tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43595520631124921152024-03-14T04:09:26.944-07:00Pedal Plodders: State by StateAlison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.comBlogger109125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359552063112492115.post-11688401576029599772010-09-06T03:33:00.000-07:002010-10-13T08:32:16.562-07:00Blog BookHere are a few pages from our blog book that we have created. Enjoy!<br /><br /><div style="text-align:left; width:450px"><object id="myWidget" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.blurb.com/assets/embed.swf?book_id=1576784" width="450" height="300"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><param name="movie" value="http://www.blurb.com/assets/embed.swf?book_id=1576784"></param><a target="_new" href="http://www.blurb.com/books/preview/1576784?ce=blurb_ew&utm_source=widget"><img src="http://bookshow.blurb.com/bookshow/cache/P2209092/md/wcover_2.png"></img></a></object><div style="display:block;"><a href="http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1576784?ce=blurb_ew&utm_source=widget" target="_blank" style="margin:12px 3px;">Pedal Plodders by Kris Bearryman & Alison Dixon</a> | <a href="http://www.blurb.com/landing_pages/bookshow?ce=blurb_ew&utm_source=widget" target="_blank" style="margin:12px 3px;">Make Your Own Book</a></div></div>Alison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359552063112492115.post-75524382801803118382010-08-31T00:35:00.000-07:002010-09-06T03:28:06.101-07:00Day 102 Gravesend, UK<div>With our flight at 8.30pm we had to be at the airport at 5.30pm and so we busied ourselves packing most of the morning and having breakfast with Howard until Sarah met us at 3pm. We had arranged with Sarah to give us a hand to the airport as it was a good walk and sky train ride away. Sarah pushed my bike while Kris and I carried the bike boxes to King Edward sky train station. Sarah and I waited with the gear while Kris run back to the house to push his bike back to the station. We had loosened the pedals so they were not able to be ridden. </div><div><br />At the station we took turns to manoeuvre the bikes and huge boxes down the 2 elevators and across the station to the platform which thankfully was not too busy. When the trained arrived Sarah threw the boxes on and Kris and I wheeled the boxes on taking up three carriages. After a half an hour ride we arrived at the Vancouver International airport and in a similar fashion we launched the boxes off the train and got the bikes off just in time. </div><div><br />Another relay in the elevator we arrived in departures and said farewell to Sarah, thanks for your help, it would have been a nightmare without you! We began to disassemble the bikes and pack them in the boxes however as the boxes were so huge we only had to remove the pedals and turn the handle bars. We used all the tape we had sealing the boxes and carried them through to check in. This did not go too smoothly as the boxes were too big to go down the conveyor belt even in the oversized baggage area! We had to wait half hour for the ramp guys from British Airways to come and inspect the bikes which meant removing them from the boxes again. There was also some confusion as to whether the boxes would even fit in the containers that get put on the plane! <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TITBkJRRTyI/AAAAAAAAFRA/lzpeB7Up-OY/s1600/CIMG5730+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513744670516137762" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TITBkJRRTyI/AAAAAAAAFRA/lzpeB7Up-OY/s320/CIMG5730+(Small).JPG" /></a><br />Eventually they were cleared for take off and we watched them get dragged away. We waited an hour or so before the flight which was half hour delayed. The nine hour flight went quite quick what with Kris having a few whiskeys, watching a few movies and sleeping a few hours. On arrival at Heathrow we collected the bikes but Kris’s box looked as though it had been used as a punch bag so we removed the bikes from the boxes to assess any damage and thankfully there was none. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TITB_Q5_mDI/AAAAAAAAFRI/ymn4IPyoJz8/s1600/CIMG5725+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513745136422459442" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TITB_Q5_mDI/AAAAAAAAFRI/ymn4IPyoJz8/s320/CIMG5725+(Small).JPG" /></a><br />My mum and Aunty Jill had come to meet us with a trailer in tow to load up the bikes. We made it back home safe and sound and where mum had said she had stocked our cupboards with a few bare essentials! So that’s another trip all done and dusted and our minds are ticking over ideas for the next great adventure! Thanks to everybody that made our trip such an amazing experience<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz9asQillBHcRa6RizRNUwEPsqfnqpUCXftN1aGj0miHmgrqRmhCN1J2f4Z-7alI5m4-UmV2Px8Rrmbl4TA3Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><br /></div><p></p><div><br /><br /><br /></div><p></p>Alison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359552063112492115.post-75447023252564581562010-08-29T12:21:00.001-07:002010-08-29T12:25:49.435-07:00Day 101 Vancouver<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THqzY0PJPyI/AAAAAAAAFQE/P7zUOForb7o/s1600/CIMG5714+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510914332961619746" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THqzY0PJPyI/AAAAAAAAFQE/P7zUOForb7o/s320/CIMG5714+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><div>Saturday 28th August<br />Daily mileage 17miles Average Speed 9.25mph Ride Time 1hr50min<br />Total Mileage 3995<br /><br />Another lazy morning, doing some laundry, updating the blog and bike maintenance before we ventured out about 1pm. We went to Broadway for some window shopping and lunch then we laid in the park for a bit, cycled round the waterfront and relaxed on the chair sculptures. We met Sarah and Howard at his work at 6pm then cycled over to Sarah’s place for home made pizza. We enjoyed a few beers and good conversation before cycling home at 11pm, in the dark again. It seems so weird cycling in the dark but here there are more bikes on the road than cars and any cars seem to put bikes first so you feel really safe. <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THqzbQlTnRI/AAAAAAAAFQU/6LmEFYAmwK8/s1600/P8297066+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510914374930504978" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THqzbQlTnRI/AAAAAAAAFQU/6LmEFYAmwK8/s320/P8297066+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THqzZZU0pfI/AAAAAAAAFQM/O_VjO3ZHet0/s1600/CIMG5716+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510914342917547506" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THqzZZU0pfI/AAAAAAAAFQM/O_VjO3ZHet0/s320/CIMG5716+(Small).JPG" /></a><br />We did some calculations this morning and have realised that we have spent £2,900 each for the 3 month trip where £900 of this was on flights and insurance. So £20 a day each which we feel is really reasonable especially when some might spend the same if not more on most package trips to say Las Vegas, Ibiza or Cyprus. Cycle touring can be as cheap as you want it to be depending on the level of comfort you desire. Of course all the strangers and warm shower hosts that we have had the pleasure of meeting have helped us stay on budget and we can not thank them enough.<br /><br />We would also like to reiterate that we have been raising money for Cancer Research UK and we wish to make one last plea to anybody that has enjoyed reading our blog and following our adventure to make a donation to our chosen charity via the just giving link below, big or small would be greatly appreciated and thank you to everybody who has already donated. </div><br /><br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="always" height="230" width="150" align="middle" data="http://www.justgiving.com/widgets/jgwidget.swf" flashvars="EggId=2550106&IsMS=0"><param name="movie" value="http://www.justgiving.com/widgets/jgwidget.swf" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowNetworking" value="all" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="flashvars" value="EggId=2550106&IsMS=0" /></object>Alison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359552063112492115.post-22919855787739704972010-08-28T10:44:00.000-07:002010-08-28T12:25:50.184-07:00Day 100 Vancouver<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3vgtd2P3nOQ&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3vgtd2P3nOQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><div><div><div>Friday 27th August<br />Daily mileage 22miles Average Speed 8.01mph Ride Time 2hr48min<br />Total Mileage 3978</div><div><br />Howard had to work but we had a lazy morning then I cycled in the pouring rain to Broadway in search of bike shops and 2 bike boxes. The bike shops were not too helpful and so Howard suggested Amtrak the train company. I found the station where I got directed as an extra on a film set that was being filmed as I arrived! I eventually made my way to the information desk where Jason wanted to charge me $22 for one box. After a short chat I was promised two boxes for free!<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlML2AM4_I/AAAAAAAAFPE/FtPnejGQwRw/s1600/P8277039+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510519385423143922" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlML2AM4_I/AAAAAAAAFPE/FtPnejGQwRw/s320/P8277039+(Small).JPG" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlMMG7P4dI/AAAAAAAAFPM/AJD8GBiiowU/s1600/P8277040+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510519389965771218" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlMMG7P4dI/AAAAAAAAFPM/AJD8GBiiowU/s320/P8277040+(Small).JPG" /></a><br />I cycled via the waterfront again back to meet Kris and when I returned I was absolutely soaked. Thankfully the sun came out and we walked to the sky train station to catch a train over to Amtrak to pick up the boxes. We had to negotiate the two huge boxes back through the film set, on the sky train and walk them several blocks back to Howard’s basement. These boxes are so big we do not even have to remove the wheels to pack the bikes but this means they are not easily manoeuvrable and I struggled to carry it when it was empty. <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlg-5GeN4I/AAAAAAAAFPY/Z_-k8nMErQ0/s1600/P8287052+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510542252660635522" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlg-5GeN4I/AAAAAAAAFPY/Z_-k8nMErQ0/s320/P8287052+(Small).JPG" /></a></div><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlg_q9cZXI/AAAAAAAAFPo/-DbIAyBCWh4/s1600/P8287059+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510542266044540274" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlg_q9cZXI/AAAAAAAAFPo/-DbIAyBCWh4/s320/P8287059+(Small).JPG" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlg_a3gvaI/AAAAAAAAFPg/bncYhrHyKXI/s1600/P8287055+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510542261724691874" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlg_a3gvaI/AAAAAAAAFPg/bncYhrHyKXI/s320/P8287055+(Small).JPG" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlg_47ZdBI/AAAAAAAAFPw/9BeC8NK9rzs/s1600/P8287062+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510542269794055186" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlg_47ZdBI/AAAAAAAAFPw/9BeC8NK9rzs/s320/P8287062+(Small).JPG" /></a>We rode our bikes back to the art gallery where we were meeting Howard and his friend Sarah from the meet up group along with 500 or so other riders that were gathering for the start of the critical mass ride that runs the last Friday of every month throughout the year and apparently runs in 300 cities internationally. The atmosphere was buzzing with people riding with stereos strapped to their bikes, people dressed up and a great deal of alcohol being consumed. We followed the mass around Vancouver for 2 hours and about 15miles. </div><div><br />The idea of the critical mass is to promote cycling, get cars to turn off their engines and cycle, and for the city to build more bike lanes and basically there are no rules. Everybody just cycles anywhere, through lights etc and various people named corkers, cork the traffic by parking in the middle of junctions. As you can imagine some cars get very annoyed and the bikers just ring their bells! After the ride the 4 of us stopped in a Chinese restaurant for a delicious dinner then cycled home again in the dark.