Boise, ID

It is 6-29 and now we have a day off. It will be good to have a day off. We have ridden fairly hard at times the last 2 days. Yesterday we had to be shuttled in one of the vans for about 8 miles due to construction. Rode on the expressway yesterday, that was a new treat with cars and trucks whizzing by at 65 mph. We had a good shoulder, but there was a lot of junk along the side of the road. The scenery wasn't anything really spectacular yesterday but we did ride along the Snake River. Yesterday the highlight of the day was pulling John who is an 80 year old cyclist. He teaches music in NJ and is a concert violinist. We put 2 in front, John in the middle, and one in back. we stayed like that for about 14+ mi. We were trying to stay around 17-18 mph, then John said push it up to 20 mph. It was a hoot,he was very appreciative when we were done and at the hotel.
Today was a short 61mi, went by really quickly. We saw a lot of agricultural farming and a tremendous amount of irrigation. Today,we also saw a considerable number of horses. We were on a lot of back roads today so for once we did not have to worry about a lot of traffic. We are in Boise, ID, our 1st day in Idaho. Rest stop couldn't have come at a better time, we all need a day off the saddle, if you know what I mean. The last several days it has gotten pretty hot in the afternoon low to mid 90's.
America by Bicycle is doing a really nice job so far and they are very accommodating. Tonight they gave us some info on the history of Idaho and things of interest in Boise that we might want to do.
I can hardly wait to sleep in tomorrow. I know some of you are saying and this is a vacation biking across America, on top of that we are getting up between 5-5:30 every morning.
For those of you that are familiar with heart rate monitors, Ted started out with an all time high of 205 this morning.
I will try to up date the blog in 2 days, and hopefully a picture or 2, but don't hold your breath on the pictures.

Day 6

The last 2 days have had some unbelievable scenery. The way the landscape changes so quickly is hard to describe. Some of the passes we went through just took your breathe away. Yesterday we rode 117 mi., the longest one day ride I have ever taken,and then today we went 81. We have had a lot of climbing but the grade is not difficult, the climbs are just long. I think the climbing legs are the whole way back, but I get blown away by the 2 other gentlemen, not sure of their names, who are a couple of grams heavier than I am. It all works out in the wash at the end of the day. We are living by the stick!!!! I purchased a massage stick before we left and that seems to be the 1st thing we do after we ride and the last thing we do before we go to bed. I think one of the requirements of where we stay each night is does the town have a Dairy Queen.
We are really enjoying ourselves, lost track of time, we don't even remember what day it is half the time. You sort of lose touch with the outside world. We have met a lot of really nice and enjoyable people. The youngest is 18 and the oldest is 80, average age is 58, so we have a lot of senior citizens on the ride.
Two more days of riding , then finally a day off.

Well I know I am behind already. One day it was hard to get to a computer and yesterday I just didn't do it. Three days in and everything is ok, somewhat. The 1st day about 12-15 mi into the ride I had a flat, hopefully that will be my only one( yea right). Also according to Ken, on of my riding friends I am leaving my scent across OR, I have had to stop and pee so much. First 2 days were 70 miles give or take with moderate climbing, a lot of it was along the Columbia River. The 1st night a fellow rider and myself actually rode pass the hotel about a mile before we realized that we had passed it.
Day 1- Ken and Ted stayed with me while I tried to get my legs back for most of the ride and then like true friends they just blew me off the last 5 miles, what are friends for.
Day 2- Went along the Columbia River, had a great bike path through parts of Portland and along the river. The bike path reminded me of the rides out in Breckinridge, CO. Sue doesn't know it yet, but we are moving. There were some great house boat communities out on the river. That is going to be our next destination, so if anyone wants to come visit us in the future you are certainly welcome. We rode past Mt. Hood, it just majestically stands out above everything. On thing we continually passed today were nurseries, they were enormous as far as the eye can see. They have to send their things all over the country as big as they are. We ate at Calamity Janes, the neat thing about this is it had dollar bills all over the beams and ceiling.
Day 3- Great day saw more of Mt. Hood and a lot of of snow covered mtns. Started out with a 13 mi. climb, great views along the way. We saw a Red Bull car that gave out free ones if you wanted, they just happened to be stopping by. We went from lushness and pines, to more open range type surroundings. We are spending our night at a casino resort, haven't lost any money.
The ride also has a site which is interesting and actually gives you more info. It is bamacyclist.com go to recent rides, America North. We have another climbing day tomorrow 61 mi. and then Fri. 117 mi. Hopefully I'll learn how to get pictures on this before the end of the ride.

If this print is to small someone let me know. Tom

Astoria, OR

Arrived safely on Fri., Jun 19th in Astoria, Or. the start of our ride. It has been dreary and overcast since we arrived with the sun peaking through occasionally. We are right on the Columbia River, only about 8-10 mi from the Pacific Ocean.
We took a short ride today to do an informal dip of our tire in the ocean. we only got within approx. 200 yds. of the ocean. We didn't feel like walking through the sand carrying our bike to do. Actually, we got lost on the way, hope this isn't an indication of things to come.
Tomorrow is our 1st day of riding, we don't have a day off until Jun. 30th. Our 1st destination is St. Helens, OR which is 69 miles, then we have 3 more days of approx. the same mileage. Day 5 is our 1st 100+ mile day.
There are 51 of us and the ave. age is 58. Met an awful lot of nice people so far. Some riders have come from England, Trinadad, Australia, and then quite a few states. Most everyone is in the same boat as Ken, Ted, and I never having done a ride to this extent.
Hard to believe that tomorrow is the start of an awesome journey. I'll keep you posted. Tom

2 days to go

Let me know if this comes to every one. I am ready, just hope I remember to pack everything. Once we get to OR I will put something on the blog

Got sick on Thurs. May 28th, so my training for the ride has been on hold for almost a week now. I guess the silver lining is better now than on the trip