Day 12 Mountain Home to Burley

Yesterday after posting my blog, I went down the street to dinner, and then walked over to the gorge to get some pix and see if it had gotten any cooler. I was able to get someone to take a picture of me by the rail above the gorge.





This morning the first thing we did as we started out was to head down into the gorge for a look at Shoshone Falls. The falls is a couple miles upriver from the town of Twin Falls. It was an awesome spectacle, even with the water at a low level due to upstream diversion of water for irrigation and power.




After a delightful and cool half hour above the falls, we headed back up the winding road out of the gorge and once again onto the flat. The riding was easy, except for
keeping on route with many transitions aimed at keeping us off of dead-end roads. The pictures for today will mostly look like this. Featureless and flat.



Today was a much shorter day than normal. In order to get us booked into motels, they sometimes need to have use do a shorter or longer day than usual. The longs ones are really tough. The short ones like today are almost like a "rolling day off". I got in before noon and went to lunch at a Mexican Restaurant with Ilkka, Kent, and Annie. I am really sleepy now and better finish before I falllllllllllaaassssssllleeeepppppaatttttthhheeeekkkeeeyybbooooarrrrd..............

Day 11 Mountain Home to Twin Falls

Last night I was finally able to get my blog up to date, and I had time to relax in the pool. I also had to waste some time because the A/C in our room was kaput, and the maintenance guy came by to replace the unit, which was right next to my bed.




This morning we woke to threatening skies. We could see rain falling from dark clouds fairly close by.



We hurried to load the truck and eat breakfast before the skies would open. Many of us took along some rain gear in case it turned out to be an all-day rain. In actuality, it merely provided the most beautiful sunrise, and we enjoyed the show with only a few drops on the road. Most of the rain evaporated before it hit the ground. You can see this "virga" in the pictures



I enjoyed the first part of the ride when I was passed by the 2/3 of a triple bike, with Lil and her son cranking out a serious rhythm. I latched on and we pulled the first leg rarely seeing the south side of 25 mph. I had an overall average of almost 20 mph up to the first sag.

I spent the next leg riding alone, and stopped for a snack at a small store. This gentleman, Ed and his two cute grandchildren stopped and asked all kinds of questions about the ride. They were quite interested in the ride, and especially the bike with all the gadgets. There is never a shortage of conversation with the locals. I wish all the places I ride could show this kind of hospitality and support.




Late in the morning I passed through a valley where many fossils are found. In the distant past, a large lava flow blocked the river and made a shallow lake where many zebra-like mammals came to get water. Many of them died in the vicinity and their bones were preserved in the mud, which hardened to rock over time.



I made it to Twin Falls by about 1:30, and even had time to stop at the scenic overlooks by the Snake River Canyon. This is where Evel Knievel attempted his jump of the canyon in a rocket "motorcycle" a number of years ago. I will try to get some more pictures to add to this post.

Tomorrow is a short day of only 38 miles. I can probably do it in my sleep!

Day 10 Boise to Mountain Home

This morning we left the delighful Courtyard by Marriott and headed east on a bike path out of Boise.


Soon we ended up on the Interstate 84 again as there were no other suitable roads for us.





At Route Rap this evening, about 20 people indicated that they had experienced a flat during the interstate portion of the ride. The shoulder was really covered with tire debris, including fine wire fragments from truck tire blowouts. It was not quite as hot while we were riding due to the presence of CLOUDS! This was the first time since Mt Hood that we have even seen clouds during the day.

Mountain Home is not accurately named in my opinion. We can see mountains in the distance, but I don't feel their presence. Maybe Tomorrow?

Day 8 Ontario to Boise

Day 8. Today was just a short, level ride from Ontario to Boise.










We had no problems riding, and found our way quickly to the Courtyard by Marriot and began planning for our rest day.


The camera seems to be working now. We will see! We had a snack at a sandwich shop in an area called Hyde Park on the way in to Boise. It reminded me of the Fan area of Richmond. The heat was really starting to build as we rolled into the Marriot. They had split up our 3 Amigos situation to make doubles, so Ilkka and I roomed together, while Stu got a room of his on so he could better deal with his worsening throat/sinus condition.