</div></div></div><br /><br /><br /><iframe height="548" src="http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/46522380" frameborder="0" width="465"></iframe>Alison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359552063112492115.post-9686347077070303812010-08-28T10:43:00.000-07:002010-08-28T12:16:37.921-07:00Day 99 Vancouver Island to Vancouver<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlLjnjaQLI/AAAAAAAAFOs/vCuNezmpZBo/s1600/CIMG5675+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510518694349521074" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlLjnjaQLI/AAAAAAAAFOs/vCuNezmpZBo/s320/CIMG5675+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><div>Thursday 26th August<br />Daily mileage 35miles Average Speed 10.13mph Ride Time 3hr27min<br />Total Mileage 3956 <div><div><div><div><div><div><br />We packed up the tent for the last time and cycled a few miles to the ferry terminal where we arrived 10mins before the 10am ferry and luckily managed to go straight on. We had a coffee and enjoyed the ride for an hour and a half crossing. On arrival of the mainland we followed our host Howard’s detailed instructions to his work. We had to ride the hard shoulder of the busy 17 highway then stop at a shell station to take a free bike shuttle service through a tunnel. We did well to find this as there were no obvious signs and it had many a cyclist confused at the entrance to the tunnel where no bikes are allowed.<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlMCqUPBaI/AAAAAAAAFO8/pM2gY6Ff5wE/s1600/CIMG5664+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510519227667121570" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlMCqUPBaI/AAAAAAAAFO8/pM2gY6Ff5wE/s320/CIMG5664+(Small).JPG" /></a></div><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlLjQYxXzI/AAAAAAAAFOk/QoRP6oCyzAA/s1600/CIMG5676+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510518688130883378" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlLjQYxXzI/AAAAAAAAFOk/QoRP6oCyzAA/s320/CIMG5676+(Small).JPG" /></a>The other side we took a side road number 5 through the heart of Richmond then found a bike path over a bridge into Vancouver where we stopped for a rest and brunch at a supermarket. We gave Howard a quick call and arranged to meet him at work so we found another bike path over another bridge into Downtown Vancouver where we met Howard a warm shower host at his music repair shop. He took a break and we went to Starbucks for a coffee.<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlLjJRwguI/AAAAAAAAFOc/7dWLFiQYGWM/s1600/CIMG5688+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510518686222418658" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlLjJRwguI/AAAAAAAAFOc/7dWLFiQYGWM/s320/CIMG5688+(Small).JPG" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlMCQdK7zI/AAAAAAAAFO0/HAa3EOxrc4k/s1600/CIMG5690+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510519220725280562" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlMCQdK7zI/AAAAAAAAFO0/HAa3EOxrc4k/s320/CIMG5690+(Small).JPG" /></a></div><div><br />Howard knocked off work at 6pm so we had a wander round town for a bit then we all cycled to the Vancouver Art Gallery where we met 10 other cyclists in a meet up group that Howard organises. We did a 5 mile ride around the waterfront then stopped at a park for a BBQ and watch the sunset over the ocean. We cycled back to Howard’s in the dark but there were so many cyclists about even at that time it is just the thing to do in this city which is great.<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlLiWCJTZI/AAAAAAAAFOM/jLobggrNAuI/s1600/P8277038+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510518672466726290" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlLiWCJTZI/AAAAAAAAFOM/jLobggrNAuI/s320/P8277038+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlLiqvRItI/AAAAAAAAFOU/6uKjCYLwZdw/s1600/P8277036+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510518678024692434" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THlLiqvRItI/AAAAAAAAFOU/6uKjCYLwZdw/s320/P8277036+(Small).JPG" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Alison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359552063112492115.post-90503183893743942772010-08-26T21:53:00.000-07:002010-08-28T11:20:51.432-07:00Day 98 San Yuan Island to Vancouver IslandWednesday 25th August<br />Daily mileage 15miles Average Speed 9.9mph Ride Time 1hr31min<br />Total Mileage 3921<br /><br /><div><div><div>I was up at 8am and crawled out the tent with out waking Kris who enjoyed a nice long lay in. I sat at the waters edge watching two seals playing in the water. As the sun rose above the hill the heat was on the tent and so Kris appeared. We had breakfast at a picnic table looking out over the ocean and decided that as checkout was not until noon we would not be moving until noon! We saw a deer that was very friendly and allowed Kris to get within a few meters to snap away.<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdFhf1F-YI/AAAAAAAAFN4/2bwKed0F7sA/s1600/P8256981+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509949110893279618" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdFhf1F-YI/AAAAAAAAFN4/2bwKed0F7sA/s320/P8256981+(Small).JPG" /></a></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdFh_DGhaI/AAAAAAAAFOA/V7F660f7YT0/s1600/P8256992+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509949119273534882" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdFh_DGhaI/AAAAAAAAFOA/V7F660f7YT0/s320/P8256992+(Small).JPG" /></a><br />Kris cut his hair and so needed to jump in the sea to wash the bits of hair off but it was freezing so it was very quick and not very successful. This is our 3rd day cycling and camping with no shower. We laid sunbathing for a few hours then could not put it off any longer as out ferry was leaving at 3.40pm. We left the campsite at 1.30pm and cycled up and down lots of hills some that followed the coastline which was beautiful. </div><div><br />Arriving in Friday Harbour we had half hour to spare so we spent our final $10 as once we got on the ferry to Vancouver Island we were leaving USA and arriving in Canada! We had prepared ourselves to go through customs however much to our amazement a bloke barely even looked at our passports and we were away. On the ferry we charged batteries for the 40min crossing and arrived in Sidney Harbour where we asked about cheap motels but the cheapest was $100 needless to say we got directions to the nearest campsite! <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdFgo0t4xI/AAAAAAAAFNo/cSC3KdZ_5aM/s1600/P8236765+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509949096127750930" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdFgo0t4xI/AAAAAAAAFNo/cSC3KdZ_5aM/s320/P8236765+(Small).JPG" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdFhASBs3I/AAAAAAAAFNw/UZ-Rv5ABl2Q/s1600/P8236767+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509949102424699762" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdFhASBs3I/AAAAAAAAFNw/UZ-Rv5ABl2Q/s320/P8236767+(Small).JPG" /></a><br />Luckily it was only a few miles up the road on a bike path and in the direction of harbour where we depart for the mainland tomorrow so it was not so bad and at $13.70 we could not complain. We found our spot and watched a movie in the tent still with no showers. The campsite was deep in a forest area and the mosquitoes were out!<br /> </div></div></div>Alison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359552063112492115.post-15209564876794790372010-08-26T21:41:00.000-07:002010-08-28T11:23:15.821-07:00Day 97 Orcas Island to San Yuan Island<img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509945802644066818" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdCg7pBEgI/AAAAAAAAFMQ/QaJYVfoEiww/s320/P8246823+(Small).JPG" />Tuesday 24th August<br />Daily mileage 26miles Average Speed 12.2mph Ride Time 2hr08min<br />Total Mileage 3906<br /><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>Last night we could hear the patter of tiny footsteps in our food bag and had to rescue our bread from the mice who was enjoying munching on it. Amazingly we enjoyed 12 hours of sleep as we woke at 10.30am mostly due to the thick tree cover it still felt cool in the tent. For our shower we took a morning swim in the lake which was crystal clear and clean. Neither of us being strong swimmers we challenged ourselves to swim across the lake to the deck which we succeeded at, just. </div><div><br />We packed up the tent and we had decided that I would be missing out if I did not see the view from the summit so we locked up the bikes and I stood at the roadside with my thumb out. Believe it or not the first car that came up the hill pulled over and two lovely ladies stopped to give us a ride. I am so glad that we did as the view was great from the top. Many more photos later we got a lift back down to our bikes and were extremely thankful for the ride. <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdChcSXFFI/AAAAAAAAFMY/dkcpE1HTSAA/s1600/P8246828+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509945811407410258" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdChcSXFFI/AAAAAAAAFMY/dkcpE1HTSAA/s320/P8246828+(Small).JPG" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdCh1-pz_I/AAAAAAAAFMg/fZ7ep3Tj-i4/s1600/P8246836+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509945818304073714" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdCh1-pz_I/AAAAAAAAFMg/fZ7ep3Tj-i4/s320/P8246836+(Small).JPG" /></a><br />We rode back into town and found a café for a coffee and recharge of batteries. We had to cycle hard to make it to the ferry terminal by 4pm and the hills made this hard work. We made it just in time and boarded the ferry to Friday Harbour on San Yuan Island. 40mins later we arrived and after a short stop at the visitor information centre, market and liquor store we started pedalling across the island to a campsite on the west coast.<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdCsyHCEAI/AAAAAAAAFNI/c9C7fmsbkRo/s1600/P8256842+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509946006244036610" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdCsyHCEAI/AAAAAAAAFNI/c9C7fmsbkRo/s320/P8256842+(Small).JPG" /></a> </div><br /><div><br />Despite the ride only being 10 miles and very beautiful it was challenging due to the steep hills and time frame to ensure firstly the campsite was not full and secondly we made it before sunset. We were pleased to find out that they reserve hiker/biker sites and our spot could not be more perfect. The tent was up in record time and we sat looking out across the ocean where the sun would go down with Vancouver island in the foreground. <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdCrU7F06I/AAAAAAAAFMo/Gw6EzWnwY80/s1600/P8256919+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509945981229454242" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdCrU7F06I/AAAAAAAAFMo/Gw6EzWnwY80/s320/P8256919+(Small).JPG" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdCrzdnBHI/AAAAAAAAFMw/e0cvviZDRj0/s1600/P8256880+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509945989427299442" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdCrzdnBHI/AAAAAAAAFMw/e0cvviZDRj0/s320/P8256880+(Small).JPG" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdCsI9vMjI/AAAAAAAAFM4/IMybB6KxTec/s1600/P8256868+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509945995199197746" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdCsI9vMjI/AAAAAAAAFM4/IMybB6KxTec/s320/P8256868+(Small).JPG" /></a><br />As we sat soaking up the amazing colours we could see seals splashing about and before long we saw a pod of killer whales travel right across the horizon. We could even hear the water being forced up through their blow holes, it was breathtaking. We sat until dark taking thousands of photos and enjoying the peaceful surroundings. A very unusual black fox with a white tipped tail was lurking about us looking for scraps of our tasty chicken dinner. <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdCgHy2MiI/AAAAAAAAFMA/--_3uQJTMPw/s1600/CIMG5635+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509945788726653474" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdCgHy2MiI/AAAAAAAAFMA/--_3uQJTMPw/s320/CIMG5635+(Small).JPG" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdCgt_S9kI/AAAAAAAAFMI/A56AS6PLkFY/s1600/CIMG5646+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509945798979417666" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdCgt_S9kI/AAAAAAAAFMI/A56AS6PLkFY/s320/CIMG5646+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdEYD9KQqI/AAAAAAAAFNc/gLN1iVJeUJ8/s1600/P8256844+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509947849280471714" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THdEYD9KQqI/AAAAAAAAFNc/gLN1iVJeUJ8/s320/P8256844+(Small).JPG" /></a> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Alison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359552063112492115.post-89989243873928079142010-08-26T11:12:00.000-07:002010-08-26T21:40:59.474-07:00Day 96 Seattle to Orcas Island<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THawExxaXbI/AAAAAAAAFL0/qqJGjI4T-FQ/s1600/CIMG5621+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509784790260932018" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THawExxaXbI/AAAAAAAAFL0/qqJGjI4T-FQ/s320/CIMG5621+(Small).JPG" /></a>Monday 23rd August<br />Daily mileage 24miles Average Speed 9.6mph Ride Time 2hr35min<br />Total Mileage 3880<br /><br />We loaded John’s car up with the bikes and left Emerald City at 8.30am on our way to Anacortes ferry terminal with a quick stop at Starbucks for coffee to go and a sausage and egg muffin. Unfortunately we just missed the 10.15am ferry and so had to kill a few hours until we hopped on the 12.30pm ferry to Orcas Island. We were joined by a group of 22 cyclists on an organised tour of the islands which appears to be very popular.