by Greg | Jul 29, 2019 | Training
With each push of the pedal, I managed to move a few feet forward, despite my first taste of the famous Columbia Gorge Winds! I have been fortunate in NOT having to pedal into a fierce headwind on our Journey, that is until last Saturday’s ride from Walla Walla to Umatilla. Tough ride, but at the end of the day, both my Atlantis and I arrived in Umatilla safe and sound. The above was my first view of the mighty Columbia River and even a windy day could not dull my enthusiasm for actually seeing this magnificent river. (As I pedaled closer to the river, I could see white caps due to the wind.)
Another gorgeous photo of the Columbia River, as well as a long lost companion, a freight train.
With so much water flowing past these cliffs, I am amazed to see the surrounding landscape so dry and desolate. Millions of gallons of water, less than 200 yards away, are flowing past “The Rattlesnake Hotel” and yet the area looks exactly like the desert near Tucson. I wasn’t close enough to hear the distinctive “Tick-tick-tick-tick” as I heard a few days ago, but I could “feel” beady little eyes staring at me as I struggled to make 5 mph into the wind! Yuck!
Wind generators are EVERYWHERE along the Columbia River Gorge. I would guesstimate at least 1,000 or more crowd the skyline from Pomeroy to Biggs Junction, OR. The above tug and barge were the only water craft I saw on the Columbia in three days of riding. I assume there are people fishing this river, but maybe the hurricane like winds kept boaters off the water.
Mt. Hood + Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway = Portland, Oregon! I find myself both excited and saddened at the prospect of beginning the last chapter in our Journey book. I am fighting to stay focused on “Pedaling for memories” versus “Pedaling for miles!” Over the next week I will continue to seek out the unusual, visit with locals, and capture the magnificent scenery on my iPhone. At the same time I will attempt to block out thoughts of embracing the love of my life while standing in the Pacific Ocean and celebrating the completion of this magnificent tribute to my Mom’s “Zest for Life!”
Cheers and thanks for riding along with Snowstorm, OMJSN (safely tucked away in the bag next to Snowstorm) and me!
Greg
by Greg | Jul 27, 2019 | Training
94 degrees, 4 mile climb, 8% grade and a very unusual “ticking” sound that had me puzzled for most of my ride up Alpowa Pass, elevation 2,785 feet. 94 degrees is a bit warm for a leisurely ride in South Eastern Washington state, but with no humidity to speak of, I was quite comfortable. You can’t see the rock cliffs I rode past in the above photo, but as I pedaled along at 3.5 mph, I kept hearing the above mentioned “tick-tick-tick” sound. As soon as I got past the cliffs, the sound stopped. I made it to the top of the pass and pedaled on towards Pomeroy without determining the source of the “tick-tick-tick” sound.
Due to the distance to the next town, 46 miles, I decided to be lazy and stop in Pomeroy, WA after riding only 35 miles. With a free afternoon, I asked Ms. Google for information on things to do in Pomeroy. She suggested a visit to the Garfield County Museum which was a short ten minute walk from my motel. Upon entering the “Donation Only” Museum I was greeted by a museum volunteer and one other visitor. As soon as I mentioned I lived in Alaska, Gary, the other visitor, asked, “You ever hear of Selawik, Alaska?” Sue, the volunteer then asked, “Have you ever heard of a man named John Binkley? He is married to a relative of mine.” We chatted about Selawik and also about John’s multiple visits to Whittier for tours he lead on Princess cruise ships. Gary and I “hit if off” immediately for some reason and I learned he was a long time rancher in the area and had been a photo journalist for FFA at one time. (Gary was sent to Selawik by FFA to do a story on the area many years ago.) After a few minutes Gary said, “It is too hot for me to spray my fields today, so if you have time, why don’t we hop in my truck for a drive around the area!” For the next two hours Gary drove me all over town pointing out historic landmarks, a few other local museums, and even drove me out to his own ranch. Gary’s commented over and over about trying to think of ways to attract young people to move to Pomeroy. His son works in IT and had just returned with his wife, a doctor, to live in Pomeroy. The area is slated for a gigantic solar farm and the town council is attempting to secure funding for ultra high speed internet service to attract “work at home families.” Towns such as Pomeroy must discover ways to keep young people in the area, or the towns will simply fade away. We also discovered that both our daughter-in-laws graduated from “Cougar College” in nearby “Pushlady!” (Jackster, my grandson in Anchorage, can you write a comment that will tell everyone what I am talking about with the word “Pushlady?”) 😘 My afternoon with Gary Bye and the Garfield County Museum will be near the top of my Best Memories list on my amazing Journey. (The photo above is a small glimpse of the spring wheat field on Gary’s ranch.)
