Advice for Those Considering Long-Haul Bicycle Touring

One thing that Dean and I did before we decided to do this trip, and while we were preparing for the trip, was to read as much as could online about what to bring, what to expect, etc. We read a lot of blogs and message boards related to adventure cycling, but never saw an all-in-one advice column for people considering a long tour. For that reason, we're writing one!

Should I do a long-distance tour? Yes. I think long-distance bike touring can be for almost anyone. Just prepare yourself as best you can!

How much training should I do beforehand? If you're already in excellent shape and an avid cyclist, just go for it, maybe with a few fully loaded 50+ mile rides before departing. However, most of the advice here will not be for super-fit avid bikers, since that wasn't our experience.

If you're in not-so-great shape (like we were) and not avid cyclists (like we were), then I strongly recommend doing lots of training rides. We did not do many training rides, we didn't do any long fully-loaded rides, and we never went out when the weather was bad. That was a bad idea. I think it's important to do a long, fully-loaded ride on a drizzling, cool day, because when you're in the middle of nowhere, that might be your only option. I also recommend doing some fully loaded training rides on any hills or mountains that may be in your area.

What kind of bike do I need? I think that if it is at all in your budget, you should absolutely get some kind of touring bike. You can absolutely do a tour on a road bike or on a commuter bike (I wouldn't recommend using a mountain bike, especially with suspension, unless you're doing an off-road tour), but those bikes aren't meant for hauling the weight you'll be hauling, and most aren't meant to take the wear and tear of daily long rides with no break under lots of weight. Touring bikes are meant for touring, so get one if you can. If you can't or don't want to use a touring bike, I recommend talking to your local bike shop about getting it tour-ready.

What kind of gear do I need (other than the bike)? This all depends on what kind of tour you want to do. Most likely you'll need basic camp gear, biking clothes (2 sets should be fine, and padded shorts are a must on both sets), biking tools and accessories (chamois cream, bike multi-tool, etc.), sunblock, sunglasses, chilly-weather gear, panniers or a trailer (we strongly recommend panniers), emergency food supplies (a small amount should be fine), headlights and taillights, a helmet (of course), handlebar mirrors (essential!), a first-aid kit, off-bike clothes (2 sets should be fine), bungee cords, enough water storage for your needs (I used a water bottle and a Camelbak, Dean used 3 water bottles), maps (!), and if at all possible a smartphone or some kind of handheld navigation system, just in case .... That's all we can think of right now.

Should I spend money on "the good stuff" or will mid-range or low-cost gear be okay? Personally, I recommend shelling out the extra money for the good stuff. When we were preparing, I was really against spending as much money as we did, and in some cases I bought the less expensive gear. In almost all cases, the cheap stuff fell apart or didn't perform as well as the expensive stuff. If you can afford it, it's just better to get good stuff when you can. You'll be using it every day. I think this is the most true about your bike clothing and bike parts. The one thing that we did skimp on a bit, cost-wise, that performed great was Bag Balm ($7 per can, appx.) over chamois cream ($20-ish per jar).

Should I go alone, or with a friend or group of friends? I can't really speak to going alone, since I've only done one tour and it was with my husband. We did meet several people traveling solo, and they seemed happy enough. I did notice the solo riders were chatty when we met them -- I think they may have been suffering a bit for company.

We had a great time traveling together on this trip. However, it could have gone very badly. If you are going with someone else, or a group, I recommend talking about what your major goals are for the trip before you leave. If you have vastly different goals, it might cause problems along the way. For example, if one person really wants to pedal every inch and another person just wants to enjoy the flat parts in good weather, that might cause a problem. Talk about it beforehand and make sure you're in sync.

How bad are the mountains? First things first, I recommend having a bike shop look at your gearing. If you're going to be climbing mountains, you might want a serious granny gear to help you out. Mid-way through the trip we both had our bikes re-geared, and I think it helped us in the Rockies.

How bad the mountains are depend on how good of shape you're in. For me, the Appalachians and Blue Ridge were excruciating torture. Dean did alright. I was totally miserable. During that time, however, he did have slightly lower gearing than I did. The mountains in Virginia and Kentucky are very, very steep, even when they're not all that tall. It's tough if you're not ready. Actually, I think it's pretty tough even for those who are ready, judging from anecdotes we heard from other tourists in pretty good shape. But if you have good cardio and strong quads, it's a great start.

I'll take this opportunity to recommend training on hills or mountains again. I really think it's crucial.

The Rockies were taller than the eastern mountains, but not as steep. Plus, we were in better shape when we got there. But please do be as prepared as you can be, because they can be a big slap in the face if you're not ready.

What do you do when the bikes break down? You fix it if you can, and try to get to a bike shop if you can't. I strongly recommend taking a bike repair course before you leave. We did the Park Tool School, and it was very helpful. Also, even though it can get heavy, I also strongly recommend taking all the tools you might need. If you're stranded 200 miles from the nearest bike shop, you'll wish you'd brought the 5 lb wrench, or whatever, that could help you repair the problem yourself. Also, find out what kind of spokes your wheels take, and bring extras! Also (of course) bring extra, good quality tubes and a patch kit.

What's the best way to prevent sunburn or sun damage? I think this is a great and critical question, since you can be out in the sun for 6-8 hours every day.

We just used super-high SPF sunblock -- 80 - 100 SPF in most cases. We used it every single day, and on really hot days we reapplied as needed. A lot of the higher quality bike clothing also has SPF protection, and your helmets provide shade, too. I originally brought sun-protective long sleeved jerseys and longish pants, but bought shorter stuff along the way. Sunblock did the heavy lifting. Dean didn't get burned at all, and I got burned only when I missed a spot with the sunblock.

What's the deal with saddle sores? Will I get them? How can I prevent them? Saddle sores threatened to emerge every single day with me, and Dean never had any problem. I never did get a full-blown saddle sore (which is a terribly painful abscess), but I got the beginnings of sores (which just looks like light acne).

