Crusty Cassette

I set out bright and early for the 8 am Easy Does it ride today. It was a perfect summer morning. Janet was ready to start at the Corps parking lot when I arrived. I was surprised that there weren't any runners for the usual 8 am Seaport Striders run, but then Janet reminded me that Lance and Debbie and the rest of the Striders where off on the Mt. Misery relay today. We'll have to ask Lance and Debbie about that! It wasn't long before we saw Corrie,followed by Nikki and Darlis.

We talked about a route and our group of girls where going to ride to the Rose Garden before the 9 am breakfast meet up and Corrie was going off towards the Casino. It was nice to chat with a new rider and Darlis gladly filled us in on her busy life. She has been getting her education-special Ed. degree from LCSC. She graduated this Spring and is currently putting her resume out. She was glad to have an Easy Does it Ride as she hasn't been riding much. We picked up a doggie friend at the Rose Garden and Janet was especially drawn to the Roxie (her grand-dog) look-a-like. The dogie had no collar and happily followed us all across the bridge. We where afraid the dogie was going to keep following us but a lady had seen him cross the bridge with us and planned to call the Helping Hands group (takes care of strays.. not the pound) We proceeded to Main Street Grill and found the access easy, including outside seating so we could watch our bikes. We had a great breakfast... which was on the house as we had quite a wait, which the waitress explained was unusual. We didn't complain much and gave her a good tip, after our free breakfast.

After breakfast we separated. Darlis went off to the bike shop and home. Nikki went to go get the truck from Mike and off for kayaking and Janet, Corrie and I went to CLarkston Farmers Market. Apparently Lewistons market is on Wed. and you need to arrive early at Clarkstons market. I managed a pick up a few home made cookies and a home made baked potato sack.

After the Farmers Market tour we split up again. Corrie headed home, Janet went for a few more miles on the bike path and I headed up towards Evans road before heading home. On the way I managed to pick up a small flower pot at Pats Garden Center and even a yard sale before arriving home.

The Easy Does it breakfast ride was great. If you enjoy a leisurely early morning ride followed by a wonderful Sat. breakfast join us again. I've planned another breakfast ride on Sat. July 12. We'll meet at 8 am at the Corps in Clarkston. Ride easy (10-12 mi/hr),plan to meet for breakfast then off to more riding or home.

More pictures

Carol Writes:

This ride goes right to the top of my most beautiful ride list. We started with the green fields and distant mountains of the Prairie, descended a beautiful canyon with basalt cliffs and lush vegetation. We ascended along a creek (grave creek?) that tumbled over rocks and cooled our warm limbs. Along side were endless wildflowers, beautiful butterflies and lots of birds, hawks, eastern yellow? Ask Scott. We descended again to majestic vistas of snow capped mountains, river, valleys. It took your breath away (we were descending…it was the scenery). There was some more ascending and another ride across the prairie but I’ll have to defer on the rest.

Someone said at the beginning, “Who’s going to blog this ride since Corrie’s not along?” I said I’d give it a try.

As all epic journeys begin, we started early, (leaving Lewiston at 6:30 am) and there was a change to plan B when we left our cars. Lake Road out of Fenn was closed to through traffic. Our route had us parking at Tolo Lake. Instead we parked at the turn to Lake road and traveled the abandoned railroad bed into Fenn and then got back on our trail. Scott had our route programmed into his GPS. We had some fun thinking what it could say to let him know he was off course.

We did see a couple of dogs at farm houses. I realized quickly that I was in the best group. Scott directed Sean to take my left and he took the right as we came up to a farm house. The dogs were only interested that we keep on moving and not loiter in their territory. Except for one HUGE yellow dog, they weren’t really intimidating. Although Doug, taking pictures and so bringing up the rear met a black dog that was tired of telling us to move along I guess.

Our first descent to Graves Creek was on paved road. We stopped at the Weis rock shelter and received our history lesson. The cave had been backfilled so that we could not enter and deface it, thus preserving it for future generations to wonder what it was like inside just as we did. I don’t understand that logic. This descent was beautiful with the basalt cliffs and cool trees. It was very shady most of the way making a little cool but not too bad.

The ride had a total of 7000 feet of climbing in 63 miles. I was doing fine at mile 20, but then we started our first significant ascent. Doug was riding in front and would stop in a shady spot and wait for the rest of us. The breaks were welcome. Our perfect weather had turned a little too warm with the amount of effort we were expending. I’m not sure when I got off and started walking my bike, it was before the 3rd cattle guard I think. Scott gallantly joined me. We broke to eat some lunch. I couldn’t eat my PB&J but managed a few chips and drank .. oops … Jen’s sport drink. The bottle looked like mine but when I went to put it back on my bike, mine was still there. Shortly after that I mounted my bike and my hamstring started cramping. I walked a good piece of this unrelenting incline. I was finally able to get back on the bike. Sean had been keeping me company walking at this point. Close to the top we rounded a corner to our cheering, encouraging companions. We were at about mile 28!

This next two mile at the top of the ridge revealed some of the most diverse and prolific display of wild flowers I have ever seen. We had all colors all in the same meadow. I wondered if the whole area had been covered in those wildflowers before our ancestors began plowing up the fields and paving roads.