<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THawEXY4XaI/AAAAAAAAFLk/-q6rSfUwVSs/s1600/P8236759+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509784783178718626" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THawEXY4XaI/AAAAAAAAFLk/-q6rSfUwVSs/s320/P8236759+(Small).JPG" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THawEmHaSMI/AAAAAAAAFLs/uGeu7nqS-yM/s1600/P8236751+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509784787131975874" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THawEmHaSMI/AAAAAAAAFLs/uGeu7nqS-yM/s320/P8236751+(Small).JPG" /></a><br />We pretty much slept the entire journey and luckily just about woke up as we arrived in the harbour. The sun was shining and we soon realised that the island is extremely hilly. We headed for Eastsound market and grabbed some lunch which we took to the beach to eat and have a skimming competition. A quick wander around the gift shops and we kept cycling toward Moran State Park via Cascade lake. We climbed up mountain road and arrived at Mountain lake where we were camping. <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THawD08-kTI/AAAAAAAAFLc/AO3RW9Ss7hM/s1600/P8246788+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509784773934879026" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THawD08-kTI/AAAAAAAAFLc/AO3RW9Ss7hM/s320/P8246788+(Small).JPG" /></a><br />The lakes were gorgeous and extremely picturesque set in amongst a lush green forest backdrop. I set up camp while Kris continued to ride up the mountain to the summit to photograph the sunset. He was set a challenge to ride the distance in as many minutes as his age. He managed 30mins and 26 sec which is amazing considering the steepness of the road. Unfortunately the trees were too high and blocked the perfect sunset photo but the view of Mt Baker and Mt Rainier were perfectly clear and impressive. Despite not being able to see the sunset, watching the full moon and the colours change on the snow capped mountains was well worth the climb.<br /><br />On the way down it was quite dark and the deer were out and not scared of humans. They were in the middle of the road and stood still as he approached as they cannot hear the bike coming. Kris arrived back at the tent at 9pm just in time to watch a movie before sleep.<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THavlejwlJI/AAAAAAAAFLU/8ym8r65mYts/s1600/P8246801+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509784252527449234" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THavlejwlJI/AAAAAAAAFLU/8ym8r65mYts/s320/P8246801+(Small).JPG" /></a>Alison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359552063112492115.post-88304260807734892672010-08-22T22:59:00.000-07:002010-08-23T07:20:42.046-07:00Day 95 Seattle<div><div><div>Sunday 22nd August<br /></div><div> </div><div>Another enjoyable lazy morning where Kris was pleased to be able to watch a Man United match v Fulham. It was raining outside and with all the windows here it was quite cosy to sip on a star bucks coffee and look out over the lake. After lunch John dropped us off in town to watch ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ at the cinema while he went to the sculpture gardens with Sally then when he met us after our film finished he decided to join us to watch ‘Expendables’ so we were on for a back to back movie session. I know I’m biased but I’m sure the first film was far better than the second! </div><div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THKDlFJYlJI/AAAAAAAAFLI/avF-GUUUWYw/s1600/IMG_0269+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508609967287473298" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THKDlFJYlJI/AAAAAAAAFLI/avF-GUUUWYw/s320/IMG_0269+(Small).JPG" /></a></div><div>We returned to the house briefly before heading to a local Japanese restaurant where we were joined by Allison and her boyfriend Brian and other daughter Lesley. We had a quick lesson in the etiquette of eating sushi and tucked in to our raw fish and rice. It was tasty but personally I think we need more practice with the chopsticks. Back at the house we finished off the apple pie and ice cream before bed for an early start hitting the road in the morning. We are going to miss this place terribly and can not thank John enough for his overwhelming kindness and hospitality for not only putting us up but for making our stay in Seattle so interesting and comfortable, we have really enjoyed your company, thanks John.</div></div></div>Alison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359552063112492115.post-32057755359042015142010-08-22T22:55:00.000-07:002010-08-22T22:59:11.859-07:00Day 94 Seattle<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THINryufMEI/AAAAAAAAFKc/YxGmMIE3aaI/s1600/CIMG5615+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508480340229828674" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THINryufMEI/AAAAAAAAFKc/YxGmMIE3aaI/s320/CIMG5615+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><div>Saturday 21st August<br /><div> </div><div>We had a nice lazy morning and while John was out running some errands Kris took the single kayak out for a 3 mile long paddle around lake Washington and I drew up some statistics. Kris was lucky enough to see a small turtle and a blue heron but unfortunately the turtle was camera shy. I calculated that in the 94 days so far we have had 21 days off, and have stayed in 13 motels, stayed with 14 warm shower hosts, 29 random strangers and have camped 38 nights! </div><div> </div><div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THINs0F3ryI/AAAAAAAAFKs/T9fctP_3WLg/s1600/P8216732+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508480357776207650" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THINs0F3ryI/AAAAAAAAFKs/T9fctP_3WLg/s320/P8216732+(Small).JPG" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THINsV-jKrI/AAAAAAAAFKk/Yxp0r2yxTHg/s1600/CIMG5617+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508480349692439218" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THINsV-jKrI/AAAAAAAAFKk/Yxp0r2yxTHg/s320/CIMG5617+(Small).JPG" /></a>When John returned we drove into town to pick up my rear wheel from the bike shop where the very kind manager at Performance Bicycle gave us the repaired spoke for free, thank you! One look at the rim we could see that there are so many splits in it, I hope it holds until the end. From here we went to the REI shop which is a massive place selling all kinds of outdoor equipment. John purchased some new bits for his forthcoming hike into the Cascade mountains and we window shopped but could have spent hundreds as there was some really nice gear.<br /></div><div>Back at the house boat we were joined by Johns wife Sally and their daughter Allison and other daughter Jean and boyfriend Ryan. We had cheese and biscuits on the deck while the steaks were sizzling on the BBQ. We enjoyed a delicious dinner with true American style apple pie and ice cream for dessert. We truly enjoyed a great evening. </div></div>Alison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359552063112492115.post-66575254759458198192010-08-21T09:46:00.000-07:002010-08-21T10:01:40.250-07:00Day 93 Seattle sightseeing<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADoLDIP8I/AAAAAAAAFKI/Q-W2NjrnrCg/s1600/P8206583+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507906332969680834" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADoLDIP8I/AAAAAAAAFKI/Q-W2NjrnrCg/s320/P8206583+(Small).JPG" /></a>Friday 20th August<br /><br />We had a lovely cooked breakfast then jumped in the car to the bike shop to drop off my rear wheel to be fixed. On closer inspection the actual rim is split in several places so on return to the UK Betty will need some major attention and its amazing she has held up this far. We went up very steep hills to the Lake View Cemetery where we located Bruce Lee and his son Brandon Lee’s grave stones. We paid our respects and fulfilled one of the two things Kris has always wanted to do in USA along with running up the Philadelphia steps from Rocky! <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADnhZRLgI/AAAAAAAAFKA/cTN64TdQzPU/s1600/P8206585+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507906321788251650" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADnhZRLgI/AAAAAAAAFKA/cTN64TdQzPU/s320/P8206585+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><br />We got dropped off at Pike Street Market which was buzzing with street entertainers and busy stalls with Salmon being tossed high in the air. We searched high and low for the bubble gum wall which we had seen in a movie earlier in the trip and we eventually found it down a dark alley. <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADmsHQhdI/AAAAAAAAFJw/JU3Wi1AzQmo/s1600/P8206597+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507906307485631954" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADmsHQhdI/AAAAAAAAFJw/JU3Wi1AzQmo/s320/P8206597+(Small).JPG" /></a>It <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADnI_YVsI/AAAAAAAAFJ4/wII493rqGoA/s1600/P8206596+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507906315237217986" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADnI_YVsI/AAAAAAAAFJ4/wII493rqGoA/s320/P8206596+(Small).JPG" /></a>was grossly funky with passers by stringing their gum and sticking it amongst others on the wall. We met up with John again at 2pm and headed up another steep hill to a small park that gave a great view of the city skyline with space needle towering above. You could also see Mt Rainier in the background that stands at 14,411ft and does not look real as it is sitting in amongst the clouds. <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADVjxw6MI/AAAAAAAAFJo/z5NcHan3A1s/s1600/P8206607+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507906013190219970" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADVjxw6MI/AAAAAAAAFJo/z5NcHan3A1s/s320/P8206607+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADVJKpw_I/AAAAAAAAFJg/H8Cl6zxvWCs/s1600/P8206631+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507906006046852082" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADVJKpw_I/AAAAAAAAFJg/H8Cl6zxvWCs/s320/P8206631+(Small).JPG" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADUiOja6I/AAAAAAAAFJY/WLOGqv9J_MQ/s1600/P8206643+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507905995594230690" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADUiOja6I/AAAAAAAAFJY/WLOGqv9J_MQ/s320/P8206643+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We went over to the beach where we skimmed the stone into the water that we had carried all the way from Sandy Hook in New Jersey on the Atlantic coast 4000 miles to the Pacific ocean. It was very sentimental and Kris celebrated with another handstand. On the way back to the house boat we stopped at the Ballard Salmon Ladder where you could go underground to see the Salmon that had managed to avoid the massive sea lion at the entrance to the tunnel and were struggling to swim upstream from salt water to fresh water. We also visited Troll St where there was a huge troll eating a VW campervan hiding under the bridge. </div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADUem3OjI/AAAAAAAAFJQ/T6PdAIMRUM8/s1600/P8206654+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507905994622450226" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADUem3OjI/AAAAAAAAFJQ/T6PdAIMRUM8/s320/P8206654+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADT6yTiDI/AAAAAAAAFJI/6fxG26RE7oY/s1600/P8206655+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507905985006766130" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADT6yTiDI/AAAAAAAAFJI/6fxG26RE7oY/s320/P8206655+(Small).JPG" /></a></div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADJfJBW3I/AAAAAAAAFI4/-fouGmMrFaU/s1600/P8206677+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507905805787159410" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADJfJBW3I/AAAAAAAAFI4/-fouGmMrFaU/s320/P8206677+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADJ50qEtI/AAAAAAAAFJA/J9ypulh3Xj0/s1600/P8206671+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507905812949504722" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADJ50qEtI/AAAAAAAAFJA/J9ypulh3Xj0/s320/P8206671+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADI3oyg4I/AAAAAAAAFIw/r3ye7L0wTwE/s1600/P8206684+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507905795182986114" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADI3oyg4I/AAAAAAAAFIw/r3ye7L0wTwE/s320/P8206684+(Small).JPG" /></a><br />Back at the house we jumped in the large boat and went out on Lake Washington armed with a book of all the magnificent houses on the water edge and who they belong to and how much they cost. We found Bill Gates’ house that was the most magnificent and it took $100m to build. Most of the houses that were in the book all belonged to people that invented various computer software such as Microsoft, Word etc. We stopped in the middle of the lake for cheese and biscuits washed down with a few beers then with a top speed of 60mph we viewed the sun starting to set as we made our way back. We walked up the street to dinner in a pizza restaurant then back to sleep after an exhausting action packed day of sightseeing. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADINEwVhI/AAAAAAAAFIo/MVH3ZsLhbG4/s1600/P8216693+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507905783757559314" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADINEwVhI/AAAAAAAAFIo/MVH3ZsLhbG4/s320/P8216693+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADH0OW3FI/AAAAAAAAFIg/lGmGafMK0zo/s1600/P8216724+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507905777086946386" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADH0OW3FI/AAAAAAAAFIg/lGmGafMK0zo/s320/P8216724+(Small).JPG" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADoiYUEBI/AAAAAAAAFKQ/918yvlyhKG4/s1600/CIMG5611+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507906339232550930" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/THADoiYUEBI/AAAAAAAAFKQ/918yvlyhKG4/s320/CIMG5611+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Alison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359552063112492115.post-38843064340395364002010-08-20T09:29:00.000-07:002010-08-20T09:37:13.337-07:00Day 92 Gold Bar to Seattle<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TG6t8JWBnqI/AAAAAAAAFIU/i3bz4UrO8KA/s1600/CIMG5602+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507530643132751522" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TG6t8JWBnqI/AAAAAAAAFIU/i3bz4UrO8KA/s320/CIMG5602+(Small).JPG" /></a>Thursday 19th August<br />Daily mileage 45miles Average Speed 12.1mph Ride Time 3hr45min<br />Total Mileage 3856<br /><br />After a great night sleep we packed up and hit the road by 8am and as we opened the motel room door we were greeted by a miserable grey day with drizzle which we can not remember seeing since we were in Canada a few months ago. At least the wind was not noticeably strong. We got 5 miles up the road and stopped in Sultan for breakfast with the intention of not stopping again until we reached the finishing line. <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TG6t7n3v5tI/AAAAAAAAFIM/V4pCKsWeSVQ/s1600/CIMG5603+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507530634147391186" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TG6t7n3v5tI/AAAAAAAAFIM/V4pCKsWeSVQ/s320/CIMG5603+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><br />We had researched a great bike path that runs right into the heart of downtown Seattle but unfortunately we had to ride on a few rather busy highways before reaching the start of the trail. Heads down, music on and great motivation to reach our goal we pedalled as fast as possible until we arrived in Woodinville where we had arranged to text John our host for our stay in Seattle. We met John in Yellowstone weeks ago and we have remained in contact and we are staying with him in his floating house for the next few days.<br /><br />We found the start of the trail with Kris’s great intuition. The trail was smooth concrete but with many tree roots protruding making the ride slightly uncomfortable. After 35 miles we bumped into John who had ridden out of the city to find us. We followed him the final 10 miles to his lovely 3 storey home floating on concrete! On the way Betty (my bike) suffered a broken spoke in the rear wheel with 2 miles to go thanks to a nasty tree root. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TG6t7aj1IQI/AAAAAAAAFIE/oeZr4-57tZc/s1600/DSC_2277+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507530630574186754" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TG6t7aj1IQI/AAAAAAAAFIE/oeZr4-57tZc/s320/DSC_2277+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TG6t7K_NFBI/AAAAAAAAFH8/6adEvhxeZb0/s1600/P8196563+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507530626394035218" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TG6t7K_NFBI/AAAAAAAAFH8/6adEvhxeZb0/s320/P8196563+(Small).JPG" /></a><br />It feels very different to arriving in Istanbul as we have yet to find our way north to Vancouver where we fly home from in two weeks time. So until the bikes are boxed it does not quite feel like we have finished for real but we still experienced great elation on finishing coast to coast, salt water to salt water with nearly 4000miles of fresh water in between! We ate lunch then chilled indoors for the rest of the afternoon while John had to run some errands. When he returned at 8pm we hopped in his smaller boat and crossed the water for dinner at a delicious Salmon restaurant.<br /><br />I never knew that I would be able to do it but I always felt as though I could do it and now… I have done it! Thanks to Kris for helping this trip be such a success , I love you, and thanks again to all the kind people that have helped us on our journey, you have all made this trip so memorable for us.<br /> Alison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359552063112492115.post-38694211985752204832010-08-18T21:13:00.000-07:002010-08-18T21:24:35.323-07:00Day 91 Tumwater campground to Gold Bar<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGyv-oOwrSI/AAAAAAAAFHY/DjjCPo2Sp7g/s1600/P8186555+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506969934853352738" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGyv-oOwrSI/AAAAAAAAFHY/DjjCPo2Sp7g/s320/P8186555+(Small).JPG" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGyv-Whi05I/AAAAAAAAFHQ/iDEPt3pjhqg/s1600/P8186559+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506969930100298642" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGyv-Whi05I/AAAAAAAAFHQ/iDEPt3pjhqg/s320/P8186559+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><div><div><div>Wednesday 18th August<br />Daily mileage 63miles Average Speed 11mph Ride Time 5hr42min<br />Total Mileage 3811 </div><div><br />Alarm set for 6am we got up at 7am. It was cooler today and we had a head wind. We packed up having survived the night with only a few unknown paw prints, any ideas who they belong too? We crossed the bridge back to the campground to use their facilities before setting off up the road. Now that we have lost the river the road got a bit steeper but we kept dropping after we had climbed so we had travelled 6 miles to Coles Corner for a coffee stop but had not really gained any elevation overall. Just as we left Kris suffered a proper nasty puncture where some staples had lodged themselves in his rear tyre. Thankfully he was on the flat when it happened so a quick change of the inner tube and we continued on the rolling road for another 14 miles. <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGyvxFbuj4I/AAAAAAAAFHA/InfaoJbaFXY/s1600/CIMG5577+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506969702174199682" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGyvxFbuj4I/AAAAAAAAFHA/InfaoJbaFXY/s320/CIMG5577+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGyvxaA-meI/AAAAAAAAFHI/F3u8JhSrS5g/s1600/CIMG5579+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506969707699149282" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGyvxaA-meI/AAAAAAAAFHI/F3u8JhSrS5g/s320/CIMG5579+(Small).JPG" /></a></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGyv_lrBWLI/AAAAAAAAFHw/MpHUCuv6NhA/s1600/CIMG5581+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506969951346448562" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGyv_lrBWLI/AAAAAAAAFHw/MpHUCuv6NhA/s320/CIMG5581+(Small).JPG" /></a>With 1500ft still to climb in 6 miles we stopped for a refuel on the road side. Battling into a strong headwind we started the steeper climb with the thought stuck in our minds that Seattle was on the other side of the hill! The summit of Stevens Pass was only 4,061ft but we had started at 1,200ft in Leavenworth. At the top we jumped for joy and robed up to prepare ourselves for the descent. We rolled for almost the full 17 miles into Skykomish but the road was narrow with next to no hard shoulder in some sections and doubled up with the strong headwind it spoilt it a little.<br /></div><div>We stopped for a break then set off on the final 20 miles of the day to Gold Bar. We past through a few tiny towns but were determined on our destination for the night in order to leave 45 miles in the morning into Seattle where we have to be by 1pm. It was a hard ride to finish the day and we decided to treat ourselves to a motel room as we felt pretty gross. We enjoyed the room and had a chance to catch up with ourselves before arriving in Seattle! w exciting but sad too. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGyv-7iJ0zI/AAAAAAAAFHg/iOfRsm_5jz4/s1600/CIMG5591+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506969940034966322" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGyv-7iJ0zI/AAAAAAAAFHg/iOfRsm_5jz4/s320/CIMG5591+(Small).JPG" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGyv_YMjA_I/AAAAAAAAFHo/pJi57ic1gok/s1600/CIMG5589+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506969947728970738" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGyv_YMjA_I/AAAAAAAAFHo/pJi57ic1gok/s320/CIMG5589+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /> <br /> </div></div></div></div></div></div>Alison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359552063112492115.post-28111270669312735492010-08-18T21:04:00.000-07:002010-08-18T21:12:57.009-07:00Day 90 Wenatchee to Tumwater campground<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGytuFvzWSI/AAAAAAAAFGU/wzJtACrVzII/s1600/CIMG5574+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506967451695536418" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGytuFvzWSI/AAAAAAAAFGU/wzJtACrVzII/s320/CIMG5574+(Small).JPG" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGyttRxi0dI/AAAAAAAAFGE/2XCnQkgSeuI/s1600/CIMG5568+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506967437744198098" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGyttRxi0dI/AAAAAAAAFGE/2XCnQkgSeuI/s320/CIMG5568+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><div><div><div>Tuesday 17th August<br />Daily mileage 37miles Average Speed 11mph Ride Time 3hr22min<br />Total Mileage 3748 </div><div><br />We enjoyed a lovely breakfast topped off with scrambled eggs made by Aubryn to her own special recipe and they were delicious! We left by about 10am just before Andrea’s friends were arriving for her 13th birthday party. Happy belated birthday Andrea! We found the bike path again which ran for 8 miles through to the end of town safely. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGyttgPC51I/AAAAAAAAFGM/VSZWzFnXVgQ/s1600/CIMG5571+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506967441626031954" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGyttgPC51I/AAAAAAAAFGM/VSZWzFnXVgQ/s320/CIMG5571+(Small).JPG" /></a></div><div><br />We found Highway 2 and headed west toward Stevens Pass through the Cascade mountains to the coast. We went straight through Cashmere and arrived in Leavenworth after 26 miles which is a Bavarian village that had a lot of character. The road was quite rolling and went from baron to lush green forestry. It was boiling hot and we had the slight wind behind us. We stopped at a supermarket for refreshments then began climbing gradually through the valley following the Wenatchee River after a short stop at the Ranger Station. Before long we came across the Alp<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGytuVbpgrI/AAAAAAAAFGc/VHqk2iZvZoc/s1600/P8176531+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506967455905972914" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGytuVbpgrI/AAAAAAAAFGc/VHqk2iZvZoc/s320/P8176531+(Small).JPG" /></a>s fudge shop and for a second we though we had taken a wrong turn! The fudge was delicious!