A lot of things contribute to saddle sores, from what kind of saddle you have, to how much you weigh, to how you sit in the saddle, to your brand of chamois cream, to how well you clean ... and that's just a few. In my opinion, there are a few key things you can do to prevent saddle sores, as follows:

1) Have the right saddle for you, and for touring. Check with your local bike shop to make sure your saddle fits your "sit bones."

2) If you can, lose weight. Being overweight can contribute to saddle sores. Note that I say this with full knowledge that if you could lose weight, you probably would have already, but there it is.

3) Use chamois cream. You have to have something to reduce friction between your chamois and your skin, and to fight against the bacteria party that can go on down there. There are lots of reviews online about which chamois cream is best. As mentioned, we used bag balm, which isn't a chamois cream per se, but it's kind of an antiseptic vaseline/lanolin combo. Use whatever you like, but use something!!

4) Have some zit cream on-hand. A small tube of over-the-counter stuff will do and doesn't weigh much, but if you start to get the minor acne that precedes saddle sores, usually dabbing on some zit cream will take care of the problem overnight.

5) For the love of all that's holy, DO NOT WEAR UNDERWEAR! I'm hoping that if you're considering a long-haul tour, you probably already know this, but I say this just in case. Wearing underwear is the absolute worst thing you can do, and is almost guaranteed to cause saddle sores on a long distance tour.

6) I know I mentioned it earlier, but you must have padded shorts. Again, if you're thinking of a long-distance tour, you probably know this, but it's really crucial so I'm just saying it again.

7) Take a shower as soon as you can after getting off the bike. Bacteria and germ can really build up in your sweaty bike shorts during a long ride, and you want to wash all that stuff off as soon as you can! Keeping your butt clean and dry when not on the bike is essential to preventing saddle sores.

That's all I can think of, but there are lots of other online sources about this, and I recommend that you check them out!

Will I lose a lot of weight on a trip like this? Probably not. Dean and I both ended up gaining a few pounds on the trip, and I've never heard of anyone losing more than 10 lbs or so. A trip like this makes you HUNGRY, and you need to eat a lot of calories to have the energy to go go go every day. I don't think it's a very practical weight-loss plan.

How do you know where to go every day, and which roads to take? We used the Adventure Cycling Association tour maps for most of our trip. They are wonderful maps with lots of key information. I highly recommend them. We sometimes bought local road maps and made our own way, but this was always a gamble.

That's all I can think of now. If you have other questions, post them in comments and we'll answer them as best we can.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT ON THIS TRIP! WE LOVE OUR READERS!

Best Superlatives!

A lot of people have asked us things like, "What's the best place you stayed on your trip?," or "What was your favorite meal?" We are going to answer those questions and more in this post. It's superlatives time!

Most Beautiful State: Idaho (breathtaking every second we were riding, I highly recommend it for a vacation for anyone who loves the outdoors)

Worst State, All-Around: North Dakota (miles and miles of misery)

Best Value Motel: The Muskie Motel in Muscatine, IA ($35 a night for a motel that would cost easily $65 most other places)

Best Place We Stayed: Cyclists' Bunkhouse in Dalbo, MN (perfect for cyclists and Donn was great company!)

Worst Place We Stayed: it's a tie! Cormorant Inn in Cormorant, MN (over $100 per night to have bad rock covers blasted into our ears until 2 a.m.) tied with Oxford Junction Park Shelter in Oxford Junction, IA (the creepiest town in America, but at least it was free)

Best Meal: Meredith says it was spaghetti with garlic bread and chocolate milk at The Fountain Sandwich Fountain in Buchanan, VA; Dean says it was it was the Chipotle French Dip sandwich at O'Griff's Irish Pub and Grill in Quincy, IL -- Runner Up, The Piggy Bank in Oakville, IA

Worst Meal: Chinese food in Rainier, OR. (though the fresh cherries we got there kind of made up for it)

Best Essential Item Brought on Trip: Meredith's bike (1986 Miyata Six-Ten). It performed beautifully for basically the entire trip. I had one flat tire and one broken spoke on a 2300 mile trip. Not bad for a 25 year old bike! In fact, not bad for even a brand new bike! I am so grateful to Dean's friend, Benny, who gave us that awesome bike as a wedding gift!

Best Non-Essential Item Brought on Trip: Dean's Smartphone, to the point that I'm not sure I'd even call it non-essential, though we considered not bringing one at all. Runner up: my Camelbak backpack

Most Useless Item Brought on Trip: Bandanas. We thought we'd use them to keep sun and bugs off our necks (tied to our helmets -- a suggestion from another bike tourist's blog), but we didn't use them even one time for any reason. We should have used them as bike rags.

Best Brand of Bike Equipment/Clothing: Meredith says Bontrager, overall (everything they make is the best, except for gloves, for which I vote Specialized). Dean has no strong opinion, but wore Pearl Izumi clothing, mostly, and tried several different tire and glove brands. His Bontrager gloves worked the best for him (because Bontrager rules). I (Meredith) also like Twin Sixes clothing.

Most Beautiful Thing we Saw: It's a 4-way tie! Badlands in North Dakota, Glacier National Park in Montana, and Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness in Idaho, the Mississippi River and bluffs in the morning in Wisconsin and Minnesota

Best Day: Lolo Hot Springs, MT to Lowell, ID -- our longest day. It's unanimous! This was a great day. We felt proud of climbing our first Rocky Mountain and going the farthest distance in one day, and it was also a beautiful, beautiful ride. Amazing!

Worst Day: Meredith says Lewiston, ID to Dayton, WA -- it was a long, long day, and hard with a lot of bad decisions and bad luck. Dean says Troutville, VA to Blacksburg, VA -- it was a short, really hard day with lots of tears and misery, plus is was hot and the hills were super steep.