Day 7 Baker City to Ontario

Day 7. Today was a downhill day. We had a short climb out of Baker City, and then a long, long descent down to Ontario, our last stop in Oregon. I was the last one out today, due to trying to figure out the camera problem. I rode for a while with Mike, but then Andy, a staff member came flying by on his light but ill-fitting borrowed bike. I just had to give chase, and we rode together for the longest stretch of fast riding I have ever experienced. We flew into the first SAG having averaged over 30 mph for quite a few miles.

After the SAG, It was a short, but excruciatingly hot stretch in to Ontario. Much of the riding was on interstate 84, since there were no other roads through that strertch. Interstate riding is not really that bad, except for the sharp road debris that can give you a flat tire in a jiffy. The heat had slowed many of the riders. I found that Kent, a rider from Madison in Virginia, had settled on the same pace as myself, and Ilkka and I rode with him for quite a while. Overall, I averaged 17.2 mph for 82 miles. This is my fastest day ever! We were so happy to find the motel, which was made difficult because they had changed the name without telling us. Because we were early, we found a Mexican restaurant and chilled there for an hour or so, just to get out of the triple-digit heat. Some of our riders were adversely affected by the heat, and were badly dehydrated. We will all watch our physical state better tomorrow.

All my pictures were erased again by the camera, so there are no pictures today. By trial and error, I have surmised that if I format the card in someone else’s camera, it will work in mine, and not erase. I will attempt again tomorrow, but I am not very optimistic. Tomorrow is a short day, followed by a rest day. Ye-haa!

Day 6 John Day to Baker City

Day 6. Today we left John Day bound for Baker City. We had to begin with a good climb again today, and I arrived slightly head of the Wolfpack, who had left later. We all posed for a photo op at a really large covered wagon at an overlook a couple miles from the top of the climb.
After our pictures were taken, I again sat in on the back of the pack, and was able to hang with them to the top. I absolutely flew down the other side, my top speed only hampered by having to stop at a stoplight controlling traffic through a one-lane construction zone. I still hit 45.7 mph, and was first the SAG stop. I stopped in to the restaurant whose lot we were using, and found that thy had a really good blackberry cobbler. While I was eating, my camera did its power-down routine. When I went to restart it, all I could get were the choices to power-off or format the card. Neither one of these were satisfactory choices, so I decided to not take pix until I could get a new card. I missed all the miles over the next two climbs, but at the second SAG, the staffer, Susan had the same camera as mine, and loaned me one of her spare cards. I was able to make the camera work until I could get a new card.


Other than that, it was a nice, but hot day. When we were at altitude, it was pleasantly cool, but dropping down into the valleys took us into a treeless oven. Fortunately it was a shorter day of 80 miles, and I again was in early to the motel.

Once we got into Baker City, I found a Bi-Mart, which is like a Wal-mart, and bought 2 camera cards, this time smaller ones, because someone told me that the 1Gb card I had been using was not designed for that camera. I thought the problem was solved, until I went out to take some sunset pictures, and the same message came through. Still a problem.

In Baker City there were bike races going on all day, and many other bikers were staying at the same motel. Most of us had problems getting online, although I was able to find one building where the wireless network actually worked, so I sat in a stairwell to write and send e-mail.

Day 5 Prineville to John Day

Day 5. We were now heading up into the mountain at the beginning of an epic day. This was the longest thus far at 117 miles. Not only that, it included two long, steep climbs that to some, resembled a pair of very large breasts. I headed out with the fast group, the ones I call the wolfpack. Ilkka had been riding with them for several days, and they really seemed to work well as a team in their paceline. I pulled in behind them and followed as they slowly warmed up, then increased the pace. I took a few token pulls at the front, since it is expected that every rider in a paceline take turn breaking the wind. They really don’t get much benefit from drafting behind a recumbent, but it was what riding etiquette demanded, and it was fun to lead such a fast group. I had to sprint past the group to take my turn, since they don’t want the recumbent in the line itself.

