Shackin' at Willie's Distillery **Willie’s Distillery is no longer able to host campers**

** (PLEASE NOTE 5/2023 UPDATE: Willie’s Distillery is no longer able to host campers, due to construction. Lovely campsites are available a stone’s throw away: https://www.campendium.com/montana/ennis) **

Twin Bridges MT to Ennis MT- 46 miles 

By Karl Murphy

Cue the John Mellencamp music...the Fourth of July weekend has begun and we are in the spirit'

The boys negotiated for a late (7:30) departure from Bill Clark biker camp since we had a short 47 miles today

The camp break process was executed with military precision and WOW....we didn't have a single flat tire.  The crew is warming up to the benefits of a tightly run railroad...

We rode 12 miles to a Sinclair gas station for morning snacks/breakfast.  After a short break...

Murph surveys the crew during a break. 

We rode another 11 miles to Nevada City for another snack break and more easy pedaling through the Red River Valley.  Lots of cattle ranching (they don't call them farms out here) in the valley bracketed by big mountains to our east and west...

Waiting for Bob's Place to open for lunch.  

Lunch was in historic Virginia City, Montana.  Imagine a historically "accurate" main street with wooden store fronts of tack stores, the mercantile and the sheriffs office....

The town and surrounding valley were settled around 1864 after gold And other minerals were found in the local rivers.

The tourist today industry is supported by world class trout fishing, old mine tours and stories about the Highway Agents (bad guys) and the Vigilantes (good guys).  For all you "hate the government folks" the local Sheriff was in on it, caught and hung.  Along with a dozen other bad guys.  

I have to say the town vibe is very different from Chapel Hill.  Locals proudly tell you how they hang folks who screw with them around here.... everyone has a truck and most are big, many sport full brim cowboy hats, boots and guns.  On the way to dinner last night we walked past an open jeep with an assault rifle locked to the dash....kids this ain't Weaver Street Market...and i don't see a single hooper...

Back to Virginia City, we ate lunch at Bob's place...pizza good enough to satisfy a NY Pizza snob.  See pics.  After lunch Ed and I hid at Bob's because it was partially air conditioned and the scouts went to and old- time arcade and contributed some quarters to the local economy.

Next up - a challenging 5 mile climb (with a 15' pepperoni in my stomach - its 91) and a steep winding FAST 10 mile descent into Ennis Montana.  

For you cyclist gear heads....the weakness of my Roubaix shows on steep descents...she does NOT like the pannier+steep deacent+murph combo...and like many women she shows her displeasure by shaking And chattering more than a bike should...

I got the message and kept it under 30...many Surly drivers exceeded 40 comfortably.

Is Mellencamp still playing?  

If not, hit replay...Ennis Montana is rocking the 4th of July and we are tenting behind Willie's distillery. (PLEASE NOTE 5/2023 UPDATE: Willie’s Distillery is no longer able to host campers, due to construction. Lovely campsites are available a stone’s throw away: https://www.campendium.com/montana/ennis) 

Ed at Willie's. This is the closest he will get to their bourbon on this Scout trip.  

 Willie's has this thing to support adventure cyclists.  They provide a campground (grass, water and a bathroom) free of charge.  Here's how it works:  you walk up to the bar with your kit on (so people are spending good money to taste bourbon and our smell cyclist leader walks up) and before you can speak, the bartender comes around the bar and says "come with me"....

(PLEASE NOTE 5/2023 UPDATE: Willie’s Distillery is no longer able to host campers, due to construction. Lovely campsites are available a stone’s throw away: https://www.campendium.com/montana/ennis) 

Boys sensed more fun available than usual, 

so they blew thru showers and laundry and were gone to find ice cream and survey the Mexican options for dinner...

We are planning on dinner (god i hope it's not Mexican) then the RODEO.  Yes Ennis has a rodeo and we are going.

This post was written at the Gravel Bar, drinking O'doul's, lemonade and water...

with Pepper the lab at my feet...

