Clean Jackets

It has been interesting to go through a heatwave this summer.  We have been sitting in the house as heat indices have reached 100 for several days in a row.  It is simply too hot to be outside and we have been sitting in the air conditioning trying to survive.  Then, it dawned on me.  Last summer at this time we were in much higher temperatures out in the heat biking almost every day.

So, Gina and I pulled out some pictures last night and after an interesting conversation with Jonathon about the trip. I decided I should be writing more about our trip; there is already too much that has become foggy.  It is difficult to put into words how amazing the experience was.  Several times this year out of the blue, something will jog my memory and I will turn to Gina or the kids and say, "I can't believe that we biked across the country."  With a mix of awe and pride, I get some response type of affirmative response.

We had no business taking the trip.  Without any special skill, with very limited cycling or camping experience, we were off.  A crazy idea and a little free time turns out to be the only necessary pre-conditions for a cross-country bike trip journey.  It resulted in us waking up in a parking lot of a Safeway grocery store in Astoria, Oregon 3,500 miles from home. After spending the morning putting together the bikes with my small set of tools, we were eager to begin.

We took off from the Safeway and headed to the Goonies house.  We then found a bike shop in town to pick up a few last supplies.  While at the bike shop, we had our first equipment malfunction.  Jonathon was holding my bike when it fell.  I had just put a new water bottle cage on the bike.  It came with plastic screws, which seemed flimsy when I put them in.  And, less then an hour later, my gut instinct proved to be correct.  I now was down one water bottle holder.  First lesson learned, I really do not know enough about bikes.  Second, lesson you do not want to have flimsy plastic screws on your bike.

Then, we rode out to the sound for a picture.  While we were looking for a place to take the picture the pedal fell off of my bike.  This exact same thing had happened when I first assembled a bike.  However, last time I could blame the kids.  This time they were smart enough to stay away from the assembly process, so I knew whose fault it was.  This equipment malfunction did not result in any new learning, it simply reinforced my knowledge that I really did not know enough about bikes.  This time the pedal had so badly stripped the crank that I could not get it in.

After a lost hour, we returned to the bike store and they fixed it for us.  It was then we learned that most people send their bikes out and have them assembled at the bike shop.  We could have simply ordered a bikes and had them shipped directly to the store. This would be an incredibly good idea, but with our limited budget every penny counted, and I thought it would help me prepare for any problems that arose on the way.  And, fortunately only the arm needed to be replaced to get my bike back into riding shape, so $20 dollars later we were on our way.

At the store, the man told Gina that he could tell we were just starting our trip because our coats looked new.  He wished us luck.

Notice how Gina glows in our first getting started picture?  The glow would not last long.

Jay - I accidentally published this as Catey.

Catey's Goathead poem

Poem

The hunter of the tuby:

I may be small and just a weed

But I can be strong even if I am a seed

A hunter am I, and I patiently wait

For unsuspecting prey rolls into view

A hunter am I, and hunting I do

When he rolls over my place I latch on tight

A whoosh of air and I know I hit right

Another tube bites the dust it's master is angry and I dust myself off

Now here I wait for another prey knowing that small I may be

My prey doesn't stray for I am a hunter and hunting is what I do.

Flat Tires

My brother asked me why I was getting so many flats. He explained that he has only had a couple flats in the last two years on his bike. I have not had that many flats either, which is why I thought my plan for two spare tubes and two patch kits would be enough.

There has been one main culprit for our flat tire problem - goats heads. They are a small thorn that when you ride over them they get stuck in your tire, sometimes they cause a leak right away and some times they seal, so that when you pull the tube off you find out there are multiple holes.

We have been told that we are leaving goat head country, but we got two more flats this morning.

In honor of leaving goat head country we have decided to have a goat head poetry contest.

My entry is entitled Joy of the Innertube Maker.

While cyclists may hate you
and call you a weed.
I am quite happily
spreading your seed.
For with each flat tire
and all that cycling woe,
I smile a slight smile and
watch my fat wallet grow.

Jay

Gina's goathead poem

The Sounds of the Goathead

Whoosh....Whoosh...Whoosh.....crunch...
zzzzzzzsssssss....
Clunk, clunk....clunk, clunk....clunk, clunk.....
Argh!!! #$&%!! Not again!!!

A man who is crazier than us... No, really, much crazier.

A lot of people think that we are crazy for biking across the country, and during these last few hot days, I have been inclined to agree with them. But in Mount Vernon, Oregon, we met a guy who is much more crazy.

The morning after we biked from Prineville to Mount Vernon we got up and planned to bike a few miles before getting breakfast. We started out of the parking lot and realized that after biking over 100 miles the day before, we were hungrier than usual. Therefore, we decided to have our second breakfast across the street from the motel we had slept in.

