Tag: ryan anderson

Low And High Tides

Posted on by Ryan

Today started without breakfast as I was out of food supplies but knowing Dune City was just 4 miles up the road I had planned on an early cafe stop and shop. Mistake. Dune city did not have the provisions listed on the map and now I had another 16 miles to go without food, 20 in total. I was already Hank Marvin when I woke up so this did not make me a happy bunny. Thankfully a road marking along the way kept me going.

I passed through the ghost town of Gardiner before entering Reedsport where I would finally have breakfast. These places were grim and in stark contrast to the previous Oregon towns so far. I know not everywhere can be shiny, happy and affluent but these places just seemed to be decaying. The type of place that only the industry workers would live, but the industry had died. It was inland on the small river bays away from the glorious coastal views I had been accustomed too recently. The sky was grey, the buildings were grey, I think the air was even grey.

My mood wasn’t helped too much when I arrived in North Bend, coming over the bridge into town a guy in a blue pickup drove up on the white line and shouted at me for riding on the bridge, I was furious. Needing to regroup I located some coffee, disaster struck as my handlebar bag, unbalanced, fell sideways knocking my 16oz on the floor to surrounding public amusement. I felt like calling it a day and I stayed in North Bend until 3pm with 30 very hilly miles to go. The ACA maps had you come off 101 which seemed strange and go over Seven Devils Road, a Devil for each of the steep climbs to overcome. When I arrived at the biker camp in Bandon I was cyclist number 10, not much in the mood for chat I bought some Floridian cyclists beers then hit the hay.

I woke up with renewed enthusiasm the following morning and hit the road super early for a nice breakfast with options assured in Bandon. I parked my bike on the side of a cafe so Eal would see it, the women came out screaming she had just planted things on that patch, just looked like sand! Dragging my bike off with the rear wheel still locked I had tangled the cable up between cassette and spokes. 10 minutes and filthy hands later it was removed but I didn’t feel like eating breakfast there any more so found another spot.

After I started riding I heard a huge pop, a flat tyre. Huge rooftacs had been sprinkled in the shoulder, nasty. I caught up with Eal to find he had a flat from the same things, his first in the US. He managed to get a second heading into the next town from a staple then a third shortly after and I a second. 5 flats!! In Port Orford I saw a genuinely homeless cyclists with a dog and sign that said ‘Any food helps’. Looking to the cycling gods for mercy I road over to him and gave him my freshly restocked bread, peanut butter and jam. He was ecstatic and shared it with his buddies, we talked briefly before I hit the library. I was feeling chirpy again and read a great email of Flavia which helped immeasurably, still missing her being around and probably why I have struggled to see the brighter side in situations as normal the past day or so. That afternoon things did pick up, I ignored ACA today and stuck with the 101, wide, clean and flat shoulder :-).

In Gold Beach we met with a guy called Clifford riding the coast. He said the RV Park appeared closed and we decided to split a cheap motel room 3 ways.

Clifford up and left early the next morning to tackle the nasty looking climbs between here and Crescent City. The ride would take us into our final state, California. I was looking forward to seeing what northern California had to offer having covered just about every other inch of the state south of  Sonoma. What I found was a more rural California, charming and pretty country roads that could be mistaken for France and as many blackberries as you could shake a stick at. I gorged on them throughout the day. Clifford reconvened with us  at the campsite, a wonderful spot right on the beach. Sea Lions barked all night long but its hard to get angry at those goofy guys.

Waking to a sopping wet tent from the wet mist that was tumbling in from the ocean we all packed up, fingers numb. I had almost every layer of riding gear on which is saying something, I’m usually good with cold. I had visions of Flavia riding in her sleeping bag, holes through the bottom for her legs. The road out of Crescent City was an instant climb of around 1500 feet. Within half a mile I had stopped and stripped down to just jersey, amazing how quickly you can warm up.  It was Eals birthday! and at the top of the climb was a great wooden lodge cafe where I bought him a special birthday breakfast. The entire morning was spent riding through huge redwoods, my lense isn’t wide enough to do them justice but they were phenomenal, I inhaled lung after lung of the warm bark smell

Destination for the evening was Arcata where we would be taking a day off tomorrow in the small college town which had been recommended to us by a few people. The roads at time in the afternoon was nothing more than single lane of crumbling sand and rock, cars were still driving on it. Getting annoyed with ACA we jumped back on the nice wide shouldered 101 and hit town. To our dismay we pulled up in front of the motel we had reserved to see it completely shutdown. Apparently it had moved and the address not updated everywhere. We found it and had a few beers and then ice cream from Arcata scoop where Flavia had told us to visit. We found the following day she had left card details and our descriptions so we would get some free ice cream, best girl! Unfortunately they realised at the point of purchase they were missing a zip code. The gesture alone was sweet enough though.

The day off in Arcata was spent doing laundry, grocery shopping then hitting town in the afternoon to check out the campus, go hippy watching at the town plaza, of which there were hundreds in town and hit the brewery. A quirky place for sure, we later found it was the marijuana harvest coming up so they congregated here yearly to pitch in, funny.


