Bicycling Coast to Coast

Stats:   Today's miles :   0 miles Today's feet of elevation gain:   0  feet Total miles traveled:   500 .0 miles Total feet climbed:   19,916 feet Dead Rattlesnake count:   16 After reviewing the options with my support team we agreed that the best plan was to just wait out the heat wave which breaks on Monday. I did anticipate having to stay in hotels for bad weather, I just didn’t anticipate bad weather would be a heat wave (thunderstorms/severe weather, sure). So, until Monday morning I’ll be hanging out at the Super8 in Lewiston.

  Stats:   Today's miles :   35 miles Today's feet of elevation gain:   945  feet Total miles traveled:   500 .0 miles Total feet climbed:   19,916 feet Dead Rattlesnake count:   16 The plan today was to make a ‘quick’ 35 mile run over Alpowa Summit (2785’) early in the day and get to a hotel for the day. The 10 mi climb was gradual, but consistent for the first 8 mi, but was a grind for the last 2mi. In places the shoulder was only 18”….you trust the logging trucks and semi’s to pull over and pass, which most do, but it still raises the pucker factor. The descent into Clarkston WA/ Lewiston ID is initially steep, 1500’ in 6 miles and tapers off the rest of the way. I arrived in Clarkston @ 9:30 AM. As I was locking up my bike to have breakfast at Mae’s Café , an older gentleman stopped by to ask about the ride. At 78 and just 3 weeks past a hip replacement, he talked about his cycling experience (he had over 15,000 miles on his bikes). George ask...

  Stats:   Today's miles :   63.5 miles Today's feet of elevation gain:   3,228  feet Total miles traveled:   465 .0 miles Total feet climbed:   18,971 feet Dead Rattlesnake count:   9 I was leaving the hotel before 6:00AM on Monday and ran into a grain truck driver on the way out. He asked about the trip/bike/…etc. When I told him I lived 50 miles west of Mpls in Dassel, he lit up and asked jokingly if I knew where Hutchinson was. He had grown up in the area and headed west in ‘69. Having worked and driven in the mountain west area he claimed it to be the most beautiful area of the country. I found it hard to disagree. The ride from Walla Walla to Waitsburg was along a lonely country road cutting through the Palouse. The Palouse is characterized by huge, steeply rolling hills with stretches of wheat and edible bean fields as far as you can see. Unfortunately for a cyclist that means dozens of ups and downs. The ‘stretch goal’ for the day was to m...

Stats:   Today's miles :   0 miles Today's feet of elevation gain:   0  feet Total miles traveled:   40 1.5 miles Total feet climbed:   15,743 feet I’m taking a rest day in Walla Walla. Two 90 mile days back to back is a push at this stage. While my legs feel pretty good, its the other parts (butt, shoulders, hands) that often take the punishment of longer rides. I also need to do some bike maintenance. I have 3 tubes that need patches and a chain that hasn’t been cleaned or lubed for 375 miles. And besides, its damn hot today and getting worse (97F).