More after the rodeo

Road to the Big Hole

Sula MT to Jackson MT- 57 miles. By Karl Murphy. 

We began the day with a minor clinic on leadership, leadership development and scouting...."it would help everyone if you showed up....on time...in uniform...with two properly inflated tires..." and other pearls of wisdom from Ed Billings and Karl Murphy....

The air was cleared...or more specifically...the boys got much more clear definition and some perspective about what "scout led" means and we dispelled some myths about "spirit of the bike trip"... And what are the good and bad lessons from that cliche....

Our message was that they could grow in many ways beyond thicker quads and fatter calves....but its up to them...the net result was that the collective took it under advisement...

Chief Joseph Pass. Our first crossing of the continental divide. We will zig zag this line plenty in the coming weeks.  

On to riding...we left Sula for a 12 mile climb from 4500' to 7300' up and through Chief Joseph pass which the scouts crushed like an easy pedal up MLK to Franklin street...

They are really in great shape.

At the top we took a break at the park rest area where we met Hans and Mareka from Holland...they engaged one of the boys in conversation"you on a team? where you from? ...etc...15 minutes later he made a donation to beloud and demanded a photo of all the boys...Mareka was a bit less motivated about the whole thing than Hans, which she made clear in Dutch.  Ed and I found the exchange much funnier than the boys having been on the receiving end of a "mareka" ourselves.  

Big Hole National Battlefied. Site of one of Ed's stimulating historical lectures... 

We enjoyed a fast downhill pedal to 

Big Hole national battlefield where we resupplied water, had a snack and 

Ed gave a stimulating presentation on Nez Pierce/US Cavalry relations in the 1860's... which was received with blank stares.

Side note: Ed apparently knows more about 19th century US frontier history than most...should you have a sleep problem...ask him about Chief Joseph, Lewis and Clark, Bureau of Indian Affairs...

We continued to pedal across the grassy planes of Western Montana to Wisdom, population 25.

Several miles outside Wisdom, past the grass airstrip, down the road from the acres of harvested hay, a few hundred feet past the dead gopher...we stopped to celebrate and record the crew's 1000 mile milestone.  

The 1,000 mile mark. 2,900 more to go. Ignore the crossing of the yellow line, Dean.  

Please ignore the fact the the boys were 8 abreast of a busy Central Montana Highway...we hired a few locals to stop traffic, road guard vests, flashers, i think ed even got the sheriff to run his lights...you can imagine the incredibly safe execution of this photo...safety and compliance officer Dean Broz approved.

We rolled into the metropolis of Jackson Montana, population 25 early in the afternoon.  

Jackson is SO small some woman clearly on her clueless "Eat, Pray, Love" adventure through Western Montana (she likes beards and Elk) came looking for a gallon of gas to get to Wisdom...because they have a gas station...she struck out.

She visited the FOUR buildings in town and no one had a spare gas tank...

The kind owner of the Jackson Hot Springs Lodge comped $600 in tenting and hot springs visits after hearing the boys story which made the ever frugal crew ecstatic...

Sidebar: Ed has gotten so good at this "these young fellas are riding all the way across country to raise money for cancer..." story...which is completely genuine and true....some of our road conversation has drifted to his skills as a minister...perhaps a career change is in his future?

A one dog town. Murph enjoys dinner in Jackson.  

In all seriousness, there is lot of road chatter (the boys talk all ride...really up to about 22 mph or 3% grade) about raising their beloud fundraising goal...more on that from them.  I'm just here to make sure the trains run on time...

Flat City

Missoula MT to Sula MT-80 miles. By Karl Murphy

"Montana Kills Stuff!"

Cougars, Elk, Trout and Schwalbe Tires - the crew took 5 tire casualties today.

We had THREE flats before 9 am to include one at the front door of the hotel (you will have to ask the scouts how they can accomplish that) and two along Hwy 12 - due to road trash from Missoula to Lola.  

Carnage on the road. The most impressive flat I've ever witnessed. Somehow Max is smiling.  

