The Mo Mo Tour: Day 10 – Troutville to Christiansburg

I didn’t sleep well last night, probably because I washed down my Subway (the closest place to the hotel) meatball sandwich with a 24 ounce beer.

I did myself proud at the breakfast bar, finishing with two apples and two bananas for the road.

I rode on a local highway to get back to the route, stopping at a Kroger on the way. I picked up some Bel Vita cookies and some flatbread (I ate my tortillas back in Lexington.)

The temperature was already in the 70s so I knew I was in for a warm day.

Back on the road I took Catawba Road west towards Gravelly Ridge. After ten miles I stopped to eat an apple and banana. The two-lane country road was busy with dump trucks. I heard a massive explosion in the distance. Soon I passed Roanoke Cement, the mining company that blows up mountains and processes the rocks (and coal, apparently).

After the mine, I encountered sawtooth terrain, one short, steep hill after another. Combined with the increasing heat, these hills were beating up my legs and my mental state. I pushed The Mule over the top of three of them, all the while thinking how will I ever do the truly big climbs head?

The road surface wasn’t helping. An especially bad part was the descent to a creek bridge full of huge potholes.

I crossed into Montgomery County and the road leveled out. Even better I hit a five-mile section of new asphalt. I stopped for a quick snack before attacking the last third of the day’s miles.

The skies behind me were darkening as a scary looking cloud formation, flat and dark, came over the ridge to my left.

I started to look for shelter as I rode. That porch looks okay. That barn will work. But I kept pedaling, now with slightly cooler temperatures and a strong tailwind. My body and mind were feeling much better.

I knew from the elevation profile in my maps that the ride climbs 500 feet in only a few miles just before the finish. I stopped in the town of Ellett to fortify myself with Gatorade and ice cream at a CSCS.

About two miles later the climb began. I’d ride until my heart and respiratory rates were maxing out. After a few minutes, I’d get back to work. The third time I did this I was weak in the legs, making restarting dangerous; I could wobble in front of a car or into the ditch next to the road.

I pushed The Mule up around a bend and there was the top at last. As it turns out, Christiansburg is at 2,000 feet of elevation.

Once into Christiansburg, I rode to nearby I-81 where my hotel is located. The front desk clerk informed me that it was 89 degrees outside.

As I’m writing this a classic summer thunderstorm erupted outside.

Tomorrow is a short mileage day to a highly recommended Warmshowers host in Draper. They won’t be ready for me until 4 p.m. so I planning on sleeping in.

Miles today: 49.5

Tour miles: 547

After the sawtooth section I saw this. I’m saved!!! Alas, it was closed

The Mo Mo Tour: Day 9 – Lexington to Troutville

My Warmshowers stay was excellent. Not only did I do laundry and take a nap, but I had a fabulous dinner and breakfast cooked by Dirk and Chrissie my hosts.

I hit the road around 8:30. The first couple of miles contained an unexpected set of rollers into Lexington. I rode through the campuses of the Virginia Military Institute and Washington and Lee University.

After that the route turned into back country roads. There were streams and forests and deer and cows and calves and goats and sheep and a bunny. There were landed estates way off the road fronted by massive lawns and a row of hillbilly shacks that seemed impossible to live in (but of course they were). Most of the homes fell in between these extremes.

Off to my right were the Short Hills, a rather imposing ridge line. The route skirted them all day. I spent probably more than half the day along a stream, a rail line, I-81, or US 11, all of which run along the southern Shenandoah Valley.

Whenever the route left these features, I found myself grinding up a short, steep hill.

At 20 miles, near Natural Bridge, I stopped for a snack at a GSCS (Gas Station Convenience Store): a pint of Arnold Palmer, a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos, and a CPB ( cherry pie in a box).

I checked to see if the hostel had responded to my request for lodging. Not getting one (until just now at 6 p.m.) I booked a room in the Comfort Inn in Troutville.

My legs were pretty tired after the climbing of the last two days. The food brought them back to life for a while.

