Crusty Cassette

Whose idea was a 10:00 am start?

Of course, when the ride was scheduled 10 am meant temps in the low 40s if we were lucky. But when the forecast called for highs in the 90s valley cyclists became unruly.

I, myself, couldn't resist the urge to take off at 8 for 30 extra miles. I met a cyclist in Asotin who claimed I was on his route. I begged his pardon and he explained that he was my UPS driver. We'd chatted one afternoon as I cleaned my bike. Seems he was chasing a lady who was running up Anatone grade. Funny she hadn't joined the For the Hill of It crowd on the Lewiston Grade.

On my return 4 or 5 more cyclists with backpacks headed south. I saw two recumbents on the bike path before I got to Clarkston and back at the boat launch Ben Jain showed up with Jake. They'd started at 7 and ridden to Waha Lake and back. Apparently Jake's developing some racing chops. Ben said something about having placed 13th on the coast in some Cat race. Jake, if you read this, please give us the details.

Linda and Helen and Bill McPherson headed out early. Lee did too. Doug rode in to Pullman with Scott, Jen, and Sean. We just couldn't keep together today. So it was Debbie, Nicki, Bill Arnold, Dave T and myself who tackled the grade at 10 this morning.

My plan was to get an accurate mileage from the Rose Garden through Uniontown across Thorncreek Road and back on 95. Two kinks appeared in that plan. Ben Jain recommended leaving 95 to ride the old highway 95 into Genessee which turned out to be a good plan. Good road, low traffic just a little south wind in our faces. That was Dave and Bill and I. The others had returned back down 195.

The second little wrinkle was that I managed to lose 4 miles on the GPS somewhere from where I stopped to take pictures to the first big climb past the underpass. Looking down to see the percent of grade, I discovered I had turned off the GPS. Sad. Still MapMyRide reports that distance as about 51 miles. Adding around Genesee on the old road doesn't seem to extend the distance much.

All was well until the descent. Bill and Dave raced one another while I struggled to keep up. Bill had the never to say he never pedaled once all the way down. Yeah, right!

So it's nearly 4 and I'm short about 6 miles. What's a fellow to do? I headed out past Asotin and then back via Clemans and Critchfield. Where I turn off Critchfield onto 22nd to head home, I did something I've never done before. My heart monitor reported 160 or better. Even though I had only 2 tenths of a mile to get home, I thought better of it. I stopped and waited for my pulse to go down. It did, but no lower than 129.

The batteries are worn out on my Minolta. I've replaced them before, but I thought it was time to upgrade. Camera technology is a bit advanced over that 8 year old Minolta. I ended up with a Casio. Chris's advice was to buy a camera from Nikon, Cannon or some other known camera company. Instead I grabbed the Casio. It had good reviews on Amazon, a good price, and the easiest, most intuitive controls I could find. Like Chris says, I'm just putting it on auto and snapping pictures. Of course, Casio can't even build a decent watch but . .

Video was a feature I wanted to try out. I warned Chris he wouldn't be in the pictures 'cause he was always too far out front. He rode down to the top of the hill today to meet us so I grabbed this one pic while he was still visible.

But he doesn't show up in the video I took on the grade. Not much of a movie but the stars are good looking. (Hint: play it twice. The fist time will be jerky as it loads. And the icon in the lower right corner gives you full screen playback.) http://www.flickr.com/photos/corrier/2501090470/

Here are four pict on Flckr. For the ride of it.

If snow hadn't stopped Nicki and Debbie from riding the last Sage Bakery ride, I knew a little wind wasn't going to prevent them from doing the Kendrick ride.

Sorry about the miscued notices. I wanted to send out the invitations but they wouldn't go so I figured I'd remove them, then add them in again to get the invitations to go out. That meant you got to see both a cancellation and an invitation, perhaps two invitations. Sorry about the confusion.

Nicki and Mike brought the tandem which makes for a nice draft into the head winds we had today but otherwise they're sorta hard to keep up with except on the hills.

Chris showed up, rode with us to Kendrick, but disappeared into the wind somewhere between Kendrick and Arrow Bridge.

The winds pushed Nicki and Debbie out a bit beyond their comfort zones today, but both finished smiling.

My right knee has been tender since Wednesday. I've been good to it, that is until today. It hurt a bit the last 50 miles but didn't get to be an issue until the last 10 or so. I'll be watching it.

Note to Bill Arnold. Those dogs on 12 enroute to the Casino came out and gave chase today. We out ran them, though.

Don't forget to log your miles for May.

