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Nice doggie.... August 20, 2008Leave a comment  View More Images No, not the turkeys. They just gobbled around and looked uninterested... I wish I had a picture of the dog that chased me, but in the heat of the moment, I wasn't thinking camera, I was thinking "pepper spray." On my way up Hwy 12 I passed this house in an idyllic setting, stream running nearby, trees swaying in the breeze, open air porch, dog resting lazily on the porch wall, legs dangling over the side. In the matter of a nano-second (how many decimal places is that?) this happily content canine has become the guardian of the underworld. A viscous beast bent on destroying every living creature in his path. Or at least me first! He comes screaming through the trees in full tilt fury! Hair standing up along the crown of his back, teeth bared in full enamel glory, a bark that sent shivers up my spine. As I have done in the past, I leapt of the bike (opposite the doggy side) and make menacing growling noises back (like that did a lot of good). He stands off about two or three feet away, jumping, biting and barking at my bike. No amount of praise, good boy, nice doggie, sit, stay, growl, ruff, fetch, or whatever I could think of would change this standoff. Except one thing... well placed pepper spray. He turned tail and ran so fast I thought about chasing him. Ha! I've got to buy stock in this stuff! Bring on the bears!! ;o) My only dog so far, except the one barely surviving the heat near Toppenish. My ride from Dayton this morning started off under gloomy skies. The rain had started early, but was merely misting when I left the hotel. I grabbed an apple crispie and chocolate milk at the local bakery before heading up the road (Andy the dancer at Pro Bike told me I could eat anything without guilt and still lose weight. I haven't seen the lose weight part yet, but the eating everything is right up my alley). A steady climb at the end of the valley took me to an incredible three to four mile downhill screaming that had me topping almost 40 mph. The whole time I am thinking, "this would be a bad time to have a blow out." I was weaving in and out of tall golden hills, some cultivated, some not. I passed another Starbuck sign, which made me crave a double shot espresso. I was aiming for Pomeroy, 35 miles to the east, half-way to Lewiston. The road was winding back and forth, huge shoulder with little debris, but large trucks kept passing for most of the ride. One of the little sounds that yor come to anticipate, is the sound of the tires of a passing car crossing the center line. They groove the center line so that you can hear when you venture into the other lane. It also gives me a clue that someone behind me is giving me a wide berth. Its those times when you hear the truck or car coming and you DON'T hear the tell tell "brruuummmmmppppp." That's when I catch a glimpse in my rearview mirror and start squeaking over to the edge of the shoulder. Almost all of the drivers have been incredibly polite and have given me a wide berth. But occasionally, someone gets close. Before I left Dayton, I asked the lady at the hotel if she had heard when the rain might let up. She said it was supposed to blow over around 1100. I think she meant blown DOWN at 1100. Because that is what it did! In buckets! I think Charlie the biker/agricultural man of answers (B/AMOA) was right on the money. The rainfall does increase about one inch per mile to the east. I just didn't think he meant all at one time! I threw on my rain gear and kept on pedaling. It was actually quite pleasant. Not much wind, steady drops falling fairly heavily. Each drop hit the black pavement like a little crystal ball, shattering into tiny pieces and casting it's shards in all directions. Thank goodness it wasn't glass or I would have been fixing flats most of the day (more on that topic later). I made it to Pomeroy in short order. It is amazing how quickly the miles pass when you get into the rhythm of the bike. The miles tend to float by while I am lost in thought. I was watching the rain drip off the brim of my bike helmet and strike squarely on the face of my GPS. All of the electronics I was carrying on my handlebars are water resistant and worked perfectly (except the solar cell, no sun all day). Once in Pomeroy, I stopped for lunch at the Up and Up Bar and Grill. It was recommended by Jeff back at the Tuxedo. I was soaked to the core, not because water leaked through the raingear, but because my gear is not Gore-Tex and doesn't breathe, so I had sweated up a storm without really knowing it. I shed my soaked shirt for a dry pile sweater and sat down at the bar. The food was not as good as the Tuxedo and the company was not either (I was the only one at the bar). From Pomeroy I had one last grade to climb before descending into Clarkston, WA. The rain kept coming down, but not as heavy as before. The trucks were kicking up a good deal of spray when they would pass by, even though they were hugging the opposite lane. I put my head down and made a push to the top and peaked out on Alpowa Summit around 3:00 pm. I pulled off to take the customary summit picture (my machine in the foreground) and pedaled over to read the summit information. Over my shoulder, back to the west, the storm clouds were hanging low over the hills and becoming ominously dark. Since the grade down to Clarkston was fairly steep (trucks were told to check their brakes before heading down, runaway truck ramp, etc...) I thought it would be best to wait out the weather. I hunkered under the information booth and watched the skies open up. It was really pouring now! I tried to take a picture, but that was fruitless. I just leaned back on the sign and watch the rain come down. Pretty soon I heard the roar of a motorcycle flying into the parking lot and ran straight