Day 49 – The LORD’s Day! Given to Us to Rest!
This day was a day to relax and rest and set it aside to focus on the LORD and all that He has done for us! We went to a lively church in Hermiston, OR and appreciated the fellowship with the believers there. The lunch at the Chinese Buffet was a nice preparation for our naps. We slept for hours and had a fun evening together scouting out the route for tomorrow, eating hamburgers and ice cream and playing games. Dad beat us all, which made us all ready for bed. We hope to leave by 6:00 tomorrow morning so the bed called earlier than normal.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Day 48 – A First on our Earliest Day
The air was cool and the breeze was from a favorable direction this morning and we enjoyed a nice quick ride to the city of Waitsburg, WA where we were served a fine breakfast. This morning it truly was fast and quite enjoyable. This breakfast place seemed to be the local gathering for the men before they head out to the fields to work.
The dogs sit in the trucks and wait patiently for their owners to get all caught up on went on the night before in the town and what should be done that day. The food was great and gave us good strength for the rest of the day.
The wind that had been favorable must have been envious of us since he had missed his breakfast so he decided to switch directions and pay us back. The cool air took the day off and was replaced by warmer more humid air.
Neither change was to our advantage but we knew that the pedals needed to go around no matter what since it was only going to get worse. The road on the other hand was less than a year old and very smooth and worked to our advantage. I assume the roads are nice and new because the bicycle hating road crews had not gotten the work order to lay fresh chip seal yet. Okay I am sure they don’t hate cyclists but the chip seal sure is disagreeable with my posterior.
The road between Waitsburg, WA and Walla Walla, WA was filled with more brown fields from the fresh dirt that had recently been disked and tan fields from the wheat that was soon to be harvested. When we came to the city limits, US12 turned into a limited access road (short for NO BICYCLES!) and we saw a bike trail following the road so we got off and took the trail. At the west end of town we returned to US12 and continued for most of the rest of the day on it.
Continuing west we came to the small city of Touchet, WA where to took our first break since breakfast. Here we received a phone call from Abigail that the trailer had a completely flat tire. She also said that she and Mom were taking turns with my bicycle air pump putting air in the tire. I was very impressed since yesterday I had to bring the tire up from 20 lbs to 35 lbs and I was winded. They got the pressure to 28 lbs and deservedly called it quits. Later, they did make it to Walla Walla, WA and a Les Schwab Tire shop where they had 4 new tires put on the trailer. This was a good decision considering the miles that are yet to be put on it.
Outside of town, we came across a field of those same wind generators that we saw yesterday. This time it was not just a handful of them but what looked like a forest of them. My guess is that we saw nearly 500 of them today. This means that the wind in this area of the country is strong and predominantly from one direction, the west! Hurray! I was very thankful to the LORD that He kept the wind down to and gentle breeze in order to make it not too demoralizing for us and to allow us to make it to the campground at a decent time. The wind around here is notorious. My brother, who lives in WA and travels east and west a lot, says that the fuel economy improves 5 mpg going east than going west. Hurray some more!
We finally came to a view that made us leap for joy, not quite as much as Lewis and Clark did since they were now able to float instead of walk, but nonetheless we were happy!
The Columbia River could now be seen and we will follow it for the next few days. This means not much climbing and a lot of good scenery. We saw interesting rock formations and the riverbanks themselves were awesome.
The river also provides a good way to transport all of those tan fields that we have been seeing to the coast where they are distributed elsewhere. Soon after we began to follow the Columbia River we crossed the border into OR!!
This will be our last new state! The feelings of accomplishment are good but the idea that the trip is nearing completion brings feelings of sadness.
If there was a way that I could earn a living touring on my bicycle I would but I haven’t heard of too many people offering to pay other people to ride their bike for fun so the trip must eventually come to an end.
The first that we had today was being the first to the campground from our group. I know it was a little unfair since the girls had to wait for trailer maintenance but it was still fun to beat them there. We arrived at the campground at 12:40. It was nice to have 1.5 rest days before the final week of biking. I haven’t told you the name of the campground for a reason. No there is no riddle this time but there is a picture and a question.
As the Lewis and Clark expedition team came floating down the river they saw this rock in the distance and immediately named it this because of what it resembles. Can you figure out what they named it? Don’t think too hard!
The air was cool and the breeze was from a favorable direction this morning and we enjoyed a nice quick ride to the city of Waitsburg, WA where we were served a fine breakfast. This morning it truly was fast and quite enjoyable. This breakfast place seemed to be the local gathering for the men before they head out to the fields to work.