We were on a slight downgrade right before the first big climb. I always need a lot of speed at the start, so I sprinted ahead of the group and began to climb. It never turned our to be a very steep climb, just long. I fell into a really nice pace of what I call “six breathing”, where I breathe in for three pedal pushes, and breathe out for three. ONE-TWO-THREE four-five-six. When I really get cranking I do “four breathing”, which is ONE-TWO three-four. I was able to just flat out smoke up that 30 mile climb back into the cool forest air. I truly feel strongest at altitude, and know that the mountains are really my element. On the downhill I had switched from my still camera to my video camera to try to capture the thrill of descending at over 45 mph. Unfortunately the camcorder battery, which I had just charged, ran out in about 3 minutes. Bummer. Anyway I stopped, swapped back to the still camera, and kept going. Here is a picture from the descent.


The Wolfpack had careened by when I stopped, and I decided not to pursue, but instead rode the rest of the way to our destination with Mike, the other ‘bent rider. We had a good time chatting and comparing notes on the benefits of recumbents. I think one of the advantages was obvious to the staff member at a SAG stop at the top of a climb, where she pointed out that she could hear us talking all the way up, and that everyone else was just breathing hard. It is so nice to have NO PAIN while riding. We get a panoramic view of the spectacular scenery, and are in a better position for breathing efficiently.

We pulled into the town of John Day only to find that the rooms were not ready. Several of our riders were quite rude to the poor desk clerk, a high-school girl who had no resources with which to satisify their demands for an immediate room. It reminded me of our Greek Eclipse cruise, when many of the participants failed to realize that in certain situations, there is just no way that making a demand will help. It just puts some poor underpaid worker in an impossible situation, and actually slows down the process of handling the entire group. The desk clerk ended up leaving the desk to clean two rooms for the more insensitive of our group. I went in to talk to her afterwards and apologized on their behalf. I told her that I had spent 10 years in the service industry and knew what she was dealing with.

If you ever have a situation like this, try to remember that your issue is with the boss or owner, not necessarily the hired help.

We had dinner at a nice restaurant down the street, and traded stories about our longest day on the road. For many, today was their personal best distance. Way to go!

No internet access today, in spite of the sign advertising new wireless.

Day 4 Kah-nee-ta to Prineville

Day four. A nice short 60 mile day before experiencing the 117 mile grind for tomorrow. We left the Kah-nee-ta resort, immediately descending a steep hill back to the canyon floor. While at maximum speed, I heard the loud clatter of something falling to the road from my bike. I immediately surmised that it was my tire pump which I had removed from the frame to allow me to carry my loaded bike up four flights of stairs, since the elevators were too small (this is something that continues to be a problem. We have not yet been on the ground floor of any motel). Anyway, I stopped my headlong descent, slowly pedaled back up the hill, looking for the errant pump. I finally found it in the ravine beside the road, and managed to give my mountain-biking shoes a real trial by fire. They worked magnificently on the slope of volcanic rock scree. I now had to play catch-up, since the rest of the group had long since disappeared up the road. I caught most of the riders, and enjoyed a pleasant ride in the cool of the morning. We were hoping to exit the reservation at about the time that the Indian Museum opened, and we arrived just at the right time to be the first customers.

The museum had many displays showcasing typical Indian culture before the influence of westerners, and how they coped with the influx of Europeans. It was difficult to look at the pictures of Indian kids dressed up in neat little uniforms, being surgically removed from their heritage, and punished if they spoke their native tongue.

After the museum, we headed across the high desert toward our destination of Prineville. I was riding with Ilkka and Stu by now, and we made good time to Madras. We were so wrapped up in our little paceline that we missed a turn and actually took a shortcut to town, but encountered the traffic that our alternate route would have avoided. At our SAG, we could see a fence where people were making a memorial for one of their local soldiers who was one of the two who were kidnapped and killed in Iraq a couple days earlier.