In the town of Buchanan, 33 miles into the day, I had lunch in a bar. (The town’s other two eateries are closed on Mondayso.) The bartender/cook went about her business with a cig in her lips. I only eat at the finest establishments.

I ate a fried bologna sandwich with a side of fries, washed down with nearly a half gallon of iced tea and water.

At this point, temperatures had risen into the mid-80s. The AC in the bar did as much for me as the food.

Back on the road I headed for Troutville. I came to a barrier across the road. Eastbound Greg had warned me at the Cookie Lady’s house that there was a road closure. When he encountered it, there was no warning so he convinced the road crew that they should let him pass. I wasn’t going to take a chance when I could see on Google Maps an alternate route.

Blue Mountain Road had three steep climbs. When I hit to the third one I stopped midway up to catch my breath. Two golden retrievers behind a fence came over to urge me to move on. They were harmless so we had a chat. Woof. Sit. Woof. Go home. Woof. Later.

I was 100 feet from the top so I decided to push my bike up, probably saving my knees in the process. I turned onto Lee Highway, US 11, and headed south.

There wasn’t much of a shoulder but there was even less traffic. After a few miles I reconnected with the route only to hit a steep hill just outside of Troutville. Again I rode most of the way and walked the rest. No hurries.

The ride into Troutville was a twisty 30 mph whee!

My hotel was a mile off route on Lee Highway. I checked in just before 3 and called it a day.

My wife texted me. I’ve been called for jury duty in mid-July. I figure I can finish this tour as planned by June 30, but jury duty would kill extending the tour. That may not be a bad thing. In any case I can reschedule.

For those of you wondering what the climbs I’ve been doing look like take a look at this elevation profile. The horizontal lines are increments of 1,000 feet.

The last two days were that big bump in the middle

Miles today: 50

Tour miles: 497.5

I think that’s Short Hills in the distance.

The Mo Mo Tour: Day 7 – Charlottesville to Afton

Another perfect day on the road. Temps in the 60s, low humidity, sunny skies.

After laying waste to the hotel breakfast, I headed into downtown Charlottesville and re-joined the TransAm.

The route went west toward the Blue Ridge on picture postcard country roads. There were plenty of climbs as the route toyed with the eastern side of the ridge.

I was warned that there is no food at today’s destination in Afton, so I stocked up at a country store in White Hall. At noon I diverted to Crozet where i had a burger and fries. The large fries could have fed four people. I surrendered half way through the pile.

More hills and a rather dramatic uphill switchback came next. After I crossed I-64 the ride up the ridge began. It was tough. I had to stop twice to get my heart rate under control. The second time I was on a steep section so I pushed my bike 100 yards to a flat spot. A half mile later I was at the Cookie Lady’s house in Afton.

June Curry saw some bike tourists slogging Afton Mountain Road past her house on a hot summer day in 1976 and offered them water. Day after day the Bikecentennial riders came by. Eventually she caught on and started giving out cookies. She died about 12 years ago but her house is now a bike hostel of sorts. Actually it’s more like a shrine to the TransAm.

I’m here with Greg Parker, an eastbound TransAm rider. He hooked me up with a Warmshowers host for tomorrow and warned me of the vicious dogs in Eastern Kentucky.

A family of three is just arriving to fill out the rest of the rooms tonight.

The house is directly across the road from the Blue Ridge Tunnel, so I went for a three-mile hike to check it out. It’s not particularly bike friendly but it’s so cool inside that it feels like a shower on a hot day.

Tomorrow I climb up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. It’s sure to be challenging but I get a legendary descent on the far side.

Miles today: 31.5

Tour miles: 398.5

It may be hilly but it sure is beautiful

The Mo Mo Mo Tour

It’s been six days since illness stopped my tour. I am feeling a whole lot better, not 100 percent but close.