Pacific Coasting

Posted on by Ryan

After hopping off the train at Kelso we road a short 20 miles that evening to a campground, it was dead, the water was not drinkable and I didn’t bother with a shower, still feeling down after Seattle I slid into my tent early and went to sleep, not an easy night. The next day would see us finally hit the coast in the town of Astoria. The place has lots of history particularly in film, being the location of The Goonies, Free Willy and a long list of others. Around the docks in town you can find hordes of Sea Lions chilling out making their goofy sounds, great watching. I also realised how difficult it is to tell Seals and Sea lions apart. The easiest way to know is if they have ear holes or ear flaps, the latter being a Sea Lion like the lad featured in my picture below. There all Pinnipeds regardless.

The salt in the cold sea air instantly triggered thoughts of home, fish & chips for lunch, no mushy peas unfortunately. The route took us inland slightly before bringing us back out into a beach town a mile away from the campground for the evening so we decided to hang around in town a while before finishing up for the night. After a hot shower I sat in the steamy room for a good 30 minutes with my phone plugged in so that I could get some charge to make calls.


We emerged from our tents tents and checked the breakfast situation the next morning on the maps. Cannon Beach wasn’t too far away so we could ride until then. It was a very well pointed postcard town, I had the best pastry breakfast, bear claw + dohnut. The towns main attraction was the rock haystacks that stood out in the sea, after making our way down some steep hills for beach access I took my shoes off and waded along the sand to get a closer picture.

Magnificent riding all day, just how I had remembered from my days riding on the Oregon coast previously. Steep climbing up high onto the cliffs always rewarded by stunning overlooks. We ended the ride in Pacific City, almost a carbon copy town of Cannon beach. Spectacular sunset sat outside a small brewery whilst playing fetch with a dog. Lifes a beach.

From Pacific to Newport the pattern was much the same, blessed with tailwinds and sunshine. Impossibly perched homes on top of rugged cliff-tops, the waves crashed up a hundred feet with every swell, simply epic riding and clear enough to pretend you could see Japan.

The Oregon state parks along the coast are great, all $5 for bikers with a guaranteed spot and hot showers. By the time we had arrived in Newport hit the brewery and made our way to the park a heavy sea fog had rolled in. Cold, damp night ahead. A guy pitched next to us came over to let us know he was getting up at 4am for work and apologised in advance in-case he woke us up, strange. Too bad for him some kids disco that night raged on until around 10, the kids sliding on there knees type. He was trying to go for kip around 8pm, hard lines pal.

Super cold morning with the fog still lurking around. Looking at a 2-3 day plan on the maps to see what towns line up it was nice to find today would be a short 45 miles to Florence. A special place for me, that’s where I finished the TransAm. So I raced on ahead so I had some time to spend in the nice historic district.

I had lunch at a small bakery then went to the cosiest coffee shop right on the river to get some long overdue blog action going. Eal found me several hours later as the heart palpitations from too much caffeine began to kick. We rolled up the road a few miles to another state park biker spot amongst a huge circle off trees. Later that evening we were joined by and older guy from Maine and an Irish guy who I think was pretty drunk, unless he was just generally bleary. Camp notices mentioned a recent bear in the park so no food in tents, in the middle of the night some mammal snagged itself on my rear tent rope tugging it downwards, not bear sized though, more like fat raccoon  Still had me eyes wide open for a good hour with held breath before I nodded off again.

Florence Flashback #1

Portland & Seattle Rest Up

Posted on by Ryan

After so many weeks riding bikes the next would be spent taking time off to drink some brews eat good food and have fun with friends. Pretty much the same as whilst riding then just without all that pedal action. The previous evening after arriving and showering up we all went to see Helio Sequence in downtown, Portland natives who me and Eal have both liked for a while.

The first rest day in Portland, we spent most of the day at the St Johns farmers market, first eating from the vendors then helping pack up. Emily had arranged a Saturday evening BBQ with lots of people coming for what was a great night with the game of cornhole, handbuilt by Stefaan, proving to be the main attraction. No other game can boast technical phrases like  ‘sliding hole woody’ for point scoring.

I had the bike taken care of by a local shop ready to be picked up Monday, just a middle chain ring needing replaced. We had a great few days spent almost exclusively in the St Johns neighbourhood becoming temporary citizens to the point we couldn’t walk down Lombard without being greeted by a bunch of new friends we had made. Including Kim and Derek owners of The Olive & Vine shop who invited us round their place Sunday evening for dinner after Derek had just being victorious in a dance off at local bingo! I immediately connected with Derek when he told me of the years he had spent studying in York, so close to home! He spent time travelling via rail during his time, so was very familiar with Darlington, Newcastle even Scarborough. The latter he was able to say in the most perfect Teesside accent, “Scarbrah”. So funny.