The most impressive flat tire was Max Morgan's triple nail full tire, chipped rim puncture.  There was a belt of construction nail gun nails laid across the road like a string of land mines...the fact we only lost one is a miracle...8 of 9 successfully navigated the nail gun gauntlet.

We followed the morning maintenance clinic with breakfast at McDonalds where David M. found and returned a lost iphone.

As we waited for the owner's girlfriend to pick up the phone, a brief discussion speculated about how the recipient could be a long tern relationship for David...perhaps a good Jewish girl from Missoula...upon arrival of the courier...all hopes vanished. 

More mountain girl than David prefers... Everyone, which is rare, concurred with David's assessment.

I share these wacky little vignettes because our day is filled with them... A local indian offering a random and thoughtful blessing on a street corner, European tourists spontaneously donating to the cause, locals asking all sorts of details and walking away silently confused by our mission.

The ride from Lola to Hamilton had a beautiful blacktop, truck-wide bike path that allowed a fast, safe and incredibly pleasant riding for maybe a 25 miles.

The lack of cars allowed us to enjoy and connect with Montana in a way a car would not.  We experienced the cool spray of field irrigation in our face, passing bee hives With honey bees bouncing off our helmets and a plague of crickets flying across our path....

We ate at Subway in Hamilton and headed to our dinner stop outside Sula following the East Branch of the Bitterroot river for most of our afternoon.  Along the way, as was the theme, we lost two more tires to pinches and screws....just 200 yards apart.

Dinner was at the Rocky Knob where the boys feasted on spaghetti and steaks.  The Rocky Knob was a FORMER bordello...which made for some interesting dinner humor...

We pryed ourselves away from the air conditioning around 8 pm and pedaled a short 5 to the Sula camp site for showers and bed before 10.

Setting up camp in Sula.  

Lovin the Lolo: The road to a Zero Day!

Powell ID to Missoula MT - 60 miles 

Note: Daily reports are now being submitted by Karl Murphy. Take it away Karl.  

Sunday we left Lochsa Lodge around 7 am after a resupply breakfast of cd cuts, PBJ, fruit, donuts, cakes....etc.

I drove our trusty Subi 12 miles to top of Lola pass ahead of the group and rode back down the hill a few miles to meet them.

Steve Rothwell was hammering hard at the front of the group to be first to the top.  I drafted behind him with a pannier-less bike chatting over his two weeks with Ed and the boys.  There was a sharing of road stories and a download of key info needed to keep the boys safe and on plan...thank you steve.

Steve at the Lolo Pass summit  

...and the entire crew celebrates entering a new state.  

We had resupply leftovers as a snack while Steve broke down and boxed his bike in less than 15 minutes.  

We traded panniers for duffle bags.  Hand shake, high-five and I was on/he was done.

The boys really enjoyed Steve's time and there was a bit of discussion about his riding the whole way.  Steve clearly wanted to stay and mumbled something about a wife and a job...

The green Subi headed down the mountain in front of us with a new captain as we cruised downhill into Lolo....passing the previously reported Lolo Hot Springs and a brief historical detour to Camp Fizzle where Ed gave a short report on US Army/Nez Pierce Indian relations in the 19th century...

We made it to Lolo and the Lolo Exxon (we spend a lot of time and money at c-stores) in record time with a 20 mph pace on the downhill/flat section.  

The break was short...First Sergeant Karl had arrived by this time..."I want wheels rolling and pointed toward Missoula by 12:30" much to the chagrin of the boys who were settling in for a two hour break.... 

Our route to Missoula was down an incredibly nasty section of Hwy 12....unfortunately our only real option at this point...4 lanes, fast cars and the shoulder - though wide - was filled with trash.  

I took the lead for my group and remember on several occasions yelling "dead gopher, ride left"  or "lumber left, ride right"...about half way to town we cut to an available side street and cruised through neighborhoods to the Holiday Inn..our home for the next 36 hours. 

Zero days are a combination of work, rest, relaxation and press calls from local media outlets interested in the scout's story.