<br />Shortly after leaving the town we spotted a perfect swimming area in the river and could not resist a dip. The water was freezing but we jumped straight in to cool off and felt our core temperature plummet. We continued cycling with wet clothes which helped to keep us cool for a bit longer. There are a shortage of campgrounds on the pass and we desperately wanted to camp next to the river that disappeared from the road after 10miles from the town. At the split there was a campground but after chatting to the camp hosts we were advised not to pay the $17 but to cross the bridge over the river and wild camp for free. </div><div><br />So off we went and fought our way through the bush to a lovely sand bar. Stomping our feet on the way through to chase off any rattlesnakes we carried the bikes over a fallen tree to the sand and were straight in the water again. We had a picnic on our secluded beach with the be<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGyturWkZLI/AAAAAAAAFGk/mXXid5h7A6k/s1600/P8186549+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506967461790246066" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGyturWkZLI/AAAAAAAAFGk/mXXid5h7A6k/s320/P8186549+(Small).JPG" /></a>ar spray in one hand as I felt particularly uneasy which is crazy as I am sure I would have felt fine sitting on the same river edge but on the campground side. It is quite irrational but I cant help but feel fear anyway which Kris finds tough to get his head around. We set up tent in a sheltered area hidden from the main road and watched a couple of movies until Kris was snoring and I lay awake for which felt like the majority of the night feeling annoyed that I couldn’t sleep! <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGyt1FkrfCI/AAAAAAAAFG0/BzCGtULoZq4/s1600/P8176547+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506967571907968034" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGyt1FkrfCI/AAAAAAAAFG0/BzCGtULoZq4/s200/P8176547+(Small).JPG" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGyt02IdbxI/AAAAAAAAFGs/hEPpdm6pKwU/s1600/P8176546+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506967567763074834" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGyt02IdbxI/AAAAAAAAFGs/hEPpdm6pKwU/s200/P8176546+(Small).JPG" /></a>Alison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359552063112492115.post-62302640704189493682010-08-16T21:20:00.000-07:002010-08-16T21:27:00.747-07:00Day 89 Potholes State Park to Wenatchee<div><div><div><div><div><div>Monday 16th August<br />Daily mileage 80miles Average Speed 12.8mph Ride Time 6hr14min<br />Total Mileage 3711<br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoO60teTOI/AAAAAAAAFFY/Wi0kZFKIzsU/s1600/CIMG5545+(Small).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506229898158427362" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoO60teTOI/AAAAAAAAFFY/Wi0kZFKIzsU/s320/CIMG5545+(Small).JPG" border="0" /></a>We packed up swiftly this morning partly due to mosquito’s and partly due to the incentive of hot coffee in the gas station so we managed to make it there for 6.30am and on the road by 7am. We headed toward Quincy via the back roads which was 45 miles away. We had no real idea of where we were going but we just kept heading North then West the North then West until we came across the town. The wind was not too strong and the roads were not too hilly so by the time we made it into town we could not feel our bums as we had hardly got off the saddle. <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoO7gD5gdI/AAAAAAAAFFo/dso-XFqx_oA/s1600/CIMG5564+(Small).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506229909795209682" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoO7gD5gdI/AAAAAAAAFFo/dso-XFqx_oA/s320/CIMG5564+(Small).JPG" border="0" /></a><br />In Quincy we stopped at a supermarket for air con and a rest when we saw a sign for 91 degrees Fahrenheit at noon so it was only going to get hotter. Therefore, reluctantly we got on the saddle to attempt to get the remaining miles done before the hottest part of the day. We were greeted by an amazingly scenic route where the road dropped in elevation through a massive canyon and as we dropped the temperature rose. The road was lined with fields of mint, onions, apple trees and pear trees. We passed through Trinidad and had a brief stop in Rock Island for an ice cream before we completed the second section of the day where our ride took us another 35miles into Wenatchee. <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoO7HvAgMI/AAAAAAAAFFg/h_eQnBmNSD4/s1600/CIMG5553+(Small).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506229903265136834" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoO7HvAgMI/AAAAAAAAFFg/h_eQnBmNSD4/s320/CIMG5553+(Small).JPG" border="0" /></a><br />5 miles out of Wenatchee we found a bike path that took us on a pedestrian bridge over the Columbia River and into town where we picked up Roger and Helen’s very detailed directions to their house which is on a hill, so the last 3 miles or so were terribly difficult after a long day! We finally arrived about 4pm and pushed the bikes up the steepest driveway ever. We met Roger, Helen and their two daughters Andrea and Aubryn and of course their dog Cricket who we had originally met a few days earlier on the road in a rest stop. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoPBq6EH-I/AAAAAAAAFF4/c0O70SGWoKI/s1600/CIMG5566+(Small).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506230015785967586" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoPBq6EH-I/AAAAAAAAFF4/c0O70SGWoKI/s320/CIMG5566+(Small).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoO8PfAxUI/AAAAAAAAFFw/HWb9ovSKxQM/s1600/CIMG5565+(Small).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506229922525398338" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoO8PfAxUI/AAAAAAAAFFw/HWb9ovSKxQM/s320/CIMG5565+(Small).JPG" border="0" /></a>We sat and chatted and enjoyed a lovely dinner and rested all evening. We have felt extremely comfortable here in your lovely home since the moment we arrived so thank you so very much for your kind hospitality and family welcome. According to Google we only have 140 miles to Seattle, its just a shame the cascade mountains are on the way! However, a momentous occasion happened today where we saw our first sign for Seattle! How exciting, the finishing line is in sight! <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoO6a0inQI/AAAAAAAAFFQ/0UJ4eS3LnXY/s1600/CIMG5543+(Small).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506229891208748290" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoO6a0inQI/AAAAAAAAFFQ/0UJ4eS3LnXY/s320/CIMG5543+(Small).JPG" border="0" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div>Alison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359552063112492115.post-75716785774129141842010-08-16T21:18:00.001-07:002010-08-16T21:20:18.182-07:00Day 88 Connell to Potholes State Park<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoNw7oYJXI/AAAAAAAAFE0/mKFahFIte-M/s1600/CIMG5538+(Small).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506228628705781106" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoNw7oYJXI/AAAAAAAAFE0/mKFahFIte-M/s320/CIMG5538+(Small).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Sunday 15th August<br />Daily mileage 37miles Average Speed 11.3mph Ride Time 3hr15min<br />Total Mileage 3631 <div><div><br />We had a lovely dinner in the garden last night with the family and their friends then slept on the dining room floor on the lovely thick pile carpet. We were treated to fresh pancakes, eggs and ham for breakfast and after a short ride back to the main road we set off at 9am. Fortunately it was not anywhere near as windy as yesterday. We headed north for a few miles then turned west on highway 26 into Othello where we stopped in Walmart after 20 miles. </div><div><br />We carried on taking smaller county roads through baron land and again it felt as though we were in the desert and the tumble weed chasing us along the road proved that we were in the desert! That and the 100 degrees Fahrenheit heat beating down on us. We had to tackle the Frenchman Hills before rolling into the Potholes State Park. We stopped for a quick cold drink in the shade at a gas station then headed into the park to set up the tent in the ’primitive’ tent area which is the cheapest and closest to the reservoir. <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoNxJ0BN6I/AAAAAAAAFE8/apIvHWAPvis/s1600/CIMG5540+(Small).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506228632512706466" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoNxJ0BN6I/AAAAAAAAFE8/apIvHWAPvis/s320/CIMG5540+(Small).JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Two minutes later we were in the water but we were swimming where the boat launch area was and with jet skis buzzing around us, the water was not so clean so a quick dip to cool off and we were done. We laid under a tree on the grass area to snooze and played yahtzee and I won, twice. Back at the tent we watched two movies in the tent and were asleep for an early morning start. To tell the truth we are both a bit disappointed with this park as the map suggests there is a lovely swimming beach, sand dunes and potholes hence the name of the place, but there was nothing of striking beauty and probably was not worth the stop apart from to escape the heat of the day. <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoNxUxD7eI/AAAAAAAAFFE/x5ZIpUHeURk/s1600/CIMG5542+(Small).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506228635453091298" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoNxUxD7eI/AAAAAAAAFFE/x5ZIpUHeURk/s320/CIMG5542+(Small).JPG" border="0" /></a></div></div></div>Alison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359552063112492115.post-57159632344663004882010-08-16T21:12:00.000-07:002010-08-16T21:17:53.552-07:00Day 87 Lyons Ferry Park to Connell<div><div><div><div><div><div>Saturday 14th August<br />Daily mileage 46miles Average Speed 12.1mph Ride Time 3hr48min<br />Total Mileage 3594</div><div><br />When the alarm sounded at 6.30am the tent was being blown all over the place and so we decided to ignore it and sleep some more. At 7.30am we woke again with the wind still blowing but we could not lay in any longer. We polished off our random breakfast with lovely wafts of coffee coming from our neighbours camp which just teased us. </div><div><br />Pretty much from the campground the road began climbing up very steeply. It was only for about 3 miles but it was extremely steep. We made it to the top where the land flattened out and found the wind was coming from the East for a change. As we approached the junction we saw the start of some smoke rising from a wheat field. It seemed to get bigger and bigger and with the strong wind the wildfire was spreading like wildfire! It was slightly concerning for us so we did not hang around as the sky turned orange and everything looked like we were seeing through sunglasses. <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoMiWbQUcI/AAAAAAAAFEg/NhfQoooEaps/s1600/P8146512+(Small).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506227278688833986" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoMiWbQUcI/AAAAAAAAFEg/NhfQoooEaps/s320/P8146512+(Small).JPG" border="0" /></a><br />After 15 miles we came to a junction where we had intended to turn right but it would have been straight into the wind so we changed our plans and turned left with the hope of stopping in Kahlotus 8 miles later for some refreshments but all that we found was a nice old lady that let us fill our water bottles from her hose. That meant we had to carry on for a further 17 miles to the nearest town of Connell. We had the wind behind us which definitely helped as we had to climb up several more hills. </div><div><br />We arrived in Connell after 40 miles and with the heat, the wind and the hills we were shattered and starving. We bought a few bits and sat on the floor outside the supermarket looking very tired and dirty when we met Zoee. She kindly offered us to stay at her house a further 6 miles up the road but thankfully it was in the right direction. We used the internet in the library for a while then made our way to her house but there was such a strong wind it was very hard work. Zoee and Remie met us on the main road with their pick up truck as they live a mile and three quarters down a gravel road in the middle of a wheat field as they are dry wheat farmers. They have 3 children, 2 dogs and 1 pig and today just so happens to be the last day of a 3 week harvest which equals relief and a few beers to celebrate! <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoMvNVQ2iI/AAAAAAAAFEo/cQx09MBjrOE/s1600/CIMG5537+(Small).