The dogs sit in the trucks and wait patiently for their owners to get all caught up on went on the night before in the town and what should be done that day. The food was great and gave us good strength for the rest of the day.
The wind that had been favorable must have been envious of us since he had missed his breakfast so he decided to switch directions and pay us back. The cool air took the day off and was replaced by warmer more humid air.
Neither change was to our advantage but we knew that the pedals needed to go around no matter what since it was only going to get worse. The road on the other hand was less than a year old and very smooth and worked to our advantage. I assume the roads are nice and new because the bicycle hating road crews had not gotten the work order to lay fresh chip seal yet. Okay I am sure they don’t hate cyclists but the chip seal sure is disagreeable with my posterior.
The road between Waitsburg, WA and Walla Walla, WA was filled with more brown fields from the fresh dirt that had recently been disked and tan fields from the wheat that was soon to be harvested. When we came to the city limits, US12 turned into a limited access road (short for NO BICYCLES!) and we saw a bike trail following the road so we got off and took the trail. At the west end of town we returned to US12 and continued for most of the rest of the day on it.
Continuing west we came to the small city of Touchet, WA where to took our first break since breakfast. Here we received a phone call from Abigail that the trailer had a completely flat tire. She also said that she and Mom were taking turns with my bicycle air pump putting air in the tire. I was very impressed since yesterday I had to bring the tire up from 20 lbs to 35 lbs and I was winded. They got the pressure to 28 lbs and deservedly called it quits. Later, they did make it to Walla Walla, WA and a Les Schwab Tire shop where they had 4 new tires put on the trailer. This was a good decision considering the miles that are yet to be put on it.
Outside of town, we came across a field of those same wind generators that we saw yesterday. This time it was not just a handful of them but what looked like a forest of them. My guess is that we saw nearly 500 of them today. This means that the wind in this area of the country is strong and predominantly from one direction, the west! Hurray! I was very thankful to the LORD that He kept the wind down to and gentle breeze in order to make it not too demoralizing for us and to allow us to make it to the campground at a decent time. The wind around here is notorious. My brother, who lives in WA and travels east and west a lot, says that the fuel economy improves 5 mpg going east than going west. Hurray some more!
We finally came to a view that made us leap for joy, not quite as much as Lewis and Clark did since they were now able to float instead of walk, but nonetheless we were happy!
The Columbia River could now be seen and we will follow it for the next few days. This means not much climbing and a lot of good scenery. We saw interesting rock formations and the riverbanks themselves were awesome.
The river also provides a good way to transport all of those tan fields that we have been seeing to the coast where they are distributed elsewhere. Soon after we began to follow the Columbia River we crossed the border into OR!!
This will be our last new state! The feelings of accomplishment are good but the idea that the trip is nearing completion brings feelings of sadness.
If there was a way that I could earn a living touring on my bicycle I would but I haven’t heard of too many people offering to pay other people to ride their bike for fun so the trip must eventually come to an end.
The first that we had today was being the first to the campground from our group. I know it was a little unfair since the girls had to wait for trailer maintenance but it was still fun to beat them there. We arrived at the campground at 12:40. It was nice to have 1.5 rest days before the final week of biking. I haven’t told you the name of the campground for a reason. No there is no riddle this time but there is a picture and a question.
As the Lewis and Clark expedition team came floating down the river they saw this rock in the distance and immediately named it this because of what it resembles. Can you figure out what they named it? Don’t think too hard!
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Day 47 – A Short Windy Ride Gives Way to a Relaxing Afternoon!
The newspaper on the picnic table this morning predicted that the temperature would rise to 111°! Since we didn’t want to become cooked road kill for the turkey buzzards to eat, we left early again. Breakfast certainly did not live up to the last part of the word but it did taste good. The road was quite quiet before people were on their way to work. The road left the river and with it went the beautiful sights and sounds that come along with it. They will be missed. Following a river assures that there are no major climbs and sure enough only a few miles after leaving the comforts of the riverbanks came a nice long steep hill.
Alpowa Summit was where Lewis & Clark crossed the ridge also. It has been neat feeling a little like I am a part of history following the Lewis & Clark Trail. They crossed in May when the Camas was in full bloom. Their sharp blue flowers served to break up the monotonous brown and green landscape. I wish that they were in bloom. I could have gone completely color blind and not known it until I saw my children’s coloring book pages that they are so excited to show me at the end of each day. The brown and green have a beauty all its own and since it provides much of the country with its wheat, I should be very thankful for it regardless of the monotony!