Whilst in Portland I had booked some train tickets to head north for Seattle so we could spend some time with Flavia, she had just arrived herself! Good job Flavvy! We rode to the Amtrak station which allowed bicycles in the luggage cart for an extra $5. Portland is actually only a days ride from the coast but we are in no hurry to see the Pacific as we will have just under 1000 miles of riding down the coast to San Fransisco after Seattle.

I was beyond excited to see Flavia again, she met us at the station with her super happy face I have missed so much since Whitefish. We rode back to her sisters apartment where we will all be staying. The next few days in Seattle Flavia gave us the guided tour of the city she grew up in, its great to see a city via bicycle. We crammed so much into our few days it would take a while to list everything we did so the pictures can tell their own story. We decided we would take a train down to Kelso and then ride out to the coast from there leaving Seattle.

I found saying goodbye to Flavvy at the train station incredibly difficult not knowing when we will meet again especially as I head to the southern hemisphere in a few short weeks. I had a lump in my throat as the train pulled away, it felt like my heart had been pressed through a mangle, I was overcome this way as I road away from my Mums back in May but I can scarcely think of another situation other than bicycle touring in which you could know somebody for just a few weeks and get so close. She will always be a very special friend and one that I’m grateful to serendipity for throwing my way. Thank you for putting yourself out on Guffy in the middle of nowhere USA Flavia, total adoration. The world needs riboflavin ryeboflavin so a future meet is not desire its a requirement. Miss you lots like jelly tots.













In Meriwether’s Footsteps

Posted on by Ryan

From Kooskia we rode out on highway 12, not strictly the best way for bicycles and certainly not the way adventure cycling would have you go. Labor day traffic was making its way home too so lots of trailers and boats that got close enough to almost make me look like Vincent Van Gogh.

It was still great riding along the same Columbia river that carried Lewis & Clark with the rest of the corps of discovery and trying to picture there faces as we carved around each bend, happy just to have mountains at their back I guess. We arrived in the aptly named twin towns of Lewiston, ID and Clarkston, WA which marked our first entry into Washington state. We killed some hours in town so not to arrive at the campsite too early which was a further 6 miles down river. We were joined that night by 2 more cyclists who split the cost of one space with us to make it a cheap deal all round. Showers took quarters, 50 cent for 3 minutes. I was done in 2 which taught me how efficient I can be, fast hands.

We had a scheduled date to arrive in Portland to make a concert in a few days time so the ride from Clarkston to Walla Walla would be the first in a series of 85+ mile days. This meant we were reliant on the winds being favourable, our maps described them in this area as often being fierce from the west, luckily they were straight out of the east, thank you cycling gods.

Walla Walla is pretty much the US capital of onions, it was tangible in the air and visible in the fields. The only onions we would be consuming that night were the ones laden atop our pizza, I couldn’t verify whether they were local. All I know is there should be Wallabies in Walla Walla.

The scenery along the gorge which we joined shortly after leaving Walla Walla was a pleasant surprise. We were following the Lewis and Clark trail as a means to an end reaching Portland but it quickly turned into some of the most magnificent riding I have done in the US. A peach stand by the side of the road was too good to turn down on such a hot day so I pulled over to get a juicy fix. The guy only seemed interested in selling 6 at once, I was just after one. He told me I could just have one for free, I insisted on giving a dollar which he declined but I slipped it under a tray regardless.

I kept the peach until reaching the Oregon state sign and savoured it by the baking roadside, so refreshing. Almost too big to hold, the juices poured down my shirt with every bite.

Eal rejoined me shortly before we crossed back into Washington again to take the alternate side of the river. We hit a bad patch of road, recently there have been stretches of roadworks where fresh oil has had loose gravel poured over the top. Without having time to bed down it makes riding bikes a little tricky. It lasted for 5 shaky miles before we could enjoy the rest of the scenic route to crow butte (crow butt) state park. The shower was out of service tonight but the Columbia river was inviting enough to take a dip, warm too!

The ACA maps highlighted a stretch of 80 miles with limited services, a quick peanut butter & jelly sandwich with bananas would have to fuel me until the first town on route, Roosevelt. Rolling into town after putting down around 30 miles there was no guarantee of a good meal, most places seemed closed until we reached the last place in town, a mini mart with a quite splendid cafe area inside.

By recommendation of the other cyclists in the logbook I ordered the breakfast burrito, incredible. What a gem, the women who served us told us how all the cyclists are delighted to find that place, unsurprising. We bolted on with tailwinds again for what would be a 115 mile day. Me and Eal got separated for about 70 miles after I passed up going half a mile off route to a gas station which he had taken after me. Stunning riding again along the gorge, I had mount hood as the backdrop all afternoon. He caught up as we began to ride through a series of small tunnels, they each have a button to press for bicyclists to warn drivers but they are so small I stopped pressing it after the first few.

Camping was by the river (took another dip) again in a really small county park for free! I got to talk with Flavia for a while on the phone which was great to check her progress. We had already bought wine for the evening however and older motorcycle guy in the spot next to us bought a 6 pack of beers and gave me and Eal 2 each to share with him, cheers hombré! I almost feel guilty when I catch myself taking that kind of generosity for granted, American friendliness is seemingly insurmountable.

