What's Missing?

Notice in the photo below there are no panniers sitting packed and ready to go. No tent or bag with sleeping bag and sleeping pad all lined up just itching to get on the road. Have I cancelled my upcoming "Bike and Boats" tour? Not going to ride the Sunshine Coast or go up and down the hills of Vancouver Island, the Canadian Gulf Islands, and US San Juan Islands? Of course I am! Then how come I'm not packed? Aren't I always packed waaay early? Usually...yes.

I know I'm leaving in one week, but I don't feel the pressure to have everything packed just yet. I haven't even pulled my stuff out of its storage place (the chest at the foot of my bed). My panniers are still in the bin in the garage. I haven't even taken a look at Betsy (except in passing, on my way to taking Stella out for my "Thanks For Wearing a Helmet" campaign).

Maybe it's because I've been busy doing other things (the aforementioned TFWAH campaign--but that doesn't take THAT much time). Maybe I'm just not excited to be traveling solo again (are you kidding??? I LOVE solo bike touring!). OR...maybe it's the fact that I've already done two fairly major tours this year and I've finally realized it's not necessary to pack everything up so early. Maybe I know now it doesn't take me that long to pull it all together (I'd say it's about time I learned that!).

Anyway, I'll be pulling out the gear sometime this week. I'll have it all ready to go for next week's Tuesday departure. I have set up a CouchSurf place in Port Alberni on Vancouver Island. I'm looking forward to meeting new people and making new friends. I think I'll try to CouchSurf or find a Warmshowers host in Anacortes too.

It's going to be a great tour...uh oh...now I'm getting the urge to go pull out all my stuff and start packing!

A Week in the Pondo

I've just returned from another fabulous week at the Clarke's cabin in The Ponderosa with Lorraine and Annette. Since it is on the eastern edge of the Cascade Mountains, the weather was primarily hot and sunny. We did have a couple of cooler, windy days, but not too bad.

We swam in the pool, went for a few bike rides, wandered around the shops in Leavenworth, and had an encounter with a squirrel who decided to check out the INSIDE of the cabin (he went out the hole he had come in and then we blocked the hole).

We had planned to float the Wenatchee River in inner tubes, but the river was still quite high, fast, and very cold. The place we had rented tubes from a couple of years ago wasn't there, so we took the hint and didn't float the river.

Below are some images from The Ponderosa. On our walks, we noticed lots of places for sale (a sign of the economy I'm sure). There is everything from the old mobile home under the snow roof to the huge "mansion" cabins that are bigger than my house! The views are spectacular as are the curiosities such as the bras on the pole (complete with lights) and a bike zip-tied to a tree. The road runs under the power lines close enough that you get "zapped" while riding if you touch bare skin to metal (We ride "knees wide" going under the power lines).

It was truly a fun and relaxing week with my great friends! I consider myself lucky to get to laugh and play with these two wonderful women!

Next Tour in the DOCKet

For my next tour starting August 14th, I will be spending a lot of time on the docks. This will be the "Bike and Boat Tour". Twenty-one days, 17 boat rides! I'll be mostly taking ferries with one passenger freighter thrown in for fun.

This tour has another purpose. My mom passed away a little more than two years ago. One of her wishes was that her ashes be scattered from the top of Mt. Constitution on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands. Although most of her ashes have already been scattered at the Oregon Coast (another favorite place), I have a small amount that I will take with me on my tour of the Sunshine Coast, Vancouver Island, the Canadian Gulf Islands, and the San Juan Islands. Yes, I will be taking the long way to the top of Mt. Constitution, but I think my mom would have enjoyed the journey (especially since she wouldn't have to pedal!).

Because I am traveling at the height of summer, I have resigned myself to a pretty strict itinerary by making some necessary reservations. I have my train reservation on the Amtrak Cascades from Seattle to Vancouver, BC. I have also made a campsite reservation at a Provincial Park that comes at the end of a long day of cycling (and a 75 minute ferry crossing). I have secured a space on the M.V. Frances Barkley Passenger Freighter from Port Alberni to Ucluelet on the West Coast of Vancouver Island.

There will be some very early mornings as I pedal hard to make, in some cases, the only ferry for the day. Or, at least the only one that will enable me to get to my destination during the ever-shortening daylight hours as I ride later into August. I will be sure to take a good headlight with me!

I think it's going to be challenging and beautiful. After this tour, I will have completed the entire Pacific Coast Bike Route. I will be hoping to post blogs as much as possible along the way. Stay tuned!

The View of a Wheel

The 2012 STP is done! One day, 204 miles! Lorraine and I did it and so did Amy and Tony.

