Hello from HiYo

August 16 - End of the Lewis and Clark Trail

2010-08-21T00:09:00.017-05:00

August 16 – End of the Lewis and Clark Trail

Today began in Clatskanie, OR and finished at the end of the Lewis and Clark Trail in Seaside, OR, 2307 miles and 10 states after the journey’s start in St Charles, MO. It was a day of reflection, excitement and sadness. Throughout the ride today I found myself recalling special moments, places and people. After yesterday’s history review, I was pleased that I had chosen the Lewis and Clark Trail for our bicycle adventure. I feel it connected us in a special way to an important part of our history as Americans. I was excited as I neared the statue of Lewis and Clark on the beach at Seaside, the end of the trail, but also sad that one of the most incredible experiences of my life was coming to a close. I had to be careful not to do too much dreaming as the traffic got crazy on the ride into Astoria and on to Seaside. One last vision of the ride put a smile on my face - the tall grasses along the road were merrily dancing in all directions.

August 15

2010-08-20T22:56:00.006-05:00

August 15

Matt and Callie arrived at our campground and the four of us had a Lewis and Clark day. We first went to Cape Disappointment, where Lewis, Clark and the Corps of Discovery first saw the Pacific Ocean. We visited the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and then made our way to Fort Clatsop, where the Corps spent the winter of 1805/1806 and made salt (in Seaside, OR) for the return journey to St Louis. It was a day filled with history and reminders of what was undoubtedly the greatest adventure and exploration in the history of our country. The four of us had a wonderful day together.

August 14

2010-08-20T22:11:00.007-05:00

August 14

It wasn’t as hard to get up as I thought it would be. That told me that the wine and vodka were first-rate! Also, I was pumped that this was my next to last riding day. I rode 67 miles to Westport, OR, where Jamye picked me up for the drive into Astoria. It was tough finding a place to stay since there was a sailing regatta over the weekend. We found a place near Fort Stevens. As I pedaled near Rainier, OR, I looked across the Columbia to Longview, WA at a mill that I believe International Paper purchased from Weyerhaeuser back in 2008. As I reflected on my years at IP, it already seemed a distant memory. Soon, this adventure will be a memory as well. I am fortunate that my life is filled with many great memories. I am also thankful that I have the opportunity to create more of them. While at work, the best part of the experience was the people and the opportunity to touch other lives. The same was true of this adventure.

August 13

2010-08-20T22:01:00.004-05:00

August 13

I took today off from riding to get some much needed rest and to spend more time with my friend Matt. We had breakfast together at The Stepping Stone Café, an establishment touted by locals as the best breakfast in Portland. The food was great and the pancakes were larger than the plates, but the service was poor. Perhaps the waiters were taking too seriously the restaurant’s slogan, “You eat here because we let you”. Matt dropped me off at the campground and we planned to meet again in Astoria, OR with Callie over the weekend. In the afternoon, Jamye and I met some good folks at the park who became great friends during our brief time together. Barry and Jan Klein were ‘full-timers’, former Airstream owners who moved up to a beautiful 40’ rig. Once Barry heard about our adventure, he thought it would be appropriate that he give me a cap he had been holding for the ‘right person’. He gave me a cap to cherish from the bike shop of 7-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop. Barry and I clicked like ‘brothers from another mother’. We did some shopping together in the afternoon and on Friday evening the four of us enjoyed Cuban cigars and fine wine…and some great vodka! I didn’t care that the next morning was ride day. We told stories and laughed late into the evening. We look forward to reconnecting with them one day soon again.

Larry, Barry and Jan Klein

August 12

2010-08-20T21:23:00.002-05:00

August 12

I started the day on a bikes-only trail east of Cascade Locks with the Columbia in view, about 300 ft below. I picked up the Historic Columbia River Highway (hwy 30) at the end of the bike trail and had a beautiful ride, stopping to see several waterfalls along the way. Jamye and I had lunch at Vista House, with a tremendous view up the Columbia. After a few climbs, I coasted downhill into Troutdale, where I picked up another bike path adjacent to the Columbia. I rode into Portland near the airport and we pulled in for the next two nights at an RV park on Marine Drive. After getting cleaned up, my good friend Matt Kelly, a fellow UVA grad and former IP coworker, picked us up for what would be a wonderful evening together with his friend Callie. We had dinner near Corbett, OR at a charming place called The View Point Inn. We saw a beautiful sunset and a moon set and had amazing views of the Columbia River Gorge and the city lights of Portland and Vancouver. It was a splendid evening with fine food and great company!