Our priority of work included food (boys had not had a meal since breakfast) laundry and bike maintenance 

The boys are truly amazing kids...save a couple of minor things. 

First is their obsession with ghetto Mexican food.  I am convinced you parents either feed them ONLY lousy Mexican food OR you have NEVER feed them lousy ghetto Mexican food.  In either case, the boys crave it like an addict craves a fix and my very vocal and public disgust over this addiction is starting to work against me...

First, I was purposely excluded from both the lunch and dinner discussion...

Later,After dinner we went to see a movie and yes...again, Taco Bell.  The team addiction is so bad that they could easily convince an uber willing mexican consumer -Ed to talk his way into the closed restaurant...which he does in like 30 seconds.  The entry was a thing of beauty.

Picture the scene...the scouts, INSIDE taco bell, 11:15 PM..cars lined around building in drive thru lands..scouts being served....inside....on full display

 People are coming to the door...the manager is shooing them away....impressive by all accounts...save my intense anti-cumin bias.  More on that later.

Monday started with a "late" wake up for the boys vicinity 10 AM.  

Ed and I being "a tick over 40 years old," wake at 5:30, toss till 6 and then capitulate to the start of the day.  Our breakfast was at local cafe adjacent to the hotel.

The boys rallied at 9:45 for a quick stop at the cafe...Imagine a place with a Starbucks meets Dean and Deluca vibe/menu.  

NOT Taco Bell.

Breakfast was quick because we had a 10 am appointment at The Adventure Cycling Association whose sole mission "is to inspire and empower people to travel by bicycle."  Our kind of people and they felt the same. 

Adventure Cycling Association HQ. An embassy for our kind of people.  

T845 was an honored guest...treated to more ice cream, a personal briefing by the head cartographer and another local TV station interview.

The boys had their photo taken by a member of the association who is creating a documentary photographic history of long range cycling.

We have had so much press interest that we created a team press secretary and an assistant press secretary leadership  position to handle the media.

David and Brian give an interview.  

David M and Brian R are filling those roles...and doing quite a good job at it.  Going forward, Ed just hands them the phone and they wranle.

Next zero day stop -  The Bicycle Hanger - a  bike shop near the hotel where Ed again negotiates a great professional bike tune up rate.  We got all the bikes tuned for the full price cost in Chapel Hill.

Frugality and meeting budget are T845 core values.

We leave bikes and the group splits for afternoon fun.  Half go to a climbing gym and half go to hotel pool.

Dinner is at Biga Pizza (yelp- 4.5 stars). 

Again, Not Taco Bell.  At dinner the topic of discussion is the running pool (bet) about what gear and when mr murph will break first. 

Apparently there has been a lot of discussion about my non standard kit and possible issues...all of this tracking back to Dean B. who is completely freaked out by my choice to ride "that piece of tiffany's crystal that will certainly explode upon meeting its' first pot hole..." Otherwise known as a modern carbon fiber bike frame...

Interestingly I was heckled for the same at the Lolo c-store by some woman who was apparently riding for a weight watchers anonymous charity. "Its not- trans America if you do it on carbon..."  For real...this happened.

Jeez people, it has two wheels and I am powering it.  All great innovators are heckled at first...

Zero day concludes with me proofing this post in bed...to the mellifluous serenade of Ed's snoring....

Tomorrow we ride 80 miles to some town somewhere 80 miles from here.

Till the next time.

Zero Day Diaries: Week 2

Talk about a much needed zero. 

Four consecutive days of long miles, climbing stunning mountain passes and record high temps cresting the 100 degree mark had us limping into Missoula. Impressively, I never heard a crew member complain nor see them crack. Here's some take aways from week two:

Self supported is the way to go.  

When we put this trip together, the scouts insisted that we carry our own gear. We pushed back a little, as it made for some tougher logistics, but self supported was totally the right call. 

When you don't have a support car, you have to be outward facing and rely on your own skills along with the kindness of those that you meet on the road to pull you through. You get to briefly enter the lives of others. You learn from those you meet, along the way. It's a great opportunity that this mode of travel provides.  