The above baby crib was in the hospital section of the museum. Any idea what this baby crib, complete with a retractable covering, used for in a hospital? Nobody on the museum staff had the answer. A cover to keep cats out of the bed was one suggestion.
Outside the museum was a row of about ten hanging baskets, all about the size as a hula-hoop! What a fabulous idea, a hanging basket filled with plastic flowers!
As I pedaled west from Pomeroy, I noticed a cloud of dust off in the distance. As I drew nearer I saw a combine harvesting what appeared to be wheat. As I was taking a few photos the rancher walked over to visit. The rancher told me his name, but at the same time he said, “I was born and raised in Kenai, but moved here when I was thirteen!” Unfortunately I only heard Kenai, and missed his name. Hopefully Kenai will visit my website and refresh my old brain and give us his real name. Anita has always told me stories of wheat harvest and how the workers get covered with itchy wheat dust during the harvest. I was covered with wheat dust in the few minutes I stood talking with the rancher, so now I am an official wheat farmer. “Kenai” and I shared memories of Alaska, I gave him one of my Cycle Cards, and as I started to leave “Kenai” said, “Thanks for stopping. You so remind me of my own Grandpa because he was also an avid bicyclist. Seeing you on your bicycle brings back happy thoughts of Grandpa!” As Robert Krol would say, “Cool!”
This post is getting too “wordy” so I am going to stop story telling and just add photos.
Windmills are a huge business here in Washington.
The view from a pullout on the highway yesterday. Started the day way off in the distance.
Where are all the other trees?
Same lonely tree, but from a different angle.
Mock-up of a turn of the century classroom in Pomeroy.
When Gary and I were driving to his ranch, he pointed out some of his cows. They were in the bottom of a deep ravine just happily munching grass. I asked, “So, how do you round up the cows, with a horse or a 4-wheeler?” His response, “Well neither. Horses are too expensive to keep for just riding so we don’t keep horses on the ranch. The terrain is too rugged and steep for 4-Wheelers to maneuver, so we just catch the cows when they climb out of the ravine looking for better grass. Besides it is too dangerous to walk in the ravines due to the rattlesnake problem. Rattlers love hanging out in rocky cliffs like those on the sides of the ravine. Roll down your window and you can probably hear the rattlers since we are so close. Listen for a fast “tick-tick-tick” sound!”
Yikes, the mysterious sound I heard riding up the highway were rattlesnakes letting me know that I was invading their territory! No more running into the bushes for me on this Journey!
Poor WiFi tonight, so maybe this will upload and maybe not! Saw this sign today as I approached Umatilla, Oregon:
I can’t smell the Pacific Ocean yet, but next Saturday, as my friend Carol said in a resent comment, “If the good Lord’s willing and the creek don’t rise,” I will be in Seaside, Oregon with the love of my life, Anita.
Cheers and hugs!
Greg
by Greg | Jul 24, 2019 | Training
Well, where to begin? 1) I am alive and not in a hospital or laying off the side of US 12 in Montana; 2) I pedaled 219 miles from Lolo, MT to Clarkston, WA with the dreaded, “No Service” message on my iPhone screen; and 3) I know now why guests disembarking a Princess ship in Whittier were SO upset when their Verison cell phone displayed “No Service” when they tried to call loved ones in the lower 48! I should have done more research on AT&T’s coverage map, but their advertisements say, “We cover more areas in the US than ANY other wireless provider!” Enough said, but my family sure isn’t thrilled with AT&T at this moment.
“If these walls could talk…” Between Lincoln, MT and Missoula I continually rode past old, abandoned “homes” such as in the photo above. Who lived in this cabin, where did they get the lumber to build the cabin, when was the cabin built, and why did they leave such a magnificent area? I picture Laura Ingalls running out to milk the cows, “Little Joe” riding down from the upper cattle range to meet up with “Hoss,” or even Matt Dillon galloping toward the ranch with Miss Kitty to help out a family in need! Oh how I would love to “hear” the stories this ranch house could tell.
I captured the first photo below as I left Missoula on the way to Lolo. The Bitterroot River is such a picturesque river and I will always have fond memories of Missoula and Western Montana.
I attempted to send the above photo to Anita and the rest of my family, but this is when I first saw the dreaded “No Service” message that would persist for the next 160 miles.
After leaving my dear friends John and Barb Alonzo, (more about my fabulous Missoula visit on another post) I slowly climbed Lolo Pass and spent the night at Lochsa Lodge. I took the above photo while hiking down to the Lochsa river near the lodge. The water is so clear you can see the rocks and even a fish or two. My friends in the HAP world, especially at Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, will hopefully get a chuckle from my next story. Terrible WiFi was available, but only while sitting in the main lodge. So I sat, drank ice water and tried to upload photos for my blog. I finally gave up and headed to cabin # 3 for the night. About 11:00 pm, with me sound asleep and with a fan blowing semi-cool air into the room, all of a sudden there was absolute silence! I jumped up, grabbed my phone and attempted to find the number to call Rick Petersen about how to deal with yet another power outage at McKinley! After a few seconds, I realized where I was and thought, “Oh, I am not working at McKinley, this power outage is NOT my problem, and I don’t have to get Joy Raby out of bed to arrange extra shuttles to Talkeetna. I sure miss the staff at McKinley, but not the problems.