Lorraine, Annette, and I drove to Bothell Friday night and stayed with Lorraine's mom so we wouldn't have to get up so early Saturday morning. Our goal was to get off the start line before 5:00 am (One day riders could start as early as 4:45). Lorraine woke Annette and I up at 3:20. I had set the alarm on my phone for 3:15...PM. We were out the door at 4:00 and down to the parking lot of Safeway (across from the UW parking lot start line) at 4:25. Got the bikes unloaded, said goodbye to Annette, and rode over to the start line. Since we needed one last potty shack visit, we missed the first wave start at 4:45 (might not have made it anyway as there were quite a few people lined up). However, we made the second wave at 4:55. We were off!!!

The first 10 miles to Seward Park is called "The Blaze of Glory". It's not uncommon to see crashes, flat tires, and numerous water bottles, route guides, and other various items on the road. Lorraine lost her tail light (also very common). A guy broke a spoke not more than 5 miles from the start. The road is pretty bumpy and everyone is all pumped up and riding like mad. There is not a lot of room to maneuver as you are surrounded by cyclists. What amazed me the most was the number of stupid guys riding in this "Blaze of Glory" no-handed. I don't care how accomplished you are at no-handed riding, it's not a good idea when you are surrounded by all levels of cycling abilities! I lost Lorraine at some point in the Arboretum.

Near the Seward Park end of the ride along Lake Washington, the sun was just starting to peek over the mountains. As I made the turn at Seward Park to go up the one-block, short, steep hill, there was a guy crashed in the middle of the hill. How does one crash going uphill? I suspect he didn't get shifted until he was going up, lost momentum, and couldn't get out of his pedals fast enough. He was still trying to get out of the pedals while laying on the road. Only one crash, and that was at the end of the "Blaze of Glory"--that's not too bad!

The first stop comes at mile 24 in Kent. I rolled in there at 6:24. This year, unlike the previous years I did STP, they had bike racks to hang your bike on. This is a great improvement. In the past, bikes would just be laying all I've in the grass. Although it made for a great photo, it could be difficult to get your bike out from amongst all the other bikes.

I hung up my bike and went to the potty shacks, then some food. They had Odwalla juices. I had a bottle of juice, a piece of banana, and a mini Clif bar. Annette had driven to Kent and was there when I came in. Lorraine was just 10 minutes behind me. We both gave our vests (and Lorraine gave her arm warmers) to Annette. The weather was overcast, but not cold. Since I had already been at the rest stop for 10 minutes, I headed out. That was the last I saw of Lorraine until she finished.

When I got back on the road, my goal was to draft as much as possible for the rest of the ride. I was quite successful. I rode behind two Group Health (the main sponsor of STP) guys all the way to Puyallup. Talked to one of the guys. This was his third STP and first time doing it in one day. I lost them at the top of the Puyallup hill because they stopped to take a break, but I continued. No problem, I just hooked onto the end of another group. Coming through Roy and McKenna, the line was so long (about 30 riders) that it was a little crazy. The guy in front of me slowed down really fast which caused me to brake quickly as well. The guy behind me almost ran into me (thankfully, he didn't). Never figured out why the guy in front of me stopped so fast. That line finally broke up coming into Yelm. I picked up another couple of riders on the trail to Tenino. I did this most of the way to Centralia. I have little memory of the scenery; just the view of the wheel in front of me.

In Centralia, the lunch stop for one-day riders, I got my free Creamsicle and chocolate milk. I parked my bike and got in line for the potty shack. I ate my ice cream and drank my chocolate milk while waiting in line. Of the things you do at the rest stops, the main thing is waiting in line for the sani-cans. After that, I went to get some lunch. The line for the one-day riders' lunch was too long. I just decided to eat an almond and coconut bar I was carrying and then got back on the road. Since the weather had been foggy and misty for much of the way into Centralia, I hadn't drank that much water so didn't need to fill my water bottles. I spent 15 minutes in Centralia and was back on the road at 11:30. My average speed for the first 100 miles was 17.3! That is the beauty of drafting! The second 100 was not so fast.

I pulled out of Centralia, seemingly, all alone. Of course, I wasn't for long. Groups of cyclists would pass me and I would hook on the end for awhile, but some were going too fast for me to keep up. When I was alone, I would just hunker down on my aero bars and keep cranking the pedals.

The sun came out in earnest as I got to Napavine. I stopped at the top of the Napavine hill and switched to my sunglasses lenses. Ahhh, much better!

There are a number of rolling hills between Napavine and Lexington. I would either try to hook on to a group that was going too fast, or I would get behind someone that slowed down too much going up the rollers. There was also a headwind. I was okay with the headwind because I hoped it would change to a tailwind on the Oregon side (which it did), and it kept me cooler as the temps got up into the 80's.