With the promise of several rest days waiting for us we blitzed towards Portland the next morning where we would be staying with my friend Emily and also meeting up with more friends from my TransAm trip, Stefaan and Tara. The winds blew us along nicely down the gorge with only a fleeting stop for lunch at a Safeway followed by and overdue haircut at Supercuts! Cheap and cheerful.

The evergreen highway along the Washington side of the river was in pretty bad condition for the last the last 10 miles before crossing back into Oregon, dodging cracks and potholes as we rolled. Eventually we made it to a bike path that ran down the centre of the interstate over the Columbia. A very disorientating experience with 3 lanes of traffic whizzing by in opposite directions. Once into Portland I recognised street names and followed my memory along Lombard towards the St Johns neighbourhood. It was great to be back again seeing all the familiar places and faces! Stefaan and Emily met us at a bar for a post ride drink catch up. We now have a few days off the bikes here then a few more hopefully up in Seattle with La Flavster.

 

Divided And United

Posted on by Ryan

Breakfast in Whitefish, sad happy times. I got some monstrous pancakes which I cleverly devised a well in the middle of to hold maple syrup for dunking. Appetites satisfied it was ride time, this is where Flavia splits from us. I held up emotions pretty good as we hugged goodbye knowing we get to meet up again in a few weeks but as soon as we started riding I was bummed out, face like a bulldog all day long. Poor Flavvy having to go tackle all those nasty looking climbs in Washington on her lonesome, she made it this far so she can handle it for sure but I’m going to miss her company so much. People continually ask me what my favourite part of the ride has been in the US so far, I had been saying riding the Mississippi, thats changed to riding with Flavia.

Thankfully I had the best possible evening ahead to pick my spirits up. Rather ironically as I said goodbye to one riding partner today I would reunite with Cooper from the TransAm as he was driving back home to Minneapolis (remember I stayed with his sister Elsie). This also reminded me that I have revisited Wim and Joe too this summer, a good record for meeting up with friends again.

Coop met us at a bar in Poulsen with his buddy Alan, we had a great night sharing beers and pizza. Just generally catching up and laughing hard at our stories from Virginia and Kentucky, great time.

We said goodbye to Coop and Alan as they joked about the long mileage they have sitting in their car today. Me and Eal left town on a great bike path that lasted for a good 20 miles before we joined a narrow road with heavy traffic. The mountain range on our left made for an incredible view, I couldn’t help but think about the mountain bikers riding the divide along that thing, crazy.

I was hit by another flat around 15 miles before Missoula, again it was just a small sharp stone which had penetrated the rubber and kevlar, the tyre needed replacing, it was pretty worn, luckily Missoula has about 6 bike shops! Once in town we first hit the Adventure cycling office to the warmest of welcomes. We were given a full tour of the new office space, had our picture taken for the hall of fame and spoke with co-founder Greg Siple for a while who eventually weighed our bikes fully loaded on his fish hook scale. Both were almost identical at 88lbs. Greg also got us a feature on the local college radio show ‘One for the road’ on our rest day.

That evening my phone decided to melt itself in my hand so after getting our bikes booked in at a shop we walked several miles down to a cell phone repair shop that told me it was irreparable! They had a number of second hand sets though so I managed to get a decent replacement that could take my sim card. The radio show that evening was so much fun, we talked travel, our trip and got to pick some tunes! 🙂 Kevin the DJ joined us afterwards in a bar to talk some more about his travels, he has covered some ground for sure.

Missoula is a great town, Saturday morning meant farmers market too, right outside the Adventure cycling headquarters. It was time to get back on the road though with a steady but gentle climb up to Lolo pass, I knew it was gentle because this is a section I have ridden before on the TranAm and I was excited to ride it again. Initial headwinds gave way once in amongst the mountains. It was beautiful forest riding all the way up to the pass which also acts as the Idaho state line and Pacific timezone crossing. Another hour gained we plummeted down the other side for 10 super fast miles to our campspot for the evening behind the small store at the Lochsa Lodge. We were joined by a fellow Brit called Richard heading east and shared a few brews in the lodge bar after nomming down a campstove dinner.

Breakfast at the Lochsa lodge that next morning was just a great as I remembered from the last time. The view out the window was a little concerning, forest fires have been really bad in the area recently. Highway 12 which we are on all day was almost closed yesterday as the active fire came within 1/4 mile of the road.

I set out first knowing we had a gently downhill 90 mile day ahead but with very limited services. 45 miles I stopped for the first time to take a break as the smoke start to sting my eyes and I could feel it on my chest. A women told me leaving the lodge it would be bad for 15 miles then ok which is the reason I continued riding so long without stopping but It still hadn’t eased up. It wasn’t until around 25 miles before Kooskia that the air felt clear again. All my clothes smelt as though they had been hanging over a coal fire all day (better than usual?). Me an Eal eventually synced up just before Kooskia and got the tents pitched under the small park shelter. I had remembered from my last camp in the park sprinklers were hidden everywhere so grass was out of the question tonight.