On Monday I did another 30-mile ride on The Mule, again unloaded. Two miles in, I rode up Rebecca Drive, a challenging hill with steep bits. No problem. My legs didn’t tie up at all. I rode 13 miles to the Pentagon at a much faster pace than I planned. I felt great. Along the way, my chest congestion started to break up. Eww. I turned for home and hit a 10 – 15 mph headwind. I’m such a sucker for a tailwind. Still, I made it home in good shape. When I got home, I started re-packing.

Yesterday, I decided to test my endurance. I rode Big Nellie, my recumbent, 30 miles in perfect weather. No hills, just cruising around Mount Vernon. After I arrived home, I mowed the lawn. I finished mowing without crashing and burning. I would have finished the trimming but the skies opened up. I felt fine afterward. Frankly I was a little surprised.

Today, I took Big Nellie out for another ride. This one was flat and easy. It only lasted 23 miles before storm clouds chased me home. It poured five minutes after I went inside. I still have some lingering sinus aches and my chest is a tad congested but I feel much, much better.

I finished packing, making some further adjustments to my load. I added a chain break tool. I subtracted my saddle wrench and my bear bag. I swapped out my big sleeping bag for my lightweight REI sleep sack and a silk liner. I doubt I’ll encounter nighttime temps under 50 degrees. This arrangement only weighs a few ounces less but it’s much smaller.

The plan is to ride back to the scene of the crime, Charlottesville. My route last week was the height and base of an right isosceles triangle, 238 miles. Instead of re-tracing that route, I’m taking the hypotenuse, a straight line from Mount Vernon to Charlottesville through Culpepper, about 125 miles. That’s 75 miles to Culpeper and 50 to Charlottesville, both are Amtrak cities so no worries about a relapse. I’ll be staying in hotels both nights. The weather forecast is perfect.

After Charlottesville, I plan a short, 35-mile day to the Cookie Lady’s house in Afton. This involves the start of the climb over the Blue Ridge. The next day will involve getting to the top of the Blue Ridge, another 30-mile day, if I stop at a campground in Love, Virginia. If I am up to it, I can descend the west side of the ridge to Vesuvius or maybe Lexington where hotels await. After that it’s down the long neck of southwestern Virginia where I’ll have amble church hostel opportunities.

Realistically, I’m taking this slow. One day at a time.

The Mo Mo Tour: Launch Eve

Well, for a start, the tour has a name. Since I’m riding to Missouri that’s one Mo. it’ll be my third time in Missouri so that’s mo’ Mo. I’m going beyond Missouri that’s mo’ riding. Since I’m dealing with the Appalachian and Ozark Mountains, we have mo’ mountains. If successful I’ll be adding three mo’ states (Kentucky, Arkansas, and Oklahoma) to my 50 states hunt.

The plan is to ride south to Ashland Virginia where I will pick up the Transamerica Trail. I’ll head west on the TransAm all the way to western part of Missouri thereby completing my personal TransAm. (I did the other two thirds of the Trail in 2019 and 2022.) After that the plan is to ride south to northwest Arkansas and then west to Tulsa, Oklahoma (and maybe Oklahoma City). How I’m getting back is anybody’s guess.

Saturday

For the first time in a week, I managed eight hours of sleep. Gabapentin is my jam.

The weather was lousy outside. Rain. Humid. Dank. Perfect.

I spent the afternoon, amassing the stuff I need for the tour. I started by emptying my saddlebag. It must weight 10 or 15 pounds! Spare tube, tire levers, patch kits, and pump were transferred to the “tour” pile. The bag became the “home” pile.

Next I grabbed a bunch of white kitchen garbage bags and some zip lock bags. I use the former as a liner for my allegedly water proof panniers. The latter contain small items organized by use.

My right rear pannier was first to load. Sleeping bag, sleeping pad, pillow, camp towel, camp washcloth, rope, clothes pins, and maps and medications I won’t need for the first ten days. I’m also packing a wire mesh bag for my food for camping in the mountains.

The left rear pannier contains clothing (for off bike and on), swim trunks, rain gear, a floppy hat, toiletries and daily medications, and sandals. Rain gear is in a separate bag. An empty bag is reserved for dirty clothing. I’ll also add a small bag with electronic stuff like cables, plugs, and batteries tomorrow. My back-up prescription glasses go in the bottom.