The wind was very kind and it blew us the 10 miles to Pomeroy, WA in no time. We stopped for a snack and in the short time that we were inside the wind changed from going with us to going against us. This slowed the pace considerably, but with the two of us taking turns in the front and the other drafting, we were able to keep up a decent pace. After Pomeroy, WA there was nothing until Dayton, WA except wheat fields and hills.
The road we have been riding on is of some interest. US12, if we stay on it long enough, will lead us right to the Pacific Ocean. If followed the other way, US12 will lead us to within less than 1 mile from my parent’s house and a little while later within 20 miles of my house.
The wind, although antagonistic to westbound cyclists, is a good way to produce electric.
These giant wind generators could be seen clearly from the road we were on even though they were miles away. I learned that they have impellers and not propellers since they are not propelling anything. I learn something new every day!
Climbing hills is hard enough, but with the wind blowing as it was, the normally slow pace of climbing hills nearly came to a grinding halt with the combination of them together. The day ended with two long and much steeper hills than this morning. When we got to the top of the first we could see the top of the second, so it was not so long, but it was just the fact that we would descent for 1 minute so that we could ascend for 15 more that was not a nice prospect. We finally made it to the top and pedaled down the hill since it was still into the wind into the town of Dayton, WA.
It is a nice little town with a historic train depot.
My family came back later and enjoyed looking at the depot and the caboose! One plaque next to the depot told a very amazing fact about the building itself. It was first built at another location and used there for many years. The railroad was then sold to another company and they moved this very building across the river to this location with roller logs and a winch. This feat is difficult enough with today’s technology and heavy equipment; I couldn’t imagine the amount of work and effort it took then without the aid of diesel or gasoline. The main street was made a little more elegant with this simple yet fine courthouse.
We stayed the night at Lewis & Clark State Park.
It had some beautiful roses and we enjoyed getting the only full hook up site in the entire park. Lucky us!! We arrived here at 1:00 and enjoyed a nap and some reading from books we have picked up along the way. It was so nice to be able to do this that we will do the same tomorrow. Our 70 miles jaunt will begin at 6:30 so we can, LORD willing, get to our destination early enough to beat the heat and relax for a few hours! We praise the LORD for another day of safety and glorify Him, since He alone could grant such a request!
The newspaper on the picnic table this morning predicted that the temperature would rise to 111°! Since we didn’t want to become cooked road kill for the turkey buzzards to eat, we left early again. Breakfast certainly did not live up to the last part of the word but it did taste good. The road was quite quiet before people were on their way to work. The road left the river and with it went the beautiful sights and sounds that come along with it. They will be missed. Following a river assures that there are no major climbs and sure enough only a few miles after leaving the comforts of the riverbanks came a nice long steep hill.
Alpowa Summit was where Lewis & Clark crossed the ridge also. It has been neat feeling a little like I am a part of history following the Lewis & Clark Trail. They crossed in May when the Camas was in full bloom. Their sharp blue flowers served to break up the monotonous brown and green landscape. I wish that they were in bloom. I could have gone completely color blind and not known it until I saw my children’s coloring book pages that they are so excited to show me at the end of each day. The brown and green have a beauty all its own and since it provides much of the country with its wheat, I should be very thankful for it regardless of the monotony!
The wind was very kind and it blew us the 10 miles to Pomeroy, WA in no time. We stopped for a snack and in the short time that we were inside the wind changed from going with us to going against us. This slowed the pace considerably, but with the two of us taking turns in the front and the other drafting, we were able to keep up a decent pace. After Pomeroy, WA there was nothing until Dayton, WA except wheat fields and hills.
The road we have been riding on is of some interest. US12, if we stay on it long enough, will lead us right to the Pacific Ocean. If followed the other way, US12 will lead us to within less than 1 mile from my parent’s house and a little while later within 20 miles of my house.
The wind, although antagonistic to westbound cyclists, is a good way to produce electric.
These giant wind generators could be seen clearly from the road we were on even though they were miles away. I learned that they have impellers and not propellers since they are not propelling anything. I learn something new every day!