By the time I got to Castle Rock Highschool, I was in need of a little bit longer break. Up until then, I had spent, at the most, 10 minutes at the other rest stops (except 15 in Centralia). In Castle Rock I bought a bottle of Gatorade and a Reese's. I went into the Highschool where they have the flush toilets. I even took off my gloves and washed my hands with soap and warm water (a luxury not available with sani-cans)! I had my sun sleeves on and I wet them down with cold water from the water horses. All in all, I was only there for 20 minutes, but it seemed longer.

I skipped the Lexington stop since it is only 7 miles after Castle Rock. From there it was not too far to the Lewis and Clark bridge over the Columbia River at Longview. One-day riders do not get escorted over the bridge like two-day riders do on Sunday. If you are going over the bridge on Saturday, you're on your own. However, there is a decent shoulder, and it is not an issue. In fact, because there aren't 250 cyclists going over at the same time, it is easier to get that nice downhill speed coming down the other side of the bridge. That might be where I hit my maximum speed for the day of 36 mph.

Once on the Oregon side, it's more rollers but, with that nice tailwind, they weren't too bad. I was still, occasionally, hooking onto someone's rear wheel, but not for very long. At one point, there was a line of about 6 riders. The guy at the end, who I was behind, kept drifting back, then standing up to pedal to catch up to the line (I'm sure to get his butt off the saddle). That was too exhausting for me to maintain, so I let that one go.

I stopped at the Gobles mini-stop for more Gatorade and a brownie. The min-stops are typically fundraisers for various organizations (usually youth groups), so I don't mind purchasing food from them. From there it was 10 more miles to St. Helens, the last STP sponsored food stop.

At the St. Helens stop they had watermelon. It tasted so good I had two slices! I also soaked my feet in cold water and took off my sun sleeves. It was 5:00. I texted Annette to let her know where I was, then got back on the road for the last 30 miles.

I rode with a gal who was doing her first STP (and in one day like Lorraine). At one point, I was following her (we took turns leading). She reached into her jersey pocket and pulled out a bar. Apparently, it wasn't what she wanted, as she put it into another pocket and reached in again. She pulled another bar out of the pocket which also was not what she was looking for. She put that in the other pocket and reached in yet again! I rode up beside her and told her it looked like she had a magic bottomless pocket of food. She said she did have a lot of food and asked me if I needed anything. I told her I had my own bottomless pocket of food (at that time I had a pocket with a brownie, Rice Krispie Treat, Clif Shot Blocks, and a granola bar a kid had handed to me as I was going down the road).

The gal (never caught her name) stopped at the last mini-stop in Scapoose to get more water. I stopped, but only briefly (ate the other half of a package of Shot Blocks).

The last 20 miles were interesting in that the route did not go the same way it had gone in previous STPs. Instead of going all the way into Portland on St. Helens Rd., then over the Burnside Bridge, we turned off and went over the much more scenic St. John's Bridge. There was one last longish hill to get up to the bridge, but it was a great way to go.

After the bridge we worked our way To Willamette Ave., Rosa Parks, then Vancouver Ave. to the Rose Quarter. There were bike lanes the almost whole way. At the Coliseum, we returned to the usual route for the last 1/2 mile to the finish. As usual, it was stoplight after stoplight. Finally, the Finish Chute was there, I was riding down it, and my sixth STP (second in one day) was completed! I finished at 7:14pm for at total time of 14 hours and 20 minutes, with a ride time of 12 hours and 14 minutes, and an overall average of 16.6 mph. Not too bad for a 50 year old!

Lorraine completed the ride, coming in at 9:15. When her son asked her how it was, she said it was the hardest thing she has ever done--even harder than childbirth! Which reminds me of part of something my dad says about things that are difficult, it's something something, and "makes childbirth a pleasure". Now, how my DAD would know what childbirth feels like??? I don't know...

Anyway, we did it! We both survived! AND, I HAVE NO PLANS TO EVER DO IT AGAIN!!! Give me 1000 mile bike tour anyday!

Here are some photos. Some are not so good, but you get the idea.

Star is Ready, Am I?

Tomorrow I will ride from Seattle to Portland in the Group Health STP Bike Ride. That's 203 miles. In the last three weeks I have been on my road bike, Star, exactly one time (last Sunday for 35 miles). Of course I have been riding--about 550 miles around the Olympic Peninsula. Is it enough? Does two weeks of daily riding on a fully loaded Bike Friday translate to being well-trained for a double-century?

I was definitely ready prior to leaving for the Olympic Peninsula. I had done several century rides as well as one 150 miler and one double metric century (127 miles). Of course, lots of other rides too.