The three of us set out again, looking for a Dairy Queen, which is Ilkka’s favorite post-ride destination. Not finding one in Madras, we figured there had to be one in Prineville, so we pressed on. We arrived after noon in Prineville, and found a DQ on the way in. I had a Heath Blizzard, my favorite. It was a great finish to a short, but hot day. Prineville had lots of good stores, so we stocked up on things we forgot or lost. The owner of a local laundromat offered to do our laundry for $ per bag, so we loaded up a bag with our stuff all mixed together and had it back in an hour. It was great to get a real wash, not just the sink treatment.

Day 3 Welches to Kah-nee-ta

Day 3 began cold and cloudy. We had breakfast at the Whistle Stop restaurant just down the road. I had eggs, oatmeal, and French toast. I am trying to not overeat, but also not run out of fuel. It may be a tough balance. We will see if I get hungrier as we go.

The ride began with a monster climb of over 2500 feet in eleven miles. This was the first sustained climb, and I was not sure how I would handle it after having not ridden much the last week of school. It was about 40 degrees and clammy. We could not see Mt Hood due to the clouds, but toward the top it started peeking through. We were climbing one of the ridges leading away from the mountain itself, and reached an altitude of just over 4000 ft. We had a quick SAG at the top, but nobody hung around due to the chill. I descended quickly , only to be faced by another 1000 foot climb. Again it was cold, but the sun was coming out. The next miles were some of the most delightful I have ever done. The sun was out, Mt Hood appeared in my rear view mirror, and the temp was absolutely delightful in the low 60’s.


I have finally begun to feel strong, and was able to really roll up the mountain grades today. My favorite thing is being able to push hard, and then recover. Thanks again to all my randonneuring practice rides. It gives me the absolute confidence that I will not run out of steam as long as I have eaten well and keep well hydrated.

A long descent brought me out onto the high desert, and onto the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. A final corkscrew dive into a box canyon brought me to the gambling resort of Kah-nee-ta. A steep little climb took us to the lodge overlooking the canyons. The resort was plush, but I had a little problem with our room. I am one of a few triple occupancy groups, and we should have gotten the largest rooms. I had been in one of the other riders’ rooms and had seen the size. When our room was finally ready, I noticed that it was about 4 feet smaller in each dimension, and clearly too small for the three of us , a cot, and our bikes. I asked the desk clerk if we could switch, and she said that the rooms were all the same size. I went back to the other guy’s room, and saw that there were clearly 4 feet more between the end of the bed and the wall than our room provided, so I headed back up to the desk, and again plead my case. She finally relented, and switched our room to one of the double occupancy groups that had not yet arrived. I never knew why it was such an issue, nor why they had not right away given us a larger room, but we spent a restful night in our larger room.

Our routine: Ilkka usually arrives to the motels first and checks in. I arrive next, bring my luggage to the room, and take a shower right away. It is really important not to hang around in riding clothes any longer that necessary so as not to get skin infections, etc. We try to wash out our riding clothes in the sink and hang them out to dry. It is nice if the room has a balcony with a railing, and Kah-nee-ta is so equipped, with desert-dry air for good measure.

Day 2 St Helens to Welches

Day 2 started out clear and brisk. The temps were in the upper 50’s, and there was a fresh breeze from the NW. We had a really flat morning, and made good speed down to the outskirts of Portland. The first big adventure was to cross the Columbia River on an older bridge. The only path for cyclists was a walkway along the rail. It was not too bad by itself, but at the towers, the sidewalk circled around the huge columns to the outside, and there was not a lot of extra room. I managed the first without putting my foot down, but chose to at least unclip my shoe for the second one, just in case. I made it without undue difficulty.

The first SAG for the day was at a nice park in North Portland, and I had my usual banana and granola bar. I don’t hang around the stops for very long, for I have learned the value of short, quick stops from my randonneuring rides. We next left the roads for a bike trail, except the trail kept feeding back out to the roads for brief distances. The trail finally ended east of Portland’s smaller airport. (we had already passed Portland International) We headed South, and uphill from the Columbia toward the town of Welches, near Mt. Hood. I mainly rode with Sara, who has the distinction of keeping the best blog, and Mike, who also rides a recumbent. Along the way some of us stopped at a hamburger place called Calamity Jane’s. I had a huge “pizza burger” that was so big, I couldn’t even come close to finishing it. After lunch, we quickly made it to the Resort at the Mountain on the foothills of Mt Hood. I lost about 200 pictures that covered the stretch from the bike trail to Calamity Jane’s, but the rest turned out. The GPS worked well.