Climbing hills is hard enough, but with the wind blowing as it was, the normally slow pace of climbing hills nearly came to a grinding halt with the combination of them together. The day ended with two long and much steeper hills than this morning. When we got to the top of the first we could see the top of the second, so it was not so long, but it was just the fact that we would descent for 1 minute so that we could ascend for 15 more that was not a nice prospect. We finally made it to the top and pedaled down the hill since it was still into the wind into the town of Dayton, WA.
It is a nice little town with a historic train depot.
My family came back later and enjoyed looking at the depot and the caboose! One plaque next to the depot told a very amazing fact about the building itself. It was first built at another location and used there for many years. The railroad was then sold to another company and they moved this very building across the river to this location with roller logs and a winch. This feat is difficult enough with today’s technology and heavy equipment; I couldn’t imagine the amount of work and effort it took then without the aid of diesel or gasoline. The main street was made a little more elegant with this simple yet fine courthouse.
We stayed the night at Lewis & Clark State Park.
It had some beautiful roses and we enjoyed getting the only full hook up site in the entire park. Lucky us!! We arrived here at 1:00 and enjoyed a nap and some reading from books we have picked up along the way. It was so nice to be able to do this that we will do the same tomorrow. Our 70 miles jaunt will begin at 6:30 so we can, LORD willing, get to our destination early enough to beat the heat and relax for a few hours! We praise the LORD for another day of safety and glorify Him, since He alone could grant such a request!
Friday, July 13, 2007
Day 46 – We Fought the Heat and the Heat Won!
The talks of the hot weather that was supposed to hit ID caused us to find a café and what time it opened. We decided to get up at 6:30 and eat at 7:00. Morning came and I was up by 5:50 because of the time change. We hooked up the trailer, dressed and were ready for the day by 6:30 so we decided to hit the road and eat breakfast 25 miles down the road. This worked out well and although outside of the normal routine, we loved getting some miles out of the way. We enjoyed this driveway that we passed along the road.
Parking on one side of the river and riding a cable trolley across the river to your house sounds romantic but Dad and I decided it would get old after a while. It obviously was a necessity for this person.
We entered the Nez Perse Indian Reservation, where we spent most of the day, and ate in the city of Kooskia, ID.
The Rivers Café had good food and had a bulletin board with pictures showing the destruction of the local wolf packs. They killed a bull moose and elk but rather than eating all of it like most animals they just eat the head and the ham meats and leave the rest. The locals obviously want to be able to shoot the wolves to get them under control but they are on the endangered list and so this would be illegal.
We got back on the road and continued down stream to the city of Kamiah, ID where we had a huge decision to make. There were two routes to our destination city of Clarkston, WA. The one would be hotter, 20 miles longer, and a lot of traffic. It would have better roads though. The other would be 65 miles of winding roads with little to no shoulder (with friendly concrete barriers providing no way of escape if someone did try to run us over) and heavy traffic, which would include log trucks with no regard for human life let alone those on bicycles who are detaining them from their all important deadlines. Decision, decisions. We chose the road more traveled and it truly made all the difference. Robert Frost would not be very pleased with our decision.
We paused for a moment and asked the LORD to grant us safety according and jumped on highway 12 and followed the Clearwater River all the way to Clarkston, WA. It was a very busy and winding road. We tanked up with water in Orofino, ID.
People discovered gold in the hills around this city and gave the city its name. It comes from two Spanish words, “oro” meaning gold, and “fino” meaning fine! Am I right Senora Behrends?
The day was getting hotter and we needed more and more water. The sun was beating down on our backs. The water that we carry on our backs stayed relatively cool while our hoses carrying the water to our mouths stayed sterile since it didn’t take long for it to boil in the sun. This made it unpleasant to drink and required a conscious decision to drink in order to stay hydrated. It paid off and we kept our body temps down long enough to get us to Spaulding, ID. We met the girls there for lunch and while we were in the car eating, the thermometer telling the outside temp read 121°. It was probably not this hot out in actuality but it felt like it. We were going here to visit another Nez Perse National Museum.
It was neat to see the artifacts and to hear more of their background (even though I slept through some of the movie).
We dragged ourselves back to our bikes and finished the final 11 miles with a deliberately relaxed pace. No need to be in a hurry in this heat.
We passed through the city of Lewiston, ID and then crossed the Snake River into Clarkston, WA.
What unique names. Where did they come up with them? At the end of the day everyone needed something cold to drink, even the dog! Good job Annamarie!