The front panniers are smaller. The front right pannier contains anything I need for bike maintenance. Tire changing stuff goes in one zip lock. Spare tubes in another. Tools (allen keys), a wrench, a master link tool, go in yet another. Small items like valve stems, my fiber fix spokes (a cord that can substitute for a broken spoke), and such go in a third. I also stashed a couple of cables in a small insert built into the pannier.

The front left pannier contains stuff I will need easy access to. Mostly this is food, my lock, sunscreen, butt cream, a back up water bottle when needed. (I decided to leave my water bladder at home.) I also included one small bottle of pickle juice and and another of electrolyte tablets.

The handlebar bag will hold my phone and headphones, wallet, dog defenses (whistle, horn, and mace), a pen, my map(s) of the day, prescription sunglasses, a power pack, a headlight, some pickle juice, electrolyte tablets, and snacks.

Finally, I will have a dry bag containing my tent, stakes, ground cloth, and collapsible cane.

Now you see why it took four hours to organize all this stuff. It will weigh a lot; it always does. In my experience the weight isn’t much of a problem – I’ll be going about 10 miles per hour – except for the hills. My biggest concern is how my body will hold up. I’ve done a number of 50-mile rides in recent weeks but my back and neck issues are utterly unpredictable. Lord knows, how they will hold up to tent camping. Even when in good shape, I have struggled to sleep well outdoors. Advil, Advil PM, and Gabapentin will help in that regard.

Sunday

Today I loaded The Mule with all the bags and went for a one-mile test ride. I tweaked a few things as a result and all seems fine. My last task is to go for a ride to a bike store for done butt cream packets.

The Mule with everything except toiletries, meds, cables, and batteries.

It being a nice day I decided to ride Big Nellie. On the way to Old Town we rode across the now officially opened Dyke Marsh Bridge.

Day one promises to be very long, 70 to 85 miles depending on where I stay tomorrow night in or near Fredericksburg Virginia.

Watch this space.

There’s the rub and other things

Deep tissue massage

As my tour launch date approaches, I have been increasingly concerned about my various physical problems. The tension in my neck muscles and, more importantly, the limited range of motion in my neck have been making just moving around a literal pain in the neck. I have also become increasingly bent over, an affliction I have been attributing to my lumbar spinal stenosis.

On the recommendation of Casey, a friend from Friday Coffee Club, I booked an appointment with a message therapist for a deep tissue massage. I figured one of three things could happen. Worse case scenario: my neck and back get much worse and I end up at a surgeon’s office. Neutral outcome: as with all the other various kinds of massages I’ve had, the massage feels good but not much changes. Best case scenario: I actually feel considerably better.

(What comes next is an over simplification of the message session. I am an anatomy ignoramus and I know even less about the specifics of message techniques.)

The appointment started with a long interview about my activity and my physical woes, focusing on my neck. I also mentioned my spinal stenosis issue. Just before the hands-on part of the session, the therapist pointed out that I had obvious tightness in my psoas muscles. (The psoas muscles are an important connection between the upper and lower body. They are notoriously difficult to loosen.) I was sitting on the massage table but instead of being upright, my torso was at a 45 degree angle to my thighs. I hadn’t even noticed.

In fact, that’s my default setting; bent over as I watch TV, read, drive, and use my phone. By riding my bike tens of thousands of miles in the last few years, I’ve managed to managed to train my muscles to assume the riding position when I’m off the bike. Once you’re bent over, bent over is the norm. In fact, I can’t straighten up. I’m locked in.

We began with massaging my tight neck muscles. This involved finding knots in my muscles and pressing on them (a technique called pinning) then slowing stretching the muscle, breathing in during the stretch and exhaling on release. The therapist worked on my neck, my shoulders, my head, and my jaw. Back and forth and all around. I’ll admit some of this was pretty painful. With each pressing of a knot, the pain lessened until it was gone and the muscle was freed up.