Would we have ever met Mark Mrdalj who went out of his way to buy us breakfast if we were not self supported? I doubt it. Thanks Mark.  

Steve Rothwell is a great guy.  

Steve was such a pleasure to have on the first two weeks of this trip. Always in a good mood, his cycling skills and genuine concern for the boys well being was continuously evident. He set the boys up for a successful trip as he passed the baton to Karl Murphy at the Montana state line. 

Steve completes his segment

Thanks Steve. I owe you one.

It's off to bed, so bring on week three: The road to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons! Karl Murphy will be continuing the daily report tradition. Once again we will be in some pretty remote areas so it may take some time for the posts to hit the blog. 

Murph Arrives!

Lowell ID to Powel ID-66 miles 

We were slow to get up because the nearby cafe along the Clearwater River didn't open until 7am. By the time we got there, it was packed.

Ed and I sat with an interesting German couple who was in the U.S. visiting their grand-nephew. They were highly complementary of the people in our country which always makes me proud. Their comments about the work pressures that Germans are under made me thing about our own situations and the opportunity to do a trip like this. I guess I'm thinking to much about being back at work next week. Enough of that BS.

It was interesting to learn from the cafe owner that river was low even though it looked fast moving to me. Snow pack was far less than normal this year so the whitewater season was quickly wrapping up. She anticipates a busy fire season and referenced the last good burn which took place in the 1930's.

View from the Clearwater river. Our riding partner for the day.  

As we traveled upriver, it started out flat and wide with small rapids and then narrowed and quickened and became more aggressive. It was more beautiful around every bend until about 40 miles into the ride when we realized that every bend looked exactly the same. We wanted to see the bend in the road that led to Lochsa Lodge (our campground for the night). Unlike previous days, the views were near by and very similar. The sameness became monotonous.

Around us were the evergreen covered mountains that make up the Selway - Bitterroot Wilderness. While we saw a few fly fisherman, the river was generally free of people. We saw several trail heads but no hikers. 

With the heat, we decided to stop often. At one point, about 40 miles into the day, we decided to get off the road and into the river. We spent about 2 hours soaking as well as resting in the shade. It was a much needed break.

We link up with Murph. Big smiles all around! 

Today is a transition day so we knew that Karl Murphy would be flying into Missoula. Ed put out a text to Murph yesterday asking him to meet us at tonight's campsite with food and cold drinks. Murph did better than that! He drove down the road and met us with 23 miles to go. He had a cooler full of cold drinks for us. It could not have been better. We were feeling the heat and we were sick of drinking very warm water. We all pounded sodas and hit the road. The last miles of the day were the best. We pushed a fast pace to our campground which proved to be posh by previous night's standards.

We stuffed ourselves on the food that Karl brought... Cold cuts, bread, chips, pickles, soda, oranges, bananas, peanut butter, jelly, Nutella, and ice cream to go on the delicious pound cake that Mrs. Broz made! It was a feast beyond any other that we have had on this trip! How I had room for a root beer float an hour later, I have no idea.

We invited Ironman and Ian over to share the feast. Ironman wished us well with the expectation that he would be a day ahead by Monday. He paid the boys a very nice complement. Having camped a few days earlier in New Meadows next to a group of local teens, he saw how the other half behaves. He shook hands with each scout and praised their accomplishment and work ethic. He made a point of telling us that we were riding with a great bunch of guys. I can only agree. We wish him safe travels to Virginia.

After dinner we all took our first showers in 3 days. We all felt fantastic and refreshed and ready for Lolo Pass tomorrow! I can't wait to do another 12 mile climb.

The Most Spectacular of Climbs

White Bird ID to Powell ID-68 miles.  

Did I mention the our campsite in White Bird was a dump. Not literally (and I've heard the word literally a thousand times in the last two weeks).