Snowstorm was safely strapped to my bicycle seat when I walked my bike halfway across one of many wooden bridges across this gorgeous Montana/Idaho River. I am still in awe when I think back on the magnificent scenery I have viewed as I pedaled across this gorgeous country. Hikers use bridges such as the one above to access the many trails throughout this area.
As everyone who has been following my blog knows, my OMJSN photo has traveled every mile with me across our country. I almost lost it once in a storm way back in New York, but I added a Velcro attachment to the back to secure it to my handlebar bag. Well yesterday I felt like Tom Hanks in the movie Castaway when his “Wilson” blew away in a storm. A sudden gust of wind tore my beloved OMJSN photo off my handlebar bag! I sounded just like Tom when he called out to “Wilson” his volleyball companion. “No, not my Angels,” I yelled. I braked as hard as possible, jumped off my bike, and ran back up the highway to see if I could find OMJSN. Log trucks, motor homes, and cars honked and swerved to keep from hitting “a wild and crazy guy” running along the side of the road. After about ten minutes I had given up hope of finding my OMJSN and was ready to pedal back to Missoula, the closest city with an airport. I am 99.9% sure I could not have continued on this Journey without my OMJSN to talk with, share crazy stories with, or sing John Denver songs to. It sounds ridiculous for a grown man to be so attached to a simple photo, but I was totally crushed! As I walked the 500 feet back to my bicycle, another gust of wind picked up the photo from somewhere and it landed ten feet in front of me! I know I had tears of joy running down my cheeks as I grabbed the photo off the ground, but who cares, I had my OMJSN back! OMJSN will ride inside my bag until we are within sight of the Pacific Ocean.
Just one more photo and I will call it a night. Bicycle touring requires the rider to continually scan the road next to the white line looking for glass, debris and other trash. So as I pedaled into Lewiston today I was concentrating on the road, when for some reason I looked up and to my right. I think my Mom, who loved going to the casinos in Albuquerque, was trying to get my attention. She was telling me, “Greg, there’s a casino and you should go spend $20.00 and try your luck. You can afford it, and it is X3 Point Wednesday!” I have no idea what happens on “X3 Wednesday” in a casino and going to a casino was not on my “wish list.” I can just hear her, “I don’t know how I raised a boy who doesn’t like a good shot of bourbon at 5:00 o’clock, doesn’t gamble in a casino, won’t eat sauerkraut and wieners, but will eat Shredded Wheat, Grapenuts and raisins for breakfast everyday of the year!” (Mom actually won $10,000 once on slot machine in Las Vegas!) Well, sorry Mom, maybe next time. 😘😘
Hopefully I will have Wifi for the next few weeks and will be able to post reflections every other day. Thanks again for all your support, love and happy thoughts.
Greg
Okay, one LAST photo. I just love how old cabins were built. Notice the round rock in the knothole!
by Greg | Jul 17, 2019 | Training
Even to my color blind eyes, from a distance I thought I was approaching a beautiful, blue lake! As I got closer I realized it was yet another mystery crop. (I think it is clover, but Diana, Jack’s 1st grade teacher, will hopefully give us the correct answer.)
Same field, but I tried to zoom in for a close up.
Some of you may remember my post about the St. John’s Motel that Jeremy and I “enjoyed” back in Michigan. Well The Bunkhouse Inn in Augusta, MT was the exact opposite. The hotel was built in 1912 and has served as the only “hotel” in Augusta ever since. The current owner transformed the dated hotel into a modern day establishment, while maintaining an Old West atmosphere. My room was comfortable, charming and next door to the shared bathroom. Yes, a shared bathroom in 2019. There were 10 rooms and three shared bathrooms, so no big deal, just quite unusual. The top photo was the “parlor” of the hotel and later in the evening two couples were playing a wild game of hearts since there was not one television in the entire hotel! 
Notice the “claw foot” bathtub and old time looking tile! Truly a find that will not erase the memory of the St. John’s Motel, but add yet another memorable experience to our Journey.
About 2,300 miles ago I posted a photo of a long straight highway as I descended the Adirondack Mountains. I added the following, “When what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a long, straight highway and NO mountains to climb!” Well, “When what to my wondering eyes should appear, but the majestic Rocky Mountains and climb them I must!”