After that the therapist worked on loosening my pectoral muscles, the ones across my chest. Riding a bike causes these muscles to be tight, pulling my upper body over when I stand. Some of this involved simply pulling on my chest muscles to the outside. The therapist also worked on knots around the edge of my scapula, a bone that sits on the outside of the chest cavity in back.

There was also a last adjustment to my psoas muscle. One leg straight. The other bent and drawn upward, just as I had been doing on my back. She pressed another point somewhere above the hip. Then the other side.

At the end of the session, I stood up. Straight. Without the slightest bit of tension pulling my shoulders forward. My lower back felt completely free of tension as well.

After the session I went to the drugstore. I parked over a block away and walked to and from the store without a cane. No problem at all. No pain. No tightness in my lower back.

I’ll be damned if the massage didn’t work.

The therapist told me I’d be sore for a few days. Day two was the worst. My neck and lower back were aching after a 50-mile ride. Today is day three and my neck feels fine. My back soreness went away. The range of motion in my neck is still a bit limited but the pain is all but gone. More importantly, I know that the stretching I had been doing will be much more effective if I pin the tight muscle down when I stretch it. As for my lower back, the onset of discomfort seems to be taking significantly longer, a very welcome development.

I’m going to go back for another session after my tour. In the meantime, I’ve added pinning to my neck stretches. Also, I have two stretches for my pectoral muscles that are pretty easy to do. The scapula stretching requires a tennis ball and a sock (to keep the ball from falling as I work with it). I haven’t tried that but I have a massage gizmo that can do the same thing. So far all the stretches for the psoas muscles seem to require the body of a contortionist. (Lunge, raise your arm, lean back. Fall over.)

Other news

I decided to change my rear tire. I removed the Schwable Marathon with about 6,000 miles and replaced it with an comparably old Schwalbe Marathon Plus. The latter last several thousand more miles and are extremely resistant to punctures. I will notice more rolling resistance but that’s the price you pay for not having to deal with flats every 1,000 miles. (Knock wood.) The beefier tire should serve me well on the rough roads of eastern Kentucky.

When changing the tire, I used a new tire lever that I recently picked up at Bikes at Vienna. The tire and rim combinations make for difficult installation, frequently resulting in loss of skin on my thumbs. Although the copy in the link says this lever is designed for narrow tires, it worked fine on my 700×35 Marathon Plus tire. My thumbs are grateful.

Going longer

In the last nine days, I’ve done 323 miles with rides of 42, 50, 52, and 53 miles and a day off. The 52-miler was yesterday. I could have easily gone farther. Every year I get to late April and think, I’ve lost it. Every May, I find it.

I haven’t picked a launch date yet.

Top Ten for 2022

This year turned out to be a relief, mostly a relief from the pandemic. It was also rather uneventful.