Hardest Day: The reverse! Meredith says Troutville, VA to Blacksburg, VA was hardest -- those hills were just killer and I blew out a quad. It was pure torture every second. Dean says Lewiston, ID to Dayton, WA -- it just went on forever.

Nicest Town: Meredith says Stillwater, MN. It was adorable and the people were friendly. I could totally see myself living there. Dean says Troutville, VA, where everyone was super helpful, friendly and kind.

Nicest Person: Scott, of Ride On Bikes in Lewiston, ID. He drove 100 miles out of his way to fix a broken spoke for us when we were stranded in Kamiah, ID, and he wouldn't accept any payment. Wow!

Meanest Person: Random guy in a red truck in Idaho, who drove frighteningly near us in the bike lane, honked his horn as loud as possible to startle us (nearly to the point of crashing), and then sped off, while flipping the bird out of the window. Pure class. Also, interesting that both the nicest and meanest people we met on the trip were in Idaho. Huh.

Best "Twine Ball" (Dean and I called the fun detours we took to see odd things our "twine balls," since I told him at the beginning of the trip that if we saw a sign for the world's biggest twine ball, I wanted to go see it): MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) local / amateur expo in Kamiah, ID. Every guy there looked like an Eminem impersonator.

Most Vicious Dog Attack: Buford, the 20 year old Basset Hound with two teeth who was hot on our trail, near Troy, Missouri. He would not leave us alone! Thankfully, we never needed to use our Halt! Dog Repellent.

Most Inexplicable Roadside Display: 2-mile fence covered in shoes, near Downer, MN. What did it MEAN??? Honorable mentions: Dragon and unicorn painting on side of road, early on in the trip; "The Flamingos Are Coming!" warnings all over Cascade, IA; Lawn featuring Spongebob, Statue of Liberty, A Snail, and Uncle Sam in Cormorant, MN; giant man wearing green shoes and hat on side of mountain just outside Dayton, WA; and signs in Prescott, WI saying "Curb End," where the curb ends and "Curb Start," where the curb starts. Who paid for those?

Most Popular Blog Post: Day 3 - Richmond, VA to Charlottesville, VA, with 97 pageviews. I have no idea why this would be the most popular, but the stats don't lie!

Most Difficult-to-Identify Bird: Um, we still don't know. It's kind of purpley blue black, small, and hangs out by the Missouri River. Any ideas?

Other superlatives you're curious about? Just say so in comments and we'll post 'em!

Trip Stats!

Dean and I have been back home a few weeks now, and we apologize for the delay in getting our promised stats post published! Here we go!

Total miles biked on trip: 2298.0

Total bike days: 48

Total rest days: 21

Average miles biked on bike days (excluding rest days): 47.9 miles

Average miles biked per day, overall (including rest days): 33.3 miles

Max speed of entire trip: 38.5 mph (I distinctly remember cresting the hill that day and saying to Dean, "This is going to be fun!")

Longest ride: 87.3 miles (Lolo Hot Springs, MT to Lowell, ID -- the day we climbed our first Rocky Mountain)

Shortest ride on a non-rest day: 14.1 miles (Augusta, MO to Washington, MO -- the day of the tornado, and when Dean hurt his wrist)

# of falls: 7 (4 for Dean, 3 for Meredith, but one of Meredith's resulted from Dean inciting panic by telling her she had a bug on her [no fair!])

# of flat tires: 5 (4 for Dean, 1 for Meredith) Our kevlar belted tires performed really well. Only one of our flats was the result of a puncture.

# of broken spokes: 3 (2 for Dean, 1 for Meredith) All of these were on the drive side of the rear tire -- the hardest place to replace a broken spoke. What a pain!

# of times we seriously considered packing it in and going home: 1 (Meredith)

Max temp on hottest day riding: 104 (on the way to Lynxville, WI)

Min temp on coldest day: 48 (on the way to Troy, MO -- my feet went numb it was so cold!)

# of mountains climbed (I'm counting buttes over 2,000 ft, too): 4 (Cawtaba, Lolo, Alpowa, Big Butte)

# of bike shops visited on trip: 9 (Bike Beat in Williamsburg, VA; Katy Bike Rental in Defiance, MO; Bickel's Cycling and Fitness in Burlington, IA; Smith's Cycling and Fitness in La Crosse, WI; Jake's Bikes in Alexandria, MN; The Bikery in Stillwater, MN; Great Northern Bicycle Co. in Fargo, ND; Ride On Bikes in Lewiston, ID; and Allegro Cyclery in Walla Walla, WA)

# of bike chains used on trip: 5 (3 for Dean, 2 for Meredith)

# of nights camped: 8

# of nights with free lodging: 10 (Many thanks to Sapna, Teri, Alex , Joy, and Donn! Also thanks to the Mineral, VA fire department, and the cities of Troutville, Bowlus, Hope, and (shudder) Oxford Junction)

# of gas station hamburgers consumed: 5 (YUM!)

# of times we had to "go" in the woods: 5 (but thankfully, we never had to use the spade we brought!)

# of Man v. Food episodes watched in motel rooms across this great nation: 31 (it's a good show, okay?)

# of time zones crossed: 3

# of road closures encountered: 6 (3 of which we bravely faced, ignoring the ROAD CLOSED DO NOT ENTER sign)

Any other stats you'd like to know about? Mention them in comments, and we'll add 'em in, if we can!

Answering Hyla's comment about # of animal species: There were 13 new animal species we noted seeing in the blog (from bison to camels to loons to pelicans and more!), but I couldn't begin to hazard a guess to the total number of animal species we saw. Easily hundreds, if not thousands!

Answering RG's comment about # of hours spent blogging: I'd hazard a guess at 110 hours total -- more than an hour per night, but not quite 2 hours per night

Day 69: WOOOOOHOOOOOO!

Astoria, OR to Seaside, OR

Stats!
Miles biked today: 22.9
Total miles biked on trip! 2298.0
Max speed: 32.0 mph
Full post on trip stats to be posted soon!