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506227499586083362" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoMvNVQ2iI/AAAAAAAAFEo/cQx09MBjrOE/s320/CIMG5537+(Small).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoMhQh2dyI/AAAAAAAAFEA/BgSdiKs9VF8/s1600/P8156529+(Small).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506227259926017826" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoMhQh2dyI/AAAAAAAAFEA/BgSdiKs9VF8/s320/P8156529+(Small).JPG" border="0" /></a>Back at their lovely home which resembles an oasis in amongst fields as far as the eye can see in every direction, we cleaned ourselves and our clothes which felt so good. We then jumped in the car and went to the field that was being harvested and we each got to ride in a combine harvester driven by their two daughters Jessica and Kelly. Jacob and Kelly share the day as they are only 13 and 17 respectively. The ride was awesome, who would have thought when we woke up this morning that we would be sat in a combine harvester! <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoMhnJtwQI/AAAAAAAAFEI/t5_tuqXAu6g/s1600/P8156523+(Small).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506227265998799106" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoMhnJtwQI/AAAAAAAAFEI/t5_tuqXAu6g/s320/P8156523+(Small).JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoMh2qiChI/AAAAAAAAFEQ/5LqzQV02kxA/s1600/P8156521+(Small).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506227270162975250" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoMh2qiChI/AAAAAAAAFEQ/5LqzQV02kxA/s320/P8156521+(Small).JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoMiJvfdZI/AAAAAAAAFEY/v7S1BFRNC8o/s1600/P8156520+(Small).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506227275284051346" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGoMiJvfdZI/AAAAAAAAFEY/v7S1BFRNC8o/s320/P8156520+(Small).JPG" border="0" /></a><br />We had a great unique experience spending time with your family and we can not thank you enough for your kind hospitality. We also found out that the wildfire was still not contained and has currently destroyed 30 miles, scary stuff. Thanks also for the family lemonade recipe which we have now adopted! </div></div></div></div></div></div>Alison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359552063112492115.post-68398481482023867802010-08-14T12:53:00.000-07:002010-08-14T18:03:07.978-07:00Day 86 Lewiston to Lyons Ferry Park<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwnplTTScgNqLp5uh62U559c9S7nbmrY2l6YVtNNhP8Jv2b2bK2fV1Bo45YFtcGz84LboOXexWb_IrEucE9gw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><div><div><div><p>Friday 13th August<br />Daily mileage 73miles Average Speed 12.4mph Ride Time 5hr51min<br />Total Mileage 3548 </p><p>After a good nights sleep I would like to say we were wide awake sitting at the breakfast table at 6.30am but we were still tired. On the road at 7.30am we cycled out of Lewiston and over the Snake River into Clarkston only 5 miles up the road but more importantly it is in Washington state which is our 11th and final USA state! We continued on following the river where the road lined the lake edge for a good 10 miles before we started the major climb of the day up and over the Alpowa pass at a summit of 2785ft which does not sound that high but when you start from an elevation of 700 it’s a tough climb! <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGb4kqE2XLI/AAAAAAAAFD0/3rTRN4KJhHc/s1600/CIMG5521+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505360903160618162" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGb4kqE2XLI/AAAAAAAAFD0/3rTRN4KJhHc/s320/CIMG5521+(Small).JPG" /></a><br />We plodded our way up with a narrow hard shoulder and the heat of the sun on our backs. At one point there was a deer stood right in the middle of the road with a truck coming down the hill and a truck coming up the hill and we were petrified of seeing fresh road kill. With a loud shout from Kris it jumped the barrier with ease and disappeared thankfully. At the summit we had done 25 miles and there was a rest area where we collapsed on the picnic table pouring with sweat where we seemed to attract a fair bit of attention of cars pulling in. <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGb4j7i8rPI/AAAAAAAAFDk/nyeHfJh99jM/s1600/CIMG5528+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505360890670394610" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGb4j7i8rPI/AAAAAAAAFDk/nyeHfJh99jM/s320/CIMG5528+(Small).JPG" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGb4kcSkvrI/AAAAAAAAFDs/YEmTac27qJI/s1600/CIMG5527+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505360899460087474" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGb4kcSkvrI/AAAAAAAAFDs/YEmTac27qJI/s320/CIMG5527+(Small).JPG" /></a></p><br /><p>We met Helen and Roger who we chatted with for a while and they offered us a home made monster cookie and a place to stay in a couple of days as they live on our route, thanks and we hope to see you soon! We finally mustered up the energy to get back on the saddle and began the lovely descent for 10 miles into Pomeroy passing through Pataha. On the way we met Dick who was cycle touring the opposite direction and he is on his 3rd attempt at the USA crossing and we wish him the best of luck as he has only just started. </p><p>In Pomeroy after 35 miles we stopped in a café for a burger, a comfy seat and some air con. Half hour later we were off on our way to Dodge 12miles up the road which turned out to be nothing more than a road junction. So we carried on to Starbuck 16 miles later where we managed to sniff out a cold drink in a bate shop. Thankfully the drinks were stored in a separate fridge to the worms. We had planned to stay here but the lady in the shop suggested we continued on to Lyons Ferry Park which is back on the Snake River edge and has a swimming beach and a marina. <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGb4jsrR5bI/AAAAAAAAFDc/CSOEzLeR4JE/s1600/CIMG5531+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505360886678807986" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGb4jsrR5bI/AAAAAAAAFDc/CSOEzLeR4JE/s320/CIMG5531+(Small).JPG" /></a></p><p>Easily persuaded we crawled gently back on the saddle and plodded out the final 7 miles into the park crossing the river again on a high, narrow, see through bridge with strong wind in our face. The scenery has been randomly great today. There have been hills on either side with the river but the fields have been golden with hay ready to be harvested in every direction and no greenery in sight. We have felt like we are completely in the middle of nowhere and the fact that we are completely in the middle of nowhere could have something to do with it! </p><p>As we arrived in the park we bought a few bits for dinner and breakfast… pineapple chunks, a chocolate bar, some cheese and crackers and some crisps, not enough and not at all appetising but the store was expensive and very limited. Before we set up the tent we headed straight to the swimming area and almost run straight in, it only took a few minutes before we had submerged instead of the normal half hour! We laid in the sun to dry off and have a power nap, then set up tent, showered and watched a movie in the tent. This was our 6th day riding in a row and with no foreseeable day off we are drained. <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGb4jRJQfTI/AAAAAAAAFDU/DJmVeyKAiJo/s1600/P8136500+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505360879288352050" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGb4jRJQfTI/AAAAAAAAFDU/DJmVeyKAiJo/s320/P8136500+(Small).JPG" /></a></p></div></div></div><br /><br /><iframe height="548" src="http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/44530604" frameborder="0" width="465"></iframe>Alison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359552063112492115.post-40037070412941507132010-08-12T20:57:00.000-07:002010-08-12T21:02:35.622-07:00Day 85 Cottonwood to LewistonThursday 12th August<br />Daily mileage 57miles Average Speed 12.8mph Ride Time 4hr24min<br />Total Mileage 3475<br /><br />We had a great night sleep and a lazy morning. We had breakfast in bed which was some of Frances’s home made granola cereal which was delicious. I sat in the snug nose of Sweet Willy the beagle and did a puppy themed puzzle while Kris went back to sleep after breakfast. Finally we packed up and were about to leave at 10.30am when Frances and Dennis turned up. We chatted some more and thanked them for the food parcel we found hanging from the handle bar of our bike this morning!<br /><br />The flag looked as though the wind was behind us as we left but just round the corner it turned into a head wind which stayed with us all day! We had 25 miles of rolling hills which were not too bad and they were broken up by a stop after 8 miles in Ferdinand then again in 7 miles in Craigmont where we enjoyed brunch. 10 miles up the road we stopped again in Winchester for a milkshake that had been recommended to us by Frances and it was delicious but unfortunately Vivian does not work there anymore.<br /><br />I just remembered in Ferdinand we stopped in a bar where I went to the ladies and there was an ‘Adam’ from ‘Adam and Eve’ on the wall with his ‘leaf’ on a hinge. Of course I had to raise the leaf to see why it was hinged and of course it was attached to some string that rang a bell in the bar! As I re entered the room they were laughing at me and I had to take a marker pen and go back to sign the Adam, so I scribbled our blog address on the wall, top left. Don’t tell me you would not have done the same! <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGTDM8xfRHI/AAAAAAAAFDA/XXKzYWu27cA/s1600/CIMG5518+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504739271793132658" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGTDM8xfRHI/AAAAAAAAFDA/XXKzYWu27cA/s320/CIMG5518+(Small).JPG" /></a><br />From here you will not believe it but we had a 30 mile downhill! Yes 30! Some steep but mostly gradual we rolled and rolled. However, it was still tough to ride as the hard shoulder was narrow with the side barrier being inches from our bags with trucks zooming past while trying to avoid shredded truck tyre on the road, the vibration line and loose gravel. This does not even take into account the headwind which was so strong in some parts we had to pedal downhill.<br /><br />We had planned to not stop again until we reached Lewiston but after concentrating so hard and temperature rising from 73 degrees to 93 degrees Fahrenheit with the descent we needed a short break in Lapwai. The last stretch took us into the city where we had tried to arrange a warm shower host but with the lack of internet we have been unable to stay in contact and so the Super 8 motel that was the first place we saw was simply irresistible. I thought I would just mention my collection of good luck charms that I am carrying with me that keep growing as we ride from various gifts that I have been given along the way. I’m convinced they are looking out for me and keeping us safe, but I’m sure Kris just considers them as extra weight to carry! <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGTDNKf9LgI/AAAAAAAAFDI/YImCgfo_7zY/s1600/CIMG5520+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504739275477691906" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGTDNKf9LgI/AAAAAAAAFDI/YImCgfo_7zY/s320/CIMG5520+(Small).JPG" /></a>Alison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359552063112492115.post-28087137700099896892010-08-12T19:31:00.000-07:002010-08-12T20:56:54.234-07:00Day 84 Riggins to Cottonwood<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGSvZTW_zVI/AAAAAAAAFC0/Az8qZ65iUKc/s1600/CIMG5496+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504717493781908818" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGSvZTW_zVI/AAAAAAAAFC0/Az8qZ65iUKc/s320/CIMG5496+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><div>Wednesday 11th August<br />Daily mileage 57miles Average Speed 11mph Ride Time 5hr13min<br />Total Mileage 3418 <div><br />Today was very eventful. We started early being on the road at 7.30am having had chocolate milk and a cereal bar for breakfast. The scenery continued to be beautiful with hills that were thousands of feet high all around us. The clouds were particularly low in the valley creating a cool atmosphere. We followed the salmon river all the way to White Bird, some 28 miles later, before we had our first stop. By crossing the salmon river we had just crossed into our last time zone from Mountain to Pacific, some 8 hours behind the UK, and realised it was still very early. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGSvY0u5RJI/AAAAAAAAFCs/GVBmQ8X3hKk/s1600/P8116451+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504717485560644754" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGSvY0u5RJI/AAAAAAAAFCs/GVBmQ8X3hKk/s320/P8116451+(Small).JPG" /></a><br />As we sat out on the café balcony you could not help but notice the massive hill we had to climb. Mist and fog prevented us from seeing the summit but surprisingly we were feeling up for a challenge. 2 coffees and 6 chocolate cookies later we left and began the ascent. Kris estimated it would take us at least 2 hours to get to the top as we had approx 3000ft to climb which is the equivalent of cycling over mount Snowdon in sunny Wales! </div><div><br />We plodded for a good 2000ft before we stopped and took a break. The mist had cleared and we could finally see where we were going. Kris was thoroughly enjoying the climb and switched into autopilot. He was feeling strong and wanted to push himself but he would glance behind and see me still plodding along way back and he would stop to take photos and film in order to let me catch up.<br />This hill climbs through the valley where the Nez Perce War happened where the US Army attempted unsuccessfully to get the Native Indians to retreat to the Indian Reserve. You can also see the old highway snaking up the hill to the right of us as we rode the new highway on the left. Eventually we made it to the top and were excited to experience the downhill the other side but unfortunately after a 2 hour ascent we only experienced a 10 minute descent towards Grangeville. <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGSvYvN7SAI/AAAAAAAAFCk/DXxMtoFLL04/s1600/P8116462+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504717484080187394" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGSvYvN7SAI/AAAAAAAAFCk/DXxMtoFLL04/s320/P8116462+(Small).JPG" /></a></div><div><br />With no particular interest in Grangeville we took a detour towards Cottonwood, Idaho that was 3 miles shorter after refilling water bottles from the hose in a garden belonging to a kind lady. As far as we are concerned Cottonwood is known for one thing and that was the giant beagle B&B. This first came to our attention from a documentary by Dave Gorman titled “Unchained America”. The concept was to travel the length and breath of USA without feeding corporate America which we watched before we came out here. From the moment we stepped onto the premises, Dennis and Frances made us feel so welcome and they had Sprocket a golden retriever of all breeds! <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGSvHdYtswI/AAAAAAAAFCU/YDDnS-kWZ6Q/s1600/P8116472+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504717187235820290" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGSvHdYtswI/AAAAAAAAFCU/YDDnS-kWZ6Q/s320/P8116472+(Small).JPG" /></a><br />It was so humbling to hear how Dennis was fortunate to get a break <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGSvHGAsiaI/AAAAAAAAFCM/R3RIuhtDSvo/s1600/P8116477+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504717180961065378" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGSvHGAsiaI/AAAAAAAAFCM/R3RIuhtDSvo/s320/P8116477+(Small).JPG" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGSvHx0e1WI/AAAAAAAAFCc/7r06l1xqw08/s1600/P8116471+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504717192720995682" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGSvHx0e1WI/AAAAAAAAFCc/7r06l1xqw08/s320/P8116471+(Small).JPG" /></a>that lead to an order of 10,000 wooden dogs after appearing on QVC, the shopping channel. It took 18 months to complete <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGSvGl0EDHI/AAAAAAAAFCE/xTIpmc77Pcw/s1600/P8116480+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504717172318145650" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGSvGl0EDHI/AAAAAAAAFCE/xTIpmc77Pcw/s320/P8116480+(Small).JPG" /></a>the order and from that money he invested in building this Beagle B&B that we are sleeping in the belly of tonight! They are very kind people that have yet again shown us great hospitality and we cannot thank you both enough for inviting us to stay and it was our pleasure to stay here and have met you. There was an awesome sunset from the balcony where we munched on our dinner. The sky was so magical and full of colour that it appeared as though it was on fire. <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGSvGe45-uI/AAAAAAAAFB8/X-SfZpjHpfg/s1600/P8126489+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504717170459409122" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGSvGe45-uI/AAAAAAAAFB8/X-SfZpjHpfg/s320/P8126489+(Small).JPG" /></a></div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><iframe height="548" src="http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/44283186" frameborder="0" width="465"></iframe>Alison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359552063112492115.post-41290954363492666662010-08-11T09:11:00.000-07:002010-08-11T09:23:11.639-07:00Day 83 McCall to Riggins<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGLN6SDI2OI/AAAAAAAAFBg/uWPBaNLgp7o/s1600/P8106431+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504188095761275106" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGLN6SDI2OI/AAAAAAAAFBg/uWPBaNLgp7o/s320/P8106431+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><div><br /><div><div><div><div>Tuesday 10th August<br />Daily mileage 50miles Average Speed 14.7mph Ride Time 3hr23min<br />Total Mileage 3361 </div><div><br />Last night we sat in the house in the dark watching a massive electric storm that seemed to go on for hours. There were sheets and forks of lightening that lit up the whole sky and we had the best viewing platform to see it. We helped ourselves to some breakfast as our hosts were enjoying a lay in then we hit the road at 8am when it was cloudy and cold. There was a short climb on highway 55 then the most amazing steep descent with sharp corners. It was difficult to pull the brakes hard enough as our hands had frozen from the wind chill and for a while we regretted sending our winter gloves home. <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGLN66-d_LI/AAAAAAAAFBo/hZwuvytqHa4/s1600/P8106427+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504188106747542706" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGLN66-d_LI/AAAAAAAAFBo/hZwuvytqHa4/s320/P8106427+(Small).JPG" /></a></div><div><br />We rolled into New Meadows after 15 miles and had a subway and lots of coffee to warm up. From here we headed north on highway 95 and was pleased to see a slightly wider hard shoulder and over the moon when we started descending again continuously all the way past Pollock to Riggins 35 miles later! Wow, that was some scenic long gradual downhill, it was awesome! With massive mountains all around us we just kept rolling and rolling down approximately 4,000 ft! <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGLN7SeUlkI/AAAAAAAAFBw/O_D1SGeGc4k/s1600/CIMG5488+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504188113055159874" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGLN7SeUlkI/AAAAAAAAFBw/O_D1SGeGc4k/s320/CIMG5488+(Small).JPG" /></a></div><div><br />On the way down we came across 4 cycle tourers climbing up the hill and we stopped for a chat. We felt bad for them knowing that they had to go up what we had just come down. We had a short stop in a rest area where we chatted to a guy who had just been huckleberry picking in the wilderness area with his dog duke. We also stopped for a photo on the 45th parallel rd which is half way between the North Pole and the Equator which was quite cool. <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGLN57OdL8I/AAAAAAAAFBQ/FUgrQgv6zTY/s1600/CIMG5486+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504188089634729922" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGLN57OdL8I/AAAAAAAAFBQ/FUgrQgv6zTY/s320/CIMG5486+(Small).JPG" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGLN6PXv1HI/AAAAAAAAFBY/28XhuN5Lzu8/s1600/P8106434+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504188095042409586" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGLN6PXv1HI/AAAAAAAAFBY/28XhuN5Lzu8/s320/P8106434+(Small).JPG" /></a><br />The last few miles into Riggins the wind picked up and was blowing strong into our face along with a big black cloud lurking over the mountain in front of us. So we decided to pull into the RV park and set up tent on the Salmon River edge. We dipped our feet in then relaxed as the wind battered the tent and we got an early night as we have a nasty feeling we have to climb tomorrow! <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGLNjB_hE_I/AAAAAAAAFBI/3j6ydLHXVAU/s1600/P8106437+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504187696314127346" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGLNjB_hE_I/AAAAAAAAFBI/3j6ydLHXVAU/s320/P8106437+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div></div></div></div></div></div>Alison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359552063112492115.post-87783292383642701142010-08-09T18:19:00.000-07:002010-08-09T20:12:53.311-07:00Day 82 Banks to McCallMonday 9th August<br />Daily mileage 63miles Average Speed 12mph Ride Time 5hr18min<br />Total Mileage 3311<br /><br />Polishing off the last of our boiled eggs for breakfast we set off about 7.30am which began with Kris having to carry both bikes up the embankment to the road. We started climbing immediately and kept climbing for a good 8 miles. The road snaked up through the valley with the river still following us all the way. It really was very scenic and there was not so much traffic this morning. There was a 4 mile plateau greeting us at the top and we stopped at a mountain lodge at Smiths Ferry that was a sight for sore eyes. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGCpd4qhqjI/AAAAAAAAFAo/CCWeB17lKUQ/s1600/P8086376+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503585075538799154" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGCpd4qhqjI/AAAAAAAAFAo/CCWeB17lKUQ/s320/P8086376+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><br />We had a second breakfast and bottomless coffee to warm up as despite climbing it was still extremely overcast and fresh. Back on the road we were pleasantly surprised to find that it was relatively flat all the way to Cascade approx 18 miles on. A short break and we carried on for 15 miles to Donnelly. There was a steep climb out of Cascade but once at the summit we had a nice downhill then met Lake Cascade and it was flat to Donnelly. <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGCpeI_NHvI/AAAAAAAAFAw/DYvvtX8Euy0/s1600/P8086357+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503585079920500466" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGCpeI_NHvI/AAAAAAAAFAw/DYvvtX8Euy0/s320/P8086357+(Small).JPG" /></a><br />We actually had the wind behind us as we stopped in Donnelly. We found a nice little café where the nice lady gave us a free brownie and two free muffins! She also told us that we should not take highway 55 to McCall as it’s a nasty road anyway but it gets even more nasty on the next stretch. So we took her advice and took the back roads for 18 miles which were very quiet and a lot safer but 6 miles longer than the highway! We arrived in McCall and stopped at the supermarket when we got chatting to George. <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGCpdgIZ8xI/AAAAAAAAFAg/W0ZOkcRVNks/s1600/P8106406+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503585068953236242" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGCpdgIZ8xI/AAAAAAAAFAg/W0ZOkcRVNks/s320/P8106406+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGCpdWMqt4I/AAAAAAAAFAY/hL2AicPR2Nk/s1600/P8106420+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503585066286757762" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGCpdWMqt4I/AAAAAAAAFAY/hL2AicPR2Nk/s320/P8106420+(Small).JPG" /></a>He kindly offered us to stay at his place and took us back there while he went out to dinner. We are staying in the trailer that is parked in the huge garage that’s the same size as our house alone! We showered indoors and made ourselves comfortable in his amazing house that has an incredible view over the valley. An almighty storm came over that had been threatening all day and we jumped about with excitement at the thought of being inside a lovely home looking out on the horrendous