public Library giving you all this update!
Oh well, that's all for today - take care now will you?

Cyas Soon,
Arnie.

Hello Everyone :)

As the title suggests, I'd like to post an entry about the wildlife I've encountered sofar. It is also the title of James Herriot's first novel.

It all started in the Mojave desert when I saw a desert turtle crawl across the road. I just had to take a picture and tell everyone who was remotely interested. Never mind seeing the "good stuff" like coyotes and rattlesnakes, instead I get treated to a threatened species on my second (and hottest) day of the trip. There were also some roadrunners which eluded my camera skills and possibly a few other species that I couldn't identify.

Next came some mule deer at Grand Canyon North Rim. They are all used to humans in their surroundings, so taking their pictures was very easy. There were also Kaibab squirrels and other little rodents that were to fast for me to digitally nail down, but I know that I have seen them. North of Kanab, UT in the same neighborhood, was the Best Friends Animal Society, where I got a shot of a hummingbird feeding on the patio. Also some bison at a lodge/ranch on the way to Zion National Park.

The next of the interesting encounters came on the way from Jackson, WY to Grand Teton National Park. About half a dozen bison crossed the road, but I was too slow getting my camera out. This was compensated for pretty soon because inside the park, only one and a half miles from the fee station, were about a dozen cars parked beside the road and all sorts of people staring at a grizzly bear foraging through the scrub only a 100 yards from the roadside. My pictures don't do justice to my memories, but at least I saw the "good stuff" here.

The next morning, while waking up from a cool night at Colter Bay campgrounds, a small number of foxes were doing the same in a small protected area in the middle of the compound. I got a pretty good shot of one, as they were obviously used to human surroundings, just like the mule deer at the Grand Canyon. More was to come inside Yellowstone National Park, where a beaver popped its head above the road's edge twice, but it was nowhere to be seen after I parked my bike and got my camera out. Then later on that day came a close call with a full herd of bison between Old Faithful and Madison Junction. Again a lot of cars were parked by the roadside with people taking pictures, but I was at the east side and the sun was setting on the westside. So I wanted to get through the herd to take a picture with the sun at my back instead. The bisons were used to cars passing them by, but a cyclist was another matter. One of them startled as I approached and I feared it might run and start a stampede, with me (and a few other cars) in the middle of them. Luckily it settled down when I swerved away from the startled animal and a stampede was avoided, but it still makes you wonder "what if ..."

I have other pictures of deer and birds, but my time at the Helena, MT library is at an end.

Solong everyone :)
Arnie.

Hi All :)

A lot of stuff has happened since Jackson, WY and I may need a few entries to cover them all. In this one I'll just update you on the travel days and places where I stayed the night. Incidentally, I made it to Townsend, MT, where I'm currently posting from the local school library on their summer hours.

The road north continued from Jackson into Grand Teton National Park, where I stayed the night at Colter Bay. The next day's cycling took me out of Grand Teton and into Yellowstone National Park, staying the night at Madison Junction Campgrounds. The next day was a long one cycling to Ennis, MT and a campground right on the river made for a comfortable night.

One more day to write about and it led to the KOA at Canyon Ferry Lake, about 7 miles north of Townsend towards the Montana state capitol Helena. This also leads me to the title of this entry. I've been averaging 70-80 mile days on the cycle since leaving Kanab, even bringing up 1500 miles on the Cateye cycle computer and getting mildly burned on the back of my hands and forehead. So it's high time for a day off.

Peace,
Arnie.

Hail :)

I managed to get out of Salt Lake City by Frontrunner (train) to Ogden. From there another bus to Brigham. Then the US89/91 to Logan, where I stayed the night at a campground. There were no staff on hand, but it had a system of voluntary payment. Complying to this system means that future travelers will have an RV/Campground to stay at, as previous visitors did for me, ensuring that the place remains operable for the owners. Incidentally, I made 1000 miles by reaching Salt Lake City, a fact that didn't struck me until I was resting in Logan.