 

Mountains Of Fun

Posted on by Ryan

I had expected a change in scenery several days ago leaving Havre, Bob told me that we were on the cusp of the transition towards trees, mountains, greenery, the rockies! Still nothing had really changed and I was starting to wonder if someone had moved them. Breakfast is a big deal for our little trio, we almost always make time for a first and second breakfast, recently I’ve been going for the pancakes, adding the blueberry option where possible.

We had a reasonably short ride to Cut Bank in order to line up tomorrows destination and avoid a stopover in Browning which we had been strongly advised against. The campground was sweet, nice showers and wifi is always welcome. Flavia rolled up quite distressed, she had lost her beloved orange sweater that she purchased in Fargo to help with her thermal issues. I told her a small mammal by the road would now be using it for warmth, that seemed to help. We cooked up some food and had a few Ninkasi beers whilst playing, the now nightly round of, hangman and sketchgame on Flavorings iPad.

There was some rain around the next morning, we hit the gas station for a quick breakfast eager to make some ground up early as we headed towards Glacier. I had some trouble with the creamer machine for my coffee. There was no obvious button to dispense milk but there was a filled teat hanging down like a cows udder, I squeezed the teat. The milk came out but so did the gas station lady to tell me off. 🙁

The area between Cut Bank and East Glacier was part of the Blackfeet Indian reservation. Those guys even had a bad rep 200 years ago, apparently they still do. The previous warnings about the town of Browning however seemed a little misguided. We stopped at the grocery store and had brief conversations with a few friendly locals. There were a bunch of forest fires around that hazed the view of in the distance but leaving Browning we could see the rockies for sure, an amazing sight.

The scenery still refused to change up until a mile before East Glacier, then suddenly, trees, trees and more trees! I haven’t seen forest for weeks on end, I pulled over at the first gas station elated. We trucked on up over Marias Pass which marks a continental divide and coasted several glorious miles towards Glacier Meadows campground.

I crawled out of my tent/burrow the next morning to be told I look like a prairie dog as usual by Flavia. There was some sadness in the air though, today would be her last day riding with us as she continues west to Seattle and we make a detour south west for Missoula, then Portland. If we hadn’t already scheduled and made plans we could have continued to Seattle and then went south afterwards. We will have time to spare at the end of the trip so this way we will get to go up to Seattle in a few weeks and have a big happy reunion.

The riding, stopovers, food, beer, laughs made the day to Whitefish probably the best days riding in the US. Not only was the scenery magnificent, we got to have second breakfast at a wonderful lodge, take a dip in the ice cold rivers, arrive in Whitefish just as the farmers market vendors opened up and then hit the brewery in town. The trouble with the blog is its just a summary of the days events to line up with pictures. Almost the entire ride is lost in the posts. So you will just have to believe me when I say it was amazing, also Flavia managed to fall over sideways whilst stationary clipped into her pedals, didn’t want to miss that detail out.

I talked about lifer friends when we left Joe’s in Pitts. Going through school and work you inevitabley get bunched with similarly like minded people and make lots of great friends, the pool is pretty big, you were more likley to meet them and how lucky I am to have so many great friends that I wish I could see now even just for a drink at the end of a ride, Doug, Lewy, Luke, Ben, Jack, Nate, Coop and everyone else!

Bicycle touring, the pool is much smaller. You could go weeks without seeing anybody else and when you do the chances are you might talk for a few minutes or ride together for a day and part ways. Maybe you ride a little farther together and keep in touch. If you cover enough miles and discover many new people with a bit of luck you might come across a Flavia Chen. Fiercly intelligent, super generous and caring but still a total goofball, simply a beautiful person and most certainly a lifer. I am already counting the days until Seattle, she has to make it there herself first!

You Wind Some You Lose Some

Posted on by Ryan

I failed to take a picture of the ride to Glasgow (glasscow). The shoulder was erratic all day with really bad truck traffic. At one point on a downhill a gust blew me so hard I went into the gravel which sloped off the side. I managed to stay on the bike but I immediatley stopped to make sure Eal and Flavia had safely passed through the sketchy section.

We arrived in decent enough time to hit the library for a while then dine out for   a change. Not a bad joint either, I had a pasta dish that was long overdue complemented by a drop of vino before we hit the tents.

Riding to Malta we managed to dodge nasty looking rain clouds throughout the morning and had a second breakfast at a rest area. The afternoon winds blasted us from the front. Eal burrowed his head and trucked on impressively, I could see Flavvy was less than amused by the conditions so we employed some drafting tactics to ensure the group arrived in once piece, I didn’t want a repeat of the Tappen/Steele day. Besides bad jokes aside, I enjoy her company whilst riding and we eventually made it to Malta with a free camp in the city park. We cooked up dinner together and shared a few beers that Flavvy bought as a thanks for the afternoon support.