We did it! The ride was beautiful, and we are so glad. It was a wonderful, sunny, warm (but not hot) day, and we rode from Astoria through the Fort Clatsop National Historical Park most of the way to Seaside. Very pretty. It was a hilly ride, but that meant that when we crested our last hill, we had a great view of the ocean! Our first real Pacific Ocean view! It felt amazing.

My bike was making weird noises, and we checked it out, but couldn't figure out what was wrong. As we rode along, it got worse and worse. We stopped and checked again, and saw that the tire was rubbing against the frame, because the wheel wasn't at all securely attached! It could have just fallen off at any moment. Scary. But we did our last on-route bike repair and pressed on.

We got to Seaside and spent some time in the water, just splashing around in celebration a bit. It was really tough pushing our fully loaded bikes through the sand to the water! We felt elated and sad all at the same time. It was really bittersweet, and there is a lot we will miss about the bike trip. And we'll probably forget about all the tough stuff!

My friend, Joy, met us and we spent some more time on the beach and then went down the Oregon coast some. We saw amazing beaches and went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory! It's a pretty big tourist attraction, and we bought some cheese to use in our dinner.

We ended up hanging out on the Oregon coast all day, and didn't even have our whole wheat mac and fancy cheese until 9:30 or so, and in the end we just crashed out without having posted. So sorry the blog is late!

I can't believe we did it! I am really proud of us, and also bummed it's over. I think we made memories to last all our lives, and we are still very happily married. Spending 24 hours a day, every day with someone for 70 days might put a strain on some relationships, but not us. We are as happy together as we were on our wedding day.

Thank you so much for reading the blog! Please stay tuned! There will be more posts to come in the next couple of weeks with stats, superlatives, advice for people interested in touring, and more.

Day 68: The Finish Line Moves Back a Day...

Astoria, OR

Well, Dean was pretty sick last night and today. We did end up going to karaoke last night, and had a good time! We each sang, and if you know Dean, you should be surprised. ;)

We got back, and Dean wasn't feeling great. He was sick all night and still sick today. Before you jump to conclusions regarding karaoke, a brewery, and a sick night, let me say that we didn't drink all that much, and I was 100% fine, even though we had roughly the same amount to drink. I suspect that Dean might have had a bug anyway, and the brewery visit didn't help much.

He was still sick for most of the day today, and still isn't feeling completely better, but says he wants to ride the last 21 miles tomorrow. My awesome friend, Joy, will pick us up from Seaside tomorrow afternoon. If Dean's not feeling better tomorrow, I'm not sure what we'll do. We might call it off in Astoria if we need to.

Unfortunately, I have no video footage of the karaoke. Sorry!

Hopefully I'll have good news tomorrow!

Day 67: Here's Mud in Your Eye!

Clatskanie, OR to Astoria, OR

Stats!
Miles biked today: 36.5
Total miles biked on trip so far: 2275.1
Max speed: 31.5 mph
# of bike touring n00bs met: 5
# of karaoke songs sung: TBD

Today was a beautiful ride! Cloudiness and rain aside, it, really was lovely. The road was nice, with a wide shoulder. We climbed a serious hill, but it gave us a great view.

On the way down the big hill, the sky opened up. No big deal, except that both of my fenders broke in the last week. Mud was flying everywhere. The downhills were tough, because mud kept flying in my eyes. We got pretty gross. By the time we reached the bottom of the hill, I looked like a mud monster.

Twenty miles into our ride, we stopped for lunch at Loggers' Restaurant. Before we sat down, I wiped the mud off my face and hands before sitting down,'cause I'm classy like that. We had barely ordered when another group of bike tourists showed up -- maybe 5 or 6 of them. We soon decided that they must be pretty new to bike touring, given what they were talking about. As we got up to leave, they asked us about our trip. We told them, and they were seriously impressed. Turns out, they were on day one -- of their three day tour!

Along the route, we saw a lot of fruit stands. Joy had told us that if we saw a cherries stand, to buy some cherries, so we did! Washington cherries are delicious right now. Mmmmm!

The rest of the trip was rolling hills, but all manageable. We rolled into Astoria at a very reasonable hour, and the town is very cute. We hope to make it to karaoke tonight at the Wet Dog Brewery.

Tomorrow's our LAST DAY! We can scarcely believe it, and we're not sure if we're happy or sad. 21 more miles to go!

Day 66: Gammy's Books, Terrible Cooks, Scenic Overlooks

St. Helen's, OR to Clatskanie, OR

Stats!
Miles biked today: 33.2 (exact same as yesterday!)
Total miles biked on trip so far: 2239.6
Max speed: 30 mph
# of bicycle tourists seen on tandems: 2 tourists, one bike
# of vitamins needed to induce illness: 1
Best coffee shop name ever: Latte Da (in Clatskanie)

We woke up late again this morning, but we both slept great! We no longer care about what time we wake up, since we could leave at noon and still do a 30 mile day without getting in too late. It's all less-than-40-mile days from here on out.

After the past week, with Dean and I each feeling a bit sick in the mornings since buying a new bottle of vitamins, we decided to take our vitamins after breakfast. Breakfast was great, and we were able to confirm that it was the vitamins making us sick, since they made us sick even having them after breakfast. No more vitamins for us. So that slowed us down a bit, too. Yuck.

I also learned that, on a morning when you're already starting out really late and you want to make some progress, the worst possible thing to say it, "Look, Dean! That used bookstore is open!" Dean had finished his book last night, and needed a new one, so I pointed it out when I saw that "Gammy's Used Books" in St. Helen's was open. He browsed FOREVER, and that set us back, time-wise, too. But he now has a book, so we're all set.

We got back on the road, and the first 10 miles or so were nice, if a bit cloudy. The shoulders all along 30 were wide for that stretch, but for some reason were just covered in bark. In Iowa, the shoulders were covered in corn, and here in bark. I guess there's a big timber industry here?