The year began with the receipt of paperwork making me an Irish citizen. I immediately sent away for a passport which arrived in early May. I don’t really need a second passport but it is my understanding that it’s good for a discount at the Guinness brewery in Baltimore.
January brought a whopper of a snowstorm, the first in many years. The magnificent maple tree next door split near its base and landed an impressive tree chunk inches from Mrs. Rootchopper’s car. A few weeks later, the neighbors had the tree removed. We missed its blazing colors this fall. On the plus side, we now have a sunny kitchen.
We travelled to St. Charles, Missouri to attend my niece Irene’s wedding. After the wedding the bridal party came down with Covid. We were spared. For the next two months I managed to avoid the virus despite travelling among the great unmasked out West. Alas, my luck ran out when I got back home. I came down with Covid and had strange symptoms. My ears were stuffed up for a week. Otherwise, I had a very mild case and, with the help of four Pfizer vaccinations and Paxlovid, I recovered in a few days.
After a two-year hiatus thanks to the pandemic, I launched on another bike tour. This one began in St. Charles, Missouri and ended nearly 3,500 miles later in Portland, Oregon. The first half was solo and included an epic day fighting 50-mile per hour crosswinds in Kansas. In Canon City, Colorado I hooked up with Corey and Mark, whom I met on my 2019 bike tour, for the second half. The highlight of the trip was the final mountain climb up and over McKenzie Pass in Oregon. Definitely one of the top ten rides of my life. I managed to intercept Keith Adams, whom I met on my first 50 States Ride, in Eastern Oregon (or maybe western Idaho, it’s all a blur). Keith was riding from Bend, OR to Cody, WY. A few days later I met up with Rachel Cannon, another 50 States posse alum, and consumed talk, nachos, and beer in Redmond, OR.
When I got home from my bike tour, I found that all my pants fell off whenever I put them on. My first physical in three or four years confirmed that my weight had dropped over 20 pounds on the trip. Thankfully, I have some stretchy belts to keep me from flashing the neighbors.
My physical included some blood work results that were rather upsetting. I started eating more sensibly, avoiding junk food, eating less red meat, and such. I also started eating almonds and Brazil nuts which are supposed to lower cholesterol. My cholesterol fell from the 270s to the 220s in three months. My weight also fell another eight pounds. Dang. In retrospect, having all my slacks altered in the spring was not such a great idea.
For the 14th time, I gathered a posse of friends old and new and rode the 50 States Ride in DC in September. We had a stellar time and I only fell once. (I got a boo boo on my elbow.)
Most of the posse returned for the Cider Ride in November, during which I learned that celery is a bodacious dentrifice. This info will come in handy whenever I need to brush my teeth at the farmer’s market,
Earlier this year I couldn’t walk a half mile without back pain. At the end of the bike tour, I needed to walk around Portland and found that I could walk a mile without pain. Alas, schlepping my baggage through National Airport brought the pain back. After much hemming and hawing, I decided that rather than have surgery, I’ll live with the pain and accept that I am now officially old.
Tickets to Washington Nationals baseball games were dirt cheap. This had something to do with them trading away Juan Soto, their last star player, and others, and ending the year with the worst record in baseball. On the plus side, we attended a minor league game at The Dunk, Dunkin’ Donuts Park in Hartford.
I managed to ride 11,355 miles, my fifth 10,000-mile year in a row.

Bike Tour 2022 – Loose Ends

Some interesting things happened since I returned home. The day after I arrived I couldn’t hear anything and my sinuses were stuffed. I thought it was from sitting close to the engine on three flights. And maybe jet lag was playing a role. After a day of this, I decided to take a Covid test. Positive. I took another. Positive again. Dang. I called my doctor and we did a remote consult. He put me on Paxlovid. Within 36 hours I was back to normal. I coughed a lot but that was part of the process of my sinuses clearing.

Another annoying thing happened. My pants kept falling off. I had to tighten my belt to absurd lengths to keep them on. My beltless bike shorts (they go over my bike tights) were snug when I left home in May. Now I put them on and they’d fall straight to my ankles. To keep them on, I resorted to rolling the waist band,

After I recovered from Covid, The Mule arrived home. (It was packed flawlessly by West End Bikes of Portland.) So there I am in my bike pants trying to unbox and re-assemble The Mule. I had the frame out of the box. Every tube was wrapped in either heavy cardboard or styrofoam tubing. The styrofoam was affixed to the bike using zip ties. I pulled out my trusty Swiss army knife. It was super sharp because I have only used it a couple of times since I bought it in May. As I went to cut a tie, my hand slipped and I put a deep gash into my left thumb.

There was blood everywhere. I tried to continue with the bike but it was pointless. So I put my thumb in my mouth and walked around the house to go inside and bandage it. Except my pants kept falling down. There I am sucking my thumb, bleeding from one hand and holding my pants up with the other. Thankfully my kids and wife weren’t around to laugh their asses off at me.

The thumb is healing slowly, and The Mule is back on the road.

Today I went to my doctor for my first physical in three years. The doctor’s assistant weighed me. 198 pounds. I am below the Mendoza line for the first time in four years (when I came back from the 2018 tour.) This means that, when I came back from Portland two weeks ago, I probably weighed around 195 because I have been eating more and biking less. I must have weighed north of 215 pounds at the start of the tour. No wonder my pants are falling down.