up to the toilet! Here's the rider and his motorcycle, nestled neatly under the awning of the outhouse, waiting for the storm to pass. He gets off the motorcycle and we talked about, you guessed it, the weather! He was heading to Montana and had just come from Tacoma. When the rain relented a bit he took off down the hill and I followed shortly after. The grade was pretty steep, 6 to 7% for about five miles. It would have been great if it was dry, but I was dragging my brakes all the way down, for fear the water would prevent me from stopping quickly if I had to. I made the steepest part of the grade without a problem, but just about the time it started to level out I felt the signs of a flat. The tail end of the bike just starts to wobble back and forth a bit. I pull to the side and saw bubbles coming up through the rim next to the valve stem. Great! Just about the time I am ready to leave Washington, she throws a sliver of steel into my tire and down the tire goes. Having a kickstand saved the day. I don't worry about an extra pound on an almost 90 pound bike and it makes a great jack stand! Check out the picture. Rather than lay my bike on the derailleur, I put one pedal down and used the kickstand to hold the bike up! Just to make my day a bit more entertaining, the skies decide to open up. I change the tube in the downpour, tuck the new tube in the wheel and off I go. Funny, there are bubbles coming from the stem again! Shoot! I think I must have pinched the tube when I put the tire back on. I decided to see how far I could go before I had to pump it back up and I was surprised I made it all the way to Lewiston, 10 miles away! And it stayed full so it must have been some residual air in the rim. But I tend twist the tube when I put in on, so part of the tire did not seat well and I kept getting a thump thump every revolution of the wheel. Luckily, one of the first stores I came to in Lewiston was the TNT Bike Shop and I left my bike there overnight for a tune up and installation of aero bars. I really need to off load my hands as the numbness is getting annoying, especially when I have to change a flat in the rain. My hostess for my time in Lewiston, Margo Aragon, met me at the bike shop and took me off for some homemade enchiladas! I will be here for two days meeting kids from the local community and the Nez Perce Tribe. I've included a picture of a very dear friend, Horace Axtell. I first met Horace in Houston at my first AISES conference. He has been an Elder for AISES for many years and is the Spiritual Leader for the Nimíipuu Longhouse. Today's stats: Total distance: 66.88 mi Total time: 6:29:20.05 Avg pace: 5.49 /mi Avg speed: 10.3 mph Max speed: 36.9 mph Total calories burned: 3069 Avg heart rate: 113 bpm Max heart rate: 144 bpm Total ascent: 2848 feet Total descent: 3768 feet More Images:                   11 Comments
Aug 21, 2008 7:50 pm - Rod Cencich wrote : Have fun good luck if you come through Montrose Colorado stop by. My motto when cycling, "I never had a bad day on a bike." This mantra got me through some truly horrible days.
Aug 21, 2008 7:11 pm - Lisa Farris and Kids wrote : Hello, I really think this is a great adventure. My kids go to Crooked Oak Elemantary in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Ruby Murphy at pro bikes is their Physical Education teacher and she has told all the kids about you! We have been following your way! Good Luck and Stay Safe!!
Aug 21, 2008 6:22 pm - Diane Herman wrote : John WOW this is so amazing,great adventure!! I have really enjoyed reading about your travel. Be careful along the way, look forward to seeing you get to the Colorado Srings area. Hope I can see you there. Be safe! Diane
Aug 21, 2008 3:35 pm - Lucy Ratka wrote : John - an outstanding adventurer;and I'm so glad to be your friend.. Be safe and have fun!
Aug 21, 2008 2:35 pm - Chris Beloin - Wisconsin wrote : Thanks for offering such inspiration on your tour across the USA - What is your route through Wisconsin? Chris beloin
Aug 21, 2008 10:15 am - Phill Allen wrote : Welcome to Nez Perce country as I recall seeing you at the last AISES conference in Phoenix I believe. Have a great visit here in Idaho......PHILL ALLEN-NWIC faculty and Nez Perce tibal member
Aug 21, 2008 10:14 am - Bill Hoch wrote : Well done on the bike tour. I am an old Navy Doc myself, it is great to see someone doing a venture such as this and putting in the web. Keep riding, enjoy the adventure! Be safe
Aug 21, 2008 9:41 am - Jane and Wayne Bridenstine wrote : John, Wayne and I have been following you daily. We laugh out loud about some of your experiences. To me the most interesting are the stories of the people that you have met along the way. As I'm getting the classroom ready, I'm planning in my head how we will read your blog and check the map each day. Please be safe and I'm very glad you had pepper spray.:- J&W
Aug 21, 2008 8:49 am - Charmaine wrote : Hi - I just learned of your blog and glad you are enjoying your cross-country bicycle trip and encouraging kids along the way! : I went cross-country 10 years ago and enjoyed it too - it's a NEW ADVENTURE EVERY DAY! : Enjoy and be safe!
Aug 21, 2008 6:52 am - Nancy Atkinson wrote : What a dismal day! But glad you made it to your destination safe but not dry, I'm guessing! I'm enjoying following your journey and reading about all the folks and animals you meet along the way. Safe travels, Nancy Atkinson Add a comment: |
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Hey John! Great progress! Am writing you from the Summit at Snoqualmie again! Hard to imagine a week has already passed by. Raining like crazy here too!!! Yikes! It is supposed to rain here, NOT THERE! Glad you are doing well. "God Speed!" Oh! Almost forgot, a well placed '22' round works well when the pepper spray fails! Some people and their dogs! Bye for now, Bill Marsh