Larry and Matt Kelly

Callie and Matt

Matt, Larry and Callie at View Point Inn

August 11

2010-08-18T23:48:00.023-05:00

August 11

I got an early start in Biggs on the Oregon side and Jamye and I met in The Dalles to get the spare fixed, but it was not repairable, so we bought a new tire. Once back on the road out of The Dalles, I was officially in the Columbia River Gorge, where headwinds were fierce. I rode up on a Grandfather with his 17 year-old Grandson, who were on the return bike trip that began in Seattle, WA and went to Glacier, MT. The Grandfather, Charles Packard, was 71, retired Navy. His Grandson, Kai, lived in Southern California and was to return to school the following week. I thought that I, too, would like to get in a bike tour with my Grandchild one day. I pulled them along into the winds for a brief few miles and then was on my way. Once I hit Mosier, OR, I got onto the Historic Columbia River Highway State trail, which was a nice bikes-only trail of about 7 miles. We called it a day after 55 miles so that we could get ready for a drive into Troutdale, OR to meet with Ottie Dixon, a very close friend from IP who was on a business trip to Portland. Jamye, Ottie and I had a wonderful evening together at McMenamin’s in Troutdale.

Kai, Larry and Charles Packard

Ottie Dixon and Larry

August 10

2010-08-18T19:07:00.020-05:00

August 10

We rode on the Washington side of the Columbia in order to stay off of Interstate 84 but the trade-off was rough road shoulders, truck traffic and steady climbs. At mile 78 Jamye was stopped at a pull-out with a flat tire on Hiyo, our first of the journey. I attempted to put on the spare but the lug nuts were on too tightly. Two people stopped to help but to no avail…the lug nuts would require an air gun. We called the nearest station and a guy arrived after about a two-hour wait and helped change the tire. We spent the evening at a park on the Washington side and had an early evening. We were wiped out.

August 9

2010-08-18T18:17:00.011-05:00

August 9

Today was a day of milestones. We crossed into Oregon, the tenth state of our ten state adventure; we saw the Columbia River for the first time; I passed the 2,000 miles pedaled mark, finishing the day with 55 miles for a journey total of 2005 miles. As we left Walla Walla heading west, the winds were steadily from the WSW, no doubt the reason why the hills to the west were littered with hundreds of windmills. I have been told that I will have headwinds the entire journey through the Columbia River Gorge as I approach Portland. No matter, as I have said before, the winds of the Great Plaines prepared me well for the ride across Oregon. We spent the evening in Umatilla, OR on the banks of the Columbia.

Toasting 2,000 miles!

August 8

2010-08-18T14:23:00.020-05:00

August 8

On August 7^th, Larry and I arrived in Walla Walla after traveling different roads. I had somehow missed my turn. His ride was so beautiful he offered to drive me back along the route the following day. The following photos are what I would have missed without my husband’s generosity and appreciation for the beauty of this land.

Drag races in Walla Walla

August 7

2010-08-18T13:58:00.005-05:00

August 7

We wanted to get to Walla Walla, WA today so that I could get my new iphone issues resolved at an ATT store (I destroyed my last iphone while kayaking in the St Lawrence River in mid July). The short 28 mile ride was one of unique beauty, with wheat fields nearly covering the entire rolling landscape. The farmers were out in force, running multiple combines across the hillsides. The strong winds created a juxtaposition of shade and sunlight across the wheat fields, giving a dance-like movement to the landscape. I had never known that wheat was so prolific in this part of the country. Now there is new competition for wheat…wine. Vineyards have driven up the cost of real estate in eastern Washington and will no doubt put pressure on wheat farmers for what is a less lucrative crop. Monday, it will be on to Oregon and the Columbia.