As readers may recall, while riding down the highway along the Lochsa River in Idaho, Mark was given a traffic citation for failing to ride as far to the right as is safe. That’s what Idaho law calls for. A driver had passed Mark on a blind curve and nearly hit an oncoming vehicle,. which happened to be a Sheriff’s car. The car was driven by a chubby cheeked deputy who looked all of 22 years old. The deputy pulled a uey and gave chase. He pulled over the offending driver. The driver explained that he had no choice but to pass Mark because he came on Mark so suddenly. And that Mark was in his way. The deputy let the driver go and gave Mark a ticket. The next day we rode to the county magistrate’s office in Grangeville, the county seat. Mark arranged for a hearing via Zoom to contest the ticket. Today, Mark had his hearing. Barney didn’t appear. The ticket was dismissed. Justice was served.

Bike Tour 2022 – The Mule Abides in Portland

The day began with coffee and granola in the hostel cafe. Afterward Corey packed up all his cares and woes and took off for a nostalgia tour of Portland (he has a daughter who attended Reed College) and then head to the Amtrak station. We confirmed last night that his bike tools will remove his pedals, essential for boxing his bike.

This morning I rode a half mile to West End Bikes and turned over The Mule for shipping. West End shipped The Mule home in 2018 and it arrived intact.

Corey and I shared a room last night with a bike tourist who just did a loop ride in western and central Oregon. He’s now headed north. He wasn’t exactly chatty but that’s okay.

I’m killing time here at the hostel. My flight leaves tomorrow afternoon which should give me plenty of time to chill. (I hate to bring this up but it’s actually kind of cold here.)

As far as bicycling goes, the tour is now officially over. Thanks to everyone who read these blog posts. Your encouragement of my insane little adventure is most appreciated.

In the coming weeks I will convert these blog posts into a proper journal on Cycleblaze.com when I get the time.

I’ll also post a few more entries reflecting on the tour.

Miles today: 0.5 Tour miles: 3,449.5

Bike Tour 2022 – Kelso, Washington to Portland, Oregon

Our hotel was enormous. Its long hallways reminded me of The Shining.

The hotel cannot find enough staff to operate properly. Breakfast was a disappointment. At this stage a couple of bowls of Raisin Bran and some coffee gets the job done.

After a tour of industrial Longview we rode back across the Lewis and Clark Bridge to US 30 in Oregon. The bridge is downright scary. It’s noisy and shaky and has shoulders filled with debris.

We were glad to be off of it except for the fact that US 30 to Portland is nearly as nasty. The shoulders were adequate and the debris was less but the trucks made for a deafening bike ride.

We rode. All business. Get her done. No need for excess hemoglobin because there were no hills to speak of.

After about 50 miles we left the highway to ride the street grid to Union Station. Corey went inside to check out the bicycle-on-train situation. He could have put his bike n the baggie car unboxed but decided to box it for protection anyway. Amtrak will provide the box and tape. He also learned that for a reasonable price he gets to head home tomorrow, a day earlier than planned.

After scoring an Amtrak win we decided to check into the NW Portland Hostel where I stayed in 2018. It’s located a few minutes from the train station, the bike shop I’m going to use to ship my bike home, and lots of hip places for bike tourist celebrities like us.

Note also that we have N95 masks for the event that we have to share our room with a Covid vector.

Tomorrow we’ll prep for our respective journeys home.

Postcards in the lobby of the NW Portland Hostel — At the hostel: Postcards. And Stamps. Very retro.

Shoes died a hero — My bike shoes died a hero. Made it all the way thanks to Gorilla Glue and duct tape

Miles today: 56 Tour miles: 3,449

	Giles on Errandonnee Encore
	niall on Reading and Watching in 2025…
	Ellen Zook Osborn on Top Ten of 2025
	Brittany on On Average. The Weather Is…
	On Average. The Weat… on Blood Clots Are What They…