The next day came a trip through Logan Canyon. It was a horrible ride, but at the other end was Garden City, UT at the shore of Bear Lake was worth it. I had a burger and a shake from LaBeau's Drive Inn there. It was recommended to me by a builder at a campsite in Logan Canyon. He also suggested I travel to Yellowstone via Soda Springs and Ten Cups. After Garden City came several smaller places, one of which was Paris, ID, where a shopkeeper told me I'd be better off to follow the 89 straight through to Yellowstone. Which I did (and am still doing). She also knew of a KOA camping site just past Montpelier, ID, where I stayed the night.

Riding the next day from the Montpelier Creek KOA was a bit of a mission. They gave me three cups of coffee at the KOA office, a road map of all the states and directions to all KOA member campgrounds too. The gift shop has a great range of memorabilia and they allowed me to check email etc on one of their computers too. But alas, all things come to an end and I finally did leave the KOA. And soon enough got my first puncture of the trip. It came just before some road works too. The workers put my bike in the back of a ute/truck and got me past the road works that way and the rest of Montpelier Canyon wasn't all that bad. Another climb between Geneva, ID and Afton, WY was as bad as it got. I made Alpine that night and once again I stayed in a campground.

Currently I'm in the Teton County Library Computer Center in Jackson, hoping to get to within sight of Yellowstone National Park tonight. I also had to change my back tire here in Jackson, as it had become quite worn after 1200 miles of riding.

That's all for now,
Arnie.

Good Morning All :)

Today I am writing the second entry from the Salt Lake City Public Library. The last entry got me as far as Gunnison. From there I rode further north along US89 to have breakfast at Manti. All this is still in Utah. Manti was in the grip of a three day pageant and it was cold there too, but it soon warmed up when I got back in the countryside. The 89 had been scenic from Kanab upto Richfield, but then the surroundings became more agricultural and commercialised. Still, the scenery soon restored itself around Mt Pleasant. I was kinda surprised that Mt Pleasant was as big as it is and that it is at an elevation of nearly 6000ft, a full 1000ft higher than Kanab.

The Mt Pleasant Public Library was staffed by two wonderful ladies, but unfortunately their internet connection was down. The technician that would normally attend to their problems was working that day (Saturday) at Radioshack and could not look at the system until after the library closed, so no luck for me updating this travel blog from there. The librarians were very easy to talk to though and they had lots of local knowledge to help me in my travels and thus I was able to make it that night to the Spanish Fork River Park, a public park maintained by Utah County, but not until I had devoured a 12" pizza from Calavier Pizza in Mt Pleasant.

The Spanish Fork River Park only cost me $2.00 to stay for the night and I was off again the next morning, enthusiastic with the prospect of traveling through the greater Salt Lake City area by public transport. Unfortunately it was a Sunday and SLC is dead on this day of the week. Talking to the locals I suggested it felt like being back in 1978, whereupon they offered it was more like 1958! Still, the Utah Transit Authority 811 TRAX connecor service did operate on a limited timetable, which put me in the middle of Salt Lake City itself at about 9pm that night. A wonderful lady on the TRAX helped me out by suggesting places to stay, the Salt Lake City Mission being one of them, though it proved too hard to find. A gas station attendant looked up 'Shelter' in the yellow pages for me and came up with an address for Rescue Mission of Salt Lake City Utah about 10 blocks the other side of town. It is often overlooked what value these organisations bring to the community at large, but last night I was humbled to receive their kindness and generosity as a lone traveler with little resources that night.

Breakfast in the morning was almost a feast - hot porridge and fruit with yesterday's bakery amply provided on the tables. A choice of fresh milk or orange juice complimented the menu, it has been quite a while since I had a hot breakfast at a table, albeit a communal table. My bike was still locked to the tree where I had left it the previous night, despite being in the wrong part of town. The library in Salt Lake City did not open for a couple of hours after that, so the time was filled by riding around a few city blocks and generally take in the sights. Salt Lake City is overall pretty clean, but it lacks the variety of buildings and the busy-ness of most other major cities I have been through. Still, the librarian at the information desk was very friendly and helpful, even extending the usual 60 minute internet time by an additional 60 minutes to enable me to write these two entries this morning. It does seem odd, but all of Utah feels like a small village where everyone has some time for each other, still greet strangers in the street with a 'Howdi' or a 'How are ya' etc etc. After this library visit I will take the Frontrunner TRAX to keep going north and wil see where I end up tonight.

So Long,
Arnie.