I just couldn’t resist stopping to capture a few more photos of the fast approaching Rocky Mountains, but with a gorgeous wheat field in the fore ground. My traveling buddy, Snowstorm, just could not stay out of the wheat field. Snowstorm wanted to show OMJSN what wheat looks like up close.
America the Beautiful: “O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain. For purple Mountains majesties, above the fruited plain…” Montana certainly has all of the above!
Hooray! Since neither Snowstorm nor I consume alcoholic beverages, and I certainly was not about to carry a bottle of champagne up this extremely steep pass, we settled for a silent prayer of thanks and this photo. I can’t believe we have crossed the Continental Divide on this Journey! “We did it!” I say We because even though I am doing the physical part of pedaling each day, I would not be where I am without ALL of you! (I remember way back in my Whittier Port Ops career, we always celebrated the last ship of the season with a “We did it” cake.) So tomorrow, please go to your favorite “sweet treat” establishment, select the richest, most decadent treat available, and then consume it, without guilt, to celebrate OUR success in crossing the Continental Divide!
On Friday I should be in Missoula and meeting up with long time friends, John and Barb Alonzo. John was my Principal when I taught at Jefferson Elementary, but for the past 40 years we have been close friends. We explored Glacier National Park, climbed St. Mary’s Peak, ran 5K races, rode countless miles together on our bicycles and met for $.99 breakfasts with my son Jeremy. John and Barb are like grandparents to Michelle and Jeremy, flew to Alaska for both their weddings, and we consider them great-grand parents to OMJSN. As you can probably see, I am extremely excited to be in Missoula to share a brief visit with John and Barb. They are truly special people in our lives.
Cheers, thanks for your support and motivation.
Greg
by Greg | Jul 14, 2019 | Training
Almost as sweet, crunchy and delicious as the Matanuska, “Alaska Grown” carrots we buy at Saturday Market in Anchorage! After dropping off my bicycle at a bicycle shop in Great Falls, and with a Saturday OFF my bicycle, I strolled through the Great Falls downtown street market. I marveled at the creativity and talent of local artists, sampled delicious huckleberry zucchini bread and couldn’t pass up a bag of carrots. My Sadie Lynn would be proud of her Poppy for eating healthy for a change.
The above is not my Brooks saddle, but one exactly like mine, complete with a broken seat tension bolt. My tension bolt wasn’t broken like the above, but very close to failing. Could I have made it to the Pacific coast without it failing, nobody knows. Since my Atlantis was in the shop anyway, I asked the mechanics to adjust and inspect the brakes. The majestic Rocky Mountains are within my sight and I know I will need good brakes once I start my descent into Oregon. The Century ride I had planned to ride today was canceled due to a severe thunder storm alert, so I had a day to be a tourist.
You know you are in Montana when, 1) You must carefully walk your bicycle over cattle guards placed on exit ramps. 2) Eight out of ten vehicles you see are pickup trucks, complete with a horse trailer and covered with mud. 3) Of the eight trucks you see, six of them have massive grille guards to protect the truck from the impact of large critters. 4) You see people from age 2 to 102 wearing cowboy hats and cowboy boots. 5) Western wear stores are more prolific than Starbucks, and 6) 99% of people you pass on the sidewalk smile and actually say, “Good day or how you doing.” Once you get a “taste” of Montana, you’ll never want to be anywhere else, well not counting Hawaii.
C M Russell was an American artist of the Old West. Russell created more than 2,000 paintings of cowboys, Indians and landscapes during his lifetime. Today I was fortunate to be able to spend almost three hours in the CM Russell Museum here in Great Falls. My Mom absolutely loved museums and visited hundreds of them worldwide in her lifetime. Just like my Mom, I just can’t pass up the opportunity to explore a museum and the CM Russell Museum ranks as one of the best I have ever “plundered” as Mom loved to say. (Mom just might have walked through the CM Russell Museum herself on one of her many “Mystery Tours!”) I read the plaques beside each painting, marveled at the real-to-life displays and watched remastered movies of Indian ceremonial dances. Below are just a few of the photos I took as I explored the fabulous museum.
The above was a life sized model of a buffalo hunt. The display was created using one on Russell’s painting as a reference.
Charlie’s last ride was in the above horse drawn hearse. I love viewing a piece of history along with an actual photo of the piece as it was used.
Above is a statue of Charlie outside his log cabin studio. Notice, in the below picture, the tree growing through the roof of the cabin. Which came first, the cabin or the tree?
Tomorrow or Tuesday I will give up the lazy lifestyle of this weekend and begin pedaling West once again. If all goes as planned, which never happens, my celebration Journey should reach the Pacific Ocean the first week of August. Until then, I look forward to pedaling through the Rocky Mountains in Montana and Idaho, viewing the plains of Eastern Oregon and finally inhaling the smells of the Pacific Ocean.
Take care and thanks for traveling with me on this Celebration Journey.
Greg
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