After those first 10, we got to Ranier (lots of towns named after mountains around here, though the mountains aren't really nearby), where we had lunch. It was just the worst lunch ever. We went to a Chinese restaurant. We have so many burgers and sandwiches and fries that we usually jump at a chance for something different. Bad jump today. It was slimy and disgusting and the meat tasted.... wrong. All in all a bad choice, but we ate it anyway, since we needed the energy for our next challenge.

Another mountain!

Or at least a really big hill. The last time we had a climb like this, it turns out that we were crossing the Blue and Wallowa Mountains. I'd never even heard of the Blue or Wallowa Mountains, but we crossed them. It was a substantial climb, but nothing like the Rockies, so I didn't think it was actually a mountain. So I'm not sure whether today's climbs were mountains or hills, is my point.

Anyway, as soon as we started the climb, our beautifully wide shoulder disappeared, and on our right side appeared a metal railing. We had to ride along a perilously narrow strip, and we couldn't get over any farther because of the railing. It was pretty scary when tractor trailers went by.

The lack of shoulder also meant that we couldn't walk the bikes. You, next to the bike is wider than you on the bike, so when it's narrow and dangerous, you can't really walk. This can be tough on a long, steep climb when your body is screaming for a break and you just can't safely stop.

Luckily there were a couple of scenic overlooks on the way up where we could pull off and take a break. I'm not sure what we would have done without them! While we were at one of the overlooks, a hobo (I guess? He definitely looked like a hobo) started talking and talking and talking to Dean about the trip. Usually, we have a few conversations each day with locals about our trip, but nothing crazy so we haven't posted about it. I think this area does get more bike tourists than the midwest, but people are still curious about us.

We pressed on, and ended up doing two big climbs. No rest for the weary. At the top of the second climb we saw our favorite sign -- we call it "trucks on wedges" -- indicating a steep downhill. Woohoo! Unfortunately, the shoulder was really rough, with potholes and all kinds of stuff in our way, so we couldn't go as fast as we'd have liked. But we were grateful just for the break, after those big ascents.

At the bottom of the hill, we were in Clatskanie! Clatskanie is a nice enough town, but nothing noteworthy, other than the best named coffee shop ever, Latte Da. Tomorrow we should make it to Astoria. Can't wait!

Day 65: Winding Down

Portland, OR to St. Helen's, OR

Miles biked today: 33.2
Total miles biked on trip so far: 2206.4
Max speed: 23.5 mph
# of minutes it took me to talk Dean into knocking off early: 1

Honestly, today was a pretty boring day. I'm going to throw that out there right now, so you're prepared for the boring blog post. Apologies! It was such a yawn that I didn't take a single picture, so I'm using pictures from our fun day in Portland yesterday.

We left Portland this morning LATE. We woke up late, for no good reason, and then Dean wasn't feeling great. I asked him if we needed to take the day off, but he said he was okay to ride, after a bit of a rest. When we got on the road, it was drizzling, cloudy, cool, and a little bit windy, plus we don't know our way around the town too well yet. It took us awhile to navigate our way out of the city, but we finally got back on the route.

The rest of the ride was all on highway 30, and we'll be on highway 30 all the way to Astoria. Highways are tough because we can't hear each other over the cars, even if we shout, so I have to keep checking my mirrors to make sure Dean's still with me and everything is okay.

The ride was pretty easy, terrain-wise. We chugged along happily, if slightly chilly. But overall, we just weren't feelin' it. Our original plan was to go about 50 miles to Ranier, OR, but when we passed this motel, I said, "Why don't we just stop here?" I just wanted to chill out, read my book, relax. Dean was on board. :)

We were originally going to take 2 - 3 days to get to the coast, and chill at the beach for a few days, but since Joy's going to meet us there on Saturday, we can take it super slow. The weather hasn't been very beachy, so we might as well do 4 short days instead of 2 super long ones or 3 normal ones.

I'm looking forward to making it to Astoria soon. It's supposedly a very cute town, and where they filmed The Goonies!

Day 64: A Perfect Portland Day!

Portland, OR

We had the best Portland day today! We went to Powell's, bought a good few books we didn't need, walked around town, had lunch at the food carts, hiked around Multnoma Falls and had a great dinner at a restaurant Joy recommended. We topped it all off with a game of Settlers of Catan. Excellent rest day! Tomorrow we're back on the road.

Sorry for the short post, but I'm exhausted!

Day 63: Portland -- The End is Nigh.

Walla Walla, WA to Portland, OR

Today we drove from Walla Walla to Portland and met up with Joy, a friend of mine from high school. It was great to see her!

The ride in was absolutely beautiful. The Columbia River Gorge was really stunning, but it was windy enough for the river to have windsurfers out and windmills churning, and it was also raining. We were happy to enjoy the sights from a car today. :)

We also went to go see Harry Potter! It was great, and I might want to go see it again before it leaves theaters.

Tomorrow I want to give Dean the Portland tour as best I can (I've only been here once, myself). That means Powell's Books, Multnomah Falls, food trucks, and Alberta St. I'm sure Dean could spend the whole day at Powell's. Possibly me, too.

After that, it's on to the shore! For now, we are exhausted. Zzzzzz....

Day 62: Sweet, Sweet Onions

Walla Walla, WA

Did you know that Walla Walla is the sweet onion capital of the country? I didn't, but I do now! Their baseball team is the Walla Walla Sweets. Today we went to the annual Sweet Onion Festival, and had sweet onion sausages. We wanted bloomin' onions, but they were sold out when we got there.

We had a good time at the festival, enjoyed some Walla Walla wine -- apparently this is quite the wine country, checked out the town, and, of course, did some laundry. Woot! We have reserved a rental car to take us to Portland tomorrow, and we'll bike to the coast from there.