August 6

2010-08-18T13:12:00.009-05:00

August 6

I did a short 47 mile ride from Clarkston to Dayton, WA. There was a monster hill to start the day. The riding got tougher as the shoulder narrowed, and it seemed like I was riding on interstate 240 in Memphis…drivers were flying with little to no regard for cyclists. Dayton was a quaint little town with character, but something was not quite right. Many of the local shops were closed in the middle of the day. When we stopped at Woody’s (the local burger joint), we discovered the problem. The Green Giant canning plant had recently closed, shipping their equipment to Peru. This cost the city over 1,000 jobs. Asparagus was the vegetable grown locally and it now is grown in Peru. Dayton is now a community of wheat farming. The global economy has taken its toll on this small eastern Washington state community. Additionally, last year a second major employer shut their doors. Dayton was a ski resort but has suffered from little to no snow the past several seasons. This uncertainty made it difficult to manage and attract skiers from around the state.

August 4

2010-08-10T01:52:00.013-05:00

August 4

Today the trail went uphill, a route I took away from the rivers due to poor safety conditions on Hwy 12. I was due for some up hills, and most of the day was on an uphill grade, but I felt pretty strong even though the heat began to wear on me in the afternoon. Most of the day was spent on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation on a high plateau covered with golden wheat fields. Our destination today was Lewiston, ID/Clarkston, WA, cities on opposite sides of the Snake River. Although it should have occurred to me sooner, Lewiston and Clarkston are named after Lewis and Clark (duh…so obvious that I hadn’t thought of it). The cities are not terribly impressive. Jamye and I expected that they would be grander, but they actually are rather beat up looking towns up against dry, brown mountains… but they are on the Snake River, which is nice. Our arrival in Washington State marks the ninth state of our journey.

August 3

2010-08-10T00:29:00.023-05:00

August 3

More heaven…65 miles of downhill along the Lochsa River and eventually to the intersection of the Lochsa and Selway Rivers at Lowell, ID., which formed the Clearwater River. The Clearwater descends to where it meets the Snake River which leads to our final river destination, the Columbia. About eleven miles from our overnight last night on the river I saw another river access road which was unmarked on Hwy 12. I scouted it out and it was called Dead Mule Flats. This was another potential overnight campsite that I definitely want to remember…secluded, right on the water.

August 2

2010-08-09T22:03:00.018-05:00

August 2

Today was a day bikers dream about…clear skies, a light breeze, long down hills and flats along a river with bends in the road every quarter mile so you can see down the river and the surrounding mountains. This was our best day yet. We saw our first bull moose and in the early afternoon, after 80 miles of pedaling over the Lolo Pass, found a secluded campsite along the Lochsa River that had a nice deep water pool where we could swim. In Idaho you can camp just about anywhere on public property and we found a small river access road that led down to the Lochsa called the White Pine River Access in the Clearwater National Forest…truly beautiful. Idaho is state number eight of the Lewis and Clark Trail.

July 30 - August 1

2010-08-09T20:59:00.010-05:00

July 30

After camping at Agency Creek, Jamye and I stopped at Tendoy Store in Tendoy, Idaho for a coffee and donut breakfast. To our delight, we met Viola Anglin, who had been operating the store for the past 62 years! Viola, 91 years old, addressed a question that I had regarding Sacajawea. Our journey along the Lewis and Clark Trail clearly acknowledged her as a heroine but with different spellings and pronunciations of her name along the way. In North Dakota, they insist that Sakakawea is the correct spelling. This was the name given to her by her captors the Hidatsa and it translates as ‘Bird Woman’. When we went to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Great Falls, the spelling was Sacagawea (hard g), which is also the spelling considered correct by most scholars and, in fact, is the spelling used by the U.S. Mint on the commemorative coin and by Stephen Ambrose in his book, Undaunted Courage. So I asked Viola for the scoop…what is correct? Viola looked at me with unwavering certainty and said the correct spelling was Sacajawea. Sacajawea was born in Tendoy, Idaho, knew her name as a 12-year old, and her name was given to her by the Shoshone, who, according to Viola, insist the correct spelling is Sacajawea. Even though scholars are in disagreement, I’m going with Viola. After pedaling 58 miles on a very hot day by Idaho/Montana standards (95), lightening put a stop to my ride. We followed the west fork of the Bitterroot River to a Forest Service campground right on the river called Rombo (back in Montana). On the way in, we saw a cow moose up to her knees in water gulping away. We mentioned her to the Ranger and he said, “Oh, yeah, that’s Bullwinkel”. I got out on the river by 7PM and tried some dry flies. I caught a small (10”) rainbow, which made for a nice finish to the day.