At about mile 30 we rounded a corner to the breathtaking view I mentioned earlier. We had almost a 10 mile descent to the bottom of the White Bird hill. We were coming in from a canyon once removed from the new grade. It is indescribable. Doug shot lots of photos so look at them.

At the bottom I found a pay phone and called a friend of mine in Grangeville in the hope that I could get a ride up White Bird Hill. She didn’t answer, in an act of desperation I left a message with the time and my request anyway. We rode into White Bird and I found a breeze and wire table outside a restaurant. Doug chivalrously offered to keep my company. I already felt guilty for holding everybody up while I walked my bike. (I had 40 miles, it was about 2:30) I’d brought some sudokus to while away the time as I’d feared I wasn’t up to this whole ride. I wistfully watched my companions cycle away and ate my PB&J sandwich and did a sudoku. Suddenly a friendly voice called my name. My friend from Grangeville had gotten my message and found me in White Bird. I was so glad to see her. We motored up the old white bird grade to let the group know I’d been rescued and they wouldn’t need to come back for me. They were pretty far up the hill and looked to be doing well.

I helped my friend weed her flower beds back in Grangeville and waited for Sean’s call. I started to get worried when hours had passed. I realized finally that my bike computer and cell phone times didn’t match and they had actually been riding 45 minutes less than I initially thought but I was still getting concerned. I called Sean and he calculated they were 15 minutes from the vehicles so I rode over to the Mexican restaurant and enjoyed the ride. I did two more sudoku’s under a tree outside Syringa…..Finally about 6:00 pm. The last 23 miles were “grueling” was the word they ascribed. Doug assured me that I’d made the correct decision to skip the final climb. The group had over 7 hours of riding time, and had been on the road 10 ½ hours.

We discussed that this ride should be an annual event. We then had a nice meal, a round of margaritas and headed home. We arrived home about 8 pm. Next year I’ll make it up White Bird AND Graves Creek.

Scott called for an epic ride with the classic greek. Eureka. My first response was that the classic greek should go get back in the pool.

Ride up Whitebird on a mountain bike? Why would I want to do that. Nevertheless it did have a certain "I've never done that" appeal. But Kendrick sounded more like the recovery ride I had in mind following I Made the Grade.

Looks like the B&L crew plus Doug and Carol for this "adventure."

Here's Doug's email:

Hi all,

Wow what a ride yesterday! I have to say that is the hardest day I have put in on a bike so far. But everyone had a great time and the scenery was incredible.

Lots of pics here

Pictures from Scott's Hammer Creek Loop Route

Doug

You will note no complaints about heart rate and "can't climb" today. Must be that Doug just needs a little more adventure to stimulate him.

Corrie

While lying in the hospital last winter with a broken back wondering about the prognosis that I'd likely make a full recovery, I found myself longing to do another double century should that recovery happen.

Read the Full Story

Largent and I waited out many a rainshower while having lunch at Zoe's in Kendrick. But no more. That for sale sign in the window is gone and the glass sports a new sign.

Mike and Nicki on the Tandem, Chris, Corrie and Linda, and Debbie started out for Kendrick this morning at 10 under blue skies and comfortable temps.

I was feeling the effects of having raced I Made the Grade on Saturday. Starved. I ate a bar before we left, another at the top of WebRidge, a banana and a bottle of V8 at Lapwai before I began to feel better. By Kendrick I was feeling good.

Part of that was the good old Flat Master was back in form. Chris hit something which flatted him but didn't puncture the tire. He patched the tube without removing it.

Linda had gone on ahead and now I found myself trying to keep up with Cruel once more. He jetted off but waited on the trail and we rode in together at 19mph. I don't know what Chris thought, but I impressed me.

Linda impressed me too. When the tandem and Debbie turned back at Arrow, Linda was game to go on to Kendrick promising not to hold us up. I knew it would just be Linda and I for most of the way.

Chris hung back with us for a time bringing up the rear while Linda gamely held on to the 15 mph pace I was setting when faster was called for by the terrain. But it wasn't long before he popped out up front and pulled away into the head wind.

Chris had asked back on Tammany whaat the forecast was. I had told him he should count on headwinds all the way so as not to be disappointed. In passing, he noted that I had been right so far today. I warned him not to expect tailwinds for the return.

I was wrong. Chris's tire was low again when we left Archie's. We pumped it up but he stopped at the end of the trail to put in a new tube telling us to go on. I handed him my pump just in case since I figured he had only one more CO2 cartridge.

Linda was concerned at leaving Chris behind but I told her he'd catch us probably before we got to Arrow. Wrong again. We had a great tailwind to Arrow and once again Linda held my wheel running at 20 to 23 mph.

I didn't mind being wrong about the wind here nor even about when Chris would catch us. He didn't show up until we approached the Casino store on its frontage road. He'd been hitting 23 to 27.

It was good to get my pump back though.

Back at the boat launch I needed another 11 miles to go with the 15 I'd done before the ride to make my century so I found myself going back and forth on the Greenbelt to get just the right mileage to put me at 100 atg my garage. By now the wind was seriously out of the west and the trail was thick with families with small children on trikes, bikes, skates. I gave up the trail and hit the road back to 22nd.