The winds were kinder the next day as we targeted Chinook, kind enough for us to regroup and think we could shoot farther to Havre. The cycling gods or maybe just the ‘East Glacier Front’ as one local put it, turned on us. In the blink of an eye the tailwinds turned to strong gusty headwinds. A repeat of yesterday afternoons headwinds, Eal trucked on whilst I drafted with Flavarillo. We stayed focussed thinking up puns with the town name Havre (pronounced Have-er), eventually making it to find Eal slumped and beat outside a gas station. It adjoined an RV park and we scored a shower for $5 before heading over to the park in town to camp for free. Whilst cooking up tea in the park some homeless and visibly drunk people came up to us. They were non threatening, offering us good wishes and prayers. It was a difficult situation to handle, extremely sad and unsettling. Flavia is and incredibly compassionate person and she comforted one of the women who was terribly upset by her predicament. She probably wont like me saying it was touching, but  she is a very gentle caring person and I am thankful to have her in our company.

The next morning we had a slow start. Over breakfast we watched the flags outside waving violently in the wrong direction. We made the desicion to do some laundry and see how the wind conditions develop. Laundry done we hit the grocery store. If anything the headwinds had worsened. So badly infact that my fully loaded bike lent against a wall was blown over! Its then we decided to ‘Havre’ rest day rather than battle through winds all day and make little progress.

As we were leaving the store to find somewhere to bunker down a guy at the service desk called us over. It turned out to be Bob and he lived in town, he immediately offered us a place to stay in his basement. His boss drove us up to his place in her pickup with the bikes in the back, Bob was working till 10pm and we had the whole afternoon to fill. Fill it we did with awesome pizza making followed by brownies! Hands down best pizza of the trip. We ended the day with wine whilst me and Flavsome enjoyed a few episodes of Arrested Development, too funny!

We hadn’t seen Bob that evening when he got in but he was up for breakfast that Flavia had rustled up, eggs in a nest. It was fun talking with Bob about his previous tales of putting up random strangers, in some case cyclists at his place over the years, great guy.

About 20 miles into the ride we stopped at a lonely looking cafe/bar for second breakfast. There were a bunch of home nation football shirts hanging around, turned out the owner was from London. At the moment I can see towns 10-20 miles off in the distance before reaching them, it helps keep focus and I think makes me ride faster. Also spotted the rockies on the horizon for the first time, covering ground now.

Continuing from the previous Havre jokes, the days destination Galata was just as pun worthy. Me and Flavvy spent the last 10 or so miles exchanging terrible puns like…”We’re guna have Galata fun tonight!”. Possibly one of those, you had to be there jokes, I thought it was funny and I was there, in Galata! Camping behind an unmanned motel with the back door left open for shower access. Strange joint but it worked for a cheap nights kip.

 

The Shower Free Three

Posted on by Ryan

Leaving Bismarck via bike path early the next morning was super cold to the point I was riding with one hand on bars and the other stuffed inside my jacket, switching as the exposed hand began to turn white. We all ended up buying some cheap gloves at the first gas station of the day. Gloves in the middle of August! Whats more ridiculous is that a few hours later we would be lathering in suncream again.

We didn’t have a solid destination for the evening so after a map session later in the day Flavia remembered an eastbounder had told her of an Abbey in Richardton that allows cyclists to stay. She called up and squared the deal, perfect! On route we scored some free country music CD’s despite the fact neither of us have drives to play them. I then struck up a round of “The Elevation Game” in which my co-riders must guess the current elevation given by the Garmin, closest wins. What a wild bunch we are! The abbey turned out to be a great nights free camping, no showers again however but we all smell as bad as each other so its no issue.

Father Otto had greeted us the previous evening at the Abbey and came over in the morning to say goodbye and wish us safe travels. We rolled out early again for a quick gas station breakfast in which we were offered jobs on a local farm, maybe see how Australia goes first. The ride to Medora produced an epic scenery change from the flat grassy plains. We pulled off road to see the painted canyon and then continued into the North Dakota badlands on the southern unit of the Teddy Roosevelt national park. Medora is and awesome little tourist town, we shared onion rings and a beer to celebrate the great ride then headed to the campground on the edge of town for a long overdue shower (I think it had been 4 days) and laundry.

We made the easy desicion to head into Medora town for a cafe breakfast. The guy/owner working the kitchen didn’t seem too impressed with us using his power outlets to charge phones. The nice waitress tried to redeem with happy smiles and we informed her we planned on ordering enough food to justify some free power juice.

The day was clear and hot, we rolled out along an old railway track as the scenery gradually turned back into an empty landscape. We had to rejoin the freeway for the last stretch into the elegantly named Glendive which took us into another new state, Montana. After finding a suitable watering hole for a quick post-ride bottle of blue moon we navigated flavigated our way to the RV campground listed on our maps. The place was pretty run down with no obvious spot for tents except a patch of scruffy grass in the corner by the railway track. The site had no water spigot nevermind shower or toilet facilities. Flavski managed to call the owner to check what the deal was, she told us we could stay for free if we really wanted to so stay we did! If we had been travelling alone this would have made for a desperately poor spot to stay for the night, but as the bugs started biting and the busy train line kept honking we all looked at each other and burst into laughter. Its amazing what you can make of a bad situation in good company.