Regardless, the climb out of White Bird was one of the most amazing climbs I've ever experienced on a bike. We took Old Hwy 95 through town and quickly started climbing through pastureland. The road was an old two lane highway that followed the contour of the hillside. Over the first few miles, it occasionally switched back and forth as it progressed upward. The view above us captured our attention as we wondered how much further to the top.

Over the middle miles, the switchbacks were the predominant feature of the road. They stacked like layers of cake,with the guardrails forming the icing. 

Our eyes were drawn down to the town we had come from. By now, the highway bridge that bypasses White Bird looked tiny and insignificant even though it stretched a quarter mile long. The view of the surrounding hills was breathtaking. They reminded me of California's golden hills but 5 times the size. On multiple occasions Ed and I stopped to take in the view. Again, pictures could not capture the scale or beauty. 

At the top, the view was of the mountains beyond and where we had been. We covered about 11 miles and gained about 1750' in elevation in over 3 hours. An added bonus; only six motorcycles and 3 cars passed on the entire climb. 

White Bird was too far away to see.

 

Seeking shade atop White Bird. Did we mention it's been hot? 

We dropped in on the other side into another world. We gave back about 750 feet in elevation as we descended 6 miles into Grangeville. 

The mountains that we could see were shorter and the valley floor was covered with hay fields for as far as we could see.

After lunch our route took us through the hay fields on rolling hills. The downhills were gentle but the ups were steep. The guys got ahead and we could see them riding in perfect formation through the fields. The scene reminded me of the iconic Tour de France picture of the peloton in the sunflower fields.

The hay fields abruptly dropped into the Clearwater River Valley. With little notice, we descended on what could have been a 20% grade for a couple miles. The curves were rated at 10 MPH but it was hard to get the bike to slow to that speed. We all proceeded cautiously and obviously made it to the bottom without issue. We've tackled what is said to be the steepest descent on the entire route!

Our next stop was in Kooskia where the guys were disappointed to find that a known milkshake place was closed. Who the heck closes an ice cream place when the temps are over 100 degrees?

We rested and waited for the temp to drop for about two hours. We consumed mass quantities of water to replenish and prepare for the upcoming 20 miles.

Our final destination for the night was a rustic USFS campground on the river two miles before Lowell. Fortunately, the ride was shaded and flat. We made good time and enjoyed watching people float and swim in the river.

Along the way we passed a Nez Perce salmon stand the sold fresh and smoked salmon. I would have loved to have stopped but adding the smell of fish to the medley of scents coming from us and our gear was not a wise thing to do.

Riverside view from Wild Goose Campground. The picture does not do the setting justice.  

We arrived at Wild Goose Campground to find that our friends Ian (traveling XC to Maine via northern route) and Anthony (aka Ironman - traveling XC to VA via our route) had saved us a couple campsites. Our first stop was the river for a swim and to cool down. An hour later, we were all asleep in out tents. 

This was a hard 63 mile day in 100+ degree heat with epic climbs and descents and quad burning rollers. It was a great day.

Beating The Heat At A Hot Springs

Council ID to White Bird ID- 91 miles 

We are getting stronger, I think.

Up and out by 7:15am. First climb was a little strenuous. We expected the second to be tougher but it wasn't.

Our climb out of Council was on Idaho 95, a narrow and windy but shaded highway that heads north. It had no steep descents and was quite busy with commercial and recreational traffic. We split into 3 smaller groups for safety and paid special attention to the road around us.

The boys, Bear, and Odin. Odin's the dog, by the way.  

Around 18 miles in, we came across the Pine Ridge Cafe. We were greeted by a 140 lb Rottweiler named Odin who we initially avoided. We walked into the cafe for a bite to eat and met the owners, Bear (aka Pastor Dave) and Mrs Bear (sorry, didn't get her name although she made some dynamite grilled cheese with bacon and pancakes).

We ordered food and were invited into the surplus store in the next room. Bear had unique items like a swordfish sword and a fake taser that was all noise and no zap. It was interesting to hear about their move from CA three years ago, the local wolves (imported from Alaska), and info on other cyclists. 