The evening cooled to about 80° by 11:00 when I curled into my nice cool bed with air conditioning. Roughing it is so nice! Thank the LORD for the little things and the big things. We paused at the end of the day and praised the LORD for the safety that he so graciously granted us this day. I often pray for safety so I need to also and as often thank Him when He does so faithfully give me what I ask for.
The talks of the hot weather that was supposed to hit ID caused us to find a café and what time it opened. We decided to get up at 6:30 and eat at 7:00. Morning came and I was up by 5:50 because of the time change. We hooked up the trailer, dressed and were ready for the day by 6:30 so we decided to hit the road and eat breakfast 25 miles down the road. This worked out well and although outside of the normal routine, we loved getting some miles out of the way. We enjoyed this driveway that we passed along the road.
Parking on one side of the river and riding a cable trolley across the river to your house sounds romantic but Dad and I decided it would get old after a while. It obviously was a necessity for this person.
We entered the Nez Perse Indian Reservation, where we spent most of the day, and ate in the city of Kooskia, ID.
The Rivers Café had good food and had a bulletin board with pictures showing the destruction of the local wolf packs. They killed a bull moose and elk but rather than eating all of it like most animals they just eat the head and the ham meats and leave the rest. The locals obviously want to be able to shoot the wolves to get them under control but they are on the endangered list and so this would be illegal.
We got back on the road and continued down stream to the city of Kamiah, ID where we had a huge decision to make. There were two routes to our destination city of Clarkston, WA. The one would be hotter, 20 miles longer, and a lot of traffic. It would have better roads though. The other would be 65 miles of winding roads with little to no shoulder (with friendly concrete barriers providing no way of escape if someone did try to run us over) and heavy traffic, which would include log trucks with no regard for human life let alone those on bicycles who are detaining them from their all important deadlines. Decision, decisions. We chose the road more traveled and it truly made all the difference. Robert Frost would not be very pleased with our decision.
We paused for a moment and asked the LORD to grant us safety according and jumped on highway 12 and followed the Clearwater River all the way to Clarkston, WA. It was a very busy and winding road. We tanked up with water in Orofino, ID.
People discovered gold in the hills around this city and gave the city its name. It comes from two Spanish words, “oro” meaning gold, and “fino” meaning fine! Am I right Senora Behrends?
The day was getting hotter and we needed more and more water. The sun was beating down on our backs. The water that we carry on our backs stayed relatively cool while our hoses carrying the water to our mouths stayed sterile since it didn’t take long for it to boil in the sun. This made it unpleasant to drink and required a conscious decision to drink in order to stay hydrated. It paid off and we kept our body temps down long enough to get us to Spaulding, ID. We met the girls there for lunch and while we were in the car eating, the thermometer telling the outside temp read 121°. It was probably not this hot out in actuality but it felt like it. We were going here to visit another Nez Perse National Museum.
It was neat to see the artifacts and to hear more of their background (even though I slept through some of the movie).
We dragged ourselves back to our bikes and finished the final 11 miles with a deliberately relaxed pace. No need to be in a hurry in this heat.
We passed through the city of Lewiston, ID and then crossed the Snake River into Clarkston, WA.
What unique names. Where did they come up with them? At the end of the day everyone needed something cold to drink, even the dog! Good job Annamarie!
The evening cooled to about 80° by 11:00 when I curled into my nice cool bed with air conditioning. Roughing it is so nice! Thank the LORD for the little things and the big things. We paused at the end of the day and praised the LORD for the safety that he so graciously granted us this day. I often pray for safety so I need to also and as often thank Him when He does so faithfully give me what I ask for.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Day 45 – 77 miles? Really?
Despite spending the night in Missoula, we needed to get on a road in Lolo, MT so instead of riding down the same road we took Monday, the wonderful girls dropped us off there. It saved us 13 miles that by the end of the day we would be thankful we did. Remember we were combining two days into one so that we didn’t get another day behind? 55 + 58 = 113. This would be a long day so it was nice to save those few miles.
This day would consist of following two rivers. We followed the Bitterroot River on the way up the Lolo Pass and the Lochsa River on the way down. The top of Lolo Pass was about 30 miles into the. We passed through te city of Lolo Hot Springs where we had a very enjoyable dish of huckleberry ice cream. As we came into town (and I use that term loosely), this rock was sitting in the middle of the river. It appeared to be levitating.
I looked all around or Yoda but he was no where to be seen. I guessed some scientist would try to give me a load of malarkey by telling me that the rock has been slowly eroding away for almost 5 million years but I know how it really happened. I believe God wants to do three things. 1. He wants to show us that He does things that are nearly humanly impossible to explain, 2. He gives us all things to enjoy and this was another one and 3. He want to cause all men to worship the Creator and not the creation! God is good!