We had dinner at a Chinese restaurant near the resort, and then turned in for an early start.

Day 1 Astoria to St. Helens

We began the day at the Holiday Inn Express, right under the end of the big bridge that crosses the Columbia River from Astoria. We had spent the night there after spending the Sunday afternoon attending several sessions for meeting the other ride participants, learning the logistics of group riding, and safety considerations. We also took a short 25 mile ride to the coast for a “wheel dipping” ceremony. My roommates are John Stuart from New Jersey, and Ilkka Suvanto from Massachusetts.


I think my bike survived the salt water OK. At last we were actually in the Pacific proper, as opposed to just the Columbia River.







Our first official duty was to line up for a group photo with the big bridge in the background.

We rode out in a long string of riders, all wearing the America By Bicycle (referred to from now on as ABBike) Jerseys. The weather was very cool and cloudy during the morning. The route was mostly flat to rolling with a few steeper climbs that I had noticed as I drove to Astoria from Portland a day earlier. I was really slow going up a the longest hill, but recovered quickly. I was taking a picture every couple hundred meters with my camera mounted on my bike, but had to trigger each one manually since I could not get to a Radio Shack for a few needed parts for the remote trigger.

Our first SAG stop was at a nice park overlooking the Columbia River. I had a banana and a granola bar, stocked up on Gatorade, slathered some more sunblock, and headed out again. The best surprise for the day was reaching the top of the next-to-last hill and realizing it had been the last and biggest hill we would have to ride. I topped 45 mph going down the other side to the next SAG.

After some easy flat miles, we reached our first destination, the town of St. Helens. We were too early to check in, so we swamped the sandwich shop next door. I ordered a French Dip sandwich, but they were out of roast beef, so I had ham instead. After checking in, I walked down the road to a Radio Shack, where I bought the small switch I needed for my camera trigger. I quickly soldered it into my system, and presto, I had a way to trigger my camera without letting go of the handlebar. I had decided to not use the timer, since that had resulted in a rather artificial selection of route photos. It was much more effective to manually trigger them as needed, and it had become second nature. I don’t have to even think in order to do it.

Dinner was at a restaurant just up the road. Pasta, potatoes, etc. Pretty much standard fare for a buffet.

Riding for Science

Welcome to the web account of my Coast to Coast bicycle ride! My name is Jim Lehman, and I am a physics teacher from Richmond Virginia. This blog will let you follow my adventure as I ride my recumbent bicycle across the United States. I am doing this for several reasons:

1. I am riding as a challenge to myself as I celebrate my 50th birthday
2. I am compiling data on a daily basis which I will use as the focal point of classroom lessons in physics and GIS, two of the subjects that I teach at Mills Godwin High School
3. I have restless leg syndrome, and this seemed like a good way to treat it! Really, I just like to ride, especially long distances
4. I missed out on a coast-to-coast ride back in my youth, and never got over it

Each day, you will find an narrative account of the day's ride, some pictures, and some mapping information based on data from my GPS. One innovative element is my intent to capture images every 15 seconds of my journey, and assemble them into a movie, which has never been done yet according to internet searches.

Here is a picture of my "cockpit" showing my GPS, digital camera, and controls.


My equipment includes:

1. Bicycle: Easy Racers Tour Easy recumbent; 27 speeds, set up for hills rather than speed
2. GPS: Garmin GPSMap 76CS color display, barometric altimeter, mapping software, using MotionBased data service for analysis of each ride segment
3. Camera: Olympus Stylus 410 digital. The only waterproof digital camera with remote control and external power capabilities. Camera is powered by 4 "D" nickel metal hydride batteries so it can run all day. 1GB XD memory card to hold up to 1000 pictures per day. shutter rigged to trigger every 15 seconds using a home-built timing circuit. (See " Hacking your Digital Camera")