One of the many things that we have been doing out here is staying hydrated. Bear walked out of the kitchen with two pitchers of ice water and asked who wanted the special water. Brian took the bait. Bear told him to put his glass on top of his head and Alex had to fill it from a foot above the rim. Needless to say, Brian cooled down quickly on a hot day!

Later, Bear introduced us to Odin and showed off the dog's excellent training. Alex tried his best to beat Odin in a tug-o-war but the dog was not going to give up. As we were leaving, Bear suggest that we stop at Zim's, a hot springs just outside of New Meadows.

Alex takes on Odin. My money was on the dog. It was a good bet! 

Seven miles down the road and we were soaking in a 105 degree hot pool and a 98 degree cool pool. Two hours later we mounted up for the 60 miles to White Bird.

The crew at Zim's Hot Springs. Dire Straits played in the background. It was the perfect respite.  

Seven miles down the road and we were soaking in a 105 degree hot pool and a 98 degree cool pool. Two hours later we mounted up for the 60 miles to White Bird.

The first 10 miles were through a beautiful meadow area, unfortunately, with a strong headwind. The meadow disappeared as we rounded a turn into a narrow canyon which twisted along the Little Salmon River. The canyon opened up to mountains that looked much like what we saw near Oxbow and Brunlee Reservoirs. When we stopped in Riggins I learned that we are on the opposite side of mountains that we saw yesterday.

We stopped for dinner in Riggins with the plan to do the last 30 miles today after the temp drops a little. High today was around 100 so it made sense to stay cool for a while. We were on the road by 7:30pm and the temp had dropped into the mid 80s. 

As we rolled through Riggins it became obvious that the economy is driven by the river. Not the Little Salmon, however. The Little Salmon feeds the Salmon which flows at at fast pace out of town. The Salmon is one of those great western rivers that runs unbridled through the mountains. Small rapids appear every quarter mile or so. The river flattens but never slows. We went with its flow for 30 miles to White Bird.

The gradual descent could have made pedaling a little easier but the continuous headwind pushed us back. The slower speed gave us the chance to watch the light change on the mountains as the sun set. Each bend in the road resulted in a change in the light. At times we were in the shadows of the mountains. Other times we were in high intensity sunlight that cast a golden glow on the mountains and down the canyons. Pictures couldn't capture the beauty. 

Ultimately we saw the sun blazing behind a mountaintop and then the shadows disappeared and all light was flat. Minutes later we turned off onto Old Hwy 95 and entered White Bird. We immediately set up camp in a park in the center of town. Thirty minutes later the moon was up and everyone was settling into their tents.

We pedaled over 92 miles today. We were smart in the way we did it. We had fun. We are strong, I know it. 

 

Seeking Council

 Oxbow OR to Council ID- 63 miles

Up at sunrise. We weren't the first. The car campers two sites over had their lantern on by 4am so they could go fishing. I could smell the coffee.

For me, breakfast was pop tarts and a bagel with peanut butter. We all consumed what we could to get us to down the road to breakfast 20 miles away. 

We climbed out of camp, around the oxbow bend in the Snake, past the Oxbow Dam. The dam forms a 10 mile long narrow lake. The mountains around the lake rise up a 1000 feet or more. We pedaled on a relatively flat road on the Oregon side until we came to the Brownlee Dam.

On the Snake River, goodbye Oregon, hello Idaho! 

We crossed a bridge just below the dam, rolled 50 feet, and crossed the Idaho line. One beautiful, friendly, surprising State down.

Idaho presented us with a climb immediately upon crossing the state line. We pushed up to the level of the Brownlee Dam and rolled up and down along the lake that it formed. As with Oxbow Reservoir below it, the Brownlee Reservoir was surrounded towering mountains. 

In need of a rest and wanting to soak in the view, Ed and I stopped to look over the various fingers of the lake from a pullout on the road. An osprey flew up from the water with a fish in its talons.

As we got started again, we could see a line of seven cyclists in perfect formation advancing toward our next destination... Breakfast #2.