We are both ready, in some ways, for the trip to be over, and we will also really miss the trip when it's over. But we've ridden through harsh winds, we've ridden in the rain, we've ridden over mountains, we've ridden in sun hot enough to give me heat rash, we've forded streams with no bridges, we've crossed many a closed road, and we've ridden through 100 miles of straight wilderness. In short, we've done this trip. I do want to ride to Seaside from Portland and dip our bikes in the ocean. But we're pretty ready to head home, get clean, take a break.

Tomorrow we head for Portland! We're almost there. We should be home in a week or so.

Day 61: King of the Ladybugs and Queen Bee

Dayton, WA to Walla Walla, WA

Stats!
Miles biked today: 30.2
Total miles biked on trip so far: 2173.2
Max speed: 32.0 mph
# of ladybugs that landed on Dean: at least 6
# of bees in my bonnet (er, helmet): 1
# of steep hills climbed unexpectedly: 5
# of new species spotted: 1 (camel!)

This morning we woke up in our wonderful, fancy hotel room and decided to take a rest day. The hotel where we were staying must have been some kind of historic building -- it had high ceilings and crown molding everywhere, and the windows were huge, with these great wooden blinds. I really loved it.

After deciding to take a rest day, we took our sweet time getting up, but made it just in time for continental breakfast. It was then that we learned that the hotel was completely booked for tonight, so we couldn't stay.

On to Walla Walla!

So we ended up with a late start, but it wasn't a huge deal since we were only going 30 miles. It was another one of those either 30 miles or 90 miles but nothing in between days, and given the choice, we'll almost always choose the shorter day. Also, there was one sizable climb about 10 miles in, but after that the elevation map promised a long, slow descent into Walla Walla.

We were feeling pretty wiped from yesterday's ride, energy-wise, but the first 10 miles were flat. When we hit the big hill, I couldn't do it. My quads were done. No more! So we changed into our regular shoes and walked up the whole thing.

After that, we had about 5 miles of the promised downhill, before -- WHAT'S THIS?? -- another steep hill where there should have been none. I double checked the map. We were definitely on the right route. So we just climbed it. Another brief downhill. Another steep climb. Another downhill. Another climb. And so on. Overall, we lost elevation, just like the map said we would, but it only shows "significant" elevation changes so you can plan for them. My quads thought all the climbs were significant today, but at least we didn't have to walk again.

Every time we stopped, a ladybug would land on Dean and hang out awhile. There were tons of them around on the whole ride today. I'm not sure why. And they weren't interested in me at all, but they were swarming Dean. Maybe his yellow jersey looked like a flower they like? One even hitched a ride on Dean's forearm for several miles.

My only encounter with insects today happened just around lunchtime. We were riding along and I felt something land on my helmet. I felt around, worried that it might have been a gift from a bird passing overhead, but I couldn't feel anything there. I forgot about it, and we went into a cafe for lunch. I took off my helmet, we ordered lunch, I got my soda, etc. I brushed back my hair, just as you might do anytime for no reason at all, and a nearly-dead bee fell onto my lap. I guess that's what had fallen on my head earlier. Naturally, I screamed, thinking it was still full of vim and vigor, and called quite a bit of attention to myself. As if we don't attract enough attention with our ridiculous outfits. Oh, well.

We eventually made it to Walla Walla, which seems like a cool town. I got my bike fixed up, as was sorely needed. But I think we are going to do another hop-skip-jump to Portland via train or rental car. Nothing's decided for sure. The next stretch is light on services and towns (I don't fancy another stretch of cold Boyardee dinners), and heavy on what the map calls "fierce wind out of the west." No good. Plus, it's supposed to rain here for the next few days. In Washington state! Who'd have guessed?

Tomorrow we are taking a rest day for laundry and to figure out what we'll do next.

I also forgot to mention yesterday that, as we were making the descent into Dayton and the sun was just down, the ride was really breathtaking. The full moon was out, the skies were purple, and the rolling hills were really green. If you saw it in a painting, you'd think it was overdone and unrealistic. But it was spectacular! So, something good came out of that fiasco.

We'll keep you updated tomorrow on what our plans are. For now, sleep!

Day 60: Bad Hills + Bad Wind + Bad Tire + Bad Decisions = BAD DAY

Lewiston, ID to Dayton, WA

Stats!
Miles biked today: 69.3 long, difficult miles
Total miles biked on trip: 2143.0
Max speed: 31.0 mph
# of hours we rode today: 12

Today I woke up feeling a little bit sick, and the weather was dreary. Dean suggested taking another rest day, but I said we'd have to climb that last mountain sometime, so it might as well be today. I had a bagel to try to settle my stomach, and off we rode.

Because we knew it was a long way to our lunch stop, and up a mountain at that, we stopped at the grocery store to pick up some snacks and gatorade for the day. It was a good idea.

The first 10 miles were great, and beautiful. We rode alongside the Snake River. It was a gray day, but you could still see the hills reflected in the water.

We soon hit Alpowa mountain, however, and things turned south. It wasn't a particularly hard climb, in terms of how steep it was -- no worse than Lolo, anyway -- but I was still feeling a little sick, and it made the climb very challenging for me. And, in fairness, we started at about 500 ft. and climbed to about 2800 ft., so it was a pretty tough ride. We had to stop and rest a lot and I got dizzy a few times. We walked some of it. It was so hard that we discussed stopping for the day at Pomeroy, the town where we planned to have lunch.

We finally climbed the mountain, and Pomeroy was about 9 miles away. Those 9 miles were pretty great, after an arduous ride up, but it was very windy, which slowed down our otherwise gleeful descent. The clouds broke up, too, and the sun came out.

In Pomeroy, we stopped at the first place we saw to eat, and got a lot of food (as per usual). We talked about whether or not to stop there, and looked at the map. It was mostly downhill or flat for most of the rest of the way, except for another pretty big climb (about 1,000 ft.) right before Dayton. There were no towns in between. We decided to go for it.