Off we pedaled to the top of Lolo Pass and with it came the ID border and along with it the last time change (we are now 3 hours behind MI)! The 11th state of the trip! The mandatory picture was taken and then began the descent!
This was no ordinary descent though, it was a descent that went on for 77 miles!?!
When I first passed the sign I thought it too good to be true so I didn’t take a picture (besides by that point I was going about 35 mph and couldn’t stop without squeezing the brakes so hard I become like Jack and break my crown). Later the sign said 65 miles and then 45 and so on until we got to the bottom. So this picture was at the bottom and yes when it says 77 miles it means just that. We went DOWNHILL for 77 miles!! Incredible! Believe it or not.
A few miles from the summit of Lolo Pass we came upon the girls. They had stopped for lunch because there was nothing in those aforementioned 77 miles for bikers to hardly get water let alone lunch. They stopped in a perfect place where the children and Abby were able to enjoy the enormous cedar trees, which were estimated to be about 3,000 years old at the oldest, and dip their feet in the river.
When I arrived Joshua and Annamarie were so excited to take me on the trail and show me all the wonderful things. Even Mom got her feet wet as she bravely made her way out to sit on this rock!
As we pulled away I saw this tree with a bird’s nest at the top. Now that is a house with a view. Bummer of a driveway but a nice view!
The remainder of the afternoon was filled with sounds of rippling rapids, screeching birds, and the ripple of side streams going under the road feeding the Lochsa River with water.
Speaking of water, we had covered about half of the distance down the hill when I totally ran out of water. With the temperature reaching for and grabbing triple digits, I was in big trouble. Shortly down the road the LORD sent a campground with a RV dump station. There are two hoses. One to clean out the soiled pipes that drain the black water tanks and another to add fresh water to the holding tanks in the RVs.
It was like finding gold in the river! I turned it on and used it like a shower. The water was fresh, cold and clean! It was a perfect gift from the LORD.
We traveled down the hill about 15 more miles and made our final stop. As Dad made his way to the river to take a picture, our beautiful trail angels showed up again in the Yukon. They came bearing gifts of Gatorade and ice. This made the final 10 miles so much more enjoyable.
We stayed at a beautiful campground in Lowel, ID where two rivers meet and form the Clearwater River. Tomorrow we will follow this all the way to our destination.
I know I don’t often share what we ate for supper but tonight I will. One of the Hyink favorites is spaghetti pie. It sounds interesting to those who have never tried it and children think they are eating dessert for the meal, but it is my favorite. I had 4 helpings! This will also come in handy tomorrow. The sky was clear and did not take long for the temperature to drop enough for us to open up the windows and sleep in nice cool weather!
Despite spending the night in Missoula, we needed to get on a road in Lolo, MT so instead of riding down the same road we took Monday, the wonderful girls dropped us off there. It saved us 13 miles that by the end of the day we would be thankful we did. Remember we were combining two days into one so that we didn’t get another day behind? 55 + 58 = 113. This would be a long day so it was nice to save those few miles.
This day would consist of following two rivers. We followed the Bitterroot River on the way up the Lolo Pass and the Lochsa River on the way down. The top of Lolo Pass was about 30 miles into the. We passed through te city of Lolo Hot Springs where we had a very enjoyable dish of huckleberry ice cream. As we came into town (and I use that term loosely), this rock was sitting in the middle of the river. It appeared to be levitating.
I looked all around or Yoda but he was no where to be seen. I guessed some scientist would try to give me a load of malarkey by telling me that the rock has been slowly eroding away for almost 5 million years but I know how it really happened. I believe God wants to do three things. 1. He wants to show us that He does things that are nearly humanly impossible to explain, 2. He gives us all things to enjoy and this was another one and 3. He want to cause all men to worship the Creator and not the creation! God is good!
Off we pedaled to the top of Lolo Pass and with it came the ID border and along with it the last time change (we are now 3 hours behind MI)! The 11th state of the trip! The mandatory picture was taken and then began the descent!
This was no ordinary descent though, it was a descent that went on for 77 miles!?!