After finishing breakfast, I went outside to check the tires and make a few adjustments to the bikes. As I headed back toward the front door, I saw a deer poke its head up right by the door. I noticed that it seemed to be tied into some orange bag.

I walked closer, and the animal stood up. It turns out it wasn't a deer, it was a goat that had orange bags on it. There was also a backpack sitting by the goat.

When I went inside, I asked the only lone man in the restaurant if that was his goat outside. He told me it was. It turns out he is walking with the goat across the country. It will take him nearly two years, as his goat does not seem to be in a hurry.

The only thing I can say in defense of his sanity is that he is doing it for a good cause. He is raising money for an orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya.

You can check him out at needle2square.com.

Day 11- A new enemy

We started the day in high spirits with a cool temp and cloud cover. An hour down the road we ran into two bikers who were crossing the country as well. After talking they informed us that they ran into a dirt road ahead and had to turn around.  This meant that we had to head back down the road and bike on the interstate.

The good news is that we teamed up and had a few good miles. Then, the heat kicked in... 104 degrees and a headwind soon hit us. We were forced to stop. We waited in the parking lot of a gas station and sat in with some sprinklers, which helped cool the air.

After an hour we left.  The gas station said that the temperature was 108.  Mom and Scott thought the headwind had stopped... they were wrong. It was so hot Jon's glasses melted. Scott's iPhone said that the temperature was 122 degrees, Ben's read 118.

As we were approaching Mountain Home, we saw dry lightning. Opting for another rest period, we arrived at a gas station only to find out that we couldn't continue. The lighting we saw before had started a massive fire. Soon smoke and ash reached us, we were forced to settle in a crappy motel because the good hotels were evacuated.

In the end, I made a new enemy... called heat.

Day 12 - Stop! Do Not Ask to Borrow Anything

Behind the door with a sign that reads, 'Stop! Do not ask to borrow anything' lives one of the nicest couples we have ever met.

We spent the last night in a motel due to a fire that had started in Mountain Home.  Scott and Ben, the two cross-country bikers we had met the day before (thankfully!!!... Much more about them later), had stayed in the same motel and were waiting to bike out with us.

We rolled out this morning much later than we had planned due to Jonathon being completely dehydrated and vomiting.

Since we got such a late start, we decided to stop by the local bike shop, as it might be days or even weeks before we hit a town with one open. After buying supplies and getting directions, we all took off.... only to find a few miles up the road that we were headed in the wrong direction. We promptly stopped for food and then took off in the other direction, even stopping a local sheriff to be sure we were on the right road.

All 6 of us left town forming a long draft line. With an amazing tailwind, we set out at about 20 mph, easily spinning away the miles.

Suddenly, Jay, who was in the lead called out gravel and slowed down. Jonathon quickly braked, Catey followed, but I was not so fortunate. I hit my brakes too late and got caught up in Catey's rear panniers.  And, as anyone who has worn clip-in pedals before knows, I promptly hit the road and slid.

I immediately jumped up and yanked my biked out of the way of an oncoming truck (thankfully it was far enough back to do so), and surveyed the damage. Pain and blood, as suspected, but thankfully only ripped up gloves, the shorts were intact.

As we were beginning to dress the wounds, a gentleman in a white pickup asked if I needed any help. I said I'd be okay. He jumped put of the truck and came over. He told me that he lived right there and then turned me around to go in and get cleaned up.

As I walked with the gentleman (Oscar), I noticed a sign on their door that read, 'Stop, do not even bother asking to borrow anything'... Oh no, what had I gotten myself into, I thought.

Oscar opened the door and inside sat BB, who was busy taking care of the cutest little kittens you had ever seen. Oscar told her what happened and BB set straight to work cleaning me up and tending to my wounds.

BB told me about the work she and Oscar did, rescuing baby animals and bottle feeding them.  They take on all the costs and then once they are 8 1/2-12 weeks old they find them homes (of course this is after they've had their shots and are healthy).

While all this was occurring, Scott took a phone call from his dad (who had been following him via an iPhone app).  His father asked him where he was going, since we were again headed in the wrong direction. This meant we had now travelled over 14 miles the wrong way.

When Oscar heard this, he immediately offered to drive us back to town where we could begin again.

Since there were so many of us, Oscar and BB took 2 separate vehicles and drove us into town. We were beyond grateful, as yet again, we had found amazing people along our journey who welcomed us in with open arms, in spite of the forbidding sign upon their door.  You may not be able to 'borrow' anything, but hospitality and kindness are freely given.

BB had handed me her card and asked us to drop her a line when we made it back to New York. On the card, it explains what she and Oscar do for stray/rescued animals. If you are interested in donating to their cause, drop me a line and I'll send you their contact info.