Viola Anglin

July 31

I didn’t get many miles in today. After eating a big breakfast at a diner in Darby, MT, I got off at about noon and 17 miles later the lightening appeared. Fortunately, Jamye showed up about 5 minutes before a hail storm hit. We headed on to Missoula where we put 4 new tires on the 4Runner. As we were hooking up at a KOA, another hail storm hit us. Every time it rains or I see other bikers carrying heavy loads, I’m particularly thankful that Jamye and I are teamed up for this adventure. On another note, I have been conducting an informal, just for the heck of it qualitative survey on this journey regarding pickup trucks. So far, Fords blow out the competition in the Great Plains by about 3:1 and almost every truck is a US brand (Ford, Chevy, GMC, Dodge). In western Montana, you begin to see Toyotas. I have noticed that the small towns in western Montana are loaded with old Chevy trucks. Stay tuned for what people are driving in Washington and Oregon.

August 1

I cleaned the bikes today, getting ready for the ride tomorrow through the Bitterroot Mountains. Jamye worked on the blog. Tomorrow we will be leaving Montana and begin crossing Idaho on our way to the headwaters of the Columbia River.

July 29

2010-08-08T19:18:00.031-05:00

July 29

Today we left Dillon, MT heading west for the Lemhi Pass. On the way, we passed Camp Fortunate, which now is the Clark Canyon Dam, from which flows the Beaverhead River (the Beaverhead and the Ruby tie together to form the Jefferson River). It was at Camp Fortunate where one of the most amazing coincidences in American history occurred, and this coincidence played a key role in the success of the Lewis and Clark expedition. In 1800, a Hidatsa raiding party captured several Shoshone teen-agers at Three Forks. The French Canadian Charbonneau won the teen-agers in a bet with the warriors who captured them. One of them was named Sacajawea. Charbonneau was part of Team Discovery and he brought his wife Sacajawea along on the expedition. Critical to the success of the expedition was getting horses from the Shoshones so that they could cross the Bitterroot Mountains. The Chief of the Shoshones, Cameahwait, met with Lewis and Clark at Camp Fortunate in 1805 to negotiate. It was at Camp Fortunate where Sacajawea recognized Cameahwait, her brother, whom she had not seen since her abduction. This brother/sister reunion helped dispel any mistrust that the Shoshones had for the expedition, and Lewis and Clark received the horses they needed. From Camp Fortunate we rode a dirt/gravel road across the Lemhi Pass which crosses the Continental Divide into Idaho. Coincidentally, we also crossed the 45^th parallel, which is the halfway point between the Equator and the North Pole. Views along the pass were spectacular; the Beaverhead Mountains seem to flow from rounded peak to rounded peak, with stands of trees interspersed with mountain meadows. We stopped at Agency Creek State Park where we were the only campers present. I took a bath in the creek (refreshingly cold) and we slept to the sounds of the creek and the smells of the pine.