The last time (and only time) I did STP in one day, I left two days later for a two week tour down the Oregon Coast. That was no problem. Now we will see if I can do a two week tour, THEN do STP in one day. Stay tuned to this blog to find out the answer.

And Now Just One

We woke to sun and a whole lotta dew on the tents. I laid out my rainfly on one of the teepee concrete pads knowing i was going to be packing up a wet tent. No big deal as I was just going home.

Christian and I enjoyed our last breakfast together. Him with his bread with meat and cheese and me with my oatmeal and hot chocolate. I finished packing up my stuff. Christain was going to wait until his tent was completely dry since he would not be using it for the rest of his stay in Seattle.

I headed out just after 9:00. It's only about 10 miles back to the ferry. Of course there are some pretty good hills, so it took me just under an hour.

When I got to the terminal, the ferry dock lady was blowing the dust and dirt from the whole ferry dock road. She told me to wait on the other side of the street. She finally gave me the go ahead to ride down to the walk-on passenger area. She apologized for keeping me from coming down. She said she takes pride in a clean dock. She said she is a bit of a "Felix Unger". I told her she could come clean my house if she ran out of dock to clean.

The ferry arrived, off-loaded, and then I rolled on. I tied up Betsy (all alone now) and went upstairs. It was a beautiful day on the water.

The ride was over all too soon. This time, when I got off the ferry, I pulled off on the sidewalk and waited for all the ferry traffic to exit the boat before I started up the hill from the dock. As is true of most ferry terminals, the road is pretty steep away from the dock. Once I got to the intersection for Point Defiance (the park), I continued on Park Ave. instead of going up Pearl. Park turns into Vassault and there is a bike lane the whole way. I think the hill is a little steeper than Pearl, but I will go this way from now on (should I happen to go to Point Defiance or Vashon again). It was nice to have a bike lane and loads less traffic than on Pearl with no bike lane.

When I got to Bridgeport and 27th, I stopped for lunch at Subway #6 (I'm sure Christian is happy to NOT have Subway anymore!).

The rest of the trip home was unremarkable. On occasion I did mistakenly look in my rear view mirror for Christian. Sadly, he wasn't there...enjoy Seattle my friend!

And Then There Were Two

Back on the road this morning with only Christian. Carol had to work so couldn't complete the "C" Musketeers.

It was "the path frequently travelled" for me, but all new for Christian. Especially new for him was riding on I-5! Many people are surprised that it is legal to ride on the freeway (in certain places it is NOT legal).

After our stint on I-5, we worked our way to Steilacoom where we rode along the water and up Chambers Creek Canyon. We opted to take the roller coaster that is Grandview Dr. to 27th. Then up to Jackson/Bridgeport Way.

One of the things Christian wanted to do was ride across the Narrows Bridge. We did that, stopping to take photos at mid-span. Once we got across, we just turned around and rode back.

Once we were back on the Tacoma side, I realized we would not make the 11:45 ferry (we didn't really think we would anyway). That meant we would have to wait until 1:40 (they take a lunch break). So we rode to Subway on Pearl and had a leisurely lunch (Subway #5).

From Subway it was all downhill to the ferry terminal at Point Defiance. Even though we didn't rush lunch, we still had awhile to wait at the terminal. Even the ticket window was closed for lunch.

Once the window opened (late because they were having computer problems), we paid our $5, and, a short time later, boarded the ferry. Christian and I made a complete tour of the ferry on all levels. Even though the weather had been overcast (in fact, I thought I might have pushed my Weather Karma too far because I didn't bring any rain gear), the clouds broke up and the sun came out. We stayed out on the deck of the ferry for the entire ride.

Once on Vashon, Christian got to experience many of the hills that Vashon Island has to offer. I took him the way Carol and I have gone. It's still alot of climbing. We came into "downtown" and we're stopped by a cyclist we had been playing leapfrog with. Gene was from Bellevue and this was his first time on Vashon. He asked us about our tour and how we got to Vashon from Olympia. When I told him, he said to Christian, "It's a good thing you have her with you!". He also took a photo of us. Christian took one of him.

Other than visiting with Gene, we didn't stop in the town for anything. We continued on to the hostel/campground.

This time when we got there, the guy came right away to collect our money. When Carol and I were there before, the gal charged us $13 each. This time the guy charged us $12. The very first time Carol and I just stopped to check out the place, the gal told us it was $15 per person. At this rate, it will eventually be free!

Christian went to put his food in the fridge in the barn at the hostel. At that point he realized he had left his refrigerated food at my house. We decided to ride back to town to Thriftway so he could get more cheese and meat. I got some yogurt for my breakfast. We fixed dinner in the kitchen and ate outside at the picnic table since it was so nice.

Later on we played cards (Christian has gotten much faster at Speed). After several hands, we called it a night. It's our last night together.