weather thanking our lucky stars we were not out in it! Thanks George for your kind hospitality. <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGCvgQO-H-I/AAAAAAAAFA8/fsbW1LyZN9A/s1600/P8106424+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503591713295179746" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGCvgQO-H-I/AAAAAAAAFA8/fsbW1LyZN9A/s320/P8106424+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><iframe height="548" src="http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/43885842" frameborder="0" width="465"></iframe>Alison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359552063112492115.post-86457634271399737612010-08-09T18:12:00.000-07:002010-08-09T18:17:52.930-07:00Day 81 Boise to Banks<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGCn7c_ElPI/AAAAAAAAE_8/ddA-wQ3zQR8/s1600/IMG_5444+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503583384481600754" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGCn7c_ElPI/AAAAAAAAE_8/ddA-wQ3zQR8/s320/IMG_5444+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><div> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGCoC8hxwxI/AAAAAAAAFAM/6eq7bDB_uMs/s1600/CIMG5474+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503583513207751442" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGCoC8hxwxI/AAAAAAAAFAM/6eq7bDB_uMs/s320/CIMG5474+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><div><div>Sunday 8th August<br />Daily mileage 51miles Average Speed 10.5mph Ride Time 4hr52min<br />Total Mileage 3248<br /></div><div>Lady Ga Ga the alarm clock sounded at 6.30am and we sat to yet another feast of a breakfast this time with freshly made scones and home made jam. It took a while to load the bikes but eventually we got on the road along with Noah and Winston and Rachel and Patrick. Our kind hosts escorted us along the city bike paths to guard us from the traffic. The lads split off as they are heading to Eugine on a different route while the rest of us continued together. After 12 miles it was time to head north on highway 55 alone. We cant thank you enough for making your home our home for the past few days. We hope we can return the favour when you come to London!<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGCoCScvCPI/AAAAAAAAFAE/gYfhOkQjTwk/s1600/CIMG5483+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503583501912312050" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGCoCScvCPI/AAAAAAAAFAE/gYfhOkQjTwk/s320/CIMG5483+(Small).JPG" /></a> </div><div><br />We started climbing almost immediately into a valley. The road kept going up then just when we thought we had reached the top we turned yet another corner and started climbing again to the next horizon, I hate those kind of hills! It was a good few miles before we reached the summit but then we got to enjoy a 5 mile downhill at 7% gradient. We rolled right into Horseshoe Bend after 30 miles and stopped for a chocolate milk and some fruit. The sun had started to heat up but it was nice to know we only have to do 50 miles today to be on target so back on the saddle we headed for Banks and bypassed Gardena with almost not even noticing it. This 15 miles was very scenic with the Payette River rushing alongside us and folks either kayaking or rafting down having a blast. Despite the road being relatively flat, it was narrow and there was way too much traffic for our liking. We were so busy concentrating on the traffic coming up behind us and dodging rubbish on the narrow hard shoulder we hardly got to enjoy the surroundings. <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGCn6mj_tSI/AAAAAAAAE_s/589nVBdKvqw/s1600/P8086369+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503583369872520482" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGCn6mj_tSI/AAAAAAAAE_s/589nVBdKvqw/s320/P8086369+(Small).JPG" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGCn674BbiI/AAAAAAAAE_0/kcbrpZO_jJ0/s1600/P8086365+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503583375593664034" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGCn674BbiI/AAAAAAAAE_0/kcbrpZO_jJ0/s320/P8086365+(Small).JPG" /></a></div><div><br />We stopped in Banks after an extremely close shave with a terrible caravan driver and had a well earned soda. Even though it was only lunchtime we did not really have much more left in us so only about 5 more miles up the road we found the best wild camp spot ever. Just off the highway we ventured down the embankment to the river edge where there was a campfire already built for us. With the sun beating down on us we jumped in the river to cool off being careful not to be carried off with the strong current. We attempted to sieve for gold that was shimmering in the sand but we did not collect enough to quit our jobs, or my job! We dined on take away pasta and drunken chicken with a boiled egg chaser courtesy of Rachel and ate jelly beans while sitting round a fire then watching a movie in the tent. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGCn6KMQydI/AAAAAAAAE_k/FP-mBSM41N4/s1600/P8096402+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503583362256783826" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGCn6KMQydI/AAAAAAAAE_k/FP-mBSM41N4/s320/P8096402+(Small).JPG" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGCn5VJnJAI/AAAAAAAAE_c/sYRn3zZOAQU/s1600/P8096405+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503583348018586626" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TGCn5VJnJAI/AAAAAAAAE_c/sYRn3zZOAQU/s320/P8096405+(Small).JPG" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Alison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359552063112492115.post-31844591584158909362010-08-07T19:40:00.000-07:002010-08-07T19:45:18.000-07:00Day 80 Boise<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TF4Z_5Q1CRI/AAAAAAAAE_A/qkCqpywNkFI/s1600/P8076351+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502864380187183378" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TF4Z_5Q1CRI/AAAAAAAAE_A/qkCqpywNkFI/s320/P8076351+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><div>Saturday 7th August.<br /><br /><div><div></div><div>We were meant to be leaving today but the comfy bed, Rachel’s cooking and the cosy sofa meant we simply could not force ourselves to get back on the saddle. Although we could always use the excuse that Kris needed to rest his bruised coccyx. We have done nothing productive today apart from rest, we have not even left the house apart from to change my inner tube that had a slow puncture, to eat on the decking and to wade about in the flooded lawn. <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TF4aAkXhY2I/AAAAAAAAE_Q/G89L6DJicIM/s1600/P8076356+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502864391757980514" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TF4aAkXhY2I/AAAAAAAAE_Q/G89L6DJicIM/s320/P8076356+(Small).JPG" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TF4aAFsKi9I/AAAAAAAAE_I/v_RbbOUgDnQ/s1600/P8076355+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502864383523064786" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TF4aAFsKi9I/AAAAAAAAE_I/v_RbbOUgDnQ/s320/P8076355+(Small).JPG" /></a></div><div><br />Flooding the lawn is actually quite an interesting concept. Each of the neighbours set their water valves accordingly to ensure each household can open their valve and flood their property a good few inches with freezing river water to keep everything green. Of course the key is not to get distracted and allow the basement to flood too! Rachel and Patrick showed us some of their amazing slide shows from various cycle adventures including their cycle through Asia including Tibet. There is so much more out there to see.<br /></div><br /><div>We think we have finally decided our route to Seattle and where we were under the impression its all down hill from the Rockies to the coast we could not have been more wrong. There are a few mountain ranges and passes to cover. We have worked out that we have to do 50 miles a day every day for the next two weeks to make it to Seattle on time and so the question is… will we make our flight?</div></div></div>Alison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359552063112492115.post-9550524242456973172010-08-06T21:42:00.000-07:002010-08-06T22:19:07.387-07:00Day 79 Boise<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TFzlHZxajgI/AAAAAAAAE-k/NgbtjmDwwdo/s1600/P8063274+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502524760079896066" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TFzlHZxajgI/AAAAAAAAE-k/NgbtjmDwwdo/s320/P8063274+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TFzlHZhRkmI/AAAAAAAAE-s/5eQrPVKX1bs/s1600/P8063288+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502524760012198498" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TFzlHZhRkmI/AAAAAAAAE-s/5eQrPVKX1bs/s320/P8063288+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Friday 6th August. Rachel and Patrick had to work early and we had the best lay in, it felt so good. We had freshly cooked brownies and coffee breakfast in bed to top it off! At about 10.30am we managed to get up and Kris borrowed some trainers and went for a run of all things to do on your day off from cycling! We had a relaxing morning attempting to sort through the millions of photos we have taken so far. I’m sure its not necessary to have 20 photos of the statue of liberty but they are all so nice! <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TFzlG9gfhgI/AAAAAAAAE-c/ZMBl3ZAPPOo/s1600/CIMG5460+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502524752492725762" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TFzlG9gfhgI/AAAAAAAAE-c/ZMBl3ZAPPOo/s320/CIMG5460+(Small).JPG" /></a><br />At noon Patrick came home and we had lunch before each taking a blow up raft and paddle over to the neighbours house who then drove us a good 5 miles through town and dropped us off at the edge of the Boise River. We blew up the rafts with the air pumps provided and jumped in the freezing water. Kris and I were sharing a raft while Patrick, Noah and Winston each had their own. It was surprising just how many other people were floating down the river on a Friday afternoon! </div><div><br />We were pre warned that there were three sets of rapids that if we made sure we were in the right place at the right time we would have nothing to worry about. We both gently bottomed out on the first set of rapids but nothing too painful more shockingly cold as the water poured in the raft and we started bailing out with a bed pan that Rachel had brought home from her work as a nurse! It was really fun and relaxing to float along but you had to concentrate a bit or else you found yourself bouncing against the side rocks or in an overhanging tree as the water was really quite fast flowing. <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TFzlHuPD0jI/AAAAAAAAE-0/N-8YkPiOXjM/s1600/P8063322+(Small).JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502524765572944434" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qp2gYjjJbZI/TFzlHuPD0jI/AAAAAAAAE-0/N-8YkPiOXjM/s320/P8063322+(Small).JPG" /></a></div><div><br />The second rapids we took like professionals and the third set we had gained confidence and Kris managed to film them going down but we got drenched, thank goodness for dry bags. After bailing out again we decided to swap places in the raft which was a really bad idea. We had no control at all and we were lower in the boat so as we hit a few wavy parts we were set on missing a tree in the water when there was a huge thud which was Kris’s coccyx smacking a hidden rock, ouch. Now Kris does not normally complain when he hurts himself so I knew this one was bad, however, it tickled me and I could not help but laugh hysterically for most of the rest of the journey! </div><div><br />Kris insisted we swapped back while mid river which was pretty hair raising then he laid stiff as a board horizontally so that his rear was nowhere near the river bed just in case. 5.87 miles later we got out gingerly and walked a mile back to the house having had an awesome time. We were joined by Rachel after work and had pizza for dinner with popcorn out on the decking. We attempted to plot a route to Seattle but just got more confused as there are so many ways to go and so many things to see, we are tempted to stay another night and enjoy the Boise beer festival and we may have to if Kris cant sit on the saddle in the morning! </div></div></div></div><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwV7j1RpODrlZLDHySkNA1OL4XQYW-C88bH8gWAqnprykXDhHaLEpohIcMkbktH_1NC3aWcdpLwuXYPo1mMcg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Alison and Uncle Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07496401912049913399noreply@blogger.com6