As soon as we got on the road, we noticed that the wind had gotten worse. Much worse. But it was still mostly downhill, and we just pedalled through it. The wind got so bad that we had to stop for a break a few miles out of Pomeroy -- it's exhausting to fight the wind! Dean checked his phone and saw that it was after 4 p.m. already!! I was shocked, thinking it would be around 1 p.m. We took a long time on that mountain!

Once again we discussed staying in Pomeroy. We could just turn back, get a motel, and be done with the day. We checked the weather and saw that winds would be light tomorrow. It was already close to our normal quitting time. But I could see in Dean's eyes (or thought I could) that he wanted to press on, and I really didn't want to go 4 miles back up the hill to Pomeroy, so I said I thought we should keep going.

TERRIBLE DECISION!!

The wind didn't calm down for the entire flat/downhill portion, so we never got a break. We had to fight for every inch. There wasn't much shoulder, either, and we had a few close calls with cars.

We were hungry and tired, and we ate our entire package of Pepperidge Farm cookies and drank most of our gatorade. Not rationing = terrible decision #2.

The long ascent at the end of our trip started earlier than we expected (based on our elevation maps). We went up and up and up and up. Once again, I needed a lot of breaks and to walk. Dean could have biked the whole thing faster and with no breaks at all, but he was super patient with me, and I really appreciated it!

We both were having problems rationing our water, and came close to running completely out a few times. I think we were both thirsty a lot throughout the day, but we didn't want to drink our fill and have nothing left. We were, after all, already out of cookies to keep our sugar (and mood) up.

Just as the sun was setting, my tire went flat. This was my first flat of the trip. Of course it happened today, when we had less than 10 miles left after a hard slog. Oh, well. Dean fixed the flat for me, but it took a really long time. He's getting to be a pro at fixing his own flats, and can do it really quickly, but my tires proved to be more of a challenge. I can't change a flat to save my life -- it requires way too much physical strength -- so I was grateful he was there to help.

While Dean was fixing the flat, the sun really started to sink fast. We had a decent break while the tube was being changed, and it was dark and we were tired and grouchy, and I just became determined to get to Dayton as fast as I could. I put everything I had into it, and didn't stop once from the time of the flat until we reached the (very fancy) hotel.

This was especially challenging because we could see the top of the big hill from the flat-changing site, and were anxious to get over it and make the descent into town, a few miles down. Psych! We had about half a mile of downhill, followed by an even steeper uphill to a new peak. Oh, LORDY.

But I really wanted to just *get there*, and Dean did too and I wanted to stop slowing him down so much, so we powered through to Dayton with our headlights now on because it got so dark. It was also FREEZING on that downhill! But we made it to town, stopped at the first hotel we saw (fancy, as I previously mentioned, so that's nice), and found the only place still open and serving food.

We are now well fed, have a roof over our heads, and are completely exhausted. I think we might actually take a rest day tomorrow, just to recover from this one rough day.

Days 58 and 59: An Unrestful Rest Day, and an Unplanned Rest Day

Still in Lewiston, ID

Stats!
Miles biked yesterday: 12.5
Total miles biked on trip so far: 2073.7
Max speed: 24.0 mph
Raindrops fallen today: so far, zero

Yesterday we had just about the least restful rest day possible. We went to get Dean a haircut, rode out to buy vitamins and books, did laundry, and rode 5 miles (all up a HUGE hill) to pick up my new wheel. That uphill ride was brutal, and on a very busy road. We really didn't get much rest at all.

However, rain was predicted for the whole night last night, and for the entire day today. Given the weather prediction, we decided to take today off as well. We are definitely relaxing today. Tomorrow should be clear.

I'm a bit worried, though, since I haven't seen a drop fall today. I'm worried it will fall tomorrow instead, while we're climbing our way out of this valley. Boo. But once we get out of this valley, we should be finished with the brutal climbs for good. I am looking forward.

Tomorrow we should be back on the bikes and heading into Washington state. Almost there!

Day 57: Po-tay-to, Po-tah-to

Winchester, ID to Lewiston, ID

Stats!
Miles biked today: 45.1
Total miles biked on trip so far: 2061.2
Max speed: 29.0 mph
# of times we've turned down "fry sauce": 6
# of times we broke the speed limit today: 1 (we went 28 in a 25 zone!)

First of all, thank you for all the comments congratulating us on hitting 2000 miles! We are feeling pretty good about it. Since we took a few car rides, we won't hit 3000 on this trip. We only have about 450 miles left! Time flies, and we will be sad and glad when the trip is over.

Dean and I woke up this morning still feeling the pain from yesterday. After yesterday's crazy climbs, I was sore all over. We were tired, despite eating everything in sight yesterday, and Dean had a dehydration headache. We did not feel like getting on the bikes today, but we were bolstered by the promise of a mostly-downhill ride and arriving into a big city (Lewiston), where we planned to take a rest day.

We had breakfast at the Lake City Cafe, where we were once again offered jojos and fry sauce. One thing we've noticed about Idaho is that with every meal there are at least 5 or 6 potato options (french fries, steak fries, potato wedges, tater tots, hashbrowns, jojos, baked potato etc.), and we are always asked if we'd like fry sauce. Apparently, jojos are really thick fries and fry sauce is basically thousand island dressing. But the potato theme is definitely apparent here, as seems appropriate.

Our waitress was asking us about our trip, and seemed shocked when we said we were riding cross-country. She asked how far we'd go each day, and we started by saying that it depended on where the towns were situated, the weather, the terrain, but at least 30 .... She broke in and said, "30 ... MILES?!?!?" We said, "Well, we usually average more like 45 or 50..." and she cut us off again to say, "50 MILES?!?!?!?" That was nice. We felt very athletic. :)

As we were leaving Winchester, the roads reminded us of the roads we'd ridden in western Virginia... until we turned a corner and saw that we were at the top of a massive butte, overlooking several valleys, as far as the eye could see. The view was SPECTACULAR, and we had a 15 mile ride down the butte, with amazing views all the way.