Nobody wanted to hang around at the campsite any longer than we needed the next morning so coffee in town was the days first agenda. Actually for Flavia it was a restroom, she bemoans the fact me an Eal can just roll over to a tree to take a leak. I found her some good spots for privacy but she refused thus spending the whole night and following morning desperate for the loo!

The riding post Glendive took us onto an Indian reservation. The eastern Montana reservations have a bad reputation for gambling, alcoholism and obesity. When we eventually arrived at Wolf Point it was clear why. Just people watching by the gas station things seemed quite sad and depressing. Camping in the city park was on the cards and we had been told to lock our bikes up for sure. It turned out to be a pleasant evening, no shower but plenty of good eats as Flavvy once again shared her pantry to combine with our meals  making some nice combos, she is super generous.

Roughrider State

Posted on by Ryan

It was immediately obvious on the morning leaving Fargo that our planned 4 day blitz across North Dakota was probably a little unlikely. Firstly we had a super leisurely breakfast then went across to a coffee shop to wait on the bike shop opening so Eal and Flavia could score some new tyres. We then navigated to the west half of Fargo to seek out a Walmart for groceries and a sporting goods store so Flavia could buy more warm clothes…

I don’t recall what time we actually started riding but the days destination had  already been shortened a great deal to the settlement of Tower City. In North Dakota its legal to ride on the interstate, for people back home that’s the equivalent to the A1. As services are so limited across the state we had decided on the advice of several eastbounders to come off the northern tier for a few days and stick on the freeway where stops and small towns were roughly 30 miles apart rather than 70.

On arrival in Tower city we setup camp behind a motel which offered a shower into the bargain and hit the gas station, only source of food in the area, for some ice cream and talked about how lousy the freeway riding had been. The shoulder is huge by its very monotonous with nothing in the way of conversation possible. Each exit ramp also causes a problem as you have to check for traffic and skip over a lane across the deep rumble strips.

The following morning we returned to the gas station as it was adjoined by a decent little cafe which was serving up some mean looking breakfasts to the truckers stopping by. Heading to Jamestown, ND we had checked with some locals about possible respite from the freeway by taking some of the small roads that run alongside it for a while. We came off for around 15 miles before the roads turned to gravel and we had to rejoin the freeway. Many of the small roads in the area just have loose gravel thrown down to reduce future maintenance and costs.

Me and Eal arrived in Jamestown a little before Flavvy so we hit the library where we met up later on. She had been to the Frontier Village attraction in town which she later visited again to give us the guided tour! It was a neat little attraction with old buildings transported and rebuilt similar to the olde town street at Preston park back home. They also boasted the worlds largest buffalo, see picture below…

After we located the campground on the edge of town I spotted the park office had a football! The lady let me borrow it for a while and me and Eal went over to the large grassy area to ping it around, first time I had kicked a ball in about 12 weeks, still got it.

The fog leaving our Jamestown camp spot the next day was horrific.Hi viz tops all round, it was made all the more uncomfortable given we were riding on the interstate again. Thankfully the sun burnt through after a couple hours and we stopped for a second breakfast in the tiniest town cafe. An older couple had gotten talking to us and said they were from Defiance, OH as if we had never heard of it, we rode through Defiance! They were delighted and wished us luck. Unfortunately our luck abandoned us. Flavvy had been checking weather on her iPad as a big weather front moved its way in with very strong winds and storms forcast in the next few hours. The sky ahead looked grim enough for me to pull into a rest area where there was at least benches, shelter, free maps! and a vending machine. You can ride 20-30 miles without seeing a rock out here so its wise to make use of shelter when you see it rather than gamble getting caught in it.

The wind was so strong that the 10 miles to the rest area was brutal, sadly flavvy had stopped at the opposite side freeway rest area about 2 miles back. We stayed in contact via phone and resolved to have another shorter than planned day to Steele. Me and Eal trucked on into winds another 12 or so miles to Tappen after the skies brightened a touch. Then finally slugged on lowest gears up the freeway to Steele, ND. We had squared another good camp deal, inc shower behind a motel in town for $5 when Flavia text me to say she had made it to Tappen but was going no further in the wind today and would meet us in Steele the next day for breakfast. I joked me an eal were going to the bar to get drunk, I joked…:s

The bar in town was called The Depot, after a bottle or two we decided one more than hit the hay, the locals were friendly and it was still reasonably early. Eal asked for a scotch and rather than pour him a double, she filled his glass! After that round we were litteraly standing of our stools to leave when the owner Tanya waltzes round wanting to talk and buy us a drink, we couldn’t refuse her generosity. I don’t think I paid for another drink the rest of the night, of which there were many, Eal even won some money in a game of pool which he put back into the bar to buy everyone a drink back. We had a great time with all the guys in The Deport, especially the bartender Tom who was heading to Bismarck tomorrow so might pass us on the road, if we can ride.