When I first passed the sign I thought it too good to be true so I didn’t take a picture (besides by that point I was going about 35 mph and couldn’t stop without squeezing the brakes so hard I become like Jack and break my crown). Later the sign said 65 miles and then 45 and so on until we got to the bottom. So this picture was at the bottom and yes when it says 77 miles it means just that. We went DOWNHILL for 77 miles!! Incredible! Believe it or not.
A few miles from the summit of Lolo Pass we came upon the girls. They had stopped for lunch because there was nothing in those aforementioned 77 miles for bikers to hardly get water let alone lunch. They stopped in a perfect place where the children and Abby were able to enjoy the enormous cedar trees, which were estimated to be about 3,000 years old at the oldest, and dip their feet in the river.
When I arrived Joshua and Annamarie were so excited to take me on the trail and show me all the wonderful things. Even Mom got her feet wet as she bravely made her way out to sit on this rock!
As we pulled away I saw this tree with a bird’s nest at the top. Now that is a house with a view. Bummer of a driveway but a nice view!
The remainder of the afternoon was filled with sounds of rippling rapids, screeching birds, and the ripple of side streams going under the road feeding the Lochsa River with water.
Speaking of water, we had covered about half of the distance down the hill when I totally ran out of water. With the temperature reaching for and grabbing triple digits, I was in big trouble. Shortly down the road the LORD sent a campground with a RV dump station. There are two hoses. One to clean out the soiled pipes that drain the black water tanks and another to add fresh water to the holding tanks in the RVs.
It was like finding gold in the river! I turned it on and used it like a shower. The water was fresh, cold and clean! It was a perfect gift from the LORD.
We traveled down the hill about 15 more miles and made our final stop. As Dad made his way to the river to take a picture, our beautiful trail angels showed up again in the Yukon. They came bearing gifts of Gatorade and ice. This made the final 10 miles so much more enjoyable.
We stayed at a beautiful campground in Lowel, ID where two rivers meet and form the Clearwater River. Tomorrow we will follow this all the way to our destination.
I know I don’t often share what we ate for supper but tonight I will. One of the Hyink favorites is spaghetti pie. It sounds interesting to those who have never tried it and children think they are eating dessert for the meal, but it is my favorite. I had 4 helpings! This will also come in handy tomorrow. The sky was clear and did not take long for the temperature to drop enough for us to open up the windows and sleep in nice cool weather!
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Day 44 – Rest Day in Missoula! (The Answer to the Riddle)
There is not much to report about today except for a tune up on the bikes and the end of the day DU! Dad and Mom had gone out for groceries only to return and tell us all that we were going on a DU. Now for those of you who are unsure what a DU is, let me inform you. When the Hyink children were young, Dad and Mom would periodically tell us that we were going somewhere and they would then not tell us where. DU stands for Destination Unknown. Our parents would know but none of the children would have a clue. The best DU our family ever went on was to Toronto. Dad and Mom actually got us out of school for half a day and we drove to Flint, MI where we hopped on a train. After spending the day touring the city of Toronto, Dad and Mom told us to dress nicely because we were going to somewhere special. They took all of us to Phantom of the Opera! It was awesome and an experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
Other DUs were not as elaborate but they were no less exciting and adventuresome. So when we were told we were going on a DU we all got excited! We piled in the car and drove away. They took us to a carrousel, but it was not just any ordinary carrousel, all of the horses and gargoyles were wooden and hand carved. It was one of the first completely hand carved carrousels made since the Great Depression.
It was great and very beautiful. The detail showed that the master craftsman loved and took great pride in his work.
There was one other thing that happened earlier in the day. We were going to the bike shops to find a certain brand of tire for Dad’s bike and outside of one of the shops we found a bicycle gondola. Not one that goes in water but on land. Joshua gave me a guided tour around town! He will take a good nap this afternoon!
This was not originally a planned day off, so tomorrow we will combine two days into one and will give us 110 miles to ride. It was early to bed because it will be early to rise!
There is not much to report about today except for a tune up on the bikes and the end of the day DU! Dad and Mom had gone out for groceries only to return and tell us all that we were going on a DU. Now for those of you who are unsure what a DU is, let me inform you. When the Hyink children were young, Dad and Mom would periodically tell us that we were going somewhere and they would then not tell us where. DU stands for Destination Unknown. Our parents would know but none of the children would have a clue. The best DU our family ever went on was to Toronto. Dad and Mom actually got us out of school for half a day and we drove to Flint, MI where we hopped on a train. After spending the day touring the city of Toronto, Dad and Mom told us to dress nicely because we were going to somewhere special. They took all of us to Phantom of the Opera! It was awesome and an experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
Other DUs were not as elaborate but they were no less exciting and adventuresome. So when we were told we were going on a DU we all got excited! We piled in the car and drove away. They took us to a carrousel, but it was not just any ordinary carrousel, all of the horses and gargoyles were wooden and hand carved. It was one of the first completely hand carved carrousels made since the Great Depression.