For the road of it.

Lunch at Cous Creek
See more pics at Doug's May 4th Ride

I never ask to ride my age in miles 'cause I know those numbers aren't getting any smaller. Seems like a bad precedent.

But I'll gladly ride your age for ice cream. I started with Dave's ice cream and brownies and they persuaded me to have Chris's. I never got to my own.

Sorry neither Dave nor Chris could be with us. With Bloomsday in progress we also missed Linda and Debbie. Mike pointed out that would leave more ice cream for us, but then Doug and Scott and Jen and Helen showed up. I had to share.

The best cycling day of the spring, we left in shorts and short sleeves and actually broke a sweat riding toward Buffalo Eddy. Nicki wanted 29 miles before turning around but no more. I don't think any of us really wanted to go the extra two miles or so to the eddy. I was concerned for the safety of the ice cream.

We had a head wind going north--what else is new? But it wasn't bad. We got into a pace line and made Helen spin to keep up. She did great but looked a bit played out back at Hell's Gate. And then she didn't eat any ice cream. What is wrong with some people?

Next Sunday, I think, Nick wants to do the Kendrick route starting again at 10. It's beginning to look as thought the Sunday, 1pm may be short-lived. Good to have some longer groups rides though.

For the ride of it.--Corrie

"I've had enough of that for today," Dave T. complained rolling his bent bike to a stop at the top of the Cottonwood Creek Climb on Saturday.

He dismounted, then leaned over the bike as though he were about to empty his stomach into the seat. "If that didn't make my head explode, nothing will." Dave had surgery to correct an anorism like clot in his brain over Christmas. But he's back on his bike now and doing tough centuries like Saturday's.

Cold weather kept me from riding the Winchester Century in April. The forecast for Saturday looked as good so I called for my favorite local ride thinking only Dave would join me. Instead we had a crowed. Chris showed up for an 8 am ride--way early for him. And Bill Arnold, who completed his first ever century only a few weeks ago, wrote to say he'd be joining me even though his two weeks in Mexico had kept him off a bike. And Sean, free on a Saturday because of the cancelled Weiser River ride, called to say he'd join us on Tammany and Carol would start over in the Lapwai Valley. Only Jim McCracken couldn't make it being in Spokane.

Carol drove by us on our way to Culdesac and started up the hill before we arrived. She didn't want to hold us up. Sometimes a little hold up is a good thing. Like stopping to take pictures. Sadly my camera quit before I got any good shots. (Amazon, reading my mind, sent me offers for new cameras just this morning. ) So you will have to imagine the lush, soft, green fields on the lower slopes. Higher up, the fields had not yet greened up. Wild flowers were in full display from tiny little blue ones I'd have never seen except that I was kneeling to take a picture of the bright yellows ones. The overcast left the valley looking hazy and gray but now a blue clearing appeared to the north. To the south over Winchester itself the clouds took on a bit more shape and darkness. But with the sun out and sheltered from the wind the day took on an almost summery feel especially after we dropped down Magpie.

Because Carol needed to return to her car and because we've put this route into our new Bite the Bullet Day Tour, we decided not to ride out to highway 12 avoiding that scary 4 miles to Arrow Bridge. Cottonwood Creek is a hidden valley with a small stream, lots of flowering trees, and green green grass. The runs 5 or 6 miles at a 1 to 2 percent grade toward Culdesac before it begins to climb seriously. Most of this is really only 5 or 6 percent but it is quite long and you end up grinding. I saw 10 to 11 percent on my GPS at a couple of points but missed checking as the hill steepens just at the top. Sorry, Dave, I can't tell you how steep that was, but I'm glad you ruled out any attempt at going back over Web Ridge. That would have been a hill too far. My GPS says I did 6685 feet of climbing and 111 total miles yesterday. Looks like returning by Cottonwood creek adds not only time, but distance. May 5 or 6 miles.

So, the Bite the Bullet Day Tour will not be a ride for beginners. But neither is the Huckleberry Ride. Leanne, Dave's wife, has agreed to drive sag for us. That means we'll have access to food and water on the long stretch between Winchester over Reuben-Gifford road back to Lapwai. It doesn't mean you can count on getting a ride up the steep part of Cottonwood Creek. The new route is 68 miles long starting in Lapwai and has a little over 4,000 feet of climbing. It is a demanding ride but almost entirely free of traffic and covering beautiful country. Just be sure you're fit for this one. Put it on your calendar for Sunday, June 29th.

For the Ride of it.--Corrie