After our meal, we immediately started a six mile, 1500' climb to a pass with no name. As usual with long climbs, we separated into small groups. 

The simple pleasures: shade, an ad hoc game and  The Eye of The Tiger on the iphone.

Half way into the climb the first group pulled over in one of the few shady spots on the side of the road. It just so happened to be on the tail end of a curve and had a low guardrail that was suitable for sitting.  

We all sat there in a tight canyon with the view of little more than the bend in the road and a tree 20 feet away. The irony of the situation was that none of us wanted to be anywhere else. We were having the time of our lives, all lined up, water bottles in hand, sitting in the shade tossing pebbles at the solid yellow line and listening to bad '90s music.

A mid road chat in Idaho. 

Back on the bikes, over the pass and after a 30 mile descent we rolled into Cambridge, ID. We passed at least 4 other Transamerica cycles and met a couple more in Cambridge. At the top of the next pass, Mesa Pass, we met a couple guys who where headed west on recumbents. They offered suggestions on restaurants and road conditions in Council.

Once in Council, we settled in in a city park with other cyclists. We met a nice couple from Ohio, Susan & Bob, who are riding to generate awareness of stroke and bladder cancer. Bob has experienced both.

Our community of fellow Transamerica cyclist is growing daily. We share stories, information, and a mutual goal.

Highway to Hell('s Canyon)

Baker City OR to Oxbow OR- 70 miles

The guys decided to sleep on picnic tables last night so it was easy to pack this morning. We woke up just as the sun was rising over the mountains. By 6:15 we were rolling down the road for breakfast at a local McDonalds. 

One of the benefits of traveling across the country is the opportunity to occasionally see far away relatives. A cousin of Ed's lives 45 minutes outside of Baker City. He (cousin Ted) saw Ed's sister's fb page and reached out. Somehow Ed and Ted caught up on 40 years of family history in 30 minutes over Egg McMuffins. It was a nice visit.

Sam and Ed catch up with Ted and Maggie in Baker City.

Once on the road, we had a small climb out of Baker City. I though we were already on the floor of the valley but I was wrong. We dropped several hundred feet into another world. Baker City had strip malls and high rises (1 six story building). The adjacent valley was 100 square miles of sagebrush with a monument to the Oregon Trail which once passed through. We rounded a bend and dropped a few hundred more feet to see another valley that was 200 square miles of green pasture and sagebrush covered hills. As the valley tightened, we were again pedaling with the flow of the Powder River. 

We stopped for a meal in Richland around 10am. The temp at that time was around 80 in the shade. When we rolled out of town an hour and a half later the temp had come up probably 10 more degrees. 

Immediately we climbed 5 miles at a steep grade. Sweat poured off of all of us. How Andrew and Will hammered the climb, I have no idea. The descent off the summit was at a 7% grade. We were 5 miles closer to Oxbow in less than 15 minutes. The descent flattened as we approached the intersection for the town of Halfway. We cruised through with the expectation that we would eat our meals at a cafe two miles from our target campground in Oxbow. 

Rolling in to Hell's Canyon. Aptly named with temps of 100 degrees on the shade.  

When we got there the cafe was closed so we stuffed ourselves with junk food and ice cream from the mini mart next door. The temp in the shade at the mini mart was 100 degrees! We pedaled back up to the mini mart for dinner a few hours later after things had cooled off.

We have a tent campsite at a power company owned campground just downriver from the Oxbow Dam. We are a hundred feet from the Snake River and currently in Mountain Time. We are looking across the river to Idaho. 

When we arrived Ed introduced himself to our neighbors and told them about our cause. They must have seen the look of hunger on our faces because they gave us two racks of BBQ ribs! Since the quantity didn't split evenly, the guys suggested that we share with another cyclist who had just rolled in.

With all the kindnesses we have received, it's wonderful to see that the Scouts continue to pay it forward! I'm honored to be a riding with them.

Steve relaxes at the riverside campground in Hell's Canyon.