The following morning I felt ok, I had stuck to the beers. I thought the scotches Eal had moved onto could mean a slow start so I was planning on giving him my phone and maps for the ride to Bismarck and he could sleep in. Flavia caught up with us behind the motel amused by our party night in Steele. At that moment, to our surprise, Eal sprung from his tent ready to ride.

It was evident he was still going to take it slowly but the gang was back, me and Flavski road ahead, it was one road all day and we had told Eal which campground in Bismarck to head for when he arrived. There were fields of glorious sunflowers as far as the eye could see for most of the day, unexpected beauty in the middle of North Dakota. Its tricky to get riding clothes right at the moment, the mornings start frosty and cold but by 11am its super hot, I shed a layer every 30 minutes. Just outside of Bismarck, Tom from last night caught up with us! He had stopped and talked with Eal back down the road and said he was trucking through. Me and Flav had a great afternoon in Bismarck, farmers market, coffee shop then the Blarney stone pub where Tom met us for a third time after seeing our bikes outside. We road slightly misguided by Flav-Nav (I have retired from navigation duty whilst I can) to the campground and found Eal already setup ready for bed.

 

Fargo + 1

Posted on by Ryan

Leaving Elsie’s we headed back towards downtown on the Cedar creek trail which took us right by target field again and across the river to the north. Today would be off the grid again as we came off the northern tier to get here so it was a case of ride 65 miles due North on secondary roads to reach the town of Dalbo and rejoin the trail.

The Garmin juice was low so I resolved to checking maps at each gas station we stopped to verify progress and road numbers to Dalbo. The last 10 miles brought rain showers so we turned up at the legendary Adventure Bicyclists Bunkhouse dripping wet at the porch of Donn Olsen’s. He has converted an old barn on his farm to house cyclists passing by his home on the northern tier route. He is one of the other few trail angels to be given the June Curry award by the ACA for his generosity, kindness and dedication to bicycle tourists.

The bunkhouse was awesome and we even had company for the night with David and Pata, an older couple also heading west. It was funny because I had said to Eal on the way in I was expecting other bikers tonight, but had guessed Flavia from the previous week. Just an hour later Flavia did turn up!

We sat around in the bunkhouse sharing stories, Donn had some great tales from previous years, his laugh was infectious, such a great guy. He also gave us maps and information on a 100+ mile bike trail that we can take straight to Fergus Falls, I’m not sure why the northern tier doesn’t follow this but we will.

To join the long bike trail Donn had told us about we first had to get to the town of Bowlus where it picks up. The riding was glorious, flat, sunny, tailwind. Me and Eal had left the bunkhouse last that morning but arrived in Bowlus to find David, Pata and Flavia all setting up at the city park. The cafe across the street provided the ice cream and we got to spend another evening in great company including Bill an Eastbounder who could provide further advise on the road ahead, always useful. David and Pata are doing shorter mileage but me, Eal and Flavia agreed to get a super early start and shoot for Fergus Falls tomorrow which would be around 105 miles.

It was an earlier start than me and Eal had been used too, not since the Spanish wild camps had we seen the day at this hour, we broke camp with Flavia then went to the cafe for breakfast and hit the trail around 7:30. I had a good sense of progress getting the miles racked up before midday, important on a century ride. The trail was completely flat, paved with a steady flow of towns and services. It should have lent itself to fast riding but I enjoyed spending the time riding casually chatting with our new buddy. Flavia was so much fun to ride with, she spent most of the day talking in a British accent pronouncing local terms we had been teaching her.

After racking up the century the skies turned black and so did our plans for Fergus Falls. Camping options weren’t obvious, Flavia’s iPad helped us find a spot on the edge of town but it meant some backtracking and a gravel road, spirits remained intact and we pitched beside a lake at the recreation area where I finally accepted Flavia’s offer of a green pepper to go with my dinner which she insisted on giving to me the previous night. The three of us hit our tents suitably exhausted after what turned out to be a 112 mile ride, asleep before I hit the pillow.

We had camped a few miles outside Fergus Falls the previous night so made our way in town this morning where Flavia had gotten recommendations for breakfast at the Viking Cafe, great joint. We were heading for Fargo, home to one of my all time favourite movies, Fargo! Being a Sunday the roads stayed nice and quiet except for the 10am rush to church. Midway through we stopped in the small town of Brownsville, our second in Minnesota, this one was famous for Potato Days which unfortunately wasn’t for another week or two. At the small town cafe we stopped for pie and coffee when an elder guy called Arlan squared up with the waitresses to have our bill put on his tab! Hero.

We finished the ride contemplating what the bright lights of Fargo and a motel stop would have in store for us. The Howard Johnson provided accommodation, not a bad deal now the room is split 3 ways. We cleaned up and hit a local bar for food and beers. Flavia is vegetarian, on asking if they did veggie burgers the guy responded, ‘No, but our burgers are so good vegetarians would eat them’. She still got fries and salad. Me and Eal ordered a paddle of sampler beer and raised a toast to end the night with Flavski to her poppa Mickey C as it was his birthday.