It was great and very beautiful. The detail showed that the master craftsman loved and took great pride in his work.
There was one other thing that happened earlier in the day. We were going to the bike shops to find a certain brand of tire for Dad’s bike and outside of one of the shops we found a bicycle gondola. Not one that goes in water but on land. Joshua gave me a guided tour around town! He will take a good nap this afternoon!
This was not originally a planned day off, so tomorrow we will combine two days into one and will give us 110 miles to ride. It was early to bed because it will be early to rise!
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Day 43 – Down, Down, Down!
There once was a young man who had an equally young sister since they were actually twins. Their first names are not important but the rift between them is. You see when the two were younger he picked on her very badly. So badly that she changed her last name, but just a little since she loved her parents so. Her brother settled in Montana and gave the city his last name of Sula. His sister settled about 90 miles away and gave it her whole name, but not her first that would be too personal, only her title and her last. If you can come up with the name of this city, you will not only know where we stayed tonight but will also receive a prize! The first person to leave a comment with the name of the city will receive this prize!
We began the day and left this beautiful campground behind. It was for sale and there was a huge part of me that wishes that I had $3.5 million to buy the joint but I don’t so we biked away (if there is anyone out there with $3.5 mil to burn send it my way so I could go buy this place!).
We followed the East Fork of the Bitterroot River until it joined the Bitterroot River later on in the day.
Coming out of the mountains gave us many spectacular views and wonderful sounds. We ate up many miles in a short period of time since we were going downhill.
This beautiful mountain named Trapper Peak was the most spectacular mountain peak that we saw all day and could be seen for most of the day. We enjoyed lunch with the girls in Hamilton, MT. We continued through the towns of Stevensville, Florence, and Lolo, MT before we came to our final destination. The weather was perfect and the LORD for the 43rd day straight graciously granted us safe travel.
The end of the day was capped off very nicely with a visit to the ACA (Adventure Cycling Association). Each of those cycling across America gets their picture taken and it is put on a board. We did this and saw many of those whom we have seen along the way. It was neat.
The KOA where we stayed is more like a city than a campground. It has permanent residents surrounding the grounds with 300 RV sites, about 30 tent sites, and maybe 10 cabins. This meets everyone’s needs who may come through. A fantastic day of biking and a nice place for a rest day tomorrow!
There once was a young man who had an equally young sister since they were actually twins. Their first names are not important but the rift between them is. You see when the two were younger he picked on her very badly. So badly that she changed her last name, but just a little since she loved her parents so. Her brother settled in Montana and gave the city his last name of Sula. His sister settled about 90 miles away and gave it her whole name, but not her first that would be too personal, only her title and her last. If you can come up with the name of this city, you will not only know where we stayed tonight but will also receive a prize! The first person to leave a comment with the name of the city will receive this prize!
We began the day and left this beautiful campground behind. It was for sale and there was a huge part of me that wishes that I had $3.5 million to buy the joint but I don’t so we biked away (if there is anyone out there with $3.5 mil to burn send it my way so I could go buy this place!).
We followed the East Fork of the Bitterroot River until it joined the Bitterroot River later on in the day.
Coming out of the mountains gave us many spectacular views and wonderful sounds. We ate up many miles in a short period of time since we were going downhill.
This beautiful mountain named Trapper Peak was the most spectacular mountain peak that we saw all day and could be seen for most of the day. We enjoyed lunch with the girls in Hamilton, MT. We continued through the towns of Stevensville, Florence, and Lolo, MT before we came to our final destination. The weather was perfect and the LORD for the 43rd day straight graciously granted us safe travel.
The end of the day was capped off very nicely with a visit to the ACA (Adventure Cycling Association). Each of those cycling across America gets their picture taken and it is put on a board. We did this and saw many of those whom we have seen along the way. It was neat.
The KOA where we stayed is more like a city than a campground. It has permanent residents surrounding the grounds with 300 RV sites, about 30 tent sites, and maybe 10 cabins. This meets everyone’s needs who may come through. A fantastic day of biking and a nice place for a rest day tomorrow!
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