In fact, the first 22 miles went fast and were almost all downhill. Unfortunately, it seemed that once again our planned lunch spot was closed, so we ended up each having a gas station hot dog, thinking that today's ride was downhill anyway, so we wouldn't need much of a lunch.

However, we soon hit the only big hill of the day -- about 1000 foot climb over 4 miles. We ended up walking about 2 miles, as it was a tough hill and we were still beat from yesterday. It was hot, hot, hot and sunny! I got burned again, but at least no heat rash.

After that big hill, it was all flat or downhill, and we rode into Lewiston through Hell's Gate Park along the Snake River. When we got settled, we went to La Boheme cafe and had the world's best late (real) lunch. I had the best salad I'd ever had, the best sandwich I'd ever had, and the best Italian soda I've ever had, and I don't even think the hunger played a role in that judgement. Everything there was really fantastic, and Dean agreed.


We are very much looking forward to having a rest day tomorrow! We bought some local Idaho huckleberry wine just for the occasion!

Day 56: A Blessing in Disguise -- Under Deep, DEEP Cover

Kamiah, ID to Winchester, ID

Stats!
Miles biked today: 45.6
Total miles biked on trip so far: 2016.1 (woop, woop!)
Max speed: 33.5 mph
# of granola bars eaten between breakfast and lunch: 12
Net elevation gain: over 3000 ft.
# of feet climbed, gross: um.... maybe 7000? a LOT, anyway
# of map corrections we will suggest to ACA: 3 VERY IMPORTANT ONES

We started off today feeling pretty good. My bike was all fixed up, and we got on the road at a reasonable hour, on a sunny day.

The Lolo Pass climb had given us confidence in the Rockies and we felt like we could tackle our next climb pretty easily. Boy, were we ever wrong.

I'd say today was the hardest day of the trip so far. Dean thinks it was Day 6. I think Day 6 was a harder ride, but it was only 20 miles. We couldn't stop today after 20 miles, oh no. Either way, today was really miserable.

First of all, the climb was longer and steeper than Lolo pass. Lolo was 8 miles and steep, but bikeable. Today (Big Butte, haha) was 11 miles, and so steep we had to walk probably at least a mile of it, if not more. It really wore us out.

As we climbed, I got really dizzy. I had to stop and sit down a few times. I'm not sure if it was the altitude or hunger or what, but I got dizzy a lot today. Luckily, on our way out of Kamiah today, we bought some granola bars and gatorade to have as emergency food, since we had run out a few days ago. I think they helped with the dizziness.

They also came in really handy because we were insanely hungry! We hadn't anticipated that the climb would be as hard as it was, and we had just planned to have lunch at the next town, 27 miles into our ride. But after our 11 mile climb, we were already more than ready for lunch (and, it was lunchtime! our slow climb took quite a bit of time). So at the top of the mountain, we finished the gatorade and had a couple of granola bars, ready for the long, slow descent into Ferdinand (the lunch town).



Well, after about 0.6 miles worth of downhill, the next portion of the ride was rollercoaster hills. It was just one steep hill after another. Even when we got a break and had a less steep hill, we were so tired that it felt just as bad. But the elevation map we had didn't show any of this! I couldn't believe all the tough hills they omitted. It was a real struggle, and we had to stop for several breaks, and walk a few more of the hills. And, of course, eat a few more granola bars for energy.

As we approached Ferdinand, I was so tired that I said to Dean, "Let's just stay here tonight." He agreed. We had originally planned to go to Winchester, but we were so exhausted that it seemed like an impossibility to go the extra 16 miles to get there. Just a mile out of Ferdinand, we saw a billboard for both a B&B and a restaurant in town, the very ones that our map mentioned. But when we got into town, we learned that they'd been closed 6 months. Nooooooooooooo!

We talked to some locals who were outside working in the yard, to ask if there was anywhere nearby to eat, or even a grocery store. The response was, "8 miles down the road!" Noooooooooo! Clearly schadenfreude isn't confined to North Dakota. But at least they refilled our water bottles -- we'd run out a few miles earlier, and it seemed we'd have to go to Craigmont if we wanted anything to eat, and we'd have to go to Winchester, after all, for a place to sleep.

Thankfully, the ride to Craigmont was slightly less steep. It was still hilly, and we were still exhausted (and now our spirits were broken, too), but we made it to the Prairie Cafe somehow.

There, we ate everything. We ate so much that the waitress kept trying to bring us the check, and we kept trying to order more. We had sodas and appetizers and sandwiches and fries and a whole pitcher of water and malted milkshakes. As we rolled out of town, our stomachs were hurting. But think of it this way: we rode 36 very difficult miles and it took us OVER six hours. We were eating an average of 95 calories an hour, and burning about 1000 calories an hour. We were rightfully hungry. Though we did overdo it a bit.

However, the mega meal we ate gave us the energy we needed to power the last 8 miles to Winchester. We are here, we are clean, we have a place to stay, and all is right with the world. At least this corner of the world.

Despite the difficulty of the day, I still marvelled at the beauty around us. Also, we learned that goldenrod STINKS. It smells terrible. Or whatever those fields of yellow flowers were. They smelled awful, and there were a lot of them. Pretty, though.

The blessing in disguise was breaking the spoke yesterday, and breaking it when I did. Three miles in was no big deal to turn back. We were riding with no food at all on us yesterday, not knowing that our planned lunch stop was no more, and not knowing how tough the ride would be. If we'd made it 10 miles, we probably would have pushed on to Winchester, rather than turning back, and with a broken spoke and out-of-true wheel, the ride would have been much harder and we wouldn't have had anything to sustain us. So I am grateful that I broke the spoke early in yesterday's ride.

The wheel held up great today, and all we need is for it to get us to Lewiston tomorrow. I hope it can! In Lewiston, we'll take a rest day to get the new wheel and also just to rest. We need it after today!