July 27 - July 28

2010-08-07T22:42:00.003-05:00

July 27

A much needed rest day

July 28

It was good to get back in the saddle after a 4-week break, but it was also tough to power along after such a long break. We began at Three Forks, MT, where the headwaters of the Missouri are formed by the Jefferson, Gallatin and Madison Rivers. The route today followed the Jefferson river (just as Clark followed it in August of 1805). It was a beautiful day with moderate headwinds and light cloud cover, but the afternoon brought thunderstorms, so Jamye picked me up outside of Dillon after I had pedaled 55 miles. I did have a crash, but I am fine, as is my bike- a few scratches and a mildly sprained wrist. It happened when two 18-wheelers were approaching each other while I was on the side of one of them. I saw the one behind me in my rearview mirror and made a move to get a little farther to the right on the narrow shoulder. The shoulder was soft gravel and I went down hard but managed to stay off the road as I skidded on my side down the shoulder. A car behind the trucker stopped to check on me; fortunately, I came out with just cuts on my leg and strawberries on my hip and shoulder. The most delicate moments come on two lane roads with narrow shoulders and trucks that are passing in opposite directions while I am directly beside the passing trucks. I have been able to manage those moments but had not expected the soft gravel to bring me down as it did. I am thankful that the lesson came with little cost.

July 19 - July 26

2010-08-07T21:15:00.017-05:00

July 19 - July 26

Ennis, Montana with Dan, Emily and Amelia

We left NY for Bozeman, Montana and arrived late Sunday evening, picked up our car in the airport and drove to Cody to pick up Hiyo. After 4 hours sleep and a few cups of coffee with Wendy Schneider, we headed for Ennis to unload our gear and return to Bozeman to pick up Dan, Emily and Amelia for week #2 of an outdoor extravaganza. We had a fabulous week just outside of Ennis, MT, where we stayed with friends in their guest cabin near the Madison River. Bruce and Sandy went out of their way to make sure our visit was a memorable one. Bruce took Dan and me on a float down the Madison where we honed our fly fishing skills with Bruce’s coaching. We caught about 20 trout, a few rainbows but mostly brown, and had a relaxing float with beautiful mountain vistas from the valley where the Madison flowed. Hanging out with Emily, Dan and Amelia the rest of the day and evening was the highlight of our day. Our cabin was on a two- acre pond stocked with 12-18” trout, and Dan and I were able to work on our fly casting technique throughout the week. Next, we all headed for a day at Yellowstone. On the way, Dan and I were dropped off at the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) on the Idaho/Montana border where Jim Vivaldelli and I had ridden three weeks previously. Dan and I mountain biked up the trail and it was a gorgeous morning. The girls met us below 2 hours later and we headed for Yellowstone. On the way, we stopped for a brief visit at the ranch of Pat and Ginger Povah, who had been instrumental three weeks before in helping Jim find the best medical care available for his neck surgery. Then, it was on to Yellowstone. We went on a hike to see a beautiful prismatic lake, enjoyed an eruption of Old Faithful, studied a grizzly bear with our binoculars from about 200 yards, and enjoyed dinner at the Yellowstone Lodge. On our return to Ennis, we passed by two huge bison right next to our vehicle on the road. It was great being with the kids for an extended period of two weeks, something we had not done since our visit to Dubai in 2007. We hope we can adventure with them often through the years! Also, a special thanks to Bruce and Sandy Carter for their tremendous hospitality. We hope to see them one day soon again!

Ready for the Continental Divide

Trail (CDT)

Ginger and Pat Povah at their ranch

At Yellowstone

July 24th

July 25th

Sandy and Bruce

July 13 - July 18

2010-08-07T19:41:00.016-05:00

July 13 - July 18

Island on the St Lawrence River, New York with Dan, Emily and Amelia

We had not seen Dan, Emily and Amelia since Amelia was two weeks old, so our island adventure together in upstate NY was a much anticipated reunion. Jamye and I left our gear in Cody with Wendy Schneider (no relation to Gina), the Development Director of the BBHC, and flew to Syracuse where the five of us met and drove upstate to catch a boat to an island on the St Lawrence River where Dan had planned a 5-day adventure which included sailing, canoeing, fishing, hiking, and horseshoes. Laughing and playing with our beautiful new Granddaughter, Amelia, with all of us just hanging out together was a great joy!

July 14th

July 15th

July 16th

July 17th & 18th

The island crew